(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
@braak.bsky.social
It's me, braak, returned at long last from my social media exile.
I encourage you to purchase my book, RADHIKA RAAD AND THE TOWER INGENIUS, which is now available (for purchase).
https://a.co/d/1nix74W
I encourage you to purchase my book, RADHIKA RAAD AND THE TOWER INGENIUS, which is now available (for purchase).
https://a.co/d/1nix74W
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Dell has been on this beat since the very beginning and points out a thing often missed: the cost to all of us for Amazon’s loss prevention strategy is a nationwide surveillance network.
Ring is first and foremost a scheme to charge Amazon customers to deter crime that costs Amazon (not the customers themselves) billions annually in refunds, returns, double shipping, and customer service overhead.
February 12, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Dell has been on this beat since the very beginning and points out a thing often missed: the cost to all of us for Amazon’s loss prevention strategy is a nationwide surveillance network.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Yet another indictment of the United States health system that James Van Der Beek’s wife and six kids need a gofundme because his unsuccessful cancer treatment destroyed them financially
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
Donate to Support for James Van Der Beek's Family, organized by Jason K
James Van Der Beek was a beloved husband, father, and friend who touched the lives of … Jason K needs your support for Support for James Van Der Beek's Family
www.gofundme.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:49 AM
Yet another indictment of the United States health system that James Van Der Beek’s wife and six kids need a gofundme because his unsuccessful cancer treatment destroyed them financially
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo...
God omnipresent and omniscient, technically speaking God is never *not* looking at titties.
Y'all think God ever looks at titties
February 12, 2026 at 2:06 AM
God omnipresent and omniscient, technically speaking God is never *not* looking at titties.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
A young man at our town hall asked if I was pushing class warfare.
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
February 12, 2026 at 1:27 AM
A young man at our town hall asked if I was pushing class warfare.
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
I told him: “We already have class warfare in this country — billionaires are waging war on the rest of us.”
I don't know a lot about this sort of thing but I strongly feel that a knife loses a lot of its utility when you stick it in your wall.
no Elon, all experts agree the ideal close quarters weapon is a Sig P320, carried in a special holster configuration only used by special forces guys called "reverse appendix carry". If the barrel is pointed into your guts when holstered you're doing it right.
Always keep the chamber loaded.
Always keep the chamber loaded.
February 12, 2026 at 2:04 AM
I don't know a lot about this sort of thing but I strongly feel that a knife loses a lot of its utility when you stick it in your wall.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
I don't know if it's really clear, outside of coverage of Mpls and pockets of organizing elsewhere, that hundreds of thousands of people are actively and at every level of society fighting our government as it abducts and imprisons and torments our neighbors.
February 12, 2026 at 1:09 AM
I don't know if it's really clear, outside of coverage of Mpls and pockets of organizing elsewhere, that hundreds of thousands of people are actively and at every level of society fighting our government as it abducts and imprisons and torments our neighbors.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
hope this doesn't need to be said, but nationalpost.com/news/canada/...
February 12, 2026 at 1:33 AM
hope this doesn't need to be said, but nationalpost.com/news/canada/...
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Seeing Pam Bondi cry and freak out is a reminder that when Kavanaugh cried and shouted about how very much he likes beer, he was doing so under advice he got from Bannon who got it from Epstein.
February 12, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Seeing Pam Bondi cry and freak out is a reminder that when Kavanaugh cried and shouted about how very much he likes beer, he was doing so under advice he got from Bannon who got it from Epstein.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
DID YOU KNOW: it has been approximately six years since this morning
Still thinking about this morning when my extended family in El Paso texted in a panic that their airspace was closed for 10 days, convinced we were going to war with Mexico, and it turned out Hegseth was drunk (probably) and attacking a party ballon
February 12, 2026 at 1:06 AM
DID YOU KNOW: it has been approximately six years since this morning
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Every photo from Minneapolis looks like this. Cops decked out with guns and full tac gear facing off against people in bathrobes, parkas, and sweatpants armed only with whistles and cell phones.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
February 11, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Every photo from Minneapolis looks like this. Cops decked out with guns and full tac gear facing off against people in bathrobes, parkas, and sweatpants armed only with whistles and cell phones.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Seeing this insane ICE violence in Saint Paul, and I’m wondering where Betty McCollum is. Just the most absent congressperson of all time. Hardly any communication about what’s happening to her constituent. Not built for the moment.
February 11, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Seeing this insane ICE violence in Saint Paul, and I’m wondering where Betty McCollum is. Just the most absent congressperson of all time. Hardly any communication about what’s happening to her constituent. Not built for the moment.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
I called up one of the White House's "special government employees" involved in the Fulton County FBI raid.
I ended up on the phone for almost two hours hearing about the "deep state" "cabal," "Satanists," poison soda, and the "pure evil" of "gay pride." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/meet-th...
I ended up on the phone for almost two hours hearing about the "deep state" "cabal," "Satanists," poison soda, and the "pure evil" of "gay pride." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/meet-th...
February 11, 2026 at 11:53 PM
I called up one of the White House's "special government employees" involved in the Fulton County FBI raid.
I ended up on the phone for almost two hours hearing about the "deep state" "cabal," "Satanists," poison soda, and the "pure evil" of "gay pride." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/meet-th...
I ended up on the phone for almost two hours hearing about the "deep state" "cabal," "Satanists," poison soda, and the "pure evil" of "gay pride." talkingpointsmemo.com/news/meet-th...
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
"its hard to talk about a complex and multi-faceted subject that's also one of the most hotly debated topics on the planet that potentially touches many aspects of everyone's lives" yeah man this is the About Forty Words app. why're you trying to do all that on the About Forty Words app
Once again: people are angry for very good reason, and this brand of post is perhaps one of the most tedious and bewildering. Practically every social media platform is rabidly pro-‘AI’ so are govts, academia, companies. This one small space being critical of AI is okay, I think.
February 11, 2026 at 11:41 PM
"its hard to talk about a complex and multi-faceted subject that's also one of the most hotly debated topics on the planet that potentially touches many aspects of everyone's lives" yeah man this is the About Forty Words app. why're you trying to do all that on the About Forty Words app
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
for no reason whatsoever, I am bringing out my favorite 12th-century illumination today, which depicts
1) a Thracesian woman killing a Varangian Guard who tried to assault her
and
2) his comrades praising her and giving her all of his stuff for her very understandable and justifiable actions 🙏
1) a Thracesian woman killing a Varangian Guard who tried to assault her
and
2) his comrades praising her and giving her all of his stuff for her very understandable and justifiable actions 🙏
February 11, 2026 at 10:52 PM
for no reason whatsoever, I am bringing out my favorite 12th-century illumination today, which depicts
1) a Thracesian woman killing a Varangian Guard who tried to assault her
and
2) his comrades praising her and giving her all of his stuff for her very understandable and justifiable actions 🙏
1) a Thracesian woman killing a Varangian Guard who tried to assault her
and
2) his comrades praising her and giving her all of his stuff for her very understandable and justifiable actions 🙏
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
At long last, we have created the Luftballons from classic pop song 99 Luftballons!
February 11, 2026 at 11:44 PM
At long last, we have created the Luftballons from classic pop song 99 Luftballons!
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Anyways, today is a good day to become @thexylom.com's member. As WaPo abandons its international coverage, the responsibility of reporting from Sudan to Ukraine will fall to indie outlets like ours.
I just want to keep my job and not have to self-deport by the end of 2026:
bsky.app/profile/thex...
I just want to keep my job and not have to self-deport by the end of 2026:
bsky.app/profile/thex...
February 4, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Anyways, today is a good day to become @thexylom.com's member. As WaPo abandons its international coverage, the responsibility of reporting from Sudan to Ukraine will fall to indie outlets like ours.
I just want to keep my job and not have to self-deport by the end of 2026:
bsky.app/profile/thex...
I just want to keep my job and not have to self-deport by the end of 2026:
bsky.app/profile/thex...
I think broadly this kind of thing "it's bad we can't have this kind of discussion here" is a weird sort of point. Like. *Why* is it unfortunate? What is the outcome that we aren't enjoying because of this?
Once again: people are angry for very good reason, and this brand of post is perhaps one of the most tedious and bewildering. Practically every social media platform is rabidly pro-‘AI’ so are govts, academia, companies. This one small space being critical of AI is okay, I think.
February 11, 2026 at 11:18 PM
I think broadly this kind of thing "it's bad we can't have this kind of discussion here" is a weird sort of point. Like. *Why* is it unfortunate? What is the outcome that we aren't enjoying because of this?
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
The father of a friend of a friend was kidnapped by ICE here in Brooklyn, and the family is raising funds for legal defense as well as living expenses. Please help out if you can: www.gofundme.com/f/7vuuf-supp...
Donate to Support for a family separated by ICE, organized by Julysa Cach Solis
Hello my name is Julysa, and we are trying to raise money for my dad Arturo wh… Julysa Cach Solis needs your support for Support for a family separated by ICE
www.gofundme.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:07 PM
The father of a friend of a friend was kidnapped by ICE here in Brooklyn, and the family is raising funds for legal defense as well as living expenses. Please help out if you can: www.gofundme.com/f/7vuuf-supp...
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Tech executives have finally amassed their ultimate, long dreamed-of power: to summarily fire anyone who speaks ill of their desire to have sex with robots
OpenAI fired one of its top safety execs, on the grounds of sexual discrimination, after she voiced opposition to the controversial rollout of AI erotica in its ChatGPT product.
OpenAI told her the term was related to her sexual discrimination against a male colleague.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
OpenAI told her the term was related to her sexual discrimination against a male colleague.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
Exclusive | OpenAI Executive Who Opposed ‘Adult Mode’ Fired for Sexual Discrimination
Ryan Beiermeister, who served as the vice president leading OpenAI’s product policy team, had raised concerns about the upcoming launch of erotic content.
www.wsj.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Tech executives have finally amassed their ultimate, long dreamed-of power: to summarily fire anyone who speaks ill of their desire to have sex with robots
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Even more bad news for Atlanta local journalism: @atlpresscollective.com, which has extensively covered "Cop City", ICE, and Flock cameras, and a finalist for the @inn.org Insight Award for Visual Journalism, announced today that they have run out of cash to stay open beyond the end of March.
More bad news for Atlanta local journalism: Mariann Martin, Co-founder, Operations and Editorial Director of @canopyatl.bsky.social, announced her departure from the newsroom yesterday.
The award-winning nonprofit and Press Forward grantee has not published a single story since Dec. 2025.
The award-winning nonprofit and Press Forward grantee has not published a single story since Dec. 2025.
canopyatlanta.org
February 11, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Even more bad news for Atlanta local journalism: @atlpresscollective.com, which has extensively covered "Cop City", ICE, and Flock cameras, and a finalist for the @inn.org Insight Award for Visual Journalism, announced today that they have run out of cash to stay open beyond the end of March.
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
This is fucking awful, and awful that Bluesky are getting away with this
palestinian journalist posting on twitter that his bluesky account was immediately taken down purely because he was in gaza. all palestinian accounts are assumed to be spam.
![Tamer Nahed 𓂆🇵🇸
@Tamer_Alnoaizy
BlueSky is one of the worst platforms I have ever dealt with. Within seconds of creating a second account, after my first one was shut down just two days after it was created, my account was closed again. This happened despite the fact that I hadn’t posted anything or followed anyone. I was only in the process of adding a profile photo, yet I received an email claiming that my account was “spam” and that it was “causing harm.” What kind of logic is this?
The painful truth is that the account was shut down the moment it became clear it was created from inside Gaza. It seems we are no longer allowed to write or speak about what is happening to us here. They are not afraid of content itself, but of our voices and the reality we carry with us.
Millions are spent to silence these voices and to erase the truth. I am exhausted by this platform and by how our photos and videos, which document real suffering, are treated as “violations of community standards,” as if pain itself has become a crime.
What is happening is not simple moderation or policy enforcement. It is an attempt to erase our existence and bury the truth. And honestly, this is shameful and unbearably painful.
[the original poster has included two screenshots showing the email from bluesky admin informing him that his account has been taken down for being 'spammy, inauthentic or disruptive to users'. it's the standard boilerplate you get when they take moderation action.]
2:45 PM · Feb 10, 2026
https://twitter.com/Tamer_Alnoaizy/status/2021234178461704409](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2l6seozmjsqc4kfukjejat77/bafkreiga45xjdal6lfcqt2zmambaymeoelxafbrlt7fi2nmoahpbqj3cja@jpeg)
February 11, 2026 at 8:09 PM
This is fucking awful, and awful that Bluesky are getting away with this
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
Incredible update: "This article was updated to note that CNN reports there were at least four party balloons shot down by DOD, not just one."
gizmodo.com/one-mexican-...
gizmodo.com/one-mexican-...
Mexican Cartel 'Drones' Near El Paso Airspace Were Actually Party Balloons: Report
FAA initially ordered the closure of airspace over El Paso for 10 days before backtracking.
gizmodo.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Incredible update: "This article was updated to note that CNN reports there were at least four party balloons shot down by DOD, not just one."
gizmodo.com/one-mexican-...
gizmodo.com/one-mexican-...
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He got out after 3 months in an ICE gulag.
My electrician is a green card holder who's been here since he was a kid. He got married to a citizen, applied for citizenship, went to court for the papers and when he got there ICE kidnapped him and he's been locked up for a month.
February 11, 2026 at 6:56 PM
He got out after 3 months in an ICE gulag.
overloading the courts a deliberate strategy to provide an excuse for ignoring them
NEW: ICE is crashing the US court system in Minnesota. Thanks to Trump's push to detain an unprecedented number of people, and its attempt to kill bond hearings, petitions to secure people's release from custody have skyrocketed. @regret.bsky.social w/ the scoop: www.wired.com/story/ice-cr...
February 11, 2026 at 9:35 PM
overloading the courts a deliberate strategy to provide an excuse for ignoring them
Reposted by (VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve
what is with these people and dogs?
February 11, 2026 at 9:07 PM
what is with these people and dogs?