Barb
@barbok81.bsky.social
Reluctant cat lady. Books, gardening, movies, traveling, and food & drink keep life interesting.
Everything is politics.
Don't follow me. I'll probably just block you.
Everything is politics.
Don't follow me. I'll probably just block you.
Reposted by Barb
WHAT THE F*CK
Some Grok users, mostly men, began to demand to see bruising on the bodies of the women, and for blood to be added to the images. Requests to show women tied up and gagged were instantly granted.
‘Add blood, forced smile’:
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Add blood, forced smile’:
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Add blood, forced smile’: how Grok’s nudification tool went viral
The ‘put her in a bikini’ trend rapidly evolved into hundreds of thousands of requests to strip clothes from photos of women, horrifying those targeted
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:31 PM
WHAT THE F*CK
Reposted by Barb
The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.
January 11, 2026 at 3:19 PM
The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.
The opposite of making America great and safe.
It’s hard to know if people outside MN understand how much of life is grinding to a halt here because of Trump’s occupation. Schools have shut down, businesses are scaling back hours or closing because their employees aren’t safe. The whole city is weighted down.
January 10, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The opposite of making America great and safe.
Reposted by Barb
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
January 10, 2026 at 9:15 AM
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become
Reposted by Barb
what fresh hell is this on the streets of brooklyn?
January 9, 2026 at 9:33 PM
what fresh hell is this on the streets of brooklyn?
Reposted by Barb
This is a good meme.
And a meme was born. Cry harder, fascists!
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
This is a good meme.
Reposted by Barb
if a Democrat had said “I can’t wait to host the oil companies at my 90,000 square foot golden self-commemorative ballroom that I tore down the White House and solicited $300 million in bribes to build” it would literally be considered the worst scandal and gaffe in human history
REPORTER: The Capital Planning Commission is concerned the 89,000 square foot ballroom is going to dwarf the rest of the rest of the WH. Do you worry about that?
TRUMP: No no. People love the ballroom. We need it. If we would've had the ballroom today, we could've had all the oil companies there.
TRUMP: No no. People love the ballroom. We need it. If we would've had the ballroom today, we could've had all the oil companies there.
January 9, 2026 at 11:44 PM
if a Democrat had said “I can’t wait to host the oil companies at my 90,000 square foot golden self-commemorative ballroom that I tore down the White House and solicited $300 million in bribes to build” it would literally be considered the worst scandal and gaffe in human history
Reposted by Barb
Protesters making as much noise as possible in front of the Hilton Canopy where ICE agents are staying in Minneapolis.
January 10, 2026 at 12:52 AM
Protesters making as much noise as possible in front of the Hilton Canopy where ICE agents are staying in Minneapolis.
Reposted by Barb
at some point we're gonna have to have a real conversation about why we're still paying federal taxes to a regime that isn't using them to help anyone, but instead is using them to brutalize us
January 9, 2026 at 11:22 PM
at some point we're gonna have to have a real conversation about why we're still paying federal taxes to a regime that isn't using them to help anyone, but instead is using them to brutalize us
Think about this for just one second...
Trump: "I'm a fan of Denmark too. They've been very nice to me. But the fact that they had a boat land there [Greenland] 500 years ago doesn't mean they own the land. I'm sure we had lots of boats go there also."
January 10, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Think about this for just one second...
Reposted by Barb
If you’re scared of a Honda Pilot driving less than 5 miles an hour, with its wheels pointing away from you, you should not be working in law-enforcement…
You shouldn’t have a gun. You shouldn’t have a badge. You should find a new line of work.
You shouldn’t have a gun. You shouldn’t have a badge. You should find a new line of work.
January 8, 2026 at 7:41 PM
If you’re scared of a Honda Pilot driving less than 5 miles an hour, with its wheels pointing away from you, you should not be working in law-enforcement…
You shouldn’t have a gun. You shouldn’t have a badge. You should find a new line of work.
You shouldn’t have a gun. You shouldn’t have a badge. You should find a new line of work.
January 8, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Reposted by Barb
Reposted by Barb
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
Reposted by Barb
Statement on Trump’s military actions in Venezuela.
January 3, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Statement on Trump’s military actions in Venezuela.
Jesus Christ. What have we done?
Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so."
January 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Jesus Christ. What have we done?
Reposted by Barb
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
January 3, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
This makes me physically ill.
Trump posts footage of the Maduro raid set to "Fortunate Son" -- a protest song about the Vietnam War draft
January 3, 2026 at 4:23 PM
This makes me physically ill.
Reposted by Barb
His plan for what happens next? It's hard to imagine there is one. His plan was for the headlines we see this morning.
Perhaps there is a vague fantasy that dances in his head about what happens next. The world is his ballroom to tear down.
Perhaps there is a vague fantasy that dances in his head about what happens next. The world is his ballroom to tear down.
January 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM
His plan for what happens next? It's hard to imagine there is one. His plan was for the headlines we see this morning.
Perhaps there is a vague fantasy that dances in his head about what happens next. The world is his ballroom to tear down.
Perhaps there is a vague fantasy that dances in his head about what happens next. The world is his ballroom to tear down.
Reposted by Barb
Well 2026 got to being 2026 in a big damn hurry didn't it
January 3, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Well 2026 got to being 2026 in a big damn hurry didn't it
Reposted by Barb
While the Senate is asking Trump why they started a war to kidnap a foreign leader perhaps they might also ask why Trump freed a former foreign leader convicted of the same kind of crimes.
January 3, 2026 at 10:37 AM
While the Senate is asking Trump why they started a war to kidnap a foreign leader perhaps they might also ask why Trump freed a former foreign leader convicted of the same kind of crimes.
Reposted by Barb
"I’m going to walk y’all through why this is very bad, and I’ll attempt to make it as clear as possible to outline the unnecessary risks and complications Trump is now forcing upon our country and the people of Venezuela and international stability."
Trump Invaded a Country While You Were Sleeping
Illegally and immorally.
charlotteclymer.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:30 PM
"I’m going to walk y’all through why this is very bad, and I’ll attempt to make it as clear as possible to outline the unnecessary risks and complications Trump is now forcing upon our country and the people of Venezuela and international stability."
Reposted by Barb
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
January 3, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Some thoughts on what Trump has done in Venezuela and what it might mean for US national security. Caveat: not a Latin America scholar so this is focused on US policy. Clearly huge consequences for Venezuela that others can address.
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
First, despite the buildup, I didn't think Trump would do it.
1/
Reposted by Barb
An interesting read, most especially if you can’t accept that SARS-CoV-2 was a natural spillover event.
I am pretty sure that @jimalwine.bsky.social wrote a piece about the increased tempo of pandemics at one point.
I am pretty sure that @jimalwine.bsky.social wrote a piece about the increased tempo of pandemics at one point.
Review of 200 novel human viruses over a century a reminder that pathogen emergence isn’t rare
www.cidrap.umn.edu
January 3, 2026 at 1:12 AM
An interesting read, most especially if you can’t accept that SARS-CoV-2 was a natural spillover event.
I am pretty sure that @jimalwine.bsky.social wrote a piece about the increased tempo of pandemics at one point.
I am pretty sure that @jimalwine.bsky.social wrote a piece about the increased tempo of pandemics at one point.
