T-shirts (2025) photograph by Anne Billson

On the centenary of Thatcher's birth, there have been predictable calls for a memorial to her memory. But Britain's 2300 food banks serve that purpose already.

Bought the new Pynchon in hardcover today, at our local indie bookseller, fulfilling two promises to self. Read the first few pages while waiting for our lunch sandwiches to be toasted in a nearby patisserie, immediately getting that in-for-a-good-read feeling.

🇨🇦 The Trump admin is buying into Canadian critical mineral companies — giving Washington a stake in our clean-energy future.

CBC reports Ottawa can still block the deal under national security laws.

This is why we need a strong public broadcaster — facts, not spin.

🔗 r.pebmac.ca/https://www....

Woody Guthrie wrote a song called "Old Man Trump" that, shall we say, resonates today

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man...

Obama: "When you see an administration suggest that ordinary street crime is an insurrection or a terrorist act, that is a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy."

Multiple airports are now announcing they will refuse to play Kristi Noem’s government-funded video blaming “Democrats” for the government shutdown.

“We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” one airport said.

@tomgauld.bsky.social was in the shop a couple of days ago to launch his brand new collection of science cartoons, Physics For Cats! He even painted our window, creating this wonderful display for the new book!

Order exclusive edition: buff.ly/TYR0IVQ

Happy #caturday
Aces would like you to give him all of your chicken. He knows you have it. Hand it over.

Trump’s base is really not happy about his totally corrupt decision to allow Qatar to build a military base in Idaho (which is on so many levels, insane) www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMUd9sFS/

Guess that Qatari jet wasn’t a “gift” to Trump after all.

Lived through this at a small paper. Every consultant pitch seemed like what someone would recommend if they didn't want any more newspapers.

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

not counting errolson out!

My first concern, of course, is that this may not lend itself to high-end streetwear.

defence-blog.com/wescom-defen...

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

in 2011, the president of antifa hired me to give fashion consultancy to the organization. i recommended everyone wear navy suits with tan shoes, dress sneakers, and golf polos with slim chinos. if you arrested everyone today wearing these things, you'd destroy antifa

We knew RFKjr was as crazy as a soup sandwich, but this?!

Dill & Dingler is a shop in Portland that sells artisanal pickles and bespoke dinner bells.

"President Trump continued to describe Portland as a city on fire Friday even as residents enjoyed the first fall rain and the lone demonstrator at the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement building was dressed as a pink Care Bear."

Sometimes there is a good sentence or two in the NYT.

Unutterably weird

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/w...

I am dealing with a “thorny problem” right now, today. It is hard and scary because IT IS ALWAYS HARD AND SCARY. But it is also where you do your best work. It is where stories go from “meh” to “WOW”. When I fix it - because that is the job - I will be that much closer to something worth reading.

Portland Frog! 🐸