Illustration from The Land of Desolation: Being a Personal Narrative of Observation and Adventure in Greenland by Isaac I. Hayes, New York, 1872. #booksky #artsky #travelsky #naturesky

As I've said, modern digital media IS television, generally the worst parts of it, only more so than televison itself could ever be

remember that atlantic article that pretended to be a first person account of a mother's loss of a child from measles? this is the real thing and it's brutal.

The Tariff Refund Nightmare - The American Prospect In principle, Americans are owed $166 billion in refunds of Trump’s illegal tariffs. But actually collecting is like unscrambling an egg.

The tariff refund process is going to be a nightmare.
•businesses seek refunds, not the consumers they passed costs through to
•small businesses don't have the same compliance shops
•some refund claims sold to Wall Street
Bob Kuttner has more.
prospect.org/2026/04/21/t...

Peter Doig (Scottish, born April 17, 1959)
Milky Way, 1989-90
Oil on canvas
152 x 204 cm
Private collection

#art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt

Emails show Amazon colluding with other firms to raise prices, California authorities allege The previously redacted messages were unveiled as part of an antitrust battle with California attorney general Rob Bonta

www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Today I turn 89. I’ve seen this country at its best and its worst, and I know how much community matters. For my birthday, I’m asking you to stand with PFLAG and support the work that’s helped so many in the LGBTQ+ community, including me. give.pflag.org/page/95493/d...

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving Trump's Cabinet after abuse of power allegations Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet after multiple allegations of abusing her position, including an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the White House said, after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.

One of the Sandy Hook families lives in hiding 1500 mi away from their baby’s grave due to people stalking them.

The graves of multiple children have been defaced.

One of the fathers had to submit DNA evidence to prove his son was a REAL HUMAN BEING after Alex Jones’ book said he never existed.

Apple’s Heir Apparent Steps Into the Spotlight As the company turns 50, the wheels of succession are in motion. John Ternus is likely the next CEO.

A little under a month ago, Businessweek published a profile of the (now) new Apple CEO from my @bloomberg.com colleague Mark Gurman. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Fairfield Porter
Hawkweed (1968)
oil on board 29.2 x 35.6 cm

Just sobbed hardest I have since my mom died in 2020.

She missed these trials by a few months.

One of most ruthless cancers. Hard to fathom that maybe she'd still be here.

I feel such a hole inside.

In case you're wondering if we should fund mRNA research instead of another stupid war ... yes.

“These were originally to have protruded above the roof, like croutons in a concrete soup giving clerestory light, but they were steamrollered due to budgetary necessities”: chef’s-kiss writing

Musk scorned “shady” loopholes, yet offshore tax tricks likely saved Tesla hundreds of millions When Tesla released its annual report for U.S. regulators in January, the Texas-based automaker, led by the world’s richest man, reported a federal tax bill of zero dollars for 2025.

Elon Musk's Tesla reported an estimated federal tax bill of $0 for 2025. A Reuters analysis found that Tesla units in the Netherlands and Singapore posted $18 billion in profits that likely saved the company more than $400 million in US taxes reut.rs/48wd21x

the penne opticon

The Senate is now close to a tossup. (Gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/u...

This Data Center Is Getting a $77 Million Tax Break to Create One Job No other project in the country has gotten such a large subsidy to create so few jobs, according to watchdogs.

NEW: In return for nearly $77 million in tax breaks, the expansion of a JPMorganChase data center in Orangeburg, NY promises to create exactly one permanent job.

The subsidy is the largest of its kind, per job, in the country.

Articles about Jared Kushner's diplomatic role with Iran that mention Kushner has received billions from the Saudi government (2/28-4/19):

NYT: 5 of 58
WashPost: 1 of 43
WSJ: 0 of 40
AP: 0 of 26
CNN Wire: 0 of 18
NY Post: 0 of 17
Chicago Tribune: 0 of 4
LA Times: 0 of 4
Boston Globe: 0 of 2

What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat For the richest men on Earth, everything is free and nothing matters.

Very good. We need the curtain pulled back on these guys by people insightful, independent and incisive enough to cut them and their bullshit down to size. Not surprised a screenwriter fits the bill - really nice job by Noah Hawley.

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

The Forces of Scarcity Hitting Asia May Soon Spread Across the World

Vietnam farmers facing impossible fertilizer costs for rice. Factories in Bangladesh can’t churn out fast fashion due to polyester shortages. Cancelled air flights and steep declines in tourism. All due to dependence on fossil fuels and current skyrocketing costs www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/w...

This Rustic Ferry Is Getting Dismantled in Queens to Become an Artificial Reef The Prudence Ferry has been abandoned for years, but will get a second life in the waters off Fire Island this summer.

I quite enjoyed this story about a disused ferry that's being cleaned up so it can have a second life as an artificial reef.

“As soon as fish find it — literally, they could be on it within a day — the growth begins.”

Exterior of the Grolier Club, 47 E 60th St, which includes an arched entryway, below which are white double doors opened wide to encourage people to come in. To the left of the doors, in a black framed glass case for the display of signage, is a poster promoting the current free exhibit at the Grolier Club, “Running Through Heaven: Visions of Jack Kerouac.” April 18, 2026.

Saturday, I went to the Grolier Club, 47 E 60th St. Founded in 1884, it’s “the oldest existing bibliophilic club in North America.” It also has free exhibits open to the public, including “Running Through Heaven: Visions of Jack Kerouac,” which I saw yesterday. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grolier... #NYC

On this day in 2019, I witnessed one of the coolest things ever. A lenticular cloud lit-up by a setting sun over the Perito Morena Glacier in Argentina.

Trump Library Saga Takes Dark Turn: Where Did Millions in Funding Go? Four huge media conglomerates forked over $63 million in “settlements” earmarked for Trump’s presidential library. Democrats are trying to track that money—and the latest developments don’t inspire co...

SCOOP --> Paramount, Meta, and X are refusing to say what happened to their huge contributions to Trump's presidential library after Sen Elizabeth Warren raised questions about its fund getting dissolved. Ds say tens of millions remain unaccounted for.

Details here:
newrepublic.com/article/2092...

Just over 100 years ago, Jacques Lartigue photographed his partner ‘Bibi’ (Madeleine Messager), quietly reading in a sunlit corner at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, Cap d’Antibes. She lives on reading here forever... (1920)

Ma Yuan's studies of the properties of water, southern Song Dynasty China, ca. 1190 - 1225 CE
3

I think before you build an Arc de Triomphe you should be able to identify at least un (1) triomphe

The economic damage from the war with Iran is mounting. Just the surge in gasoline prices has cost Americans an estimated additional $21.3 billion since the start of the war over 6 weeks ago.

Why Yale’s term paper on what’s wrong with college gets a ‘D-’ | Will Bunch An Ivy League university's report on the loss of faith in higher ed ignores what really killed the American Dream of college.

That Yale report on what's wrong with U.S. college saw some trees (high cost, unfair admission, etc.) but missed the forest: the 60-year right-wing crusade to undermine higher ed, from slashing budgets to stifling speech

How to really fix college. My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/yale...

Fay Ku