Michael
@bsidesnarrative.bsky.social
Writer & documentary filmmaker. Collector of sad stories and master of the false narrative. Oakland, CA.
https://www.bsidesnarrative.com/
https://www.bsidesnarrative.com/
Reposted by Michael
I urge you to read Paper Girl by Beth Macy. She did a very deep dive on this situation, based on her hometown, her own family and friends. Incredibly insightful.
December 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I urge you to read Paper Girl by Beth Macy. She did a very deep dive on this situation, based on her hometown, her own family and friends. Incredibly insightful.
Reposted by Michael
Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65
Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65
Starting as a roadie and guitar tech, Bamonte joined the band in 1990 after its breakthrough album Disintegration
Perry Archangelo Bamonte, longtime guitarist and keyboardist for the influential goth band the Cure, has died. He was 65.
The band made the announcement on their official website on Friday. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist for the Cure, dies aged 65
Reposted by Michael
NYT when a trans man wants to take testosterone: 😡😡😡😡😡
NYT when a cis woman wants to take testosterone: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
NYT when a cis woman wants to take testosterone: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Earlier this year, we published an article on how women are increasingly seeking out testosterone to help with energy or their sex lives. We followed up with one woman who went on testosterone to help with her menopausal symptoms. The effects had unexpected consequences for her marriage.
What It’s Like When Your Wife Goes on Testosterone
She went on testosterone to help with her menopausal symptoms. The effects had unexpected consequences for their marriage.
nyti.ms
December 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
NYT when a trans man wants to take testosterone: 😡😡😡😡😡
NYT when a cis woman wants to take testosterone: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
NYT when a cis woman wants to take testosterone: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Reposted by Michael
I've already raved (like many) about @brian-goldstone.bsky.social's book There Is No Place For Us. I read it right around this time last year, and thought, this is the best book I've read in a while. Brian is also a gem of a person.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645871...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645871...
There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone: 9780593237144 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE ATLANTIC’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Through the “revelatory and gut-wrenching”...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
I've already raved (like many) about @brian-goldstone.bsky.social's book There Is No Place For Us. I read it right around this time last year, and thought, this is the best book I've read in a while. Brian is also a gem of a person.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645871...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645871...
Reposted by Michael
Hell, this made me cry like a child.
I wrote a little thing about "Fairytale of New York" and about hope for a better year, but mostly I wanted to share the rendition of the song played at Shane MacGowan's funeral in 2023 because it's so beautiful. Happy Christmas, I love ya baby. dansinker.com/posts/2025-1...
I've got a feeling / This year's for me and you | dansinker.com
dansinker.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Hell, this made me cry like a child.
Reposted by Michael
Wild to think that "abolish ICE" was ever treated as a radical or fringe position.
WaPo reports that ICE is planning 7 massive human warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses
The Trump administration wants to build seven large-scale deportation hubs to speed up deportations, internal ICE documents show.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Wild to think that "abolish ICE" was ever treated as a radical or fringe position.
Reposted by Michael
60 Minutes is one of only two documentary-style public affairs programs left on the air. The other is Frontline on PBS, which saw its funding gashed by the Trump admin and Congress. They have a matching donation rn.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series
Watch full episodes of FRONTLINE, the PBS documentary series, and explore news investigations from FRONTLINE's award-winning journalism team.
www.pbs.org
December 21, 2025 at 10:24 PM
60 Minutes is one of only two documentary-style public affairs programs left on the air. The other is Frontline on PBS, which saw its funding gashed by the Trump admin and Congress. They have a matching donation rn.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontli...
Reposted by Michael
Bari Weiss is killing stories the right way.
by Ezra Klein
by Ezra Klein
December 22, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Bari Weiss is killing stories the right way.
by Ezra Klein
by Ezra Klein
Reposted by Michael
Now seems like a swell time to point out that Frontline just released this excellent 11-minute mini-documentary about what happened inside CECOT.
Surviving CECOT (full documentary) | Deported to a Maximum-Security Prison | FRONTLINE + ProPublica
YouTube video by FRONTLINE PBS | Official
m.youtube.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Now seems like a swell time to point out that Frontline just released this excellent 11-minute mini-documentary about what happened inside CECOT.
Reposted by Michael
This is WILD.
Power goes out in San Francisco and the robot cars, needing the lights to "self" drive, all stop at once, blocking streets and emergency vehicles - which are needed more than ever in a black out!
We knew AI causes power outages. Turns out it also makes them worse by being stupid.
Power goes out in San Francisco and the robot cars, needing the lights to "self" drive, all stop at once, blocking streets and emergency vehicles - which are needed more than ever in a black out!
We knew AI causes power outages. Turns out it also makes them worse by being stupid.
Waymo has halted service in San Francisco after numerous videos & images showed its autonomous cars snarling traffic during the blackout.
With traffic lights down, Waymos across the city stopped dead in their tracks at intersections.
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-w...
With traffic lights down, Waymos across the city stopped dead in their tracks at intersections.
missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-w...
Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams
Waymo stopped its service across San Francisco on Saturday after numerous autonomous vehicles caused traffic jams in the city.
missionlocal.org
December 21, 2025 at 7:56 PM
This is WILD.
Power goes out in San Francisco and the robot cars, needing the lights to "self" drive, all stop at once, blocking streets and emergency vehicles - which are needed more than ever in a black out!
We knew AI causes power outages. Turns out it also makes them worse by being stupid.
Power goes out in San Francisco and the robot cars, needing the lights to "self" drive, all stop at once, blocking streets and emergency vehicles - which are needed more than ever in a black out!
We knew AI causes power outages. Turns out it also makes them worse by being stupid.
Ah yes, the freethinkers who take their orders from algorithms, cult leaders, podcast hosts, and conspiracy theorists.
On a long list of horrible men, JD is at the very top.
On a long list of horrible men, JD is at the very top.
JD Vance: "Wouldn't you rather lead a movement of freethinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?"
December 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Ah yes, the freethinkers who take their orders from algorithms, cult leaders, podcast hosts, and conspiracy theorists.
On a long list of horrible men, JD is at the very top.
On a long list of horrible men, JD is at the very top.
Tell me again they’re not Nazis.
JD Vance: "In the United States of America you don't have to apologize for being white anymore"
December 21, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Tell me again they’re not Nazis.
So so so thrilled to see @brian-goldstone.bsky.social and @bethmacy.bsky.social’s books on this list. Profoundly important writing.
December 20, 2025 at 5:22 AM
So so so thrilled to see @brian-goldstone.bsky.social and @bethmacy.bsky.social’s books on this list. Profoundly important writing.
Reposted by Michael
The Epstein file is the only thing Trump has ever taken his name off of
🚨 "The Justice Department redacted the names and identifiers of victims. Fox News Digital has learned that the same redaction standards were applied to politically exposed individuals and government officials. "
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
h/t @kleinmatic.bsky.social
Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims
EXCLUSIVE: More than a dozen people and government officials' names appear in the hundreds of thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein files made public Friday, sources said.
www.foxnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The Epstein file is the only thing Trump has ever taken his name off of
Reposted by Michael
This is precisely how fascism works, by grabbing at and taking away a little more freedom whenever events lend themselves to it. Bit by bit you lose your rights, until you turn around and realize the road you're on has been long, and democracy is well behind you over the horizon.
The admin is wasting no crisis... Sec. Kristi Noem said she is suspending the diversity visa lottery program (DV-1) after the Brown University suspect entered the U.S. through it in 2017.
December 19, 2025 at 5:10 AM
This is precisely how fascism works, by grabbing at and taking away a little more freedom whenever events lend themselves to it. Bit by bit you lose your rights, until you turn around and realize the road you're on has been long, and democracy is well behind you over the horizon.
Reposted by Michael
once again everyone would have been happier, Trump included, if we just Truman Showed him and let him play pretend president on the teevee
December 18, 2025 at 2:18 AM
once again everyone would have been happier, Trump included, if we just Truman Showed him and let him play pretend president on the teevee
Good.
Now do Trump, Bannon, and Thiel next.
Now do Trump, Bannon, and Thiel next.
The House Oversight Committee is offering former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton new deposition dates in January as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein – and threatening the possibility of contempt proceedings if they do not comply.
House Oversight chair offers Clintons new deposition dates in Epstein investigation, threatens contempt if they don’t comply | CNN Politics
The House Oversight Committee is offering former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton new deposition dates in January as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey ...
www.cnn.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Good.
Now do Trump, Bannon, and Thiel next.
Now do Trump, Bannon, and Thiel next.
Super helpful that they paywall these images to prevent people from knowing who to look for…
Breaking news: Authorities release new images of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting along with $50,000 reward.
Follow our coverage:
Follow our coverage:
Brown University shooting live updates: Police release photos, offer $50K reward in search for gunman
Brown said that it doubled its security staffing but that there is no immediate threat to the campus.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Super helpful that they paywall these images to prevent people from knowing who to look for…
Reposted by Michael
Rob Reiner either made your favorite movie, or made somebody you know’s favorite movie. If you’re a Californian, he’s also part of the reason you or your friends can get married. He has changed more lives for the better than this asshole commenting on him ever did.
December 15, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Rob Reiner either made your favorite movie, or made somebody you know’s favorite movie. If you’re a Californian, he’s also part of the reason you or your friends can get married. He has changed more lives for the better than this asshole commenting on him ever did.
It’s been a very bad, very dark weekend.
December 15, 2025 at 4:14 AM
It’s been a very bad, very dark weekend.
Reposted by Michael
I’ve been voting to protect her rights for my entire life. She’s been voting against everyone’s.
IOWA — “I’m a very pissed off conservative Christian woman. I almost died because I was denied medical care after being diagnosed with a fatal fetus… Cornered by the system… pro life? Choose me. Choose the mother.”
It had to happen to her to get this? #ForcedBirthNation
It had to happen to her to get this? #ForcedBirthNation
December 14, 2025 at 1:54 AM
I’ve been voting to protect her rights for my entire life. She’s been voting against everyone’s.
Will they ever notice that the thoughts and prayers don’t work?
December 14, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Will they ever notice that the thoughts and prayers don’t work?
@writernatswift.bsky.social I saw him at the Berkeley Rep in a Pinter play with Patrick Stewart and Billy Crudup, and he blew them both off the stage. He was brilliant.
Sir Ian McKellen is coming to Chicago Shakespeare Theater for a one-night benefit performance in January.
Ian McKellen will perform Shakespeare — and Gandalf — in Chicago
The actor Sir Ian McKellen, a Shakespearean actor also known as the wizard Gandalf in all three “Lord of the Rings” films, is coming to Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
trib.al
December 13, 2025 at 8:06 PM
@writernatswift.bsky.social I saw him at the Berkeley Rep in a Pinter play with Patrick Stewart and Billy Crudup, and he blew them both off the stage. He was brilliant.
Reposted by Michael
Updated our 2025 Adult Top 50 (by in-store sales) to account for some early-December sales. Some details I found neat: a nice distribution of fiction (30 titles)::nonfiction (20 titles); nearly half is from non-Big 5; over half has been out longer than a year.
ebbooksellers.com/lists/LUA2JI...
ebbooksellers.com/lists/LUA2JI...
December 13, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Updated our 2025 Adult Top 50 (by in-store sales) to account for some early-December sales. Some details I found neat: a nice distribution of fiction (30 titles)::nonfiction (20 titles); nearly half is from non-Big 5; over half has been out longer than a year.
ebbooksellers.com/lists/LUA2JI...
ebbooksellers.com/lists/LUA2JI...