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Balentius

@balentius.bsky.social
251 followers 64 following 130 posts

Huh, I'm already up to as many followers here as I am on that old site... And as far as I can tell most of you aren't the spam bots. Sorry for being boring. :D

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luke-white.bsky.social @luke-white.bsky.social · 14h
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Hayes Brown @hayesbrown.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
i got one of my favorite kickers in ages published this weekend www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Given the difficulties Trump has had, there’s no telling when or how the Iran war will end. But the longer the conflict persists and oil shipments remain hindered, the more likely the shifts in oil demand we’re seeing are to become permanent.

This administration doing anything to purposefully encourage that outcome is deeply unlikely. But if I had a nickel for every time Trump accidentally drove down global carbon emissions through a terrible policy decision, I’d have two nickels. Which, as a fictional mad scientist once said, “isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?”
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Dave Frampton @majicdave.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Blockheads 2 is coming! theblockheads.net/2026/09/10/b...
theblockheads.net
Blockheads 2 is coming!
I am Dave, I made The Blockheads, and today I am announcing that I have been working on Blockheads 2!
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
An incredible piece; I own the paperback (somewhere in my home...)
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Well, I suck at posting gifs, but Airplane.
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"Good news everyone!"
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Elith's drawing of Kim is about 2-3 levels better than my drawing style... But more seriously I love these "alternate" comics!
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Max from UNFTR @unftr.com · 10/07/2026
10 sitting house democrats signed the Promise to America pledge ensuring they're not socialists. It has 6 points; 5 are empty platitudes. The 6th cuts Medicare, Medicaid + Social Security. Are they corrupt, or just stupid? You decide. 🎧 Listen to the latest episode of #UNFTR: The New Republicrats.
unftr.com
The New Republicrats: Snakes of the Democratic Party.
Ten sitting house democrats and five candidates just signed the “Promise to America” pledge ensuring the public they are not socialists. It has six banal points with no specifics, no plan, and no agen...
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In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
BREAKING NEWS: Small otter thinks it’s a cat, but nobody really minds and everyone has a great time.
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Alisha Grauso (She/Her) @alishagrauso.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Our entire economy is being artificially propped up by astrology for men: AI, crypto, sports betting, and prediction markets. It's an economy shaped entirely by male insecurity and lack of impulse control, and we'll all pay the price.
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Dylan Wilbanks is not a Halloween person @dylanw.social · 19/05/2026
Users: We don't want AI Google: What if it were an Ask Gemini button Users: no Google: What if we drafted reply emails for you Users: NO Google: What if we redid search to be an "experience" Users: WHAT PART OF NO ARE YOU NOT GETTING
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Kendra Albert @kendraserra.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Holy balls, this opinion: "As citizens, we trust that federal prosecutors . . . will play fair and be honest with its counterparts and the judiciary. DOJ has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case." (via @chrisgeidner.bsky.social) storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
Memorandum and Order – #38 in In Re: Motion to Quash Administrative Subpoena to Rhode Island Hospital (D.R.I., 1:26-mc-00007) – CourtListener.com
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER : The Court's decision is based solely on its application of the law to the administrative subpoena at issue here. But the discrepancy between the honorable conduct expected of fe...
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Max from UNFTR @unftr.com · 06/05/2026
Checking on our friends up north. Carney wants to privatize airports, is cutting 40K public sector jobs, boosting fossil fuels, and letting social transfers fall below inflation. Seems the Liberal government is actually conservative, with better branding. Watch the full video: youtu.be/3K4Y1XVxyAU
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I mean, it starts with a solid 2 minutes of credits... And then intersperses a few more in the opening scene! What better indicator of greatness can you think of? ...Every time I see something like that, I think "so you know people aren't going to sit through the whole thing".
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Got mine yesterday; don't wait for everyone else to steal it, get it now! ...in a socially approved way of course.
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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 06/05/2026
Go birds
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Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Every splashy New York Times profile of a right wing influencer.
Bugs Bunny giving a monster a manicure, caption: My I'll bet you monsters lead interesting lives.
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Dr. Mar @boldnewme.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Two photos. Same room. Same flags. Same astronauts. In one, the President stands with them, smiling, centered, human. In the other, the President sits scowling, rambling, diminished. Four astronauts. Two presidents. And the faces tell you everything.
A tale of 4 astronauts, and 2 presidents, and faces that tell a story.
threads.com/@tuolumne999
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
If nothing else, I suppose this is proof that anyone can be an "artist"... That last panel just makes me shudder.
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Today I turn 89. I’ve seen this country at its best and its worst, and I know how much community matters. For my birthday, I’m asking you to stand with PFLAG and support the work that’s helped so many in the LGBTQ+ community, including me. give.pflag.org/page/95493/d...
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I've been hoping to see more Sword Magician... Such an awesome concept :D
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CAKE @thebandcake.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
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Dave Frampton @majicdave.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I've just put out the first release of my cheeky little programming language, tui. I really bit off more than I could chew to be honest, lost some more hair. But it works! Tui is now a genuinely useful tool which is building exciting things. I'm very proud of it ☺️ github.com/mjdave/tui
github.com
GitHub - mjdave/tui: tui is a small, cross platform, open source embeddable scripting language and serialization library for C++
tui is a small, cross platform, open source embeddable scripting language and serialization library for C++ - mjdave/tui
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The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 15/04/2026
Maddening 🤷
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Spooky Femme Peter Lorre 🙀 @sarahkite.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
“Sir, are you aware that you are a cat, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing right behind you?”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani behind the counter of a bodega in The Bronx, flanked by various people. A journalist with a microphone labeled “Shop Cats” is standing in front of the sales counter, and holding the mic up to a black and white cat sitting on the counter next to bananas. The cat has an expression like in the famous “Sir, are you aware that you are a cat” meme
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Boo London @cmdrsue.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
The hardest room to escape.
Chalk board with a conversation.
Me: This escape room is hard.
Friend: This is a bookstore.
Credit: Daisy Chain Book Company
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Master of Orion 2... And Master of Orion 2. Don't judge me :D
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Thomas Neville @goobermunch.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Just going to leave this here.
A series of three tweets:

Rabbi Akiva Weisinger
@MisfitTorah

1)

For those wondering why I, an Orthodox Rabbi, am outraged by the Texas trans law, aren't I supposed to stand up for Torah Values or whatever A thread:

2)

I don't like it when kids kill themselves.

3)

 End of thread.
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Steve Mullis @stevemullis.net · 31/03/2026
Travel writer Rick Steves on Washington's newly signed "Millionaires Tax"
Text from a Rick Steves post on Facebook:
"A Millionaires Tax? Let’s Try Shared Prosperity! 
A new tax on fat paychecks like mine was just signed into law in my home state — and I like it. In 2029, Washington state will start collecting a 9.9% tax on income over $1 million. The 8,000,000 Washingtonians whose households make less than a million dollars a year will pay zero under this new tax and enjoy all the benefits of a better-funded state. And for the wealthy (like me and an estimated 30,000 others), every million dollars in taxable income that our households earn after the first million will cost us about $100,000.
It takes a lot of money to run a state that’s as livable as ours. Yet Washington is one of only nine states that don’t currently levy a traditional income tax. Our state is still funded by consumption taxes, such as sales and excise taxes, giving us the second-most regressive tax code in the country. (Only Florida has us beat.) And it’s time for Washington millionaires to pay our fair share.
Right about now, Republicans reading this are queuing up in the comments to holler their well-worn excuses: A state income tax will penalize, and therefore demoralize, Washington state’s job creators! Letting the rich get richer results in more wealth trickling down! Wealthy people will flee your state for those with more regressive taxation! (Since California and Oregon already have a comparable tax, that would be distant lands like Texas, Tennessee, and Nevada.) 
As a wealthy person myself, I see this tax as essentially free money for all Washingtonians. Everybody in my state gains. And speaking from personal experience, I know that anyone who earns enough to be subject to this tax is beyond the point where consuming more adds to their security, their well-being, or even, arguably, their happiness — meaning there will be basically zero human cost."Text from Rick Steves Facebook post:
"If you disagree, consider the minuscule impact this tax will have on my state’s millionaires. Now, contrast that with the value of close to $4 billion a year in tax revenue once it’s smartly invested in programs that will help the roughly one-third of Washington households living paycheck to paycheck. 
For those who still aren’t convinced, here’s a lesson I’ve learned in my travels: Even if you’re motivated only by greed, if you know what’s good for you, you don’t want to be filthy rich in a society with a huge gap between rich and poor. It’s just not a nice place to raise your kids. And remember: Shrouds have no pockets…especially if you’re a multimillionaire with no heart for your neighbors.
Plus, helping build a better community for you and your neighbors just…feels good. I learned this firsthand back in 2011, when — after years of receiving a Bush-era tax break for the wealthy that I didn’t need — I noticed that to pay for that tax cut, public funding for community programs and institutions was being decimated. Recognizing the practical value of investing my tax savings in my community, I’ve donated $100,000 a year to our local arts center and symphony ever since, covering concert hall rental costs for our volunteer orchestra and much more. Paying a “self-imposed wealth tax” and knowing I’m helping my entire community has brought me great joy for 15 years and counting. It’s far from heroic…but it is a little lonely."Text from Rick Steves Facebook post:
"The “millionaires tax” that Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law today will make our state better than ever — not just for the working class and poor, but for everyone who values a healthy and sustainable future. And for us millionaires who are enlightened enough to realize that we’ve reached a point where consuming more won’t make us genuinely happier, it just feels right to pay a little extra. For me, it’s biblical (“To whom much is given, much will be required”)… It’s European (after all, societies that are equitably funded are much more “content” than ours)… And — for those of us with a heart for the public good — it’s simply common sense. 
Sign me up!"
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Champaign County Indivisible 📎 @cc-indivisible.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
He’s making me tap the sign, isn’t he? — Jeff
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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
For people who are concerned about having their devices seized at US airports starting Monday when ICE "assists" the TSA, EFF has this guide: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
eff.org
A Journalist Security Checklist: Preparing Devices for Travel Through a US Border
We wrote this checklist to help journalists prepare for transit through a U.S. port of entry while preserving the confidentiality of your most sensitive information, such as unpublished reporting mate...
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StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
"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." - President Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Muskrat 8647 @muskratjohn.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I drew a couple of #Munchkin cards for Lucy Darling/@carisahendrix.bsky.social. My pal @ooryl2.bsky.social delivered them at her Detroit show. Her reaction is hellacool.
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
That last frame... Um, ok? Really not sure what thought process the artist had there.
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
When a company decides it needs to change ~70% of their menu, introduces major new products then dumps them less than a year later, and increases prices every time they change... Not a place we look forward to going to now. Doesn't surprise me it's venture capital owned now at all.
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
They weren't as good, so we stopped getting it regularly. Last year, they went back to the "old" version, so it's better but once again we can't count on them unless we call again or go in before 9am. In the mean time, watched the menu change repeatedly... Didn't hear about the deaths though.
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
We used to really like getting the Soufflé there, to the point that for a while we had a "standing order" for them on Saturdays. Then, they stopped having them at 9am. For a breakfast period that lasts until 10:30... And then they came up with a new recipe. So, they had them, but...
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Diane Duane @diane.dianeduane.com · 12/03/2026
#GNUTerryPratchett
A digital dawn sky (created in Terragen Sky). A caption against the clouds: "A man is not dead while his name is still spoken." And below, the hashtag: #GNU Terry Pratchett.
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Jeff Colgan @jeffcolgan.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
As an IR professor, it's depressing that this is outperforming all others as the best theory of US foreign policy
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bryson @brysonm.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
holy shit
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Depends on timing... But I live right across the river, so my main problem would be persuading my wife to come.
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The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 04/03/2026
Today’s Daily Cartoon, by Brendan Loper. #NewYorkerCartoons
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The Onion @theonion.com · 25/02/2026
Democrats Wear White Flag Pins To SOTU To Indicate Surrender
Democrats Wear White Flag Pins To SOTU To Indicate Surrender
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
And if you go on Reddit, you find plenty of people saying "Oh you're doing it wrong, it's so easy..." I don't think I ever had as violent a reaction as your truck had, but I've lost ~half my load going over a ridge several times.
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FR🎃 V🎃 @frovo.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
every AI commercial was like “learn to use this so we can fire you”
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Comfortably Boo @numb.comfortab.ly · 10/02/2026
Senator Jacky Rosen @rosen.senate.gov:

I won't support additional funding for ICE unless we put guardrails in place to make sure ICE is better trained and actually focused on making our communities safer.

5:10 PM Feb 9, 2026Democrats Condemn ICE For Murdering Without Proper Warrants

WASHINGTON-In a statement calling for more guardrails around ongoing immigration...

theonion.com
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Sarah ⚧ ✡︎ @sarahkorse.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
They could not be more cartoonishly evil if they tried. He's KICKING A PUPPY!
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
But it also looks like “hey we forgot to attach the back of the saucer, it flopped over, and we said ‘yes that’s exactly what we wanted!’ and Starfleet fell for it” 😁
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
I have to admit, of all the odd designs I have seen (before AI slop), this is the one I have the most trouble with. Even the Yeagar class is one where I can say "ok, I can see why that would work", but this one in my mind is basically "let's turn the saucer into a shield"... Like you said, IDIC...
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Balentius @balentius.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Yes! I never had them as anything other than horrible rough drawings that I have (thankfully) lost, but I did have the whole "stack one saucer on top of other, then add another one just because" phase of design. This probably is why I'm not a starship designer :D
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