Retro Pittsburgh air quality out there.

Thrilled that @jamilahlemieux.bsky.social is coming to Pittsburgh to speak at City of Asylum! Couldn't be prouder to serve on the Board of an organization that brings so many wonderful authors to our city (in addition to hosting fabulous writers in residence). cityofasylum.org/program/on-t...

This is a lovely reflection on Pittsburgh's immigrant restaurateurs and the question of authenticity, but no story is complete without mentioning haluski. It's NOT Polish but considered so here. People can enjoy it either way but the defenders of haluski being Polish are ready to die on this hill.

Laos is the most heavily-bombed country per capita due to the 9-year US Secret War. The US dropped a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes for 9 years. 33% of Laos remains covered with around 80 million unexploded bombs that continue to kill and maim. This is a complicated situation on many levels.

In Pennsylvania, you're guaranteed $7.25 an hour, which you can squander on unregulated skill games, or drive to one of five neighboring states to buy legal weed and boost their tax base. (I say "drive" because lawmakers couldn't even agree on the transit funding our communities need.)

I wish more journalists would point out that Sen. McConnell and Rep. Tom Kean (missed 4 months of work) are/were essentially on paid sick & medical leave. The same employment protection they’ve spent their careers blocking other Americans from having.

Every single reflection in this short video on the toll of taking care of our elders is spot on, so I recommend watching all of it. I did not realize how common my experiences (and feelings) were. I feel much better and worse now. Thanks for sharing!

I can assure you that I care about a bunch of things that I will not be able to take action on. I am sure the same is true for you.

The holiday card I sent from Pittsburgh to Beirut in December arrived today! Just under seven months. Not bad. Last year it was returned with indecipherable writing in Arabic. The year before, I think it only took three months. Thanks to USPS and LibanPost.

I don't know but I just got email confirmation responding to the Trump account I applied for back in February (my kid qualifies for the free $1,000 so I'll take it). I guess them sending this email on the Sunday after July 4 is part of their comms strategy, too.

I have lived in many cities and love all the transit systems equally, etc., but can say without hesitation that the DC Metro shop is by far the best. @mta.info @chicagocta.bsky.social and Pittsburgh Regional Transit take note!

You know who abhors AI? Every university student I've ever worked with (I work at a university). They say it's annoying to hear AI-generated presentations, do group projects with classmates who use AI, and "learn" from professors who accept AI slop. Maybe some like it l, but I havent yet met them.

Exactly! An advocate's job is never done. The treaty banning landmines (and the norm against using them) was quite strong until Biden decided to send landmines to Ukraine, and then Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland left the treaty. (Shoutout to Lebanon for recently joining, though!)

When I lived in Lebanon, the US was funding bomb clearance and survivor assistance. And now Congress wants to undo that work, inevitably leading to further civilian harm that will once again require millions of dollars and years of effort to address.

I make exactly one typo per post so everyone knows Im not using AI to generate them.

I love this! I'm so glad to know the Folklofe Festival continues. (I admit I find it a bit difficult to follow the Fourth of July plans in DC.) And I did take a moment to be sad about some people's rush to mock this, but I guess that's life in the fast lane or something.

"There's more to do than you think, and stuff takes longer than you think. But it's worth it. We might as well get to work and have fun doing it." Costa posts a lot, but I am confident saying that this will be the most important thing he'll ever say.

95% of recorded casualties from landmines, cluster munitions, and exploaive remnants of war across 40 countries were civilians. The majority were kids. 70% survived and need ongoing support. Will those who supplied the weapons clear them and support survivors? Better yet, end use altogether.

Can't wait to read. Homey D. Clown and Firemarshall Bill dominated my PG County playground, Laura (Kelly Williams) from Family Matters went to my middle school, and Martin Lawrence went to my high school. The framing in this article is quite academic but I'll still to try reflecting on his charge.

"We want to build something, not just break something."

It started with AOC back in 2018. I remember Joy-Ann Reid expressing shock that @aoc.bsky.social beat Crowley in the primary, but those of us in her district knew all along it would happen. Mamdani is helping build it, together with many other dedicated people working on this for a long time.

📣 We are now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Emerging Experts Program. Learn more and register for our information session below! www.forumarmstrade.org/emerging_faq...

"The hardest part about defusing bombs underwater is finding them," explains Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal tech (and NY Times journalist) John Ismay. Making the waters (and land) safe from mines is a long, slow, costly process. Hoping the Strait of Hormuz is cleared sooner rather than later.

New app: do you want to enable notifications? Me: I don't even want to have this phone

I Bought This After Elon Called That Diver A Paedo But Before He Did The Nazi Salute At The Inauguration

I'd like to read a NY Times "routine" article about Elon Musk. Where does he get his nails done, how often does he get massages, what does he cook for family dinner, etc.? Or is it just him taking recreational meds, hunched over his phone, occasionally eating Goldfish meant for one of his kids?

The internet's not perfect but thanks to a Facebook clip I learned the first Cambodian joined Cirque du Soleil and Big Jay McNeely plays my favorite style of saxophone and the There is Something on Your Mind singer's from Falls Church, Virginia. And I'm still going. www.facebook.com/share/r/17ki...

And his son (Matthew Calamari, Jr.) took over Trump's security when the senior Calamari became Chief Operating Officer of the Trump Organization. The junior Calamari now works for Amazon.

Also, check out this report about spending on nuclear weapons and make the links (or ask Tim and @gillianbrockell.com to do so). www.icanw.org/2025_nuclear...

Is Trump inadvertently creating a global solidarity movement by sending people to places like South Sudan and Laos? (I haven't yet watched this but look forward to doing so.)

Just heard the most insightful accessible analysis of Iran, Israel, and Lebanon on the radio and was not at all surprised to hear at the end that it was @joycekaram.bsky.social, who's long be a go-to analyst for me. Follow her.

Having worked for years in some of the world's most bombed and mined countries, including Lebanon, I can say with certainty that white phosphorus is by far the most disgusting and terrible weapon that can be used anywhere near civilians. It should have been outlawed long ago.

My local government here in the USA proposed 18 weeks of paid parental leave and people are outraged. (Because it's too long, not because its too short.)

We got Fetterman in Pennsylvania because no one listened to the Black women who warned everyone about him (it wasn't the stroke, he's always been like this). Black women in Maine are now sharing their thoughts about Platner. Please listen to them, not me, or Bluesky strangers, or Ken Klippenstein.

ICE is deporting people to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, some of the world's most heavily bombed countries per capita due to years-long US bombing campaigns. People in those countries are still being killed, injured, and prevented from safely using land due to unexploded bombs dropped decades ago.

What stands out about these efforts is that the current Syrian Permanent Representative to OPCW is Mohamad Katoub, whose hometown experienced chemical weapons attacks. Ambassador Katoub is now leading the charge for accountability.

2/ Bill Hartung: "We spent more on a week of a war than we spent on the agencies that are supposed to be on the front lines against climate change and pandemics- which have killed many more Americans than the wars of the last century. Our whole idea of security is skewed." youtu.be/4LzKeLI9fUA?...

A Cambodian woman stopped me on the street in Pittsburgh because I was wearing this Cambodia Peace Museum t-shirt! We exchanged numbers and will be meeting up. A colleague complimented the Khmer script and I shared more info. Here’s to building understanding and peace, one t-shirt at a time.

“Local stores next to the protected bike-lane have seen a 49% increase in sales, compared to an average of 3% for Manhattan as a whole.” (Among MANY other public benefits.) Want To Make More Money? Build A Business On A Bike Lane. #CityMakingMath via @fastcompany.com #BikeLanesMeanBusiness

I appreciated Karen Hao's Empire of AI for several reasons, but the most important takeaway for me was how very far away we are from naming what it is these companies are trying to achieve, let alone getting there.

For local government fans, interesting read on recalling the Krakow mayor: "They also criticised the introduction at the start of this year of a new 'clean transport zone' that bans older, more polluting cars from the city, as well as rising costs of public transport, waste collection and parking."

Time and again, pounding the pavement proves to be a winning strategy. Talk to people! “We made a really focused effort to meet voters where they were at, and we knocked on the doors of over 10,000 voters,” Bloam said. “That work to get the voters’ trust really resonated with a lot of people.”

Genuinely bummed to learn that my politics don't align with the candidate who listed his favorite food as pizza. If you're a Democrat voter in Allegheny County, here's a guide that may be useful: alleghenydems-training.vercel.app/voter-guide

Please. No more surveys. No more polls. No more quick questions.

As a guy with half a trillion dollars, I have lots of options: 1. Enjoy a 100% stress-free life doing whatever I please in unfathomable luxury all over the world with people of my choosing 2. Have 87 meltdowns a day on a website

Lebanon is a breathtakingly beautiful country with the kindest, most welcoming people. I can't believe the same people and places I grew to love as they recovered from Israel's bombs are once again under bombardment. Or rather I can't bear to believe it. (Hiking from Niha to Jezzine 15 years ago.)

NEW STUDY: Who is the Highway Lobby? “The highway lobby has been shaping transportation policy conversations for decades in its interests.” And they spend MILLIONS buying car dependency to make sure all of us have to spend BILLIONS. #UrbanTruth Via the Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org.

Baby's first peony.

Someone just discreetly told me that "Kennywood's open" and I now feel like I've finally made it in Pittsburgh.

Ahleeeeeeeein! Lebanon, a leader in the movement to ban cluster bombs, has now joined the anti-personnel mine ban treaty. We should look to Lebanon's leadership as an affected country when discussing the use of these horrendous weapons that primarily kill and injure civilians.