This is deeply disturbing. This inhumane treatment is being done by our government with our tax dollars in our name. We need to protest.

Gestapo posting about their work.

This makes me want to vomit. Only dictators put their own image on their country's currency.

Jane Goodall talking about how she wants to be remembered.

So now that the MAGA cult hates the NFL anyway, could we maybe bring Colin Kaepernick back?

Who is this “we” Botox Barbie is talking about?

Smart move on the administration's part to target an event that nobody in the US pays attention to. Threatening the Super Bowl is definitely a good way to win over Joe Six-Pack.

I have been critical of Kristoph's approach to Africa in the past, but this year, he has redeemed himself by regularly reporting details on the affects of Trump's inhumane cuts to development assistance. This is a great story that emphasizes the ways Africans are themselves addressing problems.

I wonder how this sounded in the original German?

This is not an isolated incident. There seems to be something every day. So, maybe firing all of the air traffic controllers and making working for the government awful was a bad idea after all?

2025 sucks.

Struggling a bit with some tough family stuff. What do you all do to cheer yourselves up?

a very important thread on how and why Title IV and language programs specifically, are vital to an internationally engaged curriculum, and world.

A wide range of academic organizations has signed a letter calling on the Department of Education to reinstate the Title VI program. For those not familiar, Title VI funds foreign language and area studies programs. The funding has prepared generations of students for international work and research

It was bicycle rush hour in Boston this morning!

A little joy from my garden this morning.

Fantastic interview with the woman who was the inspiration for the Olivia children's books. They were among my favorites to read my kids, and now I know why: "Ian was cantankerous. He was extremely smart and witty. Extremely judgmental. He was a true queen." If you don't know the books, find them!

Democrats should never vote to fund a government that's waging war on its own citizens and firing officials *because* they insist on following court orders instead of breaking the law. Let Senate Republicans nuke the filibuster. None of this is normal and it shouldn't be treated as such.

Interesting to note that the coal industry in the U.S. employs just a tad over 40,000 people, according to the BLS. The same source tells us that 64,000 people work at wineries.

Sadly true.

My 12-year-old was talking about “old style rap, you know, like from the 1900s.” From the 1900s? Like that’s ancient history. I have never felt so old.

When your garden is full of peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini, it’s the perfect time for a meze platter. Babaganouche, hummus, muhammara, and fresh garden veggies for dipping.

Same reaction, but Zimbabwe (Mugabe) and South Africa (not just apartheid)

Time once again to remember how Trevor Noah, early in his stint as host of The Daily Show back in 2016, told us Trump would be America’s African dictator. Eerily, he even started off by lampooning Trump’s penchant for marble, gold, and escalators!

When I started graduate school in 1986, I never imagined how relevant my studies of African politics would be to understanding the United States. Anyone who has studied Mobutu or Amin can see what is happening in the US under Trump.

The problem, of course, is that we can’t believe anything the government says. When you lie systematically, no one will ever believe you, even when you tell the truth.

The Portuguese version of 16 Tons has been raising my spirits this week. Tom Ribeira’s voice is so deep but at the same time light. I love that it’s not a translation of the song but instead, basically, “Come listen to this cool song and dance, it’s the famous 16 Tons!”

Honest question: Do you think the Trump folks are too stupid to understand that Antifa is not actually a formal group? Or do they know it and are just using the terrorist designation as an excuse to attack anyone who opposes fascism?

This is not a person in command of their mental faculties. Thank you to ABC for just letting the president speak for a couple of minutes so that we all can see how off he really is.

I did not have Jimmy Kimmel saving democracy on my list of predictions for 2025. 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷

This was my canning therapy the past week: * a dozen jars of bread & butter pickles from cukes grown in my garden; * 8 jars of pickled beets from the farmers market; * 2 dozen jars of farmers market peach jam. The fascists can’t take this pleasure from me.

Well, this is reassuring. Light at the end of the tunnel?

Most. Corrupt. Administration. Ever.

The way that ICE is terrorizing people is simply inexcusable. Ramming people's cars, smashing their windows, refusing to identify themselves -- these are not tactics that can be sustained in a democratic society. An email from a church friend of mine: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/m...

I can totally believe that Ezra Klein said Dems should run pro-life candidates, because it’s pretty consistent with his mediocre political instincts. But, of course he’s completely wrong.

Kinda love this protest sign:

Just watched Superman with my kid, and Elon Musk is clearly Lex Luthor.

Apparently, there was a white pride march in Boston yesterday.

A question I’ve been pondering lately: Do Trump supporters not see that Trump is a terrible human being? Or do they see it and just don’t care?

Analysis | To get himself back on the air, Jimmy Kimmel must call for the execution of homeless people.

Attitude toward the world today. Better to keep away from social media.

So, any opposition to fascism is now officially terrorism? What a great way to give the president sweeping authority to shut down anyone who criticizes him! 🙄🙄🙄

The country is going crazy this week, so a good time to take a few days off social media to re-watch The Great Gatsby, The Sting, and Out of Africa. All the President's Men might be a bit too on point. Or maybe it would be good to remember a time when the press actually spoke truth to power.

I posted this before Karen Attain was fired. It's as though the Washington Post wanted to prove my point by firing their last full-time black opinion writer. karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washin...

The Washington Post’s decline continues to accelerate. Karen was one of the few bright spots remaining at the Post. The whitening of their opinion pages is truly distressing. Shame on Jeff Bezos.

Americans tend to be pretty myopic, regarding our politics in isolation. The fact that the spread of authoritarianism is international though should concern us. The international connections of anti-immigrant and anti-trans mobilization strengthen them and make them harder to fight.

Jeff Hiller winning an Emmy makes me happy. I don’t watch much TV, but I’ve watched and loved Somebody, Somewhere, because it’s about real people learning to be kind to each other and themselves. Plus it’s set in Kansas.

If I understand how cancel culture works: Because a conservative commentator apologized for advocating execution of mentally ill homeless people, all is forgiven. But anyone who just quotes Charlie Kirk’s actual words must be fired and permanently ostracized, no apology accepted? Correct?

he was a champion of free speech and if you disagree youre under arrest