Was heading into a restaurant for dinner. Ended up holding the door open for Muhammad Ali on his way out
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
December 30, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Was heading into a restaurant for dinner. Ended up holding the door open for Muhammad Ali on his way out
Reposted by Brent
billionaires are the sad victims of an inadequate tax code, which has allowed them to become surrounded by an isolating bubble of sycophants, severed from participation in community and ordinary fellowship. we owe potential victims of this condition prevention, and those already suffering remedy.
December 29, 2025 at 10:04 PM
billionaires are the sad victims of an inadequate tax code, which has allowed them to become surrounded by an isolating bubble of sycophants, severed from participation in community and ordinary fellowship. we owe potential victims of this condition prevention, and those already suffering remedy.
Reposted by Brent
Republicans claim they’re better for the economy, but it hasn't been true for a century. Don't fall for it. They're better for the wealthy and that's it.
December 29, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Republicans claim they’re better for the economy, but it hasn't been true for a century. Don't fall for it. They're better for the wealthy and that's it.
Reposted by Brent
This is called "freedom" and it's pissing off the new Commissars who believe that artists must perform at the State's command
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
December 29, 2025 at 4:09 AM
This is called "freedom" and it's pissing off the new Commissars who believe that artists must perform at the State's command
Reposted by Brent
"When it happens, Republicans will object (and you can only imagine the meltdown Trump himself will have on Truth Social). The response Dems give should be simple: *Too bad. We have the power now.* A strong message must be sent to the country and future generations that Trump will not be honored."
Why every vestige of Trump must be torn down
He's trying to create a physical legacy. The moment he's out of power, it has to be smashed to bits.
www.publicnotice.co
December 29, 2025 at 9:54 PM
"When it happens, Republicans will object (and you can only imagine the meltdown Trump himself will have on Truth Social). The response Dems give should be simple: *Too bad. We have the power now.* A strong message must be sent to the country and future generations that Trump will not be honored."
Reposted by Brent
This administration lied about the people it sent to an overseas torture prison. It lies about the people it’s deporting. It lies every day to gain political advantage. Not a chance in hell they won’t lie about huge swaths of people they suspect might vote for the other party.
December 27, 2025 at 12:31 AM
This administration lied about the people it sent to an overseas torture prison. It lies about the people it’s deporting. It lies every day to gain political advantage. Not a chance in hell they won’t lie about huge swaths of people they suspect might vote for the other party.
Reposted by Brent
I have said this before, I will say this again: arming the Ukrainians to defend themselves is the best bang-for-buck in defense spending in decades.
Give Ukraine munitions and they will reliably put those explosives on America's enemies.
Just not on Trump's enemies and thus the problem.
Give Ukraine munitions and they will reliably put those explosives on America's enemies.
Just not on Trump's enemies and thus the problem.
December 26, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I have said this before, I will say this again: arming the Ukrainians to defend themselves is the best bang-for-buck in defense spending in decades.
Give Ukraine munitions and they will reliably put those explosives on America's enemies.
Just not on Trump's enemies and thus the problem.
Give Ukraine munitions and they will reliably put those explosives on America's enemies.
Just not on Trump's enemies and thus the problem.
Reposted by Brent
The days between December 25 and January 1 are the Lanthanides and Actinides of the Gregorian calendar
December 26, 2025 at 6:32 PM
The days between December 25 and January 1 are the Lanthanides and Actinides of the Gregorian calendar
Reposted by Brent
The humbling of American greatness, especially via self-inflicted harm ("hegemonic suicide"), will create conditions for recrimination within the US that are nearly unfathomable. Putin used such conditions in Russia to consolidate a powerful autocracy, though in a context with a long autocratic past
December 26, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The humbling of American greatness, especially via self-inflicted harm ("hegemonic suicide"), will create conditions for recrimination within the US that are nearly unfathomable. Putin used such conditions in Russia to consolidate a powerful autocracy, though in a context with a long autocratic past
Reposted by Brent
Every Democrat running for office needs to promise investigations and full prosecutions from top to bottom, remove its funding bloat then break up the agency and distribute its core remaining useful functions across other agencies.
ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries.
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves.
"Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks.
"No, guess he should've complied," agent says.
Yakima, Washington
December 26, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Every Democrat running for office needs to promise investigations and full prosecutions from top to bottom, remove its funding bloat then break up the agency and distribute its core remaining useful functions across other agencies.
Reposted by Brent
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
December 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
Reposted by Brent
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing
There’s a stark difference in success rates between companies that purchase AI tools from vendors and those that build them internally.
fortune.com
August 20, 2025 at 4:52 AM
MIT’s NANDA initiative found that 95% of generative AI deployments fail after interviewing 150 execs, surveying 350 workers, and analyzing 300 projects. The real “productivity gains” seem to come from layoffs and squeezing more work from fewer people not AI.
Reposted by Brent
I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it.
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
December 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
I'm going to tell my favorite story again about reflecting the certainty of beliefs back at people who don't expect it.
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
A friend was one of the few Jews on faculty at a North Dakota University. Every year, his colleague in religious studies would invite him to come to his religious studies class...
Reposted by Brent
When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
"The newspaper industry served as a feeder for our entire news media ecosystem. So when we lose those newspapers, we've lost that journalism. In the early 2000s, we had 40 journalists per 100,000 people. We're now down to 8 journalists per 100,000 people," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.
December 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
Reposted by Brent
Congress should pass a law to set up a special court to try these Trump officials. They can do so under existing law and the Constitution.
It’s not a bill of attainder if the law is already on the books.
Also, at minimum strip SCOTUS jurisdiction to review.
It’s not a bill of attainder if the law is already on the books.
Also, at minimum strip SCOTUS jurisdiction to review.
December 24, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Congress should pass a law to set up a special court to try these Trump officials. They can do so under existing law and the Constitution.
It’s not a bill of attainder if the law is already on the books.
Also, at minimum strip SCOTUS jurisdiction to review.
It’s not a bill of attainder if the law is already on the books.
Also, at minimum strip SCOTUS jurisdiction to review.
Reposted by Brent
Every 2026 Democrat should have "We're going to shut down the AI Data Centers that make the billionaires richer while raising your power bills" as a part of their platform
December 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Every 2026 Democrat should have "We're going to shut down the AI Data Centers that make the billionaires richer while raising your power bills" as a part of their platform
Reposted by Brent
Absolutely right.
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
Not a historian but like to research. The AI might summarize what I'm looking for, but it doesn't find what I'm *not* looking for. The book on the shelf next to the one I wanted. The insight in chapter 6 based on the quote I needed from chapter 4.
December 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Absolutely right.
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
Reposted by Brent
Reposting this petition for NYC people interested in pushing back rather than partnering up:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
December 24, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposting this petition for NYC people interested in pushing back rather than partnering up:
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/pl...
Reposted by Brent
The 2 sentences in this paragraph are not consistent with each other
December 24, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The 2 sentences in this paragraph are not consistent with each other
Glad I read this thread! Romance is the canary in the coal mine for how the publishing industry comes up with new ways to exploit writers of every genre. Watch what publishers are doing with romance today, because that's what they'll do in all the other genres tomorrow!
So I am going to say something about romance as a genre.
A lot of people think that romance is ignorable because <insert thing they think about romance> and romance authors don't count because <insert thing they think about romance>.
This thread is not about whether you have to like romance.
A lot of people think that romance is ignorable because <insert thing they think about romance> and romance authors don't count because <insert thing they think about romance>.
This thread is not about whether you have to like romance.
December 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Glad I read this thread! Romance is the canary in the coal mine for how the publishing industry comes up with new ways to exploit writers of every genre. Watch what publishers are doing with romance today, because that's what they'll do in all the other genres tomorrow!
Reposted by Brent
"AI" companies tell me, a teacher, to buy their service in order to combat the cheating their service relies on is *exactly* like selling arms to both sides in a war.
December 24, 2025 at 5:45 AM
"AI" companies tell me, a teacher, to buy their service in order to combat the cheating their service relies on is *exactly* like selling arms to both sides in a war.
There was a road on my way to school in the 90's that was infamous for this. It flooded after every storm, but it just looked like a large but shallow puddle. Our bus driver knew to take a different route, but we often saw a half-submerged car in the middle of that "puddle".
More than 50% of all flood fatalities are vehicle-related. You never know how deep the water is or if the road has been washed away or compromised beneath the water. Don’t risk driving into floodwaters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
weather.gov/safety/flood-turn-around-dont-drown
weather.gov/safety/flood-turn-around-dont-drown
December 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
There was a road on my way to school in the 90's that was infamous for this. It flooded after every storm, but it just looked like a large but shallow puddle. Our bus driver knew to take a different route, but we often saw a half-submerged car in the middle of that "puddle".
Reposted by Brent
Well said. I've been against this tech being placed in schools ever since a horrifying conference where a local principal...
A) bragged about his requiring English teachers to teach prompt writing
B) complained about a cheating epidemic which he blamed on young people not wanting to work anymore.
A) bragged about his requiring English teachers to teach prompt writing
B) complained about a cheating epidemic which he blamed on young people not wanting to work anymore.
December 24, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Well said. I've been against this tech being placed in schools ever since a horrifying conference where a local principal...
A) bragged about his requiring English teachers to teach prompt writing
B) complained about a cheating epidemic which he blamed on young people not wanting to work anymore.
A) bragged about his requiring English teachers to teach prompt writing
B) complained about a cheating epidemic which he blamed on young people not wanting to work anymore.
Reposted by Brent
The act of writing is *thinking*. If you do not allow yourself to think thoughts that feel wrong, you will never get a feel for what feels *right*.
December 24, 2025 at 4:01 AM
The act of writing is *thinking*. If you do not allow yourself to think thoughts that feel wrong, you will never get a feel for what feels *right*.