Okay, Mass folks, how do we get this travesty halted immediately?

We have an episode coming out literally next Tuesday about these food assistance programs that are true lifelines for millions of people all around the country (Gastropod on any podcast app). Cutting these programs is, as @rbreich.bsky.social says, devastating. And a deliberate, cruel choice.

I know I chose to live in Somerville and generally I do love it here and I don't generally mind winter but...really, enough already with the snow.

I've seen this multiple times and I feel deeply deeply ill every time. I'm someone who truly loves my religion (w/o believing in anything), so I can understand why people find value in religion, but the state of the US right now makes me...

This is a great video from someone who's consistently pushed for changes that make our community — and will make our state — more accessible to all. I'm a fan, and a supporter of his state senate run.

Me after reading another depressing article about horrible men (at harvard) & Epstein, to spouse: "It's a good thing I have you, I'm not sure how I'd be feeling about men right now." Him, not missing a beat: "It's a good thing I have *you,* I'm not sure how I'd be feeling about Americans right now."

Fri: okay, the storm looks like it might actually hit us, but it won't be too bad, your doctor's office will be open. Sat: Welllll, the storm is definitely getting closer to shore, looks like we'll get hit. Sun: HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS IT'S GOING TO BE A WILD RIDE!" (Readers, the doc did indeed close.)

Huge fan! Locals should follow!

I'm missing something in the 'gen x is the worst generation, least likely to care etc' discourse. I'm gen-x. I was raised on early Earth Days, lots of gender-neutral kids' clothing, Sesame Street, Mr Rogers Neighborhood 1/

Truly, I know I talk about her a lot here, but whenever I'm feeling down, then get to spend a couple of hours (or more, often more these days) with the local first-gen college student I'm mentoring—now working on scholarship apps—I just...feel better. She totally rocks.

Things are so deeply horrifying in the world, & in medicine (vaccines, Moderna, etc), so it's maybe even more moving/beautiful to read stories like this, abt the power of glp-1s to potentially help with addiction (though I'm worried about long-term access!) - www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/12/m...

Super smart, wry, and very very painful.

Just barely functioning these days feels like a full time job.

Democracies can't thrive without informed citizens. Democracy dies in...what was it again? Something like a lack of light? Light that reporting provides?

I couldn't believe this was real and so I clicked on the actual order and saw he did actually write "with a judicial finger in the constitutional dike" and then saw someone also writing out the new testament quotes he referenced and — whew.

Yes, friends, these are lengths we go to make sure we pronounce your name correctly if we refer to you/your work. And for people we interview, this is why I always tell my students to get everyone to say their name into the microphone. (Also why I want to scream when someone mispronounces a name.)

❤️ to my senator.

These videos are THE GREATEST.

This was incredibly painful and difficult and moving to watch, and also, well, ditto to what @polgreen.bsky.social said. Truly inspiring.

We talk about this all the time in my household - we just shoveled, because of course, but also why do cars get their access ways cleared by the city, while pedestrians, which is basically what nearly all of us are here in Somerville, have to rely on regular folks? Are we not an equal priority?

I know the our healthcare *system* is deeply fucked, expensive, unequal, has the potential to lead to all sorts of misery—but I've had truly delightful helpful interactions with different doctors over the past month or so, and I just want to give a shoutout to all of you out there doing amazing work

I can't really say it better than she does, except to say that you should read it—what's going on is both horrifying and truly inspiring.

This is so important to know and understand — why citizen watch groups are working, and that these tactics DO work.

As I frequently write - shouldn't be a surprise, but...holy fuck. And what a piece, my heart is re-broken just reading about her experience trying to cover all of this.

Seems like something we all need to be doing these days... There's a general one for Mass tomorrow at noon, and ones in February for educators miracoalition.org/know-your-ri...

Thank you to my fighting reps @markey.senate.gov and @ayannapressley.bsky.social

Cancelled and they did ask me if it was about ICE and I said yes. Not the hugest traveler but I used Hilton often. Every person who calls, no matter how small their hotels counts. They will be having panicked meetings this week if the trickle turns into a flood.

I re-watched this movie in the theater for a previous milestone and felt like I was in someone's weird fever dream the entire time. It is a *wild* movie, and I love this review.

Reminder: ICE has a budget bigger than most militaries around the world. It has increased its spending on weapons by 700% since Trump took office. Trump is building his own personal military to terrorize American cities, trample on civil rights, and intimidate his opponents.

Sometimes people opposed to new housing here will begrudgingly admit that new supply may slow rent growth in other cities, while insisting that can't work in Cambridge. But plenty of folks in Berkeley said the same thing about their city, and well... www.berkeleyside.org/2025/05/01/b...

Calling science-curious journalists & writers! This year I'm helping run @mblscience.bsky.social's Logan Science Journalism program, a 10-day immersive field experience in Woods Hole. And there are just 9 days left to apply! Send me any Q's, and hope to see you in May! www.mbl.edu/education/lo...

Is anyone working on any such thing for Massachusetts? We keep wondering why we're still sending so much money when legally appropriated funds are being withheld...

Somervillains/Cantabridgians - that thin layer of shit out there on the bike path and roads is basically granulated ice. I wiped out for only the second time in my life turning from the bike path onto a little spur. (Seem to be/ hopefully am only badly bruised.) Careful out there.

Something unrelated to, well, everything out there, or maybe my personal mental antidote: my spouse and I started beginning tap dance classes last night and it was absolutely delightful. 10 out of 10, highly recommend.

Congress could, and should, impeach, remove, and convict by the end of the day.

I'm late to the news this morning - and what the *everloving* *fuck.* Over the past year I keep thinking that I can be deeply horrified but not shocked/flabbergasted while being horrified. I'm always proven wrong.

I was walking through Harvard Square w/ a friend when it wasn't super common to see people w/yoga mats, and my friend loved the gym. We passed a woman w/ her hoodie up and a yoga mat in front of her. "Did you see the woman with the yoga mat?" she asked, excited. Me: "Did you see *Natalie Portman*?"

We have fantastic windows/glass doors into our small urban yard, but, you know, in Somerville there are abt 5-6 months where that's not the v most useful. I'm embracing the browns and textures of seed heads and grasses and branches. We planted 1 kind of evergreen, which is growing. But this spring..

I love hearing a 17-yr-old go on about how much she misses Al Gore and the world would have changed if he'd won and wait he really DID win and yes she knows it all really started with Reagan...

Today was the greatest day - I spent the entire morning reading, and then in the afternoon my mentee came over for nearly 4hrs and we finally submitted her first college app (!). A few more to go, but we'll get those all in in the next week or so. What a great day!

What in the world happened to that one little candle?

This is such a great editorial -I hope every single elected official in Mass is reading the series and tapes them all to their office walls. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/21/o...

Went to spinning this morning, saw my (tad bit older) friend who just got her hip replaced a few months ago. "Happy Chanukah" she said, with an eyebrow lift. "Yeah," I responded. And then we proceeded to talk about where we were this weekend. We all are definitely not okay.

Florida is a strange place for oh so many reasons, but one odd thing to me is seeing plants outdoors that I only know in their munchkin version, indoor plants.

Anyone in Somerville/Boston area know about repairing smaller home appliances? I have a fantastic Cuisinart toaster-oven, but after 8-10yrs I'm now getting ErL error. Called cuisinart, no help. Looked up repair, it's all ovens/fridges. Any ideas on repair shops for smaller kitchen appliances? Tx!

I never reported on Quackenbush's lab, but I've reported on someone else modeling the transcriptome. This type of research is incredibly important as we try to deeply understand-and combat-diseases. This story is powerful, the loss is far bigger than just one lab. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/05/b...

I admit it, I'm scrooge - this country created a commercial holiday from a religion that is not mine that lasts like two fucking months and is inescapable . But this xmas song list has me in *tears.*

Oh I'm so sorry you feel "ashamed" and are now saying you're going to step back from your other duties and *only* focus on your care for the young men and *women* at Harvard. (Harvard, I sure as hell hope your lawyers are already working on the legalities of firing him!)

This is a longshot bc I don't know how many Bos area folks I'm connected to here: I have some jewelry I inherited that I'm looking to sell. Anyone had any good experiences/have recommendations?

Please someone write this story so I can forward to friends: what Google AI has done to smaller media websites, that is, Google Zero. Anecdote: was having someone over, said I'd made a green tomato chutney w/ last of my tomatoes, she said she asked ChatGPT and it recommended a couple of cheeses. 1/