Tom Bentley
@bentguy.bsky.social
Fiction and nonfiction books plus a slew of travel, essays, content marketing and word stews | adept balderdash tosser | offers open mouth to classic #cocktails
A salute to my dad on #VeteransDay. He's now in the big B-17 in the sky, but flew many campaigns as a waistgunner both over Europe and Korea, and managed to come home with his warm sense of humor intact. Here he is with his brother Sturge (L.), and reacquainting himself with a machine gun.
November 11, 2025 at 10:48 PM
A salute to my dad on #VeteransDay. He's now in the big B-17 in the sky, but flew many campaigns as a waistgunner both over Europe and Korea, and managed to come home with his warm sense of humor intact. Here he is with his brother Sturge (L.), and reacquainting himself with a machine gun.
Words: Pablo Neruda's Love Letter to Language www.themarginalian.org/2025/11/05/n...
Words: Pablo Neruda’s Love Letter to Language
“Words are events, they do things, change things. They transform both speaker and hearer… feed understanding or emotion back and forth and amplify it,” Ursula K. Le Guin wrote. Wo…
www.themarginalian.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Words: Pablo Neruda's Love Letter to Language www.themarginalian.org/2025/11/05/n...
The Relief of Being Ordinary tomer-rozenberg.com/2025/11/06/t...
Embracing the Ordinary: Finding Joy in Everyday Life
Discover the beauty of ordinary life and the freedom that comes with accepting that you don't have to be exceptional to be happy.
tomer-rozenberg.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The Relief of Being Ordinary tomer-rozenberg.com/2025/11/06/t...
Ignoring vile politics for the nonce, I was delighted to see this NYT recipe for intoxicating chocolate cake from a Lisbon bakery we visited in mid-2023. The memory tastes good, but this cake IRL, wow!
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020...
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020...
Lisbon Chocolate Cake (Published 2019)
cooking.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Ignoring vile politics for the nonce, I was delighted to see this NYT recipe for intoxicating chocolate cake from a Lisbon bakery we visited in mid-2023. The memory tastes good, but this cake IRL, wow!
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020...
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020...
A great day at the plaza in Watsonville, CA. Many hilarious signs (mine is a contender) and the marvel of famed labor activist Dolores Huerta, who addressed the crowd with vigor and a strong, persuasive voice. Dolores is 95. Heroes are made of this.
#NoKings
#NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 10:47 PM
A great day at the plaza in Watsonville, CA. Many hilarious signs (mine is a contender) and the marvel of famed labor activist Dolores Huerta, who addressed the crowd with vigor and a strong, persuasive voice. Dolores is 95. Heroes are made of this.
#NoKings
#NoKings
Pathetic. When will they put "no reading" implants in people's brains?
SB 13 is a bill that removes local control from public schools across Texas and gives politicians (not parents) the power to decide what books are or are not available to students.
action.everylibrary.org/texas_school...
SB 13 is a bill that removes local control from public schools across Texas and gives politicians (not parents) the power to decide what books are or are not available to students.
action.everylibrary.org/texas_school...
Texas School Bans Students from the Library
Politicians, not parents, are deciding what children can read in the United States.
action.everylibrary.org
October 17, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Pathetic. When will they put "no reading" implants in people's brains?
SB 13 is a bill that removes local control from public schools across Texas and gives politicians (not parents) the power to decide what books are or are not available to students.
action.everylibrary.org/texas_school...
SB 13 is a bill that removes local control from public schools across Texas and gives politicians (not parents) the power to decide what books are or are not available to students.
action.everylibrary.org/texas_school...
The media is largely ignoring the trauma of millions. Here's why.
open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
The media is largely ignoring the trauma of millions. Here's why.
Plus: Watch George Stephanopolous pushes JD Vance with follow-up questions, cringe at Bari Weiss's pep talk to CBS journalists; and more
open.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 10:58 PM
The media is largely ignoring the trauma of millions. Here's why.
open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
open.substack.com/pub/margaret...
Watering the Friday soil (well, our own) with a standard—but delicious!—Manhattan. Four Roses Small Batch Select bourbon, Dolin vermouth, Peychaud and Angostura bitters, brandied cherry, lemon twist. Standard she may be, but ahhhhhhh....
#cocktails
#cocktails
October 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Watering the Friday soil (well, our own) with a standard—but delicious!—Manhattan. Four Roses Small Batch Select bourbon, Dolin vermouth, Peychaud and Angostura bitters, brandied cherry, lemon twist. Standard she may be, but ahhhhhhh....
#cocktails
#cocktails
Reposted by Tom Bentley
Mr. President. Stop breaking the law.
The shutdown does not give you the right to fire thousands of hard working federal employees.
Instead of giving huge tax breaks to your billionaire friends, show some respect for the struggling working families of our country.
The shutdown does not give you the right to fire thousands of hard working federal employees.
Instead of giving huge tax breaks to your billionaire friends, show some respect for the struggling working families of our country.
October 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Mr. President. Stop breaking the law.
The shutdown does not give you the right to fire thousands of hard working federal employees.
Instead of giving huge tax breaks to your billionaire friends, show some respect for the struggling working families of our country.
The shutdown does not give you the right to fire thousands of hard working federal employees.
Instead of giving huge tax breaks to your billionaire friends, show some respect for the struggling working families of our country.
SORA: the all Ai TikTok Clone. will slop end creativity?
YouTube video by CaseyNeistat
youtu.be
October 10, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Five years after the hardcore CZU fire, Butano State Park still is heavily scarred, with burnt trees and stumps everywhere, but yet beautiful in a haunting way. That's me a week ago in front of a big redwood that had fallen across a trail, looking recently sawed. #ClimateChange #fire #redwoods
October 6, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Five years after the hardcore CZU fire, Butano State Park still is heavily scarred, with burnt trees and stumps everywhere, but yet beautiful in a haunting way. That's me a week ago in front of a big redwood that had fallen across a trail, looking recently sawed. #ClimateChange #fire #redwoods
Tonight’s sweet relief: a Sazerac w/ Russell’s 6-year rye, St. George absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters, simple syrup, lemon wedge, splash of (non traditional) soda water. A small anodyne for the news. #cocktails
October 4, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Tonight’s sweet relief: a Sazerac w/ Russell’s 6-year rye, St. George absinthe, Peychaud’s bitters, simple syrup, lemon wedge, splash of (non traditional) soda water. A small anodyne for the news. #cocktails
EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries. #libraries #AABB
www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social
www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social
I Believe in Libraries.
EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries.
www.everylibrary.org
September 30, 2025 at 5:24 PM
EveryLibrary's Executive Director, John Chrastka, discusses why he believes in libraries. #libraries #AABB
www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social
www.everylibrary.org/i_believe_in... via @everylibrary.bsky.social
A toast to democracy; it wobbles, but I think (hope!) it will remain upright. This is a Square Mile, with Old Forester 1920 bourbon (yum), Grey Whale gin (semi-local) and Dolin Vermouth. Interesting—I did like the bourbon/gin combo more than I imagined, though not sure I'd do it a lot.
#cocktails
#cocktails
September 27, 2025 at 12:55 AM
A toast to democracy; it wobbles, but I think (hope!) it will remain upright. This is a Square Mile, with Old Forester 1920 bourbon (yum), Grey Whale gin (semi-local) and Dolin Vermouth. Interesting—I did like the bourbon/gin combo more than I imagined, though not sure I'd do it a lot.
#cocktails
#cocktails
Sign the petition to support H.R.5527 and stop Trump's book bans in schools on military bases in the US and abroad.
action.everylibrary.org/rtrdodea via
@everylibrary.bsky.social
action.everylibrary.org/rtrdodea via
@everylibrary.bsky.social
PETITION: Restore the Right to Read at DoDEA Schools
Sign the petition to support H.R.5527 and stop the DoDEA book bans in schools on military bases in the US and abroad.
action.everylibrary.org
September 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Sign the petition to support H.R.5527 and stop Trump's book bans in schools on military bases in the US and abroad.
action.everylibrary.org/rtrdodea via
@everylibrary.bsky.social
action.everylibrary.org/rtrdodea via
@everylibrary.bsky.social
Freedom of Speech For Sale
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
More good times with the friendly picnickers in the Trumpista administration
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
More good times with the friendly picnickers in the Trumpista administration
Freedom of Speech For Sale
Jimmy Kimmel is benched to curry favor with Trump
open.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Freedom of Speech For Sale
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
More good times with the friendly picnickers in the Trumpista administration
open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...
More good times with the friendly picnickers in the Trumpista administration
Reposted by Tom Bentley
CBS parent company Paramount canceled Colbert to win approval from Trump's FCC to merge with Skydance.
Now ABC parent company Disney suspends Kimmel as it seeks DOJ approval to buy Fubo — and its affiliate Nexstar seeks FCC approval to buy Tegna.
See how this works?
Now ABC parent company Disney suspends Kimmel as it seeks DOJ approval to buy Fubo — and its affiliate Nexstar seeks FCC approval to buy Tegna.
See how this works?
September 18, 2025 at 9:31 PM
CBS parent company Paramount canceled Colbert to win approval from Trump's FCC to merge with Skydance.
Now ABC parent company Disney suspends Kimmel as it seeks DOJ approval to buy Fubo — and its affiliate Nexstar seeks FCC approval to buy Tegna.
See how this works?
Now ABC parent company Disney suspends Kimmel as it seeks DOJ approval to buy Fubo — and its affiliate Nexstar seeks FCC approval to buy Tegna.
See how this works?
You will have to have a rag to sop up the irony dripping off this, but her stuff is always good:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
#Kimmel #MAGAHypocrisy
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
#Kimmel #MAGAHypocrisy
A Beautiful Day for Saying Nothing
That chill in the air isn’t Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn!
www.theatlantic.com
September 18, 2025 at 9:42 PM
You will have to have a rag to sop up the irony dripping off this, but her stuff is always good:
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
#Kimmel #MAGAHypocrisy
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
#Kimmel #MAGAHypocrisy
Our country (big, frustrated sigh) feels so effed-up now, with no succor in sight. I feel powerless to make structural change, so I made a Friday night cocktail: A Man o' War, with Old Forester 1920 (a fave), Dolin vermouth, Gran Marnier, lemon juice, twist, brandied cherry. Breathe... #cocktails
September 13, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Our country (big, frustrated sigh) feels so effed-up now, with no succor in sight. I feel powerless to make structural change, so I made a Friday night cocktail: A Man o' War, with Old Forester 1920 (a fave), Dolin vermouth, Gran Marnier, lemon juice, twist, brandied cherry. Breathe... #cocktails
This eve's Jumpin' Jehoshaphat: a basic gin and tonic with a bit of jump: Grey Whale gin (kind of local), Liber tonic syrup, fizzy water, Meyer and Orange bitters, lemon wedge. Spirited (since it's been a lovely warm day). #cocktails
September 6, 2025 at 12:56 AM
This eve's Jumpin' Jehoshaphat: a basic gin and tonic with a bit of jump: Grey Whale gin (kind of local), Liber tonic syrup, fizzy water, Meyer and Orange bitters, lemon wedge. Spirited (since it's been a lovely warm day). #cocktails
These just arrived today, so tonight is glory!
Besides supporting sustainability, sending kids to Chocolate University overseas to learn about cooperative cacao-bean growing practices with farmers, and partnering with good folks globally, Askinosie chocolate is fabulous! #chocolate #Askinosie
Besides supporting sustainability, sending kids to Chocolate University overseas to learn about cooperative cacao-bean growing practices with farmers, and partnering with good folks globally, Askinosie chocolate is fabulous! #chocolate #Askinosie
September 5, 2025 at 8:37 PM
These just arrived today, so tonight is glory!
Besides supporting sustainability, sending kids to Chocolate University overseas to learn about cooperative cacao-bean growing practices with farmers, and partnering with good folks globally, Askinosie chocolate is fabulous! #chocolate #Askinosie
Besides supporting sustainability, sending kids to Chocolate University overseas to learn about cooperative cacao-bean growing practices with farmers, and partnering with good folks globally, Askinosie chocolate is fabulous! #chocolate #Askinosie
Before the Trump administration outlaws sunflowers, and has them picked up by ICE, here are the ones waving with obvious gaiety along my driveway:
#flowers
#flowers
September 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Before the Trump administration outlaws sunflowers, and has them picked up by ICE, here are the ones waving with obvious gaiety along my driveway:
#flowers
#flowers
The story behind this Mark Twain postcard, sent to one of his "friends," is full of betrayal and mystery. I've read a lot about Twain's colorful life, but this was a new one on me. Can't afford the auction price though.
auctions.potterauctions.com/_TWAIN__Mark...
auctions.potterauctions.com/_TWAIN__Mark...
auctions.potterauctions.com
September 1, 2025 at 10:56 PM
The story behind this Mark Twain postcard, sent to one of his "friends," is full of betrayal and mystery. I've read a lot about Twain's colorful life, but this was a new one on me. Can't afford the auction price though.
auctions.potterauctions.com/_TWAIN__Mark...
auctions.potterauctions.com/_TWAIN__Mark...