Walter

The brilliance of Orwell was to never reveal whether The Brotherhood in ‘1984’ was real or a fabrication. That ambiguity served its purpose for the state to do whatever it wanted to define it as it pleased and to do what was “necessary” to wipe out the “threat.”

I will say it again, the lack of a private setting in the
@bsky.app means it is not suitable for this environment:

www.wired.com/story/inside...

It was taken down by Reddit mod, so here is the YouTube version of the explainer by @cybelecanterel.bsky.social about always online Gr*yper meme extremism which has been outside the view of the vast majority of people until now. Best explainer I have seen on this:

youtu.be/Wcw02sEslog?...

That’s wild considering it had something like 8000+ upvotes.

From the TikTokCringe community on Reddit: Forensic memeologist deciphers shitposts Explore this post and more from the TikTokCringe community

Also… what is a Gr**per? Why is Pepe lonely? What does it have to do with volatility, political tension, and lots of guns? Another excellent explainer from TikTok via Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCrin...

From the TikTokCringe community on Reddit: A breakdown of the differences between the Christian Nationalist and Black Pill Accelerationist Communities Explore this post and more from the TikTokCringe community

This thought-provoking explainer of the conflict between Christian nationalists, who want to take control of institutions, and blackpilled memetic nihilists, is what a lot of mainstream writers should watch before doing a Steve Buscemi.
www.reddit.com/r/TikTokCrin...

This post from @faineg.bsky.social from 7 months ago is more true than ever before. And, I’d add, get your @proton.me email account and toss in their excellent VPN.

bsky.app/profile/fain...

Text from Bluesky API. Why are my posts, likes, and blocks public? The AT Protocol, which Bluesky is built on, is designed to support public conversations. To make public conversations portable across all sorts of platforms, your data is stored in data repositories that anyone can view. This means that regardless of which server you choose to join, you'll still be able to see posts across the whole network, and if you choose to change servers, you can easily take all of your data with you. This is what causes the user experience of Bluesky, a federated protocol, to be similar to all the other social media apps you have used before. Can I set my profile to be private? Currently, there are no private profiles on Bluesky.

After 2020, especially, the right moved to private messaging, such as Telegram and Discord. Since last week, people’s public social media posts are being used to attack them and their livelihoods. In this environment, that a private setting is *impossible* renders @bsky.app fundamentally flawed.

Midshipman shot during police response to Naval Academy threat A midshipman was shot at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland Thursday as law enforcement responded to reports of threats made to the military school, a source told NBC News.

With all else going on, this incident will likely receive little traction but it does call into question the “run/hide/fight” approach to active shooters. A sheltering midshipman apparently mistook a law enforcement officer as a threat and ended up being shot. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/u...

I am trying to reconcile this: “From its inception, Utah has aspired to be a sanctuary from the strife and sin and violence that scarred the rest of the country.” You didn’t gloss over, but ignored, the Utah Wars and the Mountain Meadows Massacre in particular, that took place not far from St George

Hello to the future from Korematsu II Day

Wearing vintage Armani cashmere two-button jacket. September 8, 2025

Vintage Armani 2-button cashmere jacket worn today at Moynihan Train Hall. RIP Giorgio.

I still have my sbcglobal account :)

Map of US depicting high school graduate population from 2023-2041. Across the U.S., 38 states are expected to experience declines — while 12 states and Washington, D.C., will actually see increases. High school graduate populations will rise by double digits in some states, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and North Dakota, according to WICHE estimates. In Washington, D.C., they’re projected to jump a whopping 31%. Among regions, the only increase is expected in the South, already home to the largest number of high school graduates. By 2037, the ranks of high school graduates in the region will rise by 3% to about 1.5 million over 2024. High school graduate headcount is expected to decline 17% in the Northeast, 16% in the Midwest and 20% in the West.

This chart in the 2024 WICHE annual report on college enrollment projections on state by state high school graduation projections, should put to bed any delusions about saving House seats in Blue states. NY, CA and IL won’t save Democrats. This also explains the purpose of stifling immigration

The relentless dishonesty is revealing. This was a meeting of the *academic advisory council* of the Chicago Fed.

Think: Nerds around a conference table.

No, academics don't set rates.
No, the Chicago Fed doesn't set rates.
No, the Chicago Fed President didn't even vote on rates that year.

Follow @unraveledpress.com for the clearest real-time reporting on what is happening in the streets of Chicago.

What One Man’s 45-Year-Old Case Tells Us About the “Jim Crow Juries” Haunting Louisiana Today, a split verdict would mean a mistrial. But in 1980s Louisiana, when nonunanimous juries were still legal, 19-year-old Lloyd Gray, a Black man, was sentenced to prison for life — even though the...

“What one man’s 45-year-old case tells us about the ‘Jim Crow juries’ haunting Louisiana” - 19-year-old Lloyd Gray, a Black man, was sentenced to prison for life even though the only two Black jurors had voted not guilty. @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/lloy...

Smartphone Buyers Care Even Less About AI Than They Did Last Year, CNET Survey Finds Shoppers aren't sold on thinner phones, even as rumors suggest Apple will soon debut the iPhone 17 Air.

Consumers are even more skeptical about AI than a year ago, yet enterprise and public sector adoption is accelerating without that valuable public/worker input or visibility into potential impact. www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/...

Chicago sees its fewest summer murders since 1965 The Chicago Police Department’s criminal homicide tally for June, July and August is the lowest in 60 years. And overall violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades.

A truly remarkable achievement. Chicago has seen the fewest homicides for June, July and August in 60 years. Overall violent crime remains near its lowest point in more than four decades. www.wbez.org/news/2025/09...

A new Trump order could upend the way NYC treats homeless people. Here’s what to know. Trump’s executive order “ending crime and disorder” proposes a shift away from solutions the city says have worked for decades to address homelessness.

What works to reduce homelessness? Housing first policies and harm reduction programs. What does the July executive order specifically prohibit? Federal funding to cities that have housing first and harm reduction programs. gothamist.com/news/a-new-t...

From a a source in the Texas governor's office:
"I'm not sure where the Governor got his information but it is not accurate." @wttw.bsky.social

No worries. There was a bit of ambiguity in my OP. I’m glad that I could clarify it.

In the early to mid 90s, Chicago had over 900 murders a year. There was a longterm decline that reversed in 2015. By 2016, up to 766 murders. Then 650 in 2017, ~550 in 2018. COVID spike interrupted declines and now we will lowest in decades. A truly remarkable effort.

Exactly. I was on a Biden transition committee focused on community gun violence. What we saw across the country was cities looking to restart their intervention work and struggling with the COVID police recruitment crisis. The Bipartisan Community Safety Act got $$ where it was needed.

YTD is what the table says at the top. My reference to 25% is my rough estimate that about 1/4 of a year’s shootings occur in the last 4 months of the year. When I was in the role, I spent a lot of time on trends and we developed new ways to analyze the data.

There is still four months to go, but after Labor Day the risk of violence decreases. Meaning, despite there still being 1/3 of the year remaining, I don’t expect there be 1/3 more murders. My rough estimate is +25%. That would have been my calculation in the Chicago mayor’s office.

Black Americans Are Losing Jobs in a Warning for the Economy Unemployment among Black people reaches highest level since 2021. “I am in the fight of my life.”

Unemployment among Black people is at the highest level since 2021 and up significantly for college-educated Black workers. DOGE cuts disproportionately hit Black federal staff. Add nonprofit cuts caused by grant cancellations, attacks on diversity and there you have it. www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...

LOL. Fun fact - my favorite barbecue joint in the Valley was also Erik Estrada’s. He was there a lot.

Among cops in LA there is a longstanding joke that CHP stands for Can’t Handle Policework. “They know how do a traffic stop but not much else.”