michael5mackay
@michael5mackay.bsky.social
Eclectic Curmudgeon
Bookstores and libraries are my happy places.
On the internet, no one knows you're a Canadian.
Bookstores and libraries are my happy places.
On the internet, no one knows you're a Canadian.
Maybe I should have bought two lottery tickets today: Wordle 1,904 2/6
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WordleBot
Skill 88/99
Luck 52/99
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WordleBot
Skill 88/99
Luck 52/99
September 5, 2026 at 4:56 AM
Maybe I should have bought two lottery tickets today: Wordle 1,904 2/6
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 88/99
Luck 52/99
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
WordleBot
Skill 88/99
Luck 52/99
Fuck this guy people.com/dozens-trees...
Dozens of Trees Quietly Toppled in D.C. Without Court Approval Ahead of Trump’s New Golf Course Makeover: Report
Over 60 trees were removed at East Potomac Golf Links before official approval for renovations was granted, the Washington Post reported Friday, Aug. 26. Preservationists argue the plans violate a law...
people.com
August 29, 2026 at 5:56 AM
Fuck this guy people.com/dozens-trees...
Somebody should charge this fraud under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013
August 19, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Somebody should charge this fraud under the Stolen Valor Act of 2013
This kind of stuff doesn't happen in a country where the Rule of Law still holds: atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/02/w...
'Free Speech Only Counts If It Flatters Donny': Wisconsin Brewery Owner Refuses to Back Down After State Guts His License Over Promise of Free Beer the Day Trump Dies
A Wisconsin brewery has found itself in the crosshairs of state efforts to shut it down after its owner vowed to offer customers free beer on the day
atlantablackstar.com
August 2, 2026 at 10:28 PM
This kind of stuff doesn't happen in a country where the Rule of Law still holds: atlantablackstar.com/2026/08/02/w...
Trump is spam in more-or-less human form. You all know exactly what I mean: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9B7...
Spam! | Monty Python (Official Sketch)
YouTube video by Monty Python
www.youtube.com
July 14, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Trump is spam in more-or-less human form. You all know exactly what I mean: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9B7...
Years ago I vowed that my next trip from 🇨🇦 to the United States would be across the Gordie Howe Bridge. So don't look for me anytime soon. Thanks, Donald.
July 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Years ago I vowed that my next trip from 🇨🇦 to the United States would be across the Gordie Howe Bridge. So don't look for me anytime soon. Thanks, Donald.
Trump tore down the East Wing of the White House. Meanwhile in Canada: www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Carney announcing decision on future of 24 Sussex in coming weeks: sources | CBC News
Prime minister Mark Carney is expected in the coming weeks to announce the government's decision about the future of 24 Sussex Drive, sources tell CBC News.
www.cbc.ca
June 25, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Trump tore down the East Wing of the White House. Meanwhile in Canada: www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
At some point in time, Trump will realize that conventional aerial bombing has never won a war.
Then we're really in trouble.
Then we're really in trouble.
April 5, 2026 at 5:19 PM
At some point in time, Trump will realize that conventional aerial bombing has never won a war.
Then we're really in trouble.
Then we're really in trouble.
So J. D. Vance is not aware that Arthur C. Clarke's classic novel Childhood's End was science *fiction*
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
JD Vance says aliens are ‘demons’ and details obsession with UFOs
Vice-president promises ‘to get to the bottom of’ reports of US government files about unidentified flying objects
www.theguardian.com
March 30, 2026 at 8:44 PM
So J. D. Vance is not aware that Arthur C. Clarke's classic novel Childhood's End was science *fiction*
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
We're all going to be dealing with the fallout from Trump's deranged actions for decades, so this is not the *most* important thing about Trump's Holy War on Iran, but it is *important*
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeG...
What You Need To Know About the Economic Fallout From War with Iran -- from Justin Wolfers
YouTube video by Justin Wolfers
www.youtube.com
March 3, 2026 at 8:48 PM
We're all going to be dealing with the fallout from Trump's deranged actions for decades, so this is not the *most* important thing about Trump's Holy War on Iran, but it is *important*
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeG...
I just realized that R.E.M.'s It's the End of the World as We Know it (and I Feel Fine) and Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire are patter songs in the vein of Gilbert and Sullivan's It Really Doesn't Matter. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObP3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObP3...
Pirates of Penzance - IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER (My Eyes Are Fully Open)
YouTube video by DrBjamin
www.youtube.com
January 24, 2026 at 3:21 AM
I just realized that R.E.M.'s It's the End of the World as We Know it (and I Feel Fine) and Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire are patter songs in the vein of Gilbert and Sullivan's It Really Doesn't Matter. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObP3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObP3...
So Senator Mark Kelly tells American soldiers to obey the law -- who could disagree with that?
Pete Hegseth, apparently. JFC. Everything the Trump junta does is lawless and reprehensible.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Pete Hegseth, apparently. JFC. Everything the Trump junta does is lawless and reprehensible.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Pentagon seeks to reduce Sen. Mark Kelly's retirement rank over video urging troops to refuse illegal orders
The department said in November that it was investigating the Democratic senator over his participation in the video with other lawmakers.
www.nbcnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 PM
So Senator Mark Kelly tells American soldiers to obey the law -- who could disagree with that?
Pete Hegseth, apparently. JFC. Everything the Trump junta does is lawless and reprehensible.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Pete Hegseth, apparently. JFC. Everything the Trump junta does is lawless and reprehensible.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Song of the day:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsu2...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsu2...
John Prine That's How Every Empire Falls
YouTube video by 666Binky
www.youtube.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Song of the day:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsu2...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hsu2...
You know what word we don't use often enough to describe Trump?
Pathetic. The dude is pathetic, as in "pitifully inferior or inadequate" or "absurd, laughable".
Pathetic. The dude is pathetic, as in "pitifully inferior or inadequate" or "absurd, laughable".
November 1, 2025 at 1:11 AM
You know what word we don't use often enough to describe Trump?
Pathetic. The dude is pathetic, as in "pitifully inferior or inadequate" or "absurd, laughable".
Pathetic. The dude is pathetic, as in "pitifully inferior or inadequate" or "absurd, laughable".
The powers that be have determined that the male equivalent of a "Karen" is a "Donald"
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
October 27, 2025 at 8:40 AM
The powers that be have determined that the male equivalent of a "Karen" is a "Donald"
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
I envy dogs. They remain blissfully unaware of Trump and all that that entails.
October 16, 2025 at 11:49 PM
I envy dogs. They remain blissfully unaware of Trump and all that that entails.
Comparison of the day:
Bad Bunny, the NFL's choice for the Super Bowl halftime show has 80,545,123 monthly Spotify listeners.
Republican Mike Johnson's choice, Lee Greenwood, has 422,949. 🤣🤣🤣
Bad Bunny, the NFL's choice for the Super Bowl halftime show has 80,545,123 monthly Spotify listeners.
Republican Mike Johnson's choice, Lee Greenwood, has 422,949. 🤣🤣🤣
October 11, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Comparison of the day:
Bad Bunny, the NFL's choice for the Super Bowl halftime show has 80,545,123 monthly Spotify listeners.
Republican Mike Johnson's choice, Lee Greenwood, has 422,949. 🤣🤣🤣
Bad Bunny, the NFL's choice for the Super Bowl halftime show has 80,545,123 monthly Spotify listeners.
Republican Mike Johnson's choice, Lee Greenwood, has 422,949. 🤣🤣🤣
Hey folks, I never heard about Jessica Chastain's new show The Savant, set to premiere *this* Friday, until today when I read that AppleTV is quietly shelving it. Two points:
First, AppleTV+ needs better publicists.
Secondly, AppleTV+ needs executives with courage.
www.imdb.com/title/tt2730...
First, AppleTV+ needs better publicists.
Secondly, AppleTV+ needs executives with courage.
www.imdb.com/title/tt2730...
The Savant (TV Series 2025– ) | Action, Crime
| TV-MA
www.imdb.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Hey folks, I never heard about Jessica Chastain's new show The Savant, set to premiere *this* Friday, until today when I read that AppleTV is quietly shelving it. Two points:
First, AppleTV+ needs better publicists.
Secondly, AppleTV+ needs executives with courage.
www.imdb.com/title/tt2730...
First, AppleTV+ needs better publicists.
Secondly, AppleTV+ needs executives with courage.
www.imdb.com/title/tt2730...
The outrageous mistreatment of Jimmy Kimmel has today taught me a new word: the verb "jawboning", which seems to be a form of the rhetorical *ad baculum* trick performed by one with the actual power to make good the threat. IOW, extortion.
H/T @jenmercieca.bsky.social, whom everyone should follow.
H/T @jenmercieca.bsky.social, whom everyone should follow.
September 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The outrageous mistreatment of Jimmy Kimmel has today taught me a new word: the verb "jawboning", which seems to be a form of the rhetorical *ad baculum* trick performed by one with the actual power to make good the threat. IOW, extortion.
H/T @jenmercieca.bsky.social, whom everyone should follow.
H/T @jenmercieca.bsky.social, whom everyone should follow.
Literary Historians have just discovered a lost passage from Pastor Martin Niemöller's "First They Came":
"First they came for the late night talk show hosts ..."
"First they came for the late night talk show hosts ..."
September 18, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Literary Historians have just discovered a lost passage from Pastor Martin Niemöller's "First They Came":
"First they came for the late night talk show hosts ..."
"First they came for the late night talk show hosts ..."
Charlie Kirk's murder got me thinking about the 19 children who were murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde TX as law enforcement loitered outside, which brought to mind Randall Jarrell's famous, unsettling poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57860/...
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57860/...
The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters....
www.poetryfoundation.org
September 15, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Charlie Kirk's murder got me thinking about the 19 children who were murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde TX as law enforcement loitered outside, which brought to mind Randall Jarrell's famous, unsettling poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner"
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57860/...
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57860/...
Nazis never signed the social contract.
September 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Nazis never signed the social contract.
If there is a more useless senator than Susan Collins, I can't imagine who it might be. This guy might be the one to knock her off her pedestal.
This story has it all: aquaculture, Black Flag, Bernie Sanders, Star Trek as policy, John Hodgman, male tears, and a candidate citing Luthen’s monologue from Andor.
Meet Graham Platner, the Maine oysterman trying to crack the senate. @grahamformaine.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/1996...
Meet Graham Platner, the Maine oysterman trying to crack the senate. @grahamformaine.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/1996...
The Political Awakening of the Oyster Farmer Gunning for Susan Collins
Graham Platner’s campaign launch has been a sudden sensation. But what he’s building now is rooted in the work of a lifetime.
newrepublic.com
August 31, 2025 at 3:25 AM
If there is a more useless senator than Susan Collins, I can't imagine who it might be. This guy might be the one to knock her off her pedestal.
Circular Reasoning (this is why there's no need to follow The News)
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Cartoon: Distractions
As always, if � you find value in this work I do, please consider helping me keep it sustainable by joining my weekly newsletter, � Sparky’s List! � You can get it in your inbox or read it on ...
www.dailykos.com
August 25, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Circular Reasoning (this is why there's no need to follow The News)
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...
Reposted by michael5mackay
"He's in the process of establishing a dictatorship."
It's a simple 8-word sentence. News media could tell the public that. They know it's true. They report on the various steps toward autocracy every day. But they're afraid to utter that 8-word sentence. Which is more evidence of how true it is.
It's a simple 8-word sentence. News media could tell the public that. They know it's true. They report on the various steps toward autocracy every day. But they're afraid to utter that 8-word sentence. Which is more evidence of how true it is.
July 25, 2025 at 7:53 PM
"He's in the process of establishing a dictatorship."
It's a simple 8-word sentence. News media could tell the public that. They know it's true. They report on the various steps toward autocracy every day. But they're afraid to utter that 8-word sentence. Which is more evidence of how true it is.
It's a simple 8-word sentence. News media could tell the public that. They know it's true. They report on the various steps toward autocracy every day. But they're afraid to utter that 8-word sentence. Which is more evidence of how true it is.