Stephen Bates
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Stephen Bates
@batess.bsky.social
Signal Corps | #FlyEaglesFly | a euphonious medley of philosophy, politics, economics, art, culture, and sport
Reposted by Stephen Bates
“Much of what ICE is doing is not remotely constitutional. The Court decisions that laid the groundwork for the agency’s lawlessness no longer stand up to basic scrutiny.”

What ICE is doing is
Not. Remotely. Constitutional.

Read👇

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why the Supreme Court Is Giving ICE So Much Power
The Constitution inarguably applies to federal immigration agents—but the Supreme Court has taken away the hope of ever holding them to that standard.
www.theatlantic.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Economist gift link from me:

Charlemagne: European nationalism is dead. Long live European gastronationalism

A continent united by treaties remains divided by recipes

www.economist.com/europe/2025/...
European nationalism is dead. Long live European gastronationalism
A continent united by treaties remains divided by recipes
www.economist.com
December 28, 2025 at 5:14 PM
I strongly recommend lowering prices to stimulate demand.
December 26, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Merry Christmas and don't forget to set your Out of Office messages!
December 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
NYT Gift Link From Me:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/r...
Richmond, Va.: A City Transforming
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
#Philly folks, can confirm that Zahav, Friday Saturday Sunday, and My Loup are absolutely worth it (I even wrote an essay about the last one).
The best restaurants in Philadelphia this year
Craig's annual top 10 captures the special energy in Philly restaurants right now, and a list of places to visit in 2026.
share.inquirer.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Will be whipping up one of my favorite Christmas recipes, but always a struggle with the right wine pairings.
December 23, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
We've all been there. www.facebook.com/share/r/1C17...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
Good for him! However, as the article states, "According to a recent survey from the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, almost a third of Republicans under the age of 50 openly express racist or antisemitic views," so this will probably fall on deaf ears.
Ramaswamy Challenges Conservatives on Surging Bigotry on the Right
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Bloomberg: How to Trade Options and Puts (GIFT LINK)

The graphic cartoons are most excellent.

www.bloomberg.com/features/how...
How to Trade Options
The US options market is heading for a sixth straight year of record volume amid a boom in retail trading.
www.bloomberg.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
Was SO honored visit NPR's new podcast, Books We've Loved, to talk about Anthony Bourdain's breakout book, Kitchen Confidential. I actually listened to it via audiobook, so it felt like Bourdain was telling me his story himself. Check our convo here: https://loom.ly/atbL-RQ
Revisiting ‘Kitchen Confidential’ : NPR's Book of the Day
Anthony Bourdain published his memoir Kitchen Confidential in 2000 as a little-known chef. In the 25 years since its publication, his writing – and subsequent work in TV and entertainment – has shaped the way we talk about restaurants and food. In today’s Books We’ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Eric Deggans, critic-at-large at NPR. They discuss Bourdain’s documentation of a particular time in the restaurant industry, the book’s impact on dining culture, and Bourdain’s ...
www.npr.org
December 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Perplexity at Work: A Guide To Getting More Done

r2cdn.perplexity.ai/pdf/pplx-at-...
r2cdn.perplexity.ai
December 15, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
I love how the coping mechanisms to a phone ban — poker, game boys, Walkman — are the same distracting frivolities old people tried to ban from high school in the 90s. No one is learning a healthier relationship to technology, just cycles of prohibition and punishment.
Since the bell-to-bell device lockup, teens in New York have rediscovered the simple pleasures of conversation, board games, and poker.
How the Phone Ban Saved High School
Since the bell-to-bell device lockup, teens in New York have rediscovered the simple pleasures of conversation, board games, and poker.
nymag.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM
@drewmagary.bsky.social Sir, may I politely inquire if you are publishing a 2025 Hater's Guide to Williams-Sonoma Catalog this year?
December 15, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
LOL... Pentagon released a new AI military chatbot and it immediately pointed out that Pete Hegseth is a war criminal.

abovethelaw.com/2025/12/pent...
Pentagon Unveils New GenAI Platform, It Immediately Starts Flagging Pete Hegseth's War Crimes - Above the Law
The Defense Department's new ChatJAG turned out to be better than the human chain of command.
abovethelaw.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
December 11, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Sun NYT Gift Link from Me

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/a...
Best Jazz Albums of 2025
www.nytimes.com
December 7, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
Must-read: the NPR public editor's explanation of how the whole "underage women" thing made it on air. The transparency is a model for the rest of the industry:

www.npr.org/sections/npr...
NPR described Jeffrey Epstein's victims as "underage women," then quickly corrected the error …
… But not before the audience heard it. How did this happen?
www.npr.org
December 4, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
December 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
#GenX actually is the Greatest Generation, and that's a proven, irrefutable fact. Ask me how I know.

NYT Gift Link From Me:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/t...
Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation?
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Anybody still on this app? Seems so quiet and lacks engagement.
December 3, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Stephen Bates
Reposted by Stephen Bates
Hegseth is a dude-bro sporting some questionable tattoos, a creation of television who’s acting as if he won "The Apprentice: The Nuclear-Weapons Season."

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Senator Mark Kelly Is in the Wrong Job
He should be secretary of defense.
www.theatlantic.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM