Nate Bowling
@natebowling.com
Teaching Political Science and World History in Abu Dhabi — Skeets mainly about the Seattle Sounders, the state of the world, and my generalized grumpiness
https://buttondown.com/natebowling
https://buttondown.com/natebowling
Also, I finished the source material for Netflix's "Department Q" over the weekend. It's called "The Keeper of Lost Causes."
It's incredibly compelling.
Some of the changes they made are improvements, others aren't. Akram/Assad remains a gem.
It's incredibly compelling.
Some of the changes they made are improvements, others aren't. Akram/Assad remains a gem.
November 10, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Also, I finished the source material for Netflix's "Department Q" over the weekend. It's called "The Keeper of Lost Causes."
It's incredibly compelling.
Some of the changes they made are improvements, others aren't. Akram/Assad remains a gem.
It's incredibly compelling.
Some of the changes they made are improvements, others aren't. Akram/Assad remains a gem.
My intro to noir novels was via the Southern variety, by way of Elmore Leonard.
I hadn't read James Ellroy, nor given him much thought until @jordanharper.bsky.social mentioned him in an interview this summer.
I cracked into "LA Confidential" today and holy hell, I get it! It goes hard as hell.
I hadn't read James Ellroy, nor given him much thought until @jordanharper.bsky.social mentioned him in an interview this summer.
I cracked into "LA Confidential" today and holy hell, I get it! It goes hard as hell.
November 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
My intro to noir novels was via the Southern variety, by way of Elmore Leonard.
I hadn't read James Ellroy, nor given him much thought until @jordanharper.bsky.social mentioned him in an interview this summer.
I cracked into "LA Confidential" today and holy hell, I get it! It goes hard as hell.
I hadn't read James Ellroy, nor given him much thought until @jordanharper.bsky.social mentioned him in an interview this summer.
I cracked into "LA Confidential" today and holy hell, I get it! It goes hard as hell.
I think about it a lot.
I can prob afford to retire at or around 50 but not if I had to pay $35,000 in health care premiums. Cigna offers insurance for foreign nationals living in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.
It's rather reasonable.
I can prob afford to retire at or around 50 but not if I had to pay $35,000 in health care premiums. Cigna offers insurance for foreign nationals living in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.
It's rather reasonable.
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 AM
I think about it a lot.
I can prob afford to retire at or around 50 but not if I had to pay $35,000 in health care premiums. Cigna offers insurance for foreign nationals living in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.
It's rather reasonable.
I can prob afford to retire at or around 50 but not if I had to pay $35,000 in health care premiums. Cigna offers insurance for foreign nationals living in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, etc.
It's rather reasonable.
Had my eye on a watch. Reading the fine print, from the seller my wife pointed out the tariff language.
November 6, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Had my eye on a watch. Reading the fine print, from the seller my wife pointed out the tariff language.
I refuse to believe they actually published that. You're just trolling the TL. No way... Man, lemmie go double check...
Wow. These folks are WILDIN'!
Wow. These folks are WILDIN'!
November 6, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I refuse to believe they actually published that. You're just trolling the TL. No way... Man, lemmie go double check...
Wow. These folks are WILDIN'!
Wow. These folks are WILDIN'!
Ahem, Hope and I are headed to Budapest in November
October 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Ahem, Hope and I are headed to Budapest in November
I'm notably not a parent but came across this on an Amex subreddit.
Parenting is a scam bro.
Everytime I go to my friend's house with kids, they're watching the same damn three movies on Disney+.
Parenting is a scam bro.
Everytime I go to my friend's house with kids, they're watching the same damn three movies on Disney+.
October 23, 2025 at 2:54 AM
I'm notably not a parent but came across this on an Amex subreddit.
Parenting is a scam bro.
Everytime I go to my friend's house with kids, they're watching the same damn three movies on Disney+.
Parenting is a scam bro.
Everytime I go to my friend's house with kids, they're watching the same damn three movies on Disney+.
At Murdoch's WSJ coverage of the protests are twenty stories down, several slots after this piece about the World Porridge Champion.
They know what they're doing.
They know what they're doing.
October 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
At Murdoch's WSJ coverage of the protests are twenty stories down, several slots after this piece about the World Porridge Champion.
They know what they're doing.
They know what they're doing.
Over at the Post their story about the protests is number eight under "More Top Stories"
October 19, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Over at the Post their story about the protests is number eight under "More Top Stories"
There are currently twelve "hard news" stories on the "Today" tab of the NYT app.
Exactly zero of them are about 7 million people taking to the streets.
Exactly zero of them are about 7 million people taking to the streets.
October 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
There are currently twelve "hard news" stories on the "Today" tab of the NYT app.
Exactly zero of them are about 7 million people taking to the streets.
Exactly zero of them are about 7 million people taking to the streets.
I'm a broken record about it at this point. But this book explains so much of our dumb moment.
October 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I'm a broken record about it at this point. But this book explains so much of our dumb moment.
We could have put the money into high speed rail, modernizing the electrical grid, a federal jobs program, housing... any of them would be a better investment than this.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
October 4, 2025 at 8:27 AM
We could have put the money into high speed rail, modernizing the electrical grid, a federal jobs program, housing... any of them would be a better investment than this.
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
www.msn.com/en-us/money/...
Gmail has reaction emojis? NO?! I'm absolutely thumbs downing work emails left and right from now on.
October 2, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Gmail has reaction emojis? NO?! I'm absolutely thumbs downing work emails left and right from now on.
American exceptionalism and our collective failure to learn from history is going to get us all killed one of these days
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
September 15, 2025 at 6:21 AM
American exceptionalism and our collective failure to learn from history is going to get us all killed one of these days
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
In class we call the borders imposed by colonial powers, like in South Asia, "superimposed boundaries."
For my money, the book that explains their legacy best, in Africa at least, was written by Walter Rodney.
For my money, the book that explains their legacy best, in Africa at least, was written by Walter Rodney.
September 13, 2025 at 3:51 AM
In class we call the borders imposed by colonial powers, like in South Asia, "superimposed boundaries."
For my money, the book that explains their legacy best, in Africa at least, was written by Walter Rodney.
For my money, the book that explains their legacy best, in Africa at least, was written by Walter Rodney.
I might post this quote once a day like the person that posts the Daniel Craig weekend gif every Friday
September 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I might post this quote once a day like the person that posts the Daniel Craig weekend gif every Friday
Lee Child, the British guy that writes the Jack Reacher books is a weird dude. But he understands the nature of America better than most pundits do.
This is a fascinating profile.
This is a fascinating profile.
September 7, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Lee Child, the British guy that writes the Jack Reacher books is a weird dude. But he understands the nature of America better than most pundits do.
This is a fascinating profile.
This is a fascinating profile.
This is not remotely newsworthy and there's no way this "journalist" or publication isn't being paid by an AI company
September 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM
This is not remotely newsworthy and there's no way this "journalist" or publication isn't being paid by an AI company
We're learning about democratization in Nigeria. I'm going to use the career as Obasanjo as an object lesson. He was first a military dictator and then a civilian president.
But in the lesson, I am going to act like they were two different people and see if they put two & two together.
But in the lesson, I am going to act like they were two different people and see if they put two & two together.
September 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
We're learning about democratization in Nigeria. I'm going to use the career as Obasanjo as an object lesson. He was first a military dictator and then a civilian president.
But in the lesson, I am going to act like they were two different people and see if they put two & two together.
But in the lesson, I am going to act like they were two different people and see if they put two & two together.
He's not even a citizen. Imagine having a green card and then supporting a political movement whose convention looked like this.
Head all the way up his own behind.
Head all the way up his own behind.
August 31, 2025 at 9:44 AM
He's not even a citizen. Imagine having a green card and then supporting a political movement whose convention looked like this.
Head all the way up his own behind.
Head all the way up his own behind.
The case for brushing up on your own disinfo awareness and teaching it to ya people
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
August 25, 2025 at 4:11 AM
The case for brushing up on your own disinfo awareness and teaching it to ya people
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
I want to do better and think the moment calls us all to be better. Being the solutions oriented cat I am, here's a concrete rundown of ways to fight misinfo in your circles, tiered by effort required.
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
August 24, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I want to do better and think the moment calls us all to be better. Being the solutions oriented cat I am, here's a concrete rundown of ways to fight misinfo in your circles, tiered by effort required.
buttondown.com/natebowling/...
buttondown.com/natebowling/...