Mezentine
@mezentine.bsky.social
Chicago-based. Bikes. Books. Photography. Lot of politics.
Pinned
Mezentine
@mezentine.bsky.social
· Apr 29
"Peace if possible.
Justice at any rate."
I came across that quote a few years ago while reading a biograph of Timuel Black. I think about those words.
I think about those words a lot.
Justice at any rate."
I came across that quote a few years ago while reading a biograph of Timuel Black. I think about those words.
I think about those words a lot.
Reposted by Mezentine
"oh, don't forget to highlight, in bright red, the two-letter word in the tagline! the two letter word that's kind of the whole point of this clever ad campaign! the two letter word that links this show to the horror movie of the same name!"
"no problem boss. i'm on it"
"no problem boss. i'm on it"
November 29, 2025 at 8:51 PM
"oh, don't forget to highlight, in bright red, the two-letter word in the tagline! the two letter word that's kind of the whole point of this clever ad campaign! the two letter word that links this show to the horror movie of the same name!"
"no problem boss. i'm on it"
"no problem boss. i'm on it"
Wake Up Dead Man is very good and the fact that I find parts of it deeply frustrating is I think a compliment.
We had to drive an hour in a fucking snowstorm to Fox Lake but we are about to sit down for Wake Up Dead Man.
November 29, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Wake Up Dead Man is very good and the fact that I find parts of it deeply frustrating is I think a compliment.
We had to drive an hour in a fucking snowstorm to Fox Lake but we are about to sit down for Wake Up Dead Man.
November 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM
We had to drive an hour in a fucking snowstorm to Fox Lake but we are about to sit down for Wake Up Dead Man.
Reposted by Mezentine
Washington St is now closed to motorized vehicles to make space for the line to get into the Chicago Loop Christkindlmarkt, this was 10 minutes before it opens
November 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Washington St is now closed to motorized vehicles to make space for the line to get into the Chicago Loop Christkindlmarkt, this was 10 minutes before it opens
There’s been shockingly little discussion of politics at my family this Thanksgiving. We’re all roughly politically aligned, but usually my mom has at least one big rant ready to go. I think everyone is feeling burned out on talking about it.
November 29, 2025 at 1:39 PM
There’s been shockingly little discussion of politics at my family this Thanksgiving. We’re all roughly politically aligned, but usually my mom has at least one big rant ready to go. I think everyone is feeling burned out on talking about it.
Reposted by Mezentine
WE NEED TO QUIT BEING COWARDS AND EXPAND THE MARKET INTO THE FUCKING STREETS YOU DON'T NEED TO DRIVE EVERYWHERE IN THE LOOP ANYWAY FOR FUCK'S SAKE
The Christkindlmarkt thing is so funny top to bottom. America so starved for vibrant public spaces and events that this winter craft fair gets Disneyland-level regional demand, and this is seen as a problem to be solved with cops and security
November 29, 2025 at 2:29 AM
WE NEED TO QUIT BEING COWARDS AND EXPAND THE MARKET INTO THE FUCKING STREETS YOU DON'T NEED TO DRIVE EVERYWHERE IN THE LOOP ANYWAY FOR FUCK'S SAKE
Reposted by Mezentine
RIP Lenin, you would've loved pickleball
November 29, 2025 at 2:11 AM
RIP Lenin, you would've loved pickleball
The full nightmare of the Drone State is here. It is an incredibly evil thing we have built in the name of security.
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:50 AM
The full nightmare of the Drone State is here. It is an incredibly evil thing we have built in the name of security.
Reposted by Mezentine
I have 10 and 11 year old kids. My 6th grader is doing his first physical book-based course this year and it's his worst grade ever, causing him major anxiety. Schools have abdicated teaching to software programs on Chromebooks. It's a travesty. Thankfully my kids can actually read and enjoy books.
November 29, 2025 at 12:41 AM
I have 10 and 11 year old kids. My 6th grader is doing his first physical book-based course this year and it's his worst grade ever, causing him major anxiety. Schools have abdicated teaching to software programs on Chromebooks. It's a travesty. Thankfully my kids can actually read and enjoy books.
Reposted by Mezentine
It's like they just keep...forgetting? Or they read the instructions and completely disregard them, even knowing that they can't pass the assignment without demonstrating really clear skills (citing material, writing on a course text, etc.). They just...don't do it. And don't seem to care.
November 28, 2025 at 10:26 PM
It's like they just keep...forgetting? Or they read the instructions and completely disregard them, even knowing that they can't pass the assignment without demonstrating really clear skills (citing material, writing on a course text, etc.). They just...don't do it. And don't seem to care.
Reposted by Mezentine
I am forever explaining assignments which, to me, feel fairly basic. I do offer some creative options, which need a bit more context. But so many of my students seem unable to follow instructions, even when I return to them multiple times, write them down, or turn them into games or quizzes.
November 28, 2025 at 10:25 PM
I am forever explaining assignments which, to me, feel fairly basic. I do offer some creative options, which need a bit more context. But so many of my students seem unable to follow instructions, even when I return to them multiple times, write them down, or turn them into games or quizzes.
Reposted by Mezentine
I say iPads, but really it’s the software: I think the last fifteen years of consumer software design has basically been asbestos for the mind. A bunch of “best practices” for commercial objectives are basically fucking poison.
November 29, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I say iPads, but really it’s the software: I think the last fifteen years of consumer software design has basically been asbestos for the mind. A bunch of “best practices” for commercial objectives are basically fucking poison.
Reposted by Mezentine
I don’t know enough about what K-8 looks like to speculate about what might be happening there, other than the obvious disaster in reading instruction, but I do legitimately wonder if this is the real effect of iPads (and everything associated) on developing brains.
November 29, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I don’t know enough about what K-8 looks like to speculate about what might be happening there, other than the obvious disaster in reading instruction, but I do legitimately wonder if this is the real effect of iPads (and everything associated) on developing brains.
This whole thread is worth reading, but it’s this specific bit I keep fixating on when it comes up in these discussions, in part because it most consistently matches what educators in my life tell me: what is happening much earlier in childhood to set students up with zero executive function?
This is not a "students today" post--it's more "this is a new form of dysfunction" that doesn't look exactly like it's been in previous decades. It's more than just "first-year chaos." It's an across-the-board inability to process instructions, engage with longer texts, and *connect* with others.
November 29, 2025 at 12:33 AM
This whole thread is worth reading, but it’s this specific bit I keep fixating on when it comes up in these discussions, in part because it most consistently matches what educators in my life tell me: what is happening much earlier in childhood to set students up with zero executive function?
I fucking hate George W Bush so much.
Wild to see Whelan say this, but to be clear the OLC's immunity powers are fake anyway. The "golden shield" idea was made up to justify rampant criminality in the GWBush years, then adopted by Holder to excuse Obama's inaction. It's not in the Constitution, statute, or precedent. It's not the law.
Does Pete Hegseth have a "golden shield" against prosecution in the form of a DOJ OLC opinion? Ed Whelan thinks not.
November 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM
I fucking hate George W Bush so much.
Reposted by Mezentine
Wild to see Whelan say this, but to be clear the OLC's immunity powers are fake anyway. The "golden shield" idea was made up to justify rampant criminality in the GWBush years, then adopted by Holder to excuse Obama's inaction. It's not in the Constitution, statute, or precedent. It's not the law.
Does Pete Hegseth have a "golden shield" against prosecution in the form of a DOJ OLC opinion? Ed Whelan thinks not.
November 28, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Wild to see Whelan say this, but to be clear the OLC's immunity powers are fake anyway. The "golden shield" idea was made up to justify rampant criminality in the GWBush years, then adopted by Holder to excuse Obama's inaction. It's not in the Constitution, statute, or precedent. It's not the law.
Reposted by Mezentine
American political economy is an arcane ritual which sacrifices everyone and everything for the benefit of homeowners and landlords like they're psykers dying to keep the Emperor alive in 40k. The real estate must appreciate.
November 28, 2025 at 9:34 PM
American political economy is an arcane ritual which sacrifices everyone and everything for the benefit of homeowners and landlords like they're psykers dying to keep the Emperor alive in 40k. The real estate must appreciate.
Reposted by Mezentine
We’ve passed half of our goal since the beginning of the day!
a Black Friday deal: it’s a great day to support our independent journalism at Bolts
We want to prepare for 2026 on as strong a foot as possible, and we’d love to grow our supporter count (at any level!) by 50 people today.
If you can—jump onboard and help us cover local politics and civil rights!
We want to prepare for 2026 on as strong a foot as possible, and we’d love to grow our supporter count (at any level!) by 50 people today.
If you can—jump onboard and help us cover local politics and civil rights!
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
Boltsmag.org
November 28, 2025 at 10:44 PM
We’ve passed half of our goal since the beginning of the day!
Reposted by Mezentine
They believe that Trump will use the formal powers of the government and whatever informal powers he may have to extract costs from them if they do not play ball and they equally believe that the anti-Trump coalition will not extract these costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
given how unpopular Trump is, it’s insane that civil society/universities/law firms are still asking themselves “how do I stay on Trump’s good side” rather than “how do I avoid facing consequences for complying with Trump’s illegal demands”
New Gallup poll shows Trump's approval hit a new low for his second term:
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
-36% approve
-60% disapprove
His approval among Republicans went from 91% in January to 84% in November
news.gallup.com/poll/699221/...
November 28, 2025 at 6:09 PM
They believe that Trump will use the formal powers of the government and whatever informal powers he may have to extract costs from them if they do not play ball and they equally believe that the anti-Trump coalition will not extract these costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
So we need to extract those costs.
Reposted by Mezentine
They’re right about the overcrowding but their solution is the wrong one. Close the streets around the plaza, expand the footprint, or move it to grant park. But this ain’t it Brandon Johnson.
Chicago Christkindlmarkt update: Due to severe overcrowding in past years, OEMC has reduced entrance capacity 80% (!!) from 5,000 to 1,000 people. This has caused very long lines and a deserted feel once you got in. 🧵
(Photo is from last year)
(Photo is from last year)
November 28, 2025 at 6:11 PM
They’re right about the overcrowding but their solution is the wrong one. Close the streets around the plaza, expand the footprint, or move it to grant park. But this ain’t it Brandon Johnson.
The city is so quiet this morning.
November 28, 2025 at 3:36 PM
The city is so quiet this morning.
Reposted by Mezentine
Okay yeah I got to the first big chapter with Preckwinkle and I’m pissed off all over again.
November 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Okay yeah I got to the first big chapter with Preckwinkle and I’m pissed off all over again.
Okay yeah I got to the first big chapter with Preckwinkle and I’m pissed off all over again.
November 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Okay yeah I got to the first big chapter with Preckwinkle and I’m pissed off all over again.
Reposted by Mezentine
I got it backwards fuck!
November 28, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I got it backwards fuck!
Reposted by Mezentine
Audience culture is the worst it's ever been, I swear to god. People forgot how to act. I'm at the theater, trying to enjoy my show, which I've paid GOOD MONEY for, and these two old assholes are in the balcony heckling the life out of the poor bear onstage. Not letting him finish a single joke.
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Audience culture is the worst it's ever been, I swear to god. People forgot how to act. I'm at the theater, trying to enjoy my show, which I've paid GOOD MONEY for, and these two old assholes are in the balcony heckling the life out of the poor bear onstage. Not letting him finish a single joke.