Left Coast Reads 📚🌹
@leftcoastreads.bsky.social
📍Pacific Northwest
📚History. Philosophy. Political economy. Occasional sci-fi.
🌹Trying to show solidarity and keep an open mind. A veces posteo en español también.
📚History. Philosophy. Political economy. Occasional sci-fi.
🌹Trying to show solidarity and keep an open mind. A veces posteo en español también.
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Hi everyone! I'm JB and I like to share the books I read. I have an Instagram account with lots of book reviews. Moving forward I'll be sharing those here, too. 📚💙
"I drew a smiley face on my toaster and realized how much it enjoys toasting my bread."
If we are banning cell phones for kids we need to be talking about banning chatbots for boomers
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
December 17, 2025 at 7:35 PM
"I drew a smiley face on my toaster and realized how much it enjoys toasting my bread."
Reposted by Left Coast Reads 📚🌹
It's more or less an iron law of capitalism that any screen you purchase will eventually be used for ads. Doesn't matter if it's in your car, on your refrigerator, etc.
December 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
It's more or less an iron law of capitalism that any screen you purchase will eventually be used for ads. Doesn't matter if it's in your car, on your refrigerator, etc.
It's more or less an iron law of capitalism that any screen you purchase will eventually be used for ads. Doesn't matter if it's in your car, on your refrigerator, etc.
December 15, 2025 at 7:26 AM
It's more or less an iron law of capitalism that any screen you purchase will eventually be used for ads. Doesn't matter if it's in your car, on your refrigerator, etc.
Decommodify and decarbonize!
Join us on Monday at 7 to Make Power Public! Our new Public Power committee will be exploring how we can take private utilities into public ownership. RSVP and details: actionnetwork.org/events/publi...
December 15, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Decommodify and decarbonize!
Today I learned that when sculptor Richard Beyer created this piece in Seattle, he made the dog's face resemble his long-time political nemesis, Armen Stephanian. Just unparalleled pettiness immortalized in concrete.
December 14, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Today I learned that when sculptor Richard Beyer created this piece in Seattle, he made the dog's face resemble his long-time political nemesis, Armen Stephanian. Just unparalleled pettiness immortalized in concrete.
The fact that the police report says "VICTIM: SOCIETY" is sending me because it's so true
Welcome into the sunlight Blood Tribe. Here is the name and address of every Blood Tribe nazi that marched in Little Rock, Arkansas last week. Their unmasked faces can also be viewed on police body cam footage.
arktimes.com/wp-content/u...
arktimes.com/wp-content/u...
arktimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:45 AM
The fact that the police report says "VICTIM: SOCIETY" is sending me because it's so true
Many such cases of "nanny state opinion is very correct and very unpopular." My biggest nanny state position is banning fireworks. They're responsible for 10k emergency room visits per year. 30k fires per year. Drone shows look cooler anyway.
My least popular (and most correct) view is that cars should be automatically limited to the local speed limit. Put the pedal to the floor and you still can't go over 25mph in a residential area.
(15 in Manhattan btw)
(15 in Manhattan btw)
There is no possible justification for limiting e-bikes to 15mph but not cars.
December 14, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Many such cases of "nanny state opinion is very correct and very unpopular." My biggest nanny state position is banning fireworks. They're responsible for 10k emergency room visits per year. 30k fires per year. Drone shows look cooler anyway.
NW Natural's decarbonization plans were always implausible, at best. The future of heating is electrification and the sooner we disempower the investors with a stranglehold on our infrastructure the sooner we can make the transition.
NW Natural partners Modern Hydrogen have laid off almost all employees, and Tyson closed factory where NW natural made “renewable natural gas.” Oregon’s largest gas utility facing headwinds in decarbonizing energy supply since collaborators falter: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/12/11/n...
NW Natural alternative fuel projects face uncertain future as partners falter • Oregon Capital Chronicle
NW Natural partnerships with Tyson and Modern Hydrogen on fuel projects could be impacted by layoffs and factory closures.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
NW Natural's decarbonization plans were always implausible, at best. The future of heating is electrification and the sooner we disempower the investors with a stranglehold on our infrastructure the sooner we can make the transition.
Public power is the way forward! For affordability, reliability, and decarbonization.
A new independent study estimates replacing Central Hudson with a publicly-owned utility will save $15.2 million in Year 1, and $210.5 million per year by Year 30! Read the full report here: hudsonvalleypowerauthority.com/feasibility/
Study: HVPA Will Save Money - Hudson Valley Power Authority
The Hudson Valley Power Authority Act is estimated to save $15.2 million in Year 1, and cumulatively $2.9 billion in the first 30 years through acquisition alone.
hudsonvalleypowerauthority.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Public power is the way forward! For affordability, reliability, and decarbonization.
China's revisionism has gone one step too far
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
China's revisionism has gone one step too far
How much of our current right wing hellscape is just due to guys who can't get laid?
December 9, 2025 at 6:18 PM
How much of our current right wing hellscape is just due to guys who can't get laid?
Housing folks, anyone know where I can find a rough breakdown of costs for building multifamily housing? What percentage is labor, materials, land, interest on the loans? What's a typical rate of return?
December 6, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Housing folks, anyone know where I can find a rough breakdown of costs for building multifamily housing? What percentage is labor, materials, land, interest on the loans? What's a typical rate of return?
Reposted by Left Coast Reads 📚🌹
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
Fall issue of @journalspectre.bsky.social is really good. Topics include Frantz Fanon and Vietnam, austerity and fascism, the welfare state in Latin America.
December 5, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Fall issue of @journalspectre.bsky.social is really good. Topics include Frantz Fanon and Vietnam, austerity and fascism, the welfare state in Latin America.
Is this not the logical endpoint of what Lukacs called reification and Marx called commodity fetishism? Everything is treated as a commodity. Everything from human labor power to opinions (evidently?) are now treated as objects with value independent of the social relations which produce them.
December 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Is this not the logical endpoint of what Lukacs called reification and Marx called commodity fetishism? Everything is treated as a commodity. Everything from human labor power to opinions (evidently?) are now treated as objects with value independent of the social relations which produce them.
There are a lot of otherwise very intelligent liberals who don't understand that you are under no obligation to assume that your opponent is arguing in good faith.
a lot of people debating the merits of that dogshit essay meanwhile the girl’s mom is retweeting demands to ban all trans people from teaching at any level. it’s forest for the trees shit
December 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
There are a lot of otherwise very intelligent liberals who don't understand that you are under no obligation to assume that your opponent is arguing in good faith.
This is true and a very good thing! However, we should provide the full context here. Roughly 19% of their electricity comes from "biomass" aka burning wood and straw. 44% of this is imported from other countries.
Energy transitions can happen faster than we think:
In 2000 almost 90% of Denmark's electricity was from fossil fuels.
In 2024 less than 10% of Danish electricity was from fossil fuels.
In 2000 almost 90% of Denmark's electricity was from fossil fuels.
In 2024 less than 10% of Danish electricity was from fossil fuels.
December 1, 2025 at 8:36 PM
This is true and a very good thing! However, we should provide the full context here. Roughly 19% of their electricity comes from "biomass" aka burning wood and straw. 44% of this is imported from other countries.
C.L.R. James said, "The race question is subsidiary to the class question in politics, and to think of imperialism in terms of race is disastrous. But to neglect the racial factor as merely incidental is an error only less grave than to make it fundamental." W. E. B. DuBois said, "the problem...
December 1, 2025 at 2:18 AM
C.L.R. James said, "The race question is subsidiary to the class question in politics, and to think of imperialism in terms of race is disastrous. But to neglect the racial factor as merely incidental is an error only less grave than to make it fundamental." W. E. B. DuBois said, "the problem...
Reposted by Left Coast Reads 📚🌹
"Don't follow illegal orders" would be more meaningful if Democrats had prosecuted literally any of the prominent war criminals of the last 30 years instead of, you know, fucking campaigning with them
November 30, 2025 at 3:21 AM
"Don't follow illegal orders" would be more meaningful if Democrats had prosecuted literally any of the prominent war criminals of the last 30 years instead of, you know, fucking campaigning with them
I lived in Texas and this hits hard. Everything in Texas feels pretend. Pretending you're rich in your McMansion. Pretending you need a giant pickup truck. Pretending climate change isn't real. Shit, even the state's history is pretending it's not racist (look up what the Alamo was really about).
I moved from Texas to Maine two years ago. Last month I went back for four days. I won't go again.
medium.com/@randythetoo...
medium.com/@randythetoo...
You’re not supposed to live like this
This is a story about Texas.
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:08 AM
I lived in Texas and this hits hard. Everything in Texas feels pretend. Pretending you're rich in your McMansion. Pretending you need a giant pickup truck. Pretending climate change isn't real. Shit, even the state's history is pretending it's not racist (look up what the Alamo was really about).
Post-Thanksgiving rainy day. Leaves fluttering outside. Time to read with Juniper curled up next to me.
November 29, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Post-Thanksgiving rainy day. Leaves fluttering outside. Time to read with Juniper curled up next to me.
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER
down from
the high
hill of Fall
a road goes
through dark
to cold
past a ring of great grey-shouldered stones that keep the secret of the moment when the unseen sun
stops
and turns
-Ursula K. Le Guin
down from
the high
hill of Fall
a road goes
through dark
to cold
past a ring of great grey-shouldered stones that keep the secret of the moment when the unseen sun
stops
and turns
-Ursula K. Le Guin
November 27, 2025 at 8:12 PM
NOVEMBER, DECEMBER
down from
the high
hill of Fall
a road goes
through dark
to cold
past a ring of great grey-shouldered stones that keep the secret of the moment when the unseen sun
stops
and turns
-Ursula K. Le Guin
down from
the high
hill of Fall
a road goes
through dark
to cold
past a ring of great grey-shouldered stones that keep the secret of the moment when the unseen sun
stops
and turns
-Ursula K. Le Guin
Will. Amigo. Please. He won an outright majority in a three-way race against an extremely well-connected, well-funded former governor running as a same-party spoiler. All in a place where historically even mentioning Palestine would be disqualifying.
Also, when you say people saying "Dems would win everywhere with a Mamdani-style platform," I think it's important to remember that that platform delivered the most charismatic candidate in recent history a whopping 50.4% of the vote against a street vigilante and actual vampire, in New York City
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Will. Amigo. Please. He won an outright majority in a three-way race against an extremely well-connected, well-funded former governor running as a same-party spoiler. All in a place where historically even mentioning Palestine would be disqualifying.
As a socialist with strong yimby sympathies (yes in OUR back yard?)...I just want to build more housing. Like...have these people ever been to an IRL yimby meetup? It's the most nonthreatening urbanist nerds imaginable.
sometimes you just need to take a step back and marvel at the absurdity that is the left-NIMBY mindset
these are not normal, rational people. they have descended into a bespoke form of madness
these are not normal, rational people. they have descended into a bespoke form of madness
November 26, 2025 at 7:29 PM
As a socialist with strong yimby sympathies (yes in OUR back yard?)...I just want to build more housing. Like...have these people ever been to an IRL yimby meetup? It's the most nonthreatening urbanist nerds imaginable.