R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
@rjnello.bsky.social
“Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. It is not fair.” ~ Jane Austen, 1814. #5amWritersClub #writingcommunity
rjnello.com
Devon, England.
rjnello.com
Devon, England.
Pinned
Good morning #5amWritersClub,
I am determined to figure out what gets our little community interacting with each other! Today's question:
What made you decide it was time to start writing a book? Was it recent, or a lifelong desire?
I am determined to figure out what gets our little community interacting with each other! Today's question:
What made you decide it was time to start writing a book? Was it recent, or a lifelong desire?
My uncle, who died in 2015, had been a police/crime #author starting in the 1980s and was at me for years that I could, and should, write #fiction. When I finally tried it, he told me he liked what he’d read and that I had to keep at it. His encouragement was what I needed.😁
#5amWritersClub
#5amWritersClub
On our way to the U.S. to visit my dad, we’ve stopped here in Kingston, Jamaica for a few days to see our 30-year-old nephew who is serving here as a priest. Yesterday, he booked us all a tour of Bob Marley’s House and Museum. (We paid, of course.) Really impressive. (No photos are allowed inside.)
November 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
On our way to the U.S. to visit my dad, we’ve stopped here in Kingston, Jamaica for a few days to see our 30-year-old nephew who is serving here as a priest. Yesterday, he booked us all a tour of Bob Marley’s House and Museum. (We paid, of course.) Really impressive. (No photos are allowed inside.)
‘The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what “works,” but art opens up what is possible…’ - Pope Leo XIV:
Pope Leo XIV Talks Movies To A-List Crowd At Vatican: Read His Speech
Pope Leo XIV Talks Movies To A-List Crowd At Vatican: Read His Speech
deadline.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
‘The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what “works,” but art opens up what is possible…’ - Pope Leo XIV:
Reposted by R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
This is the story that Donald Trump cannot shake off.
His distractions have failed to distract. His cover-ups keep cracking. And now the whole sordid mess is coming for him with the relentless inevitability of Nemesis.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
His distractions have failed to distract. His cover-ups keep cracking. And now the whole sordid mess is coming for him with the relentless inevitability of Nemesis.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
The Epstein Scandal Comes for Trump
Plus, four stories you should not miss.
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This is the story that Donald Trump cannot shake off.
His distractions have failed to distract. His cover-ups keep cracking. And now the whole sordid mess is coming for him with the relentless inevitability of Nemesis.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
His distractions have failed to distract. His cover-ups keep cracking. And now the whole sordid mess is coming for him with the relentless inevitability of Nemesis.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
This “style” is common from men of a certain age who never typed when young. (If a boss, the woman secretary typed.) My [late] uncle, an 80s/90s novelist, wrote me emails that often needed decoding. He also said, but never would’ve typed it this way: “I can’t spell for shit. Thank God for editors.”
thinking about how i get anxious writing emails because i don't want to sound like a moron while larry summers is apparently typing emails like this:
u kno she dint want to talk tomorrow. make me bad pheel.
u kno she dint want to talk tomorrow. make me bad pheel.
November 13, 2025 at 8:21 AM
This “style” is common from men of a certain age who never typed when young. (If a boss, the woman secretary typed.) My [late] uncle, an 80s/90s novelist, wrote me emails that often needed decoding. He also said, but never would’ve typed it this way: “I can’t spell for shit. Thank God for editors.”
Has anyone spoken with Sir Humphrey?
November 12, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Has anyone spoken with Sir Humphrey?
Reposted by R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
A reminder: Trump has mocked captured veterans (McCain), and those who died defending you (those lost at Bellevue Wood in WW1 - "suckers" and "losers").
If you side with Trump on veterans, YOU hate the troops
If you side with Trump on veterans, YOU hate the troops
November 11, 2025 at 8:10 PM
A reminder: Trump has mocked captured veterans (McCain), and those who died defending you (those lost at Bellevue Wood in WW1 - "suckers" and "losers").
If you side with Trump on veterans, YOU hate the troops
If you side with Trump on veterans, YOU hate the troops
For #VeteransDay, a general worth remembering: John J. Pershing, top commander of the U.S. army in Europe during (the U.S. participation in) World War I (1917-18). He sensed the armistice today - November 11, 1918 - was a “mistake”:
![An interesting except:
Pershing opposed the November 11 armistice. Smythe notes that Pershing believed that the Germans were beaten and that the Allies should in consequence insist on unconditional surrender. Some in Washington, including [Secretary of War] Baker, saw this as the opening shot in a bid for the Presidency in 1920 and it nearly got him into trouble with [President] Wilson who took the view, shared with other Allied leaders (Foch was another notable exception) that Germany should be given moderate armistice terms. Pershing believed that the Western armies would, as a result, have to return to Germany one day "to finish the job." In that he was prescient.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ixipfa6efyqxmlcwgz6fnmkw/bafkreibzejypf3owmr6vm6cxsa5vkz43ys36vgdrhaajyqmgu3lkpmtuxu@jpeg)
November 11, 2025 at 8:20 AM
For #VeteransDay, a general worth remembering: John J. Pershing, top commander of the U.S. army in Europe during (the U.S. participation in) World War I (1917-18). He sensed the armistice today - November 11, 1918 - was a “mistake”:
It is infuriating the BBC giving Trump a cheap win to toss at Fox viewers. There’s no need to edit to show that felonious fascist neo-Confederate for what he is. Just report him reasonably and you can’t miss. (In plain words, for one, he did not rule out military action against Denmark.) Appalling.
Trump slams ‘dishonest’ BBC after Tim Davie and news head Deborah Turness quit: Live
Trump slams ‘dishonest’ BBC after Tim Davie and news head Deborah Turness quit: Live
Trump slams ‘dishonest’ BBC after Tim Davie and news head Deborah Turness quit: Live
www.independent.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM
It is infuriating the BBC giving Trump a cheap win to toss at Fox viewers. There’s no need to edit to show that felonious fascist neo-Confederate for what he is. Just report him reasonably and you can’t miss. (In plain words, for one, he did not rule out military action against Denmark.) Appalling.
Reposted by R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
The tentacles of a racist government reach across the ocean
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 10:17 AM
The tentacles of a racist government reach across the ocean
As a churchgoing [white] Roman Catholic, I must disagree. There has always been anti-Catholicism, but people are not being harassed/arrested for carrying rosary beads. They are targeted for not being white [enough] (including speaking Spanish, which is heard by many US whites as a “brown” language).
In another era, ICE raids would be described as persecution of Catholics.
November 9, 2025 at 7:38 AM
As a churchgoing [white] Roman Catholic, I must disagree. There has always been anti-Catholicism, but people are not being harassed/arrested for carrying rosary beads. They are targeted for not being white [enough] (including speaking Spanish, which is heard by many US whites as a “brown” language).
My dad is now 84 and in good health for his age - having survived heart failure a decade ago. He has told me he is aware he could at any time just go to sleep one night and not wake up. Sadly, he is right, of course.
Trump is pushing 80 and the true state of his health is decidedly unclear.
Trump is pushing 80 and the true state of his health is decidedly unclear.
I have a feeling the clock is ticking down with Trumps health....maybe he knows it & that's why he's bringing everyone else down with him🤷♂️; just a thought
⬇️⬇️⬇️
November 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
My dad is now 84 and in good health for his age - having survived heart failure a decade ago. He has told me he is aware he could at any time just go to sleep one night and not wake up. Sadly, he is right, of course.
Trump is pushing 80 and the true state of his health is decidedly unclear.
Trump is pushing 80 and the true state of his health is decidedly unclear.
On one level it is about this, yes.
On another, yes, she likes to shake hands and has dismissed security questions. Yet high profile officials in public have a bodyguard “on the back.” (Watch Mamdani walking with his wife the other day.) How did he get right behind her? He could have killed her.
On another, yes, she likes to shake hands and has dismissed security questions. Yet high profile officials in public have a bodyguard “on the back.” (Watch Mamdani walking with his wife the other day.) How did he get right behind her? He could have killed her.
The president is groped in broad daylight, and Mexican women cry: MeToo, MeToo, MeToo | Mona Eltahawy
The president is groped in broad daylight, and Mexican women cry: MeToo, MeToo, MeToo | Mona Eltahawy
After Claudia Sheinbaum was assaulted this week, her opponents claimed she staged it. From their own experiences, the women I met know she didn’t have to, says author Mona Eltahawy
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 AM
On one level it is about this, yes.
On another, yes, she likes to shake hands and has dismissed security questions. Yet high profile officials in public have a bodyguard “on the back.” (Watch Mamdani walking with his wife the other day.) How did he get right behind her? He could have killed her.
On another, yes, she likes to shake hands and has dismissed security questions. Yet high profile officials in public have a bodyguard “on the back.” (Watch Mamdani walking with his wife the other day.) How did he get right behind her? He could have killed her.
In 1987, USSR-visiting “businessman” Trump was wowed by surface Kremlin “glamour.” He’s mimicking such “decor” now in the White House. At the same time, other last days of the USSR vibes, such as impoverished soldiers stranded in Europe, are also making a US appearance: apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/A...
"The German government has approved a $50 million support package to cover the paychecks of its citizens affected by the shutdown. Any non-troop American working on those military bases is a federal employee, however, and they aren’t getting paid at all." www.404media.co/army-tells-s...
US Army Tells Soldiers to Go to German Food Bank, Then Deletes It
The initial 'Shutdown Guidance' for the US Army Garrison Bavaria included instructions to go to German food banks.
www.404media.co
November 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM
In 1987, USSR-visiting “businessman” Trump was wowed by surface Kremlin “glamour.” He’s mimicking such “decor” now in the White House. At the same time, other last days of the USSR vibes, such as impoverished soldiers stranded in Europe, are also making a US appearance: apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/A...
Reposted by R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge
Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge
Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge
www.independent.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge
Costello: All I'm tryin' to figure out is what's the guy's name in left field
Abbott: Now, What's on second
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second
Abbott: Who's on first
Costello: I don't know…
Both: Third base.
Abbott: Now, What's on second
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second
Abbott: Who's on first
Costello: I don't know…
Both: Third base.
November 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Costello: All I'm tryin' to figure out is what's the guy's name in left field
Abbott: Now, What's on second
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second
Abbott: Who's on first
Costello: I don't know…
Both: Third base.
Abbott: Now, What's on second
Costello: I'm not askin' you who's on second
Abbott: Who's on first
Costello: I don't know…
Both: Third base.
U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, writing to Edward Jenner, 1806:
November 6, 2025 at 7:06 AM
U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, writing to Edward Jenner, 1806:
Interestingly, NYC (where I was born) long has leaned left and smashed Cuomo. When it goes far left, the US is probably tilting left. Yet what is now “far” left? Mamdani’s for free buses and childcare, a few city food stores, and higher taxes on millionaires. Seems more Eleanor Roosevelt than Lenin.
It was the blowout Republicans feared, and Democrats desperately needed. A coast-to-coast repudiation of Donald Trump and all his works.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...
Trump Thumped
This is the Trump 2.0 Effect
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Interestingly, NYC (where I was born) long has leaned left and smashed Cuomo. When it goes far left, the US is probably tilting left. Yet what is now “far” left? Mamdani’s for free buses and childcare, a few city food stores, and higher taxes on millionaires. Seems more Eleanor Roosevelt than Lenin.
Reposted by R(obert). J. Nello 👊🏻🇺🇸🔥
If you’re still in line, STAY IN LINE
November 5, 2025 at 1:04 AM
If you’re still in line, STAY IN LINE
“As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d, for the observance of that ridiculous and childish Custom of burning the Effigy of the pope — He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers, in this army so void of common sense…”
Why Americans Don’t “Remember, remember, the fifth of November…”
“Remember, Remember the 5th of November” now means – thankfully – nothing in the United States.
rjnello.wordpress.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:58 AM
“As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d, for the observance of that ridiculous and childish Custom of burning the Effigy of the pope — He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers, in this army so void of common sense…”
I don’t get the “mainstream Democratic” take that Mamdani is “far left.” He sounds like a normal guy and addressed normal people’s concerns - people for whom often just having a few bucks more a week in their pockets would be a big deal. Evidently, though, wanting free buses makes him f-cking Lenin.
Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan
Mamdani’s victory is a rebuke to the failed strategies of the Democratic party | Moira Donegan
The Democratic party appears listless and unprincipled, unwilling to fight because they do not believe in anything. Zohran Mamdani is the opposite of this
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:41 AM
I don’t get the “mainstream Democratic” take that Mamdani is “far left.” He sounds like a normal guy and addressed normal people’s concerns - people for whom often just having a few bucks more a week in their pockets would be a big deal. Evidently, though, wanting free buses makes him f-cking Lenin.
There are all sorts of local variations of course, but the U.S. federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and has been since 2009. (I earned I recall about $3.80 an hour in a department store as a student in the 1980s.)
The U.K. equivalent (for age 21 and up) is currently £12.21 (about “$16”).
The U.K. equivalent (for age 21 and up) is currently £12.21 (about “$16”).
November 5, 2025 at 7:18 AM
There are all sorts of local variations of course, but the U.S. federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and has been since 2009. (I earned I recall about $3.80 an hour in a department store as a student in the 1980s.)
The U.K. equivalent (for age 21 and up) is currently £12.21 (about “$16”).
The U.K. equivalent (for age 21 and up) is currently £12.21 (about “$16”).
The officeholder seeking re-election, also does not get to count the votes.
It’s a federal crime for anyone, including government officials, to intimidate or threaten someone in order to interfere with their right to vote.
Know your rights when you head to the polls.
Know your rights when you head to the polls.
Federal Agents at the Polls
The freedom to vote is the very foundation of our democracy. Voting is how we secure our civil rights and liberties and help shape our country, state, and town. Every eligible citizen has the right to cast a ballot freely, fairly, and accessibly - without fear of deception or intimidation.
www.aclu.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The officeholder seeking re-election, also does not get to count the votes.
This was basically Putin’s “deal” with the Russian people: Stay out of politics (meaning ignore my corruption) and I’ll let you travel the globe and make money. Ukraine 2022 changed that. Suddenly, jetting to Paris became much tougher, the economy was crushed, and their sons were conscripted.
What’s interesting is that this is a kind of neo-18th century relationship between people and state. The state’s not yours and so you should mind your own business and it will mostly leave you to it. What ended this was not just the French Revolution, but the Napoleonic Wars.
This is from Autocracy, Inc, about how modern autocratic propaganda works.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
I consider this every time I decide what to share and how to frame it.
November 3, 2025 at 8:16 AM
This was basically Putin’s “deal” with the Russian people: Stay out of politics (meaning ignore my corruption) and I’ll let you travel the globe and make money. Ukraine 2022 changed that. Suddenly, jetting to Paris became much tougher, the economy was crushed, and their sons were conscripted.
Just re-watched “All The President’s Men” (on BBC iPlayer). At one point, Redford is in a telephone booth and it hit me how “dated” that now seems. Indeed, there are now lots of adults out here who have NEVER put coins into a pay phone to make a call. (Being rather older, I have.)
November 2, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Just re-watched “All The President’s Men” (on BBC iPlayer). At one point, Redford is in a telephone booth and it hit me how “dated” that now seems. Indeed, there are now lots of adults out here who have NEVER put coins into a pay phone to make a call. (Being rather older, I have.)