Michael Pollak
@mdpollak.bsky.social
I love big books and I cannot lie
November 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM
TIL that Laguardia ended his inaugural speech with The Oath of the Athenian Youth. Seems pretty appropriate for the Zohran generation
November 11, 2025 at 8:46 PM
TIL that Laguardia ended his inaugural speech with The Oath of the Athenian Youth. Seems pretty appropriate for the Zohran generation
I saw Yasha Levine and Rowan Wernham's film last night & it's wonderful. It brings reality clearly into focus, exactly what a documentary ought to do. Water, Land, America, California, Oligarchs, the Future. Straightforward and never dull. Mike Davis would be proud of them.
www.pistachiowars.com
www.pistachiowars.com
Pistachio Wars
Coming Soon! Get notified when Pistachio Wars is available for streaming.
www.pistachiowars.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I saw Yasha Levine and Rowan Wernham's film last night & it's wonderful. It brings reality clearly into focus, exactly what a documentary ought to do. Water, Land, America, California, Oligarchs, the Future. Straightforward and never dull. Mike Davis would be proud of them.
www.pistachiowars.com
www.pistachiowars.com
Reposted by Michael Pollak
From the recent New Yorker interview of @drodrik.bsky.social
on his new book, by
@johncassidysays.bsky.social
(Link below in the thread).
on his new book, by
@johncassidysays.bsky.social
(Link below in the thread).
November 4, 2025 at 1:43 PM
From the recent New Yorker interview of @drodrik.bsky.social
on his new book, by
@johncassidysays.bsky.social
(Link below in the thread).
on his new book, by
@johncassidysays.bsky.social
(Link below in the thread).
Reposted by Michael Pollak
I have to say, in the long history of “Marx failed to consider” takes by internet reply-guys, “Marx failed to consider the use-value of warm coats” should win its own category of award
November 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I have to say, in the long history of “Marx failed to consider” takes by internet reply-guys, “Marx failed to consider the use-value of warm coats” should win its own category of award
It's not news to Zohran volunteers, but Tony Karon's 5-minute summary of the significance of this election is extremely charming and concise
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6E...
Billionaires Are Panicking Over Zohran Mamdani
YouTube video by AJ+
www.youtube.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:03 AM
It's not news to Zohran volunteers, but Tony Karon's 5-minute summary of the significance of this election is extremely charming and concise
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6E...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6E...
Reposted by Michael Pollak
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
November 1, 2025 at 12:31 AM
We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
my “not going to de-naturalize and deport my pagan foreigner wife” shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt
November 1, 2025 at 2:18 AM
my “not going to de-naturalize and deport my pagan foreigner wife” shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt
Reposted by Michael Pollak
"everyone wants nice things from the government but they don't want to pay for them".
Yes well done son, you've invented the concept of a demand curve. That's just what 'nice things' means. That's just what 'paying' means.
Yes well done son, you've invented the concept of a demand curve. That's just what 'nice things' means. That's just what 'paying' means.
October 31, 2025 at 12:50 AM
"everyone wants nice things from the government but they don't want to pay for them".
Yes well done son, you've invented the concept of a demand curve. That's just what 'nice things' means. That's just what 'paying' means.
Yes well done son, you've invented the concept of a demand curve. That's just what 'nice things' means. That's just what 'paying' means.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Someone get me Sam Altman on the phone; I need to tell him I found his Halloween costume for this year
I was yesterday years old when I found out that the daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh & granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Her Majesty The Queen of Romania (aka Marie of Romania), persuaded her husband, a Hohenzollern, to get Romania to side with the Allies in the Great War.
October 26, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Someone get me Sam Altman on the phone; I need to tell him I found his Halloween costume for this year
While we're on the subject of Hispanics getting deported for minor drug charges for which they served out their time, here's something interesting I didn't know
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/marco-r...
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/marco-r...
A Reminder That Marco Rubio's Brother-in-Law Was a Prolific Cocaine Trafficker
While Trump deports immigrants for old drug charges, Rubio's brother-in-law was the frontman of a drug trafficking operation.
www.miaminewtimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:38 AM
While we're on the subject of Hispanics getting deported for minor drug charges for which they served out their time, here's something interesting I didn't know
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/marco-r...
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/marco-r...
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Canada by another 15% if Blue Jays win the series
October 30, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Canada by another 15% if Blue Jays win the series
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Luxembourg touts free transit in an FT ad. And they’re not even socialist!
October 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Luxembourg touts free transit in an FT ad. And they’re not even socialist!
Reposted by Michael Pollak
It's kind of amazing that we showed we could cut child poverty in half for roughly 100 billion/year (absolute peanuts in a 7 trillion dollar budget), did it for a year, and then just stopped doing it.
The food security report is out, and it's bad news: 13.5% of households were food insecure in 2023, up from 12.8% in 2022. This is what happens when you abruptly end "pandemic" supports that should have been there all along.
www.ers.usda.gov/publications...
www.ers.usda.gov/publications...
Household Food Security in the United States in 2023
An estimated 13.5 percent of households (18.0 million) were food insecure in 2023, meaning they had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members because of a lac...
www.ers.usda.gov
September 4, 2024 at 3:55 PM
It's kind of amazing that we showed we could cut child poverty in half for roughly 100 billion/year (absolute peanuts in a 7 trillion dollar budget), did it for a year, and then just stopped doing it.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
auntifa
October 28, 2025 at 5:48 PM
auntifa
Damn. I assumed the 5-7x increase in voters over 2021 was the youth like in the primaries, but it seems like slightly over half of them are over 55.
It's not in the bag.
GOTV! GOTV!
gothamist.com/news/voter-t...
It's not in the bag.
GOTV! GOTV!
gothamist.com/news/voter-t...
Voter turnout surges in NYC mayor’s race, with Boomers and Gen X leading the charge
The data so far is good news for independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, a political scientist said.
gothamist.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Damn. I assumed the 5-7x increase in voters over 2021 was the youth like in the primaries, but it seems like slightly over half of them are over 55.
It's not in the bag.
GOTV! GOTV!
gothamist.com/news/voter-t...
It's not in the bag.
GOTV! GOTV!
gothamist.com/news/voter-t...
Great & timely article by @lizafeatherstone.bsky.social . Her description of cancel culture is perfectly put, and the distinction between that what going on now is key
newrepublic.com/article/2022...
newrepublic.com/article/2022...
Trump’s Crusade Against Critics Is So Much Worse Than “Cancel Culture”
The liberal cancel culture of yesteryear is indeed regrettable. But let’s not succumb to bothsidesism.
newrepublic.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Great & timely article by @lizafeatherstone.bsky.social . Her description of cancel culture is perfectly put, and the distinction between that what going on now is key
newrepublic.com/article/2022...
newrepublic.com/article/2022...
October 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Michael Pollak
worth reiterating again that “the executive can raise and spend money however he likes” has been anathema even under monarchies for centuries
we’re not rolling back anything in US history here, we’re rolling back the English Civil War
we’re not rolling back anything in US history here, we’re rolling back the English Civil War
Odds are this aggressively did not happen. But it would of course be just as unconstitutional to spend money donated to the government without a duly enacted appropriation as it is to spend tax money that way.
Trump: "By the way, a friend of mine called us the other day and he said 'I'd like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrat shutdown. I'd like to contribute any shortfall you have with the military.' Today, he sent us a check for $130 million. It's gonna go the military."
October 24, 2025 at 1:23 AM
worth reiterating again that “the executive can raise and spend money however he likes” has been anathema even under monarchies for centuries
we’re not rolling back anything in US history here, we’re rolling back the English Civil War
we’re not rolling back anything in US history here, we’re rolling back the English Civil War
Great short newsletter by @gilduran.com on crypto under Trump being direct-deposit corruption
Follow the link to @jacobsilverman.com's NYT op-ed. Mixed with Gil's breaking news, it's a stunning picture of the bribe that purchased Changpeng Zhao's pardon
www.thenerdreich.com/email/4d6ead...
Follow the link to @jacobsilverman.com's NYT op-ed. Mixed with Gil's breaking news, it's a stunning picture of the bribe that purchased Changpeng Zhao's pardon
www.thenerdreich.com/email/4d6ead...
Crypto: A Weapon of Mass Corruption
Today, Donald Trump pardoned a convicted money launderer who founded a crypto exchange called Binance. Trump’s action comes after Binance lobbied for a pardon while also boosting Trump’s crypto scam c...
www.thenerdreich.com
October 23, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Great short newsletter by @gilduran.com on crypto under Trump being direct-deposit corruption
Follow the link to @jacobsilverman.com's NYT op-ed. Mixed with Gil's breaking news, it's a stunning picture of the bribe that purchased Changpeng Zhao's pardon
www.thenerdreich.com/email/4d6ead...
Follow the link to @jacobsilverman.com's NYT op-ed. Mixed with Gil's breaking news, it's a stunning picture of the bribe that purchased Changpeng Zhao's pardon
www.thenerdreich.com/email/4d6ead...