iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Matt Rkiouak

@rkiouak.com

398 followers 260 following 2.7K posts

Central Vermont & State news? data journalism?: middlesexgazette.org Business site: hungermountaini.com

Posts Replies Media

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 9m

I think this misses the bigger issue, which is that this is the natural conclusion of the meritocratic ethos that managers are super skilled uniquely high value, and that maximizing comparative advantage is the end all be all.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 10m

To be fair, if you were Vance or Hegseth, this would be obviously true. "If I could make it here, then we obviously don't need these immigrants". The issue, of course, is with their faulty premises. Namely that they don't deserve to be where they are and that they are actually completely useless.

000

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 17h

Just another day in the Presidency as directed by Fellini.

Trump nodding, Susan Dell emoting.

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Anonymous @youranoncentral.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

A new statue titled “The Orange Plague”, also known as “King of Injustice”, by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt has been unveiled inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where it will remain through 8 October. Remember to stop by for a selfie if you have a chance. 😏📸

This sculpture is a satirical piece titled "[The Orange Plague] created by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt.

The Imagery: The 2.6-meter-tall, gold-plated bronze sculpture depicts a naked, oversized Donald Trump riding on the back of a smaller man. He is holding a golf club in one hand and a pair of scales in the other.

The Meaning: According to Galschiøt, the piece is a satirical commentary on modern political power, climate policy, and the subversion of the rules-based international order.

Recent Exhibition: In October 2026, the statue drew global headlines when it went on public display inside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France, organized by Danish MEP Per Clausen.

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 04/10/2026

1. She's president's human binky & controls his social media 2. Foreign govts use her a conduit for Trump 3. She's lied about much of her background 4. She wouldn't or couldn't get security clearance (see 3) 5. She has an obsession w/ Trump giving their relationship a vaguely inappropriate dynamic

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Sandieglo @sandieglo.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 03/10/2026

The only way Anthropic’s actions make any kind of sense here is that they hope to get their AI more legal rights and protection at hand we currently give women and children.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 03/10/2026

It is constantly surprising how they are stupid in innovative and previously unimaginative ways.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 03/10/2026

I so badly did not want to engage with yet another x screenshot, but the thing that makes me irate about this one is the “no one elected you” — you being probably the most famous guy elected with announcement by smoke signal. I mean, of course “x screenshot guy” is going to be an idiot, but…

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 02/10/2026

This is like thinking pharmacists won't exist in a decade or two. There's always going to be people on the ground supplying, maintaining and delivering first and final mile. There's no excuse for handwriting any software now though.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 02/10/2026

Sorry guys, but if you think your toaster is a moral being you need to be committed.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Thank you for making this point. We need more democratic politicians to rail on this. We waste so much money.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Do you not think this shows intent to cause deaths in Gaza, the restriction of Doctors Without Borders there? www.doctorswithoutborders.org/your-questio...

doctorswithoutborders.org

Your questions about our work in Gaza, answered

Last updated on February 11, 2026

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I want a third party like the U.N. or Doctors Without Borders to report. I think we can both agree the Gazan governmental agencies are not reliable, and that given the position they are in with Israel, some may argue there's a problematic power dynamic in play!

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

are, to my mind, reasonable tools to suspect may be used to commit genocide.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

professional body of work. It just feels pretty weird to be arguing about whether .3% is close enough to the 30+% of genocide during the holocaust or the 70% in Rwanda. It feels like we should be stopping the behavior that could reach that point. Starvation and lack of medical treatment...

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

proper data collection 3 years into a conflict. It feels deeply against the spirit of the work you have done in The Wire, Treme, and so on to rely on data collection when officials are preventing data collection. I genuinely assume you are acting on this issue in good faith given your...

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Man, I do not care if we call it genocide. As I posted in another reply, its pretty goddamn suspicious that Gaza's population is 50% under 18. Something is killing the adults. Related, malnourished children deprived of medical care typically don't fare well. Israel has a responsibility to allow...

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Doesn't the lack of credible data seem concerning, and indicative of suppression? It seems like 3 years after 2023, a good actor state would want to demonstrate that they aren't starving the ~1 million under 18 palestinians. Is it weird the population is so young? I wonder whats killing the adults.

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

They're not my claims of mass starvation. They are Doctors Without Borders. The way in which you are making your argument is Trumpian.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

You're the one bringing up water. I didnt. Don't strawman people.

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Or its a politically + media friendly way of committing genocide (or ethnic cleansing, if you prefer)? I believe you are being naive. We can agree to disagree, but I hope you come around to good sense. I'm imagining a Wire episode that tried to take this take -- you sound like Carcetti spinning.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

thats reasonable. Otherwise I encourage you not to parrot war criminals misinformation.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I'm not going to wish someone a good day that denies Doctors Without Borders reports of life threatening malnutrition since August of 2025, and then claims theres only been 500 deaths due to starvation. Thats extreme denial. If we agree theres ethnic cleansing that involves murder by both sides,

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Starving an entire population in the sole area they are majority would seem to fit the criteria of mass murder with the intent of eliminating a people. Thats my point.

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

If you believe only 500 people have died of malnutrition in Israel, you're only consuming propaganda. Starvation is widespread, see www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/five-....

doctorswithoutborders.org

Five things to know about the starvation in Gaza

What we’ve learned about this man-made crisis from our work treating and screening for malnutrition.

200

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

The thing you are refusing to engage with is all the dead from starvation children in Gaza my man. They cannot in fact be restored to their land. They are dead. Are you denying their are dead palestinians?

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Ok, so we disagree that the people in Gaza are being actively as well as indirectly killed by Israel? I am not sure how you can think Gaza isn't being starved to death.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

My concern is that if you're the person, family or community being forced from your home, starved, deprived water, medicine and so on, and everyone you know is experiencing the same. Whether or not someone with a shared ancestry 1000 miles away is experiencing the same is immaterial.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I don't see a large difference between ethnic cleansing and genocide, especially when a population has no nation state where its a majority. I think we agree more than your response suggests -- unless you really think theres an incredibly big difference between the two.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

real world I can understand that. But I am not sure how you can separate removal from the west bank or the rest of Israel to Gaza isn't murder right now.

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I had the quoted post poster blocked, so I may be missing context. I am still a bit uncomfortable with claiming what is happening in Gaza is human removal from land rather than extermination of a certain ethnicity, via both removal and killings. But if this is about legal, rather moral or

100

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I think you make a surprising distinction between ethnic cleansing and genocide. I think its a distinction without a difference. I do think the Netanyahu administration + Israeli policy, as well as Hamas are implementing policies with the intent of genocide. I agree its political policy, not tactics

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Pete Hegseth is the only man that could deliver the "In a Van Down by the River" sketch more ridiculously than Chris Farley.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

I don't understand why all the retired military haven't started their own 24 hour news network to poach fox viewers and the more action oriented leftists by just rage insulting Hegseth all day.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 01/10/2026

Come on, we all know "capital markets discipline" is an oxymoron.

000

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Watching Hegseth, I think of Eco's 'Ur-Fascism': "Since war and heroism are difficult, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters. This is the origin of machismo (which implies both disdain for women and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits)." www.nybooks.com/articles/199...

Ur-Fascism | Umberto Eco

I think it is possible to outline a list of features that are typical of what I would like to call Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism. These features cannot be organized into a system; many of them contra...

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 30/09/2026

Every voting age American will forever live with the shame of putting this guy in charge of the U.S. military. Literally nothing we could ever do will expunge that.

000

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

“I am the house.” @pkrugman.bsky.social substack.com/@paulkrugman...

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 29/09/2026

All the money in the world, and he can’t even use his preferred acronym.

000

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 29/09/2026

failings that if we don’t collectively fix with a set of shared beliefs, are still going to destroy us.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 29/09/2026

Though, I think the core problem is that society took the fact that they made a ton of money from being in the right place as the right time that they must be right about everything. Theres a lot more that contributed to this than just greed — credentialism, elitism, meritocracy, etc. all…

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

ponder @ponder.ooo · 29/09/2026

person talking to computer, saying "will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"
computer replies ">you got it, boss"
person replies "oh my god."

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

nick @unionnick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

On the *same day* the Cornell Seven drugged and raped Jane Doe, Cornell banned four students (including the President of Cornell JVP) from campus for three years for nonviolent, pro-Palestine protests. The same Cornell officials let the rapists off with apology essays.

Reposted by Matt Rkiouak

Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 29/09/2026

The ICE agent who shot Araujo in a Houston is named GREGORY FEATHERS. Make sure everyone knows.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 28/09/2026

There's no way we don't find out about multiple Milo Minderbinder situations after this administration has ended.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 28/09/2026

Sad people with nothing better to do on a Sunday I guess. Sorry you got such negativity for no reason.

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 27/09/2026

It’s just Sun King Era France all over again, I don’t get why its so surprising that Versailles is like Versailles (I agree with this sentiment of the original post and don’t mean to downplay you — I’m just genuinely shocked by the surprise).

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 27/09/2026

Am I reading the label right, that this does include streamers, like netflix (and their associated productions)? Where is all the disposable income entertainment money going, re-runs?

Matt Rkiouak @rkiouak.com · 27/09/2026

I am surprised that this variant of person appears on Bluesky as much as it does. I would not expect the socioeconomic and cultural groups I associate this with to pick Bluesky. I feel like they should be having way more fun outside somewhere.