Tom Bentley

Here’s to the bombing stopping soon, while I get bombed: Here’s a Manhattan, kind of, with Redwood Empire rye, Dolin vermouth, Angostura and Peychaud’s bitters, cherry and a twist. But with a 1/2 oz. of Costco Orange Liqueur, which I suspect is Grand Marnier. Or its sister. Peace on earth, please.

Visions of Life / Agents of Death: On Love Thy Neighbor and Love Thy Nature Donald Trump's world is a dead and lonely world, a world in which everything is for sale and nothing really means anything and no one else matters. Earlier this year, he pressed Nobel Peace Prize winn...

So much an eloquent voice of both reason and passion:

www.meditationsinanemergency.com/visions-of-l...

PETITION: Don't Let the Federal Government Regulate Your Reading Not one country's freedom and liberty has ever been increased by banning books.

Don't let the American government decide what books you and your family are allowed to read.

action.everylibrary.org/hr_7661 via @everylibrary.bsky.social

The Self-Help Trap: What 20+ Years of "Optimizing" Has Taught Me - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss “We cannot reason ourselves out of our basic irrationality. All we can do is to learn the art of being irrational in a reasonable way.” — Aldous Huxley, Island It was cold out, but none of us were col...

Measured reflection from Tim Ferriss on what truly liberates the self: relating to and helping others.

tim.blog/2026/03/04/t...

World Wildlife Day as a reminder of what nature does for us Conservation is often framed as something we do for nature — an act of stewardship toward species and ecosystems that cannot advocate for themselves. That framing is not wrong, but […]

Amen.

https://thecarbonalmanac.org/world-wildlife-day-as-a-reminder-of-what-nature-does-for-us/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DailyDifference&utm_content=World%20Wildlife%20Day%20as%20a%20reminder%20of%20what%20nature%20does%20for%20us

Opinion | Legally Creative, Democratically Dangerous: Trump’s Plan to Twist the News

A free press—a Constitutional right—on shaky ground:

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/o...

Friday eve oohs and ahh—a Celtic Kiss w/ Yellow Spot 12 Irish, Dry Curaçao, Benedictine, cherry & Meyer lemon bitters, splash soda water, orange peel.

We made it up, so I’m prejudiced, but nom, nom, nom! #cocktails

I was reading today some essays by Ursula Le Guin, and one of them is on libraries. It ends like this:

"A public library is a public trust.
And that freedom must not be compromised. It must be available to all who need it, and that’s everyone, when they need it, and that’s always."

Don't Ban Books in the United States Across the country, the freedom to read is under attack. Books are being removed from shelves, librarians are being targeted, and students are losing access to diverse, age-appropriate materials that

Across the country, the freedom to read is under attack.

Books are being removed from shelves, librarians are being targeted, and students are losing access to materials that reflect their lives and expand their understanding of the world.
#libraries
bit.ly/4cxv5qz via @everylibrary.bsky.social

Powerful writing about a suffocating topic. Thank you for your strength

Auspicious Omens and Excellent Insubordination I started this out as a letter to a friend who's feeling down about where we as a nation are at in this moment, and I am still learning how this newsletter thing works so thought I could use the newsletter template to produce a private document, maybe a PDF,

Rebecca Solnit, a mountain of stellar reason and passion, says it so well here—there is a sound basis for resolute hope, despite the wounds to democracy:

https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/auspicious-omens-and-excellent-insubordination/

If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff.

Democracy dies in oligarchy.

What technology takes from us – and how to take it back | Rebecca Solnit The long read: Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collectiv...

A beautifully written piece by Rebecca Solnit on what we lose when we let technology think, talk and feel for us.
#AI #technology #humanity

www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

This Knock Knock is No Joke To Whom It Should Concern

Free speech? Yeah, I remember that from way back when. Or maybe that was the five-cent cigar. Hard to say today...

This Knock Knock is No Joke
open.substack.com/pub/managing...

Masked government agents are conducting “show me your papers” stops, detaining 5-year-olds to use them as bait, and brutally murdering U.S. citizens.

Call it what it is — fascism.

History will not look fondly on politicians and so-called "leaders" of this country who stood by and enabled this.

Everyone with authority must speak out now against Trump's depravity and lawlessness.

Every Democratic leader.

Every university, professional association, charity, and foundation head.

Every CEO.

Every religious leader.

If they don't, history will condemn their cowardice and complicity.

Weak Violence, Strong Peace: Who We Are in This Crisis It's getting more extreme out there, especially in Minnesota where the unaccountable army of the Trump regime has, in the wake of its murder, beaten up employees, ripped civilians from their cars, kid...

Wise words, as usual from Rebecca Solnit:

www.meditationsinanemergency.com/weak-violenc...

A boost after a wearying week of anti-democratic horror: a Celtic Kiss w/ Yellow Spot Irish, Dry Curaçao, Benedictine, cherry and lemon bitters, soda water, orange wheel.

Me and galpal Alice won second place in a drinks recipe contest with this, but didn’t get a durn thing. But the drink’s good!

Notes on Unbearable Stupidity, January 6, 2026 Edition "A year ago, I went to Copenhagen to write about the political crisis Trump had created over Greenland," Anne Appelbaum said the other day on the hellsite formerly known as Twitter. "Danes told me tha...

We might still have a democracy, but the alarm bells aren't merely sounding, they are screaming. #democracy #lunacy

www.meditationsinanemergency.com/notes-on-unb...

Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social

Speaking of which, with shoutouts to @elizmccrack.bsky.social, @mdbell79.bsky.social, @arealmattgreene.bsky.social, and indeed @sarahlkaufman.bsky.social!

A Last Meal With One of the Finest Food Writers in America

This beguiling writer sounds gifted, eccentric, and charming. And she knew how to cook a coyote. #recipes #cooking

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...

Joan Didion and Kurt Vonnegut Had Something to Say. We Have It on Tape.

Fascinating to hear these short snippets of famous authors (Baldwin, Didion, Vonnegut and more) speaking at presentations:

#JamesBaldwin #JoanDidion #KurtVonnegut

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/b...

Beatiful and moving piece. Here’s to your friend’s memory.

Sad to hear that Betty Soskin died, but at 104, she moved through time, and with impact. I talked with her 10 years back in a very short profile for The American Scholar:

#BettyReidSoskin

theamericanscholar.org/riveting/

This is hilarious (but scary, since the robots are coming)/

Hollywood’s Creative Reset Is Underway What Hollywood’s consolidation, automation, and creative reset mean for people who make the work

Ay, yi, yi... #Hollywood #MediaConsolidation #Anxiety

open.substack.com/pub/mediabis...

A proud gathering of mushrooms under some pines at New Brighton State Park (CA) yesterday. No, we didn't eat any...
#mushrooms

SEND AN EMAIL: Support the Right to Read in the United States In a moment when censorship is spreading rapidly, and school libraries remain dramatically under-resourced, this bill sends a clear message

In a moment when censorship is spreading rapidly, and school libraries remain dramatically under-resourced, this bill sends a clear message:

Fund school libraries, stop book bans.

action.everylibrary.org/hr6640s3365 via @everylibrary.bsky.social