mjfgates
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mjfgates.bsky.social
mjfgates
@mjfgates.bsky.social
1.5K followers 530 following 15K posts
Retired. Widower. Formerly "that FC with the voice." One of the most ancient shitposters on the internet.
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Reposted by mjfgates
premeemohamed.com
OKAY GANG BUCKLE UP we are PUBLISHERS MARKETPLACE OFFICIAL for WICKHILLS

Thank you to @mkcurry.bsky.social and @jonathanstrahan.bsky.social and @torbooks.bsky.social for making it happen!

Prepare for me to NOT SHUT UP ABOUT THIS MOTHERFUPPIN BOOK (when I am less busy)
Publishers Marketplace Deal Report WICKHILLS By Premee Mohamed Imprint: Tor Nebula Award and World Fantasy Award winner Premee Mohamed's WICKHILLS, a spy thriller pitched as Cold War-era John le Carre meets Gormenghast, to Eli Goldman at Tor, with Jonathan Strahan editing, in a two- book deal, for publication in fall 2026, by Michael Curry at Donald Maass Literary Agency (world English). Fiction: Sci-Fi/Fantasy January 28, 2026
February 5, 2026 at 8:16 PM
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ciaraioch.bsky.social
Thinking about Big Bertha, the world's oldest cow from County Kerry, who died just before her 49th birthday after calving 39 times over her life (another record) - she also raised thousands for charity, lead the St. Patrick's parade in Sneem, and had her birthday and wake in a local pub
Black and white photograph of a small cow next to a man holding her by a length of rope in a field, with hills in the background ##SpéirGorm #SpéirGhorm #Ireland Photograph/close-up of a side-on view of the head of a black and white speckled cow with foliage in the background Black and white photograph of the same cow resting her head on the bar of a busy pub next to a pint of stout as people drink in the background Black and white photograph of the cow in a busy pub
February 5, 2026 at 10:38 PM
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chanda.blacksky.app
"It’s one of five murals Vargas plans to paint this week as part of his “#WeAreHuman” initiative"

thelalocal.org/neighborhood...
Boyle Heights mural of handcuffed mariachi responds to ICE raids
As the Eastside reels from the impact of continued immigration raids, Boyle Heights artist Robert Vargas captures the fear and tension.
thelalocal.org
February 5, 2026 at 9:48 PM
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francesjones.bsky.social
‘Difficult’ two years ahead for physics, warns STFC boss

Latest from a media briefing with Michele Dougherty & Ian Chapman I attended today

She confirmed the withdrawal of funding from the Large Hadron Collider upgrade, a collaboration with Cern

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
‘Difficult’ two years ahead for physics, warns STFC boss - Research Professional News
Michele Dougherty confirms withdrawal from LHC upgrade and indicates scant money for new projects
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:23 PM
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tressiemcphd.bsky.social
‘Do You Speak Billionaire?’ and Other Stories From the Fall of the Washington Post

r.mail.talkingpointsmemo.com/mk/mr/sh/1t6...
The Backchannel: ‘Do You Speak Billionaire?’ and Other Stories From the Fall of the Washington Post
r.mail.talkingpointsmemo.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:08 PM
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seananmcguire.bsky.social
It's not just the women and girls we know of. It's all their future work, and everything they could have been, and how we build structures that shelter their abusers. It's how a man's future has always been worth more than my past, present, and future combined.
February 5, 2026 at 9:05 PM
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chrislhayes.bsky.social
I think it's best for everyone to understand that the unified class project of billionaires right now is to do to white collar workers what globalization and neoliberalism did to blue collar workers.
February 4, 2026 at 7:41 PM
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kylegriffin1.bsky.social
Breaking:

The White House press secretary just said she "can't guarantee" that ICE won't be around polling locations in November.
February 5, 2026 at 8:11 PM
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maladroithe.bsky.social
I wanna personally congratulate Hunter Biden for not only being nowhere near the Epstein files but for having rock-solid reviews from sex workers for respectfulness and tipping
February 4, 2026 at 2:40 PM
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aselrod.bsky.social
The war on empathy and the war on the arts are part of the same project.

www.liberalcurrents.com/none-more-wo...
It's unsurprising that the Nazis waged a relentless war on creativity, especially the modern and the avant-garde, in everything from architecture and design to painting. Hitler himself was a failed painter whose work was most notably deficient in his inability to realistically capture human subjects. As Charlie English writes in his account of the Nazi war on art, In this sense, Hitler's painting supports Arendt's theory of National Socialism-that it was defined by its banality and lack of empathy. The Nazis relied on the ability of people not to imagine themselves in someone else's shoes. The lack of a connection was very much the point. There is a right-wing war on empathy that observers like Bradley_ Onishi have been cataloguing for months and that was most recently documented by Hillary_ Clinton for The Atlantic. But I don't believe you can decouple this from the war on art and artists. I share the belief that the arts are central to the cause of human freedom. This isn't only because of the expansive potential of the imagination. It's also because of the well of universal feeling and experience from which art draws in order to evoke something in its audience. And this experience pulls us—as listeners, viewers, observers, whether the medium—into a cycle of mutual edification. Art helps us to know one another better and to know ourselves more honestly. And it helps us to process our awe and terror at the world and our existence. It's why those with authoritarian impulses always want to control it, to limit what it shows us, and to silence its practitioners. What they fear most is the plain truth of being human.
February 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM
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mattprivratsky.bsky.social
My friend lives in this building and said it was truly terrifying. The whole building woke up to their building being broken into by federal agents all to grab some guy who’s posted about being anti facist.
gallantdimwit.bsky.social floating in lotus position @gallantdimwit.bsky.social · 10h
After 6am this morning in Whittier, Minneapolis—FOUR BLOCKS from where Pretti was murdered.

18 agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) markings smashed an apartment window, ran in, and came out with one man.
February 5, 2026 at 3:10 PM
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requiemarm.bsky.social
very weird “I am Spartacus” thing happening right now with the worst people on earth
February 5, 2026 at 12:06 PM
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pookleblinky.bsky.social
Show any 18th century Ojibwe literally any billionaire and they'd be like "yep, that's a wendigo. You're gonna need to kill it with fire. How many people has it killed already?"

And you'd be like "this one already killed about 500,000 children in the last year"
February 5, 2026 at 1:22 PM
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lalahaenzy.com
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
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scolopendra.bsky.social
The Sickos guy, but in a Mad Cat omnimech, declaring his approval: "Aff... ha ha ha... AFF!"
February 5, 2026 at 1:07 AM
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sjgochenour.bsky.social
I think everyone is stretched pretty thin right now, and I understand if this is not a thing you can care about or invest effort in this moment.

It matters to me because I love the MFA and I believe big, comprehensive art museums, for better or worse, have incredible storytelling powers.
sjgochenour.bsky.social gochenourabout @sjgochenour.bsky.social · 1d
incidentally: if you are in the Boston area and have ever appreciated a visit to their collections, know that their admin just sneak-attacked their dei programs and multiple curators of color with layoffs.

www.bostonartreview.com/read/mfa-bos...
MFA Boston Layoffs Thrust the Museum into a Credibility Crisis
As names and positions of eliminated staff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston begin to roll in, here’s what we know so far.
www.bostonartreview.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:51 PM
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moiradonegan.bsky.social
Really nuts how many men were like "Me Too went too far, and I need to email Jeffrey Epstein about it."
February 5, 2026 at 12:26 AM
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mothmother.com
Y'all...I...I don't get it!

This...this...isn't a real number right!?

*incoherent gay poet noises*
The LGBTQ+ poetry category on Amazon, showing Abominations at #1 for new releases. The Amazon pre-order page for Abominations, listing it as a Top New Release.
February 5, 2026 at 4:26 AM
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justinbaragona.bsky.social
So there was just a very loud and sustained "Fuck ICE" chant during a pro wrestling show on live primetime television, if you wanna get a sense of the vibe shift.

(One of the wrestlers, Brody King, is an outspoken prigressive and wore an "Abolish ICE" shirt at a Mexico show in June.)
February 5, 2026 at 3:25 AM
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simonwillison.net
The CIA just stopped publishing their World Factbook and took every page, including the archived copies of previous versions!

This sucks. It was public domain, so I recovered the 2020 edition (the last one published as a zip file) and shared it to GitHub simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/5/t...
Spotlighting The World Factbook as We Bid a Fond Farewell
Somewhat devastating news today from the CIA: One of CIA’s oldest and most recognizable intelligence publications, The World Factbook, has sunset. There's not even a hint as to why they …
simonwillison.net
February 5, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by mjfgates
windowseat.bsky.social
It is 9 p.m. Wednesday in Minnesota.

Have you had an evening meal yet? Is it time for a snack or dessert?

Did you take any meds you take?

Hydrate, moisturize, do those things to take care of you.

Fuck ICE.
9 p.m. Wednesday in Minnesota
February 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by mjfgates
lartist.bsky.social
From my Larchives for you.
cartoon of a sexy Mahna Mahna back up singer Mahna Mama
February 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM
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maladroithe.bsky.social
I just know in my bones that whatever Briahna Joy Gray brings to the cookout barely gets touched
uel.bsky.social uel aramchek @uel.bsky.social · 23h
why are we like this in america
February 5, 2026 at 12:52 AM
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markpopham.bsky.social
The big secret of the entire series is that he's a golden retriever
September 2, 2025 at 11:57 PM
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ignu.bsky.social
i decided they needed a statblock
Swarm of Righteous Teens Huge swarm of Tiny humanoids, chaotic good Skills Intimidation +8, Perception +7 Damage Resistances poison, psychic Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, incapacitated Senses passive Perception 17 Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space. Upon doing so, the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Strength Saving Throw or become Grappled and Prone. The creature can attempt to escape the grapple using an action on its turn. Actions Pummel. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d8 - 1) bludgeoning damage.
February 4, 2026 at 6:27 PM