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Michael Leo Owens

@milophd.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.8K following 2.7K posts

A pluviophile, melomaniac, gardener, karaoke fiend, & academic. Atlantan by labor; New Yorker by birth.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Michael Leo Owens
Mike Luckovich @mluckovich.bsky.social · 10h
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Carceral Abolition @carceralabolition.bsky.social · 2h
this photo is why you work all day yet can barely afford to survive www.reddit.com/r/WorkReform...
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 1h
✊🏾
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 2h
“According to the Pentagon’s 2024 Annual Report on Suicide in the Military, the latest year for which figures are available, military members commit suicide almost twice as frequently as Americans in the general public in the same age range.”
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A #WarOnWalking. A war on biking. A war on public transit. A war on any transportation choice other than driving. A war on better cities. But a war on cars? Hardly. Cars still get most of the space, rights, budget, prioritization, etc. And any effort to add more choice is immediately attacked.
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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 8h
UPDATED: We just added *more* resources to help young voters counter disenfranchisement efforts — AI deepfakes, campus speech bans, intimidation at the polls, etc. Not all election threats are created equal — here’s how to spot the difference: protectdemocracy.org/work/gen-z-t...
Cover of "The Gen Z Election Defense Toolkit" with a subtitle, "A Young Person's Guide to Protecting and Participating in U.S. Elections." Includes images of people, stars, and stripes. A sign reads "Vote Here.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 9h
How much nuttier can this nation get? The political, social, and cultural madnesses driving the political madness that influences the economic madness and all kinds of vice versa and reverse causation are astounding. I just can't believe I lived all these decades to witness and suffer under it.
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 10h
#OtD 30 Sep 1953 British communist boxer, Len Johnson, went for a drink at the Old Abbey Taphouse in Manchester, but was refused service because he was Black. Soon after, 200 people picketed the pub until the landlord agreed to stop discriminating. stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/1112...
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 13h
When I started warning about license-plate cameras in 2024 (www.wfmu.org/playlists/sh...) some people were, let's say, skeptical. And now here we are.
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Jon Phillips @jowiph.bsky.social · 13h
Setting aside the fact that most of these people did not, in fact, break the law, what does this suggest about how the next administration should handle the members of this one, nearly all of whom have broken many laws?
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 14h
Priorities of a maladministration led by a mad man…
nytimes.com
Video: Marco Rubio Reveals Redesigned U.S. Passport
Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a new U.S. passport design that features a larger, “more gold” seal on the front cover.
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GovExec @govexec.bsky.social · 17h
How long can someone stay in a sensitive federal job after questions about their eligibility arise? Sean Michael Newhouse has the watchdog findings, and DHS’ pushback. buff.ly/JGBz73c
buff.ly
Dozens of federal immigration employees stayed in sensitive positions despite security concerns, inspector general reports
Homeland Security Department officials pushed back on the report, contending that “[i]t is simply incorrect to suggest that these employees occupied national security positions for years without…
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 14h
TIL “Carnegie Mellon University has received the largest single donation in the history of American higher education: $3 billion, from a hedge fund executive. Much of it will go toward building a campus in Miami.” 😒
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"ChatGPT gets less accurate and may forget details in long conversations. Upgrade to chat longer with better memory." 🤑
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Chuck Grassley is 93 years old. His staff’s dumb question(s) make him look like he should’ve quit at least a decade ago.
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 30/09/2026
This is priceless. Check out how local news is reporting on Sen Eric Schmidt’s clown-show grilling of Jack Smith. They found Jack Smith at the game… “Top corner, section 109, row 1. In fact, that seat doesn’t even exist in Atlanta.”
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
So glad GA finally updated its sticker. The whole "I SECURED MY VOTE" one was stupid. It also foolishly played into the "election integrity" and "rigged elections" nonsense of those who actually disfavor free and fair elections in GA and the USA. www.wabe.org/georgia-debu...
A circular "I Voted" sticker featuring an oil-painting-style illustration. The background depicts the Georgia state flag waving behind the golden dome of the Georgia State Capitol building. The words "I VOTED" are written across the center in a bold, white, textured script.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Is it just my computers, or does the map on the website of the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) just not work? Meanwhile, I'm trying to get state-level Second Chance Act grantee information from it! Ugh. nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/second-chanc...
nationalreentryresourcecenter.org
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#plasticgristle
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I couldn’t help myself! 😆
A screenshot of the "america.gov" mobile homepage featuring a chat prompt that suggests, "Try 'Help me find a new job'" above an image of a Black man looking at his smartphone while riding down an escalator.A screenshot of a mobile chat interface on "america.gov" showing a user prompt asking, "Who is that Black man on the down escalator? Is his downward movement a sign of how poorly Black men are doing under Trump's economy?" and the system's text response declining to identify individuals from descriptions or provide political and economic commentary.
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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
America.gov launched today--a DOGE initiative to use AI to deliver public services. Child lying facedown on a frozen lake as the image accompanying the question: "How can I invest in my child's future" is just incredible. Way to go AI
Image of a child lying facedown on a froze lake.  above is the portal where you ask AI questions about government services.  the question matching this image is:  "How can I invest in my child's future?"
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gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The humans had always considered the ocean tragically deficient in both advertising and imaginary whales. At last, technology had solved both problems.
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Reuters: "One extreme example can be found in Fresno, California, where one McDonald's charges $5.69 for a Big Mac, but just about two miles away, another location charges $6.89 for that same Big Mac." Algorithmic pricing is only going to get worse without federal legislation.
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CineCalendar @cinecalendar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sep 29th 1937 - Photos of Hollis Mulwray's affair, appeared on the frontpage of the newspaper. The photos were taken by PI Jake Gittes, at the request of a lady claiming to be Hollis' wife, Evelyn. Later that day, the real Evelyn confronts Jake. 📽️📅 Chinatown (1974)
4 Screenshots from the movie "Chinatown" (1974): First, a close-up of a newspaper headline reading "DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND POWER BLOWS FUSE" with smaller text about an investigation. Second, a woman in a stylish hat and coat stands indoors, speaking with the subtitle "You see, I'm Mrs. Evelyn Mulwray." A man in a suit stands behind her. Third, the same woman continues speaking with the subtitle "And since you agree with me that we've never met before," maintaining her composure. Fourth, she concludes with the subtitle "you must also agree with me that I never hired you to do anything," her expression calm and assertive.
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CineCalendar @cinecalendar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sep 29th 2008 - Following the Subprime mortgage crisis, Destiny found herself without a job and pregnant. 📽️📅 Hustlers (2019)
4 Screenshots from the movie "Hustlers" (2019): First, a vibrant nightclub scene with dancers and colorful lights, with the subtitle "And for one last moment... everything was so glamorous and cool." Second, a black screen with the date "September 29, 2008" in white text. Third, a news anchor in a newsroom setting, with the subtitle "We begin our coverage tonight of what's been called." Fourth, the same news anchor, continuing with the subtitle "the worst financial crisis in modern times."
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026
“This is what mass surveillance looks like when it reaches the shoulder of the highway…An AI-powered camera flagged Alek’s plate. An anonymous law enforcement agent decided his completely ordinary trip looked suspicious. And a deputy went out and found a violation that never happened.”
houstonchronicle.com
Texas driver wins lawsuit over surveillance-triggered traffic stop
Jury rules in favor of driver in a case that uncovered unsettling facts about how a vast and secretive network is being used to track people across Texas.
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GovExec @govexec.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
ICE has spent big on detention expansion, but some of those investments are already being unwound. Sean Michael Newhouse tracks the costly missteps GAO flagged. buff.ly/JrN5GvB
buff.ly
ICE’s $45 billion detention expansion is littered with costly missteps, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office criticized plans to sell recently purchased warehouses, the shuttered “Alligator Alcatraz” facility and spending millions to detain an average of 16 migrants in…
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GovExec @govexec.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The “favorite Trump policy” question is out. But OPM’s replacement still asks applicants to show how they’d handle a policy they disagree with. Erich Wagner breaks down what changed and what didn’t. buff.ly/sCyM7Ux
buff.ly
Following court order, OPM replaces “favorite EO” question for jobseekers
The Office of Personnel Management’s latest essay question for federal job applicants asks less about their personal politics and more about their ability to follow instructions.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I completed my 3rd silent retreat in 10 months. It was another 2-nighter due to availability. It was so easy. I’m definitely doing no less than 3 nights next time. I’ll plan better to make sure it happens. Folks, put some intentional silence, solitude, and leisure, the whole set, into your lives.
Brown-skinned Black man seated by a glass window, wearing blue shorts, blue ankle socks, and white and red Adidas Samba XLGs, holds the book Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise by Thich Nhat Hanh.A stack of books on a desk in front of a gray cinder block wall. The stack belongs to the brown-skinned Black man in the previous photo. The stack, from top to bottom, includes The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh, The Pocket Aristotle, Prayers for Dark People by Du Bois, and Meditations of the Heart by Howard Thurman.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"The CDC lost 30%, or more than 3,800 employees, between March 2025 and May 2026, according to the data, compiled from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management."
wabe.org
More than a year of CDC workforce cuts detailed in new data dashboard
Employees at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta say job cuts are hampering the agency’s work. A new data dashboard released by a staff labor union shows the agency...
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026
KBJ is this close 🤏🏾 to referring to Chief Justice John Roberts as Chief Justice Save-A-Ho ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/ketan...
screenshot of two paragraphs excerpted from the linked article. excerpt reads as follows:

At a public appearance in March 2026, Jackson attributed the spike to a corresponding “uptick” in “the court’s willingness to get involved.” Indeed, the Court has granted more than 70 percent of the administration’s requests. In her speech on Thursday, Jackson talked about what those grants look like in practice. She specifically highlighted the Court’s shadow docket orders allowing Trump to slash the Department of Education’s workforce, cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants, and, as she put it, authorize “roving ICE patrols to conduct race-based searches and seizures of Latino residents in Los Angeles.”

With these grim examples, Jackson illustrated how transforming the emergency docket into a “special avenue that certain privileged litigants can use selectively” puts people in danger, and compromises both the functioning of the judiciary and the Court’s credibility with the public. And in Friday’s dissent, she similarly rejected the idea that the government is injured and requires emergency response services from the Supreme Court “whenever it is prevented from violating the law.”
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Solid one @anntelnaes.bsky.social!
Alt Text:
A political cartoon by Ann Telnaes, dated September 26, 2026. It depicts Donald Trump from behind, gesturing toward a large display case containing a document beneath a sign that reads "Constitution of the United States of America." A speech bubble coming from Trump reads, "...And here are all the parts I've ignored." Chinese President Xi Jinping stands next to him in a dark suit, looking on. To the far left, Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, and Melania Trump watch them. Melania Trump is wearing a lime-green jacket reminiscent of her infamous 2018 wardrobe choice (i.e., wearing a green Zara jacket that had the words "I really don't care, do u?" printed across the back in white graffiti-style text), but with the text altered to read, "I don't care because I'm making $$$ off the presidency."
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 28/09/2026
"The Transportation Department said it was finalizing a fleetwide average of 34.9 miles per gallon (14.7 km per liter) by 2031, down from 50.4 miles per gallon (21.4 km per liter) under Democratic former President Joe Biden." I still bet that carmakers will follow the California standard moving on:
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The greatest Calypsonian ever. Ever. His vocabulary was incredible in every sense of the word. No one rivaled it. Rest in music, good sir. Also… Jamaica, Queens, represent!
nytimes.com
The Mighty Sparrow, Trinidadian Titan of Calypso, Is Dead at 91 (Gift Article)
He was sometimes described as the last of the true calypso singers. But in fact he simultaneously preserved calypso tradition and invented it anew.
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Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Laser focused on the average American's problems.
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Trumpy @trumpy.studiogart.net · 28/09/2026
here's #Trumpy strip #75. special thanks to @boldnewme.bsky.social for a bit of inspiration while i was putting this one together. #ShineALight #NoKings #HoldFast
four-panel cartoon of Trumpy (#75, volume 2), with the title/logo in the top left corner, "by the Dæricks Gröss" in the top right corner, the Studio G logo in the bottom left corner with "find us on BlueSky @trumpy.studiogart.net", and "Vol.2#75 09-28-2026" in the bottom right corner.

All four panels depict Trumpy in the background standing at a lectern speaking to the press, represented by a bunch of hands holding microphones pointed at him.  The panels are basically the same, with Trumpy changing expressions on his face in the background. 

Panel 1
Reporter: "Mr. President, you said Americans will get $5000 if Republicans win the midterms. Why wait?"
Trumpy: "Well, we want to, but the Democrats won't support it."

Panel 2
Reporter: "But they don't control Congress. If the GOP can spend that money after the midterms, why not now?"

Panel 3
Reporter: "Is this just a bribe to get votes?"
Trumpy: "No, absolutely not."

Panel 4
Trumpy: "I actually pay my bribes."
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paulpro @mariopro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
@stevesack.bsky.social
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Gbenga Ajilore @gbenga-ajilore.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Who Gon' Check Me, Boo? Iconic Quote
ALT: Who Gon' Check Me, Boo? Iconic Quote
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Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
One note about this, because I was curious: remarkably, the state-level explanatory power of Google searches for testosterone and Trump vote survives controls for education, income, and rurality.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Churches (mainly some conservative/right-leaning ones) want to, as organizations, endorse political candidates. They want to do it so bad. Why? I've never heard a good argument for it, and I see more downsides than upsides for congregations. Anyway, give up your tax-exempt status. "Problem" solved.
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Christina Wolbrecht @cwolbrecht.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I spent a lot of my career thinking about the ecological fallacy and voting data. Any alternative explanations, folks?
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This SCOTUS is supremely damaging to the defense of US democracy.
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 24/09/2026
🇨🇱 💮 Chile's Atacama Desert blossoms with life after El Nino rains A resplendent display of flowers has bloomed across Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, after the El Nino climate phenomenon brought heavy rain to the region
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Not enough money for health care, but enough money for war and state propaganda! www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
huffpost.com
White House Defends Trump's 'Love Me' Ads As ‘Public Service Announcements’
The ad appears to meet the dictionary definition of state propaganda.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
😏
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 25/09/2026
My goodness, people like this are why people don’t feel sorry for farmers and their struggles right now. They voted for Trump. Now they’re being devastated by his policies, and they won’t even admit it.
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Covie @covie93.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fox News hosts spend their day telling their audience that Democrats are communists and communists are evil people, then in the evening they all got dressed up to attend a state dinner honoring a communist.
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Michael Leo Owens @milophd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🎭
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Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Seems like today might be the day that we realize the court system lacks an army.
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