Allen
@thisisallen.bsky.social
I’m the guy on the left. I taught English as a foreign language. I’m from Virginia.I lived in China. I lived in South Korea. YIMBY. Urbanist. Learning stuff is fun.
Reposted by Allen
Pretty convincing evidence here that the Trump administration was planning to jailbreak and provide asylum for Bolsonaro -- and that Trump inadvertently revealed the plan.
And this, as the now-cliche goes, would have been a paralyzing scandal for any other administration.
And this, as the now-cliche goes, would have been a paralyzing scandal for any other administration.
Trump appears to blurt out secret plan, not knowing it's already a bust
YouTube video by MS NOW
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Pretty convincing evidence here that the Trump administration was planning to jailbreak and provide asylum for Bolsonaro -- and that Trump inadvertently revealed the plan.
And this, as the now-cliche goes, would have been a paralyzing scandal for any other administration.
And this, as the now-cliche goes, would have been a paralyzing scandal for any other administration.
Reposted by Allen
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Bye bye, “DOGE”.
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
November 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Reposted by Allen
They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity | Bill McKibben
They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity | Bill McKibben
Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to America has a precedent: the evangelical perversion of Jesus’s message of radical love to one of hate and aggression
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:06 PM
They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity | Bill McKibben
Reposted by Allen
the takeaway from the Zohran Trump meeting is that Trump is a gullible fool who will temporarily bend to the last charismatic person he talked to.
Zohran played him perfectly but that doesn’t mean Trump is good now. He’ll go back to fascism tomorrow morning after he talks to Stephen Miller
Zohran played him perfectly but that doesn’t mean Trump is good now. He’ll go back to fascism tomorrow morning after he talks to Stephen Miller
November 21, 2025 at 11:22 PM
the takeaway from the Zohran Trump meeting is that Trump is a gullible fool who will temporarily bend to the last charismatic person he talked to.
Zohran played him perfectly but that doesn’t mean Trump is good now. He’ll go back to fascism tomorrow morning after he talks to Stephen Miller
Zohran played him perfectly but that doesn’t mean Trump is good now. He’ll go back to fascism tomorrow morning after he talks to Stephen Miller
Reposted by Allen
The thing that's always frustrated the right wing ideologues who've glommed onto Trump is that he doesn't have the attention span to actually be a committed ideological warrior. He can scream all the right culture war shit, but it's just WWE pugilistic showmanship. He basically has no belief system.
November 21, 2025 at 9:42 PM
The thing that's always frustrated the right wing ideologues who've glommed onto Trump is that he doesn't have the attention span to actually be a committed ideological warrior. He can scream all the right culture war shit, but it's just WWE pugilistic showmanship. He basically has no belief system.
Reposted by Allen
me, a cool gamer: Amazon bot what's a funny prank to do to my loser friends
Amazon bot: good question! you're so goated, no cap. here's the 411: you should buy them all 10 year subscriptions to Amazon Prime. wouldn't that be roflmao?
Amazon bot: good question! you're so goated, no cap. here's the 411: you should buy them all 10 year subscriptions to Amazon Prime. wouldn't that be roflmao?
November 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM
me, a cool gamer: Amazon bot what's a funny prank to do to my loser friends
Amazon bot: good question! you're so goated, no cap. here's the 411: you should buy them all 10 year subscriptions to Amazon Prime. wouldn't that be roflmao?
Amazon bot: good question! you're so goated, no cap. here's the 411: you should buy them all 10 year subscriptions to Amazon Prime. wouldn't that be roflmao?
Reposted by Allen
This is actually a pretty perfect encapsulation of the abject media failure that got us here: a prolific sexual predator who had close connections to the country's most powerful people is "a guy" and a two-time president is just "somebody" so the things they said about each other aren't newsworthy.
The emails that you’re seeing now are news in themselves, but that’s because of how they’re coming out—a congressional committee released them—& the context in which they’re being viewed. A guy emailing a reporter talking about old girlfriends or saying someone is “dirty” is not a whole news story.
November 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
This is actually a pretty perfect encapsulation of the abject media failure that got us here: a prolific sexual predator who had close connections to the country's most powerful people is "a guy" and a two-time president is just "somebody" so the things they said about each other aren't newsworthy.
Reposted by Allen
If the US system remains trapped in an endless knife fight between a party of good government and a party of nihilistic governance then Europeans need to accept that the US will no longer be a stable partner long after Trump is gone
I'd just like to point out that we spent an entire shipment of air defense interceptors' worth of money on new signs for a name change that isn't even legally the name of the DoD.
Ukraine is currently experiencing rolling blackouts from Russian strikes, btw.
Ukraine is currently experiencing rolling blackouts from Russian strikes, btw.
Letterheads and signage alone would quickly run the bill upward of $1 billion, with a full overhaul likely rising to double that amount.
November 12, 2025 at 9:49 PM
If the US system remains trapped in an endless knife fight between a party of good government and a party of nihilistic governance then Europeans need to accept that the US will no longer be a stable partner long after Trump is gone
Reposted by Allen
Wasn’t expecting the Epstein scandal to blow up the New York Times but sure, why not
To recap: Jeffrey Epstein offered a NY Times reporter photos taken in Epstein's kitchen of Donald Trump and girls in bikinis *and* implored the NYT reporter to put this information in the public discourse in 2015
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
What did the NY Times editors know about this offer?
“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein
November 12, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Wasn’t expecting the Epstein scandal to blow up the New York Times but sure, why not
Reposted by Allen
Can we circle back to the part where the NY Times never disclosed that they have incriminating information on Donald Trump from sent by Epstein that's been sitting on their email servers for nearly a decade?
Stuff like this makes me wonder why there hasn't been any reporting about Trump having affairs during his presidencies
November 12, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Can we circle back to the part where the NY Times never disclosed that they have incriminating information on Donald Trump from sent by Epstein that's been sitting on their email servers for nearly a decade?
Reposted by Allen
(Rod Serling) Submitted for your ranked choice the case of one Andrew M. Cuomo, smarting scion of suburbia dethroned over workplace boundaries, unwilling to relax his wandering grip on power, and doomed to repeat humiliating attempts at return upon that most brittle boundary of all—the twilight zone
November 8, 2025 at 6:48 PM
(Rod Serling) Submitted for your ranked choice the case of one Andrew M. Cuomo, smarting scion of suburbia dethroned over workplace boundaries, unwilling to relax his wandering grip on power, and doomed to repeat humiliating attempts at return upon that most brittle boundary of all—the twilight zone
Reposted by Allen
Obsessed with her comms team
I saw the Washington Post editorial on redistricting today and this is my official response.
November 8, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Obsessed with her comms team
The country I'm from produces shitcoins, gambling apps, and software that creates fake videos and fake images. China produces the energy of the future, the cars of the future, and a majority of all goods consumed on the planet.
The US is the world's largest oil and gas producer. Yet, "China is now making more money from exporting green technology than America makes from exporting fossil fuels."
China’s clean-energy revolution will reshape markets and politics
The world’s biggest manufacturer now has an interest in the world decarbonising
www.economist.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The country I'm from produces shitcoins, gambling apps, and software that creates fake videos and fake images. China produces the energy of the future, the cars of the future, and a majority of all goods consumed on the planet.
Reposted by Allen
state legislators should be paid more. otherwise the legislatures are full of dilettantes, cranks, and nepobabies. this is why you keep hearing about the craziest fucking state laws
people hate hearing this but it's 100% true, creating a huge pay gap between political leaders, their staffs, and other elites is a recipe for corruption. of course the flip side of that is taxes on the rich should be jacked way the hell up
The Mayor of New York only makes $260k. I bet there are police that make more than that in NY with overtime.
We need to pay elected leaders more money and stop pretending it's some sort of calling. They're managing hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and millions of people's lives.
We need to pay elected leaders more money and stop pretending it's some sort of calling. They're managing hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and millions of people's lives.
November 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
state legislators should be paid more. otherwise the legislatures are full of dilettantes, cranks, and nepobabies. this is why you keep hearing about the craziest fucking state laws
It's deeply disappointing to see a charismatic Democrat using his talent to advocate for AVs and a DOGE-like department while ignoring real solutions. The only solution to congestion is fewer cars. Where are the high speed trains? Why does the bus take so long? Solve real problems!
Sorry, but a lack of support for autonomous vehicles is not among Sec Pete's biggest missed opportunities at USDOT.
For instance:
🔹 Failure to stop Tesla from lying about Autopilot, FSD, etc
🔹 Failure to curb car bloat
🔹 Continuing to spend fed $$ on highway expansions that won't fix congestion
For instance:
🔹 Failure to stop Tesla from lying about Autopilot, FSD, etc
🔹 Failure to curb car bloat
🔹 Continuing to spend fed $$ on highway expansions that won't fix congestion
Pete Buttigieg Admits Biden Administration Should've Done More To Grow Autonomous Vehicles — Says DOGE-Like Department 'Makes Tons Of Sense'
Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says that the Biden administration could've done more to drive growth in the adoption of autonomous vehicles in the U.S. Autonomous Driving Tech Is Sa...
finance.yahoo.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:32 PM
It's deeply disappointing to see a charismatic Democrat using his talent to advocate for AVs and a DOGE-like department while ignoring real solutions. The only solution to congestion is fewer cars. Where are the high speed trains? Why does the bus take so long? Solve real problems!
Reposted by Allen
Does this look like a representative sample of the community, or a room full of older homeowners who are disproportionately likely to oppose new housing?
At a meeting about whether we're going to build housing for young families like us. An elderly NIMBY got mad at @alanakinrich.medsky.social for 'being distracting' by breastfeeding our baby in the reserved seats in the front. In case you're wondering who they think should be part of this process.
November 7, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Does this look like a representative sample of the community, or a room full of older homeowners who are disproportionately likely to oppose new housing?
Reposted by Allen
November 5, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by Allen
Fourteen years later, I *still* think one of the best ways for us to repudiate Cheney's legacy of torture would be to recognize and honor the courageous soldiers and public servants who exposed the torture policies and tried to end them. www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/o...
November 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Fourteen years later, I *still* think one of the best ways for us to repudiate Cheney's legacy of torture would be to recognize and honor the courageous soldiers and public servants who exposed the torture policies and tried to end them. www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/o...
Reposted by Allen
I will never understand the pundit obsession with getting Democrats to solve "political division."
Not only is this what they're already doing, but Klein admits that Republicans will never do the same. So elections will remain constant GOP smears and simping Democratic promises of bipartisanship.
Not only is this what they're already doing, but Klein admits that Republicans will never do the same. So elections will remain constant GOP smears and simping Democratic promises of bipartisanship.
November 2, 2025 at 1:47 PM
I will never understand the pundit obsession with getting Democrats to solve "political division."
Not only is this what they're already doing, but Klein admits that Republicans will never do the same. So elections will remain constant GOP smears and simping Democratic promises of bipartisanship.
Not only is this what they're already doing, but Klein admits that Republicans will never do the same. So elections will remain constant GOP smears and simping Democratic promises of bipartisanship.
Reposted by Allen
“Hey, I thought everybody knew that adding more lanes to address traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to address obesity.”
November 1, 2025 at 3:35 AM
“Hey, I thought everybody knew that adding more lanes to address traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to address obesity.”
Reposted by Allen
Blocking profitable development to protect his fossil fuel donors.
The Trump administration is revoking approval for millions of acres of ocean to be set aside for offshore wind development
Trump Yanks Millions of Acres of Ocean Designated for Wind Power
The Trump administration is revoking approval for millions of acres of ocean to be set aside for offshore wind development amid an escalating attack on the renewable power source.
bloom.bg
July 30, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Blocking profitable development to protect his fossil fuel donors.
Reposted by Allen
A Nature poll found that 75% of U.S. researchers are considering leaving the country.
Guyz, even the *historians* are leaving or contemplating / likely to go. Including, at least 3 historians that I know of in my subfield. 😢
Guyz, even the *historians* are leaving or contemplating / likely to go. Including, at least 3 historians that I know of in my subfield. 😢
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s b...
www.pbs.org
October 31, 2025 at 7:50 PM
A Nature poll found that 75% of U.S. researchers are considering leaving the country.
Guyz, even the *historians* are leaving or contemplating / likely to go. Including, at least 3 historians that I know of in my subfield. 😢
Guyz, even the *historians* are leaving or contemplating / likely to go. Including, at least 3 historians that I know of in my subfield. 😢
Reposted by Allen
The Justice Department targets cartels by prosecuting them.
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
October 31, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The Justice Department targets cartels by prosecuting them.
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Since January, federal drug prosecutions have dropped to their slowest pace in decades. That enforcement pullback was steepest for the types of cases used to go after higher-level traffickers.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Allen
When I worked in WaPo Opinions in 2017-2018, senior editors specifically told junior editors not to factcheck Marc Thiessen and other MAGA columnists, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to publish anything by them at all, and “we need them for intellectual diversity.”
It’s very telling that opening your publication to MAGA “thought” requires a massive downgrade in quality control.
October 30, 2025 at 10:38 PM
When I worked in WaPo Opinions in 2017-2018, senior editors specifically told junior editors not to factcheck Marc Thiessen and other MAGA columnists, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to publish anything by them at all, and “we need them for intellectual diversity.”
Reposted by Allen
I always get drawn back to Al Gore telling voters that he’d only raise taxes on the top 1% and then after the election a poll showed that something like 20% of voters thought they were in the top 1% and another 20% thought they would be in the next five years. Just a total tragic disconnect.
Maaaaan, this. So much this. Every time there's any kind of actual in-depth survey we find that the American people are *abysmally* ignorant about even the most basic political facts, but the pundit class just immediately forgets & proceeds with political analysis based on subtle policy differences.
Feels like so many of our convos are revolving about how voters respond to what politicians are doing, or what parties’ positions on issues are, without much actual empirical sense of what they actually know about those topics.
October 29, 2025 at 11:13 PM
I always get drawn back to Al Gore telling voters that he’d only raise taxes on the top 1% and then after the election a poll showed that something like 20% of voters thought they were in the top 1% and another 20% thought they would be in the next five years. Just a total tragic disconnect.