Worth reading; discusses challenges that need to be addressed (e.g. Americans pay more but are sicker, and "... a lot of medical research is junk that can't be reproduced..."). Key quote: "The problem with Dr. Bhattacharya is not that he’s cynical... It’s that his theory is naïve about power..."

I haven't listened to this yet, but I definitely will because I think this message will be very much in line with my own thinking, which comes from years as a social scientist studying complexity while living rather uncomfortably in a computational career.

Or the underlying point is just the opposite.

New example of "a paradise built in hell" just dropped. Always remember, when we humans are side by side, not above or below, we are good. Love is the default under all that fear, greed and stratification.

@kenjennings.bsky.social: re: "Candidates that don't suck," I hope you know about @katmabu.bsky.social. www.katforillinois.com/issues/prote...

One day in IL my house got 2.5 inches of rain in 90 minutes. Some places got more than 9" total. A couple days later I suggested to the guy improving my downspouts that his business could tell clients that intense rainfall would be more common. He said he didn't want to get 'political'.

This is very important. From the start ChatGPT- the name, the interface- was designed to make us view it as 'like us' & capable of thought, not just a collection of numbers for text prediction. Creating a social role for an LLM is more imp. than the LLM itself, and it's where any profit comes from.

Spoke with a friend about why social sciences and esp. anthropology are pushed aside for hard sciences and tech. I usually think of market forces & certainty/control vs. ambiguity. She reminded me: It's not an accident. Anthropology is always a critique of power. Anthropology is dangerous. LFG

This scandal makes me furious. I had a work-study job checking IDs in Larkins Hall a few years during this. I worked in the new, public area; the wrestling area was in an old part that renovations left like a maze - separate, private, hard-to-find. I bet it was an easy place to hide. Disgusting.

For the BlueSky world: My (free) book is at: bookrxiv.com/index.php/b/...

Yes to this. Thank you, @michellegoldberg.bsky.social 'Progressives, he said, neither anticipated nor planned for how they might answer a central question of our time: “How would you do politics when the ground has shifted so dramatically from under your feet?”' www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/o...

"... protected by congressional dysfunction..."

TONIGHT AT 7: A new path forward for the Democratic party? Gen-Z Congressional candidate @katmabu.bsky.social joins to discuss her bid for the House and how she wants to change the Democratic platform.

I'm capable of writing code that strips references out of a PDF and then automates basic searches to aid in confirming whether those references do, in fact, exist. Should I? I really don't want to live in a world where we need it, but here we are. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ3e...

NSF's latest list of terminated programs was posted on 5/23 & so doesn't include this. My version (adding PI, abstract, and other details) is at github.com/radical-comp.... I've asked NSF how often they will update their list; when they have updated information I will regenerate my version.

Always read the footnotes. www.nber.org/system/files... I do love fish tacos....

And if you want $3B for trade schools, why not put it in your Big Beautiful Bill (or in the once and future PB26)??

Yeah Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation will sign off on any kind of product -- jewelry, clothing, furniture, dishes, umbrellas, fricking coasters -- the problem is the products are all so good! Because his designs are still that good!

NSF just released a public list of terminated awards. It’s linked on the bottom of the FAQ page at: nsf.gov/updates-on-priorities#termination-list

Steve Rattner: House budget bill would add $3.1T to deficit and debt over coming decade www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFjl...

Ken Paxton likely used a little known database that tracks RX records of controlled substances to target gender affirming care providers. Worse, he can access the prescription records of anyone without a warrant in over 37 states with an agreement with Texas. www.thedissident.news/texas-ag-ken...

@theweeknightmsnbc.bsky.social Loving @symonedsanders.bsky.social challenge their guest- a House member - about what more Congress (and Dems there) can do as the administration keeps escalating everything.

Focus on 2026, NOT 2028. sherrilyn.substack.com/p/part-2-how...

this is a letter to the editor from a high school track runner who came in second to a trans girl in a race. her state house rep in maine started talking about it. so she wrote this: www.pressherald.com/2025/05/14/r...

@aliciamenendez.bsky.social on @theweeknightmsnbc.bsky.social just said something I think should be amplified: "This administration is going piece by piece through the US Constitution and finding opportunities to dismantle it." I agree. I think it's not arbitrary or random, but systematic

I feel like I shouldn't have to post this, but: - If you provide the same level of benefits as before, but do it for less money, that's a 'savings'. - If you provide fewer benefits, that's a 'cut'. - If you say that something is one thing when you know it's another, that's a 'lie'.

Future progressive challenges: I worked with CISA. It's not above criticism; there's a lot of room to improve it. But: - Poor performance isn't malice - I didn't work on election defense - You wouldn't cut election defense unless.... So, cuts & reform yes; these cuts, this way, no.

Me last week: "Democrats should be the party of democracy working!" In the news today: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

In 2024 the Dems had no hope of taking the Senate because they had to 'defend' 23 seats. But in 2026 they have no hope because 22 seats are in red states? www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/u... Dems need what they didn't do in 2024: A robust, functional, primary. Be the party of democracy working!

My understanding of Due Process is that the executive can only do what the legislature specifies, and action against an individual by the executive must be overseen by an independent judiciary. It's not a right held by some individuals and not others, it's a structural limit on government power.

One of the projects on which I worked was led by NREL- the one that focused on energy justice. I wondered when (not if) the administration was going to turn its attention there.

I'm glad that some Democrats are realizing that against 'flood the zone' offense, the response is to defend everything. Don't let a single principle be compromised or a single breach slide. It's hard, but this isn't basketball: We're allowed to put as many players on the floor as we want & can.

Democrats are right to be disappointed with a party that has support from all Dems & 4 Republicans but loses a Senate vote because one R is ill and one D is traveling. And we're right to be disappointed in a system where that vote meant nothing anyway because of absurd rule changes in the House.

I think there are many good people in the Democratic Party currently stunned by the aggressive chaos of the new administration. They will regroup and adjust their strategies. If we want something different, a truly inclusive and progressive view that meets our moment, now is the time to build it.

There is no path to a better world that does not begin with the commitment to respect the dignity of every single person on the earth.

@maddow.msnbc.com Newark, Ohio. Hands Off.

From my walk yesterday.

It took a long time to get to me because it had to be forwarded via my old employer, but I'm proud to have worked on this team and I hope the work we did has a positive impact. I'm also glad I worked on a project with a specific goal of helping undeserved populations deal with a changing climate.

Once after I spoke up at work to support DEI and trans rights another guy pulled me aside to say I should tone it down. When I replied we should do more, not less, he asked, "Is that really the hill you want to die on?" He meant it metaphorically, I'm sure, but it's ringing in my ears lately.

Tonight I'm thinking about the immense level of political imagination, creativity, and work it will take to rescue us from the place we are now and turn us away from the places we seem surely to be headed.

Doing some more driving around Ohio. Here is an Adena mound in the town of Enon, pictured on a chilly but calm and quiet January morning.

An exciting New Year's Day in Newark, Ohio: The Octagon earthworks are now open to the public. A great way to start a new year! (Not shown: The very large crowd of people- so many that they had to use overflow parking. Interest is high- awesome!)