Michael Short
@torqanvil.bsky.social
'How can we know the dancer from the dance?' - William Yeats / 'Are we human. Or are we dancer?' - The Killers
Pinned
Michael Short
@torqanvil.bsky.social
· Apr 1
Andor season 1, episode 5: "So much going wrong, so much to say, and all of it happening so quickly. The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it. And that is the real trick of the Imperial thought machine. It's easier to hide behind 40 atrocities than a single incident."
Reposted by Michael Short
perhaps if you liked this post you‘d enjoy my column www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Epstein Files Only Get Worse
America is in for a confusing, troubling holiday.
www.theatlantic.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:24 AM
perhaps if you liked this post you‘d enjoy my column www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Michael Short
I may have disagreed with @radiofreetom.bsky.social occasionally during the last Trump admin, but I find I can't disagree with anything he's said during this one:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Trump’s Vanity Fleet
The Trump-class ships are about branding, not strategy.
www.theatlantic.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:38 AM
I may have disagreed with @radiofreetom.bsky.social occasionally during the last Trump admin, but I find I can't disagree with anything he's said during this one:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Michael Short
As people comb the Epstein files for some crime they can get Trump on I’m thinking about how he was found with boxes of stolen top secret files in his possession and somehow that ended up being impossible to prosecute.
December 24, 2025 at 12:09 AM
As people comb the Epstein files for some crime they can get Trump on I’m thinking about how he was found with boxes of stolen top secret files in his possession and somehow that ended up being impossible to prosecute.
Reposted by Michael Short
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
Reposted by Michael Short
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Donations are being matched through the end of the year
60 Minutes is one of only two documentary-style public affairs programs left on the air. The other is Frontline on PBS, which saw its funding gashed by the Trump admin and Congress. They have a matching donation rn.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series
Watch full episodes of FRONTLINE, the PBS documentary series, and explore news investigations from FRONTLINE's award-winning journalism team.
www.pbs.org
December 22, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Donations are being matched through the end of the year
Reposted by Michael Short
No one is going to tune in to CBS because they know it won’t be critical of Trump but lots of people will tune out for that reason. Spiking the CECOT story to curry favor is a terrible moral and journalistic decision — but it’s also a terrible business decision.
“We are trading 50 years of ‘gold standard’ reputation for a single week of political quiet.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/b...
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:57 AM
No one is going to tune in to CBS because they know it won’t be critical of Trump but lots of people will tune out for that reason. Spiking the CECOT story to curry favor is a terrible moral and journalistic decision — but it’s also a terrible business decision.
Reposted by Michael Short
“60 Minutes” abruptly dropped a segment about Trump deportees sent to a megaprison in El Salvador Sunday — two hours before it was set to air
’60 Minutes’ Pulls Segment on Trump Deportees Sent to El Salvador Megaprison 2 Hours Before Airtime
"60 Minutes" abruptly dropped a segment about Trump deportees sent to a megaprison in El Salvador Sunday — two hours before it was set to air.
ca.news.yahoo.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:54 PM
“60 Minutes” abruptly dropped a segment about Trump deportees sent to a megaprison in El Salvador Sunday — two hours before it was set to air
Reposted by Michael Short
🚨 The DOJ appears to have redacted Donald Trump’s name from the allegations made in this exhibit in the Epstein files.
Trump’s name was in the original release. Now, it’s blacked out.
See for yourself.
Trump’s name was in the original release. Now, it’s blacked out.
See for yourself.
December 21, 2025 at 4:56 AM
🚨 The DOJ appears to have redacted Donald Trump’s name from the allegations made in this exhibit in the Epstein files.
Trump’s name was in the original release. Now, it’s blacked out.
See for yourself.
Trump’s name was in the original release. Now, it’s blacked out.
See for yourself.
Reposted by Michael Short
Chicago is having none of this administration's BS.
December 20, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Chicago is having none of this administration's BS.
Reposted by Michael Short
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Oh, man, this takes me back: a busy movie theater in 1987.
I love the woman making change! People used to be so good with handling cash. :-)
Another era when going to the movies was still a big part of life for most people...
I love the woman making change! People used to be so good with handling cash. :-)
Another era when going to the movies was still a big part of life for most people...
December 21, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Oh, man, this takes me back: a busy movie theater in 1987.
I love the woman making change! People used to be so good with handling cash. :-)
Another era when going to the movies was still a big part of life for most people...
I love the woman making change! People used to be so good with handling cash. :-)
Another era when going to the movies was still a big part of life for most people...
Reposted by Michael Short
My GLP drugs are making me too thin, so grab me some fat from a dead body
“Rather than relying on an implant or a patient's own body fat to add volume to hips or augment breasts, alloClae — which can cost as much as $100,000 per procedure — uses donor fat from a cadaver as a first-of-its-kind body filler.”
Corporate types are clamoring for a new kind of plastic surgery — using dead people's fat
Corporate types are waiting weeks for — and spending big on — alloClae, which cuts out the recovery time typically associated with body enhancements.
www.businessinsider.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:59 PM
My GLP drugs are making me too thin, so grab me some fat from a dead body
Reposted by Michael Short
Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months?
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
December 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months?
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Reposted by Michael Short
Trump's Epstien cover-up is the most incompetent cover-up ever.
Here's a better view of the now-deleted photo showing Trump with Epstein and Trump with a group of young girls.
The photo was originally posted as item EFTA00000468 but was later deleted. Now the 'official' list simply jumps from EFTA00000467 to EFTA00000469.
The photo was originally posted as item EFTA00000468 but was later deleted. Now the 'official' list simply jumps from EFTA00000467 to EFTA00000469.
December 20, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Trump's Epstien cover-up is the most incompetent cover-up ever.
Reposted by Michael Short
This @michellegoldberg.bsky.social piece is good, as always, but also a perfect vehicle to understand the MAGA circular firing squad, without having to immerse yourself in it 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/o...
Opinion | Candace Owens Is the Conservative Movement’s Frankenstein Monster
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This @michellegoldberg.bsky.social piece is good, as always, but also a perfect vehicle to understand the MAGA circular firing squad, without having to immerse yourself in it 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/o...
Reposted by Michael Short
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Bank of America
December 20, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Bank of America
Reposted by Michael Short
Even if age verification laws require data deletion, you have to trust every website and third-party verifier will actually do it. That's a lot of faith to place in companies with spotty track records—and a risk that doesn't exist when a bartender just glances at your ID. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person?
This blog also appears in our Age Verification Resource Hub: our one-stop shop for users seeking to understand what age-gating laws actually do, what’s at stake, how to protect yourself, and why EFF
www.eff.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Even if age verification laws require data deletion, you have to trust every website and third-party verifier will actually do it. That's a lot of faith to place in companies with spotty track records—and a risk that doesn't exist when a bartender just glances at your ID. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Michael Short
As others have noted, these redactions appear to be blatantly illegal (assuming Fox News' report is correct).
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
December 19, 2025 at 10:14 PM
As others have noted, these redactions appear to be blatantly illegal (assuming Fox News' report is correct).
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
Reposted by Michael Short
makes me want to chew glass wapo.st/4aXfzn5
U.S. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
wapo.st
December 19, 2025 at 10:49 PM
makes me want to chew glass wapo.st/4aXfzn5
Reposted by Michael Short
Insane that Trump’s CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER is the one managing the release of the Epstein files
December 19, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Insane that Trump’s CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER is the one managing the release of the Epstein files
Played my first Wordle today. Got it in 4.
"I think today's Wordle word is actually the worst in the entire history of the game."
Wordle 1644 is trending as Friday's puzzle is breaking many streaks. How did you do?
Wordle 1644 is trending as Friday's puzzle is breaking many streaks. How did you do?
Wordle - A daily word game
Guess the hidden word in 6 tries. A new puzzle is available each day.
nyti.ms
December 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Played my first Wordle today. Got it in 4.
Reposted by Michael Short
So, not a bonus. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, who are in this case the same person
Trump rebrands Congressionally-approved troop housing subsidy as ‘warrior dividend’ bonus
More than $2.9 billion in reconciliation funds was allocated to beef up troop housing allowances. Now it’s being used for $1,776 checks.
www.defenseone.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM
So, not a bonus. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, who are in this case the same person
Reposted by Michael Short
December 18, 2025 at 3:41 PM