Barb
@barbok81.bsky.social
Reluctant cat lady. Books, gardening, movies, traveling, and food & drink keep life interesting.
Everything is politics.
Don't follow me. I'll probably just block you.
Everything is politics.
Don't follow me. I'll probably just block you.
Fucking unreal.
Trump: “Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, & thought he was the greatest guy on earth, only to ‘drop him like a dog’ when things got too HOT … Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas!”
December 26, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Fucking unreal.
Reposted by Barb
"ICE officials are also investigating the couple for other crimes. They were found with a substantial amount of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 'What are those luxury goods doing in their possession?' asked the ICE spokesman, taking a moment to adjust his mask."
ICE Detains Undocumented Parents, Newborn
They await deportation proceedings.
charlotteclymer.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
"ICE officials are also investigating the couple for other crimes. They were found with a substantial amount of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 'What are those luxury goods doing in their possession?' asked the ICE spokesman, taking a moment to adjust his mask."
Do you know who is literally the easiest person in the world to chat with? An excited 8-year-old American child calling you on Christmas Eve to talk about Christmas and Santa.
Every adult in the country except one can handle this task without being weird or creepy or making the call about themself.
Every adult in the country except one can handle this task without being weird or creepy or making the call about themself.
December 25, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Do you know who is literally the easiest person in the world to chat with? An excited 8-year-old American child calling you on Christmas Eve to talk about Christmas and Santa.
Every adult in the country except one can handle this task without being weird or creepy or making the call about themself.
Every adult in the country except one can handle this task without being weird or creepy or making the call about themself.
Reposted by Barb
Ok how much did the military lose. The USPS is not a business
The USPS faces a tight squeeze. With fewer people using the mail, it’s lost more and more money: $9 billion in the 12 months ending in September alone.
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
December 24, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Ok how much did the military lose. The USPS is not a business
Reposted by Barb
Some of you have forgotten that only three years ago you were perfectly capable of writing a text, writing an email, telling a bedtime story to a child, and it should worry you that powerful companies have convinced us we can’t do things we’ve been doing since the dawn of time.
December 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Some of you have forgotten that only three years ago you were perfectly capable of writing a text, writing an email, telling a bedtime story to a child, and it should worry you that powerful companies have convinced us we can’t do things we’ve been doing since the dawn of time.
Reposted by Barb
For Christmas Eve, enjoy a supercut of my favorite tradition — Darlene Love on Letterman
Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Supercut | Letterman
YouTube video by Letterman
m.youtube.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:47 PM
For Christmas Eve, enjoy a supercut of my favorite tradition — Darlene Love on Letterman
Reposted by Barb
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
Reposted by Barb
🚨🚨 SCOOP @ms.now : The Department of Veteran Affairs has quietly implemented its abortion ban following a DOJ memo issued last week.
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
Department of Veterans Affairs quietly implements abortion ban
A VA spokesperson confirmed to MS NOW that the ban was in place following a Department of Justice memo issued last week.
www.ms.now
December 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
🚨🚨 SCOOP @ms.now : The Department of Veteran Affairs has quietly implemented its abortion ban following a DOJ memo issued last week.
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
This will affect 9 million veterans and their dependents, and has been a long time coming: It was outlined in Project 2025.
Read/share 👇
Reposted by Barb
And there goes MAGA’s latest talking point.
Bill Clinton just called on Trump to release the full Epstein Files, including all documents mentioning both Trump and Clinton.
“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the DOJ’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”
“Refusal to do so will confirm the widespread suspicion the DOJ’s actions to date are not about transparency, but about insinuation.”
December 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
And there goes MAGA’s latest talking point.
Reposted by Barb
No!
Most presidents do not in fact name anything after themselves while they’re in office, because they’re not toddlers who constantly need to be the center of attention.
Most presidents do not in fact name anything after themselves while they’re in office, because they’re not toddlers who constantly need to be the center of attention.
Has any other president named this much stuff after himself?
December 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
No!
Most presidents do not in fact name anything after themselves while they’re in office, because they’re not toddlers who constantly need to be the center of attention.
Most presidents do not in fact name anything after themselves while they’re in office, because they’re not toddlers who constantly need to be the center of attention.
Reposted by Barb
He’s gilded the entire White House, slapped his name on both the Kennedy Center and Institute for Peace, installed a new Trump Gold Card, and now proposing a new “Trump class” of naval vessels.
I know we keep saying this is insane but this is seriously fucking insane.
I know we keep saying this is insane but this is seriously fucking insane.
oh my god its literally Long Beach's wario
December 22, 2025 at 10:20 PM
He’s gilded the entire White House, slapped his name on both the Kennedy Center and Institute for Peace, installed a new Trump Gold Card, and now proposing a new “Trump class” of naval vessels.
I know we keep saying this is insane but this is seriously fucking insane.
I know we keep saying this is insane but this is seriously fucking insane.
Reposted by Barb
I left my heart in Seattle Franerisco
Google Gemini Pro: please generate a map of the western united states showing cities of over 250K population
December 22, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I left my heart in Seattle Franerisco
Reposted by Barb
legitimately love this guy.
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
December 21, 2025 at 12:19 PM
legitimately love this guy.
Reposted by Barb
Nothing to see here, just a right wing hyper-nationalist government going to their party’s youth event sponsored by a group with a martyred leader they’ve pledged to avenge, recruiting people to join their masked police force devoted to removing auslanders from ze homeland.
December 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Nothing to see here, just a right wing hyper-nationalist government going to their party’s youth event sponsored by a group with a martyred leader they’ve pledged to avenge, recruiting people to join their masked police force devoted to removing auslanders from ze homeland.
Reposted by Barb
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
Reposted by Barb
The FBI put a thousand agents (their own words) on trying to hide all the links between Trump and Epstein. They failed. When people found some additional photos of Trump in the release, the DOJ promptly DELETED THEM FROM THE DOCUMENT RELEASE.
www.npr.org/2025/12/20/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/20/n...
Available to download Friday, some Epstein files no longer there Saturday afternoon
An NPR analysis of the Epstein files shows some documents, originally available on Friday, are no longer on the Department of Justice's "Epstein Library" website as the DOJ releases more files.
www.npr.org
December 20, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The FBI put a thousand agents (their own words) on trying to hide all the links between Trump and Epstein. They failed. When people found some additional photos of Trump in the release, the DOJ promptly DELETED THEM FROM THE DOCUMENT RELEASE.
www.npr.org/2025/12/20/n...
www.npr.org/2025/12/20/n...
Reposted by Barb
I think there's a difference between "'AI' being shoved into everything even when it degrades the end product" and "'AI' being part of a varied tool set where it offers material benefit to workflow." We're in the beginning stage of the backlash to the hype era of "AI," which I am very happy about.
Gen ai "is here to stay" is kind of doomery? I feel like progress HAS been made in that it isn't as prevalent as it could be. Pushback has worked in cases.
*shrug*
*shrug*
December 19, 2025 at 9:42 PM
I think there's a difference between "'AI' being shoved into everything even when it degrades the end product" and "'AI' being part of a varied tool set where it offers material benefit to workflow." We're in the beginning stage of the backlash to the hype era of "AI," which I am very happy about.
Reposted by Barb
This is the worst case scenario that everybody was worried about
It is utterly catastrophic that RFK Jr. plans to end CDC recommendations for most childhood vaccines.
It’s a betrayal of science, ethics, compassion, and the people of the United States.
And it was also a specific goal of Project 2025 (page 254).
It’s a betrayal of science, ethics, compassion, and the people of the United States.
And it was also a specific goal of Project 2025 (page 254).
December 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
This is the worst case scenario that everybody was worried about
What if we let the rich gold card fuckers in, but they have to work the first 18 months on a farm?
December 19, 2025 at 11:45 PM
What if we let the rich gold card fuckers in, but they have to work the first 18 months on a farm?
Reposted by Barb
The White House claims the vote to rename the Kennedy Center was “unanimous.” That is false. I was muted on the call and denied the opportunity to speak or register my opposition. That is not consensus. That is censorship.
December 18, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The White House claims the vote to rename the Kennedy Center was “unanimous.” That is false. I was muted on the call and denied the opportunity to speak or register my opposition. That is not consensus. That is censorship.
Reposted by Barb
Today in "Don't Trust AI to Tell You Facts": How several different "AI" programs messed up the simple fact of to whom I dedicated a book, and what that means for how much you should trust "AI" to tell you the truth about things (spoiler: not much at all):
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/a...
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/a...
“AI”: A Dedicated Fact-Failing Machine, or, Yet Another Reason Not to Trust It For Anything
I search my name on a regular basis, not only because I am an ego monster (although I try not to pretend that I’m not) but because it’s a good way for me to find reviews, end-of-the-yea…
whatever.scalzi.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Today in "Don't Trust AI to Tell You Facts": How several different "AI" programs messed up the simple fact of to whom I dedicated a book, and what that means for how much you should trust "AI" to tell you the truth about things (spoiler: not much at all):
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/a...
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/a...
Reposted by Barb
Brian hopes that today, somebody put an arm around you and told you that you are good.
December 19, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Brian hopes that today, somebody put an arm around you and told you that you are good.
Reposted by Barb
Has this story shown up anywhere else? I think it's relevant since he got to interrupt Survivor to yell at us yesterday. This is the easiest layup ever if you were a real reporter working for a real news organization.
Donald Trump's $1,776 "warrior dividend" payments to U.S. troops are coming from a congressionally-approved housing supplement — money they were already set to receive — that was a part of tax cut extensions and expansions bill signed into law in July.
Trump’s new $1,776 ‘warrior dividend’ to troops coming from Pentagon housing funds
www.stripes.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Has this story shown up anywhere else? I think it's relevant since he got to interrupt Survivor to yell at us yesterday. This is the easiest layup ever if you were a real reporter working for a real news organization.
Reposted by Barb
Your lips only touch for four letters of the alphabet.
December 17, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Your lips only touch for four letters of the alphabet.
Reposted by Barb
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.