Steve Downes
@stevemdownes.bsky.social
Former Philosophy Professor. Salt Lake City, Utah Resident. Interests: Liverpool FC, Photography, Music, Snowboarding, Rock climbing, Mountain biking and Philosophy.
Reposted by Steve Downes
here's today's post: "things to be thankful for in these dark times" — let’s appreciate the good, and mock the stupid.
thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter so you never miss a post —
thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter so you never miss a post —
things to be thankful for in these dark times
let’s appreciate the good, and mock the stupid
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 3:15 PM
here's today's post: "things to be thankful for in these dark times" — let’s appreciate the good, and mock the stupid.
thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter so you never miss a post —
thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter so you never miss a post —
Reposted by Steve Downes
If a phone still works fine, it’s not “device hoarding” to keep using it. It’s common sense.
November 27, 2025 at 3:58 PM
If a phone still works fine, it’s not “device hoarding” to keep using it. It’s common sense.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Think billionaires aren’t feeling the pinch this Thanksgiving? Think again.
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Think billionaires aren’t feeling the pinch this Thanksgiving? Think again.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Single Digits Billionaires Are Scaling Back This Thanksgiving
Gone are the lavish yacht parties with Cristal shooting from fountains.
Gone are the lavish yacht parties with Cristal shooting from fountains.
November 27, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Single Digits Billionaires Are Scaling Back This Thanksgiving
Gone are the lavish yacht parties with Cristal shooting from fountains.
Gone are the lavish yacht parties with Cristal shooting from fountains.
Transported back to the Hodgson era at LFC. Dismal!
November 26, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Transported back to the Hodgson era at LFC. Dismal!
Reposted by Steve Downes
It's Thanksgiving so do NOT post fuzzy kitty cat butt
November 25, 2025 at 11:27 PM
It's Thanksgiving so do NOT post fuzzy kitty cat butt
Reposted by Steve Downes
If you’re wondering why there’s a lull in the Epstein files discussion, it’s because the law that just passed gave Pamela Jo 30 days to release the files. So we’re all waiting to see how she tries to sabotage it. The discussion will pick back up in earnest on December 20th.
November 26, 2025 at 6:20 PM
If you’re wondering why there’s a lull in the Epstein files discussion, it’s because the law that just passed gave Pamela Jo 30 days to release the files. So we’re all waiting to see how she tries to sabotage it. The discussion will pick back up in earnest on December 20th.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Once more leaning in to “Let’s just be assholes”. Right across the spectrum of cases and circumstances, it’s all so hateful and pointless.
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Once more leaning in to “Let’s just be assholes”. Right across the spectrum of cases and circumstances, it’s all so hateful and pointless.
Reposted by Steve Downes
I still can't believe these goddamn fools are trying to get into a patriotism dick measuring contest with a guy who was a combat pilot and an astronaut and space flight commander.
November 26, 2025 at 6:03 PM
I still can't believe these goddamn fools are trying to get into a patriotism dick measuring contest with a guy who was a combat pilot and an astronaut and space flight commander.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Would you like a personalized Weimar inflation experience?? Then we have your product!
"Bitcoin’s loss of spending power since an October 6 peak would be the equivalent of an annualised 900 per cent inflation rate."
lol www.ft.com/content/a18c...
lol www.ft.com/content/a18c...
The fatal flaw in using bitcoin as a currency
There is a crypto parallel in the aftermath of Europe’s 14th century bubonic plague
www.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Would you like a personalized Weimar inflation experience?? Then we have your product!
Reposted by Steve Downes
Interesting—I am assembling the Elements into something I call Cambridge Molecules
November 26, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Interesting—I am assembling the Elements into something I call Cambridge Molecules
Reposted by Steve Downes
President Trump has canceled 2 economic reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to hide his economic failures. President Trump and Treasury Scott Bessent continue to gaslight the American people that prices + inflation are down. Consumer sentiment is at one of it's all time lows in history.
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 PM
President Trump has canceled 2 economic reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to hide his economic failures. President Trump and Treasury Scott Bessent continue to gaslight the American people that prices + inflation are down. Consumer sentiment is at one of it's all time lows in history.
Reposted by Steve Downes
If it saves lives, Republicans oppose it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/h...
Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
If it saves lives, Republicans oppose it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/h...
Reposted by Steve Downes
If it saves lives, Republicans oppose it. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths
The Environmental Protection Agency will no longer defend Biden-era limits on fine-particle pollution, which causes heart and lung disease.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:11 AM
If it saves lives, Republicans oppose it. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
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To be clear (since NPR isn't), the "joke" is premised on the fact that Trump is kidnapping people w/o due process and shipping them to offshore concentration slave camps in defiance of court orders, human rights accordances, the U.S. constitution, all tenets of common decency, and international law.
President Trump brought grievances to the Thanksgiving pardoning ceremony on Tuesday. He joked about sending the turkeys to a prison in El Salvador, and claimed that last year's turkey pardons were invalid. n.pr/48nUsYx
Trump spares turkeys — but not his political opponents — at annual pardoning ceremony
President Trump brought grievances to the Thanksgiving pardoning ceremony on Tuesday. He joked about sending the turkeys to a prison in El Salvador, and claimed that last year's turkey pardons were invalid.
n.pr
November 26, 2025 at 11:17 AM
To be clear (since NPR isn't), the "joke" is premised on the fact that Trump is kidnapping people w/o due process and shipping them to offshore concentration slave camps in defiance of court orders, human rights accordances, the U.S. constitution, all tenets of common decency, and international law.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Trump judges rule presidents can exile reporters for "wrong opinions" First Amendment stops at Oval Office door. DOJ argued banning citizens from White House tours based on politics is legal. As a veteran who defended the Constitution, watching courts dismantle it for a dictator makes me rage-sick.
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Trump judges rule presidents can exile reporters for "wrong opinions" First Amendment stops at Oval Office door. DOJ argued banning citizens from White House tours based on politics is legal. As a veteran who defended the Constitution, watching courts dismantle it for a dictator makes me rage-sick.
Reposted by Steve Downes
The fact that only 3 (by my count) Republican members of Congress have spoken out about the Witkoff situation shows how thoroughly corrupted and compromised the entire party has become from top to bottom. None of this is about just Trump - it is the entire political party.
November 26, 2025 at 11:22 AM
The fact that only 3 (by my count) Republican members of Congress have spoken out about the Witkoff situation shows how thoroughly corrupted and compromised the entire party has become from top to bottom. None of this is about just Trump - it is the entire political party.
Reposted by Steve Downes
Reposted by Steve Downes
Pete Hegseth keeps demanding to be taken seriously and then spends all his time talking down to accomplished military leaders, rebranding his department and renaming ships, engaging in culture wars bullshit, shitting all over the military's sense of ethics and generally making an ass of himself.
November 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Pete Hegseth keeps demanding to be taken seriously and then spends all his time talking down to accomplished military leaders, rebranding his department and renaming ships, engaging in culture wars bullshit, shitting all over the military's sense of ethics and generally making an ass of himself.
Reposted by Steve Downes
"Rest assured, though, the remaining files will be released, just with a few minor edits to some unfortunate nomenclature: 'underage girls' will be replaced with 'emerging women' and
'sex trafficking' will be replaced with “study abroad programs.”
'sex trafficking' will be replaced with “study abroad programs.”
I Was Always in Favor of Releasing the Epstein Files, Even as I Was Desperately Trying to Prevent Their Release
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday sought to bring a swift end to perhaps the most damaging saga of his term, signing a measure compelling the re...
buff.ly
November 26, 2025 at 1:11 PM
"Rest assured, though, the remaining files will be released, just with a few minor edits to some unfortunate nomenclature: 'underage girls' will be replaced with 'emerging women' and
'sex trafficking' will be replaced with “study abroad programs.”
'sex trafficking' will be replaced with “study abroad programs.”
Reposted by Steve Downes
GenAI is a fascist product. Sorry you don’t have the moral fortitude to do your own thinking, but fascists love that
November 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
GenAI is a fascist product. Sorry you don’t have the moral fortitude to do your own thinking, but fascists love that
This is an immensely important undertaking.
there's so many cambridge elements it can be hard to know where to start. there's a need for a concise, authoritative overview. that's why i'm writing the first cambridge elements cambridge elements...
November 26, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This is an immensely important undertaking.
Reposted by Steve Downes
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed:
Note that the BBC openly admits in an email to me that the removal of this claim about Trump's world-historical corruption was done "on legal advice."
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Translation: Trump's threat of a lawsuit, no matter how bogus, has now been rewarded.
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
November 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
By the way, note that the description of Biden as being "in obvious mental decline" was left in the speech, while the description of Trump as the "most openly corrupt president in American history" was removed: