Cathi Harris
@cathiharris.bsky.social
Writer, editor, and opinionated human.
I write a blog and weekly email newsletter, Alte Frau - New Life, about life in Berlin. You can find it at www.diealtefrau.com.
And I natter on about everything else at cathiharris.com.
She/hers
I write a blog and weekly email newsletter, Alte Frau - New Life, about life in Berlin. You can find it at www.diealtefrau.com.
And I natter on about everything else at cathiharris.com.
She/hers
Reposted by Cathi Harris
This time, the visual evidence captured from various angles is so overwhelming that many news agencies have begun to provide detailed analyses that leave little room for doubt: it was murder. However, the fascists will continue to lie, and #genAI will give them the tools they need to erode trust
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January 8, 2026 at 2:25 PM
This time, the visual evidence captured from various angles is so overwhelming that many news agencies have begun to provide detailed analyses that leave little room for doubt: it was murder. However, the fascists will continue to lie, and #genAI will give them the tools they need to erode trust
2/
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Reposted by Cathi Harris
The fight against fascism is also a fight for a shared sense of reality. We see demagogues twisting the facts and blatantly lying, while legacy media are keen to present every story as a matter of conflicting interpretations. With social media drowning in #AIslop, this is only going to get worse
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January 8, 2026 at 2:25 PM
The fight against fascism is also a fight for a shared sense of reality. We see demagogues twisting the facts and blatantly lying, while legacy media are keen to present every story as a matter of conflicting interpretations. With social media drowning in #AIslop, this is only going to get worse
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1/
Reposted by Cathi Harris
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... Broad daylight with witnesses and video from 3 angles.
First the Shooting. Then the Lies.
The Trump administration has perfected the smear campaign.
www.theatlantic.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:29 AM
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... Broad daylight with witnesses and video from 3 angles.
And, then came the events of last Saturday. And now, apparently a new world order - the Donroe Doctrine - an evil alternate-universe SNL skit come to life.
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
Fiddling while the world burns
Why I still nag my son do his math homework even when I feel like society is collapsing
www.cathiharris.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:18 PM
And, then came the events of last Saturday. And now, apparently a new world order - the Donroe Doctrine - an evil alternate-universe SNL skit come to life.
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Es wird immer verworrener. Nun gibt es ein weiteres Schreiben, angeblich von der ursprünglichen #Vulkangruppe - die sich von dem Anschlag aufs Stromnetz in Berlin-Lichterfelde distanziert. Ob das wirklich die Gruppe ist, lässt sich aber erneut nicht unabhängig überprüfen. taz.de/Brandanschla...
Brandanschlag auf Stromnetz in Berlin: „Vulkangruppe“ distanziert sich von „Vulkangruppe“
Noch ein Schreiben einer „Vulkangruppe“: Nun distanziert sich die angebliche Ursprungsgruppe von dem aktuellen Brandanschlag in Berlin-Lichterfelde.
taz.de
January 7, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Es wird immer verworrener. Nun gibt es ein weiteres Schreiben, angeblich von der ursprünglichen #Vulkangruppe - die sich von dem Anschlag aufs Stromnetz in Berlin-Lichterfelde distanziert. Ob das wirklich die Gruppe ist, lässt sich aber erneut nicht unabhängig überprüfen. taz.de/Brandanschla...
This is what I wish more people would point out about "Make America Great, Again.' He means great for himself, his family and those he considers his peers - the wealthy 'winners' at life. Everyone else is just a 'sucker or loser' to be exploited.
When Trump says it won’t end up costing the United States to illegally invade and “control” Venezuela because of the value of their oil, he means there will be a massive public cost, but that’s ok because private companies and oligarchs, including his family, will make a ton of money.
People wondering whether the US is going to be able to "run the country" of Venezuela at "no cost" might like to remind themselves it's a place one-third *larger* than Afghanistan, the running of which cost the US $2,260,000,000,000. (That's $2.26 trillion).
January 4, 2026 at 7:19 AM
This is what I wish more people would point out about "Make America Great, Again.' He means great for himself, his family and those he considers his peers - the wealthy 'winners' at life. Everyone else is just a 'sucker or loser' to be exploited.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
For gazillionth time, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept
“Well… we can’t just keep filing impeachment articles all the time.”
Yes you can! If the man is committing impeachable offenses on the regular, you’re acquiescing to a standard that raises the bar for impeachable offense to absurd levels.
Yes you can! If the man is committing impeachable offenses on the regular, you’re acquiescing to a standard that raises the bar for impeachable offense to absurd levels.
How are voters meant to understand how serious things are if in lieu of shouting fire AND going into building with hoses, you're simply posting fire safety suggestions on social media?
Not introducing articles of impeachment is a message that Trump hasn't committed impeachable offenses.
Not introducing articles of impeachment is a message that Trump hasn't committed impeachable offenses.
January 4, 2026 at 6:25 AM
For gazillionth time, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept
This year's Berlin NYE stats:
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
Silvester 2025 in Berlin im Liveblog: Feuerwehr elfmal angegriffen oder bedrängt – Ringbahn nach Brand auch am Morgen unterbrochen
Nach der Party wird aufgeräumt: Rund ums Brandenburger Tor macht die BSR die Straßen sauber für den Neujahrslauf. Das UKB operierte in der Nacht „am Anschlag“, die Polizei zählte 420 Festnahmen. Der S...
www.tagesspiegel.de
January 1, 2026 at 11:40 AM
This year's Berlin NYE stats:
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
"People have thrown firecrackers down subway stairs, into streetcars, and just at random people on the street. The smoke makes the air quality terrible. And the resulting trash strains the city resources even more."
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
We need to talk about Silvester
How not to have the wrong kind of blast on New Year's Eve
www.diealtefrau.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:39 AM
"People have thrown firecrackers down subway stairs, into streetcars, and just at random people on the street. The smoke makes the air quality terrible. And the resulting trash strains the city resources even more."
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
Average annual earnings would top $150,000 if wages had kept up with productivity over the past 50 years.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
‘Affordability’ is really a wage crisis
American workers are 150% more productive than they were 50 years ago. If wages kept up, the average worker would make $150K. Fixing affordability requires acknowledging and solving wage stagnation.
open.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Average annual earnings would top $150,000 if wages had kept up with productivity over the past 50 years.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
This is a good reminder that hardened opposition to good ideas can dissipate like … smoke
I lived thru the end of public smoking. Early in my career I presented to city councils who were smoking, in front of audiences who were smoking.
Smoking in restaurants, airplanes, hospitals…
All of that seems insane now, but it was very controversial when we DID change it.
We CAN change things.
Smoking in restaurants, airplanes, hospitals…
All of that seems insane now, but it was very controversial when we DID change it.
We CAN change things.
It’s crazy that people used to be able to just smoke cigarettes wherever they wanted
December 21, 2025 at 3:54 AM
This is a good reminder that hardened opposition to good ideas can dissipate like … smoke
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Fewer than 60,000 people – 0.001% of the world’s population – control 3 x as much wealth as the entire bottom 1/2 of humanity.
Those same people control most of the media, social media, streaming services, & politicians.
We are going to have take to the streets in vast numbers to change this.
Those same people control most of the media, social media, streaming services, & politicians.
We are going to have take to the streets in vast numbers to change this.
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds
Just 0.001% hold three times the wealth of poorest half of humanity, report finds
Data from World Inequality Report also showed top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90%
Fewer than 60,000 people – 0.001% of the world’s population – control three times as much wealth as the entire bottom half of humanity, according to a report that argues global inequality has reached such extremes that urgent action has become essential.
The authoritative World Inequality Report 2026, based on data compiled by 200 researchers, also found that the top 10% of income-earners earn more than the other 90% combined, while the poorest half captures less than 10% of total global earnings. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Fewer than 60,000 people – 0.001% of the world’s population – control 3 x as much wealth as the entire bottom 1/2 of humanity.
Those same people control most of the media, social media, streaming services, & politicians.
We are going to have take to the streets in vast numbers to change this.
Those same people control most of the media, social media, streaming services, & politicians.
We are going to have take to the streets in vast numbers to change this.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
I’m 56 years old, and for my whole life we’ve been asking some version of the question “what would WE, our generation, have done to stop the Nazis, either in Germany as they were rising, or around the world to fight for freedom.
Now we’re answering the question in real time. Each of us & all of us.
Now we’re answering the question in real time. Each of us & all of us.
December 2, 2025 at 8:58 PM
I’m 56 years old, and for my whole life we’ve been asking some version of the question “what would WE, our generation, have done to stop the Nazis, either in Germany as they were rising, or around the world to fight for freedom.
Now we’re answering the question in real time. Each of us & all of us.
Now we’re answering the question in real time. Each of us & all of us.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
man who works for company that does stuff other than AI and which will support him faffing around with AI for the next decade: AGI will take 10 years
man who needs investors to pump money into his company which does nothing but AI and who'll get angry if AGI doesn't happen soon: AGI will happen soon
man who needs investors to pump money into his company which does nothing but AI and who'll get angry if AGI doesn't happen soon: AGI will happen soon
Microsoft’s AI boss and Sam Altman disagree on what it takes to get to AGI
Mustafa Suleyman says today’s hardware won’t bring AGI.
www.theverge.com
December 9, 2024 at 4:34 PM
man who works for company that does stuff other than AI and which will support him faffing around with AI for the next decade: AGI will take 10 years
man who needs investors to pump money into his company which does nothing but AI and who'll get angry if AGI doesn't happen soon: AGI will happen soon
man who needs investors to pump money into his company which does nothing but AI and who'll get angry if AGI doesn't happen soon: AGI will happen soon
"He clung to the belief that his homeland would one day be redeemed—that the nation of “Dichter und Denker,” of poets and thinkers, had not “disappeared entirely beneath the dirt and mud of the Third Reich.”
The New German War Machine
After World War II, Germany embraced pacifism as a form of atonement. Now the country is arming itself again.
www.theatlantic.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:41 AM
"He clung to the belief that his homeland would one day be redeemed—that the nation of “Dichter und Denker,” of poets and thinkers, had not “disappeared entirely beneath the dirt and mud of the Third Reich.”
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Moin. Good morning.
All right, everyone. Gird your loins because #Whamageddon starts today. If you heard it last week, it doesn't count. But do be more careful! May the odds always be in your favor.
All right, everyone. Gird your loins because #Whamageddon starts today. If you heard it last week, it doesn't count. But do be more careful! May the odds always be in your favor.
December 1, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Moin. Good morning.
All right, everyone. Gird your loins because #Whamageddon starts today. If you heard it last week, it doesn't count. But do be more careful! May the odds always be in your favor.
All right, everyone. Gird your loins because #Whamageddon starts today. If you heard it last week, it doesn't count. But do be more careful! May the odds always be in your favor.
What I'm doing now that it's harder to ship packages to the United States.
Making a list, checking it twice
Sending holiday gifts across borders and trade wars.
www.diealtefrau.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:16 AM
What I'm doing now that it's harder to ship packages to the United States.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
#RespectCyclists #Fahrraddemo
Wir protestieren am 3.12. laut gegen die aktuelle Planung für den Umbau der #TORSTRASSE!
👉️ 3.12.25 17:30 GLEIMSTRASSE/MAUERPARK
‼️ACHTUNG NEUER STARTPUNKT‼️
👉️ 18:15 Abfahrt
👉️ 18:45 Rosenthaler Platz (ZK)
👉️ Ende: #senmvkuberlin
Infos/Route: respect-cyclists.de/RC2512
Wir protestieren am 3.12. laut gegen die aktuelle Planung für den Umbau der #TORSTRASSE!
👉️ 3.12.25 17:30 GLEIMSTRASSE/MAUERPARK
‼️ACHTUNG NEUER STARTPUNKT‼️
👉️ 18:15 Abfahrt
👉️ 18:45 Rosenthaler Platz (ZK)
👉️ Ende: #senmvkuberlin
Infos/Route: respect-cyclists.de/RC2512
December 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Gen Z will be alright. Great article from @brennanbrown.bsky.social
Gen-Z love dumb phones, the analog, e-ink screens, slow living, community, and longform work.
This will give you the most amount of hope you’ve had in a long while.
medium.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Gen Z will be alright. Great article from @brennanbrown.bsky.social
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Battery-electric cars accounted for 16.4% of new registrations in EU in first ten months of 2025
Combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 36.6%, down from 46.3% in 2024
www.acea.auto/pc-registrat...
Combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 36.6%, down from 46.3% in 2024
www.acea.auto/pc-registrat...
New car registrations: +1.4% in October 2025 year-to-date; battery-electric 16.4% market share
By October 2025 year-to-date (YTD), new EU car registrations increased by 1.4% compared to the same period last year, marking the fourth consecutive month of growth.
www.acea.auto
November 25, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Battery-electric cars accounted for 16.4% of new registrations in EU in first ten months of 2025
Combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 36.6%, down from 46.3% in 2024
www.acea.auto/pc-registrat...
Combined market share of petrol and diesel cars fell to 36.6%, down from 46.3% in 2024
www.acea.auto/pc-registrat...
"Listeners who wrote in to us said they were shocked to hear the leader of a platform with 151.5 million monthly users, most of them minors, express frustration and annoyance at being asked about the company's history of failures related to child safety."
Roblox is a problem — but it’s a symptom of something worse
What is the role of tech journalism in a world where CEOs no longer feel shame?
www.platformer.news
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 AM
"Listeners who wrote in to us said they were shocked to hear the leader of a platform with 151.5 million monthly users, most of them minors, express frustration and annoyance at being asked about the company's history of failures related to child safety."
"More than half of all jobs in Germany are covered by collective bargaining agreements, despite only about 16 percent of workers directly belonging to a union."
Not Working for The Man
Labor strikes are a regular fact of life across Europe - why not the U.S.?
www.cathiharris.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:28 AM
"More than half of all jobs in Germany are covered by collective bargaining agreements, despite only about 16 percent of workers directly belonging to a union."
Is this new or have I just never bothered to look up? Corner of Finowstraße and Oderstraße in Friedrichshain
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Is this new or have I just never bothered to look up? Corner of Finowstraße and Oderstraße in Friedrichshain