Mark Arnest
@marnest.bsky.social
Composer, Pianist, Servant to Several Cats. He/him. 💙 🇺🇸🇺🇦 Born 312.4 ppm CO2
Pinned
Mark Arnest
@marnest.bsky.social
· Jun 14
"Fascist regimes are doomed to lose their wars, because they are constitutionally incapable of making an objective assessment of the enemy’s strength."
–Umberto Eco, Ur-Fascism, pub. in Five Moral Pieces
–Umberto Eco, Ur-Fascism, pub. in Five Moral Pieces
Reposted by Mark Arnest
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
Mamdani Called Trump to Criticize Venezuela Strikes
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:01 PM
NYT gonna NYT: "Both Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Maduro identify as socialists, though they have no relationship.” — would be funny if they did this every time you write about two capitalists.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/w...
The Epstein Files must be far worse than anyone imagined.
January 3, 2026 at 7:40 PM
The Epstein Files must be far worse than anyone imagined.
Reposted by Mark Arnest
I have zero sympathy for Maduro and his regime, but there is no legitimacy in Trump deciding to bomb Venezuela.
It’s pure imperialism, which gives imperialists in Russia and China an excuse to use whataboutism to justify their own insane actions
It’s pure imperialism, which gives imperialists in Russia and China an excuse to use whataboutism to justify their own insane actions
January 3, 2026 at 6:51 AM
I have zero sympathy for Maduro and his regime, but there is no legitimacy in Trump deciding to bomb Venezuela.
It’s pure imperialism, which gives imperialists in Russia and China an excuse to use whataboutism to justify their own insane actions
It’s pure imperialism, which gives imperialists in Russia and China an excuse to use whataboutism to justify their own insane actions
Reposted by Mark Arnest
I am annoyed by the persistence of 'resist libs are tired of resisting Trump' line.
No Kings put record-breaking numbers of people into the streets, specials/off-years are at D+10 or more.
I don't think the resist libs are tired. I think some writers are tired of writing about resist libs.
No Kings put record-breaking numbers of people into the streets, specials/off-years are at D+10 or more.
I don't think the resist libs are tired. I think some writers are tired of writing about resist libs.
December 29, 2025 at 11:38 PM
I am annoyed by the persistence of 'resist libs are tired of resisting Trump' line.
No Kings put record-breaking numbers of people into the streets, specials/off-years are at D+10 or more.
I don't think the resist libs are tired. I think some writers are tired of writing about resist libs.
No Kings put record-breaking numbers of people into the streets, specials/off-years are at D+10 or more.
I don't think the resist libs are tired. I think some writers are tired of writing about resist libs.
This was what life was like in those days
pound for pound this might be the funniest thing ever written
January 1, 2026 at 6:24 PM
This was what life was like in those days
obviously we weren't given the REAL vaccine
January 1, 2026 at 12:04 AM
obviously we weren't given the REAL vaccine
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Not sure this one is going to come true for Jane.
December 31, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Not sure this one is going to come true for Jane.
Happy New Year from Matchka, who has finally realized that the couch we got a year ago has the best sunbeams!
December 31, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Happy New Year from Matchka, who has finally realized that the couch we got a year ago has the best sunbeams!
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Boycotting Constitution Hall because the DAR won’t let Marian Anderson sing has costs. It may end opera. Is that worth it? By Megan McArdle, 1939
December 30, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Boycotting Constitution Hall because the DAR won’t let Marian Anderson sing has costs. It may end opera. Is that worth it? By Megan McArdle, 1939
Reposted by Mark Arnest
"Like Amazon Prime, but with human beings."
December 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"Like Amazon Prime, but with human beings."
I laughed up a bit of lung
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I laughed up a bit of lung
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Hate when this guy shows up in my feed
December 26, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Hate when this guy shows up in my feed
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Later: my children won’t call me, so I used AI to create a lovely Christmas phone call from my grown adult children.
December 21, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Later: my children won’t call me, so I used AI to create a lovely Christmas phone call from my grown adult children.
The author is a graduate of Bob Jones University, which makes its sentiments even more welcome.
December 26, 2025 at 8:06 PM
The author is a graduate of Bob Jones University, which makes its sentiments even more welcome.
Reposted by Mark Arnest
I know people say this a lot, but we are SO cooked. 🤦♂️🤯😬
(Footnotes in alt-text, detailing how Google AI results straight-up hallucinates egregious errors in response to a very simple question.)
(Footnotes in alt-text, detailing how Google AI results straight-up hallucinates egregious errors in response to a very simple question.)
December 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I know people say this a lot, but we are SO cooked. 🤦♂️🤯😬
(Footnotes in alt-text, detailing how Google AI results straight-up hallucinates egregious errors in response to a very simple question.)
(Footnotes in alt-text, detailing how Google AI results straight-up hallucinates egregious errors in response to a very simple question.)
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Second anniversary of our Apple TV’s spectacular attempt to understand me asking for “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas”
December 23, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Second anniversary of our Apple TV’s spectacular attempt to understand me asking for “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas”
Reposted by Mark Arnest
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
December 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Reposted by Mark Arnest
NO DRAB GAB TUESDAY
December 23, 2025 at 3:33 PM
NO DRAB GAB TUESDAY
Reposted by Mark Arnest
Bill Clinton releasing a statement saying 'release the Epstein files, you cowards' was not on my bingo list.
December 22, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Bill Clinton releasing a statement saying 'release the Epstein files, you cowards' was not on my bingo list.
Reposted by Mark Arnest
“Gantchev suffered from type 2 diabetes and told his wife no diet accommodations were made for him. She and Anna said the small amount of food that is given to people detained at North Lake was not enough for maintaining Gantchev's blood sugar levels.”
Bulgarian Chicago business owner dies in ICE custody, sparking calls for 'immediate investigation'
https://abc7chicago.com/post/bulgarian-chicago-business-owner-nenko-gantchev-dies-ice-custody-family-congresswoman-call-immediate-investigation/18301520/
https://abc7chicago.com/post/bulgarian-chicago-business-owner-nenko-gantchev-dies-ice-custody-family-congresswoman-call-immediate-investigation/18301520/
Bulgarian Chicago business owner dies in ICE custody, sparking calls for 'immediate investigation'
A Bulgarian man from Chicago arrested during an immigration enforcement 'blitz' has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Michigan private prison, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.
abc7chicago.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:04 AM
“Gantchev suffered from type 2 diabetes and told his wife no diet accommodations were made for him. She and Anna said the small amount of food that is given to people detained at North Lake was not enough for maintaining Gantchev's blood sugar levels.”
Reposted by Mark Arnest
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Reposted by Mark Arnest
The Epstein file is the only thing Trump has ever taken his name off of
🚨 "The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials. "
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
EXCLUSIVE: More than a dozen people and government officials' names appear in the hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein files made public Friday, sources said.
www.foxnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The Epstein file is the only thing Trump has ever taken his name off of