Pinned
Shirley0401
@shirley0401.bsky.social
· Sep 19
In retrospect maybe it wasn't so great for society that we spent a half-century telling ourselves we're all basically selfish pieces of shit and need to accept that we're selfish pieces of shit, and therefore we should encourage being a selfish piece of shit and reward being a selfish piece of shit.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Kinda seems like Trump punishing Colorado for not releasing Tina Peters (who tried to help him steal the election) from prison should be a bigger story
December 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Kinda seems like Trump punishing Colorado for not releasing Tina Peters (who tried to help him steal the election) from prison should be a bigger story
Reposted by Shirley0401
accurate summary
they won’t be anywhere near as effective as they want to be, as long as we keep acting, rather than panicking, but they are doing damage that will take generations to repair
I maintain the immense physical size of the US is actually the best guardrail (thanks Lincoln)
they won’t be anywhere near as effective as they want to be, as long as we keep acting, rather than panicking, but they are doing damage that will take generations to repair
I maintain the immense physical size of the US is actually the best guardrail (thanks Lincoln)
The regime is incompetent AND has made terrifyingly major in-roads, exploiting 1) Constitutional flaws, 2) institutional hard right entrenchment, 3) capitalist elite complicity, 4) opposition party ineffectualism, and 5) a favorable (dis)info environment
December 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM
accurate summary
they won’t be anywhere near as effective as they want to be, as long as we keep acting, rather than panicking, but they are doing damage that will take generations to repair
I maintain the immense physical size of the US is actually the best guardrail (thanks Lincoln)
they won’t be anywhere near as effective as they want to be, as long as we keep acting, rather than panicking, but they are doing damage that will take generations to repair
I maintain the immense physical size of the US is actually the best guardrail (thanks Lincoln)
Reposted by Shirley0401
Bari Weiss is not a journalist she was part of the Paramount bribe to trump to acquire skydance
NYT shows how Bari Weiss really screwed this up.
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
She didn't attend any of the 5 screenings of the story, which began on Dec. 12.
She only first weighed in on Thursday, and the show incorporated her suggestions.
She then waited until weekend to ask for more edits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...
Turmoil at CBS News After Bari Weiss Pulls a ‘60 Minutes’ Segment
www.nytimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Bari Weiss is not a journalist she was part of the Paramount bribe to trump to acquire skydance
Reposted by Shirley0401
Why is there no public skill & knowledge testing of those seeking the nation's highest public offices?
Because America is a fundamentally anti-intellectual country. Asking candidate Trump how anything works or about any historical fact or to do basic math was considered a gross invasion of privacy.
Because America is a fundamentally anti-intellectual country. Asking candidate Trump how anything works or about any historical fact or to do basic math was considered a gross invasion of privacy.
December 23, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Why is there no public skill & knowledge testing of those seeking the nation's highest public offices?
Because America is a fundamentally anti-intellectual country. Asking candidate Trump how anything works or about any historical fact or to do basic math was considered a gross invasion of privacy.
Because America is a fundamentally anti-intellectual country. Asking candidate Trump how anything works or about any historical fact or to do basic math was considered a gross invasion of privacy.
Reposted by Shirley0401
The thing about that Graeme Wood article defending Weiss is that he *also* has never worked as a news editor, let alone a TV news editor. It’s bizarre contrarian dilettantism of a type the Atlantic is sadly prone to.
December 23, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The thing about that Graeme Wood article defending Weiss is that he *also* has never worked as a news editor, let alone a TV news editor. It’s bizarre contrarian dilettantism of a type the Atlantic is sadly prone to.
Reposted by Shirley0401
His policy platform was hideously unpopular but he said "oh I know nothing about that!" and the media literally never asked about it again! When people actually see and hear him they hate the shit out of it!
December 23, 2025 at 3:08 PM
His policy platform was hideously unpopular but he said "oh I know nothing about that!" and the media literally never asked about it again! When people actually see and hear him they hate the shit out of it!
Reposted by Shirley0401
People have been brainwashed into believing that government in 🇺🇸“doesn’t work,” and never has.
But it does, thanks to institutions like the Government Accoutability Office (GAO).
This is a key hinge to be smashed, for the self-fulfilling prophecy of making government not work.
But it does, thanks to institutions like the Government Accoutability Office (GAO).
This is a key hinge to be smashed, for the self-fulfilling prophecy of making government not work.
I think destroying GAO - which is full of embedded knowledge of how government works and does superb, nonpartisan research- would be an absolute priority for Trump. Best we can hope for, I guess, is that they can slow-walk the nomination of a replacement until after November 2026.
One Agency Has Been Calling Out Trump’s Illegal Impoundment. That May Soon Change.
Throughout 2025, the Trump administration has, time after time, simply refused to...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
People have been brainwashed into believing that government in 🇺🇸“doesn’t work,” and never has.
But it does, thanks to institutions like the Government Accoutability Office (GAO).
This is a key hinge to be smashed, for the self-fulfilling prophecy of making government not work.
But it does, thanks to institutions like the Government Accoutability Office (GAO).
This is a key hinge to be smashed, for the self-fulfilling prophecy of making government not work.
Well, this is certainly worth reading. Especially if you're a Democratic politician.
those who predicted authoritarianism were both dismissed, & deeply misunderstood, by the media
my latest for @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2042...
my latest for @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com/article/2042...
The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned
Call them the Cassandras: the people—mostly not white and male—who smelled the fascism all over Trump from jump street. Why were they “alarmists,” and how did “anti-alarmism” become cool?
newrepublic.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Well, this is certainly worth reading. Especially if you're a Democratic politician.
Reposted by Shirley0401
They don’t work.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
if nothing else, understanding how and why they work might actually help people understand why and how they fail!
nobody serious is asking for people to put blind faith in the models, what we’re asking for is actually engaging with the realm of the possible.
nobody serious is asking for people to put blind faith in the models, what we’re asking for is actually engaging with the realm of the possible.
December 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
They don’t work.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
Reposted by Shirley0401
If an academic depends on a LLM hallucinated study in their work, it's embarrassing and could mean wasted time and lost prestige.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
suspect a big reason why many academics and others who work in areas where getting facts RIGHT is key are disinterested in using LLMs for research:
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
December 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
If an academic depends on a LLM hallucinated study in their work, it's embarrassing and could mean wasted time and lost prestige.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
Reposted by Shirley0401
This isn't a coherent reason to pull a story. If they reached out for comment in a reasonable time frame and got none, they should run the story. If they want to pursue follow up interviews with admin officials, OK. But this is a bizarre justification for pulling a finished story.
somebody realized that she was looking like too much of a admin lackey....
December 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This isn't a coherent reason to pull a story. If they reached out for comment in a reasonable time frame and got none, they should run the story. If they want to pursue follow up interviews with admin officials, OK. But this is a bizarre justification for pulling a finished story.
Reposted by Shirley0401
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”
Zohran Mamdani on FDR, LaGuardia—and Trump
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the mayor-elect goes behind the scenes of his meeting with the president and talks about some of his political heroes.
www.thenation.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”
Reposted by Shirley0401
Just got told off by an AI bro for refusing to engage with those with zero knowledge or experience in translation who claim AI will make it easier, when it has already demonstrably entered the field like a wrecking ball, making things worse not only for translators but also for readers.
AI advocates: you really need to learn to stop coming off to subject matter experts in other fields as if you’re Kool-Aid manning into the room and going “you’re dumb not to use these tools for your trivially easy jobs”
you may think this is an unfair read on your intentions, but life is unfair.
you may think this is an unfair read on your intentions, but life is unfair.
You absolutely will not convince a bunch of historians and sociologists and whoever else is in this thread that you know more than we do about this and we should use it. I wish you AI enthusiasts would stop wading into our conversations. You have nothing helpful to contribute and are snarky.
December 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Just got told off by an AI bro for refusing to engage with those with zero knowledge or experience in translation who claim AI will make it easier, when it has already demonstrably entered the field like a wrecking ball, making things worse not only for translators but also for readers.
Reposted by Shirley0401
this is yet another great example of how fascinatingly terrible the big GenAI industries public roll-out and marketing/PR/sales strategy has been
every time I bring this up in conversations with proselytizers I get "but the newer versions are better" but if that's so then how come, for just one example, Google's AI summary is making things up wholecloth every single time I glance at it
December 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
this is yet another great example of how fascinatingly terrible the big GenAI industries public roll-out and marketing/PR/sales strategy has been
Reposted by Shirley0401
I am not personally interested in running for office, but if I ever ended up in that position, I would be totally willing to bet whatever time I had on the climate equivalent of a Hail Mary for the well-being of every single person on earth regardless of their ideology or politics. YOLO!
December 18, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I am not personally interested in running for office, but if I ever ended up in that position, I would be totally willing to bet whatever time I had on the climate equivalent of a Hail Mary for the well-being of every single person on earth regardless of their ideology or politics. YOLO!
Reposted by Shirley0401
You know what hasn't been tried in any of the countries cited here? A full on push to a globally-leading clean energy economy and a better future. Does no one think that's worth trying at least once? After all, "you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a window .
Alt: a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a window .
media.tenor.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
You know what hasn't been tried in any of the countries cited here? A full on push to a globally-leading clean energy economy and a better future. Does no one think that's worth trying at least once? After all, "you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Reposted by Shirley0401
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Also the evidence that people don't care about climate change is thin and best. It's just a talking point a bunch of pundits have spent a year repeating, trying to brainwash us all.
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
December 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Also the evidence that people don't care about climate change is thin and best. It's just a talking point a bunch of pundits have spent a year repeating, trying to brainwash us all.
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Reposted by Shirley0401
Thank you for this. A few external thoughts here. bsky.app/profile/kath...
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Thank you for this. A few external thoughts here. bsky.app/profile/kath...
This is a good thread, and also a good reminder that while I admit MY sometimes makes a good point, I am increasingly confident whether a point is good or not is almost entirely secondary in MY's mind to the question of how much "engagement" it will or won't lead to.
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This is a good thread, and also a good reminder that while I admit MY sometimes makes a good point, I am increasingly confident whether a point is good or not is almost entirely secondary in MY's mind to the question of how much "engagement" it will or won't lead to.
Reposted by Shirley0401
i really hope next year we can find some way of counterbalancing the focus on evil, stupidity, and greed by highlighting more people who are doing good
December 20, 2025 at 5:01 AM
i really hope next year we can find some way of counterbalancing the focus on evil, stupidity, and greed by highlighting more people who are doing good
Reposted by Shirley0401
Nate Silver when JD Vance loses the 2028 election
December 20, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Nate Silver when JD Vance loses the 2028 election
This is so good.
Today on Volts: I've got a nerdy one for you! I talk with political scientist @samuel-bagg.bsky.social about the epistemic crisis & its roots in social identity. He explains why factchecking & media literacy classes will never solve misinformation -- why something deeper & stronger is required.
The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers
Political scientist Samuel Bagg explains why social identity is at the root of the misinformation crisis -- which calls for something deeper than factchecking.
www.volts.wtf
December 20, 2025 at 5:55 AM
This is so good.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Remember, his children’s grandparents are refugees. When I say this man’s a piece of shit, it’s impossible to overstate the depth of my sincerity.
Zuck continues to back away from causes he previously championed. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Zuckerberg Cut Ties With Pro-Immigration Organization He Founded
Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy has cut ties with the pro-immigration advocacy group that he founded more than a decade ago, a move that parallels other sweeping changes he’s made to his company’s poli...
www.bloomberg.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Remember, his children’s grandparents are refugees. When I say this man’s a piece of shit, it’s impossible to overstate the depth of my sincerity.
FWIW (not much): this is pretty emblematic of some of the many ways Dem leadership fundamentally misunderstands not just the base and the wider electorate and how the news cycle works in 2026, but just basic cause and effect.
not really convinced this matters, very little of anything from 2024 will be applicable to 2028, but it will definitely make the discourse toxic and insufferable for a couple days
BREAKING: The Democratic National Committee will NOT release its long-awaited autopsy on Trump's 2024 win. The report is completed but Dem leaders decided it could distract from their winning streak, so it will remain secret. Not good.
Details here:
newrepublic.com/article/2045...
Details here:
newrepublic.com/article/2045...
December 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
FWIW (not much): this is pretty emblematic of some of the many ways Dem leadership fundamentally misunderstands not just the base and the wider electorate and how the news cycle works in 2026, but just basic cause and effect.