iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

So 16 years after I left Harrogate I have finally returned to my little flat. A lot has changed in 16 years, especially with me, but I'm excited to be back. Looking forward to seeing more of my family and friends now.

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

This is a bit weird but I just found some burnt pages from The Bible in my garden. Bit ominous tbh lol

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Fancy that. The Greenland trending tab on Twitter has stopped working. Hmmm I also tried to post on a clip of JD Vances speech and that also failed to load to make comments., That twat is censoring his website in realtime.

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Here is the full text of Rachel Cohen’s firm-wide email:

Jeremy and colleagues,

Many deals I work on have concepts of conditional notice. This is mine.
Please consider this email my two week notice, revocable if the firm comes up with a satisfactory response to the current moment, which should include at minimum i) signing on to the firm amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie in its litigation fighting the Trump administration's executive order against it, (i) committing to broad future representation, regardless of whether powerful people view it as adverse to them, (iii) refusal to cooperate with the EEOC's request for personal information of our colleagues clearly targeted at intimidating non-white employees, (iv) public refusal to fire or otherwise force out employees at the Trump administration's directive or implied directive and (v) public commitment to maintenance of affinity groups and related initiatives.

This is not what I saw for my career or for my evening, but Paul Weiss' decision to cave to the Trump administration on DEl, representation and staffing has forced my hand. We do not have time. It is now or it is never, and if it is never, I will not continue to work here.

When I went to law school and to Skadden, I did so in pursuit of agency. I was driven by a desire to be in rooms where decision-makers were, to get to play a role in things that mattered, because things felt so needlessly terrible. It never occurred to me that the people in those rooms might feel that they were powerless. I am forced to hope that our lack of response to the Trump administration's attacks on our peers, both those at other large firms and the many people in this country with far fewer resources, is rooted in feelings of fear and powerlessness, as opposed to tacit agreement or desire to maximize profit. I still hope that is true. But it has not yet been borne out.

It feels mortifying to say "I suspect you know who I am," but I suspect you know who I am. Over the last few weeks, I have devoted an inordinate amount of time trying to leverage various relationships and privileges to get our firm and broader industry to admit that we are in the throes of early-stage authoritarianism and that we are uniquely positioned to halt it. There is an open letter (now signed by over 600 other AmLaw 200 associates, many of them at this firm), mainstream media coverage and an oped explaining why I feel this way.
To anyone who feels sympathetic to the views I've espoused but wonders why I have taken the path I have: on Thursday, March 6, after the issuance of the Perkins Executive Order, I sent emails to multiple trusted partners in management asking to help with whatever response we coordinated. One of them went unanswered. One of them replied,
"Thanks, Rachel. Always appreciate your

With gratitude and ur...
"Thanks, Rachel. Always appreciate your perspective." One of them replied offering to talk and then failed to reply to my email asking for a time until a week later, significantly after I had begun speaking publicly. Know that I attended internal meetings about this topic, sent emails to decision makers, avoided commenting on the EEOC investigation publicly or airing any internal firm discourse publicly.
I did all of these things out of hope that we would do the right thing if given time and opportunity.
The firm has been given time and opportunity to do the right thing. Thus far, we have not. This is a moment that demands urgency. Whether we are failing to meet it because we are unprepared or because we don't wish to is irrelevant to me— and to the world —where the outcome is the same. If we were going to resist, we would have done so already. If we were not going to respond to the EEOC (a refusal that would be fully legal), the firm would have already told us.
This is the first firmwide email that has been sent on this topic. What. Are. We. Doing.
Colleagues, if you question if it is as bad as you think it is, it is ten times worse. Whether what we measure is the cowardice in face of lost profits, or the proximity to authoritarianism, or the trauma inflicted on our colleagues who are nonwhite, or the disappointment that I feel in this moment, take what you suspect and multiply it by a factor of ten. Act accordingly. I recognize not everyone is positioned as I am, and cannot act the same way. But do not

"Thanks, Rachel. Always appreciate your perspective." One of them replied offering to talk and then failed to reply to my email asking for a time until a week later, significantly after I had begun speaking publicly. Know that I attended internal meetings about this topic, sent emails to decision makers, avoided commenting on the EEOC investigation publicly or airing any internal firm discourse publicly.
I did all of these things out of ho…

Do not pretend that what is happening is normal or excusable. It isn't.

To the many superiors, support staff and friends that I know I disappoint by making this announcement firmwide instead of talking to you first, I sincerely apologize. There are so many thank yous that I have for so many people at this firm. Please know that if you suspect that you have helped me or taught me or cared for me, that I agree and am eternally grateful. In the coming days, I will make every effort to reach out to you separately, but there is urgency here that makes it impossible to go to each of you first. I will do everything in my power to mitigate difficulties caused by my unexpected departure.

Like any self-important adolescent, I spent most of my high school history classes wondering what I would do in the moments before true horror or chaos or where my values were tested and demanded great sacrifice. I do not wonder anymore. I know who I am. I thought I knew who we all were.

Thank you for the opportunity. My personal email is cc'd. I wish each of you the best, and that you use the privileges you hold to work for the best for others.

Rachel
Rachel Cohen

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Alex Panetta @alexpanetta.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

A lot of the details in this NY Times story are previously reported but this part - this part! - is new. It's either wild freelancing from an unconfirmed nominee; a vicious negotiating squeeze; or Canada is in severe peril with the threat coming from Washington. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/w...

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Sonia Silva ❤️ @vallygirl.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

"He doesn't wear a suit." "He is a corrupt individual who only cares about money." "He is a liar." "He doesn't care about Ukraine and his people." - Alex Bond A photo taken before the war and another afterwards. Speaks volumes! No further explanation necessary! @alexbondodua.bsky.social

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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

As Donald Trump turns the United States into one of the closest allies Russia has worldwide, it's worth revisiting the news item below, which came out immediately after Trump won a surprising victory in November:

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

I actually emailed the Ukrainian embassy yesterday to offer my support and admiration for Zelensky yesterday after that disgusting ambush. It bounced back saying the inbox was receiving too much traffic. I like to think the whole country emailed them yesterday. Unbelievable scenes 🙁

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

What a shameful display we saw in the White House yesterday.

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

RIP to one of the all time greats. What a sad end.

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

I'm riding the bus in London (don't ask). I think i must have been the only person to have said thank you (well cheers) today because he gave me the most hearty You're Welcome when I did lol #northernerinlondon

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Thought I'd post this here as I inadvertently explained my adult life quite well in case anyone was remotely interested lol

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

We know in our bones. That's it perfectly :(

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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

This country has seen some bad moments in the 61 years, 5 months, 16 days I’ve been on this Earth. But it has never, ever before come close to the supertoxic level of stupidity, mendacity, narcissism, nihilism, and moral apathy that threaten to destroy it today.

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

On Friday night, HHS ordered CDC to take down all flu vaccine campaign materials from its website. Materials are starting to come down. For example, a campaign explaining that flu shot can reduce flu severity from "wild to mild" is now offline. Left image is from Friday, right is now Meanwhile...

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Jwst Feed @jwstfeed.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

This is the clearest photo ever taken of Venus. 🔭 🧪

This is a cropped, close-up image of the planet Venus, taken by the Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR instrument. The image shows a crescent Venus against the black backdrop of space, with the edge of the planetary limb clearly defined. The crescent is illuminated by sunlight, transitioning from a bright, almost white glow at the top right edge to a subtle, golden yellow that dominates the majority of the illuminated area, before fading into the darkness of the planet's night side at the bottom left. The distinct variations in brightness and texture across the crescent suggest cloud formations or atmospheric layers. A bright, flaring light source is visible at the top right corner, likely the Sun, which contributes to the illumination of the crescent. The overall composition emphasizes the stark contrast between the luminous crescent and the surrounding darkness, highlighting the curvature and celestial context of Venus.

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The Old Dude @the-old-dude.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Good one

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

They finally got the main homeowner on Amandaland to do a piece for the Daily Mail. I'll take it! haha Now if anyone fancies offering me a job, I'm very charming and persuasive 😉

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Gene Thompson-Grove @gtg56.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Kyle Clark‬ ‪@kylec.bsky.social‬ "As a journalist who covers extremism at the local level, I think it’s a mistake to view Trump’s Napoleonic statement as solely about presidential power....it's a wink and a nod for any extremist to act outside the law to “save” the country as they see fit

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Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

An excerpt from my book HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT (2020) summing up the current situation:

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Empire Magazine @empiremagazine.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

EXCLUSIVE 🪼 Meet Peylak, chieftain of the Wind Traders in #Avatar: Fire And Ash, played by David Thewlis. “He’s absolutely stunning in the movie,” costume designer Deborah L. Scott tells Empire. READ MORE: www.empireonline.com/movies/news/...

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Hey bsky.app/profile/did:... you've got it wrong about Viz. It's a straight up British comedy institution. It's purile bad taste as an art form. Come on they have a character called Nobby Styles who has terrible piles! And the entire article is him getting his piles hit in unusual ways. High art lol

bsky.app

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Then have you seen The Fitzroy? Black comedy set on a submarine turned hotel after the apocalypse? Great fun :) Full disclosure, me and my friends made this, and yes it's a real feature film lol www.imdb.com/title/tt2289...

imdb.com

The Fitzroy (2017) ⭐ 4.7 | Comedy, Sci-Fi

1h 33m

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Gen Michael Hayden @genmhayden.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Fellow NSA - National Security Agency veterans. Look at what’s happened at the National Cryptologic Museum. They covered up with brown paper the photos of Women in American Cryptology. All in response to President Trump’s anti-diversity executive order.

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

His best speech ever. What a time to find himself.

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An Leavy @an-leavy.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

I haven’t lived through the collapse of a civilisation before I study history so I have read the guidebooks, but they don’t quite capture the experience of being there

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

He's considered a fringe nutjob in the UK mainly. Got chucked off the small right wing TV channel he got a gig on. Hangs around with another failure Lawrence Fox. Grifters swinging full nazi for a paycheque.

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Sweet Jesus it's straight out of 1984 🙁

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

This sounds like a nice waste of time today :) 1 like=1 thing I love

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I'm re-reading Andy Weir (The Martians) latest book Project Hail Mary. Honestly this is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read. Engrossing and clever. Due to be a film soon starring Ryan Gosling. It's basically a procedural. Who dunnit or how dunnit. Recommended!

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

People keep telling me i'm taking this too seriously. But I keep telling them, i've read history 😔

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MartinWWalker.bsky.social @martinwwalker.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

The new John Waynes. But none of them are A listers anymore. But they might terrorise the town. It'll be interesting to see if the studios buckle. But bums on seats has always been Hollywoods biggest currency. Interesting times

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