Barbara (she/her)
@bhowe.bsky.social
Retired software engineer turned fantasy novelist. Dual U.S. and New Zealand citizen.
barbarahowewriter.com
barbarahowewriter.com
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
I realise I'm just a freak, but living in a multicultural city is the best thing of all time, it's just the best possible human experience and i can not understand why anyone on earth would be like "weve got to destroy this"
January 17, 2026 at 4:28 AM
I realise I'm just a freak, but living in a multicultural city is the best thing of all time, it's just the best possible human experience and i can not understand why anyone on earth would be like "weve got to destroy this"
Excellent analysis/thread on Social Security.
You may have heard that "social security is going to go bankrupt." Many younger people assume social security will not be there for them when they retire. In my latest paper I correct the record. SS is not going bankrupt but we'll need to revisit it soon 🧵
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
“Will Social Security Run Out?” Is the Wrong Question: How Lawmakers Can Protect Beneficiaries and Strengthen OASI
Is Social Security really in crisis? This report examines the OASI Trust Fund, lessons from 1983, and policy options to secure benefits for the future.
rooseveltinstitute.org
January 17, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Excellent analysis/thread on Social Security.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Let me give you a thought experiment:
Imagine not just a ban on qualified immunity for authority, but a reversal; a new legal framework, under which authority bears greater responsibility than civilians in matters involving force—as it should.
www.the-reframe.com/absolute-imm...
Imagine not just a ban on qualified immunity for authority, but a reversal; a new legal framework, under which authority bears greater responsibility than civilians in matters involving force—as it should.
www.the-reframe.com/absolute-imm...
Absolute Immunity
Alignment with supremacy is a vile choice. Raising the natural costs for those who make that choice by putting first things first.
www.the-reframe.com
January 13, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Let me give you a thought experiment:
Imagine not just a ban on qualified immunity for authority, but a reversal; a new legal framework, under which authority bears greater responsibility than civilians in matters involving force—as it should.
www.the-reframe.com/absolute-imm...
Imagine not just a ban on qualified immunity for authority, but a reversal; a new legal framework, under which authority bears greater responsibility than civilians in matters involving force—as it should.
www.the-reframe.com/absolute-imm...
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
once again we are all tapping the sign
January 9, 2026 at 11:45 PM
once again we are all tapping the sign
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Good demonstration of why today's windstorm along Colorado's Front Range is more dangerous than Wednesday's. Wed wind left vegetation critically dry. Any 🔥 that ignites will burn hotter and faster than if trees held more moisture.
You might be thinking, "CPSC, does a dry Christmas tree really burn that much faster than a well-watered tree?"
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
December 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Good demonstration of why today's windstorm along Colorado's Front Range is more dangerous than Wednesday's. Wed wind left vegetation critically dry. Any 🔥 that ignites will burn hotter and faster than if trees held more moisture.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Another reason why this is *such* a dumb decision is that it will reduce the pool of eligible blood donors in the future
I know someone with O negative blood type (i.e. a universal donor), who could never donate because he had hepatitis as a kid (was so ill that he was hospitalized)
I know someone with O negative blood type (i.e. a universal donor), who could never donate because he had hepatitis as a kid (was so ill that he was hospitalized)
December 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Another reason why this is *such* a dumb decision is that it will reduce the pool of eligible blood donors in the future
I know someone with O negative blood type (i.e. a universal donor), who could never donate because he had hepatitis as a kid (was so ill that he was hospitalized)
I know someone with O negative blood type (i.e. a universal donor), who could never donate because he had hepatitis as a kid (was so ill that he was hospitalized)
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
This is the ad for which Trump thinks Democratic lawmakers should be executed:
November 20, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This is the ad for which Trump thinks Democratic lawmakers should be executed:
I stayed up way too late last night finishing A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry. It's a retelling of Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities with fairy magic, as narrated by Sydney Carton.
I absolutely loved it.
I absolutely loved it.
November 15, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I stayed up way too late last night finishing A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry. It's a retelling of Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities with fairy magic, as narrated by Sydney Carton.
I absolutely loved it.
I absolutely loved it.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Even in the extremely unlikely event of an actual home invasion, unless you're special-forces trained, having a gun just makes it more likely your or a family member dies. Meanwhile accidental shooting or manslaughter is exponentially more likely. It's pure insanity.
November 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Even in the extremely unlikely event of an actual home invasion, unless you're special-forces trained, having a gun just makes it more likely your or a family member dies. Meanwhile accidental shooting or manslaughter is exponentially more likely. It's pure insanity.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
"Someone has decided that wiping out the world's biggest economy is a good idea. It's hard for me to wrap my head around it but it's happening and it's being done on purpose. Once the food chain is broken the chaos will begin. Whoever profits from that might be the culprit."
Jenna Zaquá.
Jenna Zaquá.
November 11, 2025 at 6:36 PM
"Someone has decided that wiping out the world's biggest economy is a good idea. It's hard for me to wrap my head around it but it's happening and it's being done on purpose. Once the food chain is broken the chaos will begin. Whoever profits from that might be the culprit."
Jenna Zaquá.
Jenna Zaquá.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Folks, if you are hungry, please contact your local Sikh gurdwara. Or just show up for langar, which most gurdwaras do several times a week, for a free meal. Lots also do weekly or monthly drives giving out groceries.
No conversion necessary. Feeding anyone who is hungry is a key part of Sikhism.
No conversion necessary. Feeding anyone who is hungry is a key part of Sikhism.
A lady on TikTok has been calling churches pretending to be a mother with a baby who needs formula and several churches turned her away. But wouldn’t you know that when she called a Mosque (Islamic Center of Charlotte) they immediately said yes.
[Source: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMpoxsaW/ ]
[Source: www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMpoxsaW/ ]
Islamic Center of Charlotte in Charlotte NC. Would help feed a starving baby no hesitation 🥰🥰🥰 #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #testingyourchurch #church #faith #religion #baby #hungrybabytest #viral #viralvid...
TikTok video by Nikalie 🌈
www.tiktok.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Folks, if you are hungry, please contact your local Sikh gurdwara. Or just show up for langar, which most gurdwaras do several times a week, for a free meal. Lots also do weekly or monthly drives giving out groceries.
No conversion necessary. Feeding anyone who is hungry is a key part of Sikhism.
No conversion necessary. Feeding anyone who is hungry is a key part of Sikhism.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
There are no circumstances where human beings should be without food. There are no qualifications that make someone undeserving of access to food. If you are a human being, you should get food. I don’t care about ability, job status, legal status, or anything else. If people are hungry, feed them.
October 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
There are no circumstances where human beings should be without food. There are no qualifications that make someone undeserving of access to food. If you are a human being, you should get food. I don’t care about ability, job status, legal status, or anything else. If people are hungry, feed them.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
I ran the USMC marathon not long after 9/11. And you could still see the scars on the Pentagon from where the plane crashed. The visceral hit of seeing America's buildings damaged by people ruled by hatred & anger can't be overstated.
Just thinking of that when I see these photos.
Just thinking of that when I see these photos.
October 22, 2025 at 12:14 AM
I ran the USMC marathon not long after 9/11. And you could still see the scars on the Pentagon from where the plane crashed. The visceral hit of seeing America's buildings damaged by people ruled by hatred & anger can't be overstated.
Just thinking of that when I see these photos.
Just thinking of that when I see these photos.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
True, but there are signs.
My mother was a war protester in the 1960s and they had a fairly straightforward rule on identifying feds: anyone suggesting violence is a fed.
It's not the only tell, but that's a pretty good tell.
My mother was a war protester in the 1960s and they had a fairly straightforward rule on identifying feds: anyone suggesting violence is a fed.
It's not the only tell, but that's a pretty good tell.
October 14, 2025 at 3:56 PM
True, but there are signs.
My mother was a war protester in the 1960s and they had a fairly straightforward rule on identifying feds: anyone suggesting violence is a fed.
It's not the only tell, but that's a pretty good tell.
My mother was a war protester in the 1960s and they had a fairly straightforward rule on identifying feds: anyone suggesting violence is a fed.
It's not the only tell, but that's a pretty good tell.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Since the other person blocked me, I am going to share this tool once again so hopefully more people can see it.
If you're taking photos at a protest, make sure you're blurring out people's faces unless you have their permission to post them. And scrub your metadata 🙌
If you're taking photos at a protest, make sure you're blurring out people's faces unless you have their permission to post them. And scrub your metadata 🙌
Image Scrubber
everestpipkin.github.io
October 14, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Since the other person blocked me, I am going to share this tool once again so hopefully more people can see it.
If you're taking photos at a protest, make sure you're blurring out people's faces unless you have their permission to post them. And scrub your metadata 🙌
If you're taking photos at a protest, make sure you're blurring out people's faces unless you have their permission to post them. And scrub your metadata 🙌
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Also, PLEASE don’t treat protests like a social media photo op. That endangers the very people you are there to protect. Clout can wait.
October 14, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Also, PLEASE don’t treat protests like a social media photo op. That endangers the very people you are there to protect. Clout can wait.
Done. It was easy.
Looking for one thing you can do right now to help protect the right to vote? It will only take a few minutes, and you can share it with all of your friends. joycevance.substack.com/p/a-thing-yo...
A Thing You Can Do Right Now To Help Protect The Right To Vote
The U.S.
joycevance.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Done. It was easy.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
People once again need to internalize that "generative AI" is a small subset of machine learning, that machine learning is a critical tool that you cannot run a site without past a certain volume Bluesky has long since exceeded, and that it is FAR more reliable than user reporting.
October 7, 2025 at 7:16 PM
People once again need to internalize that "generative AI" is a small subset of machine learning, that machine learning is a critical tool that you cannot run a site without past a certain volume Bluesky has long since exceeded, and that it is FAR more reliable than user reporting.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
US farmers are saying they "just need temporary help, until things get better."
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
September 30, 2025 at 10:40 PM
US farmers are saying they "just need temporary help, until things get better."
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
Here's the thing. US farm exports- which are mostly soy- CANNOT get better.
Other countries expanded their soy industries to fill China's demand.
We've walled ourselves out of the global market, folks. This is it.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Tried to get my real ID. I had my license, my SS card and my birth certificate.
I was not allowed to get my real ID because my birth name is different than my married name. Now I have to go dig up a marriage certificate. You know who wouldn’t have to do this? A man.
Never change your last name.
I was not allowed to get my real ID because my birth name is different than my married name. Now I have to go dig up a marriage certificate. You know who wouldn’t have to do this? A man.
Never change your last name.
September 22, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Tried to get my real ID. I had my license, my SS card and my birth certificate.
I was not allowed to get my real ID because my birth name is different than my married name. Now I have to go dig up a marriage certificate. You know who wouldn’t have to do this? A man.
Never change your last name.
I was not allowed to get my real ID because my birth name is different than my married name. Now I have to go dig up a marriage certificate. You know who wouldn’t have to do this? A man.
Never change your last name.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
anti-abortion = anti-women, it doesn't get more simple than that.
September 20, 2025 at 3:54 PM
anti-abortion = anti-women, it doesn't get more simple than that.
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
The idea of running anti-abortion Democrats is sickening to me. That means killing women! That is what that means!
September 20, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The idea of running anti-abortion Democrats is sickening to me. That means killing women! That is what that means!
Reposted by Barbara (she/her)
Opposing political violence requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s death.
Opposing political violence also requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s life.
Charlie Kirk spent his life encouraging his allies on the far-right to think violence was legitimate and concerns about it were fake.
Opposing political violence also requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s life.
Charlie Kirk spent his life encouraging his allies on the far-right to think violence was legitimate and concerns about it were fake.
September 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Opposing political violence requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s death.
Opposing political violence also requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s life.
Charlie Kirk spent his life encouraging his allies on the far-right to think violence was legitimate and concerns about it were fake.
Opposing political violence also requires that we condemn Charlie Kirk’s life.
Charlie Kirk spent his life encouraging his allies on the far-right to think violence was legitimate and concerns about it were fake.