Author | Lightnews

Brett Tam

@bretttam.bsky.social

490 followers 440 following 800 posts

Author. Music fan. Sometimes I share books and music. Rep: @lorigalvin

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 27d

"Terrible things are happening outside. At any time of night and day, poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes...Families are torn apart; men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared." -- Anne Frank, Jan 13, 1943

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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 4h

If you see any business owners belittling SNAP recipients for accepting government money to get through tough times, maybe look them up on @propublica.org's PPP Loan Tracker to see if they got any of the $793B in bailout money (96% of which was forgiven)

projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/...

Tracking PPP: Search Every Company Approved for Federal Loans - ProPublica

As part of the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal government has provided hundreds of billions in financial support to banks to make low-interest loans to companies and nonprofit organizations i...

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Brett Tam

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 3d

California – this Election Day, vote yes on Prop 50.

California’s Prop 50 says that if Republicans are going to abuse the system to try and hang onto power, we’re going to counteract that abuse and create a level playing field in the midterm elections.

Make a plan to vote yes on Prop 50.

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 17h

White-knuckling it for sure! Great performances from both teams!

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 17h

fireworks over LA tonight ⚾🧢🥳💙🎉

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 17h

Series not for the faint of heart! What a show for baseball fans. Both teams played so well.👏👏

Reposted by Brett Tam

Victoria Strauss @victoriastrauss.com · 2d

You may have seen the news that Mango Publishing has closed. Below is the letter sent to authors and others by Christopher McKenney, Mango's founder. Writer Beware has heard from Mango authors who are owed $$--including some who say they have _never_ been paid.

www.mangopublishinggroup.com
An Open Letter from Christopher McKenney
Founder of Mango Publishing Group, Inc.

October 30, 2025

Dear Partners and Friends,
I hope you and your families are well.
I write to you with some very difficult news. Mango Publishing Group is in the process of going out
of business and will be winding down all operations shortly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, Mango had to take on substantial high-interest bank
loans. The team has spent the last four years working very, very hard to navigate supply chain
disruptions, high print price inflation, book market downsizing, losses from uncollectible accounts
receivable, and more recently, even tariffs, while servicing the bank and other debts. Conditions
like these have made it extraordinarily difficult to operate as an independent publisher like Mango.
The bank is in the process of liquidating Mango for their benefit and winding down all operations as
well as laying off all staff. At this time, Mango has exhausted all cash and cannot service any debts
to any parties. A group of consultants is managing the last steps of this shutdown process.
In an effort to soften the landing as much as possible, I’ve been reaching out to many authors to
help evaluate options, including making recommendations to new publishers. I hope that, in
working with a new publisher, Mango authors and their books may continue to succeed in making
positive impacts with readers all over the world.
I am very sorry for this story’s ending and will always appreciate the privilege of working with you.
Very best wishes for the future,
Chris
Christopher McKenney
Founder
Mango Publishing Group, Inc.

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 2d

😁 library holds all arrived at the same time!
😬 library holds all arrived at the same time!

Reposted by Brett Tam

NPR @npr.org · 5d

With AI music generators widely available, scammers are uploading songs to the pages of inactive artists and dead musicians. Spotify says it is cracking down, but the practice persists. n.pr/4hzHZ8a

Your favorite band has a new single? It might be AI

With AI music generators widely available, scammers are uploading songs to the pages of inactive artists and dead musicians. Spotify says it is cracking down, but the practice persists.

n.pr

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 8d

matcha powder has no business being presweetened

Reposted by Brett Tam

NPR @npr.org · 8d

Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains. n.pr/3L5exuu

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says 'I'd rather die' than use generative AI

Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.

n.pr

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 9d

from earlier this year. enjoyed this interview w/the nora roberts
apnews.com/article/nora...

Nora Roberts is happily defying genres, 250 books in

Nora Roberts is so prolific she had to take up a pen name so her publisher could release more of her books each year. It’s not just about her speed. It's also her range.

apnews.com

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 9d

i appreciate a book that has me cackling at the flap copy

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 10d

every minute of the day is a writing prompt huffing at you to get on with it already

Reposted by Brett Tam

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 10d

The president has pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who created the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and served prison time after failing to stop criminals from using the platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism. https://to.pbs.org/4qkBvy1

Trump pardons Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

Zhao served prison time after failing to stop criminals from using the platform to move money connected to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism.

to.pbs.org

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 10d

anyone else want to buy a library cart instead of a bookshelf? you could roll it wherever you like

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 10d

This is a given

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 10d

7 million people. Everyday, normal people, from big cities to the smallest of towns, all across the country, showing their love and hope for America. Folks are just getting started. #NoKings

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 11d

Poor Agent Smith

(Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...

Trump Nominee for Watchdog Role Is Out After Report of Racist Texts

www.nytimes.com

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Colson Whitehead @colsonwhitehead.com · 12d

All these people avoiding m-dashes because “AI uses them” simply means that there’s more for me!

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 11d

This is the way!

Reposted by Brett Tam

Harry Dunn @libradunn1.bsky.social · 12d

donald trump wants 230 million dollars from the DOJ for doing their job and prosecuting him for his crimes. He'll probably get it too. Shoot I never asked for a dollar, I just want him and every single person who attacked my coworkers and me on January 6th held accountable.

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Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 11d

a children's picture book waiting to happen

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 12d

An employee at Sequoia Park Zoo in Northern California found a black bear who came in from the wild, introduced itself to the zoo’s bears and played with their toys, before being shown the exit.

Bear Breaks Into California Zoo to Mingle With Other Bears

Officials at Sequoia Park Zoo have no idea how the young bear got into the zoo and went “nose-to-nose” with the three bears there.

nyti.ms

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 12d

easy way to avoid the online AI deluge? the public library.

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 12d

neither $230 million nor all the money in the world can fill that dark and ravenous hole

Brett Tam @bretttam.bsky.social · 12d

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” - MLK

Joe Walsh @walshfreedom.bsky.social · 12d

Two days ago, he took a shit on the American people. Today, he began demolishing the People’s House. That’s all he does. He shits on people, and he destroys things. Bcuz he’s a horrible person. I blame him a lot for the death & destruction he’s caused. I blame his enablers & his appeasers even more.