Vikram Bath
@vikrambath.bsky.social
Former business school professor, current software engineer. Writes at ordinary-times.com
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Vikram Bath
@vikrambath.bsky.social
· Apr 5
Note that these are the years over which America first became the world’s economic superpower
Nobody:
9-year old: The biggest thing you could ever make an exact atom-by-atom copy of would be half the universe
9-year old: The biggest thing you could ever make an exact atom-by-atom copy of would be half the universe
January 21, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Nobody:
9-year old: The biggest thing you could ever make an exact atom-by-atom copy of would be half the universe
9-year old: The biggest thing you could ever make an exact atom-by-atom copy of would be half the universe
This is ridiculous. Obviously it should depend on how good looking you are?
January 21, 2026 at 8:08 PM
This is ridiculous. Obviously it should depend on how good looking you are?
The only political biography I want to read is “Why I Did Nothing”, a memoir by Merrick Garland
Genuinely shocking to me that this same crew of people have spent a decade trying to convince us that Dems are relentlessly fighting Trump and in fact couldn’t have fought harder, somehow including a period where Dems had total control of the government and their AG wouldn’t even prosecute him
January 21, 2026 at 8:00 PM
The only political biography I want to read is “Why I Did Nothing”, a memoir by Merrick Garland
Reposted by Vikram Bath
"I just thought Trump would benefit me personally and make me feel a sense of status when he brutalized others." -Average swing voter
January 20, 2026 at 9:29 PM
"I just thought Trump would benefit me personally and make me feel a sense of status when he brutalized others." -Average swing voter
Reposted by Vikram Bath
Adam Tooze is the literal embodiment of not blowing up a Wal Mart
Adam "I Would Shoot Biden Cabinet Members in the Head like My Hero Stalin" Tooze is doing panels at Davos with trump cabinet members, lol, lmao, lol
They have Lutnick on stage with Tooze???
January 21, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Adam Tooze is the literal embodiment of not blowing up a Wal Mart
I managed to read more books last year. Here’s what helped me: 1/6
January 21, 2026 at 1:07 AM
I managed to read more books last year. Here’s what helped me: 1/6
There’s only one dril
January 21, 2026 at 12:03 AM
There’s only one dril
Reposted by Vikram Bath
i know desi americans families like this! it's extremely common to find socially conservative immigrants who weren't burned by Trump I that didn't realize Trump II was a national nightmare
There are a lot of people like this in first and second generation communities and BlueSky is often very uncomfortable acknowledging this.
Incredible quote here from a Somali small business owner in Minneapolis who voted for Trump. minnesotareformer.com/2026/01/19/a...
January 20, 2026 at 9:12 PM
i know desi americans families like this! it's extremely common to find socially conservative immigrants who weren't burned by Trump I that didn't realize Trump II was a national nightmare
So US citizens then
January 20, 2026 at 7:13 PM
So US citizens then
Is this supposed to make Macron look bad?
January 20, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Is this supposed to make Macron look bad?
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing strict segregation in schools was a year before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which was what allowed my father to come to the US in 1968.
We benefited from the work of people we didn’t even know were helping us
We benefited from the work of people we didn’t even know were helping us
I want to highlight the Black voter number here because I’ve lived through decades of efforts to engineer and/or assert an antagonistic relationship, when, for the most part, Black people are more supportive of immigration than others.
*Another* new YouGov / Economist poll shows continuing mounting support for abolishing ICE:
45% support abolishing ICE
45% oppose abolishing ICE
Black voters in favor 60-20
Moderates in favor 45-41
Independents in favor 44-34
12% of Trump voters support abolishing ICE as well
45% support abolishing ICE
45% oppose abolishing ICE
Black voters in favor 60-20
Moderates in favor 45-41
Independents in favor 44-34
12% of Trump voters support abolishing ICE as well
January 20, 2026 at 4:58 PM
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing strict segregation in schools was a year before the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which was what allowed my father to come to the US in 1968.
We benefited from the work of people we didn’t even know were helping us
We benefited from the work of people we didn’t even know were helping us
The Europeans are still under-reacting though.
Everything I see from them here or in opeds is concern over NATO when NATO is over. How can you expect mutual defense in the future with an ally who is threatening take your own land by force right now? You can’t. 1/2
Everything I see from them here or in opeds is concern over NATO when NATO is over. How can you expect mutual defense in the future with an ally who is threatening take your own land by force right now? You can’t. 1/2
I think the disconnect between Atlantic elites is that Americans think Donald Trump is a kid getting to drive a monster truck for Make A Wish and Europeans and Canadians think Donald Trump is the president of the United States.
January 20, 2026 at 2:52 PM
The Europeans are still under-reacting though.
Everything I see from them here or in opeds is concern over NATO when NATO is over. How can you expect mutual defense in the future with an ally who is threatening take your own land by force right now? You can’t. 1/2
Everything I see from them here or in opeds is concern over NATO when NATO is over. How can you expect mutual defense in the future with an ally who is threatening take your own land by force right now? You can’t. 1/2
Reposted by Vikram Bath
People are saying this is fake. Why? It's written exactly how someone would speak to a toddler holding an AK-47.
Trump appears to now be posting a private text from the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte.
Rutte’s message congratulates Trump on his work in Syria, says he will highlight Trump’s achievements in Davos this week.
Rutte’s message congratulates Trump on his work in Syria, says he will highlight Trump’s achievements in Davos this week.
January 20, 2026 at 11:15 AM
People are saying this is fake. Why? It's written exactly how someone would speak to a toddler holding an AK-47.
Reposted by Vikram Bath
PACIFIC TOO BIG!
Peirce quincuncial projection is my favorite, and it’s particularly relevant when talking about Greenland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peirce_...
January 19, 2026 at 4:00 PM
PACIFIC TOO BIG!
Reposted by Vikram Bath
Peirce quincuncial projection is my favorite, and it’s particularly relevant when talking about Greenland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peirce_...
January 19, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Peirce quincuncial projection is my favorite, and it’s particularly relevant when talking about Greenland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peirce_...
Kamala Harris lost the election because she was perceived as less moderate than Trump. I know that is wild to us, but it’s true. Harris was perceived as further to the left than Trump was perceived as to the right
January 19, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Kamala Harris lost the election because she was perceived as less moderate than Trump. I know that is wild to us, but it’s true. Harris was perceived as further to the left than Trump was perceived as to the right
Could someone just invent the “Noble” Peace Prize and give that to him instead?
January 19, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Could someone just invent the “Noble” Peace Prize and give that to him instead?
Even Facebook is dunking on him
January 19, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Even Facebook is dunking on him
Pat Buchanan, 1999!
January 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Pat Buchanan, 1999!
Reposted by Vikram Bath
mad king moment
from the PBS Newshour correspondent
from the PBS Newshour correspondent
![NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials:
Dear Ambassador:
President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state]
“Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hbpefio3f5csc44msmbgioxz/bafkreie7itpptx3xbxhpsnlaqmwk752h7pcrion5ija2apksljtax2adx4@jpeg)
January 19, 2026 at 5:09 AM
mad king moment
from the PBS Newshour correspondent
from the PBS Newshour correspondent
Now I’m wondering what I have been saying about myself by going as a malamute/husky mutt
not to be mean but i think men calling themselves golden retrievers is usually them trying to romanticize the fact that they’re submissive and unintelligent
January 19, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Now I’m wondering what I have been saying about myself by going as a malamute/husky mutt
Reposted by Vikram Bath
i feel like Americans don't get the level of eye-rolling this is getting from Europe
January 19, 2026 at 4:06 AM
i feel like Americans don't get the level of eye-rolling this is getting from Europe