Sign in

LD144

@magicapple.bsky.social
832 followers 1K following 3.6K posts

Painter, gardener, lover of peace. Keeping an eye on the craziness. No starter packs, please.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by LD144
Sally Deal - 📞 Call your legislators @ (202)224-3121 ⏰24/7! @sallydeal4.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
OHIO! These 3 races are ⭐️TOSS-UPS & FLIP OPPORTUNITIES. Please follow & support👇🏼 SHERROD BROWN, Senate @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social www.sherrodbrown.com BRIAN POINDEXTER, OH-07 @poindexterforcongress.com poindexterforcongress.com AMY ACTON, Gov @amyactonoh.bsky.social actonforgovernor.com 1/4
sherrodbrown.com
Sherrod Brown - Fighting for Ohioans
Sherrod Brown has always been a relentless fighter for the people of Ohio.
6153104
Reposted by LD144
𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 @sundaedivine.lol · 27/09/2026
Now let’s resume talking about Epstein.
604124233738
Reposted by LD144
Willerby @welcometowillerby.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
**NEW WILLERBY STORY** The Fields. Part 2. Jess is back. willerby.substack.com/p/the-fields-2
Screenshot of text from the linked story.
092
Reposted by LD144
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Effective 2025 federal tax rates paid by these corporations: Alphabet: 8.01% AT&T: 4.6% Meta: 3.57% General Motors: 3.09% Amazon: 1.37% Exxon Mobil: 1.31% Disney: -1.57% CVS Health: -3.88% Income tax rate paid by the typical American: 14.5% This is what a rigged system looks like.
536153387198
Reposted by LD144
Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Every news story must address this. And in 6 weeks, “we can be the adults in the room. We can perform an intervention. We can state loudly & clearly there’s a psychiatric emergency and we need responsible leaders who will use their power to lessen the danger.” www.americaamerica.news/p/america-we...
americaamerica.news
We Are Facing a Psychiatric Emergency
The media needs to step up. Donald Trump needs to be removed from office.
691719600
Reposted by LD144
Adam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
@aoc.bsky.social just put out a great statement on AI. Refreshing to see a major politician on the left nail this. "Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves." 🎯
Charles,

Last weekend, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, one of the largest Al companies in the world, publicly asked his industry to slow down Al development.

Shortly after, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAl, followed suit. Then Elon Musk.

This all came days after an Anthropic researcher quit, citing his belief that this technology could wipe out humanity and that Al companies are "gambling with our lives."

For years, people have warned that generative Al could slip out of our direct control.

Those safety concerns must be taken seriously.

And this is why I have advocated for strict safety standards on how Al is built and deployed, public oversight over this technology, and using existing laws to hold these companies accountable when they cause harm.

But I want to draw your attention to another reality: Right now, the U.S. economy and our financial futures are riding on Silicon Valley's bet that Al will soon be immensely profitable and pay off. And that bet isn't looking good.

The formula for a profitable business isn't complicated: make more money than you spend. But the biggest Al companies aren't doing that. They are spending hundreds of billions per year on data centers, chips, and other costs while their ability to make revenues that exceed their already-immense sunk costs are unclear. Experts estimate that these Al companies will require another $600 billion of debt just to financethemselves in 2026 alone. That is more than the entire budgets of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Transportation, & Education combined.
Meanwhile, despite almost every single one of these companies not turning a profit & having sunk billions of investor dollars in development of data centers & other infrastructure, Al companies are also on a spending spree of hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying & dark money in our elections.
It would be one thing if we were discussing a few private companies with a poor business model. But last year, virtually all stock market gains - 80% - rested entirely on just a handful of Al companies.
That tells us two things:
1. Nearly the entire U.S. economy outside the Al industry is relatively stagnating and faring poorly & the gains from these few companies are disguising it; &
2. Millions of people's retirements - including their pensions, 401ks, & investments - are potentially exposed to this risk.
That's why these Al companies' dubious financial positions matter to working people.
These companies argue that debt is necessary. They'll tell you that building transformative technologies requires upfront capital, & that massive borrowing today will pay off in generating unprecedented prosperity tomorrow.
But this is not the typical debt that startups take on while they build out a company. We are talking about billions going on trillions of dollars leveraged with no indication that these companies will be able to recoup these funds profitably. And they are increasingly looking to the government as their source of cash.
In an effort to hide their debt, tech companies have been relying on "circular financing" where tech giants like Google, Amazon, & Microsoft give billions to Al startups like OpenAl & Anthropic, only for those startups to hand that money right back to buy Al processing power.
In other words, these Al companies are luring in new investors by making it look like their financials are healthier than they really are.What's even worse is that retirement & pension funds are key to supporting this illusion.
When the Al companies issue bonds to raise more money, your pension funds & retirement accounts are some of the biggest buyers. When Musk's Al business went public, it became part of index funds where millions of Americans invest our savings. Many Americans don't even know that their retirement investments are tied up in these companies at all.
From Big Tech's perspective, that's a feature, not a bug. By tying our futures to their reckless gambling, Al billionaires are trying to make themselves too big to fail. They think they can take such dangerous risks because we will bail them out if things go wrong.
Sound familiar? This scene is dangerously reminiscent of the rampant speculation, corruption, & broken incentives leading up to the 2008 financial crisis that plunged millions of working class Americans into financial chaos that we never fully recovered from.
It is no accident that these warnings from Altman & Amodei come months-if not weeks-before these companies were meant to go public.
When companies go public, they have to be more transparent about how they are doing financially. And after a waiting period, they typically have to let private investors-like their own employees-sell their shares.
The New York Times recently confirmed that OpenAl has postponed going public for this very reason. They are in no rush for the truth about their finances to come out.
But the moment these oligarchs began to seek our public tax dollars & public contracts while exposing their companies to public pension funds & investments, they opened themselves to public accountability & scrutiny.
Silicon Valley billionaires have rigged the game & are attempting to shift their financial risk to working people: If they're right about Al's potential, they reap the profits. If they're wrong & the bubble bursts, they are setting up the American people to pick up the tab.
Heads, they win; tails, we lose.We can stop this, and we shouldn't play their game. Together we can address both the economic and safety threats of unrestricted Al development and prevent financial chaos and stabilize market risk.

We must make it clear now that should the Al bubble pop, Congress should not bail out Big Tech.

And across our federal agencies, we have the authorities and tools to hold Al companies and their leaders accountable for releasing dangerous, unvetted, and defective products. We must not wait.

Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity.

But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves.

It's time we hold them accountable.

Thank you for reading.

In solidarity,

Alexandria
221562596
Reposted by LD144
rileyrussell81.bsky.social @rileyrussell81.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
116932
Reposted by LD144
M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
THIS 👇 HERE.......
1102205177397
Reposted by LD144
Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A little bear carved from amber some 6,000+ years ago! 🐻❤️ A hole through the torso suggests it was worn or suspended from a cord. National Museum in Szczecin, Poland 📷 by me #Archaeology
My photo shows a small figurine of a bear carved and polished out of a piece of amber between 9600 and 4100 BC. The amber is a deep translucent orange in colour which is emphasised by the display lighting against a dark background which makes the amber glow. The bear's head is carved to show ears, mouth, nostrils and eyes. A hole runs through the bear's torso, suggesting it was threaded onto a cord. Dimensions:
Length 10.2 cm, Height 4.2cm

I took this photo today at the Landesmuseum Halle in Germany where the bear is currently on loan from Poland for the excellent Shamaness exhibition.

The figurine was discovered in Stupsk during peat mining in 1887. According to the National Museum in Szczecin "Shortly after its discovery, the figure underwent conservation work to restore its original appearance as it was covered with a layer of dull patina from the exposure to the minerals contained in the peat. Already at that time, at the end of the 19th century, it was assumed the restoration had gone too far. The figure was stripped entirely of patina, the anatomical features of the animal were emphasised, the eyes and nostrils were sharply drawn, and the amber was carefully polished".

In 2013, a competition was organised by the Education Department of the National Museum in Szczecin, for children to choose a name for the bear. The winning name was 'Stupcio', an affectionate diminutive meaning 'little guy from Stupsk'.
502873416
Reposted by LD144
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
If voters return Republicans to the majority in the midterms they will get exactly what they have right now - Congress doing nothing month after month, out of session refusing to do their jobs while Trump rules like an autocrat with no checks or balances. An Imperial Presidency.
672061527
Reposted by LD144
conifergirl.bsky.social @conifergirl.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Try this at your job tomorrow. Show up to your shift at the restaurant on a packed Friday night, tell the manager your section “has done its work,” and
22638199
Reposted by LD144
Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Home heating oil is unaffordable. How are families supposed to survive the winter? • New Jersey: ~$5.70 • Massachusetts: ~$5.74 • New York: ~$5.75 • Pennsylvania/Maine: ~$5.76 • Connecticut/New Hampshire/ Maryland: ~$5.80 • Vermont: ~$5.88
129751305
Reposted by LD144
Dr. K @katekaynak.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
2266
Reposted by LD144
Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Londoners say NO to Ray-Ban pervert glasses
18685922421
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Started fermented sauerkraut today with cabbage and a couple of small shredded beets from the garden. It will turn surprisingly pink when it ferments!
Sauerkraut setup. Ziplock bag with brine used to keep everything under liquid.
000
Reposted by LD144
DevinCow @devincow.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open, period.
18283167
Reposted by LD144
💙🏳️‍🌈 Kh’ymm (aka Goldie) 🏳️‍🌈💙 @thegoldfishmind.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I did the math on my gas and grocery receipts last week and wanted to scream. Amy Acton has done that math too, standing in the same lines as the rest of Ohio. She's running to cut middle class taxes and gut the rigging keeping billionaires comfy. I’m in! #BlueWaveIn60Days #Pinks
12615
Reposted by LD144
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: pluralistic.net/2026/09/04/c... 2/
pluralistic.net
Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow – No trackers, no ads. Black type, white background. Privacy policy: we don't collect or retain any data at all ever period.
221637
Reposted by LD144
Joan ❌👑 @still4dems.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Heather Cox Richardson provides context on our current mess. Please read about the ballroom and how they are trying to take our votes away. heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
September 1, 2026
Yesterday, by a vote of 5–4, the United States Supreme Court allowed Trump to continue to build his ballroom.
01512
Reposted by LD144
lgaylor.bsky.social @lgaylor.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Figured it might be time to repost this.
917086
Reposted by LD144
Maire Athena @maireathena.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
pentagon hasn’t been able to pass an audit in at least 9 years. Which means the organization is rife with fraud, graft, malfeasance and incompetence. Yet, Congress keeps give them Billions. Guess why? The donor class fills the pockets of MOC. Until we take Money out of politics nothing will change.
032
Reposted by LD144
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 19/08/2026
Maybe it seems weird that AI bosses won't stop rending their garments about the terrible potential of their bots, from the jobspocalypse that'll ensue when AI does our jobs, to the impending moment when the word-guessing programs learn too many words, wake up and turn us into paperclips. 1/
A giant killer pulp robot bestriding a 17th century map of the world, against an illustrated backdrop of the stars and planets and spaceships from an early 20th century picture-book.
319588
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
#cucumbers #gardening This has been a late harvest because of early intense heat, but finally we have green beans and cucumbers. For some reason, lots of them. This is this morning's harvest.
Cucumbers and green beans
060
Reposted by LD144
The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 14/08/2026
@thesteadystate.org includes "former" analysts from throughout the IC - CIA, DIA, DoS, FBI. We took those skills and applied "analytic tradecraft" and looked at America. What we found was terrifying -- but don't take our word for it -- read it: steadystate1.substack.com/p/accelerati... #holdfast
steadystate1.substack.com
33620
Reposted by LD144
Codfather #FBPE 🇫🇷🇪🇺 @codfather.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
What a wonderful thought, puts things into perspective.
381044229
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
#Gardening This is the year of raccoons. We have a (very cute) family of them who visit the vegetable garden every night. Early on, they kept slugs in check. Now it's basically a nightly raid. Defensive measures needed. The fence has vulnerabilities we have to patch. But they're tenacious
Cucumbers and delicata squash. Avocados are just photobombing I have to pick tomatoes as soon as they blush because we have a family of five raccoons who raid the garden and race me to get them way before they are ripe. Bowl on left are ones ripened inside. Peppers and white bowl are raccoon rejects. Some of the culprits at 3am making their rounds
250
Reposted by LD144
Rep. Ro Khanna @khanna.house.gov · 06/08/2026
Today, I'm introducing the first-ever Data Center Bill of Rights. Communities deserve the right to reject data centers, protect their water, keep electricity bills down, and prevent states from shoving data centers down their throats.
429109953320
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This is brilliant.
000
Reposted by LD144
Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
August 1, 2026
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
August 1, 2026
In a classic Friday night news dump, the Department of Justice last night moved to dismiss the criminal charges against David Hearn, the U.S.
531078354
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
This is really worth the read. It's a delightful collection of stories about a strange place. Highly recommended.
111
Reposted by LD144
Matt Uhler @matt-uhler.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Well this is a punch in the gut and kick to the GenX-itals of an essay. Great read... "Those parents grew up to be the political gerontocracy: absentee parents of a latchkey nation."
23912
Reposted by LD144
Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
“Blaming Canada used to be such a fantastical idea that it was a joke,” Chrystia Freeland writes www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | ‘You Aren’t Going to Like What Comes After America’
Remember when ‘blame Canada’ was a joke?
022
Reposted by LD144
Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Is it possible that the Trump Department of Education created a national civics contest, then rigged the judging in the final when it looked like a Sikh kid who's the son of immigrants might win? They'd never do that, this administration has too much integrity. www.notus.org/national/ame...
notus.org
Suspicion and Doubt at the National Civics Contest
America’s finest young scholars competed to mark their country's birthday. It led to a disputed finish in the age of mistrust.
11275118
Reposted by LD144
🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
If you want more context, Andrea Pitzer—author of an acclaimed global history of concentration camps—puts it all together in the latest Next Comes What:
tiktok.com
Watch this. If you’re thinking that all this is starting to sound like a global network of concentration camps run by the U.S., you’re not alone. Find out what you can do about it. Find the "Little Gi...
TikTok video by degenerateartnews
06222
Reposted by LD144
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Impressive pushback, and something every other sitting judge should be doing.
SCOTUS’s “hubristic originalists” have also corrupted our elections more broadly. The supermajority, Eddins wrote, has given “corporations the same speech rights as flesh-and-blood Americans,” letting “dollars talk louder than voters.” Just last month, it shredded “coordinated spending limits Congress had enacted, ensuring “that those who bankroll elections drown out the ordinary person.” As a result, “billionaires spend to be repaid. Everyone else just votes. The Roberts Court has made sure one’s wealth counts more than another’s vote.”
201530503
Reposted by LD144
Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
In all seriousness, they've been doing this for years (remember Roger Stone saying that if Trump wasn't POTUS in 2016 there'd be a "bloodbath") and the real question is why officials refused to enforce accountability and still refuse to do so. But that requires having a memory and doing research.
9409129
Reposted by LD144
Pete Quily @pqpolitics.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Operators of a Canadian freight train engulfed in #ClimateChaos #Wildfires flames need to wait for another train to pass to be able to proceed, and ask for their counterparts to "notch it up". www.linkedin.com/news/story/m...
linkedin.com
Millions face extreme heat, hazardous air from wildfires | LinkedIn
Officials warned residents across the Midwest and Northeast to stay indoors as heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires creates dangerous air quality conditions.
012
LD144 @magicapple.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
There's a way to grow lettuce without having a garden outside. You can use a grow light and Kratky hydroponic method. You need a table, light, mason jars and a few other items. We grow lettuce year round in the basement. Tiny tomatoes in the winter. It's handy and no contamination.
240
Reposted by LD144
tomwellborn3rd @wellborn.net · 14/07/2026
tomwellborn.substack.com/p/the-trial-...
tomwellborn.substack.com
The Trial Balloon
Trump has called a primetime address for Thursday night. A leak says he will declare two sitting Democratic senators illegitimate. The leak is the tell, and what it is testing is you.
011
Reposted by LD144
Senator Mark Warner @markwarner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
You can read the full op-ed here: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Is Trying to Override Our Voting System
This is not how American democracy is supposed to work.
99650
Reposted by LD144
Senator Mark Warner @markwarner.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I fear his speech on Thursday is meant to mislead Americans and lay the groundwork for election interference. Don't take the claims at face value – follow the facts.
1117043
Reposted by LD144
Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
also if any shoe companies want to sponsor me, i'm on the verge of trashing my second pair this year lol
377526
Reposted by LD144
Willerby @welcometowillerby.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
We are trying to grow and if you know us already please do share this, share stories you particularly love. Be our guides to newcomers.
053
Reposted by LD144
Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
if anyone hasn't heard yet there is a ceremonial gun salute in navy yard at 12pm, so as long as you hear exactly 21 rounds it's expected
127326
Reposted by LD144
IrishStar.com @irishstar.com · 03/07/2026
President Donald Trump admitted to insider trading during an interview with CNBC's Joe Kernen, stating that his sons, who run the Trump organization, get "inside information" from him.
irishstar.com
Trump admits to insider trading as he says his kids get 'inside information'
17231132
Reposted by LD144
Musicology Duck @musicologyduck.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
also icymi, other than a weird section of fencing that seems like it's probably for the upcoming fireworks, there does not appear to be fences going up at the reflecting pool let alone covered ones
139096
Reposted by LD144
Skip Z🇺🇸🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💙 @skipz.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
072
Reposted by LD144
Idiokratie @idiokratie.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
That takes SO much less that 1200 words. bsky.app/profile/sara...
042
Reposted by LD144
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22/06/2026
Q: If a war would Iran could cause a worldwide depression, are you willing to risk economic catastrophe? TRUMP: Well, nuclear weapon supersedes depression
147690180
Reposted by LD144
Pro-Democracy Indiana Resister 🇺🇸 🔄 🆘 🟦 @woodenstares.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Americans need to refuse to build the prisons, concentration camps, and data centers. Don’t build your own coffins.
074