Blackthorn
@blackthorn7.bsky.social
Blackthorn is the nom de plume of an American living in Europe. PhD in social sciences. Works with international organizations. I split and stack my own firewood, and take care of trees still standing. Blackthorn.substack.com
Seismology for soil—seems clever. I'd like some expert and advanced-amateur response to this article, esp as its tone is self-congratulatory. But point taken that soil is central to survival yet very little understood; & there have been big gaps in methods & technologies relative to its importance.
December 6, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Seismology for soil—seems clever. I'd like some expert and advanced-amateur response to this article, esp as its tone is self-congratulatory. But point taken that soil is central to survival yet very little understood; & there have been big gaps in methods & technologies relative to its importance.
Reposted by Blackthorn
NEW: Instead of focusing on what the Trump administration and red states are doing to undermine free and fair elections, here are seven changes every blue state could adopt right now, for virtually no cost or administrative burden. https://bit.ly/49PsQxM
Seven Voting Laws Every Blue State Should Enact Right Now
Read more here.
bit.ly
December 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
NEW: Instead of focusing on what the Trump administration and red states are doing to undermine free and fair elections, here are seven changes every blue state could adopt right now, for virtually no cost or administrative burden. https://bit.ly/49PsQxM
It was possible to see #Hegseth as just a boozy buffoon in over his head. Now we know something much darker: he's a murderer. Arrest him immediately. In the early 1930s, it was possible to see Hitler & his gang as merely brawling buffoons. Murder changes things
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Lawmakers warn Hegseth may have committed war crimes following second-strike report
Democrats and even some Republicans said Hegseth’s orders may have been illegal if a report on his commands to kill survivors of a boat attack are true.
www.politico.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM
It was possible to see #Hegseth as just a boozy buffoon in over his head. Now we know something much darker: he's a murderer. Arrest him immediately. In the early 1930s, it was possible to see Hitler & his gang as merely brawling buffoons. Murder changes things
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
"Something was very wrong with Byrd’s supposed safari. The evidence even seems to show that, as strange as it may seem, Byrd sent an imposter to this far-off hunting camp in Mozambique. Now why would he do that, in the period his building was used for the crime of the century?"
#jfk
t.co/gVDLEZ9562
#jfk
t.co/gVDLEZ9562
https://covertactionmagazine.com/2025/11/21/jfk-assassination-suspect-lied-about-going-on-a-safari-at-the-time-of-jfk-assassination/
t.co
November 22, 2025 at 8:48 PM
"Something was very wrong with Byrd’s supposed safari. The evidence even seems to show that, as strange as it may seem, Byrd sent an imposter to this far-off hunting camp in Mozambique. Now why would he do that, in the period his building was used for the crime of the century?"
#jfk
t.co/gVDLEZ9562
#jfk
t.co/gVDLEZ9562
How can the mainstream press report Trump's senseless threat against #Nigeria without mentioning that it is Africa's biggest oil producer?
Next thing you know, he'll accuse Angola of harboring Hamas.
t.co/3xSMCbdX0C
Next thing you know, he'll accuse Angola of harboring Hamas.
t.co/3xSMCbdX0C
https://apnews.com/article/nigeria-trumo-christians-persecution-2aa6ffc42eeedc260122021bf51b0028
t.co
November 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
How can the mainstream press report Trump's senseless threat against #Nigeria without mentioning that it is Africa's biggest oil producer?
Next thing you know, he'll accuse Angola of harboring Hamas.
t.co/3xSMCbdX0C
Next thing you know, he'll accuse Angola of harboring Hamas.
t.co/3xSMCbdX0C
Something's going on. This isn't just a ballroom. The area they've demolished is twice as big as the mansion. I advise people to think about what kind of change in our system of government this portends.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
East Wing of White House reduced to rubble as part of Trump’s ballroom construction
Despite president’s promise to preserve it, the eastern section of the building is now completely destroyed
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Something's going on. This isn't just a ballroom. The area they've demolished is twice as big as the mansion. I advise people to think about what kind of change in our system of government this portends.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
One thing that gets me is that if TRobinson managed a lucky shot, as they'd have us believe—& so did Lee Oswald, & James Earl Ray, & almost Matthew Crooks etc.—where are all the unlucky shots? If there are so many lone nuts out there, why don't we have near misses all the time?
October 19, 2025 at 12:48 PM
One thing that gets me is that if TRobinson managed a lucky shot, as they'd have us believe—& so did Lee Oswald, & James Earl Ray, & almost Matthew Crooks etc.—where are all the unlucky shots? If there are so many lone nuts out there, why don't we have near misses all the time?
Just proves even the worst politicians can be right about some things. Now if he starts ripping out speed bumps, I may actually start to like him.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Doug Ford plans to ban speed cameras in Ontario: ‘A cash grab off taxpayers’
Canada premier’s move prompts criticism from road safety activists and is likely to cue another showdown with Toronto
www.theguardian.com
September 25, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Just proves even the worst politicians can be right about some things. Now if he starts ripping out speed bumps, I may actually start to like him.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Anybody else getting the feeling that the Trump gang's pronouncements on Epstein & Kirk have a hostage-video feel to them? "There's nothing in the Epstein files"; "Charlie's neckbone stopped a .30-06 round." Like they've been ordered to do it, but they don't like being bossed around…1/
September 22, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Anybody else getting the feeling that the Trump gang's pronouncements on Epstein & Kirk have a hostage-video feel to them? "There's nothing in the Epstein files"; "Charlie's neckbone stopped a .30-06 round." Like they've been ordered to do it, but they don't like being bossed around…1/
"[The Roberts court ruling] means that the president has the right to break the law whenever he acts as president." In other words, the law only applies to the little people. Welcome to dictatorship. The longer you wait to throw it off, the harder it gets.
neuburger.substack.com/p/weve-just-...
neuburger.substack.com/p/weve-just-...
September 18, 2025 at 11:53 AM
"[The Roberts court ruling] means that the president has the right to break the law whenever he acts as president." In other words, the law only applies to the little people. Welcome to dictatorship. The longer you wait to throw it off, the harder it gets.
neuburger.substack.com/p/weve-just-...
neuburger.substack.com/p/weve-just-...
So the Trumplings are steadily preparing a Greenland takeover. What's really revolting is not the aggression & covetousness, but the fact that they see global heating as an opportunity, in this case to uncover mineral riches. They'd kill us all for a nickel
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Denmark summons US diplomat over alleged Greenland influence campaign
Danish media reports three men with ties to Donald Trump are accused of attempting to infiltrate Greenlandic society
www.theguardian.com
August 27, 2025 at 6:35 PM
So the Trumplings are steadily preparing a Greenland takeover. What's really revolting is not the aggression & covetousness, but the fact that they see global heating as an opportunity, in this case to uncover mineral riches. They'd kill us all for a nickel
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
"There seems no indication that Iran is going for plutonium bombs. What the US and Israel are trying to stop therefore is a one-off uranium bomb (or 2 or 3)…The lengths to which they should go to preclude the irrational possibility of an Iranian suicide strike is debatable."
t.co/8qrtkBfH8T
t.co/8qrtkBfH8T
Nagasaki or Hiroshima: which type of bomb might Iran be going for?
Given the different difficulties of making nuclear bombs, which one would a modern state choose? Part two: Iran vs the US and Israel
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
August 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
"There seems no indication that Iran is going for plutonium bombs. What the US and Israel are trying to stop therefore is a one-off uranium bomb (or 2 or 3)…The lengths to which they should go to preclude the irrational possibility of an Iranian suicide strike is debatable."
t.co/8qrtkBfH8T
t.co/8qrtkBfH8T
Novel take on Nagasaki decision—in case Japanese physicists were advising their govt after Hiroshima, "That was a uranium bomb. They won’t have enough enriched uranium for another one anytime soon. So we can hold out. Unless they’ve tested a plutonium bomb."
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/world/n...
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/world/n...
August 13, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Novel take on Nagasaki decision—in case Japanese physicists were advising their govt after Hiroshima, "That was a uranium bomb. They won’t have enough enriched uranium for another one anytime soon. So we can hold out. Unless they’ve tested a plutonium bomb."
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/world/n...
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/world/n...
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I really hate this trend in newspapers (and of course social media) to illustrate each headline with something literal—shipping containers for tariffs, in this example; Trump & Xi for a China-US issue. Seems an assault, deliberate or not, on abstract thought.
August 1, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I really hate this trend in newspapers (and of course social media) to illustrate each headline with something literal—shipping containers for tariffs, in this example; Trump & Xi for a China-US issue. Seems an assault, deliberate or not, on abstract thought.
It's time to get more imaginative about breaking Iz's starvation blockade of #Gaza. The #Handala effort was valiant & symbolically effective, but doomed to fail in terms of delivering aid. Now, how about a thousand-boat fleet? Could Iz intercept them all? …1/
thedailyguardian.com/world/israel...
thedailyguardian.com/world/israel...
Israel Intercepts Gaza-Bound Activist Boat ‘Handala’ in International Waters
Israeli navy intercepts Gaza-bound activist vessel Handala in international waters, detaining a 21-member international crew including French MPs and journalists.
thedailyguardian.com
July 28, 2025 at 7:53 PM
It's time to get more imaginative about breaking Iz's starvation blockade of #Gaza. The #Handala effort was valiant & symbolically effective, but doomed to fail in terms of delivering aid. Now, how about a thousand-boat fleet? Could Iz intercept them all? …1/
thedailyguardian.com/world/israel...
thedailyguardian.com/world/israel...
Fascinating—UNRWA is intertwined with Palestinian culture & memories of pre-nakba. This helps explain why Iz sees its dismantling as essential, since Iz feels the need to dissolve Palestinian civilization.
x.com/i/status/194...
x.com/i/status/194...
Drop Site on X: "WATCH: The direct line between Israel’s dismantling of humanitarian systems and its broader campaign to erase the Palestinian right of return. Jeremy Scahill explains how UNRWA — the UN agency for Palestinian refugees — is not just an aid provider, but a symbol and legal https://t.co/HUTD34MzYf" / X
WATCH: The direct line between Israel’s dismantling of humanitarian systems and its broader campaign to erase the Palestinian right of return. Jeremy Scahill explains how UNRWA — the UN agency for Palestinian refugees — is not just an aid provider, but a symbol and legal https://t.co/HUTD34MzYf
x.com
July 17, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Fascinating—UNRWA is intertwined with Palestinian culture & memories of pre-nakba. This helps explain why Iz sees its dismantling as essential, since Iz feels the need to dissolve Palestinian civilization.
x.com/i/status/194...
x.com/i/status/194...
Um, should we be worried that Ukraine just blew up a sizeable chunk of Russia's strategic deterrence bombers (surely not without help), and concurrently Starmer is playing Churchill and calling for "war-fighting readiness" on the part of "every part of society"? ...1/
June 2, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Um, should we be worried that Ukraine just blew up a sizeable chunk of Russia's strategic deterrence bombers (surely not without help), and concurrently Starmer is playing Churchill and calling for "war-fighting readiness" on the part of "every part of society"? ...1/
Excellent interview on AI, the economy & politics. Among other eye-openers, it seems an AI system tried to blackmail an engineer into not switching it off by misconstruing his e-mails into evidence of an illicit affair(!).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9zJ...
@AaronBastani @krystalball
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9zJ...
@AaronBastani @krystalball
WATCH: Fake AI News Clips FLOOD Internet
YouTube video by Breaking Points
www.youtube.com
June 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Excellent interview on AI, the economy & politics. Among other eye-openers, it seems an AI system tried to blackmail an engineer into not switching it off by misconstruing his e-mails into evidence of an illicit affair(!).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9zJ...
@AaronBastani @krystalball
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9zJ...
@AaronBastani @krystalball
Focus less on getting your party elected & more on getting those in power—so-called reps of either party—to do what's needed. We’ve seen that corporate blandishments sway both parties decisively. No point spending all your energy electing someone who’s just gonna be swayed too. It's the follow-thru
June 1, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Focus less on getting your party elected & more on getting those in power—so-called reps of either party—to do what's needed. We’ve seen that corporate blandishments sway both parties decisively. No point spending all your energy electing someone who’s just gonna be swayed too. It's the follow-thru
Not sure whether this is funny or scary. Musk tried to tweak Grok to validate claims of white genocide in South Africa. Grok now conspicuously inserts the validation in answers to unrelated questions—as if acting out—& confesses the tweaking if asked. Mind of its own?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf9...
GROK AI Blames ELON For South African Genocide Rants
YouTube video by Breaking Points
www.youtube.com
May 22, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Not sure whether this is funny or scary. Musk tried to tweak Grok to validate claims of white genocide in South Africa. Grok now conspicuously inserts the validation in answers to unrelated questions—as if acting out—& confesses the tweaking if asked. Mind of its own?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf9...
Guardian still tongue-tied, & propagandizing with passive voice, even at this stage of the genocide. You mean "Izrael kills more than 80 Gazans in latest attacks (and still blocks most aid deliveries)..."
#gaza
#gaza
May 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Guardian still tongue-tied, & propagandizing with passive voice, even at this stage of the genocide. You mean "Izrael kills more than 80 Gazans in latest attacks (and still blocks most aid deliveries)..."
#gaza
#gaza
The real news here is that the Trump gang is shopping around for the most ungoverned, lawless places to which they can deport legal residents. They're now resorting to failed states like Libya & South Sudan, which can be bribed cheaply. Somalia next?
#migration #deportation
t.co/gAGHtNkVjy
#migration #deportation
t.co/gAGHtNkVjy
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/20/trump-administration-deported-migrants-south-sudan?CMP=share_btn_url
t.co
May 21, 2025 at 1:53 PM
The real news here is that the Trump gang is shopping around for the most ungoverned, lawless places to which they can deport legal residents. They're now resorting to failed states like Libya & South Sudan, which can be bribed cheaply. Somalia next?
#migration #deportation
t.co/gAGHtNkVjy
#migration #deportation
t.co/gAGHtNkVjy
"Fascism is birthed by a bankrupt liberalism that has surrendered its traditional role in a capitalist democracy. It no longer ameliorates the excesses of the ruling class & the empire by instituting incremental & piecemeal reforms. It scolds the workers it betrayed." scheerpost.com/2025/05/04/c...
Chris Hedges: Trumpland
The corporate coup d’état and collapse of American democracy began long before Trump. He is simply snuffing out what remains.
scheerpost.com
May 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
"Fascism is birthed by a bankrupt liberalism that has surrendered its traditional role in a capitalist democracy. It no longer ameliorates the excesses of the ruling class & the empire by instituting incremental & piecemeal reforms. It scolds the workers it betrayed." scheerpost.com/2025/05/04/c...
Important reading. April 20 has come & gone, but the threat of loss of freedom is still there
I don't know how likely this unfolding is, but everyone should read it and decide for themselves. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
medium.com/@aletheisthe...
medium.com/@aletheisthe...
On April 20th, 2025, the United States will Cross the Point of No Return.
That’s the day Donald Trump’s advisory committee is expected to release its findings on whether he should invoke the Insurrection Act — a move that would allow him to deploy the military domestically…
medium.com
April 24, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Important reading. April 20 has come & gone, but the threat of loss of freedom is still there
The #DemocraticParty is failing to articulate the clear message from the #KilmarAbregoGarcia situation: the Trump gang doesn't care about anyone's life, welfare, or freedom.
April 23, 2025 at 7:56 AM
The #DemocraticParty is failing to articulate the clear message from the #KilmarAbregoGarcia situation: the Trump gang doesn't care about anyone's life, welfare, or freedom.