Jesse F Ballenger
@jfballenger.bsky.social
History of medicine, health humanities, bioethics, critical dementia studies.
Self, Senility and Alzheimer's in Modern America. http://bit.ly/3fVOrrU.
Chilephile 🇨🇱, climate, cycling, Philly, board games, music, & sundry
Self, Senility and Alzheimer's in Modern America. http://bit.ly/3fVOrrU.
Chilephile 🇨🇱, climate, cycling, Philly, board games, music, & sundry
Pinned
All Saints 25th Edition Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time
Check out All Saints 25th Edition Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time - This praised and best-selling daily reader presentsshort, comprehensive biographies of 365 saintsa...
bookshop.org
To preserve my moral orientation in this terrible time, I'm reading each day's entry in @robertellsberg.bsky.social's beautiful devotional. It's a diverse cloud of witnesses - all affirming the reality of a life greater than the ignorance, cruelty, and oppression this regime seeks to impose.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
Maybe this is why I'm not a Beltway journalist, but I think the fact the United States is about to invade Venezuela to take their oil is an 100X bigger story than Trump's chief of staff going on the record with Captain Obvious characterizations of their dysfunctional regime
December 17, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Maybe this is why I'm not a Beltway journalist, but I think the fact the United States is about to invade Venezuela to take their oil is an 100X bigger story than Trump's chief of staff going on the record with Captain Obvious characterizations of their dysfunctional regime
Ariel Dorfman on what is at stake in Chile: "Mr. Kast’s victory is a political and ethical earthquake. For the first time in Chile’s contemporary history, it’s possible that the most powerful man in the country will use the full force of the executive branch to sanitize Chile’s violent past."
Opinion | Chile’s Election Is More Than Just a Swerve to the Right
www.nytimes.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Ariel Dorfman on what is at stake in Chile: "Mr. Kast’s victory is a political and ethical earthquake. For the first time in Chile’s contemporary history, it’s possible that the most powerful man in the country will use the full force of the executive branch to sanitize Chile’s violent past."
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇
December 17, 2025 at 4:14 AM
NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇
tbh, things have gotten a little ragged here at the end of the term
December 16, 2025 at 11:09 PM
tbh, things have gotten a little ragged here at the end of the term
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
December 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
-Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953
I know I say it every year, but
December 12, 2025 at 4:05 AM
I know I say it every year, but
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
good to see, since society must discourage baldfaced lying (especially by authorities) to keep functioning. some other consequences to go along with this would be even better
MAGAZINER: How many veterans have you deported?
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
December 11, 2025 at 8:34 PM
good to see, since society must discourage baldfaced lying (especially by authorities) to keep functioning. some other consequences to go along with this would be even better
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
not only am I reposting this but I am doubling Tony's emphasis on "hard *cannot*"
i mean, we have learned (Gödel, Church, Turing, et al) that we cannot—hard *cannot*—automate the process of proving *mathematical* truths.
general knowledge? forget it
general knowledge? forget it
December 9, 2025 at 11:50 PM
not only am I reposting this but I am doubling Tony's emphasis on "hard *cannot*"
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
December 10, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
Leaders of a Catholic church in Massachusetts kept a Nativity display with an anti-ICE message in place on Monday, defying an order from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to remove it. The display shows Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus missing, replaced by a sign reading “ICE WAS HERE.” trib.al/adPW46y
December 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Leaders of a Catholic church in Massachusetts kept a Nativity display with an anti-ICE message in place on Monday, defying an order from the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston to remove it. The display shows Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus missing, replaced by a sign reading “ICE WAS HERE.” trib.al/adPW46y
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
NIH shut out hundreds of young scientists from funding to start their own labs www.statnews.com/2025/12/08/t... via @statnews.com
#NIH #science #health #publichealth #Alzheimers #dementia #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence
#NIH #science #health #publichealth #Alzheimers #dementia #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence
NIH shut out hundreds of young scientists from funding to start their own labs
Special Report: The NIH has shut out hundreds of young scientists from funding to start their own labs.
www.statnews.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:05 PM
NIH shut out hundreds of young scientists from funding to start their own labs www.statnews.com/2025/12/08/t... via @statnews.com
#NIH #science #health #publichealth #Alzheimers #dementia #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence
#NIH #science #health #publichealth #Alzheimers #dementia #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 7, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
My Spotify unwrapped puts me at 23, younger than any of my undergraduate students - one of whom came out as 85. Kids these days....
December 3, 2025 at 7:25 PM
My Spotify unwrapped puts me at 23, younger than any of my undergraduate students - one of whom came out as 85. Kids these days....
This is not, of course, a rhetorical question.
I hate seeing statements like 'aviation emissions are expected to grow x% by 2050'
We have a global commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by then!
Does that mean nothing?
We have a global commitment to reduce emissions to net zero by then!
Does that mean nothing?
December 3, 2025 at 11:38 AM
This is not, of course, a rhetorical question.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
Hivemind, I have a challenge. Popular culture is dominated by the car (car chases, cop dramas etc), helping us accept a car-dominated urban environment as normal. Can you think of any examples of popular culture highlighting bikes, trams, walking etc? I can only think of A Streetcar Named Desire.
December 2, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Hivemind, I have a challenge. Popular culture is dominated by the car (car chases, cop dramas etc), helping us accept a car-dominated urban environment as normal. Can you think of any examples of popular culture highlighting bikes, trams, walking etc? I can only think of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
The secret to early retirement; dine out rarely, fly economy and be a Google employee making $390,000/year married to a fellow Google employee 17 years older than you who likely makes twice as much as you.
37-year-old quit her $390,000 Google job after saving up $1.5 million—see the 'no buy checklist' that helps her spend less
She left a $390,000-a-year job and now uses a simple set of rules to make her savings last in Switzerland.
www.cnbc.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:23 PM
The secret to early retirement; dine out rarely, fly economy and be a Google employee making $390,000/year married to a fellow Google employee 17 years older than you who likely makes twice as much as you.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
November 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
this is just gutter racism
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 12:59 PM
this is just gutter racism
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
to keep functioning, a society must discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
The feds repeatedly lied and misled the public during Chicago's immigration crackdown, a federal judge ruled in a scathing opinion. blockclubchi.co/3JVoFWJ
November 26, 2025 at 2:20 PM
to keep functioning, a society must discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
A mayoral candidate saying maybe the city should cover the cost of bus rides gets the full socialism panic treatment before he even tries it.
A sitting president taking billions of dollars worth of shares in private companies gets “I must say, a tad unusual” after it’s been going for nearly a year.
A sitting president taking billions of dollars worth of shares in private companies gets “I must say, a tad unusual” after it’s been going for nearly a year.
November 25, 2025 at 2:23 PM
A mayoral candidate saying maybe the city should cover the cost of bus rides gets the full socialism panic treatment before he even tries it.
A sitting president taking billions of dollars worth of shares in private companies gets “I must say, a tad unusual” after it’s been going for nearly a year.
A sitting president taking billions of dollars worth of shares in private companies gets “I must say, a tad unusual” after it’s been going for nearly a year.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
November 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
Reposted by Jesse F Ballenger
When Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old from Texas, asked doctors about terminating her high-risk pregnancy to save her life, they assured her she had nothing to worry about.
Then she died of preeclampsia.
Then she died of preeclampsia.
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 AM
When Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old from Texas, asked doctors about terminating her high-risk pregnancy to save her life, they assured her she had nothing to worry about.
Then she died of preeclampsia.
Then she died of preeclampsia.