Claire Merci
@clairemerci.bsky.social
99.9% reposts ::: so many reposts ::: too earnest to be witty ::: neurodivergent ::: science! ::: books! ::: defender of indoor spiders ::: ok, any ºooº ::: ní bóna ná coróin ::: 57% anxiety by volume ::: she/they
Reposted by Claire Merci
The other day a gas station tv tried to sell me cappuccino and mango flavored dip and I’ve never been more convinced that we’ve lost the mandate of heaven.
Little TV screens at the gas station pump blaring ads directly in your face as you spend $70 on a tank of gas is enough to radicalize a person
November 30, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The other day a gas station tv tried to sell me cappuccino and mango flavored dip and I’ve never been more convinced that we’ve lost the mandate of heaven.
Reposted by Claire Merci
Maybe another way to think of it is as the "participation line" - the income one needs to fully participate in expected aspects of US life without worrying about plunging into deprivation one way or another
(gift article)
wapo.st/3MeOGki
(gift article)
wapo.st/3MeOGki
An investor called $140,000 the new poverty line. Experts disagreed but said he had a point.
Michael Green’s tally of the costs of raising a family in the U.S. today is going viral, even if some economists scoff at his math.
wapo.st
November 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Maybe another way to think of it is as the "participation line" - the income one needs to fully participate in expected aspects of US life without worrying about plunging into deprivation one way or another
(gift article)
wapo.st/3MeOGki
(gift article)
wapo.st/3MeOGki
Reposted by Claire Merci
Krissy called me down to the kitchen to have me eat a last bit of Thanksgiving leftovers so she could put its container into the dishwasher, and I just got a stern look from the dog warning me not to overstep into her territory ever again
November 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Krissy called me down to the kitchen to have me eat a last bit of Thanksgiving leftovers so she could put its container into the dishwasher, and I just got a stern look from the dog warning me not to overstep into her territory ever again
Reposted by Claire Merci
rich dudes got freakier after butlers fell out of fashion, like say what you will about having domestic servants but clearly it was some sort of moderating force on old rich dudes having a fancy man follow you around saying shit like "oh dear sir, that wouldn't be very becoming"
November 29, 2025 at 6:43 AM
rich dudes got freakier after butlers fell out of fashion, like say what you will about having domestic servants but clearly it was some sort of moderating force on old rich dudes having a fancy man follow you around saying shit like "oh dear sir, that wouldn't be very becoming"
Reposted by Claire Merci
Trump is invading American cities to nominally address crime, and I think the scale of his pardon-sprees should be given more political salience
When this criminal was jailed, the judge told David Gentile and America: ‘This is a warning to would-be fraudsters that seeking to get rich by taking advantage of investors gets you only a one-way ticket to jail.’ I guess not
November 30, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Trump is invading American cities to nominally address crime, and I think the scale of his pardon-sprees should be given more political salience
Reposted by Claire Merci
If one Afghan nationalist shooter means all Afghan nationalists are evil, wait until I tell you about white male shooters.
November 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
If one Afghan nationalist shooter means all Afghan nationalists are evil, wait until I tell you about white male shooters.
Reposted by Claire Merci
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 1:10 AM
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Reposted by Claire Merci
The highest calling of journalism isn’t to tell two sides of a story.
The highest calling of journalism is to tell the truth.
And acting like a stenographer is a betrayal of your audience.
The highest calling of journalism is to tell the truth.
And acting like a stenographer is a betrayal of your audience.
Unfortunately, in US journalism it is considered neutral to spread a lie, but it is considered "biased" to call out a lie. So, there is a structural asymmetry that rewards colorful lies with virality.
November 30, 2025 at 7:49 AM
The highest calling of journalism isn’t to tell two sides of a story.
The highest calling of journalism is to tell the truth.
And acting like a stenographer is a betrayal of your audience.
The highest calling of journalism is to tell the truth.
And acting like a stenographer is a betrayal of your audience.
Reposted by Claire Merci
Pretty much ANY statistic you see cited to frighten you about vaccines comes from the VAERS database. (Including the recent evidence-free missive from Vinay Prasad). Here's why VAERS can NEVER be a proper source for population-level vaccine risk estimates.
Thread [1/9]
Thread [1/9]
November 30, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Pretty much ANY statistic you see cited to frighten you about vaccines comes from the VAERS database. (Including the recent evidence-free missive from Vinay Prasad). Here's why VAERS can NEVER be a proper source for population-level vaccine risk estimates.
Thread [1/9]
Thread [1/9]
Reposted by Claire Merci
An important part of arresting the consolidation of authoritarianism is convincing corporations and institutions that Trump will eventually be out of power and at that point they’ll face consequences for their actions and by that standard this is a good sign
Jamie Dimon says JPM hasn't given to the ballroom because "anything we do, since we do a lot of contracts with governments here and around the world, we have to be very careful about how anything is perceived." Adds "And also how the next DOJ is going to deal with."
thehill.com/business/559...
thehill.com/business/559...
thehill.com
November 30, 2025 at 5:17 AM
An important part of arresting the consolidation of authoritarianism is convincing corporations and institutions that Trump will eventually be out of power and at that point they’ll face consequences for their actions and by that standard this is a good sign
Reposted by Claire Merci
scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implications
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Revealed: Europe’s water reserves drying up due to climate breakdown
Exclusive: UCL scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implications
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:51 AM
scientists find large swathes of southern Europe are drying up, with ‘far-reaching’ implications
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Claire Merci
The White House’s new anti-media website includes denunciations of:
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
November 30, 2025 at 3:15 AM
The White House’s new anti-media website includes denunciations of:
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
-ABC, which bribed the president
-CBS, which bribed the president and moved away from fact-based journalism trying to appeal to him and his fans
-WaPo, which spiked a Harris endorsement and tilts coverage in Trump’s favor
Fools.
Reposted by Claire Merci
Anecdotally on twitter seeing a big shift the last few days from every AI slop account saying every other creative field is “over” and they’re in control now to now posting about how nobody likes them and it’s not fair and they’ll persevere and real artists respect and uplift eachother
November 30, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Anecdotally on twitter seeing a big shift the last few days from every AI slop account saying every other creative field is “over” and they’re in control now to now posting about how nobody likes them and it’s not fair and they’ll persevere and real artists respect and uplift eachother
Reposted by Claire Merci
Reposted by Claire Merci
Headline: "AI can replace 11.7% of workforce"
Actual study: Anthropic paid MIT to use a "labor simulation tool" that said 11.7% of TASKS could be done by AI
Actual study: Anthropic paid MIT to use a "labor simulation tool" that said 11.7% of TASKS could be done by AI
MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of U.S. workforce
Artificial intelligence can already replace 11.7% of the U.S. labor market, across finance, health care and professional services, according to MIT's study.
www.cnbc.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Headline: "AI can replace 11.7% of workforce"
Actual study: Anthropic paid MIT to use a "labor simulation tool" that said 11.7% of TASKS could be done by AI
Actual study: Anthropic paid MIT to use a "labor simulation tool" that said 11.7% of TASKS could be done by AI
Reposted by Claire Merci
Reposted by Claire Merci
New platter with all kinds of inverts! #sciart #ceramics #handbuilding #pottery #larvae #annelids #seaurchin #octopus #embryo #cnidarians #nematostella #veliger #snail #ascidians #nudibranchs
November 29, 2025 at 2:01 PM
New platter with all kinds of inverts! #sciart #ceramics #handbuilding #pottery #larvae #annelids #seaurchin #octopus #embryo #cnidarians #nematostella #veliger #snail #ascidians #nudibranchs
Reposted by Claire Merci
if you’re cold they’re cold
let your demons in
let your demons in
November 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM
if you’re cold they’re cold
let your demons in
let your demons in
Reposted by Claire Merci
I was rereading the comic Digger the other day (www.diggercomic.com) and once again encountered @tkingfisher.com making purple ink really creepy *in a comic with no color anywhere*. And I just think that's neat. Not as neat as the jumpscare on the page in The Hollow Places, but neat.
Digger by Ursula Vernon
www.diggercomic.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:56 PM
I was rereading the comic Digger the other day (www.diggercomic.com) and once again encountered @tkingfisher.com making purple ink really creepy *in a comic with no color anywhere*. And I just think that's neat. Not as neat as the jumpscare on the page in The Hollow Places, but neat.
Reposted by Claire Merci
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
October 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
I found a flowchart which helps you navigate the IT landscape
Reposted by Claire Merci
Computer, please summarize everything PG Wodehouse ever wrote in ten seconds
rich dudes got freakier after butlers fell out of fashion, like say what you will about having domestic servants but clearly it was some sort of moderating force on old rich dudes having a fancy man follow you around saying shit like "oh dear sir, that wouldn't be very becoming"
November 29, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Computer, please summarize everything PG Wodehouse ever wrote in ten seconds
Reposted by Claire Merci
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
November 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Reposted by Claire Merci
In case you didn’t realize SNAP is corporate welfare.
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
November 29, 2025 at 8:46 PM
In case you didn’t realize SNAP is corporate welfare.
Reposted by Claire Merci
BEHOLD
I commissioned @poulsens.bsky.social to do the main trio of Run With the Hunted, and so I present to you Bristol, Bits, and Dolly!
I commissioned @poulsens.bsky.social to do the main trio of Run With the Hunted, and so I present to you Bristol, Bits, and Dolly!
November 29, 2025 at 8:43 PM
BEHOLD
I commissioned @poulsens.bsky.social to do the main trio of Run With the Hunted, and so I present to you Bristol, Bits, and Dolly!
I commissioned @poulsens.bsky.social to do the main trio of Run With the Hunted, and so I present to you Bristol, Bits, and Dolly!
Reposted by Claire Merci
The problem with fetishizing the rule of law is that people have to break the law to resist fascism, state violence, and oppression. This has always been true, and is very much the case RIGHT NOW.
November 29, 2025 at 1:44 AM
The problem with fetishizing the rule of law is that people have to break the law to resist fascism, state violence, and oppression. This has always been true, and is very much the case RIGHT NOW.