Pete Kegsbreath gives very strong Luca Brasi vibes.

Currently addicted to the music of Mon Rovia, but this track in particular is living rent-free in my head: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXc...

"Petra Kelly once told us that, “If we don’t do the impossible, we shall be faced with the unthinkable.” Today we face the unthinkable. But the resilience and resistance of American cities show that another world is possible." www.commondreams.org/opinion/this...

I moved to Washington, DC on July 16. Trump deployed the National Guard to DC on August 11, after his first deployment (in Los Angeles) proved to be an unmitigated failure. He threatened to send troops into Chicago, saw the utter failure that was going to be, and cowered.🧵(1/6)

"That anyone with a rudimentary understanding of history, politics, economics or even pragmatic common sense would call the way these provocateurs operate civil debate says just how poorly prepared any of us are for what lies in front of us." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

There comes a moment in white, academic women's lives, usually in their 50s, where they have to decide whether to adopt bold, aggressive, colorful eyeglasses or not. I am rapidly approaching that decision point.

Born and raised Memphian here. This checks out.

Posting is a Faustian bargain where in exchange for degrading your mental health you intermittently get access to a far smarter meta-brain.

This!

Bit woke, that Fourth Amendment.

This whole interview is scary on its own and, seriously, Ellison can take a long walk off a short pier... still, I'm over here most concerned that this is the guy who is now in charge of TikTok?! Yikes.

If Pat McAfee is going to keep jumping up on his chair for every #GameDay broadcast-- which we ALL KNOW HE IS GOING TO DO-- can we just get him a stable chair without wheels? Like, this is an unnecessary amount of stress to put viewers through every Saturday morning.

“The national security state is a wonderful tool for a skilled authoritarian to crush American democracy.” www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

This is a terrifying read. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Hey Hotel Bar Sessions listeners, this is Leigh. I have some important news to share. [You should sit down for this...]

Once again, alas, HBS is looking for new, smart, engaging "talent" to fill our recently (and abruptly) vacated co-host seats. Think you have what it takes to carry an interesting conversation? Know someone you'd recommend to fill the open barstools? Just email us at [email protected]!

Episode 198 is now live and this week we're chatting with Mark Balaguer about free will. Check it out! hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/free...

Podcasts may be the last medium semi-immune to corporate/fascist censorship. Hotel Bar Sessions is independent, listener-funded, and ad-free. Thanks, y'all.

Great piece by @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social

One Vigilante, 22 Cell Tower Fires, and a World of Conspiracies | WIRED share.google/yiNuQfyHIIt4...

Thanks for the great conversation, @robinjames.bsky.social!

Mood:

Hold your trans/GNC loved ones extra close right now. Things are ugly and looking to get much worse.

Big thanks to @katemanne.bsky.social for chatting with us on Hotel Bar Sessions podcast @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social!

“I do not believe anyone should be murdered because of their views, but that is because I don’t believe people should be murdered generally, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done... I won’t celebrate his death, but I’m not obligated to celebrate his life, either.” tinyurl.com/3mpmcx87

Microsoft products (ESP #MSOutlook and #MSTeams) are the software equivalent of the DMV. No, you can't make changes. No, I can't tell you why you can't. Yes, I know I told you to use those creds. No, I can't tell you what you *actually* need. Here are 8 BILLION links to unhelpful help threads tho!

Shameful. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

ICYMI: We launched Season 14 of Hotel Bar Sessions @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social yesterday! Check out our first episode on "The Expertise Crisis." Glad to be back in conversation w/ @rickleephilos.bsky.social & @talia-mae.bsky.social hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/the-...

Only four days left before we drop the first episode of Season 14! Stay tuned and share our podcast with your friends!

Smashed my old phone and just got the replacement tonight... so when I reply "New phone. Who dis?" I'm being frfr.

Just had a surprisingly detailed and unnecessarily impassioned discussion about whether or not ketchup belongs in the fridge with two total strangers.

Good thing it’s not a state that tons of people visit every year, to hang out in huge crowds, before returning to their home communities on transpo that puts them in contact with hundreds of other people. That would be even worse.

News Analysis: By ordering the U.S. military to summarily kill a group of people aboard what he said was a drug-smuggling boat, President Trump used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power.

Does anyone else have pets that protest when their food bowls are not *completely* full? Like, they have *enough* food, and it's in their bowl, but their bowl does not contain more than they need. I'm worried that my cats are capitalists.

While you're throwing up in your mouth about the Smithsonian "revisions," don't forget about this grossness: www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/08/24/d...

While you're throwing up in your mouth about the Smithsonian "revisions," don't forget about this grossness: www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/08/24/d...

Eric Adams should also probably contact the current mayor of NYC, whoever that is, about these very important issues.

#GeneralStrikeNOW www.cnn.com/2025/08/22/p...

At present, three GOP states have sent their National Guard troops into DC. They've been authorized to be armed *against* citizens, and Trump promises that Chicago and New York are next. Can somebody explain to me how we are not already engaged in a Civil War? abcnews.go.com/Politics/def...

Just moved to #ColumbiaHeightsDC 1.5 months ago. Love DC and this amazing neighborhood. Moved here from #Memphis, where I was raised and will represent til my dying breath... This?! I can't even. #FreeDC #Solidarity #Resistance #NoKings

We have (dramatically) different views wrt the benefits/risks of AI in higher ed, but I really appreciate the work that @annakornbluh.bsky.social is doing and the conversations she is generating on this site! Check it out!

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?! 🤔💀🤖

"Americans have long glorified their constitution and the rule of law. But Donald Trump’s volatile and vindictive presidency has increasingly replaced that philosophy with something very different – call it “governing by shakedown”. - @greenhousenyt.bsky.social

It was funnier when he claimed he didn't know Ghislaine Maxwell had been transferred to a minimum-security prison. 🤣

Doing this "solo" episode was a challenge, but I really do hope you listen to it. This is not just a "reflection"... it's a warning. 😱

I was really such a fan-girl of Jesse Welles. Truly amazing songwriter with a well-earned place among the literal "greats" of American folk music... and then his social media marketing manager told him it would be a good idea to go on the Joe Rogan podcast. www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_sw...

Currently at work recording new eps for Season 14! In the interim, HBS is offering up "MINIBAR" episodes each week. Each our co-hosts @talia-mae.bsky.social, @rickleephilos.bsky.social, and @drleighmjohnson.bsky.social will be flying "solo" on a topic of their own choosing! Stay tuned!