DoctorSyntax
@doctorsyntax.bsky.social
Alter ego of Peter Ginna. Editor, writer, & occasional blogger on books & publishing. Former editor & publisher at several houses. Author of WHAT EDITORS DO: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing. Website: peterginna.com
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
I spent October traveling to schools throughout the South talking to students about American history. What I found were young people who understand we can tell a story that includes both the positive and the negative. As one 8th grader in Memphis said, “Doesn’t seem that hard, just say both things.”
Tell Students the Truth About American History
We owe it to Americans of all ages to be honest about the country’s past, including its contradictions.
www.theatlantic.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I spent October traveling to schools throughout the South talking to students about American history. What I found were young people who understand we can tell a story that includes both the positive and the negative. As one 8th grader in Memphis said, “Doesn’t seem that hard, just say both things.”
This f*ing guy
if dems win congress next year they need to introduce an impeachment resolution against emil bove
Justice Department official told prosecutors that U.S. should 'just sink' drug boats
NPR interviews with current and former officials reveal more of the backstory around the military's strikes in the Caribbean.
www.npr.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:10 AM
This f*ing guy
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
Colleague just got an email that starts: "Here's a polished and respectful letter you can send to your professor"
Email from a student who turned in a ChatGPT essay. Not even looking at the ChatGPT output in the apology 🥴
![Dear [Professor’s Name],
I want to sincerely apologize for my actions regarding my midterm submission.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fs6z2b756buwsdsjkle6utfi/bafkreiecvhzfgr4tlwyy2mvpbvjncqkysytwsxvidaoressh7peonoso3y@jpeg)
November 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Colleague just got an email that starts: "Here's a polished and respectful letter you can send to your professor"
“Director of the Weaponization Working Group” is certainly a perfect job title for a Trump DOJ attorney
"Ed Martin—who according to his letterhead, is U.S. Pardon Attorney/Special Attorney for Mortgage Fraud/Associate Deputy Attorney General/Director of the Weaponization Working
Group—has engaged in a well-documented series of actions that cannot be described as anything but outrageous."
Group—has engaged in a well-documented series of actions that cannot be described as anything but outrageous."
![Ed Martin—who according to his letterhead, is U.S. Pardon Attorney/Special Attorney for
Mortgage Fraud/Associate Deputy Attorney General/Director of the Weaponization Working
Group—has engaged in a well-documented series of actions that cannot be described as anything
but outrageous. On August 12, 2025, while a pending investigation was underway that Mr. Martin
was supposed to be leading, he sent AG James’s counsel a letter insisting that she “resign from
office” because, in his view, it “would best serve the ‘good of the state and nation’” and “give the
people of New York and America more peace than proceeding.” Ex. H. Mr. Martin also stated
that “[he] would take this as an act of good faith” if she were to resign from office. Id. at 1. The
letter was not an attempt to investigate the facts, nor did it hide his plain intention to pressure the
sitting Attorney General of New York to resign from office or face criminal prosecution. When he
wrote that letter, Mr. Martin was acting in his official capacity as Special Attorney for Mortgage
Fraud and Director of the Weaponization Working Group.
The letter, by itself, violated Justice Department rules, the Principles of Federal
Prosecution, and various codes of professional responsibility and ethics](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qqdqgzpqwyho4cxzso62m54q/bafkreig5uogoumekyq4nohoolbgartgwvr44op4472amwej7yikkcokfni@jpeg)
November 17, 2025 at 10:34 PM
“Director of the Weaponization Working Group” is certainly a perfect job title for a Trump DOJ attorney
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
If you've written a book or many or are writing one now, what a cool fucking thing you are doing. I hope you bask in how awesome it is that you had ideas and thoughts and worked on them for years to develop them into words others can understand. Like that's some sorcery shit. Fuck AI, THIS is magic.
November 17, 2025 at 1:12 PM
If you've written a book or many or are writing one now, what a cool fucking thing you are doing. I hope you bask in how awesome it is that you had ideas and thoughts and worked on them for years to develop them into words others can understand. Like that's some sorcery shit. Fuck AI, THIS is magic.
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
I remember back in the late '90s -- when magazine writers were still getting big book and movie deals -- an editor of mine who'd worked with a bunch of them sighing and saying, "The story no one will ever publish is the exposé of which famous writers can't actually write at all."
Editors have a really hard job, and the good ones can make something unreadable readable, and the great ones can make something unreadable into something good. But they're basically invisible, until someone tries to write without one.
November 17, 2025 at 9:58 PM
I remember back in the late '90s -- when magazine writers were still getting big book and movie deals -- an editor of mine who'd worked with a bunch of them sighing and saying, "The story no one will ever publish is the exposé of which famous writers can't actually write at all."
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
Absolutely no way to read this and not conclude that the Department of Justice has been deeply corrupted. And this is from a time when career lawyers were in place, pushing back against illegality. With firings and resignations, the politicization will just get worse.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
60 Attorneys on the Year of Chaos Inside Trump’s Justice Department (Gift Article)
Sixty former staffers describe an environment of suspicion and intimidation within the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agency.
www.nytimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Absolutely no way to read this and not conclude that the Department of Justice has been deeply corrupted. And this is from a time when career lawyers were in place, pushing back against illegality. With firings and resignations, the politicization will just get worse.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Preach, brother. Er, Father
November 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Preach, brother. Er, Father
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
We're now at the RE-PARDONS stage of this presidency www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump re-pardons a Jan. 6 defendant to erase unrelated gun conviction
The new pardon ends a legal clash over the limits of Trump’s sweeping Day One clemency for those who stormed the Capitol.
www.politico.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:46 PM
We're now at the RE-PARDONS stage of this presidency www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
5 best movie genres:
—Boy meets girl (funny)
—Boy meets girl (tragic)
—Detective meets femme fatale (B/W)
—Boy, or girl, meets alien (IMAX)
—Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and for some reason Zeppo, meet Margaret Dumont
—Boy meets girl (funny)
—Boy meets girl (tragic)
—Detective meets femme fatale (B/W)
—Boy, or girl, meets alien (IMAX)
—Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and for some reason Zeppo, meet Margaret Dumont
5 best movie genres
- every scene a visual masterpiece, nothing happens
- artist/eccentric helps protagonist discover true self
- kind upstander in a world of selfish bystanders
- funny, relatable people who aren't supermodels fall in love
- scifi that isn't simply an action movie set in the future
- every scene a visual masterpiece, nothing happens
- artist/eccentric helps protagonist discover true self
- kind upstander in a world of selfish bystanders
- funny, relatable people who aren't supermodels fall in love
- scifi that isn't simply an action movie set in the future
5 best movie genres
- let's do a heist
- let's do an insanely complicated heist
- I'm going to tell you all about this one weirdo I met
- good looking, clever people muddle around until they fall in love
- somebody is killing people but a group of extremely arcane clues can help stop this situation
- let's do a heist
- let's do an insanely complicated heist
- I'm going to tell you all about this one weirdo I met
- good looking, clever people muddle around until they fall in love
- somebody is killing people but a group of extremely arcane clues can help stop this situation
November 17, 2025 at 2:07 AM
5 best movie genres:
—Boy meets girl (funny)
—Boy meets girl (tragic)
—Detective meets femme fatale (B/W)
—Boy, or girl, meets alien (IMAX)
—Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and for some reason Zeppo, meet Margaret Dumont
—Boy meets girl (funny)
—Boy meets girl (tragic)
—Detective meets femme fatale (B/W)
—Boy, or girl, meets alien (IMAX)
—Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and for some reason Zeppo, meet Margaret Dumont
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
I'm always here for one artist appreciating anither, and this is a nice example
youtube.com/watch?v=GAKd...
youtube.com/watch?v=GAKd...
Billy Joel Jimmy Webb Wichita Lineman
YouTube video by Tony Walker
youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I'm always here for one artist appreciating anither, and this is a nice example
youtube.com/watch?v=GAKd...
youtube.com/watch?v=GAKd...
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
honestly not a bad idea
New York and LA should offer an equivalent to Israeli birthright trips to every theatre kid in the lower 48
November 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM
honestly not a bad idea
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
As a historian of the 18th c and an American, I've always known 2026 would be a critical moment. This doc is worth watching, and thinking through. Begins and ends w Indigenous contexts, conveys the horrors of a civil war wrought w racism + the ideals of liberty and equality we keep reaching for. 1/
_The American Revolution_ offers a look at how complex and violent — and also inspiring— the American founding was. Getting huge coverage, it may give folks time to digest that complexity as 2026 commences. Premieres tonight + PBS has preview clips of all episodes. www.pbs.org/show/the-ame...
The American Revolution
Thirteen colonies unite in rebellion, win their independence, and found the United States.
www.pbs.org
November 16, 2025 at 3:44 PM
As a historian of the 18th c and an American, I've always known 2026 would be a critical moment. This doc is worth watching, and thinking through. Begins and ends w Indigenous contexts, conveys the horrors of a civil war wrought w racism + the ideals of liberty and equality we keep reaching for. 1/
Magnifying glass, got it
Just found my dream home with a little shop attached. Now I only need to find the small sum of £800,000. If anyone was wondering what to get me for Christmas… just saying.
November 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Magnifying glass, got it
Ghostbusters
Question 8:
If you were in a situation where the only thing that could save a life was to successfully start a sing-a-long with a random group of strangers, what song are you belting?
If you were in a situation where the only thing that could save a life was to successfully start a sing-a-long with a random group of strangers, what song are you belting?
November 16, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Ghostbusters
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
The Christian right for decades has fear-mongered that federal agents (under Dem presidents) would "criminalize" Christianity and literally prevent them from worshipping.
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Here’s a story for every national news outlet:
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
In N.C., churchgoers are literally running into the woods as federal agents descend on the property.
“Inside the church, women and children sobbed as they wondered whether their loved ones had been taken.”
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
November 16, 2025 at 12:16 PM
The Christian right for decades has fear-mongered that federal agents (under Dem presidents) would "criminalize" Christianity and literally prevent them from worshipping.
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Now that Trump's stormtroopers are doing it ... crickets
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob."
—FDR, 1936
—FDR, 1936
November 16, 2025 at 12:30 AM
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob."
—FDR, 1936
—FDR, 1936
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
Leo Vanegas, the American citizen that Miller's goons arrested w/o a warrant at a home site twice, is the kind of home builder without which you can't build new homes.
Stephen Miller is the problem.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Stephen Miller is the problem.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 16, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Leo Vanegas, the American citizen that Miller's goons arrested w/o a warrant at a home site twice, is the kind of home builder without which you can't build new homes.
Stephen Miller is the problem.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Stephen Miller is the problem.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Nice story about a bookstore making a difference:
www.csmonitor.com/Books/2025/0...
www.csmonitor.com/Books/2025/0...
‘A sense of belonging.’ How this Boston bookstore changes lives.
More Than Words is a bookstore, but one that does more than sell $3.8 million worth of merchandise a year. It serves young people who are dealing with homelessness or legal challenges and gives them a...
www.csmonitor.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Nice story about a bookstore making a difference:
www.csmonitor.com/Books/2025/0...
www.csmonitor.com/Books/2025/0...
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally
A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...
www.yahoo.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Horrifying, enraging, but not surprising at this point
"The nation’s largest public funder of the humanities appears to be transforming into a vehicle narrowly tailored to the president’s agenda." Jenny Schuessler at the NYT with a deep dive into what's been happening at #NEH. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/15/a... [gift link]
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Horrifying, enraging, but not surprising at this point
Couldn’t they just put out a new album
REM will eventually link Montreal Trudeau Airport (airport branch circle) with downtown Montreal in 2027.
November 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Couldn’t they just put out a new album
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
Toad just continues to nail it
Toad sat on the edge of his bed. “Blah,” said Toad. “I feel down in the dumps.”
“Why?” asked Frog.
“I am thinking about tomorrow,” said Toad.
“Why?” asked Frog.
“I am thinking about tomorrow,” said Toad.
November 15, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Toad just continues to nail it
Reposted by DoctorSyntax
I'm a retired Navy Chief who has done these counter-drug deployments. I've been calling @repkweisimfume.bsky.social asking him to have a retired Navy captain come testify about how this is supposed to work in front of Congress. He refuses to take action. Please call him.
202-225-4741
202-225-4741
November 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
I'm a retired Navy Chief who has done these counter-drug deployments. I've been calling @repkweisimfume.bsky.social asking him to have a retired Navy captain come testify about how this is supposed to work in front of Congress. He refuses to take action. Please call him.
202-225-4741
202-225-4741