Omair Ahmad
@omairahmad.bsky.social
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Art is essential
Alt text for those who need it. This is amazing.
December 2, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Art is essential
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Congrats - and best of luck - to friend and colleague @kieranconnell.bsky.social who features on this fantastic list!
This evening, the winner of the #WolfsonHistoryPrize 2025 will be announced live!
Join us in celebrating outstanding history. We will be posting live from the winner ceremony, so make sure you're following @wolfsonhistory.bsky.social and #WolfsonHistoryPrize for live updates throughout the night.
Join us in celebrating outstanding history. We will be posting live from the winner ceremony, so make sure you're following @wolfsonhistory.bsky.social and #WolfsonHistoryPrize for live updates throughout the night.
December 2, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Congrats - and best of luck - to friend and colleague @kieranconnell.bsky.social who features on this fantastic list!
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
News from a robust democracy
The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy.
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
www.chosun.com/english/nati...
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe
www.chosun.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:41 AM
News from a robust democracy
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
I think the elephant gives the room a certain textured, earthy vibe.
December 2, 2025 at 6:32 AM
I think the elephant gives the room a certain textured, earthy vibe.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
If Liberals would have been more outraged when Bush and Obama targeted and killed civilians abroad without any accountability, we maybe could have avoided getting here.
“This has been a year when the unthinkable has become routine.” Ruth Marcus writes about the Trump Administration’s strikes on Venezuelan boats and new reporting that suggests that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated multiple rules of war. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/4jwU31
The Dishonorable Strikes on Venezuelan Boats
New reporting suggests that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated multiple rules of war.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
December 2, 2025 at 5:37 AM
If Liberals would have been more outraged when Bush and Obama targeted and killed civilians abroad without any accountability, we maybe could have avoided getting here.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
My Fair Work Week law requires fast-food restaurants to give workers stable schedules & pathways to F/T jobs.
Starbucks has cheated 15,000 baristas—now they have to pay up.
Props @sbworkersunited.org & @hellodcwp.bsky.social for the biggest workers’ right enforcement action in NYC history.
Starbucks has cheated 15,000 baristas—now they have to pay up.
Props @sbworkersunited.org & @hellodcwp.bsky.social for the biggest workers’ right enforcement action in NYC history.
Starbucks to pay $35M to NYC workers after city alleges years of abuses https://gothamist.com/news/starbucks-to-pay-35m-to-nyc-workers-after-city-alleges-years-of-abuses
Starbucks to pay $35M to NYC workers after city alleges years of abuses
Baristas at a Starbucks on Broadway where workers went on strike in February.
The city says about 15,000 employees will get paid $50 for each week worked over a three-year period. For some workers, that's thousands of dollars. [ more › ]
gothamist.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM
My Fair Work Week law requires fast-food restaurants to give workers stable schedules & pathways to F/T jobs.
Starbucks has cheated 15,000 baristas—now they have to pay up.
Props @sbworkersunited.org & @hellodcwp.bsky.social for the biggest workers’ right enforcement action in NYC history.
Starbucks has cheated 15,000 baristas—now they have to pay up.
Props @sbworkersunited.org & @hellodcwp.bsky.social for the biggest workers’ right enforcement action in NYC history.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Here's a quizzical mandarin duck to start your week off on a good note 🥰 🪶
December 1, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Here's a quizzical mandarin duck to start your week off on a good note 🥰 🪶
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
This Day in Labor History: November 22, 1909. Approximately 20,000 garment workers in New York City went on strike against the horrendous conditions of their sweatshops. This strike, known as the Uprising of the 20,000, was the largest strike led by women in American history to that time!!!
November 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
This Day in Labor History: November 22, 1909. Approximately 20,000 garment workers in New York City went on strike against the horrendous conditions of their sweatshops. This strike, known as the Uprising of the 20,000, was the largest strike led by women in American history to that time!!!
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
It hasn’t been a total flop. As a tool for spotting douchebags it’s been a perfect 10.
Tesla’s Cybertruck is turning 2. It’s been a big flop.
CEO Elon Musk once described the Cybertruck as Tesla’s “best ever” product. But demand for the controversial pickup truck has dried up.
www.marketwatch.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:50 AM
It hasn’t been a total flop. As a tool for spotting douchebags it’s been a perfect 10.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
I pulled out an old DJ pic for this column. I’ve had a few lives.
OPINION: "It’s shocking to me how often I’ve observed men openly abusing women, including in social media, and no 'good' man bothers to challenge them," Donna Ladd writes.
Editor’s Note | What I’m Thankful for in 2025: The Rough Cut
Donna Ladd writes that 2025 has been a good year. Despite the ongoing challenges, there is plenty to be thankful for.
buff.ly
December 1, 2025 at 1:14 PM
I pulled out an old DJ pic for this column. I’ve had a few lives.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
I'm not sure what me starting a full time position, however temporary, will mean for these threads, but I'm guessing they will at least be paused (as they already have been!)
But here's three months of evidence that We The People have not taken authoritarianism lying down ⬇️
But here's three months of evidence that We The People have not taken authoritarianism lying down ⬇️
NONCOOPERATION THREAD OF THREADS
My daily threads of noncooperation will be here.
We have a deep history of resisting authoritarianism on these shores; we need to listen to & learn from the communities that have led those fights, draw on our collective muscle memory, & fight like hell.
LFG.
My daily threads of noncooperation will be here.
We have a deep history of resisting authoritarianism on these shores; we need to listen to & learn from the communities that have led those fights, draw on our collective muscle memory, & fight like hell.
LFG.
November 30, 2025 at 5:07 PM
I'm not sure what me starting a full time position, however temporary, will mean for these threads, but I'm guessing they will at least be paused (as they already have been!)
But here's three months of evidence that We The People have not taken authoritarianism lying down ⬇️
But here's three months of evidence that We The People have not taken authoritarianism lying down ⬇️
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Rationalizing the killing of Americans they consider enemies.
Markwayne Mullin: "The president and the secretary of war have been very clear. They're gonna use lethality against our enemies -- home and abroad."
November 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Rationalizing the killing of Americans they consider enemies.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Wrap your head around this: US gave Israel GBU-39B precision-guided bombs, used in attack assassinating a Hezbollah leader. One of these advanced bombs failed to explode. Now, US is demanding that bomb be handed back for fear of falling into wrong hands!
www.msn.com/en-in/news/w...
www.msn.com/en-in/news/w...
MSN
www.msn.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Wrap your head around this: US gave Israel GBU-39B precision-guided bombs, used in attack assassinating a Hezbollah leader. One of these advanced bombs failed to explode. Now, US is demanding that bomb be handed back for fear of falling into wrong hands!
www.msn.com/en-in/news/w...
www.msn.com/en-in/news/w...
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Not the point, but he's so dumb he thinks the Al Qaeda suicide bombers will be intimidated by threats that we might kill them.
November 30, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Not the point, but he's so dumb he thinks the Al Qaeda suicide bombers will be intimidated by threats that we might kill them.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
"Afraid of appearing partisan, the Obama administration looked the other way when it came to prosecuting war criminals and torturers. The lack of confrontation is coming back to haunt us."
True in 2018, even more true in 2025 after a second Dem admin took office, slow-rolled prosecution, lost
True in 2018, even more true in 2025 after a second Dem admin took office, slow-rolled prosecution, lost
November 29, 2025 at 11:29 PM
"Afraid of appearing partisan, the Obama administration looked the other way when it came to prosecuting war criminals and torturers. The lack of confrontation is coming back to haunt us."
True in 2018, even more true in 2025 after a second Dem admin took office, slow-rolled prosecution, lost
True in 2018, even more true in 2025 after a second Dem admin took office, slow-rolled prosecution, lost
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
"It took time to sink in. Are they talking about me? It reflects govt's desperation to destroy our credibility"
Kashmir Times editor @anuradhabhasin.bsky.social to @betwasharma.bsky.social on police alleging weapons possession in raid on office shut for 4 yrs
article-14.com/post/-ridicu...
Kashmir Times editor @anuradhabhasin.bsky.social to @betwasharma.bsky.social on police alleging weapons possession in raid on office shut for 4 yrs
article-14.com/post/-ridicu...
‘Ridiculous’: Kashmir Editor Responds To UAPA Case, Arms-Recovery Allegations From Office Shut For 4 Years
Three days after Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin criticised the Modi government’s counterterror measures following a deadly Delhi terror attack, she was accused of conspiring with secessionists. ...
article-14.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:26 AM
"It took time to sink in. Are they talking about me? It reflects govt's desperation to destroy our credibility"
Kashmir Times editor @anuradhabhasin.bsky.social to @betwasharma.bsky.social on police alleging weapons possession in raid on office shut for 4 yrs
article-14.com/post/-ridicu...
Kashmir Times editor @anuradhabhasin.bsky.social to @betwasharma.bsky.social on police alleging weapons possession in raid on office shut for 4 yrs
article-14.com/post/-ridicu...
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
“The intention of these sanctions, and the extraordinary difficulties they cause for the ICC judges, is obvious. They are aimed at sabotaging the work of the court and, in a larger sense, delegitimising the institutions of international law”
~Mark O’Connell
The Irish Times
☕️🥐
~Mark O’Connell
The Irish Times
☕️🥐
November 29, 2025 at 8:49 AM
“The intention of these sanctions, and the extraordinary difficulties they cause for the ICC judges, is obvious. They are aimed at sabotaging the work of the court and, in a larger sense, delegitimising the institutions of international law”
~Mark O’Connell
The Irish Times
☕️🥐
~Mark O’Connell
The Irish Times
☕️🥐
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
Van Hollen is being personally credited as the chief pressure point that made Israel release a Palestinian teenager with American citizenship from their dungeons, where he was held for 9 months without even a criminal charge.
⭕️ Sen. Chris Van Hollen (@vanhollen.senate.gov) credited for key role in release of US teen from Israeli detention
Palestinian-American child Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, was freed today after 9 months of Israeli imprisonment w/o charge. Journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who has been a major advocate for...
Palestinian-American child Mohammed Ibrahim, 16, was freed today after 9 months of Israeli imprisonment w/o charge. Journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who has been a major advocate for...
November 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Van Hollen is being personally credited as the chief pressure point that made Israel release a Palestinian teenager with American citizenship from their dungeons, where he was held for 9 months without even a criminal charge.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
"All literature is political...by virtue of its active space, what you’re engaging with, or its negative space, what you’re choosing to ignore." Omar El Akkad, author of 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This'.
November 29, 2025 at 3:56 AM
"All literature is political...by virtue of its active space, what you’re engaging with, or its negative space, what you’re choosing to ignore." Omar El Akkad, author of 'One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This'.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
I enjoyed reading Lyse Doucet’s new book. It is engaging and thoughtful and tells Afghanistan’s harrowing recent history with empathy and through the eyes of its people. Highly recommend it.
November 29, 2025 at 4:05 AM
I enjoyed reading Lyse Doucet’s new book. It is engaging and thoughtful and tells Afghanistan’s harrowing recent history with empathy and through the eyes of its people. Highly recommend it.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
I think I became convinced that most of the United States is an anti-human hellscape when I worked in refugee resettlement. Seeing that Afghan family who went from rural Kandahar to the Red Roof Inn off the interstate. The look on their faces when I dropped them off. Dark fucking shit.
Listen, I was there when the first afghans evacuees got off the plane at Dulles in late July 2021. But a few months later we had nice liberals in the community asking us if they could host a Ukrainian family. "What about Afghan or Congolese?"
"Oh, no thanks"
Racist fucking country, man
"Oh, no thanks"
Racist fucking country, man
November 29, 2025 at 1:02 AM
I think I became convinced that most of the United States is an anti-human hellscape when I worked in refugee resettlement. Seeing that Afghan family who went from rural Kandahar to the Red Roof Inn off the interstate. The look on their faces when I dropped them off. Dark fucking shit.
"Justice, justice, you shall pursue!"
Words in a book ascribed to God.
And I was God's willing hound,
Drunk on His words,
Stupid with them,
So stupid that even when I left God behind,
I did for the Godwords that I could not deny.
But in a world where no God can be found, justice is rarer still.
Words in a book ascribed to God.
And I was God's willing hound,
Drunk on His words,
Stupid with them,
So stupid that even when I left God behind,
I did for the Godwords that I could not deny.
But in a world where no God can be found, justice is rarer still.
November 28, 2025 at 7:38 PM
"Justice, justice, you shall pursue!"
Words in a book ascribed to God.
And I was God's willing hound,
Drunk on His words,
Stupid with them,
So stupid that even when I left God behind,
I did for the Godwords that I could not deny.
But in a world where no God can be found, justice is rarer still.
Words in a book ascribed to God.
And I was God's willing hound,
Drunk on His words,
Stupid with them,
So stupid that even when I left God behind,
I did for the Godwords that I could not deny.
But in a world where no God can be found, justice is rarer still.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
The journalist who got this scoop and reported it is a former U.S. Army infantry soldier and Iraq War vet
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:43 PM
The journalist who got this scoop and reported it is a former U.S. Army infantry soldier and Iraq War vet
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
It is an interesting case where all the Israeli "moderates" understand that keeping the PA alive is good for maintaining apartheid but all the Israeli hardliners want to get rid of it as soon as possible because they think it is actually an impediment to further implementing their version of it.
November 28, 2025 at 6:39 PM
It is an interesting case where all the Israeli "moderates" understand that keeping the PA alive is good for maintaining apartheid but all the Israeli hardliners want to get rid of it as soon as possible because they think it is actually an impediment to further implementing their version of it.
Reposted by Omair Ahmad
This is a big part of it, for me. Instead of glancing at the image and continuing to listen to the talk, I’m noticing that the table leg is connected to the chair, that the shirt buttons sideways, that the window bleeds weirdly into the wall. And wondering why the presenter didn’t notice or care.
It's also just distracting because usually the image has some weirdness to it, and it doesn't tend to add explanatory value. So if you're just adding them for ambience or to represent a generic concept, just use a regular picture.
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
November 28, 2025 at 3:48 PM
This is a big part of it, for me. Instead of glancing at the image and continuing to listen to the talk, I’m noticing that the table leg is connected to the chair, that the shirt buttons sideways, that the window bleeds weirdly into the wall. And wondering why the presenter didn’t notice or care.