Thomas Beck
@tomfodw.bsky.social
Historian of 19th & 20th century Russia/Europe (mostly pre-1921); science fiction author & fan; lover of cats, dogs, chocolate, books, movies, television, baseball, soccer, ice hockey, cricket, Hawaii.
Follow my Substack! https://thomasbeck.substack.com
Follow my Substack! https://thomasbeck.substack.com
Reposted by Thomas Beck
Don’t believe a fucking thing Trump says
Don’t believe a fucking thing Putin says
Thanks for coming to my Ukraine Ted Talk
Don’t believe a fucking thing Putin says
Thanks for coming to my Ukraine Ted Talk
December 31, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Don’t believe a fucking thing Trump says
Don’t believe a fucking thing Putin says
Thanks for coming to my Ukraine Ted Talk
Don’t believe a fucking thing Putin says
Thanks for coming to my Ukraine Ted Talk
Reposted by Thomas Beck
Join us in wishing Sandy Koufax a happy 90th birthday!
Some Hall of Fame advice from the legendary lefty: “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.”
Some Hall of Fame advice from the legendary lefty: “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.”
December 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Join us in wishing Sandy Koufax a happy 90th birthday!
Some Hall of Fame advice from the legendary lefty: “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.”
Some Hall of Fame advice from the legendary lefty: “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.”
Reposted by Thomas Beck
The Zionist Opposition Thinks It Can Protest Dictatorship While Ignoring Palestinians
->Haaretz | #dictatorship #protest | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Haaretz | #dictatorship #protest | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
The Zionist Opposition Thinks It Can Protest Dictatorship While Ignoring Palestinians
Even before they received their moniker, the demonstrators on Kaplan Street had numerous warnings that their comfortable lifestyle, which seemed to them value-centered and democratic, was at risk...
www.haaretz.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Reposted by Thomas Beck
Valdai Residents Report No Signs of Claimed Ukrainian Drone Attack on #Putin Residence
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/30/v...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/30/v...
Valdai Residents Report No Signs of Claimed Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin Residence - The Moscow Times
Residents of the town of Valdai in Russia’s Novgorod region said they neither heard nor saw signs of a large-scale drone attack overnight on Monday despite official claims that nearly 100 Ukrainian dr...
www.themoscowtimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Valdai Residents Report No Signs of Claimed Ukrainian Drone Attack on #Putin Residence
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/30/v...
www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/30/v...
Reposted by Thomas Beck
This is not a movie, this is my beautiful Odesa right now after Russia bombed it . Tell me more how Russia wants peace I dare you
December 31, 2025 at 2:01 AM
This is not a movie, this is my beautiful Odesa right now after Russia bombed it . Tell me more how Russia wants peace I dare you
Reposted by Thomas Beck
One of the most respected mags for sf & f, for generations, is the aptly named The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Over 2 years ago, I sold them a story--but they were having unprecedented problems, & finally were sold to a new company. After 2 years...the issue is here!
www.fandsf.com
www.fandsf.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:26 PM
One of the most respected mags for sf & f, for generations, is the aptly named The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Over 2 years ago, I sold them a story--but they were having unprecedented problems, & finally were sold to a new company. After 2 years...the issue is here!
www.fandsf.com
www.fandsf.com
Reposted by Thomas Beck
December 29, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Thomas Beck
New Jersey's new rate of $15.92 an hour is a $0.43 increase from the previous standard, which was set in 2025.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has gone unchanged since 2009.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has gone unchanged since 2009.
New Jersey’s new minimum wage will be more than double that of Pennsylvania’s
www.inquirer.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM
New Jersey's new rate of $15.92 an hour is a $0.43 increase from the previous standard, which was set in 2025.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has gone unchanged since 2009.
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has gone unchanged since 2009.
Reposted by Thomas Beck
After years of calling Zelenskyy a dictator, Trump, Putin, and their supporters are demanding he dictatorially cede land without a referendum.
Not one Ukraine critic or 'peace' activist - left, right, or center - gives a single shit about democracy
Not one Ukraine critic or 'peace' activist - left, right, or center - gives a single shit about democracy
Russia refuses ceasefire for referendum in Ukraine — Trump
Russia refused to support the idea of a ceasefire to hold a referendum in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a joint news conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Mar-a-Lago on Dec. 28.
english.nv.ua
December 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
After years of calling Zelenskyy a dictator, Trump, Putin, and their supporters are demanding he dictatorially cede land without a referendum.
Not one Ukraine critic or 'peace' activist - left, right, or center - gives a single shit about democracy
Not one Ukraine critic or 'peace' activist - left, right, or center - gives a single shit about democracy
Reposted by Thomas Beck
Trump has called the press “fake news” and called individual reporters derogatory terms. In this environment, our journalists have found that their efforts to get the real story and be fair were vilified rather than appreciated. Condemned, not commended. ICYMI, my column:
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Trump has called the press “fake news” and called individual reporters derogatory terms. In this environment, our journalists have found that their efforts to get the real story and be fair were vilified rather than appreciated. Condemned, not commended. ICYMI, my column:
If we had proof that Trump committed bribery and treason while in office, could he be arrested or would the Supreme Court rule that he has immunity from prosecution for any official acts? Even those that are unquestionably illegal?
(I know immunity would not protect him from impeachment and
(I know immunity would not protect him from impeachment and
December 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
If we had proof that Trump committed bribery and treason while in office, could he be arrested or would the Supreme Court rule that he has immunity from prosecution for any official acts? Even those that are unquestionably illegal?
(I know immunity would not protect him from impeachment and
(I know immunity would not protect him from impeachment and
Reposted by Thomas Beck
This is a really good analysis of the questions, do Russians want war, and how much does the Russian economy NEED war?
It's too long and detailed to summarize, so please read it.
I want to focus on one issue: similarities between the Soviet and post-Soviet economic emphases on military
It's too long and detailed to summarize, so please read it.
I want to focus on one issue: similarities between the Soviet and post-Soviet economic emphases on military
Do the Russians Want War?
As ceasefire proposals circulate in Western capitals, they collide with a fundamental reality that is frequently underestimated: the Russian economy can no longer meaningfully “turn back.”
moderndiplomacy.eu
December 30, 2025 at 2:40 AM
This is a really good analysis of the questions, do Russians want war, and how much does the Russian economy NEED war?
It's too long and detailed to summarize, so please read it.
I want to focus on one issue: similarities between the Soviet and post-Soviet economic emphases on military
It's too long and detailed to summarize, so please read it.
I want to focus on one issue: similarities between the Soviet and post-Soviet economic emphases on military
As long as the Republican Party exists, our democracy remains under threat. That was true before Trump and will remain true after him. The party must be dismantled. Not defeated in one election. Not moderated. Dismantled and its leaders incarcerated for sedition and corruption.
Stop Waiting for Trump to Die
Bottom Line Up Front for the Hardcore Activists (BLUF-HA): The GOP has spent 50 years building a machine to end democracy, funded by oligarchs who will outlive any single president. They want us to .....
www.dailykos.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:02 AM
As long as the Republican Party exists, our democracy remains under threat. That was true before Trump and will remain true after him. The party must be dismantled. Not defeated in one election. Not moderated. Dismantled and its leaders incarcerated for sedition and corruption.
Reposted by Thomas Beck
❗️Russia accuses Ukraine of what it is doing itself — Ukraine's Foreign Minister Sybiha on the "strike" on Putin's residence
"A typical Russian tactic: to accuse the other side of what you are doing or planning yourself."
"A typical Russian tactic: to accuse the other side of what you are doing or planning yourself."
December 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
❗️Russia accuses Ukraine of what it is doing itself — Ukraine's Foreign Minister Sybiha on the "strike" on Putin's residence
"A typical Russian tactic: to accuse the other side of what you are doing or planning yourself."
"A typical Russian tactic: to accuse the other side of what you are doing or planning yourself."
It’s not unusual that mainstream media outlets pay so much attention to Trump voters. They are, after all, inexplicable to anyone with a working brain.
What’s unusual to me (or at least worth considering) is the complete lack of curiosity in the rightwing media about anti-Trump voters. Other
What’s unusual to me (or at least worth considering) is the complete lack of curiosity in the rightwing media about anti-Trump voters. Other
December 29, 2025 at 9:58 PM
It’s not unusual that mainstream media outlets pay so much attention to Trump voters. They are, after all, inexplicable to anyone with a working brain.
What’s unusual to me (or at least worth considering) is the complete lack of curiosity in the rightwing media about anti-Trump voters. Other
What’s unusual to me (or at least worth considering) is the complete lack of curiosity in the rightwing media about anti-Trump voters. Other
This graph is kind of mealy-mouthed—“The detail adds to a growing pile of evidence that Russia isn’t negotiating in good faith to end its assault on Ukraine” (could be a New York Times headline! :::smirk:::)—but otherwise a good article.
Trump Admits He Hasn't Gotten Putin to Agree to Anything
->The New Republic | #no decency #putin war criminal #trump fascism | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->The New Republic | #no decency #putin war criminal #trump fascism | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
Trump Admits He Hasn't Gotten Putin to Agree to Anything
“Did [Russian President Vladimir] Putin agree to a ceasefire to allow a referendum to take place?” a journalist asked Trump Sunday evening during a Palm Beach press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “Not a ceasefire, and that’s one of...
newrepublic.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This graph is kind of mealy-mouthed—“The detail adds to a growing pile of evidence that Russia isn’t negotiating in good faith to end its assault on Ukraine” (could be a New York Times headline! :::smirk:::)—but otherwise a good article.
Reposted by Thomas Beck
God: in my book I invented No Other Gods before me as a commandment
American Evangelicals: at last we have created the Other God from the classic commandment Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
American Evangelicals: at last we have created the Other God from the classic commandment Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
Donald J Trump is the spiritual father of the American people
December 29, 2025 at 8:15 PM
God: in my book I invented No Other Gods before me as a commandment
American Evangelicals: at last we have created the Other God from the classic commandment Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
American Evangelicals: at last we have created the Other God from the classic commandment Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
“Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office on Monday designated the George Washington University an ‘undesirable’ organization, accusing the U.S.-based institution of helping promote anti-Russian sentiment and spread false claims about the war in Ukraine.
“The designation effectively bans the university
“The designation effectively bans the university
Russia Designates George Washington University ‘Undesirable’ Organization
- The Moscow Times
Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office on Monday designated the George Washington University an “undesirable” organization, accusing the U.S.-based institution of helping promote anti-Russian sentiment ...
www.themoscowtimes.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:24 PM
“Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office on Monday designated the George Washington University an ‘undesirable’ organization, accusing the U.S.-based institution of helping promote anti-Russian sentiment and spread false claims about the war in Ukraine.
“The designation effectively bans the university
“The designation effectively bans the university