The difference between organized crime and legitimate enterprise is that one has a compliance department. — Milo Minderbinder, Business Ethicist

Fun fact: the US is 10x more infiltrated by organized crime than Mexico. Corruption in Mexico is noticeable, as there is an active effort to combat it, whereas in the US, it is rewarded, institutionalized, and normalized. Currently, the US is the most corrupt country in North America.

Americas’ 250th Anniversary party lineup. 🤣

Yes. Using a computer now feels like this at all times.

"Science is not simply a sequence of tasks that can be optimized....The scientific system thrives on inefficiency: redundant efforts, failed attempts, and divergent paths. These are not costs to be eliminated but sources of discovery." Excellent essay! ⬇️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Last week, IT employees at the University of California system across the state formed the largest tech worker union in the United States. This is how they now plan to confront tech industry layoffs, rein in AI, and push for tech for the common good:

Diagnosis: the more willing one is to assume “AI” can replace human interaction/relation/creation, the more interpersonally stunted & dysfunctional one is, generally speaking

I think there are religious studies scholars who are working on exactly this

Pallas Data Federal Poll: Carney Is Still In Cruise Control open.substack.com/pub/marginof...

Smith is betting this question-on-a-question will satisfy her separatist base. What do the odds say?

Precarity does not reward disruption. Alberta's Premier Smith is likely about to find out. open.substack.com/pub/davidcol...

Republicans slash SNAP food benefits to pay for Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund. We mapped who’ll go hungry. thedemlabs.org/2026/05/21/m... @gailwaldby.bsky.social #SNAP #TrumpSlushFund #FollowTheMoney

In honor of Colbert's final show... "Part of the reason so many of these fools hate Stephen Colbert is that he lives his life as the faithful and humble Christian they constantly claim themselves to be but are too selfish and fearful to actually be." charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/the-inconv...

The citizens of Festus, Missouri, population approximately 14,000, just voted out every single city council member who secretly approved a gigantic data center. A recall petition is also being circulated to remove the mayor and council members who were not on the ballot.

Cartoon by @andertoon.bsky.social.

This is Danielle Smith's referendum. open.substack.com/pub/drjaredw...

I am once again begging, praying, weeping for lists of written instructions rather than videos. I do not want to watch your two minute video in the hope of catching the two seconds where you whizz past what goddamn menu the thing is under. Write. It. Down.

"“It’s possible that we’re starting to see the consequences of severe and sudden cuts to global health programs that have eroded surveillance and allowed deadly viruses to spread undetected...” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/15/w...

For the record, this proposal specifically targets gender identity. You have until May 22nd to submit a comment

If the actor with British accent is evil then you’re watching Sci fi. If the actor with a British accent is good then it’s Fantasy. If the actor with a British accent knocks something over then it’s a Rom com.

The most accurate portrayal of the pro-Jim Crow, white nationalist Roberts Supreme Court I've seen yet.

"the dramatic cost declines in batteries have now made 'firm renewables' — solar or wind paired with batteries — cheaper than fossil fuels in many parts of the world." This is game changing.

UN: Hospitals across Cuba are suspending surgeries, struggling to keep lifesaving equipment running and facing severe medicine shortages as blackouts and fuel shortages push the country’s healthcare system deeper into crisis, senior UN officials warned on Friday.

40 Asian Canadian writers to have on your radar #CanLit www.cbc.ca/books/40-asi...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... This is what pipelines and more fossil fuels accomplish.

Pipeline or referendum: she can't have both open.substack.com/pub/drjaredw...

Ah. The irony is that through sheer buffoonery, Trump is actually heavily pushing the World towards the green energy he hates.

Hey @juliedabrusin.bsky.social and @mark-carney.bsky.social. This is a fantastic idea, let's mandate solar panels on every large commercial car park here in Canada. Cool our cars down in the summer and generate lots of clean energy.

People seem legitimately surprised that Trump is using his tweets to pump stock he owns and buying or selling based off of confidential information he receives as POTUS. Grifting is his entire personality. Why is anyone shocked?

Is your favourite female villain in this list? If not, should they be? Why? Female Villains open.substack.com/pub/kgwhiteh...

When we took office, NYC had a $12B deficit. Today it’s zero. And we didn’t close that gap on the backs of working people. We closed it while funding parks, libraries, safer streets, & public housing. Call it Pothole Politics or Democratic Socialism: We are government that delivers for the people.

Epstein Survivor hearing happening in West Palm Beach now. We stand with survivors.

In history class, I never understood how “advanced” civilizations could collapse. It just didn’t seem plausible. Anyway, I’ve seen enough. I get it now.

ALBERTA: “'Raining down ash': Fast-moving wildfire continues to rage near Whitecourt, Alta.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... - CBC Edmonton #ABFire #Alberta #Whitecourt #Wildfires #WoodlandsCounty

folx, I’ve been working on AI "ethics" for almost a decade now & hate to tell you there’s no such thing as "ethical AI" the only "ethical principle" that works is regulating the shit out of the industry & to take back control of our autonomy, fundamental rights, freedoms & right to exist w/out AI

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars’ Western Frontier Percy is portrayed against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls "Lac de Charmes". www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-p... #Mars 🧪🔭

What Happens When Americans Realize How Miserable We Are? open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Watch this. "You don't have the courage. If you were really visionary leaders, you'd run against these Black men with fair maps, and you'd get your asses whooped."

We're going to keep on this story. If you have tips about the voter data scandal, the Centurion project or the connections between the UCP and the separatists, you can email @rorywh.bsky.social: Rory (at) national observer

thehill.com/homenews/hou... She's not wrong: Male-dominated organizations are the worst re: allowing sexual assault. Catholics, Congress, sports, the military, the Trump Administration, etc. Google it.

Daily Writing Quote: "The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order." - Jean Cocteau #dailywritingquote #booksky

ALSO remember WorldCon has a history of robust and well-attended virtual programming so in-person attendance isn't necessarily necessary. It's great for disabled academics and people who can't travel for various reasons.

This is what I point to when folks try to justify genAI. "It's not so bad as long as they don't sell it." Meanwhile, these data centers are swallowing up resources, ruining local water infrastructure, & not really caring. All for plagiarized slop. It's gross. Every use counts. Every single one.

“officials discovered two industrial-scale water hookups feeding a data center campus located 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta. One water connection had been installed without the utility’s knowledge, and the other was not linked to the company’s account and therefore wasn’t being billed.”

Still feels surreal saying this… My story, The Late Night Show, was published in Litro Magazine as an Editor’s Choice. Would love to know what you think, especially how you read the ending. Read it here: www.litromagazine.com/flashfriday/... #WritingCommunity #BookSky #AmWriting #FlashFiction

Why I Don't Edit AI Text open.substack.com/pub/ehprybyl...

On Superpower Suicide open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

A billion dollars is the socio-economic equivalent of a loose nuke, and we should work to prevent the acquisition of the former with the same urgency and ruthlessness we use to prevent the acquisition of the latter.

Jacinda Ardern, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand: “No matter where you are in the world, there is always something you can do. Keep leaning in. Don’t retreat. Lean hard!” #wd2026 @womendeliver.bsky.social