Diane Patterson
dianepatterson.bsky.social
Diane Patterson
@dianepatterson.bsky.social
She/her. Novelist, writer, fan of amaro. Stanford, USC, Seton Hill. Has no idea what’s going on but will probably get a degree in it. Trans rights are human rights. Lives in three places (CA, NYC, her own mind). Needs another cup of coffee, back soon.
Reposted by Diane Patterson
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Have you heard of “The Populist Playbook?”

A few years ago, I posted what I still consider one of my most important messages.

It was about “The Populist Playbook” that I’ve watched play out often over my 33+ years of city planning.

Since then, it’s only gotten worse.

Do the steps sound familiar?
November 8, 2025 at 12:48 AM
Well, there’s my agenda for the rest of the night sorted
Oh that’s not…
December 8, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
The Republican party is responsible for all of this and absolutely none of it had to happen. This was intentional.
US LAYOFFS SET TO EXCEED THE 2008 FINANCIAL CRISIS
December 8, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
“a person”
Column: Social media users — most of them women — have been talking about “weaponized incompetence”: when a person sidesteps responsibilities by acting unable or unsure how to handle a task, by delaying or doing it poorly.
Guest column | ‘Weaponized incompetence’ can harm relationships. Here’s how to counter it.
Here’s what to do if you think your partner is ducking their responsibilities.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Once upon a time, this would have been a bit of a red flag.
Kremlin hails Trump’s national security strategy as aligned with Russia’s vision
Moscow welcomes White House document critical of the EU as talks to end the Ukraine war enter a key phase
www.theguardian.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Staying informed in 2025:
January 30, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
This is absolutely correct. A constitution is every citizen's compact with the government, not some secret scroll that only members of a priest caste are allowed to access.
It's largely lost today because we've allowed constitutional law to become the exclusive preserve of lawyers, but the original idea of written constitutionalism was partly one of public education, publicity, & (proto-)democracy—people should be able to read & come to know the law which binds them
The evidence is the text. All you have to do is read the Constitution.
December 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 7, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
UPDATE: Another Chicago-area church has put up an immigration-themed Nativity scene.

A church member at Urban Village Church sent this one along, where Mary, Joseph and Jesus are gone and replaced with a sign that reads: “Due to ICE activity in our community, the Holy Family is in hiding.”
December 7, 2025 at 10:31 PM
December 7, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
If all of this is true, this is one of the most bizarre things in the history of finance, and one with an obvious, nasty and likely sudden surprise when revenue evaporates because there’s no reason to buy more. I want everybody to understand what’s happening! It’s really important and not complex!
December 7, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
If you call it a “male immaturity epidemic,” a very different set of phenomena come into focus, as this thread shows
I'm starting to wonder how much "the male loneliness epidemic" is just straight and bisexual women identifying low-effort, mean, and incompetent men and choosing not to date, marry, and tolerate them anymore
December 7, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The other night my AppleTV was going through some stuff and I'm not gonna lie, I would totally watch these shows
December 7, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Memo: If a Jew ever says to you "Tell me about it," don't.
December 7, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
This man did a photo opp of himself destroying homeless people's last possessions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that the Democratic Party needed to be “more culturally normal” and “less judgmental.”
December 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
The fact that Netflix could afford to buy warner brothers means they could've afforded to let us share passwords.
December 6, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Would love to know the backstory behind how "The Last Frontier" came together — it has really felt like two separate shows kludged together.
December 6, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Today's fun day: it's colder in NYC than in Moscow.
December 5, 2025 at 11:25 PM
You know there’s only one damn thing every American knows about soccer?

YOU DON’T USE YOUR HANDS.
in the movies this is the screensaver on the computers at the world’s most evil company
December 5, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
October 28, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Most offensive headline yet in the New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/d...
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Quit Caffeine
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Ms Hannah-Jones is right as usual, but it’s also important to note: The a President just decreed (to the extent that he can, for the moment) this his own birthday is now a national holiday.
It might be easy to find things like this merely petty or superficial, but that would be a mistake. Demeaning, erasing or eliminating celebrations or acknowledgments of Black America is straight from Redemption playbook, and is intended to reinforce the racial hierarchy and signal its reinstatement.
National parks change prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people
Free entrance days at national parks no longer include MLK Day and Juneteenth.
www.sfgate.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Diane Patterson
Trump's ongoing attacks on the Somali community in the Twin Cities are disgusting, and I'm worried about what comes next.

Folks from my whistle crew have already arranged to rush a few thousand whistles up to our friends in MN, but if you're looking for somewhere to channel frustration tonight...
December 4, 2025 at 2:16 AM
A writer who was making bank in self-publishing actually asked a CPA at an open forum how to get out of paying NYC tax while living there. The CPA, weary, said, “Pay your taxes.”
It’s one thing to threaten to leave. It’s another to follow through. Many wealthy New Yorkers who want to avoid paying state and city taxes by moving are often unwilling to go to the lengths required to pass tax auditors’ scrutiny, according to tax lawyers and financial planners.
Rich New Yorkers Are Again Threatening to Leave. Here’s Why They Don’t.
Tax accountants and lawyers detail the arduous process wealthy New Yorkers would have to face to avoid paying New York State and city taxes.
nyti.ms
December 5, 2025 at 5:38 PM