Ken Burnside
@kenburnside.bsky.social
Game designer @adastragames.com, writer, monkey servant of Theoden Cat, discusser of certain varieties of politics.
Pinned
Ken Burnside
@kenburnside.bsky.social
· Sep 19
@diane.dianeduane.com @robtomshany.bsky.social @owlinautumn.bsky.social @cobrabay.bsky.social @technomuse.bsky.social @spicedrum.bsky.social @doctorscience.bsky.social
Tagging you in for Recounting of the Arizona Minutemen Militia Girl Scout Cookie Burglary.
You may now prepare popcorn.
Tagging you in for Recounting of the Arizona Minutemen Militia Girl Scout Cookie Burglary.
You may now prepare popcorn.
I'm old enough to remember James Comer getting the vapors over alleged, and never proven, cash kickbacks from Hunter Biden to his dad of 5 million.
The consulting firm, the Ohio-based Strategy Group, has longstanding personal and business ties to Noem and her senior aides at DHS.
It played a central role in Noem’s 2022 reelection campaign.
And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS.
It played a central role in Noem’s 2022 reelection campaign.
And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS.
November 14, 2025 at 12:40 PM
I'm old enough to remember James Comer getting the vapors over alleged, and never proven, cash kickbacks from Hunter Biden to his dad of 5 million.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
First, let's back up.
Noem has starred in a sprawling ad campaign she’s said is a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration—so crucial that DHS bypassed the normal competitive bidding process, designed to prevent waste & corruption in federal contracts www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Noem has starred in a sprawling ad campaign she’s said is a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration—so crucial that DHS bypassed the normal competitive bidding process, designed to prevent waste & corruption in federal contracts www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...
www.propublica.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
First, let's back up.
Noem has starred in a sprawling ad campaign she’s said is a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration—so crucial that DHS bypassed the normal competitive bidding process, designed to prevent waste & corruption in federal contracts www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Noem has starred in a sprawling ad campaign she’s said is a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration—so crucial that DHS bypassed the normal competitive bidding process, designed to prevent waste & corruption in federal contracts www.propublica.org/article/kris...
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Do read this. NB Current anti-trans rhetoric is absolutely recycled 80s anti-gay venom. I remember it clearly. Now, as a cis het parent, 40 years monogamous, extending rights and respect to people who aren't like me, has had zero impact on my rights. Seeing my LGBTQ+ friends happy has been great.
November 14, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Do read this. NB Current anti-trans rhetoric is absolutely recycled 80s anti-gay venom. I remember it clearly. Now, as a cis het parent, 40 years monogamous, extending rights and respect to people who aren't like me, has had zero impact on my rights. Seeing my LGBTQ+ friends happy has been great.
Is a child with a homeless parent a child with a home who doesn't let their parent live with them? Or is she also homeless, or living with grandparents/an aunt or uncle?
And she's so poor she's doing sex work to pay for braces?
Man, the NYT loves using neutral language to protect pedophiles.
And she's so poor she's doing sex work to pay for braces?
Man, the NYT loves using neutral language to protect pedophiles.
A teenager in Florida with a homeless parent wanted money for braces and ended up having sex for money with powerful men, setting off a chain of events that would have a dramatic impact on her life and help upend the political career of Representative Matt Gaetz. nyti.ms/49PSkL9
November 14, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Is a child with a homeless parent a child with a home who doesn't let their parent live with them? Or is she also homeless, or living with grandparents/an aunt or uncle?
And she's so poor she's doing sex work to pay for braces?
Man, the NYT loves using neutral language to protect pedophiles.
And she's so poor she's doing sex work to pay for braces?
Man, the NYT loves using neutral language to protect pedophiles.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Missouri’s referendum on minimum wage and paid sick leave last year won by a margin of 58 to 42 percent statewide. Under a proposal advanced by the GOP, it would have failed because it didn’t win more than 50 percent in every congressional district.
Under this GOP Measure, All of Missouri’s Recent Popular Initiatives Would Have Failed
Lawmakers just advanced a constitutional amendment to drastically raise the bar for approving citizen ballot measures. Voters get to weigh in on the scheme next year.
boltsmag.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Missouri’s referendum on minimum wage and paid sick leave last year won by a margin of 58 to 42 percent statewide. Under a proposal advanced by the GOP, it would have failed because it didn’t win more than 50 percent in every congressional district.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
An underappreciated dynamic: NYPD unions mostly stayed out of the election, and did not endorse Tisch. Though some have called Tisch the NYPD pick, it's not obvious what rank and file or unions want--she was the ruling class pick. This means Zohran's real fight with the NYPD hasn't happened yet.
If We Want Mamdani to Beat the NYPD, the Left Must Build Power
We won’t be able to push Mamdani, or anyone else, to undermine police power unless we become a force to be reckoned with.
www.thenation.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:55 PM
An underappreciated dynamic: NYPD unions mostly stayed out of the election, and did not endorse Tisch. Though some have called Tisch the NYPD pick, it's not obvious what rank and file or unions want--she was the ruling class pick. This means Zohran's real fight with the NYPD hasn't happened yet.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
If you have been put on leave or are being fired because of comments you made in your personal capacity about and during the shutdown, please, reach out to me — Signal is crg.32 and I'm fairly easy to find on any platform.
November 14, 2025 at 2:42 AM
If you have been put on leave or are being fired because of comments you made in your personal capacity about and during the shutdown, please, reach out to me — Signal is crg.32 and I'm fairly easy to find on any platform.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
you know you elected a good mayor when the NYT does this in a headline
Katie Wilson, Seattle’s next mayor, emerged from the city’s left-wing activist class and brings with her little experience in governing.
Seattle Elects a Left-Wing Mayor With a Light Résumé but Mamdani Appeal
Katie Wilson, who narrowly defeated the incumbent, Bruce Harrell, emerged from the city’s left-wing activist class and brings with her little experience in governing.
nyti.ms
November 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
you know you elected a good mayor when the NYT does this in a headline
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Christina's full post is available here: christinapagel.substack.com/p/informatio...
Information underpins Democracy – why the BBC must be defended
Recent events at the BBC have wide-reaching implications for our democracy - and the sooner we realise it, the better
christinapagel.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Christina's full post is available here: christinapagel.substack.com/p/informatio...
Reposted by Ken Burnside
😬
Anthem BC/BS came back, 10 months later, and decided that it was going to deny me and my son's rabies treatments, after already approving the claim last December.
Denying a claim where if treatment were not given, results in death 100% of the time!
Denying a claim where if treatment were not given, results in death 100% of the time!
November 14, 2025 at 8:52 AM
😬
Reposted by Ken Burnside
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:16 AM
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
I want my Harvard diploma to be reissued without Larry Summers’s signature on it
November 14, 2025 at 2:13 AM
I want my Harvard diploma to be reissued without Larry Summers’s signature on it
Reposted by Ken Burnside
The European Commission uses ChatGPT outputs in public documents.
@iccl.bsky.social has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman as this use likely violates Commission's own guidelines and its obligation under EU treaties
www.iccl.ie/news/europea...
@iccl.bsky.social has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman as this use likely violates Commission's own guidelines and its obligation under EU treaties
www.iccl.ie/news/europea...
European Commission breaches own AI guidelines by using ChatGPT in public documents
ICCL has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman against the European Commission for its use of generative AI in public documents, which likely violates its own guidelines and its obligation under...
www.iccl.ie
November 14, 2025 at 7:17 AM
The European Commission uses ChatGPT outputs in public documents.
@iccl.bsky.social has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman as this use likely violates Commission's own guidelines and its obligation under EU treaties
www.iccl.ie/news/europea...
@iccl.bsky.social has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman as this use likely violates Commission's own guidelines and its obligation under EU treaties
www.iccl.ie/news/europea...
Reposted by Ken Burnside
"Please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong *** It is not law enforcement; it is terror."
Letter from Chicago broadcast veterans: Federal immigration agents have traumatized us and eroded our rights
The fact that some federal immigration forces may be leaving soon is cold comfort given the damage they’ve done.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:05 PM
"Please trust us now when we say that what is happening in the Chicago area is wrong *** It is not law enforcement; it is terror."
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Reposted by Ken Burnside
"Nigel Farage's ubiquity isn't just about charisma or controversy. It's an indication of a very worrying transformation in British journalism."
@jamesbloodworth.bsky.social
youtu.be/pfl0mxXoQss
@jamesbloodworth.bsky.social
youtu.be/pfl0mxXoQss
How Nigel Farage Took Over British Politics.
YouTube video by Byline TV
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 5:02 PM
"Nigel Farage's ubiquity isn't just about charisma or controversy. It's an indication of a very worrying transformation in British journalism."
@jamesbloodworth.bsky.social
youtu.be/pfl0mxXoQss
@jamesbloodworth.bsky.social
youtu.be/pfl0mxXoQss
Reposted by Ken Burnside
They rounded a bunch of random Venezuelans with tats and pretended they were in tren de aragua, then started blowing up random Venezuelan boats they claim “carried drugs,” in order to slowly groom their base into supporting a full ground war on Venezuela that was always about oil
November 14, 2025 at 3:31 AM
They rounded a bunch of random Venezuelans with tats and pretended they were in tren de aragua, then started blowing up random Venezuelan boats they claim “carried drugs,” in order to slowly groom their base into supporting a full ground war on Venezuela that was always about oil
Reposted by Ken Burnside
There has been a noticeable reticence in left and liberal circles to voice full-throated support for pornography, even as it's become increasingly clear what the open end goals of the censorship movement are
In a lot of ways other leftists chose this path folks. They shrugged and didn’t care when Patreon banned a ton of hypnosis and TF creators, or when YouTube started their ASMR crackdown. Now it’s coming for queer porn creators, more and more. Who will stand up?
November 13, 2025 at 11:46 PM
There has been a noticeable reticence in left and liberal circles to voice full-throated support for pornography, even as it's become increasingly clear what the open end goals of the censorship movement are
Reposted by Ken Burnside
this! thank you!
With current pledges, the world's on track for 2.6°C of warming in 2100 compared to preindustrial levels.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
10 years ago, before the Paris agreement, it was 3.6°C
20+ years ago, we thought it would be 4-5°C
So 2.6°C is better, but the problem is that climate impacts are way worse than we predicted.
World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds
Fossil fuel emissions have hit a record high while many nations have done too little to avert deadly global heating
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:20 AM
this! thank you!
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Oh so NOW y'all wanna live like the savage heathens.
🚨In the face of the polycrisis, a new economics is needed. Here, Jasper Kenter specifically singles out Wales's 🏴 Well-being of Future Generations Act as game-changing legislation that prioritises non-GDP goals.
Why the UK should look beyond growth to a ‘new economics’ that works for all
Traditional economics can’t respond to global crises like inequality and climate change.
theconversation.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Oh so NOW y'all wanna live like the savage heathens.
Reposted by Ken Burnside
1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists at COP30, outnumbering every delegation except Brazil
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:12 AM
1,600+ fossil fuel lobbyists at COP30, outnumbering every delegation except Brazil
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This isn’t ‘dialogue’; it’s the industry responsible for the crisis hijacking the negotiations meant to stop it
If this doesn’t make you furious, you’re not paying attention
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Remember this question? bsky.app/profile/bren...
QUESTION: What percent of people with drivers licences where you live do you think could pass a drivers test on short notice if the system utilized “spot tests” as part of maintaining your licence?
November 14, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Remember this question? bsky.app/profile/bren...
Reposted by Ken Burnside
As I read this, I'm thinking about the man I interviewed who had to be hospitalized from the Covid he caught at the poultry processing plant and he got fired for it and he still has long Covid
During the height of the pandemic, Tyson used Palantir to predict Covid-19 infections among meatpacking workers down to a nearly exactly figure. But rather than using this data to increase worker protections, Tyson used it plan for labor shortages + plant closures
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:39 AM
As I read this, I'm thinking about the man I interviewed who had to be hospitalized from the Covid he caught at the poultry processing plant and he got fired for it and he still has long Covid
Reposted by Ken Burnside
Prostate cancer can be silent. One man’s story shows how it hides in plain sight – and why getting checked could save your life.
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
The trouble with dribbles – a revealing prostate cancer journey
Prostate cancer can develop silently. Some have no classic prostate cancer symptoms. Early checks are vital – sometimes, the signs are hidden
eastangliabylines.co.uk
November 13, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Prostate cancer can be silent. One man’s story shows how it hides in plain sight – and why getting checked could save your life.
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
@eastangliabylines.co.uk