the purpose of a system is what it does — Stafford Beer (2002)

One of the strangest things about white Americans refusal to acknowledge the impact of the slave trade, is being asked where my last name came from. It’s pathological.

USA: Alle 2 Wochen eine Katastrophe mit Milliarden-Schäden Häufigkeit ist in nur 10 Jahren von alle 82 Tage auf 14 Tage gestiegen Denkt man das weiter, gibt's in 10 Jahren alle 2,4 Tage eine schwere Katastrophe Damit wären weite Teile der USA nicht mehr bewohnbar - Aus die Maus #Klimakatastrophe

One of the most undercovered stories is how the Trump crime syndicate is amassing fortunes uncontrolled by the sleepy Congress : money laundering, corporate racket (nvidia), crypto, Venezuela oil accounts, bogus settlements, and of course billions readily available from tech fascist billionaires.

CATO: “.. In short, seven independent research teams have now examined the “who’s paying” question and have reached essentially the same answer: We are.” @cato.org @scottlincicome.bsky.social www.cato.org/blog/white-h...

A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitter’s algorithmic feed significantly shifts people’s political views to the right. Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement. This is one of the most concerning papers I’ve read in awhile.

“It is time to acknowledge what has become tragically obvious: the Trump administration is operating as a massive criminal enterprise.” This absolutely captures it. Instead of "Trump Administration," we should say "Trump Syndicate." #TrumpSyndicate

Spot on!! 🎯

JAIL Noem

Turns out there’s an economic cost to everyone hating us.

“I would like to give permission that any AI that’s based on me has my permission to extend my personality,” Adams said in one video. The Adams family, however, does not appear to be on board with *this.*

GOOD

Venezuela's legislature on Thursday approved an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations. https://to.pbs.org/4cAVnbx

Under a proposed rule the Trump administration submitted for comment today, ALL initial requests for work authorization filed by applicants for asylum would be indefinitely suspended for "an extended period, possibly many years."

CNN's Kristen Holmes reports that Trump blew up during a meeting after learning of the SCOTUS ruling on tariffs. "He started ranting about the decision, not only calling it a disgrace, but started attacking the courts and at one point saying these effing courts, but using the actual language there"

NEWS: SCOTUS has struck down Trump’s unlawful and chaotic tariff regime. These tariffs were expected to cost California’s economy $25 billion dollars and 64,000 jobs.

2/2 For the record, since always left out of news stories. During bitter Bush-v-Gore, history-changing, "Brooks Brothers Riot" Florida recount in 2000, the GW Bush legal team included: -John Roberts -Amy Coney Barrett -Brett Kavanaugh. BK also worked for Ken Starr. All just coincidence, of course

In a 6-3 ruling, justices upended the Trump administration's signature economic policy, potentially putting the US government on the hook for at least $175 billion in tariff refunds. www.wired.com/story/suprem...

Note, NYT assumes that DHS told the truth about what happened, which would be crazy because they literally Never Have when they shot someone, especially an American.

4-10% of people hospitalized in the US develop nosocomial, or hospital-acquired, infection. Many of these infections aren't preventable, but as many as a third are, with proper precautions. It can be hard to speak up when you see unsafe practices in a hospital, but your life may depend on it. 1/2

Every year that a movement with state power gets to define what strength looks like, what a real man is, what the body of a true American represents, is a year that definition further calcifies.

Motive unclear julieroys.com/former-worsh...

You know how Elon Musk treated Twitter employees after he took over the company, and the institutional impact that had? What if we take an approach like that with some military officers, in particular ones with technical expertise?

Pritzker demands a $1,700 refund per family for the people of Illinois after Trump's tariffs were ruled unconstitutional. Dems, pay attention. This is your midterms message.

This really is a great picture:

a man in Oklahoma was speaking out against a data center in his community. He went a few seconds over time and the city had him arrested for trespassing

Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

There are no "reasonable Republicans" because they long ago ceased to be a political party. A political party tries to court your vote. An authoritarian regime tries to keep you from voting, and all votes from counting.

The joy! The genuine smile! Cheering for her competitors! Alysa's crowning achievement today wasn't so much winning the gold as it was showing the world that there is a way to win in figure skating without embracing all the toxicity that is the "Tutberidze Method."

“When Liu, 20, decided to return to skating, she did so with conditions. She’d wear what she wants. Dance to the music she wants. Eat what she wants. Take breaks when she wants…. [Skating] would be the vehicle through which she displayed the real Alysa.” she did it! her! way!!

In the 1800s, a slave owner purchased over a dozen people in Georgia and set the foundation for his family’s generational wealth Generations later, a railroad company owned by one of his descendants is using eminent domain to seize land of Black farmers

The Brazilian political system is, structurally, very similar to the American one. But when they elected a Trump-style authoritarian back in 2018, their Congress and Supreme Court actually fought back. I went to Brazil to find out why. And what I learned surprised me. www.vox.com/politics/479...

Lovely piece by @rtraister.bsky.social on the great Mira Nair and her influence on her son Zohran www.vulture.com/article/what...

Nick Fuentes crashed out and is telling his base to not vote. And because I can’t stand his face here’s someone lip synching the audio.

Last week Donald Trump registered the trademark "Donald J. Trump International Airport." This week Florida Republicans voted to rename Palm Beach International Airport Donald J. Trump International Airport," putting taxpayers on the hook for licensing fees that go straight to him

Of all the things we are doing in MN, this one is just beyond. Imagine being released from hell alone in the cold. And a total stranger has waited all night with a blanket just to be ready to hug you and carry you home. Every job we do is crucial, but this one is what restores humanity and dignity.

The UK arrested Prince Andrew. Hakeem Jeffries is telling Democrats not to boo Trump at the State of the Union.

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir: “Palantir is here to disrupt (…) and, when it's necessary, to scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them. And we hope you're in favor of that."

surveillance state, 2026 #photography #concept #trafficam photo credit: Department of Transportation (DOT)

low-background steel

"Eat, Sancho, my friend," said Don Quixote, "sustain life, which matters more to you than to me, and let me die at the hands of my thoughts and by the force of my misfortunes. I was born to live dying, Sancho, and you to die eating."

for some reason this diagram reminds me of a eurypterid (phylogenetically the most Desiring of all arthropods)

let’s see your profile pic in its full-size glory