Patrick Verbiest

@patrickverbiest.bsky.social

534 Followers 824 Following

My passion lies in: science and technology. I am a Leftist, Anti-Fascist, Anti-Monarchist, Agnostic-Atheist and Anti-Theist. | Den Helder, The Netherlands.

The Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag.
Tweet from Geert Wilder to Donald Trump about Rob Jetten. Text from Tweet: "Dear President @realDonaldTrump this is what the new Dutch Prime Minister @MinPres Jetten wrote about you after you won the elections in November 2024: “Trump, a convicted criminal, becomes president of the US. A misogynist who wants to take away hard-won freedoms, such as abortion. A man who openly flirts with dictators. What lies ahead are years of chaos, division, and recklessness.” Please don’t trust him, the man is a leftish liberal politician and an enemy of the people and he hates your guts. He is now also attacking @PM_ViktorOrban who is a thousand times better leader then Jetten himself." Date: 22th of March 2026. Time: 09:04 AM. PS: Geert Wilders still has not figured out how to spell leftist.
Stop Destroying Games Logo.
The Intersex-inclusive Progress Pride Flag.
GIF of a massive number of Helldivers saluting in the foreground. Super Earth flag in the background.
Article from The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW): Title article: Academy: academic freedom in the Netherlands under pressure. Introduction to article: For scientists in the Netherlands, the scope to choose their own research topic and approach is being continuously squeezed. Freedom to collaborate with foreign colleagues is also under pressure. And due to intimidation, researchers are withdrawing from the social debate. This is the verdict of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in a report published today, in which it analyses a number of current threats against academic freedom and calls on various parties to take measures to better protect this freedom in the Netherlands. Date of publication: 15-05-2025.
Tweakers.net article (translated). Article title: X lost millions of users in Europe in recent months. (Dutch: X verloor de afgelopen maanden miljoenen gebruikers in Europa.) Introduction to article: X, formerly Twitter, lost around 10.5 million users in the European Union over the past five months, according to a transparency report the platform must publish to comply with the Digital Services Act. (Dutch: X, het voormalige Twitter, verloor de afgelopen vijf maanden ongeveer 10,5 miljoen gebruikers in de Europese Unie. Dat blijkt uit het transparantierapport dat het platform moet publiceren om te voldoen aan de Digital Services Act.) Written by: Daan van Monsjou. Date & time of publication: 8:02 PM CEST (UTC+2), 30-04-2025.
NRC article (through Google Translate): Article title: Martin Bosma of the PVV reads, who listens? (Dutch: Martin Bosma van de PVV leest voor, wie luistert?). Translated text in image: On Thursday, Bosma does not want to say anything about the dinner or about the idea of ​​'Greater Netherlands' that he is said to have expressed there. Only this: "On such an evening, politics are discussed and about things that could possibly happen, yes." Article written by: Petra de Koning. Date of publication: 22 April 2025.
NRC article (through Google Translate): Article title: Martin Bosma of the PVV reads, who listens? (Dutch: Martin Bosma van de PVV leest voor, wie luistert?). Translated text in image: In early February, Bosma attended a dinner with a group of members of parliament and the French ambassador. Those members of parliament, and according to them also the ambassador, were astonished when they heard Bosma say what Geert Wilders also said once: that the Netherlands would like to have Flanders included. Then Wallonia could, Bosma said according to the members of parliament, go to France. Article written by: Petra de Koning. Date of publication: 22 April 2025.
My results for the Humanists UK quiz about how much of a Humanist, one is. My score = 100%.
Article from: The Associated Press. Title article: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen barred from seeking office for 5 years, a political earthquake. Introduction to article: PARIS (AP) — A French court on Monday convicted Marine Le Pen of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years — a hammer blow to the far-right leader’s presidential hopes and an earthquake for French politics. Article written by: Sylvie Corbet and John Leicester. Date & time of publication: Updated 3:42 PM CEST, March 31, 2025.
Article from the Associated Press. Title article: Trump executive order on Smithsonian targets funding for programs with ‘improper ideology’. Introduction article: WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targets funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” the latest step in a broadside against culture he deems too liberal. Written by: Darlene Superville. Published: Updated 2:45 AM CET, March 28, 2025.
Article from: The Atlantic. Title: Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal. Introduction to article: The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief. Article written by: Jeffrey Goldberg and Shane Harris. Date & time of publication: March 26, 2025, 8:19 AM ET.
TPM (Talking Points Memo) article. Title article: Bondi Continues Using DOJ As Musk Retribution Weapon In Warning To Dem Who Protested Tesla. Written by: Khaya Himmelman. Date and time of publication: March 24, 2025, 11:49 a.m.
Picture of Elon Musk. Giving creepy look. Wearing: Black "Make America Great Again" hat with grey lettering. A black jacket. And a grey "Occupy Mars" shirt with white lettering, with said lettering being partly obscured by said jacket.
Article from: Reuters. Title article: Romanian election mired in uncertainty after far-right Georgescu banned. Summary: • Romania to rerun presidential election in May. • Earlier election voided due to suspicion of Russian meddling. • Georgescu won initial first-round ballot, remains popular. • Georgescu stops short of endorsing any other potential candidate. Introduction to article: BUCHAREST, March 11 (Reuters) - Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu on Tuesday stopped short of endorsing any other potential candidate after being definitively barred from standing in May's presidential election rerun, adding to uncertainty over who would replace him. Article written by: Luiza Ilie. Date & time of publishing: March 11, 2025, 9:51 PM GMT+1.
Article from Reuters: Title article: Romania's far-right candidate Calin Georgescu to challenge presidential election ban. Summary: • Far-right candidate barred from running for presidency. • Candidate Georgescu to contest ban at top court. • Elon Musk criticises ban as 'crazy'. • Analysts expect ban to be upheld amid geopolitical worries. Introduction to article: BUCHAREST, March 10 (Reuters) - Romanian far-right presidential contender Calin Georgescu said on Monday he would challenge a decision to bar him from taking part in an election rerun in May, but analysts said his chances of standing were slim amid fears of Russian meddling. Written by: Luiza Ilie. Date & time of publication: March 10, 2025, 1:09 PM GMT+1.
From whitehouse.gov: Title: Support Pours in for President Trump, VP Vance’s America First Strength. Date: February 28, 2025. Introduction: Today, President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance made clear to the world that the United States will not be taken advantage of — a sentiment echoed by the cabinet and members of Congress from across the country.
Published by Reuters. Text from statement: Statement from the editors of Reuters, The Associated Press and Bloomberg News. Date: 26 February 2025 By: Reuters News Agency Reuters, The Associated Press and Bloomberg News today issued the following statement: The three permanent wires in the White House pool, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News and Reuters, have long worked to ensure that accurate, fair and timely information about the presidency is communicated to a broad audience of all political persuasions, both in the United States and globally. Much of the White House coverage people see in their local news outlets, wherever they are in the world, comes from the wires. It is essential in a democracy for the public to have access to news about their government from an independent, free press. We believe that any steps by the government to limit the number of wire services with access to the President threatens that principle. It also harms the spread of reliable information to people, communities, businesses and global financial markets that heavily depend on our reporting. Julie Pace, Executive Editor, The Associated Press John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg Alessandra Galloni, Editor-in-Chief, Reuters Media Contact: Heather Carpenter Heather.Carpenter@tr.com
Twitter post from: @RightWingCope. Saying: "Interesting!". Underneath text from tweet it shows a collage of three images: 1st: Is from CPAC 2021, where the podium is in the shape of an Odal rune as used by the Nazis. 2nd: Of a black Odal rune against a white background. 3rd: of a German WWII officer with the Odal rune on their collar. Posted on: February 24, 2025, 7:31 PM.
German election 2025 exit polls: Updated at 21:42 CET Federal elections · Second vote From ARD via dpa-infocom · Predicted results · More information Not all votes have been counted 630 seats in total · Results reported by 29 of 299 constituencies CDU/CSU 208 seats Friedrich Merz 28.5% AfD 150 seats Alice Weidel 20.5% SPD 120 seats Olaf Scholz 16.4% GRÜNE 88 seats Robert Habeck 12% Die Linke 63 seats Heidi Reichinnek, Jan van Aken 8.6% BSW 0 seats Sahra Wagenknecht 4.9% FDP 0 seats Christian Lindner 4.6% Other 1 seat 4.5%
Article from: The Guardian. Title article: Jair Bolsonaro charged over alleged far-right coup plot to seize power in Brazil. Introduction to article: Former president has denied breaking the law, while attorney general alleges plot included a plan to poison Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Article written by: Tom Phillips and Tiago Rogero in Rio de Janeiro. Date & Time: Wed 19 Feb 2025 01.43 CET.
Text from the beginning of a The Guardian article: Title article: Trump says he has spoken to Putin and agreed to negotiate Ukraine ceasefire. Introduction to article: US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth says Ukraine would have to cede territory, alarming Kyiv and European allies. Written by: Andrew Roth in Washington, Dan Sabbagh in Brussels and Pjotr Sauer. Date & Time: Wed 12 Feb 2025 23.35 CET. Donald Trump has said that he and Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin negotiations to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, later adding that it was unlikely Kyiv would win back all its territory or join Nato if a deal is to be reached. Trump said that he was “OK” with Ukraine not having Nato membership and that it was “unlikely” that Ukraine would take much land back in the negotiations. Russia “took a lot of land, and they fought for that land and they lost a lot of soldiers”, he told reporters later in the Oval Office. Trump said he was not closely concerned with which territories were handed over. “I’m just here to try and get peace,” he said. “I don’t care so much about anything other than I want to stop having millions of people killed.”
Text APNews: Announcements AP statement on Oval Office access The Associated Press issued this statement on Tuesday from Executive Editor Julie Pace: As a global news organization, The Associated Press informs billions of people around the world every day with factual, nonpartisan journalism. Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing. It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism. Limiting our access to the Oval Office based on the content of AP’s speech not only severely impedes the public’s access to independent news, it plainly violates the First Amendment. AP’s guidance on the Gulf of Mexico and Trump’s executive order regarding the name is available here. By Lauren Easton, The Associated Press FEB. 11, 2025
Text in image: Title Reuters article: Trump's Gaza plan for 'Riviera of the Middle East' triggers international condemnation. By Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick, Jeff Mason and John Irish. February 5, 2025 2:30 PM GMT+1 Updated 2 hours ago. Summary: • Trump's plan draws international condemnation. • Saudi Arabia rejects displacement of Palestinians, demands Palestinian state. • Russia backs Palestinian state. • Palestinians fear another 'Nakba' amid Trump's controversial proposal. • Netanyahu says Trump is thinking with fresh ideas.
Image has George Orwell on the left and a quote of his on the right that reads: He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.
Text in image: Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.
Text in image: Quote: This will always remain one of the best jokes of democracy, that it gave its deadly enemies the means by which it was destroyed. By: Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945.
Image shows a black background with a white border and fancy drawings for each corner. Inside those borders, is on the left a black and white portrait of Thomas Paine. On the the right is a quote by Thomas Paine. Quote: "The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."
Screenshot from Twitter. At top right corner, Twitter displays an alarm clock emoji, next to which it says: Expiring soon. This is displayed right next to the Twitter logo. An equals sign was added by me, between the Twitter logo and the text from the advertisement for a Twitter subscription.
Article in: New York Magazine. Title article: Achtung, Baby Axel Springer’s Mathias Döpfner wants to be a press baron for the digital age, part Murdoch but also part Musk. And still very German. Article written by: Shawn McCreesh. Date of publication: Nov. 10, 2022.
Text statement by: Sarah McBride. I'm not here to fight about bathrooms. I'm here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules as outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them. This effort to distract from the real issues facing this country hasn't distracted me over the last several days, as I've remained hard at work preparing to represent the greatest state in the union come January. Serving in the 119th Congress will be the honor of a lifetime - and I continue to look forward to getting to know my future colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Each of us were sent here because voters saw something in us that they value. I have loved getting to see those qualities in the future colleagues that I've met and I look forward to seeing those qualities in every member come January. I hope all of my colleagues will seek to do the same with me. - Delaware Congresswoman - elect Sarah McBride
Article in: The Associated Press. Title article: Republicans on the House Ethics Committee reject releasing report on Matt Gaetz. Introduction to article: WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday against releasing a report on the panel’s long-running investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the top Democrat on the panel said. Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania said the ethics panel, which is evenly split between the two parties, voted at a lengthy closed-door meeting, and no Republican joined Democrats who wanted to release the report. Wild said she was compelled to speak up after the panel’s Republican chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, characterized what had transpired at its session. He had said there was no agreement reached on the matter. “It was not my intention to make any comment,” Wild said. But she said she did not want “the American public or anyone else to think that Mr. Guest’s characterization of what transpired today would be some sort of indication that the committee had unanimity or consensus on this issue not to release the report.” Article written by: Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves and Farnoush Amiri. Date & Time: Updated 10:50 PM CET, November 20, 2024.
Text in image: 1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.
Text in image: 1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.
Article in: The Hollywood Reporter Title article: MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ Hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Meet With Trump in Bid for “New Approach” to Coverage. Introduction to article: The hosts traveled to Mar-a-Lago over the weekend, where they agreed to "restart communications" with the President-Elect. Article written by: Alex Weprin. Date and time of publication: November 18, 2024 at 4:54 AM.
Tweet by: Jeff Bezos Twitter handle: @JeffBezos Text from tweet: Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
Picture depicts Kamala Harris and Tim Walz at one of their rallies. A screen with the names Kamala Harris, Walz is present in the background.
Text quote: "THE PARTY TOLD YOU TO REJECT THE EVIDENCE OF YOUR EYES AND EARS. IT WAS THEIR FINAL, MOST ESSENTIAL COMMAND... AND IF ALL OTHERS ACCEPTED THE LIE, WHICH THE PARTY IMPOSED, IF ALL RECORDS TOLD THE SAME TALE, THEN THE LIE PASSED INTO HISTORY AND BECAME TRUTH" 1984 - GEORGE ORWELL
In this I share the logic George Orwell used when speaking on Pacifism. Text quote: Pacifism is objectively pro-fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side, you automatically help out that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, 'he that is not with me is against me'. ~ George Orwell
Article published by: The Guardian. Title article: Furor over Washington Post’s decision to not endorse presidential candidate: ‘stab in the back’, ‘dying in darkness’. Introduction to article: Employees outraged at ‘chicken-shit’ move that breaks 30-year precedent, alleging Jeff Bezos quashed Harris support. Written by: Anna Betts. Date & time: 10/25/2024 05:08 PM EDT.
Article published by: Politico. Title article: Never mind: Wall Street titans shake off qualms and embrace Trump. Introduction to article: Many high-dollar donors had turned their backs on Trump after the stolen election lie and Jan. 6, but now have returned. Written by: Sam Sutton. Date & time: 06/10/2024 05:00 AM EDT.
Title article: Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’. Introduction to article: The Republican nominee’s preoccupation with dictators, and his disdain for the American military, is deepening. Written by Jeffrey Goldberg.
Axios article written by April Rubin. Title article: Trump's top general calls former president "fascist" and "dangerous" threat. Intro to article: Retired U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley said former President Trump is "a fascist to the core," according to journalist Bob Woodward's forthcoming book, "War," multiple outlets reported on Friday.
Article title: Trump suggests immigrants have 'bad genes' in latest disparagement of migrants. Intro to article: In the middle of a rant about immigration, Trump said, "We got a lot of bad genes in our country." His campaign said later that "bad genes" was only in reference to murderers. Written by: Jake Traylor, Summer Concepcion and Alana Satlin.