Phil Wells
@philwells.bsky.social
Brit living in Bermuda. Books, politics, philosophy, mindfulness, photography, language, tech and video games (but follow me @bdalimey.bsky.social for the latter). Previously blogged as Limey In Bermuda and columnist for Bermuda’s Royal Gazette
Pinned
Phil Wells
@philwells.bsky.social
· Dec 19
Just a reminder that if you're interested in video games, please consider following me at @bdalimey.bsky.social too. Will shortly be posting some of my thoughts about the games I've played this year over there.
Wow. Now Hong Kong is imprisoning autistic children.
Teen jailed for 3.5 years over HK independence group involvement
A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for conspiring to commit secession by "actively participating" in a Taiwan-based group that advocates Hong Kong independence.
hongkongfp.com
December 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Wow. Now Hong Kong is imprisoning autistic children.
My most-listened-to podcasts this year. Switched to a paid sub of @podsaveamerica.crooked.com part-way through the year, which is why it appears twice. Honourable mentions: @philosophybites.bsky.social, Making Sense and In Our Time.
December 15, 2025 at 10:32 PM
My most-listened-to podcasts this year. Switched to a paid sub of @podsaveamerica.crooked.com part-way through the year, which is why it appears twice. Honourable mentions: @philosophybites.bsky.social, Making Sense and In Our Time.
Amazing. Insanely brave guy.
Bystander Tackled and Disarmed One of the Sydney Gunmen, Video Shows
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Amazing. Insanely brave guy.
Reposted by Phil Wells
They used to "laugh and call him names." Now they're all dead
December 14, 2025 at 1:55 PM
They used to "laugh and call him names." Now they're all dead
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 7, 2025 at 12:52 PM
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor
The US belief that in Europe ”immigrants will corrupt the values of the societies they move to” is ironic given that in the US, those values have been corrupted by Americans.
Allies may panic; despots will cheer
Donald Trump’s bleak, incoherent foreign-policy strategy
Allies may panic; despots will cheer
econ.st
December 5, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The US belief that in Europe ”immigrants will corrupt the values of the societies they move to” is ironic given that in the US, those values have been corrupted by Americans.
Excellent piece.
Thank God for Bluesky: A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis iandunt.substack.com/p/thank-god-...
Thank God for Bluesky
Yes, it's eager. Yes, it's censorious. But it has the very considerable advantage of not being fascist.
iandunt.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Excellent piece.
60% of the storms reaching hurricane strength these year were cat 5s. 😳
Monster storm season seen as a harbinger of things to come
An MS Amlin reinsurance executive has warned that the 2025 hurricane season should act as a cautionary tale.
Although there were fewer storms in the Atlantic this year, there were a record number of ...
www.royalgazette.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
60% of the storms reaching hurricane strength these year were cat 5s. 😳
Reposted by Phil Wells
In highly important news from history today, it’s the 80th anniversary of the 21st birthday of Christopher Tolkien, notable now for the wording (especially the small print) of the invitation to the party
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 AM
In highly important news from history today, it’s the 80th anniversary of the 21st birthday of Christopher Tolkien, notable now for the wording (especially the small print) of the invitation to the party
Calling for an independent inquiry into the Hong Kong fire is apparently sedition.
HK student's calls for accountability over lethal Tai Po fire silenced
Miles Kwan called for an independent probe into the blaze at apartment blocks, which killed at least 128 people this week. Shortly after, local media reported he was arrested on suspicion of sedition ...
hongkongfp.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Calling for an independent inquiry into the Hong Kong fire is apparently sedition.
“It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think that things will be better under the new lot. Well, people are stupid”
The Wasp Factory: A Novel
Quote shared via Kindle: "It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think th...
a.co
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think that things will be better under the new lot. Well, people are stupid”
As an Oxford comma lover, this is actually a great point that hadn’t occurred to me before.
Yes! Oxford commas can often avoid ambiguity, but applying them across the board can create as many problems as it solves, usually by setting up a false parenthesis. They are certainly not always a good idea:
Also at the event were Cher, the president of Kazakhstan, and three sumo wrestlers.
Also at the event were Cher, the president of Kazakhstan, and three sumo wrestlers.
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
As an Oxford comma lover, this is actually a great point that hadn’t occurred to me before.
Reposted by Phil Wells
Your cat when you're choking to death in your apartment
November 6, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Your cat when you're choking to death in your apartment
Reposted by Phil Wells
Fucking lol
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
"There are only so many selfies, photos of my dog, and funny-shaped carpet stains I can share before I come off as a shallow, boring influencer. So, I decided to post an image in my dump of a book a roommate left behind—The Picture of Dorian Gray."
I Started Reading Performatively, and Turns Out Books Are Pretty Good
It all started when Instagram introduced the twenty-slide photo dumps. Trying to post the correct ratio of photos to memes to appear both off-the-g...
buff.ly
November 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Fucking lol
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
If you want to understand how recent our current conception of marriage is, I *highly* recommend Stephanie Coontz’s fascinating book “Marriage: A History”. Relationships today have laughably unrealistic expectations of partners and I’m unsurprised singlehood is on the rise.
The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world
In good ways and bad
economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
If you want to understand how recent our current conception of marriage is, I *highly* recommend Stephanie Coontz’s fascinating book “Marriage: A History”. Relationships today have laughably unrealistic expectations of partners and I’m unsurprised singlehood is on the rise.
Lost power at 9am this morning, after the hurricane had long past. I know they sometimes have to turn circuits off to fix other ones, but that was 3 hours ago now. WTF?
October 31, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Lost power at 9am this morning, after the hurricane had long past. I know they sometimes have to turn circuits off to fix other ones, but that was 3 hours ago now. WTF?
“If you are not frightened, you are not paying attention”
Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way
Our election system is reaching a breaking point.
www.theatlantic.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
“If you are not frightened, you are not paying attention”
The Bermuda hurricane magnet has been turned on again.
October 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The Bermuda hurricane magnet has been turned on again.
Reposted by Phil Wells
"But here you are, voting for President Burn-It-To-The-Ground and acting all surprised when he actually lights a match. I saw this coming miles away, and I don’t even have eyes or a central fucking nervous system."
I’m a Guardrail, and I Don’t Know What the Fuck You People Want from Me
Okay, so look. I’m your basic galvanized steel thrie-beam guardrail. My job is to keep vehicles from flying off the escarpment and squishing all th...
buff.ly
October 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
"But here you are, voting for President Burn-It-To-The-Ground and acting all surprised when he actually lights a match. I saw this coming miles away, and I don’t even have eyes or a central fucking nervous system."
Very clever.
And from image events, we get POLYSEMIC images that carry multiple forms of ideology into the present. Here, we have the convergence of Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster for the Obama campaign with the frog icon from #NoKings. The is how you visually dismantle fascist iconography.
October 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Very clever.
Reposted by Phil Wells
Having a refugee program that preferences individuals who oppose migration involves a level of cognitive dissonance I didn't think possible.
October 15, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Having a refugee program that preferences individuals who oppose migration involves a level of cognitive dissonance I didn't think possible.
