Bede's World! Bede's World! Party time! Venerable!

this is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · 3d ago

Is everyone aware of the General Motors streetcar conspiracy? In the mid-20th century, auto and oil interests bought up electric streetcar systems across the US and systematically replaced them with bus routes and paved roads, funneling commuters toward private cars.

It’s impossible to capture how little we knew and how lucky we were.

Cooper Lund@cooperlund.online · 3d ago

The problem with What Should We Have Done About COVID discourse is that it’s all Monday morning quarterbacking with the much better information we have now compared to then, and is about what we should have done now that we know instead of how we should have acted with imperfect information then

“Sandwich guy case” “Harvard clawed frog embryo smuggling case” “Olympic canoeist reflecting pool vandalism case” “James Comey seashells Instagram post case” New rule: If the case sounds like a Mad Libs story, it’s probably about to implode.

I’ve basically come around to the idea that liberalism is deeply unnatural to human psychology, which evolved in the context of communal living. It's the "delicate fruit of a mature civilization" as Acton put it, and takes constant effort to preserve

I think that I once opined that there isn't anything analogous in U.S. history to the inter service rivalries in Japan. But I've also said that the current administration is more comparable to Imperial Japan than other Quasi-Totalitarian States. cc: @sharonk.bsky.social @aelkus.bsky.social

This is a completely insane interview in that the things they are discussing are so alarming that their heads should be exploding and yet they are calm. History will be unkind to those, like the NYT, who underreacted to Trump’s violation of the country. 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/o...

Opinion | How Trump Has Changed, With Maggie Haberman

The New York Times correspondent says 70 percent of the president’s mind is dedicated to White House renovations.

nytimes.com

we call this horizontal escalation to me the underlying mistake here is a *literal* textbook example of assuming the enemy does not, in fact, get a vote

Vali Nasr@valinasr.bsky.social · 6d ago

I told NYT that in restarting the war Trump thought he could control, limiting the battlefield to where U.S. wants to bomb in Iran.“The Iranian response is to extend the battlefield much, much wider, so the United States has to defend a broader battlefield.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/u...

This is an amazing conversation but I recently encountered the idea (obviously of longer standing) of this - the 'Alan Keyes Constant' that basically 27% of people will vote for any lunatic as long as they have the right party ID or what have you.

His Grace, the Duke of Ankh, CDR Sir Samuel Vimes@bklynmichael42.bsky.social · 7d ago

27%

this summer's cultural cross over we've all been waiting for jimothy x bayeux

Do not believe anything until the Kremlin denies it™️

Maria Drutska@mariadrutska.bsky.social · last wk.

In the past week, Russia denied they are planning: 🔹Exit visas 🔹A new Iron Curtain 🔹Another mobilization after the September election Expect them to deny plans for martial law shortly. Reminder: "Do not believe *anything* until the Kremlin denies it ™" -- @darthputinkgb.bsky.social

This is what people fail to realize when they scold the Democrats for failing to emphasize good governance...that's what people need, but not what they want. Trump gives them what they want.

I think Bluesky doesn't get just how many groups didn't migrate over. If you're even somewhat seriously in the OSINT space, you're stuck on twitter because of how few international communities moved over. This is an almost purely US-UK site.

Dorian Lynskey@dorianlynskey.bsky.social · last wk.

The decision of so many people to keep using X in its race-war phase has made me a bit more cynical overall about the ability to draw moral red lines. It’s beyond disappointing.

Text of our otherwise paywalled Economist review 👇 being called "the inverse of Walter Isaacson's biography...that is arguably more revealing" is 🍻

/nəˈθænjəl/@nathanielbdemiller.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This is an interesting review (posting it all in the thread). Not sure I'm motivated to read the whole book

This is an interesting review (posting it all in the thread). Not sure I'm motivated to read the whole book

Apologies if I sound angry, but it is a real problem that the 'smart' commentary on this war is trying hard to avoid the core lesson ("the president is a fucking moron") because it doesn't sound very clever when it is absolutely the most important takeaway from this debacle.

If hypothetical President Harris’s DOD was covering up KIA’s in a war of choice with Iran in its 6th month, we’d see slurs being hurled not seen since reconstruction, instead its:

Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · 2w ago

FFS 🤦‍♂️ The Pentagon removed the names of 4 servicemembers who died in Jordan from their official list of casualties. They explain that this is because "their deaths occurred after President Trump declared a cease-fire in the war in April." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/u...

See here’s the issue, The Strategy Cheese is intellectually ill equipped to cope with the Roomba with Cerebrovascular Disease Characteristics strategy outlined by his principal and so comes across as an absolute moron, even when interviewed by one of the smoothest brains in Opinion Columns.

Gerry Doyle@mgerrydoyle.bsky.social · 2w ago

buddy, there is no grand strategy. or even petit strategy www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/o...

There is problematic overcorrection in too many takes on this war in assuming that because Trump is such an inept sociopath the Iranian regime is somehow led by master strategists immune to effects of huge infra and economic damage. But to do that is to miss signs of the next crisis after this one

Can't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.

And you betray the service of these people when you send incompetents like Witkoff and Kushner to negotiate an end to your war of choice that never had any clear or reasonable objectives.

Molly Ploofkins@mollyploofkins.bsky.social · 2w ago

This is 19-year-old Pvt. Isabella Gonzales. The North Texas resident was one of three U.S. service members killed in action during an Iranian retaliatory attack on a base in Jordan.

i’ve adopted really maximal cynicism that purpose of US political news now is re-assuring markets and elites that trump isn’t going to inconvenience them

Geoffrey Hughes@geofffhughes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Seems epistemically problematic that there are now near-daily exchanges of fire in the Straight of Hormuz and it drives coverage significantly less than the 30-whatevereth tweet from Axios or Trump about how close to a deal we are...

I'm fascinated by the idea that Maher observed Vance's job performance over the last 19 months and *came around* on him. "I was skeptical the kid, but his masterful diplomacy in Iran, dudesplaining the Pope, and advocacy for racist group chatters and sex traffickers really won me over."

Maher slams Democrats, says he’s open to voting for Vance in 2028

Comedian Bill Maher on Sunday slammed the Democratic Party and its socialist wing, adding that he would be open to voting for Vice President Vance if he runs for president in 2028. Maher told ABC N…

thehill.com

Two people tried to enter a screening of The Odyssey without buying tickets after hiding inside a miniature model of the Trojan Horse. 😂😂😂

shout out to The Strand bookstore staffer who did this

The Great Make-A-Wish Presidency continues unabated

Will Jennings📉🗳️@drjennings.bsky.social · 2w ago

Completely predictable

This is big. The first vaccine tested to PREVENT pancreatic cancer in high-risk individuals aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscov...

Huge new report from us at CSIS. Bottom line, don't sleep on the Russian defense industry. They can produce at Soviet-style scale (their CEOs aren't waiting for long term contracts), they have market-competition, and are learning from the battlefield. Not as innovative as Ukraine, but a big concern.

CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program@erep.csis.org · 3w ago

NEW: @msnegovaya.bsky.social @nicholasfenton.bsky.social @maxbergmann.bsky.social + Tina Dolbaia explore Russia's ability to meet current future wartime goals through the lens of five Russian defense firms, and what it means for NATO as attentions shift past Ukraine. www.csis.org/analysis/reb...

I am once again begging Hollywood to stop using the Greek alphabet for an Ancient World movie, if they can't afford to even throw a couple of quid at anyone with an inkling of the language. Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS