Barth Keck
@keckb33.bsky.social
Retired English teacher, adjunct faculty/community college, columnist for www.ctnewsjunkie.com, media-literacy crusader, Baltimore native/New England transplant, lifelong Orioles fan, football coach, husband, dad, grandad, dog lover.
We're going "old-school" in this week's Football Chronicles:
"This past week reminded me that while 'old-school' means 'out of touch' to some people, it remains a good thing to be in many situations."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"This past week reminded me that while 'old-school' means 'out of touch' to some people, it remains a good thing to be in many situations."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Football Chronicles 2025: Thoughts from ‘Coach Old School’ — Part 1 (Chapter 14)
Author’s note: This is the 14th installment of “The HK Cougar Football Chronicles,” 2025 edition. As an assistant coach, I share an inside…
medium.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:45 AM
We're going "old-school" in this week's Football Chronicles:
"This past week reminded me that while 'old-school' means 'out of touch' to some people, it remains a good thing to be in many situations."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"This past week reminded me that while 'old-school' means 'out of touch' to some people, it remains a good thing to be in many situations."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
November 14, 2025 at 9:56 AM
The proverbial smoking gun:
“In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage.”
“In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage.”
November 12, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The proverbial smoking gun:
“In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage.”
“In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump ‘knew about the girls,’ many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage.”
My latest op-ed:
“It seems Trump is providing as much evidence as possible for Oscar Wilde’s thesis that ‘Life imitates art more than art imitates life.’ How else to describe the opulent Great Gatsby party [at Mar-a-Lago]?”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/11/11/opinion-make-authors-germane-again/
“It seems Trump is providing as much evidence as possible for Oscar Wilde’s thesis that ‘Life imitates art more than art imitates life.’ How else to describe the opulent Great Gatsby party [at Mar-a-Lago]?”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/11/11/opinion-make-authors-germane-again/
Opinion | Make Authors Germane Again | CT News Junkie
Columnist Barth Keck says the recent Great Gatsby-themed party at Mar-A-Lago during a government shutdown, when federal food aid was about to be cut off, speaks volumes about the heartlessness of the ...
ctnewsjunkie.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:17 AM
My latest op-ed:
“It seems Trump is providing as much evidence as possible for Oscar Wilde’s thesis that ‘Life imitates art more than art imitates life.’ How else to describe the opulent Great Gatsby party [at Mar-a-Lago]?”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/11/11/opinion-make-authors-germane-again/
“It seems Trump is providing as much evidence as possible for Oscar Wilde’s thesis that ‘Life imitates art more than art imitates life.’ How else to describe the opulent Great Gatsby party [at Mar-a-Lago]?”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/11/11/opinion-make-authors-germane-again/
“American farmers have faced an undue strain [as] the price of farm production, including land costs, seed, and fertilizer, have skyrocketed while agriculture margins continue to fall.”
“High production cost and market losses mean soybean farmers are expected to face a loss of around $109 an acre for this year’s crop,” ninth-generation Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland, president of American Soybean Association, told Fortune.
#Tariffs
#Tariffs
Farmers feel betrayed as China dangles millions of tons of soybean purchases over the U.S. to get an edge in the escalating trade war | Fortune
Farmers could lose $109 an acre for this year’s crop, according to the president of the American Soybean Association.
fortune.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:10 AM
“American farmers have faced an undue strain [as] the price of farm production, including land costs, seed, and fertilizer, have skyrocketed while agriculture margins continue to fall.”
Another knee-jerk idea meant to placate the masses. Aside from the fact that he won’t ever do it, it’s an asinine idea:
“A round of Trump's tariff dividend checks would cost about $600 billion. However, the new tariffs imposed this year are projected to generate only about $300 billion a year.”
“A round of Trump's tariff dividend checks would cost about $600 billion. However, the new tariffs imposed this year are projected to generate only about $300 billion a year.”
The nonpartisan nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released cost projections after President Trump pitched his idea this weekend.
Trump's $2,000 rebate checks would cost $6 billion ‒ double the new revenue coming in
The nonpartisan nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released cost projections after President Trump pitched his idea this weekend.
bit.ly
November 11, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Another knee-jerk idea meant to placate the masses. Aside from the fact that he won’t ever do it, it’s an asinine idea:
“A round of Trump's tariff dividend checks would cost about $600 billion. However, the new tariffs imposed this year are projected to generate only about $300 billion a year.”
“A round of Trump's tariff dividend checks would cost about $600 billion. However, the new tariffs imposed this year are projected to generate only about $300 billion a year.”
My latest "Football Chronicles":
"We had just finished what I thought was the most relaxed practice week of the season. It wasn’t as if the kids weren’t focused; they were simply laid-back in their approach."
medium.com/@barthkeck/3...
"We had just finished what I thought was the most relaxed practice week of the season. It wasn’t as if the kids weren’t focused; they were simply laid-back in their approach."
medium.com/@barthkeck/3...
Football Chronicles 2025: What’s the Proper Attitude for Game Prep? (Chapter 13)
Author’s note: This is the 13th installment of “The HK Cougar Football Chronicles,” 2025 edition. As an assistant coach, I offer readers an…
medium.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:40 PM
My latest "Football Chronicles":
"We had just finished what I thought was the most relaxed practice week of the season. It wasn’t as if the kids weren’t focused; they were simply laid-back in their approach."
medium.com/@barthkeck/3...
"We had just finished what I thought was the most relaxed practice week of the season. It wasn’t as if the kids weren’t focused; they were simply laid-back in their approach."
medium.com/@barthkeck/3...
"Millions of people are fed up with screen-staring and app-driven life. They want an exit. It’s a real movement and it’s growing. So bring people along on your journey. That might even be part of your new vocation."
www.honest-broker.com/p/a-young-re...
www.honest-broker.com/p/a-young-re...
A Young Reader Asks for Help
I recently received a letter from a young man—but what can I say to him?
www.honest-broker.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
"Millions of people are fed up with screen-staring and app-driven life. They want an exit. It’s a real movement and it’s growing. So bring people along on your journey. That might even be part of your new vocation."
www.honest-broker.com/p/a-young-re...
www.honest-broker.com/p/a-young-re...
"That’s the AI story. It’s not about making workers more productive or creative. The only way to recoup the $700 billion in capital expenditure to date is by displacing workers — a lot of workers."
doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
When AI prophecy fails
Hating workers is a hell of a drug.
doctorow.medium.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:28 PM
"That’s the AI story. It’s not about making workers more productive or creative. The only way to recoup the $700 billion in capital expenditure to date is by displacing workers — a lot of workers."
doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...
This is what happens when a president has an impulsive, ever-changing tariff "policy."
“We’re sort of like itinerant refugees in how we make our products. We go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and no matter what we guess, it seems like it’s wrong.”
finance.yahoo.com/news/toymake...
“We’re sort of like itinerant refugees in how we make our products. We go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and no matter what we guess, it seems like it’s wrong.”
finance.yahoo.com/news/toymake...
Trump Battles Tiny Toymaker Over Tariffs in Landmark Supreme Court Case
Woldenberg, who runs two educational-toy businesses near Chicago, says the BubblePlush Yoga Ball Buddies, designed to help kids control their emotions, has been hit especially hard by Trump’s fluctuat...
finance.yahoo.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This is what happens when a president has an impulsive, ever-changing tariff "policy."
“We’re sort of like itinerant refugees in how we make our products. We go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and no matter what we guess, it seems like it’s wrong.”
finance.yahoo.com/news/toymake...
“We’re sort of like itinerant refugees in how we make our products. We go from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and no matter what we guess, it seems like it’s wrong.”
finance.yahoo.com/news/toymake...
Extortion, anyone?
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” [GOP spokesperson] Mercer said in his email. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” [GOP spokesperson] Mercer said in his email. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration,” the North Carolina Republican Party's communications director wrote in an email response to us. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
We didn't. Read the story that he wanted dropped:
We didn't. Read the story that he wanted dropped:
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
www.propublica.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Extortion, anyone?
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” [GOP spokesperson] Mercer said in his email. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” [GOP spokesperson] Mercer said in his email. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”
My latest "Football Chronicles" installment:
"You might say the Cromwell/Portland Panthers football team enjoys a 'curse-infused advantage' over the Cougars, having defeated HK every time they have squared off since C/P first formed the co-op in 2015."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"You might say the Cromwell/Portland Panthers football team enjoys a 'curse-infused advantage' over the Cougars, having defeated HK every time they have squared off since C/P first formed the co-op in 2015."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Football Chronicles 2025: Is There Such a Thing as ‘The Cromwell Curse’? (Chapter 12)
Author’s note: This is the 12th installment of “The HK Cougar Football Chronicles,” 2025 edition. As an assistant coach, I offer readers an…
medium.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:28 PM
My latest "Football Chronicles" installment:
"You might say the Cromwell/Portland Panthers football team enjoys a 'curse-infused advantage' over the Cougars, having defeated HK every time they have squared off since C/P first formed the co-op in 2015."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"You might say the Cromwell/Portland Panthers football team enjoys a 'curse-infused advantage' over the Cougars, having defeated HK every time they have squared off since C/P first formed the co-op in 2015."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
The definition of an oligarchy:
“Mr. Powell said, the largest companies behind the [AI] transformation are highly valued and largely funding their expansions from their own businesses, rather than loose lending.”
“Mr. Powell said, the largest companies behind the [AI] transformation are highly valued and largely funding their expansions from their own businesses, rather than loose lending.”
That AI is likely a stupendous bubble in the making - and already rife with risks and harms - doesn't trouble the key players because the goal in our system isn't to do good or even to do well but to beat others.
Big Tech companies pursue dangerous nonsense […]
[Original post on sciences.social]
Big Tech companies pursue dangerous nonsense […]
[Original post on sciences.social]
November 2, 2025 at 12:38 PM
The definition of an oligarchy:
“Mr. Powell said, the largest companies behind the [AI] transformation are highly valued and largely funding their expansions from their own businesses, rather than loose lending.”
“Mr. Powell said, the largest companies behind the [AI] transformation are highly valued and largely funding their expansions from their own businesses, rather than loose lending.”
A friendly reminder:
“Social media is not real life.”
“Unfortunately, too many people today have fallen under the Svengali spell of social media, interpreting the accounts of their preferred influencers as absolute truth.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/15/opinion-social-media-is-not-real-life/
“Social media is not real life.”
“Unfortunately, too many people today have fallen under the Svengali spell of social media, interpreting the accounts of their preferred influencers as absolute truth.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/15/opinion-social-media-is-not-real-life/
Opinion | Social Media Is Not Real Life | CT News Junkie
Social media is not real life. That's the thought that came immediately to mind as I read an essay by Adrienne LaFrance, the executive editor of The Atlantic, in the aftermath of the horrific assassin...
ctnewsjunkie.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:55 AM
A friendly reminder:
“Social media is not real life.”
“Unfortunately, too many people today have fallen under the Svengali spell of social media, interpreting the accounts of their preferred influencers as absolute truth.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/15/opinion-social-media-is-not-real-life/
“Social media is not real life.”
“Unfortunately, too many people today have fallen under the Svengali spell of social media, interpreting the accounts of their preferred influencers as absolute truth.”
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/15/opinion-social-media-is-not-real-life/
“Research-backed services like after-school programs and mental health supports help to create a positive school climate. Some states, like Connecticut and Maryland, have invested millions of dollars in wrap-around services like mental health support and at-home visits.”
A new study says several states are doing the right things to get students to show up to school regularly. n.pr/3JrZP0k
Fewer students are missing school. These state policies may have helped
A new study says several states are doing the right things to get students to show up to school regularly.
n.pr
November 1, 2025 at 9:42 AM
“Research-backed services like after-school programs and mental health supports help to create a positive school climate. Some states, like Connecticut and Maryland, have invested millions of dollars in wrap-around services like mental health support and at-home visits.”
“The fate of the country rests on the recovery of republican virtue, cultivation of active passion for public interest, and a willingness to sacrifice individual interests for the common good.”
Not very reassuring.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-authoritarianism/684773/
Not very reassuring.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-authoritarianism/684773/
Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open
It’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots.
www.theatlantic.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:14 PM
“The fate of the country rests on the recovery of republican virtue, cultivation of active passion for public interest, and a willingness to sacrifice individual interests for the common good.”
Not very reassuring.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-authoritarianism/684773/
Not very reassuring.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/10/trump-authoritarianism/684773/
THIS! 👇
As I’ve explained: one of the best ways to protect your heart health is to keep up with your Covid and flu vaccinations. Don’t listen to antivaccine activists they don’t care about you or your family www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:34 PM
THIS! 👇
“Other than lack of funds, perhaps the only thing holding us back is rising health disinformation that blocks our ability to effectively communicate with the populations at risk or their health-care providers.”
My opinion on the decline of our national pandemic preparedness and risks to biosecurity in @issuesinst.bsky.social @nationalacademies.org
issues.org/unprepared-p...
issues.org/unprepared-p...
October 30, 2025 at 10:29 AM
“Other than lack of funds, perhaps the only thing holding us back is rising health disinformation that blocks our ability to effectively communicate with the populations at risk or their health-care providers.”
“Trump remains an unstable leader in a world far more unstable than it was during his first term. No president has been anything close to a perfect steward of America’s national security and its nuclear arsenal, but Trump is less qualified than almost any previous leader to manage a nuclear crisis.”
We are living through one of the more febrile periods of the nuclear era, @jeffreygoldberg.bsky.social wrote in June. The world is locked in a game of nuclear roulette—and the only way to win is to stop playing.
Nuclear Roulette
The only way to win is to stop playing.
bit.ly
October 30, 2025 at 10:25 AM
“Trump remains an unstable leader in a world far more unstable than it was during his first term. No president has been anything close to a perfect steward of America’s national security and its nuclear arsenal, but Trump is less qualified than almost any previous leader to manage a nuclear crisis.”
“In the space of one short announcement, he managed to get a lot wrong, which is worrisome, because he’s the only person in America who has the authority to order the use of nuclear arms.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/trump-nuclear/684758/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/trump-nuclear/684758/
Trump Is Very Confused About Nuclear Weapons
The president says he wants to resume nuclear testing but doesn’t seem to know why.
www.theatlantic.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM
“In the space of one short announcement, he managed to get a lot wrong, which is worrisome, because he’s the only person in America who has the authority to order the use of nuclear arms.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/trump-nuclear/684758/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/10/trump-nuclear/684758/
My latest "Football Chronicles" installment:
"Friday was all about 'family' for Chase, a popular, soft-spoken young man among peers at Haddam-Killingworth High School."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"Friday was all about 'family' for Chase, a popular, soft-spoken young man among peers at Haddam-Killingworth High School."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Football Chronicles 2025: It’s All About ‘Family’ (Chapter 11)
Author’s note: This is the 11th installment of “The HK Cougar Football Chronicles,” 2025 edition. As an assistant coach, I hope to offer…
medium.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:09 PM
My latest "Football Chronicles" installment:
"Friday was all about 'family' for Chase, a popular, soft-spoken young man among peers at Haddam-Killingworth High School."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
"Friday was all about 'family' for Chase, a popular, soft-spoken young man among peers at Haddam-Killingworth High School."
medium.com/@barthkeck/f...
Such a small, petty man — changes a U.S. trade policy because he feels slighted by an advertisement (which is factually correct).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/25/trump-canada-tariffs-reagan-ad/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/25/trump-canada-tariffs-reagan-ad/
Trump raises tariffs on Canada by 10% over Reagan ad
The president had halted trade talks with Canada over a provincial government’s ad that has since been canceled.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 25, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Such a small, petty man — changes a U.S. trade policy because he feels slighted by an advertisement (which is factually correct).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/25/trump-canada-tariffs-reagan-ad/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/25/trump-canada-tariffs-reagan-ad/
The NBA gambling scandal reminds me of this op-ed I wrote four years ago:
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/11/01/op-ed-its-a-good-bet-that-app-based-gambling-will-cause-problems/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR55El5UyXy4lL84XKFK34MAhtdRfivRkiZLyPk_O_ChoAdg2uWQZ2U24S71aw_aem_2I9k5JvYbdXKEKpANJWirQ
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/11/01/op-ed-its-a-good-bet-that-app-based-gambling-will-cause-problems/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR55El5UyXy4lL84XKFK34MAhtdRfivRkiZLyPk_O_ChoAdg2uWQZ2U24S71aw_aem_2I9k5JvYbdXKEKpANJWirQ
OP-ED | It’s a Good Bet That App-Based Gambling Will Cause Problems | CT News Junkie
At a time when viewers are rapt watching "Squid Game," our state has turned smartphones into gambling devices. What could go wrong?
ctnewsjunkie.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
The NBA gambling scandal reminds me of this op-ed I wrote four years ago:
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/11/01/op-ed-its-a-good-bet-that-app-based-gambling-will-cause-problems/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR55El5UyXy4lL84XKFK34MAhtdRfivRkiZLyPk_O_ChoAdg2uWQZ2U24S71aw_aem_2I9k5JvYbdXKEKpANJWirQ
https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/11/01/op-ed-its-a-good-bet-that-app-based-gambling-will-cause-problems/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR55El5UyXy4lL84XKFK34MAhtdRfivRkiZLyPk_O_ChoAdg2uWQZ2U24S71aw_aem_2I9k5JvYbdXKEKpANJWirQ
Are we winning yet? 🙄
🧪🧪 Texas has the highest number of measles cases as data shows unprecedented surge across US -- The U.S. is seeing a rise in measles cases that is unprecedented in the 21st century. In 2000, the disease was declared eliminated around the country.
www.themirror.com/news/health/...
www.themirror.com/news/health/...
The state with the highest number of measles cases as US sees huge surge
The U.S. is seeing a rise in measles cases that is unprecedented in the 21st century. In 2000, the disease was declared eliminated around the country.
www.themirror.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Are we winning yet? 🙄
The so-called “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act,” proposed legislation in Ohio, lists 25 religious topics for the classroom, “with no religions other than Christianity mentioned.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2025/10/21/in-ohio-a-bill-to-put-christianity-in-the-classroom/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2025/10/21/in-ohio-a-bill-to-put-christianity-in-the-classroom/
In Ohio, A Bill To Put Christianity In The Classroom
Lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow students to receive religious instruction without leaving their public school classroom.
www.forbes.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The so-called “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act,” proposed legislation in Ohio, lists 25 religious topics for the classroom, “with no religions other than Christianity mentioned.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2025/10/21/in-ohio-a-bill-to-put-christianity-in-the-classroom/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2025/10/21/in-ohio-a-bill-to-put-christianity-in-the-classroom/