Dave Haldiman
@opposablethumbs.bsky.social
Must have liberal democracy and progressive policies. Nature is my church. Science, art, humor, Tao, kindness, acceptance. Ret'd ad producer and motion camera. Here to learn, laugh, meet, interact, care. And to fight the MAGA oligarchy and AI.
Pinned
In a land of granite
an acorn finds a fissure
Boulders tumble
(A reminder that big changes often grow from small seeds.)
#Photography #NaturePhotography #Nature #Poetry #Haiku #Mountains #Yosemite #Resist
an acorn finds a fissure
Boulders tumble
(A reminder that big changes often grow from small seeds.)
#Photography #NaturePhotography #Nature #Poetry #Haiku #Mountains #Yosemite #Resist
Gather 'round children and I'll tell you the sad tale of Congress, once proudly considered first among the co-equal branches of the U.S. government. We have lived in hope that one fine day something will awaken the sniveling giant. Could this finally be . . . ? Ehh, time for bed.
The Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen to the United States:
“The Kingdom of Denmark, and thus Greenland, is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance’s collective security guarantee.” I “strongly urge the United States to cease its threats.”
“The Kingdom of Denmark, and thus Greenland, is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance’s collective security guarantee.” I “strongly urge the United States to cease its threats.”
January 4, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Gather 'round children and I'll tell you the sad tale of Congress, once proudly considered first among the co-equal branches of the U.S. government. We have lived in hope that one fine day something will awaken the sniveling giant. Could this finally be . . . ? Ehh, time for bed.
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
To be fully seen
is to be encountered where we do not resolve-
where the light breaks
not to be admired for coherence,
but to be recognized in contradiction,
To be fully seen
is to have one’s unfinished edges
met without urgency,
as if incompleteness were not a problem
but a presence.
#Selfloved
is to be encountered where we do not resolve-
where the light breaks
not to be admired for coherence,
but to be recognized in contradiction,
To be fully seen
is to have one’s unfinished edges
met without urgency,
as if incompleteness were not a problem
but a presence.
#Selfloved
January 4, 2026 at 3:57 PM
To be fully seen
is to be encountered where we do not resolve-
where the light breaks
not to be admired for coherence,
but to be recognized in contradiction,
To be fully seen
is to have one’s unfinished edges
met without urgency,
as if incompleteness were not a problem
but a presence.
#Selfloved
is to be encountered where we do not resolve-
where the light breaks
not to be admired for coherence,
but to be recognized in contradiction,
To be fully seen
is to have one’s unfinished edges
met without urgency,
as if incompleteness were not a problem
but a presence.
#Selfloved
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
And then there are other days...
January 4, 2026 at 4:59 PM
And then there are other days...
From the wise Timothy Snyder:
"Trump is weak at home, and he can be stopped -- so long as the domestic political logic of foreign intervention is recognized and turned against him. This act of war is more about regime change in the United States than it was about anything in Venezuela."
"Trump is weak at home, and he can be stopped -- so long as the domestic political logic of foreign intervention is recognized and turned against him. This act of war is more about regime change in the United States than it was about anything in Venezuela."
Venezuela: The Precedents
And America: The Future
snyder.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:13 PM
From the wise Timothy Snyder:
"Trump is weak at home, and he can be stopped -- so long as the domestic political logic of foreign intervention is recognized and turned against him. This act of war is more about regime change in the United States than it was about anything in Venezuela."
"Trump is weak at home, and he can be stopped -- so long as the domestic political logic of foreign intervention is recognized and turned against him. This act of war is more about regime change in the United States than it was about anything in Venezuela."
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Mahalia Jackson - Trouble of the World (Audio)
YouTube video by MahaliaJacksonVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
I’ve not spent a lot of time on it today because I don’t think “democrats suck” is the main takeaway of “a republican president just fucking kidnapped the head of state of a foreign country” but it remains manifestly clear that schumer and jeffries are unfit for leadership and need to go
January 3, 2026 at 10:33 PM
I’ve not spent a lot of time on it today because I don’t think “democrats suck” is the main takeaway of “a republican president just fucking kidnapped the head of state of a foreign country” but it remains manifestly clear that schumer and jeffries are unfit for leadership and need to go
This may well give trump a short-term boost domestically - polling numbers, republican solidarity in Congress, back-footing Dems in Congress. But internationally this will likely be disastrous.
#Venezuela #Maduro #trump
#Venezuela #Maduro #trump
January 3, 2026 at 2:14 PM
This may well give trump a short-term boost domestically - polling numbers, republican solidarity in Congress, back-footing Dems in Congress. But internationally this will likely be disastrous.
#Venezuela #Maduro #trump
#Venezuela #Maduro #trump
I'd like to think that Maestro da Vinci would be pleased.
This beautifully designed clamshell book features famous works by the outstanding Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. 💡
Inventions: Pop-up Models from the Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, 2008.
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
#books #inventions #history
Inventions: Pop-up Models from the Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, 2008.
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
#books #inventions #history
January 3, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I'd like to think that Maestro da Vinci would be pleased.
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Venezuela.
Which legitimizes:
Ukraine.
Taiwan.
Will we see a soft (or hard) takeover of Greenland next?
Maybe Canada? Cuba?
Paving the way for Putin in:
Georgia? Moldova?
Estonia? Latvia? Lithuania?
Poland….?
Which legitimizes:
Ukraine.
Taiwan.
Will we see a soft (or hard) takeover of Greenland next?
Maybe Canada? Cuba?
Paving the way for Putin in:
Georgia? Moldova?
Estonia? Latvia? Lithuania?
Poland….?
January 3, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Venezuela.
Which legitimizes:
Ukraine.
Taiwan.
Will we see a soft (or hard) takeover of Greenland next?
Maybe Canada? Cuba?
Paving the way for Putin in:
Georgia? Moldova?
Estonia? Latvia? Lithuania?
Poland….?
Which legitimizes:
Ukraine.
Taiwan.
Will we see a soft (or hard) takeover of Greenland next?
Maybe Canada? Cuba?
Paving the way for Putin in:
Georgia? Moldova?
Estonia? Latvia? Lithuania?
Poland….?
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
The irony in all this is Trump wants to rule like Maduro…
January 3, 2026 at 12:28 PM
The irony in all this is Trump wants to rule like Maduro…
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
I know several oil barons, I’ve had the oil and gas industry as clients in a past life: none of them want the Venezuelan oil, it’s dog shit quality and getting the PDVSA fields up to modern standards would take 20 years! It’s just trump being stuck in 1987
At this point the oil barons hardly even care (they can pivot to renewables too). It’s just gender and internal combustion brain
It’s almost like green energy is the only way forward and a handful of oil barons are doing everything in their power to keep that from happening so they can get even richer at the cost of literally everything else in the world.
January 3, 2026 at 8:05 AM
I know several oil barons, I’ve had the oil and gas industry as clients in a past life: none of them want the Venezuelan oil, it’s dog shit quality and getting the PDVSA fields up to modern standards would take 20 years! It’s just trump being stuck in 1987
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
this = the problem w/ X. by turning it into 4chan w/ virality distribution the platform turns everything into a meme. so it must strip away almost all context & imbue it w/ intense amounts of nihilism or so many layers of irony that there's no humanity anymore. it's a great dehumanization machine
“…the creators of these [nonconsensual, violent AI] images often seemed to be treating the action like a game or meme, with an air of laughter & detachment.”
January 2, 2026 at 7:17 PM
this = the problem w/ X. by turning it into 4chan w/ virality distribution the platform turns everything into a meme. so it must strip away almost all context & imbue it w/ intense amounts of nihilism or so many layers of irony that there's no humanity anymore. it's a great dehumanization machine
Victoria Kalaichi, Ukrainian (1986- ), Fierce Creature, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in
January 2, 2026 at 7:27 PM
The race to infect everything with AI basically comes down to individuals, corporations, and political leaders in fear of falling behind and being dominated. Too much like the nuclear arms race – see where that’s put us now. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence
January 2, 2026 at 6:49 PM
The race to infect everything with AI basically comes down to individuals, corporations, and political leaders in fear of falling behind and being dominated. Too much like the nuclear arms race – see where that’s put us now. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
I actually think it's fine to position yourself against feckless elites, we should do so relative to Bari Weiss, who's given friendly interviews with Epstein grandees Alan Dershowitz and Woody Allen, and her henchman Adam Rubenstein who's a David Brooks disciple.
Bari Weiss’s CBS News directly attacking academics, subject matter experts, in the promo for her new CBS Evening News.
January 2, 2026 at 4:14 PM
I actually think it's fine to position yourself against feckless elites, we should do so relative to Bari Weiss, who's given friendly interviews with Epstein grandees Alan Dershowitz and Woody Allen, and her henchman Adam Rubenstein who's a David Brooks disciple.
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
This maniac is trying to turn us into the best parts of Europe!
“I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist.”
— New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in his inaugural address
— New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in his inaugural address
Zohran Mamdani on Welcoming Bernie Sanders for a “Bread and Roses” Inaugural Celebration
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the incoming democratic socialist mayor discusses making New York a “showcase of light” through the political darkness.
www.thenation.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:14 AM
This maniac is trying to turn us into the best parts of Europe!
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
A great shot by John Olson of David Crosby with his father Floyd in the family home, for a Life magazine feature, September 24, 1971.
"My parents did their absolute best, but I'm just another stumbling-along-blind human being trying to do without the instruction booklet."
"My parents did their absolute best, but I'm just another stumbling-along-blind human being trying to do without the instruction booklet."
December 31, 2025 at 10:16 PM
A great shot by John Olson of David Crosby with his father Floyd in the family home, for a Life magazine feature, September 24, 1971.
"My parents did their absolute best, but I'm just another stumbling-along-blind human being trying to do without the instruction booklet."
"My parents did their absolute best, but I'm just another stumbling-along-blind human being trying to do without the instruction booklet."
"And who ordered the calamari salad?"
December 31, 2025 at 7:33 PM
"And who ordered the calamari salad?"
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Silvestro Lega, Italian (1826-1895), Girl from Crespina, 1890-92, oil on canvas, 37.5 x 28.5 cm, private collection
December 31, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Silvestro Lega, Italian (1826-1895), Girl from Crespina, 1890-92, oil on canvas, 37.5 x 28.5 cm, private collection
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Agree 💯 With Matthew Dowd......
December 31, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Agree 💯 With Matthew Dowd......
John Pavlovitz: "I’m tired of having to treat people like children when they aren’t capable or willing to see what even a child can see . . . They know hatred and bullying and dehumanization without needing to read a think piece or do online research or unpack layers of religion and history."
Most Trump Supporters Aren't Stupid, and That's the Most Terrifying Thing
Ignorance is not a compelling argument at this point.
johnpavlovitz.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:17 PM
John Pavlovitz: "I’m tired of having to treat people like children when they aren’t capable or willing to see what even a child can see . . . They know hatred and bullying and dehumanization without needing to read a think piece or do online research or unpack layers of religion and history."
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
Yes, Stranger Things 5 is inspired by real science! 🧪
The show’s wormhole concept comes from real physics equations that allow theoretical shortcuts through spacetime, often called wormholes.
The show’s wormhole concept comes from real physics equations that allow theoretical shortcuts through spacetime, often called wormholes.
December 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Yes, Stranger Things 5 is inspired by real science! 🧪
The show’s wormhole concept comes from real physics equations that allow theoretical shortcuts through spacetime, often called wormholes.
The show’s wormhole concept comes from real physics equations that allow theoretical shortcuts through spacetime, often called wormholes.
Reposted by Dave Haldiman
"Do you believe that stuff the old man was saying the other night at the 'Oso Negro' about gold changin' a man's soul so's he ain't the same sort of man as he was before findin' it?"
Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" from 1948.
Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" from 1948.
December 30, 2025 at 4:39 PM
"Do you believe that stuff the old man was saying the other night at the 'Oso Negro' about gold changin' a man's soul so's he ain't the same sort of man as he was before findin' it?"
Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" from 1948.
Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" from 1948.