Brian Jenkins
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jenkinsaway.bsky.social
Brian Jenkins
@jenkinsaway.bsky.social
110 followers 240 following 67 posts
sometime amateur reader of philosophy, software-maker, new music enthusiast
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
mattpolprof.bsky.social
February 12, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social
The Sermon on the Mount, by Beryl Lewis, before 1965, 📸 by @ScottStrazzante
February 9, 2026 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
joelhs.bsky.social
I wrote about reading Arendt in the age of ICE deportations: religiondispatches.org/2026/02/05/f...
The Ferocity of Responses to Tim Walz's Anne Frank/ICE Comments Are Revealing
When Minnesota Governor Tim Walz invoked Anne Frank while criticizing ICE deportations in his state, the backlash was immediate and fierce. Walz, who earned a master’s degree in Holocaust education, s...
religiondispatches.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:47 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
"zealots are tugging the strings
feeding the id and starving the ego
choking the light right out"

thanks, Maynard
Puscifer - "The Quiet Parts" (Visualizer)
YouTube video by pusciferdotcom
www.youtube.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
quinnslobodian.com
Who could have seen this coming www.politico.com/news/magazin...
They Wanted a University Without Cancel Culture. Then Dissenters Were Ousted.
Inside the civil war at the anti-woke university backed by Bari Weiss.
www.politico.com
January 17, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
alexpagliuca.bsky.social
One of the things about people showing up to protest for the first time, that many, many armchair theorists don't grasp, is the effect of seeing what happens with your own eyes, then seeing how media covers it, and what is said ABOUT YOU by media and political personalities/office holders.
gaykwon.bsky.social Street Sharks Explained 🇨🇺🇵🇸 @gaykwon.bsky.social · 29d
This dude is intense and correct
January 15, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
brooklyninstitute.bsky.social
Faculty Writing | Hannah Leffingwell | "The Dismantling of the New School" |
@Jacobin | buff.ly/pBi5RgQ
January 15, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
laurajedeed.bsky.social
A few months ago, ICE hired me

I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable

And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!"

My latest for Slate
You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof.
What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We're all finding out.
slate.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:11 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
Sometimes I wonder: isn't the enjoyment of losing coupled with a faith in the cunning of reason what binds the left together though?
rebeccasolnit.bsky.social Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · Jan 12
Seems like time to re-up:
There's a reason why sports teams don't chant "I believe that we will lose" before a game, a reason so obvious that I'm pretty sure it needs no explanation in that context. Words have power. They not only describe but shape reality....
There's a reason why sports teams don't chant "I believe that we will lose" before a game, a reason so obvious that I'm pretty sure it needs no explanation in that context. Words have power. They not only describe but shape reality; we take vows – spiritual vows, marital vows, oaths of office, become accountable for our words when we testify under oath in court or in Congress or just make a verbal commitment. Our words shape reality when we tell someone they're worthless or valuable, beautiful or ugly, beloved or unloveable, which is a bit like chanting "I believe that you will win." Or lose. A friend of mine reminded me that the word encourage literally means to instill courage; we can do that or its opposite with how we speak, with what we say, with how we show up. It's not the only work we can do during this emergency, but it's an important part of it. It's a big part of how we express a spirit of defiance, of resoluteness, how we act with the knowledge that emotions and attitudes are contagious, be they fear or courage, strength or weakness, kindness or cruelty. Which is why it makes my head explode – picture this head as a volcano and these words as lava – when people surrender in advance verbally, which they do all the time about politics. There's a lot of "I believe that we will lose" on social media and in the news. One way it shows up is when journalists report on some of the rubbish spewing from the mouth of the geriatric clown/felon we have to call president as though his every utterance had the weight of law, as though words will become actions, as though the actions will succeed, as though they will not be met with opposition, as though they believe he will win.
January 12, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
rebeccasolnit.bsky.social
A rabbi asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and the day was on its way back. “Could it be,”asked one student, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?” “No,” answered the rabbi. “ Could it be,” asked another, “ when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?” “No,” said the rabbi. “Well, then what is it?” his pupils demanded. “It is when you look on the face of any woman or man and see that they are your sister or brother. Because if you cannot do this, then no matter what time it is, it is still night.”
January 10, 2026 at 2:06 AM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
and I assume there is a billiard room
lastpositivist.bsky.social lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · Dec 23
Where we send you if we catch you inferring future events on the basis of resemblance to past occurrences. Or, at least, where we've sent people so far.
An arch labelled "Hume Court"
December 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
In the critical discourse around AI and water it has also seemed to me that the premise is that data centers will become just like golf courses, which have always been disasters for water usage in the Arizona desert. The people "making a fuss" will again be treated as "no one" once they are built
mollytaft.com molly taft @mollytaft.com · Dec 12
new from me: are data centers going to wipe out water supplies? how much water does ChatGPT really use? and what's going on with that big correction in Empire of AI?

i went long on the conversation around AI and water, and how it's actually about what we want resources to be used for:
You’re Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong
Fears about AI data centers’ water use have exploded. Experts say the reality is far more complicated than people think.
www.wired.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:55 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
spirit is a statistical correlation
carlbergstrom.com Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Dec 11
Computer scientists: "So with machine learning we can extract subtle patterns from massive datasets. What shall we do with it?"

Business school professors, every single time: "You know, I think phrenology got a raw deal in the late 1800s."
Can Your Face Predict Your Salary? Using AI Personality Assessments in Hiring
A new study from Wharton faculty explores how AI can extract personality traits from facial images — and what that means for your career.
knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
December 11, 2025 at 11:06 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
pretty sure this has been my daily mood this year (or however many years it has been)
Book of Flowers: No. 5, Outcry
YouTube video by Conrad Tao - Topic
www.youtube.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
sonjadrimmer.bsky.social
Please believe me when I say that this meaningless, historically suspect slogan is being used to sell "AI." Here it is in the just-released November 2025 report on AI by Microsoft. www.microsoft.com/en-us/resear...
The history of human progress is, in many ways, the history of technology's diffusion. Among these advances, a few-what economists call general-purpose technologies-have had the greatest impact on humanity. The printing press democratized knowledge. The steam engine powered industry. Electricity transformed daily life and enabled computing. And the internet connected the world, accelerating the exchange of ideas, trade, and collaboration across borders.
November 15, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
anamariecox.bsky.social
From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."
jackjenkins.me Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · Nov 14
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
evergreen
adamserwer.bsky.social Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · Mar 14
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
November 10, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
bgrueskin.bsky.social
Let's see how many First Amendment violations we have in this one edict:

Religion ✔️
Speech ✔️
Peaceably assemble ✔️
Petition the government for redress of grievances ✔️
Press ❓(not quite, but they'll figure out a way)
November 8, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
joelhs.bsky.social
Good piece: www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Nick Fuentes Has Officially Breached the MAGA Gates
How the right’s crisis over US support for Israel has provided the white nationalist with the opening he needs to be welcomed into the MAGA fold.
www.thenation.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
marklemley.bsky.social
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative

electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
existentialcomics.com
As millions of Americans are about to lose their SNAP benefits, I am reminded of this quote by Emma Goldman:

"Ask for work. If they don't give you work, ask for bread. If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread."
October 28, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social
worth applying to politics as well. when you're criticizing an action people take "taking the better action next time" is only one of the alternatives people will consider, and worth remembering that "not bothering at all" is another.
jonmarkhicks.bsky.social Somebody wake up Hicks @jonmarkhicks.bsky.social · Oct 25
I think about this a lot.
October 26, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
mattseybold.bsky.social
How many classes today were canceled because a whole suite of EdTech services are built atop AWS?

You know what platform never crashes?
October 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
jenkinsaway.bsky.social
There may be too many think-pieces about Thiel's intellectual background, but this essay is the most insightful. Long but worth it.

It also has a sentence that could serve as evergreen tagline about him:
"Thiel overlooks the opportunity for self-examination"

salmagundi.skidmore.edu/articles/117...
From Philosophy To Power - Salmagundi Magazine
René Girard’s Legacy This past summer, I was surprised to encounter a face I knew in two most unexpected places. The first was in a photo montage accompanying an article written by Josh Kovensky of...
salmagundi.skidmore.edu
October 12, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Brian Jenkins
brendelbored.bsky.social
I like how the news will be like “while the President claiming Portland was ruled by a giant skeleton named Mr Nibbles is not strictly true, it does speak to the anxiety of many Americans”
October 10, 2025 at 11:59 PM