the mjl (michael j leblanc)
@themjl.bsky.social
Engineer. Musician. Wily Chaote. Full-Stack Acerbic Humanist.
Bandcamp: https://thebellmechanical.bandcamp.com/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the_bell_mechanical
Musings: https://nopeanutsinchurch.com/
Middle of Massachusetts. USENET refugee.
Bandcamp: https://thebellmechanical.bandcamp.com/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the_bell_mechanical
Musings: https://nopeanutsinchurch.com/
Middle of Massachusetts. USENET refugee.
Pinned
Spock: "Captain, would you like to see my latest modular synth rack setup?"
Jim: "Damn, Spock. Now I know where most of your pay is going.."
Jim: "Damn, Spock. Now I know where most of your pay is going.."
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
#ResistanceRoots
Today in history, 1889: Journalist Nellie Bly sets off on a trip around the world alone, attempting to beat the “record” set in Jules Verne’s fictional book, “Around the World in 80 Days.” She ultimately completed the journey in just 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes. /1
Today in history, 1889: Journalist Nellie Bly sets off on a trip around the world alone, attempting to beat the “record” set in Jules Verne’s fictional book, “Around the World in 80 Days.” She ultimately completed the journey in just 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes. /1
November 14, 2025 at 10:34 PM
#ResistanceRoots
Today in history, 1889: Journalist Nellie Bly sets off on a trip around the world alone, attempting to beat the “record” set in Jules Verne’s fictional book, “Around the World in 80 Days.” She ultimately completed the journey in just 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes. /1
Today in history, 1889: Journalist Nellie Bly sets off on a trip around the world alone, attempting to beat the “record” set in Jules Verne’s fictional book, “Around the World in 80 Days.” She ultimately completed the journey in just 72 days, six hours and 11 minutes. /1
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Update: DHS got back to me about this.
The spokesperson called questions about the faith leaders' remarks "a ridiculous line of questioning."
She then claimed that "if you watch the video, you can clearly see rioters attacking police" — but did not specify which video she was referring to.
The spokesperson called questions about the faith leaders' remarks "a ridiculous line of questioning."
She then claimed that "if you watch the video, you can clearly see rioters attacking police" — but did not specify which video she was referring to.
November 16, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Update: DHS got back to me about this.
The spokesperson called questions about the faith leaders' remarks "a ridiculous line of questioning."
She then claimed that "if you watch the video, you can clearly see rioters attacking police" — but did not specify which video she was referring to.
The spokesperson called questions about the faith leaders' remarks "a ridiculous line of questioning."
She then claimed that "if you watch the video, you can clearly see rioters attacking police" — but did not specify which video she was referring to.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
They're running from it now. But the fact that Senate Republicans tried to give 10 of their colleagues at least $1 million each for nothing but a bogus press op captures the corruption of Trump II. In no other environment wld this even occur to the most corrupt politicians.
November 15, 2025 at 1:26 PM
They're running from it now. But the fact that Senate Republicans tried to give 10 of their colleagues at least $1 million each for nothing but a bogus press op captures the corruption of Trump II. In no other environment wld this even occur to the most corrupt politicians.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
I like that Pope Bob wakes up every morning and asks himself how he can kick the American Vice President in the dick
NEW: Pope Leo XIV will share a meal this Sunday with Alessia Nobile and four fellow transgender Catholic activists, during the Vatican’s Jubilee of the Poor — marking the most significant public encounter shared between a pope and the trans community.
NEW: Transgender Activists to Dine with Pope Leo XIV during Sunday's Jubilee for the Poor
Papal luncheon with trans advocate Alessia Nobile set for Sunday at Vatican’s Jubilee of the Poor, highlighting a legacy of outreach and hopes for continued inclusion.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I like that Pope Bob wakes up every morning and asks himself how he can kick the American Vice President in the dick
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Reading the posts about Alice Wong make me wish I’d known her.
November 16, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Reading the posts about Alice Wong make me wish I’d known her.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
It's time. (Also this is one of the best #Christmas albums EVER)
November 16, 2025 at 1:16 AM
It's time. (Also this is one of the best #Christmas albums EVER)
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Canada’s next extractive industry: How AI is following the fossil fuel playbook: ricochet.media/climate/cana...
Canada's next extractive industry: How AI is following the fossil fuel playbook
Ottawa is betting nearly a billion on artificial intelligence, ignoring warnings of its environmental risks. Just like Big Oil, Big Tech is building infrastructure that will be nearly impossible to di...
ricochet.media
November 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Canada’s next extractive industry: How AI is following the fossil fuel playbook: ricochet.media/climate/cana...
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
A Catholic rapper/chef called Barefoot Confessa
November 16, 2025 at 12:46 AM
A Catholic rapper/chef called Barefoot Confessa
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Nothing to see! Everyone has a chicken in every pot!
November 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Nothing to see! Everyone has a chicken in every pot!
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Pam Bondi will not have a license to practice law when this is all over. You can’t stay a bar member and agree to investigate only members of one political party for child sexual abuse but not members of the other. And, you can’t do it after previously saying no one else could be charged.
November 15, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Pam Bondi will not have a license to practice law when this is all over. You can’t stay a bar member and agree to investigate only members of one political party for child sexual abuse but not members of the other. And, you can’t do it after previously saying no one else could be charged.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
What could be more on-brand than Jesus hitting you up for In-App purchases?
November 16, 2025 at 12:41 AM
What could be more on-brand than Jesus hitting you up for In-App purchases?
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
US Bishops have responded to attacks by Border Czar Tom Homan: “The bishops of the United States have spoken together and in unity with Pope Leo XIV.”
November 15, 2025 at 8:37 PM
US Bishops have responded to attacks by Border Czar Tom Homan: “The bishops of the United States have spoken together and in unity with Pope Leo XIV.”
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
we denying anybody communion at least at this point?
US Bishops have responded to attacks by Border Czar Tom Homan: “The bishops of the United States have spoken together and in unity with Pope Leo XIV.”
November 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
we denying anybody communion at least at this point?
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Anti-papist rhetoric is BACK, baby!
The U.S. bishops defended migrant families. Tom Homan snapped. Nan Hayworth called Pope Leo a “tool of our enemies.” Tim Burchett accused the church of getting rich off of sex trafficking.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
“Pope Leo Is a Tool of Our Enemies”: Homan Leads MAGA Attacks as Hayworth, Others Pile On
It’s the latest MAGA attack on Pope Leo’s pro-immigrant stance. Disgraced border chief Tom Homan — caught taking a $50,000 bribe in a Cava takeout bag — led the charge against Leo and the bishops.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Anti-papist rhetoric is BACK, baby!
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
A nice obituary for Alice, who was going to be recognized as one of The Post 50.
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
Alice Wong, disability rights advocate and wordsmith, dies at 51
Alice Wong, a transformational leader for disability rights and justice, who founded the Disability Visibility project to magnify disabled culture, died Nov. 14.
wapo.st
November 16, 2025 at 12:22 AM
A nice obituary for Alice, who was going to be recognized as one of The Post 50.
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
I hate that we now have to live without this phenomenal woman.
#GiftLink
wapo.st/49WOdx1
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
My former student saved a guy from dying of choking and they honored him at a Celtics game.
Shrewsbury bartender who saved patron's life honored at Celtics game
BOSTON — Justin Goodney, a bartender at the Ground Round in Shrewsbury, was honored during the Boston Celtics versus Washington Wizards home game on Wednesday, November 5.
www.communityadvocate.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:42 AM
My former student saved a guy from dying of choking and they honored him at a Celtics game.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Painting by Max Ernst published across two pages in OMNI, vol. 8, no. 8 (May 1986), alongside “Against Babylon” by Robert Silverberg. Including this one to remind you that the paintings reproduced in OMNI, for the most part, were reprinted from other sources rather than commissioned by the magazine.
November 14, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Painting by Max Ernst published across two pages in OMNI, vol. 8, no. 8 (May 1986), alongside “Against Babylon” by Robert Silverberg. Including this one to remind you that the paintings reproduced in OMNI, for the most part, were reprinted from other sources rather than commissioned by the magazine.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Talked to a small business owner in PA just before the election in '24. "Oh, he's not going to do tariffs," she said.
He did it the last time, I said.
"I don't remember that."
You own a small business and you don't remember tariffs?
"Oh, Tom, you're funny."
It's impossible to get through.
He did it the last time, I said.
"I don't remember that."
You own a small business and you don't remember tariffs?
"Oh, Tom, you're funny."
It's impossible to get through.
Farmers in the Midwest kept their hands on the stove in 2024, even tho they had to be bailed out by subsidies in the First Reign of Terror.
And once again, he sold them out again with the tariffs.
Surprise! Surprise!
Smh
And once again, he sold them out again with the tariffs.
Surprise! Surprise!
Smh
November 15, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Talked to a small business owner in PA just before the election in '24. "Oh, he's not going to do tariffs," she said.
He did it the last time, I said.
"I don't remember that."
You own a small business and you don't remember tariffs?
"Oh, Tom, you're funny."
It's impossible to get through.
He did it the last time, I said.
"I don't remember that."
You own a small business and you don't remember tariffs?
"Oh, Tom, you're funny."
It's impossible to get through.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
All my random politically unaware friends are making Trump/Epstein jokes. You know what they haven’t said? “I heard Hakeem Jeffries promise to lower the cost of groceries”
The usual suspects are telling Dems that Epstein won’t win elections, get back to “affordability” and I think my head might explode. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
Force A Referendum On The Epstein Coverup
It divides Republicans much more than "affordability" or any other economic issue.
www.offmessage.net
November 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
All my random politically unaware friends are making Trump/Epstein jokes. You know what they haven’t said? “I heard Hakeem Jeffries promise to lower the cost of groceries”
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
I've been saying for a while that when a real conspiracy emerges the Conspiracy Theory Complex will be some of the least interested people in it, because the point of the Conspiracy Theory Complex is not to discover conspiracy but to create rationales to justify untenable beliefs.
Alex Jones on encountering actual gay frogs: “NOTHINGBURGER it’s a Nothingburger on Top of Bottom Nothingburger!”
November 15, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I've been saying for a while that when a real conspiracy emerges the Conspiracy Theory Complex will be some of the least interested people in it, because the point of the Conspiracy Theory Complex is not to discover conspiracy but to create rationales to justify untenable beliefs.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
RIP Alice Wong
It’s been a pleasure working with Lex and everyone in the politics vertical at Teen Vogue. I’m heartbroken that my column, Disability Visibility, is gone. Teen Vogue was one of the few places that published disabled journalists regularly. I just spent the last 2 months working on my next column
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
November 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
RIP Alice Wong
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Have you ever thought that Hamburger Helper doesn't help hamburgers AT ALL?
There's no buns. No patties. It's all scrambled in a skillet.
THANKS BIG MARKETING. You tricked us again.
There's no buns. No patties. It's all scrambled in a skillet.
THANKS BIG MARKETING. You tricked us again.
November 15, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Have you ever thought that Hamburger Helper doesn't help hamburgers AT ALL?
There's no buns. No patties. It's all scrambled in a skillet.
THANKS BIG MARKETING. You tricked us again.
There's no buns. No patties. It's all scrambled in a skillet.
THANKS BIG MARKETING. You tricked us again.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
Took over 500 pictures during the auroras on Tuesday night, November 11, 2025. Used 490 of those to make this video. The view is looking towards the north-northeast, just slightly above the Grand Mesa, Colorado. #aurora youtu.be/o1qHXP9Dt94
Northern Lights on Nov 11, 2025, over western Colorado.
YouTube video by Thomas Clark
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Took over 500 pictures during the auroras on Tuesday night, November 11, 2025. Used 490 of those to make this video. The view is looking towards the north-northeast, just slightly above the Grand Mesa, Colorado. #aurora youtu.be/o1qHXP9Dt94
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
The U.S. bishops defended migrant families. Tom Homan snapped. Nan Hayworth called Pope Leo a “tool of our enemies.” Tim Burchett accused the church of getting rich off of sex trafficking.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
“Pope Leo Is a Tool of Our Enemies”: Homan Leads MAGA Attacks as Hayworth, Others Pile On
It’s the latest MAGA attack on Pope Leo’s pro-immigrant stance. Disgraced border chief Tom Homan — caught taking a $50,000 bribe in a Cava takeout bag — led the charge against Leo and the bishops.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The U.S. bishops defended migrant families. Tom Homan snapped. Nan Hayworth called Pope Leo a “tool of our enemies.” Tim Burchett accused the church of getting rich off of sex trafficking.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
Matt Walsh, Lara Logan, and the rest joined in. This is what MAGA anti-Catholicism looks like.
Reposted by the mjl (michael j leblanc)
A Great Tit imitating a bullet. This little chirper flew straight towards the camera.
#birds #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography
#birds #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography
November 15, 2025 at 12:42 PM
A Great Tit imitating a bullet. This little chirper flew straight towards the camera.
#birds #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography
#birds #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography