@farbel@mas.to cover
@farbel@mas.to avatar

farbel

@farbel@mas.to

Lapsed painter, occasional photographer, compulsive writer.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

Strandjunker , to random
@Strandjunker@mstdn.social avatar

If Bill Clinton raped girls on Epstein’s island, he should rot in prison for the rest of his life.

If Donald Trump raped girls on Epstein’s island, he should rot in prison for the rest of his life.

That wasn’t so difficult, was it?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@Strandjunker Yep. Now all we need is enough evidence to convict either or both.

patl , to bookstodon group
@patl@pnw.zone avatar

A GORGEOUS retelling of the historical events of Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés entering Tenochtitlan and the court of emperor Moctezuma.

This novella reimagines a complex world that many of us have some passing familiarity with. It's trippy hallucinogenic; it thrives in court politics and religious variety, color, aroma.

Think multicultural Game of Throes meets Hunter S. Thompson packed into a tight 220 pages. TIP: Don't skip the author's notes to the translator. @bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@patl @bookstodon Thoroughly enjoyed this book, but why oh why did he not use quotation marks? It got pretty confusing at times.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@patl @bookstodon BTW i loved the meta moments.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@patl @bookstodon Have you read Sudden Death?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@patl @bookstodon I agree, I'd like the story to continue.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@patl @bookstodon I haven't read it either. This one was gifted to me by a friend who had just read it.

LincolnRamirez , to bookstodon group
@LincolnRamirez@mstdn.social avatar

I've been thinking of finally reading some Stephen King, but no idea where to start.

Go for one of the likes of his famous work, like the Shining or the Green Mile? Or something lesser known?

@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@AndyT @LincolnRamirez @flyblue @bookstodon YES to The Dead Zone

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

It's your turn to be a political strategist.

If Trump is found guilty, should Biden emphasize the guilty verdict or focus on abortion and democracy instead?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@rbreich Pretty sure he can multitask.

luckytran , to random
@luckytran@med-mastodon.com avatar

We are living in an age of denial. Denial of a genocide. Denial of an ongoing pandemic. Denial of a climate crisis.

Acknowledging reality is an act of rebellion.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@luckytran To be fair, Covid no longer fits the medical definition of a pandemic.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@luckytran Here are the stats on excess mortality worldwide, if anyone is interested: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/excess-mortality-p-scores-projected-baseline

dbsalk , to bookstodon group
@dbsalk@mastodon.social avatar

The Stand didn't even crack Forbes' Top 10 list of Stephen King books, and I'm curious as to how this miscarriage of justice came about.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/entertainment/article/stephen-king-books/?sh=5b67e62062b8

@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@dbsalk @bookstodon What a silly clickbait exercise, trying to pick the ten "best" and rank them.

Nonilex , to random
@Nonilex@masto.ai avatar

#ElonMusk Ramps Up Anti-Biden Posts

The #billionaire has increasingly been using his #SocialMedia platform to criticize #POTUS #Biden.

“He is just a tragic front for a far left political machine,” #Musk wrote. It was the 29th time this year that he had posted about the president….

#power #influence #TaxCutsForTheWealthy #CorporateTaxCuts #gaslighting #propaganda #BigLie #democracy #VoteBlue #BidenHarris2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/technology/elon-musk-x-biden.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@Nonilex Biden is winning among people who get their news by traditional means. He is losing in a landslide among people who get their news through algorithm controlled social media.

farbel , to random
@farbel@mas.to avatar

Punching a Nazi in the face is a sign of good character.

marcelias , to random
@marcelias@mas.to avatar

Don't miss @briantylercohen and me discuss the time Lou Dobbs told the GOP to pay me $500 million to stop beating them in court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO2nyimwCEM&list=PLOMpnzRkbFsi2yOiCKDN3fYgOzvrvfZm4&index=1

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@marcelias With that kind of cash, you could have hired someone else to beat them in court.

Jennifer , to bookstodon group
@Jennifer@bookstodon.com avatar

I need some new science fiction to read, who has some suggestions? I don't like military sci-fi. For reference, my favorite series is the Expanse, I also enjoyed Scalzi's Collapsing Empire, I love Robert Charles Wilson's books. I mostly enjoy space operas and unique stories about technology, for example I really liked the recent book Mountain in the Sea about AI and intelligent octopus. Suggestions from the awesome Bookstodon community? @bookstodon #Bookstodon #Scifi #ScienceFiction

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@headfirstonly @philip_cardella @todwest @Jennifer @bookstodon Yes, please!

Strandjunker , to random
@Strandjunker@mstdn.social avatar

Voting for Biden means you have the freedom to vote for another president in 4 years.

Voting for Trump means you lose that very freedom.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@Strandjunker Also, not showing up or voting third party helps Trump.

otownKim , to random
@otownKim@toot.community avatar

For those who are bitching about President Biden and saying the Gaza situation will cost him the election, WTF do you propose?! Third party has ZERO chance! Have you learned anything from 2016?!?!?! The Orange shit stain suggests that Netanayu "finish the job!". How dare anyone say they or both sides are the same. If that's your belief, unfollow me now!!!

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim More like progressives would rather let Trump win than vote for Hillary. Bernie lost the primary, period. Not because it was rigged, because he didn't get the votes. If the DNC wanted Hillary so badly, why did Obama trounce her in 08? Not everything is a conspiracy.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim Bernie understood the stakes, and spent the rest of the campaign trying his hardest to get people like you to vote for Hillary. Did you? Tens of thousands didn't, which is why we have the Supreme Court we now have.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim I see you think really highly of Bernie, have so much respect for the man you think should be president. I think voting for women's rights, trans rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, Black and Latino rights is good, actually.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim If the narcissists who refused to vote for Hillary because she wasn't their dream candidate had understood the stakes, hundreds of judges wouldn't be in lifetime appointments taking away the rights of those same narcissists who now blame everyone else. But you be you. Hasta La Victoria Siempre, and all that.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim enjoy what's left of your bodily autonomy

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@violetmadder @otownKim Obama never had the votes to codify Roe. He barely got Obamacare through before Kennedy died. The Supreme Court is Republican because Hillary lost. Hillary lost bcause narcissists refused to vote for her. Cops are human. Some of them are assholes. Communists are human too.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @violetmadder @otownKim He had the supermajority for about three months. He got Obamacare through. That supermajority included Democrats like Joe Lieberman who wouldn't support radical changes, even universal Medicare. Nobody thought at the time that Roe was at risk. History is fact. Your ignorance of how the system works and what the situation was doesn't change it. Some of us have been fighting for decades for these changes.

OccuWorld , to random
@OccuWorld@syzito.xyz avatar

Colombia to break diplomatic relations with Israel, President Petro says

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/colombia-president-petro-says-will-break-diplomatic-relations-with-israel-2024-05-01/

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday he will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its actions in Gaza.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@OccuWorld Apparently Columbia the country has a better moral compass than Columbia the University.

SallyStrange , to bookstodon group
@SallyStrange@eldritch.cafe avatar

10 authors, of whose books I've read at least five:

Ursula Le Guin
Kim Stanley Robinson
Octavia Butler
N. K. Jemisin
Becky Chambers
Iain M. Banks
Martha Wells
M. R. Carey
Lois McMaster Bujold
Vonda McIntyre

#scifi #ScienceFiction #SFF #books

#10Authors5BooksEach
@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@jex @SallyStrange @bookstodon Wow. The only one on this list I've read is Lem. Three of his, so he didn't make my list.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@jex @SallyStrange @bookstodon Just checked my Goodreads. I have Diaspora on my want to read list (don't know why or for how long) Is that a good one to start with?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@jex @SallyStrange @bookstodon @gregeganSF And, surprise surprise, I'm already following him. Thanks!

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@jex @SallyStrange @bookstodon Put his latest on my kindle.

futurebird , to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

If the supreme court jumps in and overturns the Jan. 6 convictions of 100s of people who attacked the capitol it will be one of the most politically charged actions taken by this court and in a politically charged environment.

There are many laws that might need revision, scrutiny, but they reached out through space and time to grab this hot potato.

It's a joke.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@futurebird @StarkRG A couple of things here. First, elections do fix things over time. They also break things. The SCOTUS we have didn't happen over night. It came into being over four decades of Republican effort, starting with lower courts and statehouses. It was cemented by an election where people weren't paying attention to it and refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. Second thing: The court has no enforcement power. They can be and have been ignored.

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Define “quickly”

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@flexghost Quickly: adjective - 1. at the speed of Mitch McConnell answering a reporter'squestion.

raccoonformality , to bookstodon group
@raccoonformality@tech.lgbt avatar

Rate my current collection :3

@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@raccoonformality @bookstodon My books aren't in it, so I'll give it an A instead of an A+. Seriously though, lots of good stuff there.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Adam Parkhomenko:

Republican Congressman Gonzales on CNN:

I serve with some real scumbags. Matt , he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@GottaLaff Translation: "I vote exactly the same as some real scumbags."

GelatDeTramussos , to bookstodon group Catalan
@GelatDeTramussos@mastodont.cat avatar

Just finished reading 's last novel and well, it's kinda ok but it's not even close to other previous novels such as 1Q48, Kafka on the Shore, Tokio Blues... Have you read it yet?
@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@GelatDeTramussos @bookstodon I've only read IQ48. Should I read the other two you mention?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@kimlockhartga @GelatDeTramussos @bookstodon
I had forgotten The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I read that too.

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Ginni Thomas was directly involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Yet Clarence Thomas didn't recuse himself from arguments today in a case about the January 6 insurrection.

How is this not a scandal of epic proportions?

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@rbreich For the same reason Judge Merchand isn't recusing himself because of his daughter being a Democratic consultant. Barring evidence that she influenced him, there should be no reason to recuse himself. Now if you want to talk about him being bought by Harlan Crow, that is another story.

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

What do these corporations have in common?

Netflix
Ford
Tesla
T-Mobile
Duke Energy
DISH Network
Metlife
Dominion Energy
United States Steel

In recent years, they all paid their execs more than they paid in taxes.

This is what a corporate-rigged system looks like.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@rbreich I am less concerned with how much corporations pay in taxes than I am with how much their executives pay.

BuffaloCrisps , to bookstodon group
@BuffaloCrisps@mastodon.ie avatar

@bookstodon

Solid old-school scifi. Predictable and twee but the dialogue is cracking. The 2D plot devices that populate the story (allegedly referred to as "characters"*) lack anything remotely resembling human but I guess that that could be the point. A solid train/bus/plane timekiller to leave behind in a hotel.


*Cardboard "humans"

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@BuffaloCrisps @bookstodon The stuff I grew up on.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

👀

Via Dave Ryder: 🧵 1/...

Here's William Jones who authored the 1864 bill.

Some fun facts:

He abandoned his first wife and their children in Missouri.

His second wife was a 12 year old Mexican girl. He abducted her and after a complaint submitted his resignation to President Buchanan before he was fired.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@GottaLaff Just your ordinary, everyday Republican.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

#WompWomp

New York Judge Merchan imposed a gag order on Tuesday that prohibits #Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors, the latest effort to rein in the former president’s wrathful rhetoric about his legal opponents.

The judge imposed the order at the request of the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which brought the case against Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/26/nyregion/trump-trial-gag-order.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fk0.fW-u.bJkcWyWuuotD&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@GottaLaff Call me when he violates it and there are actual consequences.

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

The over valuation is a illegal bribe

Watch all Congresspeople turn a blind eye because they do the same

The system is beyond broken.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@flexghost Like almost every IPO, it will tank 50% or more after its first few days, and unless P01135809 gets elected, will be worth next to nothing by the end of the year.

cstross , to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

Thought for the day:

Billionaires are a symptom of poverty.

(Paraphrasing Iain Banks on money, but more specific to our times because we still need some way to allocate scarce resources, just: not like that.)

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@graydon @haihappen @cstross @TessRants

"climate migration is being used to recreate widespread de jure chattel slavery".

But wasn't it much easier to manage and more palatable to the masses when the slaves were all "down there" or "over there"?

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

5 years of Netflix US profit: $15.1 billion

5 years of Netflix executive pay: $652 million

5 years of taxes paid by Netflix: $236 million

In a 5-year span, Netflix paid their top executives nearly 3x what they paid in federal income tax.

Our tax system is corporate-rigged.

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@rbreich You can do better than that. All of those executives paid income tax.

wdlindsy , to random
@wdlindsy@toad.social avatar

"Because two presidents who were originally elected by a minority of voters have appointed five of our current SCOTUS justices, the majority of Americans—who would prefer to keep the country as Jefferson and James Madison envisioned—are already living under a quasi-theocracy. And Christian nationalism’s enduring popularity only promises to make this tyranny of the minority worse."

~ Aldous J. Pennyfarthing

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/3/1/2226851/-Poll-A-majority-of-Republicans-identify-as-Christian-nationalists

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@wdlindsy How many of them know what Christian Nationalist means?

MJ , to random
@MJ@progressivecafe.social avatar

“And this brings me to the second reason I’m wholly unconcerned about Biden’s age: I find Vice President Kamala Harris to be ready and capable of stepping in should Biden falter. If anything, I find the obsession about Biden’s age to be little more than veiled attacks on Harris—attacks that wouldn’t be happening if Harris were a different gender and race.” -Elie Mystal

Same.

It’s Time to Get Over Biden’s Age:
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/its-time-to-get-over-bidens-age/

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@MJ Yes. Kamala was my first choice the moment I saw her speech declaring her candidacy. She would be an excellent president. All complaints about her that I have seen are shallow and/or uninformed.

golgaloth , to bookstodon group
@golgaloth@writing.exchange avatar

I collect the corpses of dead trees and display them in my house.

What books are you reading?

@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@golgaloth @bookstodon I read on an electronic device sold by one of the most reviled billionaires on the planet. Current read: Dead Silence by S, A, Barnes

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@golgaloth @Jon_Kramer @bookstodon Yes! Scalzi is a genius.

BuffaloCrisps , to bookstodon group
@BuffaloCrisps@mastodon.ie avatar

@bookstodon

I am not normally a fan of but by is exceptional. Tis like a scifi equivalent to The Red Badge of Courage. Ok, granted, some bits haven't aged well but it's still an insightful piece of work. (I'd say more but avoiding spoilers.)

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@BuffaloCrisps @bookstodon The 70's is when I started reading sci-fi. That was one of my favorites.

hawksquill , to bookstodon group
@hawksquill@writing.exchange avatar

My 2024 reading thread is below!

Book 1: On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

5 stars

Stunning art, lovely found family, and a fun sci fi setting, all while managing to strike the perfect balance between cozy and yearning.

@bookstodon

farbel ,
@farbel@mas.to avatar

@hawksquill @bookstodon Bought!

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