Tom Murphy
@brtom.bsky.social
"As news cycles have turned against his administration on the economy—as well as the Epstein files, immigration sweeps, strikes on small boats in the Caribbean, and his mental acuity—Trump has tried to regain control of the narrative by diving into the orchestra pit."
December 9, 2025
When G.
open.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 9:10 PM
"As news cycles have turned against his administration on the economy—as well as the Epstein files, immigration sweeps, strikes on small boats in the Caribbean, and his mental acuity—Trump has tried to regain control of the narrative by diving into the orchestra pit."
Sandro Botticelli - Madonna of the Magnificat
Sandro Botticelli - Madonna of the Magnificat
A “Tondo” painting essentially means a work which is painted on a circular canvas or panel.
open.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Sandro Botticelli - Madonna of the Magnificat
Winter Field
Winter Field
look how it curves away from us
open.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Winter Field
Reposted by Tom Murphy
𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐨 𝐗𝐈𝐕:
Trump's recent remarks about Europe "are trying to break apart what needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future ... ".
youtube.com/shorts/QsowR...
Trump's recent remarks about Europe "are trying to break apart what needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future ... ".
youtube.com/shorts/QsowR...
Pope Leo speaks out AGAINST Trump's peace plan for Ukraine
YouTube video by Sign Of The Cross
youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM
𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐨 𝐗𝐈𝐕:
Trump's recent remarks about Europe "are trying to break apart what needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future ... ".
youtube.com/shorts/QsowR...
Trump's recent remarks about Europe "are trying to break apart what needs to be a very important alliance today and in the future ... ".
youtube.com/shorts/QsowR...
Good
“All Dictatorships Do This”: Margaret Atwood on Trump & History
YouTube video by On with Kara Swisher
youtu.be
December 9, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Good
My Year in Reading
My Year in Reading
How I read 80 books in one year
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:08 PM
My Year in Reading
Bricks
Bricks
helpless worn angles of schools and churches
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Bricks
I'd watch this.
“We’re Terrible Esthetes”: Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley on Room Temperature, Home Haunts, and the Artist’s Life
Paris-based filmmakers Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley make their return with Room Temperature. Despite both hailing from California, this is their third collaboration yet first production to be shot in ...
thefilmstage.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I'd watch this.
“[H]aving a president come in and fire all the scientists, and the doctors, and the economists and the PhDs, and replacing them with loyalists and people who don’t know anything is actually not in the best interest of the citizens of the United States,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
December 8, 2025
Last Wednesday, December 3, a reporter asked President Donald J.
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:19 PM
“[H]aving a president come in and fire all the scientists, and the doctors, and the economists and the PhDs, and replacing them with loyalists and people who don’t know anything is actually not in the best interest of the citizens of the United States,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Yeah. Winter's kind of creepy.
December 9, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Yeah. Winter's kind of creepy.
Camille Pissarro - Still life with apples and pitcher
Camille Pissarro - Still life with apples and pitcher
In contrast to some of his other Impressionist contemporaries, Camille Pissarro did not paint still life pictures very often.
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Camille Pissarro - Still life with apples and pitcher
Reposted by Tom Murphy
One Haitian woman “showed up as scheduled, and when she arrived, officers were asking everyone what country they were from, and if they said a certain country, they were told to step out of line and that their oath ceremonies were canceled,” her attorney said.
They are now targeting people who did everything by the book and were literally at the ceremony where they were going to become citizens...
"Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the oath ceremony"
"Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the oath ceremony"
Immigrants Approved for Citizenship ‘Plucked Out’ of Line Moments Before Pledging Allegiance: Report
Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the ceremony. The incident comes after USCIS told employees to halt all immigrat...
people.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:27 PM
One Haitian woman “showed up as scheduled, and when she arrived, officers were asking everyone what country they were from, and if they said a certain country, they were told to step out of line and that their oath ceremonies were canceled,” her attorney said.
Branches and Leaves
Branches and Leaves
‘this may be art, but is it
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Branches and Leaves
Reposted by Tom Murphy
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Tom Murphy
Pope Leo at the Angelus: “The course of history is not already written by the powerful people of this world. Let us, then, put our thoughts and energy at the service of God who came not to reign over us, but rather to free us.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
December 7, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Pope Leo at the Angelus: “The course of history is not already written by the powerful people of this world. Let us, then, put our thoughts and energy at the service of God who came not to reign over us, but rather to free us.” www.vatican.va/content/leo-...
Reposted by Tom Murphy
Happy birthday to Tom Waits, who turns 76 today. Here's an article I wrote last week about his Chicago stomping grounds:
But wait — there's more! I took a deep dive into "The Chicago Stomping Grounds of Tom Waits" with this new blog post:
www.robertloerzel.com/2025/12/03/t...
www.robertloerzel.com/2025/12/03/t...
The Chicago Stomping Grounds of Tom Waits – ROBERT LOERZEL
www.robertloerzel.com
December 7, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Happy birthday to Tom Waits, who turns 76 today. Here's an article I wrote last week about his Chicago stomping grounds:
Reposted by Tom Murphy
The Kremlin just applauded the newly released US 2025 National Security Strategy - calling it aligned with Russian priorities. Let that sink in. 🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺 When your enemy approves your strategy, something is deeply wrong. #treason 💔
tvpworld.com/90423817/pes...
tvpworld.com/90423817/pes...
Kremlin welcomes new US security strategy and MAGA attacks on EU
The new U.S. security roadmap claimed without evidence that the EU is stifling free speech and crushing national sovereignty.
tvpworld.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The Kremlin just applauded the newly released US 2025 National Security Strategy - calling it aligned with Russian priorities. Let that sink in. 🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺 When your enemy approves your strategy, something is deeply wrong. #treason 💔
tvpworld.com/90423817/pes...
tvpworld.com/90423817/pes...
"When America came under attack before, people like Doris Miller refused to let that happen. For all that American democracy still discriminated against him, it gave him room to stand up for the concept of human equality—and he laid down his life for it."
December 6, 2025
On the sunny Sunday morning of December 7, 1941, Messman Doris Miller had served breakfast aboard the USS West Virginia, stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and was collecting laundry when the first of...
open.substack.com
December 7, 2025 at 3:59 PM
"When America came under attack before, people like Doris Miller refused to let that happen. For all that American democracy still discriminated against him, it gave him room to stand up for the concept of human equality—and he laid down his life for it."
Reposted by Tom Murphy
No. 9115 in the archive. Sent to us by a friend. Wish we remembered who.
December 7, 2025 at 2:20 PM
No. 9115 in the archive. Sent to us by a friend. Wish we remembered who.
Don't care much for winter, but it's part of the scene.
December 7, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Don't care much for winter, but it's part of the scene.
A pretty clear picture of what's going on.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Trump, Hegseth, and the State of Our Democracy
YouTube video by The Back Room with Andy Ostroy
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 3:05 AM
A pretty clear picture of what's going on.