Penelope Wang
@pennywriter.bsky.social
Freelance writer/editor. Focus: personal finance, consumer protection, preserving civilization. Priors: Consumer Reports, Money mag.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Reposted by Penelope Wang
“It’s insane to have them rip our family apart,” Mr. Paul said. “Whoever is directing this has completely lost touch with their mission to the country.”
Unconscionable ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Unconscionable ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:08 PM
“It’s insane to have them rip our family apart,” Mr. Paul said. “Whoever is directing this has completely lost touch with their mission to the country.”
Unconscionable ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Unconscionable ⬇️
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
SCOOP: The Trump administration has instructed employees and grantees not to use U.S. funds to commemorate World AIDS Day — because the observance was started by the World Health Organization.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/h...
Trump Administration Cancels U.S. Observance of World AIDS Day
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:41 PM
SCOOP: The Trump administration has instructed employees and grantees not to use U.S. funds to commemorate World AIDS Day — because the observance was started by the World Health Organization.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/h...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
“The seven tiers of stacks in which many of the books of the New York Public Library are shelved”: the splendid front cover of May 27th 1911’s Scientific American.
November 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
“The seven tiers of stacks in which many of the books of the New York Public Library are shelved”: the splendid front cover of May 27th 1911’s Scientific American.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Research shows that volunteering can be helpful for retirees’ health and well-being. For @motherjones.com, I spoke to four retirees about how they’re giving back to their communities to resist current happenings. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Turns out fighting fascism helps you live longer
Retirees are mobilizing to defend democracy—and the benefits literally show up in their DNA.
www.motherjones.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Research shows that volunteering can be helpful for retirees’ health and well-being. For @motherjones.com, I spoke to four retirees about how they’re giving back to their communities to resist current happenings. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
In 2024 (and now apparently) there was an interesting debate over "cheapflation." A study found the price of generic-brand food increased faster than premium, as more affluent customers substituted into generic.
Standard to assume this is a welfare loss.
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...
Standard to assume this is a welfare loss.
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
In 2024 (and now apparently) there was an interesting debate over "cheapflation." A study found the price of generic-brand food increased faster than premium, as more affluent customers substituted into generic.
Standard to assume this is a welfare loss.
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...
Standard to assume this is a welfare loss.
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Ok one more video. the most beautiful fluke I've seen. edited for EXTRA BEAUTY!!!
November 24, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Ok one more video. the most beautiful fluke I've seen. edited for EXTRA BEAUTY!!!
Reposted by Penelope Wang
When I was in Belarus a few years ago, I met a guy who loved Americana and excitedly told me about taking his family on vacation to the USA, including various national parks. Just getting the tourist visa was a huge ordeal, but worth it to him. Lots of people like that. We should WELCOME them FFS
National parks have SO MANY people from other countries (since they get real vacations!)
And they spend a lot of money on hotels, food, souvenirs, etc.
This is unbelievably dumb, it will destroy entire tourist towns
And they spend a lot of money on hotels, food, souvenirs, etc.
This is unbelievably dumb, it will destroy entire tourist towns
November 26, 2025 at 4:05 AM
When I was in Belarus a few years ago, I met a guy who loved Americana and excitedly told me about taking his family on vacation to the USA, including various national parks. Just getting the tourist visa was a huge ordeal, but worth it to him. Lots of people like that. We should WELCOME them FFS
Reposted by Penelope Wang
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Sometimes I think it’s going to be the librarians who will save us all.
November 25, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Sometimes I think it’s going to be the librarians who will save us all.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Wait’ll you see insurance premiums.
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
November 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Wait’ll you see insurance premiums.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
November 25, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Reposted by Penelope Wang
No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should
November 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Thanksgiving costs climbed about 10% this year over last year, according to new research from @groundwork.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social & @aft.org.
That’s an increase of more than 3X the overall inflation rate. Explore the research👇
https://bit.ly/4rj7Rtf
That’s an increase of more than 3X the overall inflation rate. Explore the research👇
https://bit.ly/4rj7Rtf
November 25, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Thanksgiving costs climbed about 10% this year over last year, according to new research from @groundwork.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social & @aft.org.
That’s an increase of more than 3X the overall inflation rate. Explore the research👇
https://bit.ly/4rj7Rtf
That’s an increase of more than 3X the overall inflation rate. Explore the research👇
https://bit.ly/4rj7Rtf
Reposted by Penelope Wang
The Fed can lower interest rates — but can they lower the mortgage application REJECTION rate?
(via Ben Emons)
(via Ben Emons)
November 25, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The Fed can lower interest rates — but can they lower the mortgage application REJECTION rate?
(via Ben Emons)
(via Ben Emons)
Reposted by Penelope Wang
I am stuck between how much I hate all this for the people who have their work stolen and how much I am frustrated by people who believe they should be able to do absolutely nothing to verify where something is coming from and still be confident it’s going to work.
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet -- And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:20 PM
I am stuck between how much I hate all this for the people who have their work stolen and how much I am frustrated by people who believe they should be able to do absolutely nothing to verify where something is coming from and still be confident it’s going to work.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Gift-link: an utterly terrifying article from Dr. Rachael Bedard. I only note otherwise there's no mention of any cognitive dissonance or permission structures. Imagine knowing--on some basic level--that one was indirectly responsible for their own child's death. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/o...
Opinion | I Went to an Anti-Vaccine Conference. Medicine Is in Trouble.
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Gift-link: an utterly terrifying article from Dr. Rachael Bedard. I only note otherwise there's no mention of any cognitive dissonance or permission structures. Imagine knowing--on some basic level--that one was indirectly responsible for their own child's death. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/o...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
🧵👇
Albert Bierstadt - A Storm in the Rocky Mountains (1886)
November 24, 2025 at 11:57 PM
🧵👇
Reposted by Penelope Wang
In the memo, “Nvidia also responds to claims that the ‘current situation is analogous to historical accounting frauds (Enron, WorldCom, Lucent) that featured vendor financing and SPVs [special purpose vehicles.)’”
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
November 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
In the memo, “Nvidia also responds to claims that the ‘current situation is analogous to historical accounting frauds (Enron, WorldCom, Lucent) that featured vendor financing and SPVs [special purpose vehicles.)’”
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
@barrons.com $NVDA
@firstadopter.bsky.social
www.barrons.com/articles/nvi...
Even devoted family caregivers may need outside help, often foreign-born workers who account for 40% of home health aides. But immigration restrictions are creating a shortage, even as cuts to Medicaid funding cause financial stress (gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
Opinion | ‘We Had No Idea What Was Coming’: Caring for My Aging Father
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Even devoted family caregivers may need outside help, often foreign-born workers who account for 40% of home health aides. But immigration restrictions are creating a shortage, even as cuts to Medicaid funding cause financial stress (gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
👀 When the largest retirement community is blindsided by the potential shutdown of its UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan.
healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/the-medica...
healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/the-medica...
The Medicare Advantage Meltdown in America’s Retirement Capital
A Florida retirement haven is thrown into chaos as a $360 million Medicare overbilling scandal and a Humana–UnitedHealth standoff leave seniors scrambling to keep their doctors.
healthcareuncovered.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
👀 When the largest retirement community is blindsided by the potential shutdown of its UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan.
healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/the-medica...
healthcareuncovered.substack.com/p/the-medica...
Reposted by Penelope Wang
Good lord, this story. Kid with intellectual disabilities trapped in immigration detention for weeks as mom tried desperately to get him out
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, wandered away from his mom’s fruit stand in October.
She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.
“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...
She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.
“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...
A Disabled Child’s Mom Reported Him Missing. He Was Locked Away by Federal Immigration Authorities for 48 Days.
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old who has an intellectual disability, walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. Houston Police called ICE.
thebarbedwire.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Good lord, this story. Kid with intellectual disabilities trapped in immigration detention for weeks as mom tried desperately to get him out
Reposted by Penelope Wang
This is a devastating must-read.
November 24, 2025 at 3:44 PM
This is a devastating must-read.
Reposted by Penelope Wang
RIP, Jimmy Cliff
so as sure as the sun will shine
i'm gonna get my share of what's mine
and then they harder they come,
the harder they fall
one and all
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpQr...
so as sure as the sun will shine
i'm gonna get my share of what's mine
and then they harder they come,
the harder they fall
one and all
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpQr...
The Harder They Come
YouTube video by Jimmy Cliff - Topic
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:51 PM
RIP, Jimmy Cliff
so as sure as the sun will shine
i'm gonna get my share of what's mine
and then they harder they come,
the harder they fall
one and all
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpQr...
so as sure as the sun will shine
i'm gonna get my share of what's mine
and then they harder they come,
the harder they fall
one and all
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpQr...