Mark Athitakis
@mathitak.bsky.social
Writer, mostly about books.
Annals of community standards.
November 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Annals of community standards.
For the first time in ages I went outside to shop on Black Friday, at @changinghands.bsky.social in Tempe, and it was nice to see loads of people in a bookstore.
November 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
For the first time in ages I went outside to shop on Black Friday, at @changinghands.bsky.social in Tempe, and it was nice to see loads of people in a bookstore.
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
Arizona’s child fatality rate dropped in 2024, but the number of children who died from vaccine-preventable diseases increased. Those are findings from the state’s annual Child Fatality Report out this month.
Arizona reports increase in vaccine-preventable child fatalities
Arizona’s child fatality rate dropped in 2024, but the number of children who died from vaccine-preventable diseases increased, according to the state’s annual Child Fatality Report.
www.kjzz.org
November 28, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Arizona’s child fatality rate dropped in 2024, but the number of children who died from vaccine-preventable diseases increased. Those are findings from the state’s annual Child Fatality Report out this month.
Introduce yourself with artists you've seen multiple times:
Bruce Springsteen
Modest Mouse
Neko Case
Los Lobos
Randy Newman
Bruce Springsteen
Modest Mouse
Neko Case
Los Lobos
Randy Newman
Introduce yourself with artists you've seen multiple times:
Elvis Costello (7)
Richard Thompson (2)
Lucinda Williams (2)
Nanci Griffith (2)
Indigo Girls (2)
Elvis Costello (7)
Richard Thompson (2)
Lucinda Williams (2)
Nanci Griffith (2)
Indigo Girls (2)
Introduce yourself with artists you've seen multiple times:
Jason Isbell
The Hold Steady
Barenaked Ladies
Poison
The Decemberists
Jason Isbell
The Hold Steady
Barenaked Ladies
Poison
The Decemberists
November 28, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Introduce yourself with artists you've seen multiple times:
Bruce Springsteen
Modest Mouse
Neko Case
Los Lobos
Randy Newman
Bruce Springsteen
Modest Mouse
Neko Case
Los Lobos
Randy Newman
The reward is they got to listen to Kirsty MacColl's version of "A New England."
Sadly, this story doesn't say whether the monkeys preferred the music of Backstreet Boys, Billy Bragg, or Barry White. www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
November 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The reward is they got to listen to Kirsty MacColl's version of "A New England."
Me, striding into the kitchen to fix the green bean casserole.
November 27, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Me, striding into the kitchen to fix the green bean casserole.
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
November 27, 2025 at 7:07 PM
"The Shuffle" is pretty frothy, but captures the way the '85 Bears were such an all-encompassing phenomenon for Chicagoans. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcra...
The Shuffle | Official Trailer | HBO
YouTube video by HBO
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:51 PM
"The Shuffle" is pretty frothy, but captures the way the '85 Bears were such an all-encompassing phenomenon for Chicagoans. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcra...
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
Gravesite of Mother Jones, Mount Olive, Illinois
November 26, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Gravesite of Mother Jones, Mount Olive, Illinois
Not a legit sudoku survey unless they're asking 1 to 9 questions.
I would say that I like 9 the best. But 3 can take a flying leap.
November 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Not a legit sudoku survey unless they're asking 1 to 9 questions.
Oval Office/memory care facility
At this point, I wonder if he isn't lying when he says he has "my highest Poll Numbers, ever" since it's entirely possible that's what his aides are telling him. It's quite likely that there's an entire Potemkin village built around Trump right now.
Trump responds to a detailed report about his waning energy and propensity to sleep through on-camera events by calling the New York Times's Katie Rogers ugly
November 26, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Oval Office/memory care facility
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
Several years ago, the Stylebook advised that you heat your oven, because "preheat" is redundant.
That might be true linguistically, but we heard you. Common usage in cookbooks calls for preheating.
That might be true linguistically, but we heard you. Common usage in cookbooks calls for preheating.
November 26, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Several years ago, the Stylebook advised that you heat your oven, because "preheat" is redundant.
That might be true linguistically, but we heard you. Common usage in cookbooks calls for preheating.
That might be true linguistically, but we heard you. Common usage in cookbooks calls for preheating.
A school superintendent in the Chicago burbs tried to cover up his spending taxpayer money on porn by saying it was for an Epoch Times subscription. That's not better! patch.com/illinois/lag...
IL School Official Rubber-Stamped Porn Spending: Inquiry
The misspending spiked after a new finance official assumed a hands-off approach, according to an investigation.
patch.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:07 PM
A school superintendent in the Chicago burbs tried to cover up his spending taxpayer money on porn by saying it was for an Epoch Times subscription. That's not better! patch.com/illinois/lag...
Share a 90s movie you think deserves more love.
The best 80s teen movie came out in 1990.
The best 80s teen movie came out in 1990.
November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Share a 90s movie you think deserves more love.
The best 80s teen movie came out in 1990.
The best 80s teen movie came out in 1990.
<alternate ending to "It's a Wonderful Life"> Hey everybody, it's OK now! Sam Wainwright is floating me a loan to cover the missing funds! You all can take your money back! Nice gesture, though!
November 25, 2025 at 1:43 PM
<alternate ending to "It's a Wonderful Life"> Hey everybody, it's OK now! Sam Wainwright is floating me a loan to cover the missing funds! You all can take your money back! Nice gesture, though!
McSweeney’s really and truly outdid themselves this time around. Just pricing this out alone must've been a nightmare.
November 24, 2025 at 7:44 PM
McSweeney’s really and truly outdid themselves this time around. Just pricing this out alone must've been a nightmare.
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
Stahl house is for sale in case you are in need of an architecturally significant property in the Hollywood Hills:
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
Iconic Stahl House, a Midcentury Modern stunner, up for sale
The Stahl House is selling for $25 million. The current owners say its tour program will continue for now.
www.latimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Stahl house is for sale in case you are in need of an architecturally significant property in the Hollywood Hills:
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
www.latimes.com/travel/story...
Never thought of mac and cheese as a Thanksgiving dish.
with charity and goodwill, i must here part ways with rolls.
November 24, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Never thought of mac and cheese as a Thanksgiving dish.
I enjoyed Natan Last's ramble through the history, meaning, and social possibilities of crosswords, "Across the Universe." Fun as a Monday, smart as a Saturday. Me in LAT: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
The crossword has a radical history. A puzzle veteran explores why
Natan Last’s book delves into the crossword's century-long story, exploring what the grids we solve reveal about news and culture.
www.latimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I enjoyed Natan Last's ramble through the history, meaning, and social possibilities of crosswords, "Across the Universe." Fun as a Monday, smart as a Saturday. Me in LAT: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Mark Athitakis
Breaking news: Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican reggae star whose lead role in the 1972 cult-movie sensation “The Harder They Come” helped introduce the genre to a global audience, has died. He was 81.
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae star with global following, dies at 81
His lead performance as a singer-turned-outlaw in the 1972 film “The Harder They Come” helped introduce reggae to the world.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Breaking news: Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican reggae star whose lead role in the 1972 cult-movie sensation “The Harder They Come” helped introduce the genre to a global audience, has died. He was 81.
Forget it, Charlie Brown, it's Chinatown.
I’m not the guy you kill, Charlie Brown. I’m the guy you buy!
This is what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass, Charlie Brown
November 24, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Forget it, Charlie Brown, it's Chinatown.
I've been out of touch with the NFL for a while; when did the Eagles shift to this Crayola 8-pack shade of green?
November 23, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I've been out of touch with the NFL for a while; when did the Eagles shift to this Crayola 8-pack shade of green?
I should've known how much of a role Macy's played in establishing when Thanksgiving lands on the calendar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franksg...
Franksgiving - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I should've known how much of a role Macy's played in establishing when Thanksgiving lands on the calendar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franksg...
#1,262 in the Icons of My Childhood series.
This 19-foot tall giant was originally in front of the Paul Bunyon restaurant in Cicero, Illinois. It's now in Atlanta, Illinois, on Route 66.
November 23, 2025 at 2:16 PM
#1,262 in the Icons of My Childhood series.