Marcus Noland

Personal account. My opinions, not my employers'. For my professional life, look elsewhere.

[Senator Ruben Gallego @SenRubenGallego]

My father walked out on my family when I was a kid. My mother raised us. I made my own way, joined the Marines, and built a life he had no part in. There are thousands of American boys doing the same thing right now, growing up determined to be better men than the fathers who left them.

Kari Lake decided to take the hardest part of my family’s life and turn it into a weapon. She has claimed for years that I'm controlled by the cartels because of my father.

I am not ashamed of where I come from. Kari Lake should be ashamed of what she is willing to say to get ahead. Thank you to @SenTimKaine for calling it how it is.

[Crazy Vibes @CrazyVibes_1]

Brian May's PhD thesis sat in the loft of his Surrey home for 33 years. In 2006 — he put everything in his life on hold for a full year, went back to Imperial College, and finished it. His professor said he had a mountain to climb reviewing 30 years of scientific work. Brian May climbed it anyway. The most extraordinary act of academic commitment in rock history.

In 1970 — Brian May began a PhD in astrophysics at Imperial College London.

He supplemented his grant with income from part-time teaching and playing in bands with Roger Taylor. Soon they were joined by Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. Queen was formed.

For four years — Brian tried to do both.

His doctoral thesis on interplanetary dust was taking shape. But the grant was running out. And music was beginning to take over his life.

In 1974 — before leaving — he co-authored two research papers based on his work at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, Spain.

Then he made a decision.

He abandoned his thesis — or more exactly, as he put it himself — he put it on the back burner. And the rest is history.

The 48,000-word thesis — Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud — was stored in the loft of his home in Surrey.

It stayed there for 33 years.

Then in 2006 — something changed.

Brian told Time magazine — "Suddenly my subject became very in-demand again. I started talking about astronomy again to people who said — 'Why don't you still do it?' I put everything — and I mean everything — on hold for a year. And they put me in a little office in Imperial College and I got down to it."

His professor was honest about what awaited him.

Professor Rowan-Robinson said — "Brian brought along print outs of what he had written in 1974. It was then that I realised Brian was going to have a mountain to climb — reviewing 30 years of work."

Brian May climbed it.

He re-registered for his PhD in 2006. Less than a year later — he submitted it successfully.

In 2007 — Brian Harold May was awarded his PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London.

Thirty-three years after he first abandoned it.

For a band called Queen.

He sacrificed his academic career to play rock and roll.

Then sacrificed a year of his rock career to finish what he had started.

Some people simply cannot leave things undone.

[Marcus Noland @marcus_noland]

I couldn't find anything appropriate from our leader, so I'll borrow from our neighbor. #DDay2026 #Canada

[Mark Carney @MarkJCarney]

82 years ago, 14,000 Canadians landed on Juno Beach, many of whom would never come home.

On the anniversary of D-Day, we pause to honour those who served and sacrificed. We remember that our rights, our freedoms, and our way of life were fought for and were won by those who answered the call.

[Robert Faturechi @RobertFaturechi]

New: A top White House aide intervened to get a $620 million Pentagon loan for a company tied to Donald Trump Jr.

“The call came from the White House: We have to get this done,” said one person involved.

https://t.co/duvJ0cQ9bH

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Stephen Colbert aired his final show last night after Paramount fired him to appease Trump.

The Ellisons are now eyeing Warner Bros — and Trump's eager to give it to them.

His media takeover is happening in broad daylight. Here's what we can do about it.

[Covie @covie_93]

Officer Eugene Goodman deserves compensation not the insurrectionists.

[Rep. Mike Levin @RepMikeLevin]

🚨Last night in House Appropriations, all Republicans present voted to allow THEMSELVES to get settlements from the January 6th Slush Fund. I am not making this up.

[Vince Mpls @vincempls]

June 1, 1933: The "Fund of German Trade and Industry" is created, a huge slush fund administered by Martin Bormann in the Führer's name. The regime used the funds to compensate SA Stormtroopers who committed street violence, subsize the SS, and enrich Nazi party officials.

[Robert Reich @RBReich]

Cartoon by Nick Anderson.

(Follow him on Substack: https://t.co/iMqtLGVlI5)

[Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum]

"Rarely, if ever, is anyone given a diplomatic posting directly following such a spectacular failure, especially one that did so much damage to American interests around the world."

https://t.co/pxEzixLJjD

[Marcus Noland @marcus_noland]

Statue of Baal.

[Christopher Hale @ChristopherHale]

NEW: MAGA evangelical leaders gather in Mar-a-Lago to bless and dedicate a gold statue dedicate to Donald Trump.

[Barry R McCaffrey @mccaffreyr3]

The principle threat to national security is the abnormal behavior of Mr Trump. We have two more years of this very strange mental state. Irrational. Erratic. Lawless. Extreme narcissism. Inventing realities that don’t exist. He wields unconstrained power.

[In Ukraine @InUKRofficial]

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk claims her first WTA 1000 title by defeating "neutral" Russian Mirra Andreeva, celebrating the victory with a backflip. Congrats, girl!

[Joe Scarborough @ScarboroughNow]

Americans love their Canadian brothers and sisters. They are the greatest allies, friends, and neighbors any country could have. So proud of Buffalo Sabres fans. 🇺🇸🇨🇦
#canada #sabres

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

even Kim Jong Un has refrained from putting himself on North Korea's passport

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

I offer my support to those who advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States of America and around the world. I pray that your efforts will lead to a greater acknowledgement of the dignity of every person, and will inspire others to work for the same just cause.
https://t.co/0PBPY2Gl83

[Norman Ornstein @NormOrnstein]

Collaboration Broadcasting System

[Dudes Posting Their W’s @DudespostingWs]

A runner cramped up just before the finish line at the Boston Marathon, and a few other runners stopped to help him get across.

[Marcus Noland @marcus_noland]

@BSO Russell was 22-0 in "winner-take-all" games, including NCAA tournaments and the Olympics. 22-0. Accident?