Phil Wells
@philwells.bsky.social
Brit living in Bermuda. Books, politics, philosophy, mindfulness, photography, language, tech and video games (but follow me @bdalimey.bsky.social for the latter). Previously blogged as Limey In Bermuda and columnist for Bermuda’s Royal Gazette
Pinned
Phil Wells
@philwells.bsky.social
· Dec 19
Just a reminder that if you're interested in video games, please consider following me at @bdalimey.bsky.social too. Will shortly be posting some of my thoughts about the games I've played this year over there.
The US belief that in Europe ”immigrants will corrupt the values of the societies they move to” is ironic given that in the US, those values have been corrupted by Americans.
Allies may panic; despots will cheer
Donald Trump’s bleak, incoherent foreign-policy strategy
Allies may panic; despots will cheer
econ.st
December 5, 2025 at 2:25 PM
The US belief that in Europe ”immigrants will corrupt the values of the societies they move to” is ironic given that in the US, those values have been corrupted by Americans.
Excellent piece.
Thank God for Bluesky: A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis iandunt.substack.com/p/thank-god-...
Thank God for Bluesky
Yes, it's eager. Yes, it's censorious. But it has the very considerable advantage of not being fascist.
iandunt.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Excellent piece.
60% of the storms reaching hurricane strength these year were cat 5s. 😳
Monster storm season seen as a harbinger of things to come
An MS Amlin reinsurance executive has warned that the 2025 hurricane season should act as a cautionary tale.
Although there were fewer storms in the Atlantic this year, there were a record number of ...
www.royalgazette.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
60% of the storms reaching hurricane strength these year were cat 5s. 😳
Reposted by Phil Wells
In highly important news from history today, it’s the 80th anniversary of the 21st birthday of Christopher Tolkien, notable now for the wording (especially the small print) of the invitation to the party
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 AM
In highly important news from history today, it’s the 80th anniversary of the 21st birthday of Christopher Tolkien, notable now for the wording (especially the small print) of the invitation to the party
Calling for an independent inquiry into the Hong Kong fire is apparently sedition.
HK student's calls for accountability over lethal Tai Po fire silenced
Miles Kwan called for an independent probe into the blaze at apartment blocks, which killed at least 128 people this week. Shortly after, local media reported he was arrested on suspicion of sedition ...
hongkongfp.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Calling for an independent inquiry into the Hong Kong fire is apparently sedition.
“It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think that things will be better under the new lot. Well, people are stupid”
The Wasp Factory: A Novel
Quote shared via Kindle: "It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think th...
a.co
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
“It has always seemed to me that people vote in a new government not because they actually agree with their politics but just because they want a change. Somehow they think that things will be better under the new lot. Well, people are stupid”
As an Oxford comma lover, this is actually a great point that hadn’t occurred to me before.
Yes! Oxford commas can often avoid ambiguity, but applying them across the board can create as many problems as it solves, usually by setting up a false parenthesis. They are certainly not always a good idea:
Also at the event were Cher, the president of Kazakhstan, and three sumo wrestlers.
Also at the event were Cher, the president of Kazakhstan, and three sumo wrestlers.
November 10, 2025 at 10:52 AM
As an Oxford comma lover, this is actually a great point that hadn’t occurred to me before.
Reposted by Phil Wells
Your cat when you're choking to death in your apartment
November 6, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Your cat when you're choking to death in your apartment
Reposted by Phil Wells
Fucking lol
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
"There are only so many selfies, photos of my dog, and funny-shaped carpet stains I can share before I come off as a shallow, boring influencer. So, I decided to post an image in my dump of a book a roommate left behind—The Picture of Dorian Gray."
I Started Reading Performatively, and Turns Out Books Are Pretty Good
It all started when Instagram introduced the twenty-slide photo dumps. Trying to post the correct ratio of photos to memes to appear both off-the-g...
buff.ly
November 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Fucking lol
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
'Now, I’m thinking about digging deeper into other stuff I performatively do—indie films, activism, and my friendships.'
If you want to understand how recent our current conception of marriage is, I *highly* recommend Stephanie Coontz’s fascinating book “Marriage: A History”. Relationships today have laughably unrealistic expectations of partners and I’m unsurprised singlehood is on the rise.
The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world
In good ways and bad
economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
If you want to understand how recent our current conception of marriage is, I *highly* recommend Stephanie Coontz’s fascinating book “Marriage: A History”. Relationships today have laughably unrealistic expectations of partners and I’m unsurprised singlehood is on the rise.
Lost power at 9am this morning, after the hurricane had long past. I know they sometimes have to turn circuits off to fix other ones, but that was 3 hours ago now. WTF?
October 31, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Lost power at 9am this morning, after the hurricane had long past. I know they sometimes have to turn circuits off to fix other ones, but that was 3 hours ago now. WTF?
“If you are not frightened, you are not paying attention”
Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way
Our election system is reaching a breaking point.
www.theatlantic.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
“If you are not frightened, you are not paying attention”
The Bermuda hurricane magnet has been turned on again.
October 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The Bermuda hurricane magnet has been turned on again.
Reposted by Phil Wells
"But here you are, voting for President Burn-It-To-The-Ground and acting all surprised when he actually lights a match. I saw this coming miles away, and I don’t even have eyes or a central fucking nervous system."
I’m a Guardrail, and I Don’t Know What the Fuck You People Want from Me
Okay, so look. I’m your basic galvanized steel thrie-beam guardrail. My job is to keep vehicles from flying off the escarpment and squishing all th...
buff.ly
October 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
"But here you are, voting for President Burn-It-To-The-Ground and acting all surprised when he actually lights a match. I saw this coming miles away, and I don’t even have eyes or a central fucking nervous system."
Very clever.
And from image events, we get POLYSEMIC images that carry multiple forms of ideology into the present. Here, we have the convergence of Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster for the Obama campaign with the frog icon from #NoKings. The is how you visually dismantle fascist iconography.
October 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Very clever.
Reposted by Phil Wells
Having a refugee program that preferences individuals who oppose migration involves a level of cognitive dissonance I didn't think possible.
October 15, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Having a refugee program that preferences individuals who oppose migration involves a level of cognitive dissonance I didn't think possible.
Good for MIT. About time institutions started standing up to Trump. Hopefully this will inspire other universities to reject the compact too. (Gift link)
M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment
www.nytimes.com
October 11, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Good for MIT. About time institutions started standing up to Trump. Hopefully this will inspire other universities to reject the compact too. (Gift link)
Things you can’t bring to a PSAT test. One of these things is not like the others… 🙄
October 11, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Things you can’t bring to a PSAT test. One of these things is not like the others… 🙄
“A third of Republicans support deporting citizens who disagree with Donald Trump” (gift link, but it’s the Economist, so it may not work by the time you click on it)
What American voters really think of the revenge agenda
A third of Republicans support deporting citizens who disagree with Donald Trump
economist.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:26 AM
“A third of Republicans support deporting citizens who disagree with Donald Trump” (gift link, but it’s the Economist, so it may not work by the time you click on it)
😂 "What if Kristi Noem gets mad and decides that Cards Against Humanity Explains the Joke is not informational material?" Answer: "She can fuck right off, because we got a binding ruling from Trump’s own government that confirms this product is informational and 100% exempt from his stupid tariffs."
Not a game: Cards Against Humanity avoids tariffs by ditching rules, adding explanations
You absolutely, definitely cannot play it.
arstechnica.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM
😂 "What if Kristi Noem gets mad and decides that Cards Against Humanity Explains the Joke is not informational material?" Answer: "She can fuck right off, because we got a binding ruling from Trump’s own government that confirms this product is informational and 100% exempt from his stupid tariffs."
Welcome to the United States of China.
ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team
Documents show that ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.
www.wired.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Welcome to the United States of China.
Reposted by Phil Wells
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
October 4, 2025 at 8:17 PM
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943
Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943