David Bonowitz
@dbonowitz.bsky.social
Buildings. Earthquakes. Public policy.
Functional Recovery <--> Community Resilience.
Giants baseball. Princeton hoops.
contact: djbonowitz (with a 'j') at gmail
Functional Recovery <--> Community Resilience.
Giants baseball. Princeton hoops.
contact: djbonowitz (with a 'j') at gmail
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Once upon a time I was taking a train from East Berlin to Budapest. It was crowded to start with, and I was sitting on the floor, but everything got worse in Dresden, when many rowdy young E. Germans got on. They spilled beer on my head. They tripped over me. It was 2am and I didn’t want a fight…
people born in america probably don’t realize how cool america used to be. the death of US soft power is going to have long term consequences we are only beginning to see
February 10, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Once upon a time I was taking a train from East Berlin to Budapest. It was crowded to start with, and I was sitting on the floor, but everything got worse in Dresden, when many rowdy young E. Germans got on. They spilled beer on my head. They tripped over me. It was 2am and I didn’t want a fight…
Important in this clip is the call to action: this infrastructure requires permits, and permitting involves discretion that is often subject to public input at city, county, or state levels.
@projectsaltbox.bsky.social has useful data on where these facilities are planned.
bsky.app/profile/proj...
@projectsaltbox.bsky.social has useful data on where these facilities are planned.
bsky.app/profile/proj...
AOC on DHS Warehouses: I think every American should be alarmed. They are building—and have built—a black box system that disappears people, both immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.
February 10, 2026 at 2:51 AM
Important in this clip is the call to action: this infrastructure requires permits, and permitting involves discretion that is often subject to public input at city, county, or state levels.
@projectsaltbox.bsky.social has useful data on where these facilities are planned.
bsky.app/profile/proj...
@projectsaltbox.bsky.social has useful data on where these facilities are planned.
bsky.app/profile/proj...
Reposted by David Bonowitz
I think we can be determined to win and optimistic about our chances while also making sure we don’t fall prey to failures of imagination or an inability to wrestle with the facts as they are.
February 9, 2026 at 10:09 PM
I think we can be determined to win and optimistic about our chances while also making sure we don’t fall prey to failures of imagination or an inability to wrestle with the facts as they are.
The frustrating thing about the latest crop of "don't worry be happy" takes is that nobody on the cautious side is saying the election WILL be stolen, or even significantly messed with.
We're saying that its Dems' job to be prepared anyway.
Maybe it's because I work with 500-yr earthquakes ...
We're saying that its Dems' job to be prepared anyway.
Maybe it's because I work with 500-yr earthquakes ...
And also:
- an opposition party that foolishly acts like the norms and guardrails are still what they were 8 years ago
- left wing pundits who know so much about the past and present that they can't imagine a wildly different future.
I mean, we're decades away from having all that in pla ...
Oh.
- an opposition party that foolishly acts like the norms and guardrails are still what they were 8 years ago
- left wing pundits who know so much about the past and present that they can't imagine a wildly different future.
I mean, we're decades away from having all that in pla ...
Oh.
February 10, 2026 at 1:30 AM
The frustrating thing about the latest crop of "don't worry be happy" takes is that nobody on the cautious side is saying the election WILL be stolen, or even significantly messed with.
We're saying that its Dems' job to be prepared anyway.
Maybe it's because I work with 500-yr earthquakes ...
We're saying that its Dems' job to be prepared anyway.
Maybe it's because I work with 500-yr earthquakes ...
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Again, the Senate will be this close, & also it's irrelevant whether we think it will be close or not. The problem is that the probability of events like this unfolding is unacceptably high, & in any actual democracy would be asymptotically approaching zero.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
This would be terrifying if control was actually going to come down to a small number of closer races. But it’s not, and nobody frothing into a panic over it will internalize that load bearing part of the speculation.
Over the past three weeks, the "nightmare scenario" for November's midterms has grown more plausible www.vox.com/politics/478...
February 9, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Again, the Senate will be this close, & also it's irrelevant whether we think it will be close or not. The problem is that the probability of events like this unfolding is unacceptably high, & in any actual democracy would be asymptotically approaching zero.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Thread. DOJ is using the Fox News strategy: get someone to tell a lie, cite the lie as the basis for reporting/investigation, then run with it.
Again, it won't be easy to steal this election, but a lot of the pieces they need are already in place:
bsky.app/profile/dbon...
Again, it won't be easy to steal this election, but a lot of the pieces they need are already in place:
bsky.app/profile/dbon...
EXCLUSIVE: Since the FBI seized 2020 election materials from GA, questions have abounded as to what evidence justified the raid.
@ProPublica has obtained audio of conservative activists discussing providing files and exhibits to the Department of Justice…
www.propublica.org/article/kevi...
@ProPublica has obtained audio of conservative activists discussing providing files and exhibits to the Department of Justice…
www.propublica.org/article/kevi...
The Conservative Researcher Being Linked to the FBI’s Seizure of Election Records in Georgia
Kevin Moncla has tried repeatedly to prove that the 2020 vote in Fulton County, Georgia, was tainted by fraud. While state election overseers have rejected his claims, his work may be fueling the fede...
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Thread. DOJ is using the Fox News strategy: get someone to tell a lie, cite the lie as the basis for reporting/investigation, then run with it.
Again, it won't be easy to steal this election, but a lot of the pieces they need are already in place:
bsky.app/profile/dbon...
Again, it won't be easy to steal this election, but a lot of the pieces they need are already in place:
bsky.app/profile/dbon...
The conundrum, and "the essence of all philosophy." We have it bad. What we built is gone, but it could be (a LOT) worse. To whom do we owe assistance? What is the best use of limited time?
Faith. Doubt. Determination.
Faith. Doubt. Determination.
February 9, 2026 at 5:39 PM
The conundrum, and "the essence of all philosophy." We have it bad. What we built is gone, but it could be (a LOT) worse. To whom do we owe assistance? What is the best use of limited time?
Faith. Doubt. Determination.
Faith. Doubt. Determination.
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Remember that under the first Trump administration, Puerto Rico had to suffer through the longest power blackout in U.S. history bsky.app/profile/cost...
During his Administration, Hurricane Maria knocked out power to 1.5 million people in Puerto Rico and it didn’t get restored for ABOUT A YEAR! It was the largest blackout in U.S. history. This should be line one of any hurricane recovery political coverage. www.vox.com/identities/2...
February 9, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Remember that under the first Trump administration, Puerto Rico had to suffer through the longest power blackout in U.S. history bsky.app/profile/cost...
Bad Bunny gets it.
QP because this is not specifically about Ukr.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians #Ukraine
February 9, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Bad Bunny gets it.
Reposted by David Bonowitz
thank you bad bunny for highlighting the importance of critical power distribution infrastructure bsky.app/profile/cost...
It’s the weekend everyone, so you know what that means. Time to drink two polar seltzers and do a thread on the power transformer shortage. Without transformers, we don’t get a clean energy transition. And as energysky knows, there’s been a shortage due to covid, supply chain, & labor constraints 🔌🔋
February 9, 2026 at 1:35 AM
thank you bad bunny for highlighting the importance of critical power distribution infrastructure bsky.app/profile/cost...
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Whoa! Longtime conservative columnist, professional Dem hater, and spittle-flecked Obama/Biden critic Andrew McCarthy has a new piece in National Review ... absolutely taking Trump to task for corruption. Openly acknowledging it's far worse than anything Biden was even accused of.
The Sordid Story of Trump, the Trump–Witkoff Family Business, and the UAE | National Review
Even if crypto makes your head hurt, you’re going to be hearing a lot about this in the months to come.
www.nationalreview.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Whoa! Longtime conservative columnist, professional Dem hater, and spittle-flecked Obama/Biden critic Andrew McCarthy has a new piece in National Review ... absolutely taking Trump to task for corruption. Openly acknowledging it's far worse than anything Biden was even accused of.
QP because this is not specifically about Ukr.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians #Ukraine
Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians
Russia is methodically bombing Ukraine's power and heating infrastructure amid arctic weather conditions in a bid to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians and make much of the country unlivable, writes Kristina Hook.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
February 8, 2026 at 8:51 PM
QP because this is not specifically about Ukr.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
The tendency of war criminals to attack power & water infrastructure is clear evidence that such systems are absolutely essential. But we'll only start designing them as such when policy (e.g. IBC Table 1604.5) recognizes that fact.
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Downtown Atlanta: 1919 versus 2022. Ouch!
February 8, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Downtown Atlanta: 1919 versus 2022. Ouch!
Reposted by David Bonowitz
"We’ve been told this place is a sh*thole.” - Pat McAfee
“We’ve been told that for a long time." - A.J. Hawk.
“This place has been gorgeous. It has been incredible." - McAfee
bit.ly/4a2zdgO
“We’ve been told that for a long time." - A.J. Hawk.
“This place has been gorgeous. It has been incredible." - McAfee
bit.ly/4a2zdgO
Pat McAfee blown away to learn San Francisco is not what he's been told
The NFL world descended on the Bay Area this week as the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks prepare to battle in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium.
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 6:57 PM
"We’ve been told this place is a sh*thole.” - Pat McAfee
“We’ve been told that for a long time." - A.J. Hawk.
“This place has been gorgeous. It has been incredible." - McAfee
bit.ly/4a2zdgO
“We’ve been told that for a long time." - A.J. Hawk.
“This place has been gorgeous. It has been incredible." - McAfee
bit.ly/4a2zdgO
Reposted by David Bonowitz
Visiting the Bay Area for the Super Bowl? 🏈🌉
Welcome! Here’s a local fact you might actually feel 👇
Welcome! Here’s a local fact you might actually feel 👇
February 7, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Visiting the Bay Area for the Super Bowl? 🏈🌉
Welcome! Here’s a local fact you might actually feel 👇
Welcome! Here’s a local fact you might actually feel 👇
So Howard Co MD is using their code process to limit ownership of I-3 facilities (but say nothing about limits on chage of use in the IEBC).
On one hand, this is a NIMBY tactic, conjuring an "emergency" and citing dubious harms to nearby uses.
On the other, we're in unprecedented times.
On one hand, this is a NIMBY tactic, conjuring an "emergency" and citing dubious harms to nearby uses.
On the other, we're in unprecedented times.
If the Feds or these states adopt the 2024 IBC, this conversion from warehouse to detention (I-3 occupancy) should trigger a wind & seismic upgrade.
Just sayin', if they used the building code to make it harder to build abortion clinics, this is a much more justified application.
Just sayin', if they used the building code to make it harder to build abortion clinics, this is a much more justified application.
The Trump regime is plotting to convert commercial warehouses to massive ICE detention centers.
Private prison corporations, who just so happened to donate to Trump, are already raking in billions.
How many more private companies are going to cash in on this cruelty?
Private prison corporations, who just so happened to donate to Trump, are already raking in billions.
How many more private companies are going to cash in on this cruelty?
February 7, 2026 at 6:23 PM
So Howard Co MD is using their code process to limit ownership of I-3 facilities (but say nothing about limits on chage of use in the IEBC).
On one hand, this is a NIMBY tactic, conjuring an "emergency" and citing dubious harms to nearby uses.
On the other, we're in unprecedented times.
On one hand, this is a NIMBY tactic, conjuring an "emergency" and citing dubious harms to nearby uses.
On the other, we're in unprecedented times.
For building folks: The bill is explained & linked here. As in my post about change of use (I'll repost separately), it cites I-3 occupancy (MD adopts the 2024 ed), but apparently only wrt Admin provisions re ownership, notice & hearing:
www.howardcountymd.gov/News020226b
www.howardcountymd.gov/News020226b
February 7, 2026 at 6:19 PM
For building folks: The bill is explained & linked here. As in my post about change of use (I'll repost separately), it cites I-3 occupancy (MD adopts the 2024 ed), but apparently only wrt Admin provisions re ownership, notice & hearing:
www.howardcountymd.gov/News020226b
www.howardcountymd.gov/News020226b
This pod is excellent, striking a determined balance between alarm -- Elias is sometimes tarred as a Cassandra -- and LFG fighting spirit -- nobody does more than Elias to win in actual judgements.
As ever, keep faith & doubt in balance, and move forward with determination.
As ever, keep faith & doubt in balance, and move forward with determination.
with the irreplaceable @marcelias.bsky.social on what we are up against for the midterms. Today is a good day to start thinking about voting rights. shows.acast.com/amicus-with-...
Trump Has a New “Big Lie” for the Midterms | Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts
The sorest loser’s plans to mess with November’s elections are coming into view.
shows.acast.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:27 PM
This pod is excellent, striking a determined balance between alarm -- Elias is sometimes tarred as a Cassandra -- and LFG fighting spirit -- nobody does more than Elias to win in actual judgements.
As ever, keep faith & doubt in balance, and move forward with determination.
As ever, keep faith & doubt in balance, and move forward with determination.
Reposted by David Bonowitz
(2/2) For more on Hutcherson, who's having one of the best scoring stretches of her career, check out my story from Monday @theixsports.bsky.social:
Princeton's Olivia Hutcherson is scoring more, right on time - The IX Basketball
Olivia Hutcherson averaged 4.2 points per game for Princeton last season. Now she's up to 12.2, the fourth-largest jump in the Ivy League.
www.thenexthoops.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:54 AM
(2/2) For more on Hutcherson, who's having one of the best scoring stretches of her career, check out my story from Monday @theixsports.bsky.social:
The procedures these people are writing NOW will have far more influence on the election than goons at polling places, and probably more even than post-election fraud claims.
THIS is how you steal or "cancel" an election.
THIS is how you steal or "cancel" an election.
After Trump's lies about 2020 election, Georgia Republicans ousted Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as chair & voting member of state election board. MAGA election deniers took control of board. Now those Trump-allied Republicans could seize control of voting in GA's biggest Dem stronghold
Trump wants to take over voting in at least 15 places
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
February 6, 2026 at 5:31 PM
The procedures these people are writing NOW will have far more influence on the election than goons at polling places, and probably more even than post-election fraud claims.
THIS is how you steal or "cancel" an election.
THIS is how you steal or "cancel" an election.
This is a good pod; take a few minutes to listen.
Unfortunately, the posts about it are focusing on the wrong bits. The important parts are about the RULES being written BEFORE election day, for example: ...
Unfortunately, the posts about it are focusing on the wrong bits. The important parts are about the RULES being written BEFORE election day, for example: ...
This is quite a quote from @rickhasen.bsky.social on possibility of Trump seizing ballot boxes:
"It may take people in the streets protecting the offices where ballots are being tabulated. The Brooks Brothers riot would look very tame compared to what we might see in 2026."
More here:
"It may take people in the streets protecting the offices where ballots are being tabulated. The Brooks Brothers riot would look very tame compared to what we might see in 2026."
More here:
Here's @rickhasen.bsky.social detailing the scenario in which Trump uses search warrant to seize ballot boxes in a contested 2026 locale. This is more worrisome than ICE at the polls. Hasen also suggests ways to act against this now.
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
February 6, 2026 at 3:20 PM
This is a good pod; take a few minutes to listen.
Unfortunately, the posts about it are focusing on the wrong bits. The important parts are about the RULES being written BEFORE election day, for example: ...
Unfortunately, the posts about it are focusing on the wrong bits. The important parts are about the RULES being written BEFORE election day, for example: ...
If we're going to mock them for being 'roided up or obese cosplayers, it almost seems unfair to also mock the look of those who are just normie dudes with glasses.
That said, the responses to this post are outstanding.
That said, the responses to this post are outstanding.
Was this very mid-2000s emo person press-ganged into ICE servitude?
February 6, 2026 at 5:10 AM
If we're going to mock them for being 'roided up or obese cosplayers, it almost seems unfair to also mock the look of those who are just normie dudes with glasses.
That said, the responses to this post are outstanding.
That said, the responses to this post are outstanding.
Reposted by David Bonowitz
You would probably need:
- a hobbled Voting Rights Act
- a non-functioning FERC
- a personal DOJ that ignores voting rights (and is still seeking voter rolls)
- maybe an obedient Fed chair
- legal immunity from scotus
...
- a hobbled Voting Rights Act
- a non-functioning FERC
- a personal DOJ that ignores voting rights (and is still seeking voter rolls)
- maybe an obedient Fed chair
- legal immunity from scotus
...
January 24, 2026 at 6:59 AM
You would probably need:
- a hobbled Voting Rights Act
- a non-functioning FERC
- a personal DOJ that ignores voting rights (and is still seeking voter rolls)
- maybe an obedient Fed chair
- legal immunity from scotus
...
- a hobbled Voting Rights Act
- a non-functioning FERC
- a personal DOJ that ignores voting rights (and is still seeking voter rolls)
- maybe an obedient Fed chair
- legal immunity from scotus
...
Reposted by David Bonowitz
So to say it's impossible to cancel an election is to ignore the undercurrent of our recent history -- ironic, given JB's very real expertise.
So yes, make your pedantic point about election procedure. But if we need massive D turnout (we do), ...
So yes, make your pedantic point about election procedure. But if we need massive D turnout (we do), ...
January 24, 2026 at 6:59 AM
So to say it's impossible to cancel an election is to ignore the undercurrent of our recent history -- ironic, given JB's very real expertise.
So yes, make your pedantic point about election procedure. But if we need massive D turnout (we do), ...
So yes, make your pedantic point about election procedure. But if we need massive D turnout (we do), ...
Reposted by David Bonowitz
If we understand "cancel" to mean "manipulate, hobble, and skew" -- what the pros call ratfucking -- then it seems much more possible, and the only defenses against it are the norms and guardrails.
But JB said we shouldn't talk about norms and guardrails! And THAT's how we know ...
But JB said we shouldn't talk about norms and guardrails! And THAT's how we know ...
January 24, 2026 at 6:59 AM
If we understand "cancel" to mean "manipulate, hobble, and skew" -- what the pros call ratfucking -- then it seems much more possible, and the only defenses against it are the norms and guardrails.
But JB said we shouldn't talk about norms and guardrails! And THAT's how we know ...
But JB said we shouldn't talk about norms and guardrails! And THAT's how we know ...