Reposted by Hal EspenColin @colin-fraser.net · 02/10/2026( > It never produces facts which are not plagiarized, copied, regurgitated. outputs are random, of course. So let's say it *almost* never produces facts which are not plagiarized, copied, regurgitated. But this distinction is not very important. You get the idea. ) 1852
Reposted by Hal EspenCaroline Fraser @calfraser.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Hoboes and their history — www.nybooks.com/articles/202...nybooks.comBoxcar to Nowhere | Caroline FraserAmerican lore about hoboes has sugared over the economic and environmental forces that drove people from their homes and onto the rails and roads in the first place, as a new history lays out. 132
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The hysterical hyperbolic self-medicating ecstasy expressed in this era of New York Time cooking display copy — “My Wife Is Actually Crying Right Now Because This Cake Is So Good” — might not be so weird without the pervasive lack of affect or anything radical in other regions of the house style. 020
Reposted by Hal EspenKate Carpenter @katecarp.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Hey it's @robertsuits.bsky.social and THE HOBO in the NYRB! Hooray! www.nybooks.com/articles/202...nybooks.comBoxcar to Nowhere | Caroline FraserAmerican lore about hoboes has sugared over the economic and environmental forces that drove people from their homes and onto the rails and roads in the first place, as a new history lays out. 182
Reposted by Hal Espen🧌🥛 🏨 @comraderobot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026we gotta prevent taylor swift from making music until she does drugs. lots of em. hard stuff too. 4212
Reposted by Hal EspenCaroline Fraser @calfraser.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Twas ever thus— Like My Jesus Sweatshirt? How Christianity Went Consumerist. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/b...nytimes.comLike My Jesus Sweatshirt? How Christianity Went Consumerist.In “Live Laugh Love,” Kristin Kobes Du Mez examines how Christian women absorbed the idea that material abundance was evidence of divine favor. 143
Reposted by Hal Espenelia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible 25150303941
Reposted by Hal EspenDan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026The NYT ran an article in April raising questions about Trump’s mental status, quoting people calling him “clearly insane,” “an extremely sick person,” “unhinged,” “out of control,” “batshit crazy,” and “a genocidal lunatic.” Then they never mentioned it again. presswatchers.org/2026/04/new-...presswatchers.orgNew York Times finally reports on concerns that Trump is ‘clearly insane’ | Press WatchThat’s a big deal. But now what? It’s more than a one-day story. 29679239
Reposted by Hal EspenJoel Pinckney @jpinckney.bsky.social · 01/09/2026New one today for @defector.com: in the wake of the most recent declaration of reading's demise, I was curious what booksellers, almost always ignored by the post-literate prognosticators, made of such claims. Here's what they told me:defector.comWhat Do Booksellers Make Of “The End Of Reading”? | DefectorIf you haven’t yet encountered the cover story for the August issue of The Atlantic, I have some bad news to share: “The End of Reading Is Here.” It’s an intentionally provocative headline for a sligh... 1023480
Reposted by Hal EspenWill Oremus @willoremus.com · 26/08/2026randomly giving out genuine compliments is such an easy way to make the world a little nicer, i'm always surprised more people haven't figured that out and have a ton of respect for those who have 625440855
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 24/08/2026The best investigative reporting in the New York Times often dissipates and fades without crusading follow-through. Meanwhile there are the bizarre crusades the paper does prosecute — But Her Emails, Mamdani Threat Alerts, etc. And relentlessly, Reefer Madness. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Today’s Weed Is Way Too Dangerous for TeensAre we willing to regulate and enforce cannabis safety, especially to protect the most vulnerable among us? 030
Reposted by Hal EspenElliott Lusztig @elliottlusztig.bsky.social · 22/08/2026The leader of Canada just gave a speech where he said the US "attacked" his nation, and we are now "at war." There are VERY few Americans who support this crap, but Washington DC is so busted no one will stop Trump. If you voted for this: Go straight to hell. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/w...nytimes.comCarney Slams U.S.-Canada Trade Proposal and Vows RetaliationPrime Minister Mark Carney gave a powerful speech to Canadians on Saturday morning, hours after ordering negotiators to suspend U.S. trade talks despite President Trump’s punishing tariffs. 1432061
Reposted by Hal EspenJames Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Further on Carney's speech: It was full of careful bits of rhetoric like ones noted here. More powerful when spoken, w with carefully matched emphasis, than they might look on the page. All the more powerful for being so simple and direct. Plain, short words. "Ask not..." "I have a dream.." 19546143
Reposted by Hal EspenAndrew Sabl @andysabl.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Full text of Mark Carney’s speech yesterday. Here’s a line that few are reporting but that seems crucial: because the US no longer can make—or wants to make—credible commitments, it’s kneecapped its own ability to reach agreements. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/spee... 201111295
Reposted by Hal EspenNew Yorker Covers 365 @newyorkercovers365.bsky.social · 23/08/2026AUGUST 23, 1982 ARTIST: Saul Steinberg ADVERTISEMENT: Oneida | | | | | | #newyorkercovers #newyorker #newyorkermag #saulsteinberg #steinberg #illustration #1982 #dogtricks #violin #recital #sheetmusic #vintageads #oneida #silver #icecream 022
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 20/08/2026ICE fascists brutally swept up patients, parents, and children at La Familia, a Santa Fe community health clinic just across the river from our house. mailchi.mp/searchlightn...mailchi.mpICE arrests further strain healthcare for immigrants 042
Reposted by Hal EspenSource New Mexico @sourcenm.com · 20/08/2026U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) said officials told her during her inspection of an Estancia detention facility that ICE agents detained eight people in Santa Fe on Wednesday. sourcenm.com/2026/08/20/n...sourcenm.comNew Mexico U.S. Rep. Leger Fernández denounces ICE arrest in Santa Fe healthcare clinic parking lot • Source New MexicoThe New Mexico Democratic congresswoman's made a "disappointing" visit to an ICE detention facility to seek answers on the arrest Wednesday. 0218
Reposted by Hal EspenThe Santa Fe New Mexican @thenewmexican.bsky.social · 17/08/2026As the Frijoles Fire continues to burn in the Pecos Wilderness near Cundiyó, U.S. Forest Service officials have issued a temporary closure for a central chunk of the Santa Fe National Forest. sfnm.co/4qnVrAjsfnm.coTemporary closure issued in Santa Fe National Forest as Frijoles Fire burns 9,300 acresMore than 650 firefighters were assigned to the Frijoles Fire on Sunday. 062
Reposted by Hal Espendavidc1935.bsky.social @davidc1935.bsky.social · 17/08/2026George Shearing, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich at the Madison Square Garden jazz festival in 1959. (Photo by Herb Snitzer) 0449
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Just spent an hour liking hundreds of Reacher kitten takes and they say social media is bad. 010
Reposted by Hal EspenThe Santa Fe New Mexican @thenewmexican.bsky.social · 11/08/2026NEW: The Frijoles Fire grew to 6,200 acres overnight as the blaze continued to expand amid dry and hot conditions in the Santa Fe National Forest, raising concerns across Northern New Mexico Tuesday morning. A smoke advisory has been issued. sfnm.co/4fUfxPisantafenewmexican.comFrijoles Fire increases to 6,200 acres overnight; smoke advisory issuedSanta Fe County officials ordered residents of about 10 homes on Camino del Cañon in Cundiyó to evacuate. 052
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Frijoles Fire, northeast Santa Fe County, New Mexico, August 8, 1,000 acres 010
Reposted by Hal Espenwhet moser @whetmoser.com · 05/08/2026“If built as planned, the gas burning plants — scattered across states including Texas, Ohio and Wyoming — could release as much planet-warming pollution in a year as roughly half of all the passenger vehicles in the United States” 13619
Reposted by Hal EspenAaron Hedge @aaronhedge.bsky.social · 02/08/2026The Spokesman is doing incredible reporting on this story. Follow them for critical info. @alexdugganreports.bsky.social www.spokesman.com/stories/2026...spokesman.com'Never seen it this bad': Thousands evacuated in north Spokane as wildfire crosses river into cityA wildfire driven by high winds jumped the Spokane River Saturday afternoon, burning homes and quickly moving into the Indian Trail Neighborhood. 3244122
Reposted by Hal EspenMike Donohue @mikedmystery.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Colson Whitehead's three favorite reads of the past five years: Hernan Diaz, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Caroline Fraser's MURDERLAND — about the possible causes of the serial killer epidemic in the '60s through '80s.buff.lyHow to Die and Be Reborn in Colson Whitehead’s New YorkThe Pulitzer Prize–winning author opens up about midlife, the state of writing, and how his new book, ‘Cool Machine,’ makes sense of the world 021
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 29/07/2026AI is, in fact escapable. I'm escaping it right now. I'll never not escape it. The sinister trope promising/threatening that inundation by AI is ineluctable and involuntary is *definitely* inescapable, though — repeated endlessly to manufacture consent and make resistance seem Luddite and futile. 000
Reposted by Hal EspenRep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) @repstansbury.bsky.social · 27/07/2026NM is making waves! This year, helping to cover Medical School to keep doctors & healthcare professionals at home! So proud of our #NMLeg & Governor Lujan Grisham for making this investment in our healthcare system. And proud to have helped kick this program off years ago with Speaker Martinez! 627965
Reposted by Hal EspenChristopher Brown @christopherbrown.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Field Notes from a July visit to SpaceX’s South Texas Starbase, where the launch gantries tower over one of our wildest coastal wildernesses, and the alligators bellow back when the rockets fire: fieldnotes.christopherbrown.com/p/rocket-sum...fieldnotes.christopherbrown.comRocket SummerNo. 199 05525
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Pure poison and darkness to read a seemingly heartfelt *bylined* blog tribute to a late writer whose work I revere, offering an account of his career and distinctive contributions, and this is how the remembrance ends: [this lightly edited profile was created by Claude, 9/6/25] 000
Reposted by Hal EspenJames Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Many stories have conveyed how crass and insulting Trump's "speech" last night was. Few have conveyed how literally insane he sounded. Long, LONG disquisition on The Ballroom, complete with "Sir" stories. Claim that 450k people came to hear him on July 4. Iran has no remaining weapons. WHCA: Why?? 481465317
Reposted by Hal EspenThe Santa Fe New Mexican @thenewmexican.bsky.social · 24/07/2026The New Mexico Supreme Court this week struck down a Republican bid to reverse the rules underpinning New Mexico’s growing universal childcare program. www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_n...santafenewmexican.comNew Mexico Supreme Court tosses lawsuit challenging universal childcareGov. Michelle Lujan Grisham lauded the decision, which came after a state District Court judge also rejected the lawsuit. 1104
Reposted by Hal Espenjamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15/07/2026in a lot of ways the current republican government is just the worst, extractive red state governance taken national. total hostility to public goods, total indifference to long-term investment, and a monomaniacal interest in using the state to enrich private benefactors 7455161319
Reposted by Hal Espen𝙉𝙤𝙞𝙧 𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙘𝙠 ♬ @noirbeachshack.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Monday *makeup test for Tyrone Power for #FilmNoir Nightmare Alley (1947) 811622
Reposted by Hal Espenwildernessed @wildernessed.bsky.social · 11/07/2026My daughter just dumped some pics from The Colorado Trail #mountains #forest #wildlife #CT 722768225
Reposted by Hal EspenMagdaloween! 🏳️⚧️ @magsvisaggio.com · 06/07/2026i don't want infinite music. i want finite music. i want a collection i can comprehend and fall in love with. i want a range of choices, not every record every recorded. i get serious choice paralysis. just let me curate my own collection. i hate the future. 1434525
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 06/07/2026It’s very difficult to imagine the vile Meta/Facebook Borg tolerating Ken White/Popehat’s transgressive bite the hand that hosts you tendencies (positive) indefinitely. 041
Reposted by Hal EspenBrad Johnson @climatebrad.hillheat.com · 05/07/2026Fireworks shows have a Clean Air Act carve out that was added by Jim Inhofe in 2005 to SAFETEA-LU, bipartisan legislation that passed overwhelmingly.publichealthwatch.orgWhat Is the Exceptional Events Rule? The Loophole Letting U.S. Regulators Wipe Air Pollution From the Record. - Public Health WatchFirst pushed through by the Republican senator and climate denier Jim Inhofe, the rule has become a ‘regulatory escape hatch’ for states that want to meet federal air-quality standards 312839
Reposted by Hal EspenNate Chinen @natechinen.bsky.social · 04/07/2026As you were, America. youtu.be/eKlL5X0iuEI?...youtu.beThe Star Spangled Banner (Live at Newport Jazz Festival 1958)YouTube video by Louis Armstrong - Topic 0125
Reposted by Hal EspenDorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 03/07/202618 months ago I would have believed that America’s 250th would be a fascistic spectacle: ghastly but impressive. The farcical incompetence of it tells you a lot about what’s happened to the Trump presidency. The sun is going down 718519
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Alex Ross writing on music is not only some of the best criticism going, it’s a tonic in these dark times. 030
Reposted by Hal EspenAnnie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 27/06/2026"Emissions reductions plus habitat restoration and wildlife protection should not be treated as separate conversations. Healthy ecosystems are more resilient. Resilient ecosystems are better able to store carbon, support biodiversity, and keep functioning as conditions change." 23115
Reposted by Hal Espenold roadside pics @roadside.xor.blue · 28/06/2026classic bowl sign, canton, ohio, 1988 214928
Hal Espen @halsf.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Bill McKibben's framing of the grueling heat waves in the UK, Europe, and elsewhere in the context of the current reactionary political turn against green energy and climate science is a clarifying call for common sense, and for fighting back. open.substack.com/pub/billmcki...open.substack.comAnd so "climate" returnsThe next--and most important--cycle in a long-running battle 010
Reposted by Hal EspenDan Sheehan @dansheehan.memyon.org · 28/06/2026It's good to be Mel Brooks. 413421
Reposted by Hal EspenSMD's pension @anothersmd.bsky.social · 26/06/2026turns out there's a hard mode to the aircon discourse www.reddit.com/r/ElectricVe...reddit.comFrom the ElectricVehiclesUK community on Reddit: Our bedrooms reached 32°C yesterday. In desperation I discovered that a 100mm ducting hose fits perfectly around the circular air vents in my MG ZS EV ...Explore this post and more from the ElectricVehiclesUK community 083
Reposted by Hal EspenMomentum Magazine @momentummag.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Norway has officially opened a new 13-kilometre cycling superhighway linking the cities of Stavanger and Sandnes. And, it’s a beautiful thing. momentummag.com/norway-opens... 08112
Reposted by Hal EspenElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Let's see what fresh hell the court has for us today 3378668
Reposted by Hal EspenSierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 22/06/2026America's cutest firefighter could be prairie dogs. New research points to prairie dog colonies being more resistant to fire when compared to areas without the charismatic rodent. They do this by feeding on the vegetation surrounding their burrows, reducing the fuel that fires have to spread. 🌎sierraclub.orgNature’s Answer to Combating Wildfire: The Prairie DogBehold the most adorable little firefighter you ever saw 0103