Fernando Ortiz Jr.
@remembrance1974.bsky.social
Editor, book critic, and U.S. Civil War historian.
Recommended reading / viewing / listening
The philosophy of giving away your books / The new war for the seafloor / Smarter ways to wrap presents / Evolution inspires inventors / Vitruvius and De Architectura
The philosophy of giving away your books / The new war for the seafloor / Smarter ways to wrap presents / Evolution inspires inventors / Vitruvius and De Architectura
Recommended reading / viewing / listening
The philosophy of giving away your books / The new war for the seafloor / Smarter ways to wrap presents / Evolution inspires inventors / Vitruvius and De Architectura
stillnessofheart.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Recommended reading / viewing / listening
The philosophy of giving away your books / The new war for the seafloor / Smarter ways to wrap presents / Evolution inspires inventors / Vitruvius and De Architectura
The philosophy of giving away your books / The new war for the seafloor / Smarter ways to wrap presents / Evolution inspires inventors / Vitruvius and De Architectura
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Hundreds gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday afternoon to mark the end of an era for the penny, after the U.S. Mint pressed the final coins last month.
As guests left the funeral, they bid their goodbyes and tossed pennies into the casket. https://wapo.st/3KLIRL4
As guests left the funeral, they bid their goodbyes and tossed pennies into the casket. https://wapo.st/3KLIRL4
December 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Hundreds gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday afternoon to mark the end of an era for the penny, after the U.S. Mint pressed the final coins last month.
As guests left the funeral, they bid their goodbyes and tossed pennies into the casket. https://wapo.st/3KLIRL4
As guests left the funeral, they bid their goodbyes and tossed pennies into the casket. https://wapo.st/3KLIRL4
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
In Kashmir, December 21 is said to mark the start of the 40 harshest days of winter. A woolen robe called a pheran is key to keeping warm — and a reminder of how to face and overcome hardships. n.pr/4q7SLWR
On winter's coldest days, this classic Kashmiri coat offers warmth — and wisdom
In Kashmir, December 21 is said to mark the start of the 40 harshest days of winter. A woolen robe called a pheran is key to keeping warm — and a reminder of how to face and overcome hardships.
n.pr
December 21, 2025 at 3:19 PM
In Kashmir, December 21 is said to mark the start of the 40 harshest days of winter. A woolen robe called a pheran is key to keeping warm — and a reminder of how to face and overcome hardships. n.pr/4q7SLWR
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
There is, obviously, no “Presidential Immunity Clause” in the Constitution. The conservative justices’ un-originalist efforts to imagine one into it cannot be supported by text or history. trib.al/riphAUZ
John Roberts and the Cynical Cult of Federalist No. 70
Alexander Hamilton’s treatise on executive power is one of the conservative legal movement’s favorite texts to quote—and misquote.
trib.al
December 21, 2025 at 3:38 PM
There is, obviously, no “Presidential Immunity Clause” in the Constitution. The conservative justices’ un-originalist efforts to imagine one into it cannot be supported by text or history. trib.al/riphAUZ
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
MAGA speakers torched each other as pompous, cancerous cowards at this weekend's 30,000-person Turning Point USA AmericaFest, accelerating the right's media meltdownover Israel, hate speech and more.
MAGA media mess deepens at Turning Point convention
MAGA speakers torched each other as pompous, cancerous cowards at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest, accelerating the right's media meltdown.
www.axios.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:55 PM
MAGA speakers torched each other as pompous, cancerous cowards at this weekend's 30,000-person Turning Point USA AmericaFest, accelerating the right's media meltdownover Israel, hate speech and more.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
The Democratic National Committee has completed its long-awaited analysis on what went wrong in the 2024 campaign. But in a move that will attract intense criticism, it’s keeping the findings secret. trib.al/PMlTxIm
Dem Leaders Decide to Bury Damning Report on Why Trump Won in 2024
The Democratic National Committee has completed its long-awaited analysis on what went wrong in the 2024 campaign. But in a move that will attract intense criticism, it’s keeping the findings secret.
trib.al
December 19, 2025 at 2:32 AM
The Democratic National Committee has completed its long-awaited analysis on what went wrong in the 2024 campaign. But in a move that will attract intense criticism, it’s keeping the findings secret. trib.al/PMlTxIm
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
America is demanding ever more of Asian allies while promising ever less. That leaves governments in the region wondering how to hedge against their worst fear: Trumpian abandonment
How to survive abandonment by America
Allies are planning for a lonelier, harsher world: a report from South Korea
econ.st
December 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
America is demanding ever more of Asian allies while promising ever less. That leaves governments in the region wondering how to hedge against their worst fear: Trumpian abandonment
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Breaking news: A man suspected in the deadly shooting at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, according to two people briefed on the investigation.
Suspect in Brown U. shooting found dead in New Hampshire, people familiar say
A frustrating, five-day investigation that appeared to yield few leads intensified Thursday as authorities zeroed in on a lead.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Breaking news: A man suspected in the deadly shooting at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, according to two people briefed on the investigation.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Extra subsidies that made Affordable Care Act plans more affordable for millions of Americans for the past five years are all but guaranteed to vanish on New Year’s Day.
Here’s how you could be affected.
Here’s how you could be affected.
How the end of extra Affordable Care Act subsidies could affect you
Millions of Americans will see higher premium bills when extra covid-era subsidies on health insurance marketplaces expire Jan. 1.
wapo.st
December 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Extra subsidies that made Affordable Care Act plans more affordable for millions of Americans for the past five years are all but guaranteed to vanish on New Year’s Day.
Here’s how you could be affected.
Here’s how you could be affected.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
She survived the 1918 Ukrainian pogroms through extraordinary courage. She studied physics with Einstein and Planck. Yet Esther Salaman’s astonishing writings remain almost unknown.
Robert Chandler makes the case for rediscovery:
Robert Chandler makes the case for rediscovery:
Scientific discovery: the hidden genius of Esther Salaman
She studied under Einstein—though it is as a writer, one of the great chroniclers of the 20th century, that she ought to be remembered
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
She survived the 1918 Ukrainian pogroms through extraordinary courage. She studied physics with Einstein and Planck. Yet Esther Salaman’s astonishing writings remain almost unknown.
Robert Chandler makes the case for rediscovery:
Robert Chandler makes the case for rediscovery:
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
The first Consumer Price Index report since the government reopening showed inflation cooling, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said today.
Inflation cools in November, government shutdown delayed report shows
The unexpected easing comes as the White House faces growing pressure to address affordability concerns.
www.axios.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The first Consumer Price Index report since the government reopening showed inflation cooling, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said today.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
The report includes the attempts by the FBI to sabotage the Civil Rights and anti-war movements, blackmail of Martin Luther King, foreign assassination plots including the CIA's involvement w/ the Mafia, the CIA's mind-altering drug and poison experimentation, and mass surveillance of Americans.
The Church Committee Report
After fifty years, this shocking report—released in a single, readable volume for the first time—is still the most accurate account of US government spying on its own citizens., The Church...
wwnorton.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The report includes the attempts by the FBI to sabotage the Civil Rights and anti-war movements, blackmail of Martin Luther King, foreign assassination plots including the CIA's involvement w/ the Mafia, the CIA's mind-altering drug and poison experimentation, and mass surveillance of Americans.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Exclusive: Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, people familiar with the matter said.
Pentagon plan calls for major power shifts within U.S. military
If adopted, the changes would fulfill Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pledge to disrupt the status quo and slash the number of four-star generals.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Exclusive: Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, people familiar with the matter said.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Sir Isaac Newton's followers turned abstract mathematics into coffeehouse spectacles, selling tickets and branded instruments. It wasn’t so different from what scientists do today on TikTok, explains a marketing scholar trained in economic sociology.
Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton’s ideas to today’s TikTok explainers
Science has always been part of a marketplace of ideas, where claims vie for audiences, resources and belief, and where power, persuasion and status shape which ideas are heard, trusted or forgotten.
buff.ly
December 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Sir Isaac Newton's followers turned abstract mathematics into coffeehouse spectacles, selling tickets and branded instruments. It wasn’t so different from what scientists do today on TikTok, explains a marketing scholar trained in economic sociology.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Jessie Buckley says she wasn’t surprised that she got pregnant right after she finished shooting “Hamnet.” The film — starring Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Buckley as his wife, Agnes — tells the story of a couple grieving the loss of their only son. nyti.ms/4sf2SdQ
December 16, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Jessie Buckley says she wasn’t surprised that she got pregnant right after she finished shooting “Hamnet.” The film — starring Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Buckley as his wife, Agnes — tells the story of a couple grieving the loss of their only son. nyti.ms/4sf2SdQ
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Want to know the difference between happy and unhappy couples? Observe how they spend their evenings after work. Mark Travers, a psychologist who studies couples, shares what people in successful relationships do together in their weeknight free time.
I'm a psychologist who studies couples: People in the happiest relationships do 7 things on weeknights—that most neglect
Want to know the difference between happy and unhappy couples? Observe how they spend their evenings after work. Mark Travers, a psychologist who studies couples, shares what people in successful relationships do together in their weeknight free time.
cnb.cx
December 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Want to know the difference between happy and unhappy couples? Observe how they spend their evenings after work. Mark Travers, a psychologist who studies couples, shares what people in successful relationships do together in their weeknight free time.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
The search for the gunman in the Brown University shooting entered a third day Monday, as students grieved two killed classmates and nine others who were injured.
Follow along for live updates.
Follow along for live updates.
Live updates: Authorities seek Brown University gunman as they release person of interest
Officials said they continue to seek video footage and that federal authorities will help with the next phase of the investigation.
wapo.st
December 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The search for the gunman in the Brown University shooting entered a third day Monday, as students grieved two killed classmates and nine others who were injured.
Follow along for live updates.
Follow along for live updates.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Fibroids are common, about 70-80% of women develop them by age 50. But the first time dealing with them can be alarming. For writer Raina Lipsitz, it resulted in a pool of blood under her desk. “Was the ceiling weeping blood, like something out of a horror movie?"
Female Trouble
An essay about fibroids, and the time I bled on the floor at work.
conversationalist.org
December 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Fibroids are common, about 70-80% of women develop them by age 50. But the first time dealing with them can be alarming. For writer Raina Lipsitz, it resulted in a pool of blood under her desk. “Was the ceiling weeping blood, like something out of a horror movie?"
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Rob Reiner, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as 'This Is Spinal Tap,' 'Stand by Me' and 'When Harry Met Sally' after starring in the trailblazing sitcom 'All in the Family,' died Sunday along with his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood home. bit.ly/48UWXSi
December 15, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Rob Reiner, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as 'This Is Spinal Tap,' 'Stand by Me' and 'When Harry Met Sally' after starring in the trailblazing sitcom 'All in the Family,' died Sunday along with his wife, Michele, in their Brentwood home. bit.ly/48UWXSi
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco track how abortion comes up on television. They say the trends from 2025 are concerning. n.pr/4oQlr52
Fewer characters on TV had abortions this year — and more stories reinforced shame
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco track how abortion comes up on television. They say the trends from 2025 are concerning.
n.pr
December 13, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco track how abortion comes up on television. They say the trends from 2025 are concerning. n.pr/4oQlr52
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
Column by Kyle Melnick: Spending a day with an extroverted foster dog forced me to talk to strangers — something I would not normally do — and showed me that some people are not that bad.
Column | I’m an introvert. Here’s what I learned from a day with an extroverted dog.
A reporter’s day with a D.C. shelter dog taught him a lesson about trust.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Column by Kyle Melnick: Spending a day with an extroverted foster dog forced me to talk to strangers — something I would not normally do — and showed me that some people are not that bad.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
The VA already slashed 30,000 jobs earlier this year as part of an agency-wide reorganization.
Veterans Affairs Cutting As Many As 35,000 Jobs By End Of Year, Report Says
The VA already slashed 30,000 jobs earlier this year as part of an agency-wide reorganization.
www.forbes.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The VA already slashed 30,000 jobs earlier this year as part of an agency-wide reorganization.
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
‘Act of piracy’ or law: Can the US legally seize a Venezuelan tanker? https://aje.io/s9fnc8
December 11, 2025 at 2:30 PM
‘Act of piracy’ or law: Can the US legally seize a Venezuelan tanker? https://aje.io/s9fnc8
Reposted by Fernando Ortiz Jr.
An environmental group filed a lawsuit to halt federal plans to decorate next year’s national parks pass with an image of President Trump’s face, arguing that federal law requires the pass to feature the winner of an annual nature photography competition.
Wildlife group sues to remove Trump photo from 2026 national parks pass
The 2026 America the Beautiful pass featuring the president’s face violates a 2004 law and causes “aesthetic harm,” the Center for Biological Diversity said.
wapo.st
December 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
An environmental group filed a lawsuit to halt federal plans to decorate next year’s national parks pass with an image of President Trump’s face, arguing that federal law requires the pass to feature the winner of an annual nature photography competition.