Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
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brianralexander.bsky.social
Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
@brianralexander.bsky.social
Books: Glass House, The Hospital, TK The Mayor. http://BrianRAlexander.com. Past: Atlantic/Wired/Outside/Washington Monthly/MIT Tech Review/Janitor/Gas Station Attendant/Lifeguard. Social media failure. Speaking: BrightSight. Surf. Cocktails. Old movies.
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Frikkin amazing stuff.
November 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
...And with that fun little note, I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.
November 27, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Cool. Poisoning the planet, making vaccines harder to get and lying about them, insurance premiums skyrocketing -- Trumpkins are really doing their part to make sure American life expectancy falls even further.
Way to go!
November 27, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Healthcare is broken, example 1,350.
Consolidation is driving out all smaller outfits, leaving pharmacy deserts. Appalachia takes it in the shorts, again.
November 27, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
🚨New Paper🚨 US doctors are paid very different amounts for treating different patients—even when providing identical services.

How much less are physicians paid for treating non-White patients?

In @jamahealthforum.com, we offer the 1st national estimates. (1/7)

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Payments to Physician Practices and Incentives to Serve Different Racial and Ethnic Groups
This study measures disparities across patient racial and ethnic groups in per-visit payment to physician practices from health insurers and other sources, adjusted for visit content, geographic marke...
jamanetwork.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
You know what? And yes, easy for me to say since I’m not in his position, but I’d rather my house DID get firebombed than give in to these punks.
Whole lotta people have suffered much worse to make this country a free democracy.
An Indiana legislator opposed President Trump’s push for the state to redraw its congressional map to gain GOP seats in next year’s midterms. Harassment followed. “I’d rather my house not get firebombed,” the lawmaker told @russellberman.bsky.social.
‘I’d Rather My House Not Get Firebombed’
He opposed gerrymandering. Harassment followed.
bit.ly
November 26, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
An Indiana legislator opposed President Trump’s push for the state to redraw its congressional map to gain GOP seats in next year’s midterms. Harassment followed. “I’d rather my house not get firebombed,” the lawmaker told @russellberman.bsky.social.
‘I’d Rather My House Not Get Firebombed’
He opposed gerrymandering. Harassment followed.
bit.ly
November 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Spectacular #longread on the history of the right-wing opposition in Venezuela, and how during Juan Guaido's shadow government an abominable legal strategy robbed the country of $30 billion destined for corporate claims holders. Amazing work from Moe Tkacik.
prospect.org/2025/11/26/3...
The $30 Billion Identity Theft of Venezuela - The American Prospect
How Juan Guaidó sucked a weary nation dry, and primed it for the current U.S.-led assault
prospect.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
My movie.
If you were a despotic president, what movie would you force Hollywood to make? I want to see Quentin's Star Trek movie or maybe Kill Bill Vol 3.
November 26, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.

Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.

With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
President Donald Trump’s chief envoy with the Russian government advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should pitch the U.S. president on a Ukraine peace plan favorable to Russia, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News.
US Envoy Coached Putin Aide on How Russian Leader Could Sell Trump on Peace Plan That Favors Russia
A U.S. envoy advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how Putin should go about pitching Trump on a Russia-friendly Ukraine peace plan.
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
After the GameStop fiasco, Robinhood's CEO distanced himself from the aggressive traders that fueled the frenzy. Now he caters to them more than ever.
Traders Are Flooding Markets With Risky Bets. Robinhood’s CEO Is Their Cult Hero.
Brokerage co-founded by Vlad Tenev makes exotic investments available to ordinary investors, seeing aggressive traders as key to the company’s success.
on.wsj.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
After a court ruling in their favor, long-striking journalists declared victory and returned to a pivotal southwestern Pennsylvania newsroom.

From @publicsource.org
Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh journalists return to their jobs at the Post-Gazette after long strike • Pennsylvania Capital-Star
About 25 guild members, including Goldstein and Duleba, returned to their jobs at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette today for the first time in more than three years.
penncapital-star.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Examining the One Laptop Per Child program in Peruvian rural primary schools finds no significant effects on academic performance but some evidence of negative ones on grade progression, from Cueto, Beuermann, Cristia, Malamud, and Pardo www.nber.org/papers/w34495
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
The fact that Polis didn't immediately rule this out is incredibly alarming.

If he actually caves to Trump's demand, he could be impeached.
NEW: Colorado's election clerks are increasingly upset that Gov Jared Polis (D) hasn't ruled out releasing Tina Peters to the Trump administration.

On a call today, a bipartisan group of elected clerks said Polis hasn't agreed to meet with them about their concerns.
November 25, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should
when its definitely not a hostage situation
November 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
JD Vance has no beliefs.
November 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Prosecutors in California used A.I. to argue that a 57-year-old man should be held without bail, his lawyers say, filing a brief that included wholesale misinterpretations of the law, as well as quotations that do not actually appear in the cited texts. nyti.ms/3M1bVye
Prosecutor Used Flawed A.I. to Keep a Man in Jail, His Lawyers Say
The case is among the first in which a prosecutor is accused of filing court papers marred by A.I.-generated mistakes.
nyti.ms
November 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
I keep thinking about the original United Artists and longing for some sort of new version of such a thing.
or, hear me out, what if you didn't try to overly monetize something to the point at which it has lost all meaning and artistic value?

eh who am i kidding 2 wicked 2 furious here we come
Plans are underway on future movies in the ‘WICKED’ universe.

(Source: www.vulture.com/article/univ...)
November 25, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
The cuts and mergers in higher education in Ohio have now begun in earnest in large part due to the sweeping demands required by the state to comply with SB1 www.dispatch.com/story/news/e...
Ohio State to cut eight majors, merge 20 others to comply with SB 1
Ohio State University will cut eight programs across two colleges and proposed several new merged majors to comply with Senate Bill 1.
www.dispatch.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Terrible news.

Broadcast giant Sinclair makes bid to buy out EW Scripps for $7 per share

apnews.com/article/sinc...
Broadcast giant Sinclair makes bid to buy out EW Scripps for $7 per share
Sinclair has submitted a bid to buy out E.W. Scripps for $7 per share, in a deal that could bring further consolidation across America’s local TV news landscape.
apnews.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
Why are billionaires buying up media outlets?

As a media mogul, you can effectively hedge against democracy by suppressing criticism of yourself and other plutocrats and discouraging any attempt to tax away your wealth.

Here's what we need to do about it. robertreich.substack.com/p/billionair...
A toxic combo: Trump, Billionaires, and the Media
What to do about it
robertreich.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:54 PM
This would explain a lot.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
"Adolescence Lasts Into Your 30s"
Four pivotal ages in your brain's development revealed in new scientific study
Brain scans on thousands of people reveal the dramatic shifts the brain goes through between birth and death.
www.bbc.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Brian “Enemy Within” Alexander
School people: Great article by @benjaminjriley.bsky.social deflating the "AI hype machine."

Tech hype is literally the founding flaw of US public schools.

If you want to read the full history, my book is now 40% off thanks to Johns Hopkins. Use the code: HHOL25
November 25, 2025 at 1:41 PM