Raphael
@raphael-pbl.bsky.social
Used to be raphaelptw on the birdsite. Guy with nerdy/geeky interests who's pretty bad at most of the usual nerd/geek stuff. Will probably use this more for following than posting.
he/him
(Avatar shows trees reflected in the water of a pond)
he/him
(Avatar shows trees reflected in the water of a pond)
Pinned
Raphael
@raphael-pbl.bsky.social
· Jun 5
Why are there people who allow influencers to influence them? It's as if Wormtongue had completely openly said what he was doing and Theoden had decided to keep him as his most trusted advisor anyway.
Reposted by Raphael
I know we’re so far past even considering the possibility that Republicans ever actually believed in the Constitution, but it’s a useful thought experiment to read this article as if it was about Biden using technology developed by a billionaire donor to surveil anti-abortion and 2A activists.
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:35 PM
I know we’re so far past even considering the possibility that Republicans ever actually believed in the Constitution, but it’s a useful thought experiment to read this article as if it was about Biden using technology developed by a billionaire donor to surveil anti-abortion and 2A activists.
Reposted by Raphael
The pendulum swung a little bit away from "embedded racism is the natural order of things" and people freaked out so badly that "a Black man who is near people protesting immigration raids is a Klansman" is apparently an acceptable position for a federal official to advocate.
January 30, 2026 at 2:55 PM
The pendulum swung a little bit away from "embedded racism is the natural order of things" and people freaked out so badly that "a Black man who is near people protesting immigration raids is a Klansman" is apparently an acceptable position for a federal official to advocate.
Reposted by Raphael
yeah again, the media was very unfair to biden. sucks. now we've got trump. guess we should figure out how to manage them better in the future!
I think one of the lessons of the Biden era is that, while the media (and especially those at the top of it) are often contemptible, it's a beast you must carefully manage rather than try and shut out
January 30, 2026 at 2:25 PM
yeah again, the media was very unfair to biden. sucks. now we've got trump. guess we should figure out how to manage them better in the future!
Reposted by Raphael
The president encounters a binder clip for the first time, then talks about it for a while.
Remember when Joe Biden had a raspy voice and every major news organization created a 10-person Biden Is Old investigative team?
Remember when Joe Biden had a raspy voice and every major news organization created a 10-person Biden Is Old investigative team?
Trump: "Whoo. I'm glad my finger wasn't in that sucker. That could've dome some damage but you know what? I wouldn't have shown the pain. I would've gone back. Boy did you hear that? That was nasty. But I would not have shown the pain. I would've acted like nothing happens as my finger fell off."
January 20, 2026 at 8:05 PM
The president encounters a binder clip for the first time, then talks about it for a while.
Remember when Joe Biden had a raspy voice and every major news organization created a 10-person Biden Is Old investigative team?
Remember when Joe Biden had a raspy voice and every major news organization created a 10-person Biden Is Old investigative team?
Reposted by Raphael
shouldn't have named the cat apostrophe
January 20, 2026 at 4:28 PM
shouldn't have named the cat apostrophe
Reposted by Raphael
(speaking to cat): spss spss spss spss, here kitty
cat: syntax error, all commands will be ignored
cat: syntax error, all commands will be ignored
January 20, 2026 at 4:23 PM
(speaking to cat): spss spss spss spss, here kitty
cat: syntax error, all commands will be ignored
cat: syntax error, all commands will be ignored
Reposted by Raphael
I’ve posted this a million times, too many people forgot what social media was like before the algorithm spoon fed you
you can have cool stuff on your timeline if you actually follow people posting cool stuff it’s that easy
you can have cool stuff on your timeline if you actually follow people posting cool stuff it’s that easy
January 20, 2026 at 2:50 AM
I’ve posted this a million times, too many people forgot what social media was like before the algorithm spoon fed you
you can have cool stuff on your timeline if you actually follow people posting cool stuff it’s that easy
you can have cool stuff on your timeline if you actually follow people posting cool stuff it’s that easy
Reposted by Raphael
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d be so excited you’d try to give everyone you meet a tour as soon as they came over, right?”
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d invite all your friends to have a huge party inside, right?”
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d invite all your friends to have a huge party inside, right?”
January 19, 2026 at 10:02 PM
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d be so excited you’d try to give everyone you meet a tour as soon as they came over, right?”
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d invite all your friends to have a huge party inside, right?”
“Imagine you bought a new house. You’d invite all your friends to have a huge party inside, right?”
Reposted by Raphael
This is the rent policy equivalent of those virginity advocates analogizing sex to someone throwing a rock through the window of your house.
It’s my favorite terrible metaphor of all time: “Imagine you bought a new house. You wouldn’t just let someone throw a rock through your front window, right?”
It’s my favorite terrible metaphor of all time: “Imagine you bought a new house. You wouldn’t just let someone throw a rock through your front window, right?”
imagine if you took all the city's meat and put it in a freezer
January 19, 2026 at 10:02 PM
This is the rent policy equivalent of those virginity advocates analogizing sex to someone throwing a rock through the window of your house.
It’s my favorite terrible metaphor of all time: “Imagine you bought a new house. You wouldn’t just let someone throw a rock through your front window, right?”
It’s my favorite terrible metaphor of all time: “Imagine you bought a new house. You wouldn’t just let someone throw a rock through your front window, right?”
Reposted by Raphael
Facebook memories reminded me this morning of the penguin that moulted to become French
January 20, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Facebook memories reminded me this morning of the penguin that moulted to become French
Reposted by Raphael
Every second the murderer is not arrested is another second for feds to hide him in a place that would create a jurisdictional fight. He's on video killing a person. You have to arrest this guy an hour ago, but you might still have time now.
January 7, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Every second the murderer is not arrested is another second for feds to hide him in a place that would create a jurisdictional fight. He's on video killing a person. You have to arrest this guy an hour ago, but you might still have time now.
Reposted by Raphael
$47 million fraud case dropped by Trump after Wiederhorn made huge donations to his campaign and inaugural fund. Not Somali.
December 30, 2025 at 7:53 PM
$47 million fraud case dropped by Trump after Wiederhorn made huge donations to his campaign and inaugural fund. Not Somali.
Reposted by Raphael
Now we need the paper about how many elephants got drunk after battle because the Hoplite lads thought it was hilarious.
December 30, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Now we need the paper about how many elephants got drunk after battle because the Hoplite lads thought it was hilarious.
Reposted by Raphael
Reminds me of the time some scientists in the 60s thought it was a good idea to give LSD to an elephant.
December 30, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Reminds me of the time some scientists in the 60s thought it was a good idea to give LSD to an elephant.
Reposted by Raphael
An Ode to Corruption: Announcing 2025’s Golden Duke Winners talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/an-od...
An Ode to Corruption: Announcing 2025’s Golden Duke Winners
The lawless no man’s land between the holidays and the New Year...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:06 PM
An Ode to Corruption: Announcing 2025’s Golden Duke Winners talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/an-od...
Reposted by Raphael
It's a good commentary on 2025 that the US President announces a major military attack on a foreign country and even the straightest arrows think, 50% chance it's an attack, 50% chance president is on another cognition bender.
December 29, 2025 at 8:10 PM
It's a good commentary on 2025 that the US President announces a major military attack on a foreign country and even the straightest arrows think, 50% chance it's an attack, 50% chance president is on another cognition bender.
Reposted by Raphael
🔥IT STARTS WHEN YOU BEGIN🔥
“She didn’t start painting until she was 50”
It starts when you begin 💜
It starts when you begin 💜
The African American Museum in Dallas will open a new exhibition, “Sunday Call to Church,” celebrating the work of self-taught Louisiana painter Clementine Hunter, who depicted worship, work, and community on a former plantation in her work. www.keranews.org/arts-culture...
December 27, 2025 at 1:44 PM
🔥IT STARTS WHEN YOU BEGIN🔥
Reposted by Raphael
Reposted by Raphael
However many shells you think you have, I can tell you that if your country gets into a real large-scale 'big boy' war, the exact number of shells you have is "not enough."
December 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
However many shells you think you have, I can tell you that if your country gets into a real large-scale 'big boy' war, the exact number of shells you have is "not enough."
Reposted by Raphael
Why would men-who-nobody-wants-to-have-sex-with want to force women to get pregnant with the offspring of men-nobody-wants-to-have-sex-with? 🤔
Everything is old is new again. Back in the day, Theodore Roosevelt called white women going to college "race suicide."
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The rise of pronatalism: why Musk, Vance and the right want women to have more babies
The movement unites ‘family values’ conservatives and tech bro rightwingers. Will this incoherent coalition hold?
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Why would men-who-nobody-wants-to-have-sex-with want to force women to get pregnant with the offspring of men-nobody-wants-to-have-sex-with? 🤔
Reposted by Raphael
I'm developing a kind of cosmopolitan-chauvinism, I guess you could call it anti-feudalism, as a through line in my politics. The peasant-brained and the local landed gentry are the enemy. Sort of funny that this could describe being either rabidly capitalist or communist.
December 8, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I'm developing a kind of cosmopolitan-chauvinism, I guess you could call it anti-feudalism, as a through line in my politics. The peasant-brained and the local landed gentry are the enemy. Sort of funny that this could describe being either rabidly capitalist or communist.
Reposted by Raphael
It wasn’t even a secret, Michael Wolff documented the whole sordid episode minus his own complicity in Too Famous.
🎯 @monacharen.bsky.social on Bannon’s cozy relationship with Epstein: “Where is TP USA, the White House, Speaker Johnson? MAGA faithful who claim to believe in a conspiracy among elites to abuse kids? Where’s Bannon’s acknowledgment of wrongdoing? his shame?” www.thebulwark.com/p/steve-bann...
December 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
It wasn’t even a secret, Michael Wolff documented the whole sordid episode minus his own complicity in Too Famous.
Reposted by Raphael
It is important to note that no religion actually prohibits vaccination. People who say that do not actually know that religion’s doctrines.
The Supreme Court just set aside a 2nd Circuit decision upholding New York's requirement that all school students, public and private, obtain certain vaccinations, without any religious exemptions. It orders the 2nd Circuit to reconsider the ruling in light of SCOTUS' LGBTQ school books decision.
December 8, 2025 at 6:33 PM
It is important to note that no religion actually prohibits vaccination. People who say that do not actually know that religion’s doctrines.