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Kate

@dubchi5.bsky.social

440 followers 2.7K following 900 posts

Photographer, avid reader, book reviewer, many hats

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · Apr 26

Finally getting the bug to work on my photography and design again. Honestly just so I can order notebooks with some of my own photography and art, but you know. www.redbubble.com/people/dotla...

DotLaGrangeArt Shop | Redbubble

DotLaGrangeArt is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases.

www.redbubble.com

Reposted by Kate

Lucius Fox In The Box @carnegro.bsky.social · 2h

Pope Leo is spitting.

www.npr.org/2025/10/09/n...

Leo questioned a world where the wealth of the elite grows
"exponentially" while many "millions of people die of hunger or survive in conditions unfit for human beings." He also criticized "ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation,"
with false promises "that a free-market economy will automatically solve the problem of poverty."

Leo described a "new tyranny," which shuns any kind of oversight and where the economy is structured "in such a way that sacrifices are demanded of the masses in order to serve the needs of the powerful." The poor, he wrote, are only allowed "drops that trickle down."

The pope openly challenged "prosperity theology" and called Christians to the practice of giving charity. "It will not solve the problem of world poverty, yet it must still be carried out, with intelligence, diligence and social responsibility," he wrote.

Popular movements that challenge "the empire of money," invite people to take on the cause to combat poverty alongside the poor, instead of on their behalf, and "make history," the pope said. It our duty, Leo said, to "make their voices heard, albeit in different ways, in order to point out and denounce such structural issues, even at the cost of appearing foolish or naïve."

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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 1h

cc, @historians.org

Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 4h

A striking thing about articles I’ve read claiming to “study the effects” of generative AI on student writing skills and consumption of information is that (1) they nearly always find the effects are negative and (2) most “conclusions” are still written assuming that we must use AI, for some reason.

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 1h

The combo of premium increases and loss of tax credits is going to lead to a huge amount of sticker shock come November. It’s not going to be good.

s. eek smith 👻 @sesmith.lol · 1h

Essential info here given that my insurer (and yours, if you're on a marketplace plan) should have sent this info out weeks ago for planning purposes esp since I may need to try to switch insurers, downgrade my coverage, or cancel insurance altogether for affordability.

Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 1h

ACA open enrollment starts Nov. 1. Rates should have been published in August. Mike Johnson hopes you don’t know that. But my mom is an independent insurance agent. Has been for 20+ years. So she does know that.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 1h

@headofzeus.bsky.social is probably like who is going through and liking half our posts, but just realized it was publication day for #HenryV. I didn’t get a chance to review yet, but Dan Jones is an awesome writer of medieval history. So many great books being published by Head of Zeus right now.

Head of Zeus @headofzeus.bsky.social · 4h

'[A] lively retelling of Henry's remarkable story' @thetimes.com

It's publication day for #HenryV is a brand-new life of England’s greatest king from our best-selling medieval historian Dan Jones

Out today: https://geni.us/HenryVorgsoc

Reposted by Kate

Ray E. Boomhower @rboomhower.bsky.social · 1d

"Read. Read. Read. Just don't read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles."
R. L. Stine, born on this day in 1943

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 1d

This calculation is what Medicare individuals have to face every year when buying MA or Med Supp. Provider groups change based on carriers, drug formularies change every year, everyone over 65 has to do this calculus and most don’t have the knowledge or background to understand.

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 1d

As well as being a pain in the ass for the consumer, this is likely to make insurance more expensive for everyone as it means that every insurer has to price based on the assumption that their customers have made this calculation

K. Chen @tznkai.bsky.social · Oct 28

So before considering premium and costshare, you should sit down and understand "what and where are my medical needs likely to be". Do you have a doctor that you especially trust? A specific drug formulation you need to take? A hospital whose system you already know how to work? Do you travel a lot?

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 2d

So like they’re really going after the worst of the worst criminals huh.

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 2d

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned a network of companies and their affiliates that allegedly supplied precursor chemicals to make fentanyl to a faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. https://to.pbs.org/4qcxAmS

U.S. Treasury sanctions Mexican companies accused of aiding Sinaloa cartel's fentanyl production

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned a network of companies and their affiliates that allegedly supplied precursor chemicals to make fentanyl to a faction of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel.

www.pbs.org

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 2d

Didn’t have learning German because I’m listening to German newscasters give updates on American news on my bingo card but here we are.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 2d

I feel this. I don’t know if I have it in me to learn any other social media platforms and I am barely on almost anything besides BlueSky. I don’t think it would be bad to go back to the days where I’m barely on my phone.

Michael Ruocco @michaeljruocco.bsky.social · 3d

If this site did collapse in on itself, I think instead of jumping ship to something else, I will just go outside more n start living my life.

Reposted by Kate

Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH @geauxgabrielle.bsky.social · 3d

I just saw a commercial telling people how to invest their 401Ks & retirement in cryptocurrency

Y’all. For the love of Christ, PLEASE do not do that. PLEASE. Tell the elders. Tell the kids early in their career. Between the volatility and the SEC being unwilling to prosecute fraud, do NOT do this.

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3d

K-Pop Demon Hunters is legitimately the global cultural phenomenon of 2025 and honestly there are far worse things to be a cultural touchstone this year than a trio of young women fighting literal soul-sucking hegemony through the power of their art

E. Perkins 🎃 @hauntedpumpkin.bsky.social · 3d

Oh crap, it's back at #1 in movies again today on Netflix too. That's awesome!

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 4d

It’s really awful that it’s come to this. Unless I’m expecting a call or have them in my phone I won’t answer as I don’t want spam calls increasing. I had to warn my brother when he came back from the EU about what spam calls are like here. Would be cool if our legislators would legislate.

Gareth L. Powell @garethlpowell.bsky.social · 4d

That really annoying thing where you have a missed call from a mobile number you don’t recognise and they didn’t leave a message so you don’t know if it’s spam or someone genuinely trying to get in touch…

Reposted by Kate

Andrew Wehrman @profwehrman.bsky.social · 4d

My book, The Contagion of Liberty is coming out (in January) in paperback, and I got some preview copies of this cheaper, more flexible version with new blurbs on the cover!

For the 250th anniversary, it argues that American independence was only achieved through inoculation and public health.

The paperback version of The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution.

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 5d

Jfc. I don’t have any other words.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 6d

Who can afford to buy a new phone every year? It used to be that you could renew your contract and the phone was covered. Now you’re lucky if you even get trade in value for your old one when buying a new phone.

Casey Newton @caseynewton.bsky.social · 6d

In the future, iPhone reviews should default to comparing the phone to the model from two years ago ... almost no one I know is upgrading every year any more

Reposted by Kate

Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 7d

This woman is on fire in the EU parliament.

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 7d

It’s really weird seeing something I basically live and breath every day become a national focus that people are discussing. Like it’s always been on and off but man, it’s weird having people talk about things I usually only hear at work.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 7d

Without APTC… idk if people realize the current prices (that are set to go up) or premiums. APTC allows so many Americans access to healthcare who aren’t eligible for Medicaid/Medicare and aren’t eligible for employer based coverage.

Senator Dick Durbin @durbin.senate.gov · 7d

House Speaker Mike Johnson says that the expiration of ACA tax credits is an “extraneous matter.”

But there is nothing extraneous about 20 million hard-working Americans who cannot afford higher health insurance premiums next year.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 7d

So many emails… so so many emails.

Aaron Sofaer ✍️🏳️‍⚧️ @aaronsofaer.bsky.social · 7d

Expectation: being involved with the PTA involves a lot of emails and some spreadsheets.

Reality: being involved with the PTA involves a *lot* of emails, some spreadsheets, and having to scramble to figure out what the actual heck I'm doing.

Pretty solidly on point, tbh.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 7d

But the thing that worries me is… the Dems have made the decision to try this tactic before. I don’t have a whole lot of confidence in them to do the negotiating before the approval…

Ellie Jean @elliejean.bsky.social · 7d

So, the R's argument is.... Dems should just approve the bill first... and THEN they will negotiate?

Ya, super logical and strong argument. Good thing all your voters and supporters are idiots and nothing matters.

Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 8d

ACA is my area of expertise. The list of immigrants allowed to enroll in a Marketplace plan is very limited and strict. The people that will be hurt worst by this are those who are low income, can’t get Medicaid, and are relying on APTC subsidies to have any semblance of coverage.

Tammy Duckworth @duckworth.senate.gov · 8d

Fact: Undocumented immigrants are not even eligible to purchase the ACA coverage we’re trying to protect.

Republicans voted to hike costs and take health care away from American citizens.

Including their own constituents.

Read that again. Over and over.

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🌈 Hailey Piper 🌈 @haileypiperfights.bsky.social · 9d

I try to focus this account so it's for my readers, but hey writers:

NEVER sign a contract where the publisher keeps your rights indefinitely. For short stories, there should be a point when you can sell reprints.

and NEVER sign your movie/TV/etc adaptation rights to a publisher. Those are yours.

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Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 9d

I'm honestly thinking about writing a book set in 17th century Iceland just to get an excuse to write about necropants.

Also, a fun fact about the Icelandic witch trials is that we burned mostly men for witchcraft.

Necropants and Other Tales of 17th-Century Icelandic Sorcery

Magic wealth and goat's milk could be yours—if you could stomach the rituals.

www.atlasobscura.com

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Reposted by Kate

Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 11d

Leeds Street Scene, 1974, painting by Stuart Walton. #NorthernArt

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Kate @dubchi5.bsky.social · 10d

This. Please please stop making everything a video. I do not want to watch a video. Please give me text. All the text.

Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 10d

I do not want the video. I will never watch the video. I usually won’t even give the video the effort of complaint.

I just want to read the news story. Give me the text. This would be my Ted Talk but that would be text too.