Michael A. Rodriguez, PhD
@mroddc.bsky.social
Director of Research @ Smart Growth America / @smartgrowthusa.bsky.social . Economist & urban planner. Passion for cities, data, real estate, & transpo. 🚉 DC area's journeyman adjunct professor of planning and policy. 🎓. 🐶 are the best.
Christmas is about being together with family and fixing their AV settings on all their TVs to get rid of motion blur auto correction and calibrating color, sharpness, and brightness.
December 27, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Christmas is about being together with family and fixing their AV settings on all their TVs to get rid of motion blur auto correction and calibrating color, sharpness, and brightness.
How the Puritans waged the original war on Christmas. (And partly why the US doesn’t celebrate through the full twelve days into Jan 6th, the Epiphany / Three Kings)
newengland.com/yankee/histo...
newengland.com/yankee/histo...
How the Puritans Banned Christmas
The Puritans banned Christmas in Massachusetts in 1659. But why? Learn more about this Scrooge-like moment in New England history.
newengland.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:59 PM
How the Puritans waged the original war on Christmas. (And partly why the US doesn’t celebrate through the full twelve days into Jan 6th, the Epiphany / Three Kings)
newengland.com/yankee/histo...
newengland.com/yankee/histo...
Christmas lasts thirteen days. The first day of Christmas on Dec. 25th and the twelfth day (twelfth night) on Jan 5th. Jan 6th is day of the Epiphany / Three Kings.
December 24, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Christmas lasts thirteen days. The first day of Christmas on Dec. 25th and the twelfth day (twelfth night) on Jan 5th. Jan 6th is day of the Epiphany / Three Kings.
Tired of the hits. Give me B-side and rarity Christmas carols. I want the Boars Head and Old King Wenceslas.
December 24, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Tired of the hits. Give me B-side and rarity Christmas carols. I want the Boars Head and Old King Wenceslas.
Today I learned hippos are not fat but, in fact, totally swole tanks and about 5% body fat.
December 24, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Today I learned hippos are not fat but, in fact, totally swole tanks and about 5% body fat.
if the triplet ducks call her "Aunt Daisy", did Donald and her finally get married, or are they just being casual and contemporary?
December 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
if the triplet ducks call her "Aunt Daisy", did Donald and her finally get married, or are they just being casual and contemporary?
Reposted by Michael A. Rodriguez, PhD
The “60 Minutes” scandal neatly encapsulates the triumph of the past decade’s free-speech hypocrisy, @adamserwer.bsky.social argues.
The Triumph of Free-Speech Hypocrisy
What the 60 Minutes scandal reveals
bit.ly
December 23, 2025 at 4:50 PM
The “60 Minutes” scandal neatly encapsulates the triumph of the past decade’s free-speech hypocrisy, @adamserwer.bsky.social argues.
watching Pooh Christmas and remembering how solipsistic Christopher Robin is, always making his imaginary friends obsess over him.
December 23, 2025 at 4:15 PM
watching Pooh Christmas and remembering how solipsistic Christopher Robin is, always making his imaginary friends obsess over him.
Reposted by Michael A. Rodriguez, PhD
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:46 PM
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
Made my first British style Christmas pudding. I used suet instead of butter despite it being right wing coded because of RFK. Now I wait for “aging” in the pantry to see what I have on Christmas and if figgy pudding is, in fact, any good.
December 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Made my first British style Christmas pudding. I used suet instead of butter despite it being right wing coded because of RFK. Now I wait for “aging” in the pantry to see what I have on Christmas and if figgy pudding is, in fact, any good.
Unemployment at four year high but many still wondering if @whstancil.bsky.social will admit the economy is worse than it was a few years ago
December 16, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Unemployment at four year high but many still wondering if @whstancil.bsky.social will admit the economy is worse than it was a few years ago
Next time person of the year should go to “The Guy Who Always Picks Optimally Timed Bananas and Avocados and Always Eats Them Before Spoiling”
December 13, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Next time person of the year should go to “The Guy Who Always Picks Optimally Timed Bananas and Avocados and Always Eats Them Before Spoiling”
Seriously, it Thomas the Tank Engine can now just physically jump tracks and flip directions, then what the hell is the point of switches and turntables in this universe? This is garbage. It needs to be stopped.
December 13, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Seriously, it Thomas the Tank Engine can now just physically jump tracks and flip directions, then what the hell is the point of switches and turntables in this universe? This is garbage. It needs to be stopped.
I hate this newer Thomas cartoon series. It’s such bullshit. They can just jump tracks?! If they can do that there’s no point to like 80% of rail infrastructure. You miss entire plots about the Isle of Sodor that revolve around being in the right track and direction and how to get right!
December 13, 2025 at 12:06 AM
I hate this newer Thomas cartoon series. It’s such bullshit. They can just jump tracks?! If they can do that there’s no point to like 80% of rail infrastructure. You miss entire plots about the Isle of Sodor that revolve around being in the right track and direction and how to get right!
Why is it that people are saying Americans who can emigrate, and choose to, as “privileged as fuck” or selfish. But would you have said that about ::pick your own emigrees::
50s Cuba? Most of Latin America at different points? Franco’s Spain? Do you give them shit for not “doing the work”?
50s Cuba? Most of Latin America at different points? Franco’s Spain? Do you give them shit for not “doing the work”?
December 7, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Why is it that people are saying Americans who can emigrate, and choose to, as “privileged as fuck” or selfish. But would you have said that about ::pick your own emigrees::
50s Cuba? Most of Latin America at different points? Franco’s Spain? Do you give them shit for not “doing the work”?
50s Cuba? Most of Latin America at different points? Franco’s Spain? Do you give them shit for not “doing the work”?
Watching “Wonder Pets” with the two year old and laughing hard because why does my toddler’s TV sound like Das Rheingold and Siegfried?
November 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Watching “Wonder Pets” with the two year old and laughing hard because why does my toddler’s TV sound like Das Rheingold and Siegfried?
We’re five years post pandemic and I have to say the “work from home is gonna fundamentally upend real estate markets and destroy cities” was epically wrong and I’m happy to dunk on those people.
November 18, 2025 at 9:57 PM
We’re five years post pandemic and I have to say the “work from home is gonna fundamentally upend real estate markets and destroy cities” was epically wrong and I’m happy to dunk on those people.
Reposted by Michael A. Rodriguez, PhD
Very much worth your time!
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November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Very much worth your time!
In French, if French fries are pommes frites, but potatoes are technically dirt apples (pommes de terre) then what do they call a situation if you have fried apples?
November 8, 2025 at 11:01 PM
In French, if French fries are pommes frites, but potatoes are technically dirt apples (pommes de terre) then what do they call a situation if you have fried apples?
Youngkin only had won VA by about 2pts in 2021. Spanberger winning by 15.
November 5, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Youngkin only had won VA by about 2pts in 2021. Spanberger winning by 15.
Home teams have won postseason extra innings games 57% of the time.
November 2, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Home teams have won postseason extra innings games 57% of the time.
Not a good postseason unless infielders start being out on the mound
November 2, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Not a good postseason unless infielders start being out on the mound
I feel old when there are at least two kids of players I remember watching: Vlad Guerrero and Dante Bichette
November 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
I feel old when there are at least two kids of players I remember watching: Vlad Guerrero and Dante Bichette
An insanely frustrating thing about nice old architectural structures with steps and grand entrances (museums, government buildings) so when the beautifully designed entry is never used as such and people have to scurry through some side door. It’s so insulting to the architectural vision.
October 29, 2025 at 8:57 PM
An insanely frustrating thing about nice old architectural structures with steps and grand entrances (museums, government buildings) so when the beautifully designed entry is never used as such and people have to scurry through some side door. It’s so insulting to the architectural vision.
But if the East Wing were taken apart slowly, piece by piece, and you one day replace it, is it still the East Wing? What if the original parts were preserved elsewhere and reassembled, which would be the true East Wing?
October 24, 2025 at 2:31 AM
But if the East Wing were taken apart slowly, piece by piece, and you one day replace it, is it still the East Wing? What if the original parts were preserved elsewhere and reassembled, which would be the true East Wing?