Zac Oldenburg
@zacoldenburg.bsky.social
Rated PG for Traditional Godzilla Violence
"Maintain a very consistent panda bear shape."
"Here, put these bandit hats on."
middleofrow.com
"Maintain a very consistent panda bear shape."
"Here, put these bandit hats on."
middleofrow.com
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
This will kill children. It is not based on science. It is a belief-based system driven by a madman who doesn't even believe in germ theory.
As someone who watched her baby struggle to breathe in the hospital for a week from RSV, it pains me we are going in reverse.
As someone who watched her baby struggle to breathe in the hospital for a week from RSV, it pains me we are going in reverse.
RFK Jr's HHS had a press call to announce they were — based on no new data — overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule. Senior officials at HHS answered questions but refused to go on the record, saying we could only attribute the quotes to "officials." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
U.S. overhauls childhood vaccine schedule, recommends fewer shots
The U.S. no longer broadly recommends vaccines for flu, hepatitis A and B, and RSV. Health officials say the guidance aligns with that of peer countries.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:24 AM
This will kill children. It is not based on science. It is a belief-based system driven by a madman who doesn't even believe in germ theory.
As someone who watched her baby struggle to breathe in the hospital for a week from RSV, it pains me we are going in reverse.
As someone who watched her baby struggle to breathe in the hospital for a week from RSV, it pains me we are going in reverse.
Ham!
In honor of Hayao Miyazaki's birthday, what's your favorite Studio Ghibli film? Doesn't have to be the one you think is "the best," just the one that nestled in your heart. Mine is Howl's Moving Castle.
a painting of howl 's moving castle shows a cloudy night sky
Alt: a pixelated gif of Howl's Castle sitting on a hillside under an evening sky.
media.tenor.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Ham!
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
One example of how Grok is being used to target women. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch being sexualised, degraded, and humiliated step-by-step by Grok. All the images accurately reflect the prompts provided.
January 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
One example of how Grok is being used to target women. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch being sexualised, degraded, and humiliated step-by-step by Grok. All the images accurately reflect the prompts provided.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Literally a publication for eight-year olds 40 years ago
January 4, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Literally a publication for eight-year olds 40 years ago
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
As should be obvious by now, this is not idle chatter.
If the Republicans in Congress don’t get off their cowardly asses, we’re going to witness even more insanity.
If the Republicans in Congress don’t get off their cowardly asses, we’re going to witness even more insanity.
Trump: "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it ... the EU needs us to have it"
January 5, 2026 at 1:45 AM
As should be obvious by now, this is not idle chatter.
If the Republicans in Congress don’t get off their cowardly asses, we’re going to witness even more insanity.
If the Republicans in Congress don’t get off their cowardly asses, we’re going to witness even more insanity.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
In a nutshell.
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
In a nutshell.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
at the end of the broadcast era, we were pumping out 23 eps of Lost a year and now we can't get the second season of Heated Rivals, which has like 10 cast members, six locations, and no effects, until 2027. we must do better.
January 5, 2026 at 12:56 AM
at the end of the broadcast era, we were pumping out 23 eps of Lost a year and now we can't get the second season of Heated Rivals, which has like 10 cast members, six locations, and no effects, until 2027. we must do better.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
My position on impeachment is the same as it was six months ago: Impeachment is first about driving public attention to Trump’s crimes and corruption.
Democrats should introduce impeachment articles and force votes to boost their parallel media effort.
Performative public investigations matter.
Democrats should introduce impeachment articles and force votes to boost their parallel media effort.
Performative public investigations matter.
Why push for impeachment?
Because politics is an exercise in moving public opinion as much as counting votes in the senate.
The Jan 6 Hearings were not a criminal proceeding against Trump that would end in jail, but they focused public attention.
Performative public investigations matter
Because politics is an exercise in moving public opinion as much as counting votes in the senate.
The Jan 6 Hearings were not a criminal proceeding against Trump that would end in jail, but they focused public attention.
Performative public investigations matter
January 4, 2026 at 9:14 PM
My position on impeachment is the same as it was six months ago: Impeachment is first about driving public attention to Trump’s crimes and corruption.
Democrats should introduce impeachment articles and force votes to boost their parallel media effort.
Performative public investigations matter.
Democrats should introduce impeachment articles and force votes to boost their parallel media effort.
Performative public investigations matter.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
We get into: young PTA & the New New Hollywood, sincerity and good listening, Fiona Apple as PTA’s Polly Platt, we desperately want a Tom Cruise coconut cake, life imitating art, Melora Walters’ enigmatic smile, the bleak prescience of Seduce & Destroy, how to pace a 3+ hour runtime, and more.
Episode #69: Magnolia (1999)
Not only is this Veronica's last episode, it’s also our 4th annual "Cruisemas" show—join us as we revisit Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia!
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:56 AM
We get into: young PTA & the New New Hollywood, sincerity and good listening, Fiona Apple as PTA’s Polly Platt, we desperately want a Tom Cruise coconut cake, life imitating art, Melora Walters’ enigmatic smile, the bleak prescience of Seduce & Destroy, how to pace a 3+ hour runtime, and more.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Wrote this before yesterday but it gets at what undergirds that (and lots of other things in politics).
"The internet universalized subjectivity instead of objectivity. … We have reverted from acting on what we *know* to acting on what we *think*."
"The internet universalized subjectivity instead of objectivity. … We have reverted from acting on what we *know* to acting on what we *think*."
Opinion | How the internet fractured the information ago — and drove down regard for actual facts and education
Philip Bump: We have reverted from acting on what we know to acting on what we think.
www.ms.now
January 4, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Wrote this before yesterday but it gets at what undergirds that (and lots of other things in politics).
"The internet universalized subjectivity instead of objectivity. … We have reverted from acting on what we *know* to acting on what we *think*."
"The internet universalized subjectivity instead of objectivity. … We have reverted from acting on what we *know* to acting on what we *think*."
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Trump says they're going to make a "lot of money" from Venezuela's oil, oil companies say that's not possible, Rubio says they're not doing regime change and is now in charge of the government but there's still a Venezuelan government in place, they said it's about fentanyl but no charges mention it
January 4, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Trump says they're going to make a "lot of money" from Venezuela's oil, oil companies say that's not possible, Rubio says they're not doing regime change and is now in charge of the government but there's still a Venezuelan government in place, they said it's about fentanyl but no charges mention it
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Grant’s Favorite Music of 2025
Grant’s Favorite Music of 2025
middleofrow.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Grant’s Favorite Music of 2025
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
The most junior copy editor at the nation’s worst college paper could find a way to squeeze “which killed an estimated 40 people” somewhere into these top 6 grafs of the NYTimes story.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
January 4, 2026 at 5:20 AM
The most junior copy editor at the nation’s worst college paper could find a way to squeeze “which killed an estimated 40 people” somewhere into these top 6 grafs of the NYTimes story.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
It was a conscious decision to bury it in the bottom half.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
January 3, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
“Nobody can stop us,” a thing famously said by people about to do good things
Watch this. Watch again.
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
January 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM
“Nobody can stop us,” a thing famously said by people about to do good things
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Trump is trying to force US oil companies to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields that are too expensive to invest in at current crude prices while a full blown energy revolution is happening with cheap solar and electrification growing exponentially.
This is a dying empire shit.
This is a dying empire shit.
a lot of interesting revelations between the lines of this story www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 4, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Trump is trying to force US oil companies to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields that are too expensive to invest in at current crude prices while a full blown energy revolution is happening with cheap solar and electrification growing exponentially.
This is a dying empire shit.
This is a dying empire shit.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Everything Is Russiagate truly lol
The cynics think today's attack on Venezuela is staged and transactional. Maduro is allied with Putin, but in 2019 Putin offered Trump a swap: Russia cedes Venezuela and gets Ukraine. (See Fiona Hill's testimony in Trump's first impeachment trial, h/t @davetroy.com). Even Maduro may be in on it. 2/
January 4, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Everything Is Russiagate truly lol
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Is that what’s happening? Or did it fail today to coopt Maduro’s subordinates in the Chavista regime, who are still entrenched in power and pissed off?
With Nicolás Maduro out of power, the Trump administration is racing to assemble an interim governing structure for Venezuela.
After Maduro Ouster, Trump Takes On the Risks of Governing Venezuela
The administration is racing to get an interim government in place, even as pushback from Maduro’s allies raise fears of instability.
on.wsj.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Is that what’s happening? Or did it fail today to coopt Maduro’s subordinates in the Chavista regime, who are still entrenched in power and pissed off?
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
My whole life, advocating war has been fed to me as “the adult position,” akin to drinking your coffee black or reading the business section of the newspaper. Let’s be very clear — war is the childish nonsense of impulsive destructive idiots playing baby-brained video games with real human lives.
January 4, 2026 at 2:02 AM
My whole life, advocating war has been fed to me as “the adult position,” akin to drinking your coffee black or reading the business section of the newspaper. Let’s be very clear — war is the childish nonsense of impulsive destructive idiots playing baby-brained video games with real human lives.
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
The casualties already coming in. Grandmothers in their apartments….
January 3, 2026 at 7:21 PM
The casualties already coming in. Grandmothers in their apartments….
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
The oil companies knew about this before the U.S. Congress www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 3, 2026 at 10:53 PM
The oil companies knew about this before the U.S. Congress www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Zac Oldenburg
“There was zero plan, except causing pain,” said one U.N. official about the Trump administration’s decision to stop funding the group with no notice or communication. “And that is not forgivable.”
After Trump Officials Cut Food Aid to Kenya, Children Starved to Death
“Brutal and traumatizing”: Interviews and a trove of internal documents show government officials and aid workers desperately tried to warn Trump advisers about impending disaster and death.
www.propublica.org
January 4, 2026 at 2:00 AM
“There was zero plan, except causing pain,” said one U.N. official about the Trump administration’s decision to stop funding the group with no notice or communication. “And that is not forgivable.”