@belleslettres.bsky.social
Skeptical iconoclast freelancer, ex-Wall St lawyer,ex-Dubliner, outraged pol/econ observer, lover of Irish lit/theater/mother wit, now living in Normandy, searching for a home.
Pinned
Discover the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual: A Timeless Guide to Subverting Any Organization with “Purposeful Stupidity” (1944)
www.openculture.com/2024/11/the-...
www.openculture.com/2024/11/the-...
Discover the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual: A Timeless Guide to Subverting Any Organization with “Purposeful Stupidity” (1944)
I’ve always admired people who can successfully navigate what I refer to as “Kafka’s Castle,” a term of dread for the many government and corporate agencies that have an inordinate amount of power ove...
www.openculture.com
A bestseller
Reposted
Excursion into Philosophy - 1959
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/40442
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/40442
November 16, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Excursion into Philosophy - 1959
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/40442
https://botfrens.com/collections/173/contents/40442
Reposted
November 16, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted
i think vance is only interesting inasmuch as he extremely unprincipled and thus a good guide to where the GOP is going (gift link)
Opinion | JD Vance Is Idling at the Edges of American Politics
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:34 PM
i think vance is only interesting inasmuch as he extremely unprincipled and thus a good guide to where the GOP is going (gift link)
Reposted
Rocks on the coast
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12500
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12500
November 16, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Rocks on the coast
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12500
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12500
Reposted
Martigues Landscape https://www.wikiart.org/en/andre-derain/martigues-landscape-1908
November 16, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Martigues Landscape https://www.wikiart.org/en/andre-derain/martigues-landscape-1908
Reposted
The Departure of the Boats, Étretat - 1885
https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/1222158
https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/1222158
November 16, 2025 at 8:13 AM
The Departure of the Boats, Étretat - 1885
https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/1222158
https://botfrens.com/collections/41/contents/1222158
Reposted
Old Women of Arles
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12299
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12299
November 16, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Old Women of Arles
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12299
https://botfrens.com/collections/44/contents/12299
Reposted
Going walking in the Scottish hills today? 🏔️
Be prepared for a severe chill effect as cold air sweeps in
Always check our mountain forecasts before you go👇
Be prepared for a severe chill effect as cold air sweeps in
Always check our mountain forecasts before you go👇
Mountain weather forecast
Latest mountain weather forecasts from the Met Office, for walkers and mountaineers. Check for wind, precipitation, temperature and any potential hazards.
weather.metoffice.gov.uk
November 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Going walking in the Scottish hills today? 🏔️
Be prepared for a severe chill effect as cold air sweeps in
Always check our mountain forecasts before you go👇
Be prepared for a severe chill effect as cold air sweeps in
Always check our mountain forecasts before you go👇
Reposted
It’s always good to interact with your fans
November 16, 2025 at 5:46 AM
It’s always good to interact with your fans
Reposted
I can't believe I didn't know there was an 8+ minute version of "Tainted Love" until @mzspress.bsky.social played it for me. It's epic! youtu.be/HQWWmcbrBiw
Soft Cell - Tainted Love (12" mix)
YouTube video by DJMPM
youtu.be
November 16, 2025 at 2:29 AM
I can't believe I didn't know there was an 8+ minute version of "Tainted Love" until @mzspress.bsky.social played it for me. It's epic! youtu.be/HQWWmcbrBiw
Reposted
Institutions like the New York Times and Harvard must cut ties with Epstein pal Larry Summers.
Revolving Door Project Calls On OpenAI, Harvard, and Other Organizations To Cut Ties With Larry Summers
The call comes in light of recently released email correspondence between Summers and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, showing the close relationship the two shared long after Epstein’s…
www.commondreams.org
November 16, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Institutions like the New York Times and Harvard must cut ties with Epstein pal Larry Summers.
Reposted
Reposted
When people ask me what my politics are
![Advertising poster promoting cycling for transport featuring four people in a row on bikes. At the top the text says, "You'd be better on a bicycle", and then in a bubble it says "Still [emphasized with big, red, italicized letters] the cheapest, handiest, healthiest way of getting about."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7vpdxcialxa6j5s7yh5g5jhf/bafkreihcp247ahol26isqxpjmh54kczqp6ieyycvhakzjug6ysgeqndpb4@jpeg)
November 15, 2025 at 11:09 PM
When people ask me what my politics are
Reposted
Geneva was a city of refuge. Calvin knew borders are a thing we draw on paper. And God doesn't care about your passport.
This is what a Presbyterian minister looks like.
This is what a Presbyterian minister looks like.
I wanted to share probably the most important sermon I’ve given and it’s while I’m being arrested. It’s torture pure and simple what happens at #Broadview. I’m ok, though I was thrown to the ground and choked with my pectoral cross. A review of the video shows I was peaceful - did I deserve this?
November 15, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Geneva was a city of refuge. Calvin knew borders are a thing we draw on paper. And God doesn't care about your passport.
This is what a Presbyterian minister looks like.
This is what a Presbyterian minister looks like.
Reposted
Quintessential character actor Yaphet Kotto was born on this day in 1939. On the occasion of his death in 2021, @zvasquez.bsky.social looked back at two of his onscreen deaths, and what they tell us about his considerable gifts as an actor: crookedmarquee.com/yaphet-kotto...
Yaphet Kotto Dies: Anatomy of an Actor in Two Death Scenes
We look back at two of his onscreen deaths, and what they tell us about his considerable gifts as an actor.
crookedmarquee.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Quintessential character actor Yaphet Kotto was born on this day in 1939. On the occasion of his death in 2021, @zvasquez.bsky.social looked back at two of his onscreen deaths, and what they tell us about his considerable gifts as an actor: crookedmarquee.com/yaphet-kotto...
Reposted
A panel in the new Coventry Cathedral, made up of fragments of medieval stained glass collected from the ruins.
November 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
A panel in the new Coventry Cathedral, made up of fragments of medieval stained glass collected from the ruins.
This is a big deal, relates to closed mouth re Trump too
Jail for him
To be very clear, Virginia Giuffre was made to say she mistakenly identified Alan Dershowitz as one of the people who sexually abused her. Here is the proof from this week's Epstein files dropped by the House Oversight Committee.
November 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM
This is a big deal, relates to closed mouth re Trump too
Reposted
Here Comes Your Man | Pixies
youtu.be/tPgf_btTFlc?...
youtu.be/tPgf_btTFlc?...
Pixies - Here Comes Your Man (Official Video)
YouTube video by 4AD
youtu.be
November 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Here Comes Your Man | Pixies
youtu.be/tPgf_btTFlc?...
youtu.be/tPgf_btTFlc?...
Reposted
Imagine having as your life coach a man who somehow destroyed a hot tub with sulfuric acid
November 15, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Imagine having as your life coach a man who somehow destroyed a hot tub with sulfuric acid
Reposted
Frankie the flamingo is all of us:
“As the weather turned cool this autumn across England, Frankie the flamingo had apparently had enough.
“On a blustery Sunday morning this month, the juvenile bird vanished from the zoo in Cornwall where she was born.”
“As the weather turned cool this autumn across England, Frankie the flamingo had apparently had enough.
“On a blustery Sunday morning this month, the juvenile bird vanished from the zoo in Cornwall where she was born.”
On a Clipped Wing, Flamingo Escapes a British Zoo for a Life in France
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Frankie the flamingo is all of us:
“As the weather turned cool this autumn across England, Frankie the flamingo had apparently had enough.
“On a blustery Sunday morning this month, the juvenile bird vanished from the zoo in Cornwall where she was born.”
“As the weather turned cool this autumn across England, Frankie the flamingo had apparently had enough.
“On a blustery Sunday morning this month, the juvenile bird vanished from the zoo in Cornwall where she was born.”
Reposted
Franz Grasser, New York City, 1938.
November 15, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Franz Grasser, New York City, 1938.
Reposted
Reversal of Fortune, in which Alan Dershowitz is presented as an idealistic absolutist and the only major character with principles, sure does play differently now
November 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reversal of Fortune, in which Alan Dershowitz is presented as an idealistic absolutist and the only major character with principles, sure does play differently now
Reposted
Nothing is safe trom Trump:
The Buddy Holly crosswalk in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas will be removed to comply with a directive from the Trump regime to rid the public roadways of any political messages or artwork.
The Buddy Holly crosswalk in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas will be removed to comply with a directive from the Trump regime to rid the public roadways of any political messages or artwork.
Buddy Holly crosswalk in his Texas hometown to be removed following order on road safety
“It’s such a tasteful cross section and people like it. But what do you do?” City Council Member Christy Martinez-Garcia said of the crosswalk that depicts Holly's iconic glasses.
www.nbcnews.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Nothing is safe trom Trump:
The Buddy Holly crosswalk in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas will be removed to comply with a directive from the Trump regime to rid the public roadways of any political messages or artwork.
The Buddy Holly crosswalk in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas will be removed to comply with a directive from the Trump regime to rid the public roadways of any political messages or artwork.
Reposted
At the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, Van Gogh painted from memory and imagination—fields, stars, and wind.
From his bedroom window came The Starry Night (June 1889): turbulence turned to vision, the sky alive with motion and faith.
From his bedroom window came The Starry Night (June 1889): turbulence turned to vision, the sky alive with motion and faith.
November 15, 2025 at 3:16 PM
At the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum, Van Gogh painted from memory and imagination—fields, stars, and wind.
From his bedroom window came The Starry Night (June 1889): turbulence turned to vision, the sky alive with motion and faith.
From his bedroom window came The Starry Night (June 1889): turbulence turned to vision, the sky alive with motion and faith.
Reposted
It's Yaphet Kotto's birthday so as usual I will share his spoken word blues/funk release, because it is very good indeed:
youtu.be/hvugAn0nwEU?...
youtu.be/hvugAn0nwEU?...
Yaphet Kotto - Have You Ever Seen The Blues "1967" (Jazz Sample)
YouTube video by SenseiSample
youtu.be
November 15, 2025 at 3:25 PM
It's Yaphet Kotto's birthday so as usual I will share his spoken word blues/funk release, because it is very good indeed:
youtu.be/hvugAn0nwEU?...
youtu.be/hvugAn0nwEU?...