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Rani Bagai

@ranibagai.bsky.social
219 followers 297 following 135 posts

Just another half Indian woman married to a Jewish lawyer | Granddaughter of Indian immigrants | family archivist | retired engineer | I enjoy collecting historians, fellow resisters and pottery

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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Anirvan Chatterjee @chatterjee.net · 21/09/2026
Hello Bay Area! Come join me next Sunday, September 27 for the Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour We’ll be sharing stories of immigrant freedom fighters, Desi feminists, and more—a totally different take on Bay Area history  Details and registration at www.berkeleysouthasian.org
berkeleysouthasian.org
Berkeley South Asian Radical History Walking Tour
Discover the secret histories of South Asian Americans in Berkeley and San Francisco, California. As seen in National Geographic and NPR.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
That last sentence is just deadly, and so true. “And our greatest strength is something that can’t be found on any balance sheet - TRUST.”
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Picture a monkey's hand stuck in a cookie jar, & wanting the cookie inside so bad it'll starve before dropping it. “There’s this incredible array of benefits we’re on the verge of getting. The threats people like this trot out every time they have this conversation is implausible...they’re nuts.”
seattletimes.com
A researcher quit Anthropic. His warning is reigniting fears about the AI race
The announcement spurred a remark from another researcher at the company, responsible for ensuring its AI models adhere to human values, who warned that the technology was a risk to humanity.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Give up the principle of equality & you’ve given up the whole game --admitted people are unequal, and some people are better than others. You’ve granted approval to the idea of rulers and servants. At that point, all you can do is hope no one in power decides you belong in one of the lesser groups.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
One of the most illuminating essays I’ve ever read, comparing the power and influence of the East India Company to today’s tech corporations. It had been the most powerful corporation in history, in terms of its military, economic and political influence --until today. What a fascinating read.
nytimes.com
Opinion | What It Took to Dismantle the Most Powerful Company in the World (Gift Article)
A playbook to curb the growing power of Big Tech.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Excellent thread! "But I think the sooner we understand that this is not a 'growing pain' but rather an eternal struggle against a part of human nature that was adaptive millennia ago but is now a pure poison to society, the sooner we can get to the work of building fascism-resistant societies."
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
JFC. *Not knowing* that your privacy is being violated is the *very definition* of your privacy being violated.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Turns out it's closed, what's Plan B?
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Give [grandson] a hug from me.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
An Eisenhower stamp without adhesive and a rolled up vinyl tape measure.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Omg that's my mother's junk drawer.
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Immigration and Ethnic History Society @iehs.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
***Take action against NARA closure*** The federal government recently announced that it will be closing the National Archives and Records Administration branches in San Bruno, CA and Chicago, IL and move all their historical records to a site with no research. Write a letter! Thread - 1/2
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
My father Ram Bagai at 5 in San Francisco with a friend, observing July 4, 1919. He was a baby when he came from India with my grandparents. He got 3 college degrees & raised a family in Los Angeles. It wasn't until 1946 that he and other Indians in US were legally allowed to apply for citizenship.
A formal studio portrait of a young girl and my father (seated) to commemorate the 4th of July. My father is wearing a sailor suit and holding an American flag in his lap. The young girl is holding a small bouquet of flowers. I do not know their relationship, they might have been neighbors or school mates in San Francisco.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
So this happened! Desis & those who know will get it. The Consulate of India in Seattle held an Indian Mango event & I got a box. Haven’t had one in decades & the difference in aroma, texture & taste is stunning. ❤️ They’re pricy but SO worth it. They’re around only a few more weeks. #IndianMangoes
A box of mangoes labeled "Fresh Indian mangoes" of the variety "Himayat." There are mangoes inside the box, and two perfectly ripe mangoes sitting on the counter on the right. Unfortunately the pic can't show the sweet, floral aroma.
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Covie @covie93.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Imagine trusting science to bring astronauts to the moon and back but not trusting science to develop safe vaccines.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Gift article. "The [Bhagat Singh Thind] ruling led the government to strip citizenship retroactively from Mr. Thind, his lawyer and more than 50 other naturalized citizens of Indian heritage." One of those 50 was my grandfather, Vaishno Das Bagai. This time it could happen to birthright citizens.
nytimes.com
In the Birthright Citizenship Hearing, a Story of Asians Fighting for Rights
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
On behalf of my grandfather Vaishno Das Bagai, whose story you included on pg 10, I deeply thank you.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
The American eagle, bad enough. But when I learned the other is a Canada Goose I'm just sick.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Total love & respect for The Pitt latest episode with the rape kit exam. The one part I couldn’t help giggling was knowing what nurse Dana would say before she said it: “now scoot down….more….a little more”
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
The FA part continues its binge, the only rule is “never leave money on the table.” The FO part is silently building. It’s going to be quite a reckoning. 😳
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
This thread deserves a LOT of attention
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Amazing pics of the Seattle crowds lining downtown for the Seahawks parade. Maybe close to a million? The 12s could do the funniest thing afterward --turn this into a “FUCK ICE” protest #Seahawks #seattle #superbowlXL #fuckice
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
You can watch all the videos you want on how to fold a fitted sheet. You still get a lumpy wrinkled mess on the inside, but deceptively smooth on the outside.
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Ellis Rosen @ellisjrosen.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
It’s genuinely bizarre that people who refuse to show their face or identify themselves are demanding identification from people who are fully visible.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
I really hate these customer surveys about better meeting my needs, but the VERY FIRST question is “how likely are you to recommend us to others?” What they really want to know is “hey how much referral business are we likely to get out of you?” and not what they’d have to change to make that happen
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
All I know is they MUST cast Noah Wyle for the movie.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
"It's simple economics. Today it's oil, right? In ten or fifteen years, food. Plutonium. Maybe even sooner. Now, what do you think the people are gonna want us to do then? Ask them? ... They won't want us to ask 'em. They'll just want us to get it for 'em!" Cliff Robertson - 3 Days of the Condor
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
We’re in a moment now where it would be worth people taking three hours to watch Gandhi, particularly the scene of the salt march. There is value to making the brutality of your opponent so plain as day that no one can argue with it. The clarity of that brought down an empire
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
This is what every Blue State governor should be doing —targeting their attackers in the same voice. Be as offensive as all hell, make the same kind of bs threats, and when they get outraged just smirk & say they should take you seriously but not literally.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
How does a society, let alone an individual, ever break this cycle of behavioral reinforcement?
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
What magic is this.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Sigh. I love the idea that he was “turned away” --but if you read all the way through it seems to indicate he never even went— nor was he ever aware of the staff’s hostile reaction. Maybe *he would have been turned away had he gone* wouldn't be as satisfying for readers but I'd prefer the clarity.
The Daily Beast was told the Vances decided themselves not to dine at the pub. A source said The Bull was included as a potential option but the family decided not to go, and there was never any indication from The Bull that he or his family were not welcome.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
‪Unbelievable that he was permitted on US soil, let alone riding in the same car. ‪It feels like the same horror that @hcrichardson.bsky.social‬ expressed about the confederate flag being inside the US Capital on J6.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
One of those events one can't believe could ever happen. Like J6 waving the Confederate flag in our Capital.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
Seems like our institutional memory hit its expiration date. All it took was a couple generations and now it's like we've learned nothing. So it has to be re-learned again...painfully.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Yep, we broke it. Or as Peter Fonda said as Captain America, we blew it.
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Opal @opalescentopal.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Anirvan Chatterjee @chatterjee.net · 20/07/2025
"The gutting of The Washington Post is not a separate event from the algorithmic manipulation of X. The defunding of PBS is not disconnected from the weaponization of the…FCC. These are interconnected fronts in a single, undeclared war on the very concept of an informed public."
thedissident.news
The Oligarchs' Coup Against the Free Press Is Happening Now
The American information space is not merely changing; it is undergoing a hostile takeover. It is a deliberate, coordinated campaign by a new class of oligarchs out of Silicon Valley that includes…
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Can't wait till I'm there next. Their original Berkeley walking tour is not to be missed.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Yes! Something like what Robert Pirsig said in his parable, that a true churchman of the Church of Reason must ignore threats and continue right on pursuing truth. When someone orders an illegal action, one must act as if you never heard these threats. Make them arrest you, fire you, etc.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
I do too! That and a "Hot Commie Summer" tee.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
This is a masterpiece video by Zohran. I had no idea halal carts existed in NYC till a couple days ago.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Best news this year.
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marine-one.bsky.social @marine-one.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
She only meant for them to “stand back and stand by!”
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Reposted by Rani Bagai
Robert Black @hurricanexyz.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
The thing about the Khalil case is that it's very very good that he's free now but you can't have it take three months between "the government kidnaps you off the street for no basis reason whatsoever" and "a judge makes them let you go." You just can't.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Oh and presumably our senators and congress people ran for office because they believe in governing, they believe in democratic principles, and they believe in upholding the Constitution. But like law firms, they're ignoring, fudging, and compromising on that commitment too.
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
NY Gov Kathy Hochul: “You want to know what I really think? It’s bullshit. How dare they take an elected official who’s been going down there for weeks to escort people who are afraid to walk into a courthouse in the USA. What the hell is happening to this country?”
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Rani Bagai @ranibagai.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Approximately one in every ten Indian immigrants in the United States experienced a violent expulsion in the early twentieth century.
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