Ted Lemon
@abhayakara.bsky.social
Computer geek, meditation teacher (ish), deconditioning theorist.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
I remember when I was growing up there was this spoiled kid next door who had all the good toys but would also throw tantrums all the time. Eventually we just stopped hanging out with him and started hanging with the other rich kid who would just build us hospitals and trains without being a dick.
January 18, 2026 at 10:21 AM
I remember when I was growing up there was this spoiled kid next door who had all the good toys but would also throw tantrums all the time. Eventually we just stopped hanging out with him and started hanging with the other rich kid who would just build us hospitals and trains without being a dick.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
and an interesting/helpful op-ed, it is 👇
January 17, 2026 at 6:18 PM
and an interesting/helpful op-ed, it is 👇
Reposted by Ted Lemon
"During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night.
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for."
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for."
I'm gonna say this with all the kindness in my heart: you aren't going to survive if you don't let your life have room for other things.
This is not a short term fight where we can just go 24/7 and then it will be over. We've got YEARS ahead of us. Take a break. Hydrate. Go bake something. Breathe.
This is not a short term fight where we can just go 24/7 and then it will be over. We've got YEARS ahead of us. Take a break. Hydrate. Go bake something. Breathe.
January 14, 2026 at 7:35 PM
"During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night.
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for."
The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for."
Reposted by Ted Lemon
He doesn't know it's a giant chocolate coin.
January 16, 2026 at 3:41 PM
He doesn't know it's a giant chocolate coin.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
the cycle of patriarchal abuse has made cowards of modern men
January 15, 2026 at 2:57 AM
the cycle of patriarchal abuse has made cowards of modern men
Reposted by Ted Lemon
I was telling one of my kids that it was physically impossible for an ad to play between songs on any of the records I own, and they asked "and you only have to pay for it once?" and you could see how strange that seemed. You cannot overstate how many basic rules of media consumption have changed.
January 16, 2026 at 4:59 AM
I was telling one of my kids that it was physically impossible for an ad to play between songs on any of the records I own, and they asked "and you only have to pay for it once?" and you could see how strange that seemed. You cannot overstate how many basic rules of media consumption have changed.
Like, "dude, you're being weird, stop it" is actually helpful feedback. It might not be the nicest thing you can say, but when someone is being creepy-weird, reflecting that back is helping them. Walz wasn't just saying they were weird—he was pointing out specific weird behavior.
January 15, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Like, "dude, you're being weird, stop it" is actually helpful feedback. It might not be the nicest thing you can say, but when someone is being creepy-weird, reflecting that back is helping them. Walz wasn't just saying they were weird—he was pointing out specific weird behavior.
I'm so mad that Tim Walz' "they're just weird" push got shitcanned. My point is not to be nice to them. It's to do things that actually take away their power, one of which is pointing out how fucking weird and antisocial they are. Tim was doing that. I wish the DNC had let him continue.
January 15, 2026 at 11:24 AM
I'm so mad that Tim Walz' "they're just weird" push got shitcanned. My point is not to be nice to them. It's to do things that actually take away their power, one of which is pointing out how fucking weird and antisocial they are. Tim was doing that. I wish the DNC had let him continue.
If we take onboard the task of making sure that the bad dudes with masks and guns really suffer in the same way that the people they hurt suffered, that doesn't fix anything. It's just unrelated. We need to stop them hurting people. That's the job. Learning how to hurt them is not the job.
January 15, 2026 at 11:21 AM
If we take onboard the task of making sure that the bad dudes with masks and guns really suffer in the same way that the people they hurt suffered, that doesn't fix anything. It's just unrelated. We need to stop them hurting people. That's the job. Learning how to hurt them is not the job.
Being against cruelty doesn't mean being a pushover. A stern mom who doesn't take any shit but doesn't hate you is maybe a good model. If you go around shooting people, you need to not have access to guns anymore, and you need to atone for what you have done.
January 15, 2026 at 11:20 AM
Being against cruelty doesn't mean being a pushover. A stern mom who doesn't take any shit but doesn't hate you is maybe a good model. If you go around shooting people, you need to not have access to guns anymore, and you need to atone for what you have done.
Yes, the world is full of bad people. Yes, we need to do something about that to fix the world. But if we just become bad people ourselves, that's making the problem worse, not better, even if we think we're good because we want the right people dead.
January 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Yes, the world is full of bad people. Yes, we need to do something about that to fix the world. But if we just become bad people ourselves, that's making the problem worse, not better, even if we think we're good because we want the right people dead.
I keep seeing people post things about how they want retribution. My brothers and sisters in Christ (I'm Buddhist but bear with me), this is how we got here. The belief that what's important is figuring out who to punish and how hard is what has our faces being rubbed in this dogshit over and over.
January 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
I keep seeing people post things about how they want retribution. My brothers and sisters in Christ (I'm Buddhist but bear with me), this is how we got here. The belief that what's important is figuring out who to punish and how hard is what has our faces being rubbed in this dogshit over and over.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
It’s research & ideas like this that give me hope - instead of using science to deplete the planet we can use it to speed forest recovery & CO2 removal immediately & cheaply in anticipation of reaching net zero and net negative GHG emissions #AFOLU phys.org/news/2026-01...
Recovering tropical forests grow back nearly twice as fast with nitrogen
Young tropical forests play a crucial role in slowing climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, using photosynthesis to build it into their roots, trunks, and branches, where t...
phys.org
January 15, 2026 at 9:21 AM
It’s research & ideas like this that give me hope - instead of using science to deplete the planet we can use it to speed forest recovery & CO2 removal immediately & cheaply in anticipation of reaching net zero and net negative GHG emissions #AFOLU phys.org/news/2026-01...
Thanks a bunch, @pkrugman.bsky.social . If I watch Joan Baex singing "We shall overcome" I'm going to start ugly crying. Just listening to the intro nearly did me in. I dunno if I can hold it back, and maybe I shouldn't.
😭💕
😭💕
January 15, 2026 at 11:08 AM
Thanks a bunch, @pkrugman.bsky.social . If I watch Joan Baex singing "We shall overcome" I'm going to start ugly crying. Just listening to the intro nearly did me in. I dunno if I can hold it back, and maybe I shouldn't.
😭💕
😭💕
Demanding that people who are trying to fix the world use Ghost instead of Substack is actively harmful. Please stop.
I tried Ghost. It has a comparatively huge barrier to entry. Anyone who says Substack and Ghost equivalent is blowing smoke up your ass. They are different (related) products.
I tried Ghost. It has a comparatively huge barrier to entry. Anyone who says Substack and Ghost equivalent is blowing smoke up your ass. They are different (related) products.
January 10, 2026 at 8:37 AM
Demanding that people who are trying to fix the world use Ghost instead of Substack is actively harmful. Please stop.
I tried Ghost. It has a comparatively huge barrier to entry. Anyone who says Substack and Ghost equivalent is blowing smoke up your ass. They are different (related) products.
I tried Ghost. It has a comparatively huge barrier to entry. Anyone who says Substack and Ghost equivalent is blowing smoke up your ass. They are different (related) products.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
How many women have died with “fucking bitch” ringing in their ears? Don’t let the misogyny get erased here
January 10, 2026 at 5:21 AM
How many women have died with “fucking bitch” ringing in their ears? Don’t let the misogyny get erased here
Ms. Ifill has important things to say about ICE inpunity, how we got there, and how we need to start thinking about it. Please read. It’s worth it. She’s pretty great.
sherrilyn.substack.com/p/whether-it...
#Impunity
sherrilyn.substack.com/p/whether-it...
#Impunity
January 10, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Ms. Ifill has important things to say about ICE inpunity, how we got there, and how we need to start thinking about it. Please read. It’s worth it. She’s pretty great.
sherrilyn.substack.com/p/whether-it...
#Impunity
sherrilyn.substack.com/p/whether-it...
#Impunity
People tend to underestimate the value of debate nowadays, and things are so polarized that this is understandable: it tends to be just yelling, not actual debate.
This article is a really thoughtful discussion on the topic:
ryandenos.substack.com/cp/184022327
#atonement #democracy
This article is a really thoughtful discussion on the topic:
ryandenos.substack.com/cp/184022327
#atonement #democracy
January 9, 2026 at 4:45 PM
People tend to underestimate the value of debate nowadays, and things are so polarized that this is understandable: it tends to be just yelling, not actual debate.
This article is a really thoughtful discussion on the topic:
ryandenos.substack.com/cp/184022327
#atonement #democracy
This article is a really thoughtful discussion on the topic:
ryandenos.substack.com/cp/184022327
#atonement #democracy
I hadn’t heard the idea of a carbon handprint before, but it’s a really good way to talk about something I’ve long noticed: sometimes you have to do something a carbon footprint to accomplish something that ultimately makes things better. This is not hypocritical.
earthbound.report/2026/01/09/w...
earthbound.report/2026/01/09/w...
What is a carbon handprint?
Carbon footprints are a familiar term for the climate emissions of something, whether that’s a person’s lifestyle or a business, or a product or event. It’s a term that is well un…
earthbound.report
January 9, 2026 at 4:10 PM
I hadn’t heard the idea of a carbon handprint before, but it’s a really good way to talk about something I’ve long noticed: sometimes you have to do something a carbon footprint to accomplish something that ultimately makes things better. This is not hypocritical.
earthbound.report/2026/01/09/w...
earthbound.report/2026/01/09/w...
Reposted by Ted Lemon
Goddamn this is a good read:
“Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.”
“Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.”
We Need to Get Off The Defensive About Immigration
Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.
www.liberalcurrents.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Goddamn this is a good read:
“Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.”
“Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.”
Reposted by Ted Lemon
Facts. Parenting definitely underscores the under appreciated point of basic needs being not *basic* at all but really important. Let’s get everyone an abiding sense of safety, a good meal, some exercise, calm reassurance, and a nap then poof 80% of problems disappear.
December 31, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Facts. Parenting definitely underscores the under appreciated point of basic needs being not *basic* at all but really important. Let’s get everyone an abiding sense of safety, a good meal, some exercise, calm reassurance, and a nap then poof 80% of problems disappear.
Imagine if we could look at each other with the love and sense of fun with which we (at least we olds) look at kids. Why don’t we? As I get older even twenty-somethings seem pretty adorable. Where does that love go, and why? What would the world be like if we learned to keep it going?
December 31, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Imagine if we could look at each other with the love and sense of fun with which we (at least we olds) look at kids. Why don’t we? As I get older even twenty-somethings seem pretty adorable. Where does that love go, and why? What would the world be like if we learned to keep it going?
Reposted by Ted Lemon
RFS alum and Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow pulled up to our last staff meeting of the year and reminded us why this work matters.
Local power. Real impact. Built to last.
Local power. Real impact. Built to last.
December 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
RFS alum and Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow pulled up to our last staff meeting of the year and reminded us why this work matters.
Local power. Real impact. Built to last.
Local power. Real impact. Built to last.
Reposted by Ted Lemon
"I have information vital to the survival of your species. Also, are there treats."
December 29, 2025 at 4:47 AM
"I have information vital to the survival of your species. Also, are there treats."
Reposted by Ted Lemon
Plato argued in the Republic that the 'tyrant,' or someone with unlimited wealth and power, would live the worst possible life because his soul would be devoured by lawless, unlimited desires that could never be sated. I think we've gotten confirmation of this from more cases than Trump lately
I always thought Plato was pretty pollyannaish on this point, but this is decent evidence for the view that a man of bad character will therefore be unhappy even with every external trapping of success and good fortune.
President Donald Trump gifted the world with nearly 200 Truth Social posts (and counting) on Christmas Day, where he amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and called for a member of Congress to be deported.
December 26, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Plato argued in the Republic that the 'tyrant,' or someone with unlimited wealth and power, would live the worst possible life because his soul would be devoured by lawless, unlimited desires that could never be sated. I think we've gotten confirmation of this from more cases than Trump lately