Skip Montanaro

@smontanaro.net

1002 Followers 1521 Following

Vintage bike rider, book reader, retired software engineer, disappointed in political developments in the US. https://linktr.ee/skip.montanaro

Image of a Jasmine Crockett Bluesky post under the "Quiet Posters" tab.
Other Deep South states may stake their own claims, but South Carolina is America's most conservative state and, as often as not, finds itself at the top or bottom of some lists of negative distinction. Indeed, South Carolinians who cringe at thought of being distinguished as worst in the nation in this or that category have been known to "Thank God for Mississippi." From a strictly constitutional-historical standpoint, however, South Carolina's legacy of firsts and lasts reads like a rap sheet: first to overturn a provincial government during the revolutionary period; last to abandon the Atlantic slave trade; first to call for nullifying the Constitution's federal authority; first to secede from the Union; last to abolish the white primary; first to litigate against the integration of public schools; first to challenge the Voting Rights Act. Whenever America finds itself at some social or political crossroads and in need of direction, perhaps the best thing to do is ask, "What would South Carolina do?" And then do the opposite. History can be painful to revisit. But even the most selective of revisionists cannot soothe this discomfiting truth: For the past two centuries, the South has served as a regional brake against the civil, social, and po-litical advances in American history-and South Carolina has provided the lead foot on the pedal. From the revolutionary period through today's new federalism, this most rebellious of states from the nation's most rebellious region has consistently opposed, defied, or ignored the expectations and edicts of the rest of the Republic, and the state's belligerence, racism, misogyny, and violence have provided the key signposts along the route. Of the many democratic blessings to which Americans point proudly as proof that we merit the title "leader of the free world," most were achieved despite the opposition of southern conservatives and, in particular, recalcitrant South Carolinians. Such is the legacy-such is the "heritage"-o…
Cities are for people Back in 2012, I bought a bike for $50 at a garage sale. I'd just graduated from law school and had to start paying for public transit, so I thought a bike was the perfect cheat code for getting around the city for free. Back then, there were no bike lanes, and I battled rush hour drivers for one week before giving up on biking. For years, I got around via transit, walking and - eventually - the new technology of ride-share. When I became a mother in 2020, my transportation needs changed. In 2021, on vacation on a car-free island, I rented a bike with a baby seat on the back, and it opened my eyes to a new way of getting around. I quickly bought a used bike with a baby seat. A few months later, I upgraded to an electric cargo bike. I started biking around my neighborhood for school drop-off and errands. Then I started riding my bike to work, taking Halsted Street from Lincoln Park to Bridgeport. I loved the freedom my bike gave me, but I also experienced many close calls with drivers in the same bike lane where Riley O'Neil recently lost his life. A 2024 study sponsored by the city's Department of Transportation showed that Chicago experienced a 119% increase in biking citywide between fall 2019 and spring 2023, the highest growth rate among the 10 largest cities in the United States. In 2025, Chicagoans took 6.8 million trips on Divvy bikes. What is the city willing to do to continue grow-ing that number? Are our leaders willing to reimagine our streets as places for all kinds of transportation? Are they willing to carve out space for my son and his friends to ride safely in their neighborhoods? I hope the answer is yes because cities are for people, and we're out here already. Molly Fleck, Chicago
Chart of ICLN since Jan 1, 2026 showing the climb in value and subsequent fall as Trump's war on Iran ebbed and flowed.
The Number $110 trillion The net wealth of Americans who are baby boomers or older. Gen X, millennials and Gen Z aren't going to inherit that anytime soon, though. People are living longer, spending more on themselves and parceling out their riches in smaller doses to children and grandchildren. The so-called great wealth transfer people are anticipating is less "great" and more "late."
Plot from Google Finance showing recent closing prices for the front month of Crude Oil futures. The plot shows the price up 42.82% since the close on Feb 27 ($67.02 vs $90.76 as of about 21:00 UTC).
Wile E Coyote has just run off the cliff, looking back where he came from but hasn't yet fallen.
DuckDuckGo documenting 115 recent tracking attempts by Functional Software built into the Bluesky Android app.
Another ride poster for rides remembering Alex Pretti, this one starting at Mack's in Evanston IL, departing at 1:30.
1/25 @ 4pm, Fountain Square Community Vigil to honor the recent losses in the Minneapolis community Four people ATM in arm looking toward a musical staff in the background.
Protest poster: Emergency Action in response to another shooting by CBP. From Chicago to Minneapolis Stop ICE Terror Sat 1/24 3PM Little Village Arch
Screenshot of an article title from the New York Times which reads, "In a Tirade, Trump Calls Somalis 'Garbage' as ICE Prepared Crackdown"
Poster advertising the movie "Uncle Buck." Uncle Buck (John Candy) outside the front door, his relatives inside.
Summaries of two Brave ads for the Blockchain Futurist Conference, one touting Eric Trump's appearance as an inducement to attend.
Image of Bizzaro Superman (from https://www.cbr.com/bizarro-different-superman-dc-comics/)
"The Buried Giant," Kazuo Ishiguro
Signs over the Church/Edens overpass. One reads "STOP ICE CRUELTY" on poster boards. The other reads "ICE GO HOME!" with the organization website URL underneath it (NorthShoreSaysNO.org).
Front side of t-shirt reading, "Ukraine Bicycle Project, est 2000."
Back side of t-shirt from the Pony Shop in Evanston IL, reading "We Stand With Ukraine."
Dark blue Fuji The Finest bike with chrome panels and red accents. Medium blue handlebar tape and red cable housing offer further contrasting accent colors.
Lily, a labrador retriever, standing on the apron of a gazebo in a sea of dune grass with a rusty well head and trees in the background.
nokings.org white crown with a red "X" through it.
Bingo Card with "Pete Hegseth" as the free spot.
S&P 500 performance since the start of 2025, 13% down.
Short pan across the Nashville protest crowd. Plenty of honking.
Snapshot of US stock futures around 21:00 EDT 6 April showing drops of three to five per cent for the three major contracts.
Hands Off! demo clip
Speaker Mike Johnson's district map showing how carefully it needed to be drawn to presumably give him a "safe" district, one in which he could safely ignore the needs of his constituents.
Goose stops five story building.
Sign from International Women’s Day protest in Chicago reading “We will not go back!”
International Women's Day Chicago flyer. Saturday, March 8th, 11:30 rally at Daley Plaza, 12:30 march to Trump Tower.
Poster announcing protests for International Women's Day, March 8th. Cities mentioned are: Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Honolulu, Huntington Beach, Los Angeles, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Santa Fe, San Antonio and Seattle. (There are probably many other locations.)
Poster stating “Bad Doge” with sketch of a Doge coin. The dog says, “whoof!”
Protestors in Daley Plaza with Picasso sculpture in the background
Lots of people, flags and placards braving the cold at the Chicago Water Tower.
Early on, thin crowd in front of the Chicago Water Tower. Ukrainian flag in the foreground.
Economic boycott (stern, red bunny) Don't buy stuff Friday Feb 28 We Have Power No: Amazon, Walmart, Target, fast food, gas OK: small businesses, use cash
Screenshot of the beginning of an email from the Social Security Administration about "National Slam the Scam Day," coming up on March 6th. "On National Slam the Scam Day and throughout the year, we give you the tools to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information."
Leaving Millennium Park, looking west toward Michigan Avenue.
On the way out off Millennium Park.
No Kings Day flyer. Come out and celebrate with your besties...
No Kings Day flyer, Feb 17, noon local time. Find your peeps in DC, or at your state's capitol or your city hall.
I want Reacher.
Take Back Democracy, No King's Day, Feb 17, 2025, Noon @ The Bean in Chicago
Calder's flamingo, before the protest I guess.
Lonely Calder flamingo in front of the Kluczynski Federal Office Building. No protesters.
Alexander Calder's flamingo in the Chicago Loop. Kluczynski Federal Building and post office in the background. Significantly, no protesters in the foreground.
Snippet from the top of The NY Times "The Morning" newsletter which, under German Lopez's byline reads, "Good morning. We're covering the overhaul of the federal government."
Bike on a bridge over the (I think) St Joseph River on the northern outskirts of South Bend, IN.
Bike leaning against a tree, covered in snow kicked up by the tires on the Green Bay Trail.
A simple trivet or two.