Nate Bowling
@natebowling.com
Teaching Political Science and World History in Abu Dhabi — Skeets mainly about the Seattle Sounders, the state of the world, and my generalized grumpiness
https://buttondown.com/natebowling
https://buttondown.com/natebowling
Pinned
Nate Bowling
@natebowling.com
· Nov 15
Nerd Farmer Podcast Guests
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
If you're new to Bluesky, I made Starter Pack with past guests on my podcast, Nerd Farmer, that are on here. There's a heap of authors, journalists, academics & educators, and folks from the civic scene in the PNW.
go.bsky.app/L57tdFK
go.bsky.app/L57tdFK
K-Shaped Economy, exhibit 174
Main Cabin (everything below first/business class) revenues -7% YoY while Premium (first/business) +9% is really wild.
January 13, 2026 at 1:35 PM
K-Shaped Economy, exhibit 174
She's an excellent writer but kinda an unlikable figure even in her own memoir.
I did find myself chuckling when she talked about how panicked everyone at Facebook was at the introduction of Google's Facebook Killer: Google+.
I did find myself chuckling when she talked about how panicked everyone at Facebook was at the introduction of Google's Facebook Killer: Google+.
January 13, 2026 at 2:59 AM
She's an excellent writer but kinda an unlikable figure even in her own memoir.
I did find myself chuckling when she talked about how panicked everyone at Facebook was at the introduction of Google's Facebook Killer: Google+.
I did find myself chuckling when she talked about how panicked everyone at Facebook was at the introduction of Google's Facebook Killer: Google+.
I'm reading "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams.
She was early-ish at Facebook and had the primary vision for making it a platform for political organizing.
The equal parts hubris, naivety, and ambition on display in the early chapters are startling, even knowing how badly things end up.
She was early-ish at Facebook and had the primary vision for making it a platform for political organizing.
The equal parts hubris, naivety, and ambition on display in the early chapters are startling, even knowing how badly things end up.
January 13, 2026 at 2:51 AM
I'm reading "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams.
She was early-ish at Facebook and had the primary vision for making it a platform for political organizing.
The equal parts hubris, naivety, and ambition on display in the early chapters are startling, even knowing how badly things end up.
She was early-ish at Facebook and had the primary vision for making it a platform for political organizing.
The equal parts hubris, naivety, and ambition on display in the early chapters are startling, even knowing how badly things end up.
Things I'm looking forward to in 2026:
1. "A Violent Masterpiece" the upcoming novel by @jordanharper.bsky.social
2. The Sounders season, possibly the last with the current crop of DPs
3. Boots Riley's first film since 2018, "I Love Boosters"
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
1. "A Violent Masterpiece" the upcoming novel by @jordanharper.bsky.social
2. The Sounders season, possibly the last with the current crop of DPs
3. Boots Riley's first film since 2018, "I Love Boosters"
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
What I’m Looking Forward to in 2026
In spite of the moment, these are the places I'm looking for joy in 2026
buttondown.com
January 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Things I'm looking forward to in 2026:
1. "A Violent Masterpiece" the upcoming novel by @jordanharper.bsky.social
2. The Sounders season, possibly the last with the current crop of DPs
3. Boots Riley's first film since 2018, "I Love Boosters"
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
1. "A Violent Masterpiece" the upcoming novel by @jordanharper.bsky.social
2. The Sounders season, possibly the last with the current crop of DPs
3. Boots Riley's first film since 2018, "I Love Boosters"
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
Reposted by Nate Bowling
I mean, this was one of the major lessons of January 6: the cops do in fact know how to deescalate when the mob is white
Also, by their own standards, the cops protecting the Capitol on Jan 6 should have opened fire all over.
January 11, 2026 at 12:24 PM
I mean, this was one of the major lessons of January 6: the cops do in fact know how to deescalate when the mob is white
They murdered a woman on camera.
They're now telling you to your face that murder was just and they have "absolute immunity" from consequences.
Meanwhile they're brutalizing people who dare object, while being joined in arms by local law enforcement.
They're now telling you to your face that murder was just and they have "absolute immunity" from consequences.
Meanwhile they're brutalizing people who dare object, while being joined in arms by local law enforcement.
January 10, 2026 at 11:50 AM
They murdered a woman on camera.
They're now telling you to your face that murder was just and they have "absolute immunity" from consequences.
Meanwhile they're brutalizing people who dare object, while being joined in arms by local law enforcement.
They're now telling you to your face that murder was just and they have "absolute immunity" from consequences.
Meanwhile they're brutalizing people who dare object, while being joined in arms by local law enforcement.
An entire generation of Black activists have been telling you "the police are the problem" since they murdered Mike Brown in 2014
January 10, 2026 at 8:18 AM
An entire generation of Black activists have been telling you "the police are the problem" since they murdered Mike Brown in 2014
Reposted by Nate Bowling
I just keep doing the math.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
January 9, 2026 at 7:57 AM
I just keep doing the math.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
Reposted by Nate Bowling
In #waleg Senate education committee, SB 5956 prohibits or restricts use of automated decision-making system, surveillance system, and predictive models in student discipline and other decisions. If students can't cheat using AI, schools shouldn't either. app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate?s...
January 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM
In #waleg Senate education committee, SB 5956 prohibits or restricts use of automated decision-making system, surveillance system, and predictive models in student discipline and other decisions. If students can't cheat using AI, schools shouldn't either. app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate?s...
I just keep doing the math.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
January 9, 2026 at 7:57 AM
I just keep doing the math.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
He's President because the Democrats replaced a deeply unpopular President with a VP, who then refused to distance herself from anything that made him unpopular.
They then lost five swing states by a total of 570k votes.
That's why we're here.
Keeping it buck, the status quo in the US is fascism for Black & indigenous people—that's the baseline of US history.
The administration wants to create fascism for all but their loyalists.
The administration wants to create fascism for all but their loyalists.
January 9, 2026 at 4:09 AM
Keeping it buck, the status quo in the US is fascism for Black & indigenous people—that's the baseline of US history.
The administration wants to create fascism for all but their loyalists.
The administration wants to create fascism for all but their loyalists.
What ICE is doing to immigrants and now white Americans in Minneapolis is what US law enforcement has always done to Black Americans, indigenous people, and poor white folks in rural areas.
Your outrage is justified and welcome but this fight didn't start this week.
Your outrage is justified and welcome but this fight didn't start this week.
Police killed at least 1,292 people in the United States in 2025. There were only six days with zero police killings last year. Source: mappingpoliceviolence.org.
January 9, 2026 at 2:56 AM
What ICE is doing to immigrants and now white Americans in Minneapolis is what US law enforcement has always done to Black Americans, indigenous people, and poor white folks in rural areas.
Your outrage is justified and welcome but this fight didn't start this week.
Your outrage is justified and welcome but this fight didn't start this week.
2003 me is really out there somewhere tripping right now
Abolish ICE. Really.
Trump: "I have just viewed the clip of the event which took place in Minneapolis. It is a horrible thing to watch. The woman screaming was, obviously, a professional agitator, and the woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting ... "
January 8, 2026 at 5:32 AM
2003 me is really out there somewhere tripping right now
Yeah, you're basically replacing Danny Leyva with a Serbian international who somebody thought was worth $3 million at some point. Which not coincidentally is what you are hoping to get for Vargas at this point.
January 8, 2026 at 5:04 AM
Yeah, you're basically replacing Danny Leyva with a Serbian international who somebody thought was worth $3 million at some point. Which not coincidentally is what you are hoping to get for Vargas at this point.
Dotson is functionally the replacement for Obed.
So Petkovic is potentially being brought in to take up the 1200-ish combined JP/Leyva minutes from last season, with Snyder Brunell still also positioned to see more minutes.
It's not the most ambitious signing ever but he's got some upside.
So Petkovic is potentially being brought in to take up the 1200-ish combined JP/Leyva minutes from last season, with Snyder Brunell still also positioned to see more minutes.
It's not the most ambitious signing ever but he's got some upside.
Looks like the #Sounders are in talks to acquire midfielder Nikola Petkovic from Charlotte & he conider it a low risk move.
I did not have him on my radar, I am surprised they are adding him as a potential U22 but looks like a decent move. I don't necessarily love it TBH.
I did not have him on my radar, I am surprised they are adding him as a potential U22 but looks like a decent move. I don't necessarily love it TBH.
Can confirm the rumor that Sounders are in talks to get Nikola Petković on loan from Charlotte FC. He’s a u22 defensive midfielder, who was first signed on a $3m transfer to Crown Legacy. AFAIK, would retain u22 designation through 2027. Low-risk option but not exactly a blockbuster.
January 8, 2026 at 4:50 AM
Dotson is functionally the replacement for Obed.
So Petkovic is potentially being brought in to take up the 1200-ish combined JP/Leyva minutes from last season, with Snyder Brunell still also positioned to see more minutes.
It's not the most ambitious signing ever but he's got some upside.
So Petkovic is potentially being brought in to take up the 1200-ish combined JP/Leyva minutes from last season, with Snyder Brunell still also positioned to see more minutes.
It's not the most ambitious signing ever but he's got some upside.
Reposted by Nate Bowling
We sat down and wrote 2 reflections on our time in Budapest. @natebowling.com www.bowlingsabroad.com/blog/budapes...
Budapest Passed the Test... and Then Some — Bowlings Abroad
First, a note from Nate to his fellow Black Travelers : Being Black means running a quiet risk assessment everywhere you land. Most people will never notice it, but it matters. You watch how people lo...
www.bowlingsabroad.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:45 AM
We sat down and wrote 2 reflections on our time in Budapest. @natebowling.com www.bowlingsabroad.com/blog/budapes...
This is the new "do you have McDonald's Money?"
It’s 2026, I’m finally doing ad-free YouTube. Couldn’t take it anymore.
January 7, 2026 at 5:29 PM
This is the new "do you have McDonald's Money?"
It's one thing to elect a bad leader.
It happens, voters are fickle and people get fooled by campaigns.
But it's an entirely different thing to let that person do whatever TF they want and rub their nuts all over our laws and norms while enriching themselves and taking bribes left & right.
It happens, voters are fickle and people get fooled by campaigns.
But it's an entirely different thing to let that person do whatever TF they want and rub their nuts all over our laws and norms while enriching themselves and taking bribes left & right.
January 7, 2026 at 5:25 PM
It's one thing to elect a bad leader.
It happens, voters are fickle and people get fooled by campaigns.
But it's an entirely different thing to let that person do whatever TF they want and rub their nuts all over our laws and norms while enriching themselves and taking bribes left & right.
It happens, voters are fickle and people get fooled by campaigns.
But it's an entirely different thing to let that person do whatever TF they want and rub their nuts all over our laws and norms while enriching themselves and taking bribes left & right.
Reposted by Nate Bowling
Well, I'll go ahead and cancel my Hilton Honors loyalty membership and stop staying at Hilton brand hotels. That's easy.
Hilton Drops Bookings for Hotel Accused of Turning Away Immigration Agents
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Well, I'll go ahead and cancel my Hilton Honors loyalty membership and stop staying at Hilton brand hotels. That's easy.
Things are so unhinged in the US there's a non-zero probability that somebody in the Whitehouse is betting on the number of boat strikes that are going to happen on Polymarket.
January 7, 2026 at 5:22 AM
It's very likely members of the administration are betting on national security events they're influencing and creating on prediction markets
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
A mysterious online gambler made $400,000 betting on the removal of Maduro
The trades underscore fears that prediction markets can be used to profit from classified intelligence.
www.nbcnews.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:34 AM
It's very likely members of the administration are betting on national security events they're influencing and creating on prediction markets
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/interne...
Keep your head up, it's gonna get worse before it gets better
January 6, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Keep your head up, it's gonna get worse before it gets better
Reposted by Nate Bowling
I’m finding it a real challenge to teach about the basic structure and functioning of the federal government because very little of it is happening right now
“but what the Constitution SAYS should happen is…”
comes across like old person talk, or just out-of-touch
“but what the Constitution SAYS should happen is…”
comes across like old person talk, or just out-of-touch
They've so effectively memory holed January 6 that I had a whole ass conversation in class about decaying political norms in the US and it didn't even make the list
January 6, 2026 at 2:26 PM
I’m finding it a real challenge to teach about the basic structure and functioning of the federal government because very little of it is happening right now
“but what the Constitution SAYS should happen is…”
comes across like old person talk, or just out-of-touch
“but what the Constitution SAYS should happen is…”
comes across like old person talk, or just out-of-touch
They've so effectively memory holed January 6 that I had a whole ass conversation in class about decaying political norms in the US and it didn't even make the list
January 6, 2026 at 2:20 PM
They've so effectively memory holed January 6 that I had a whole ass conversation in class about decaying political norms in the US and it didn't even make the list