It's just awful. But also, remember the Dream & Promise Act? Congress could've solved this years ago. But it wasn't a priority. Too many self-described moderates didn't care enough. mobileapp.bostonglobe.com/ULHV43HUFFG7...

At Connexion to learn about SCC's "Casa East" project in the long-vacant Patsy's on East Broadway. They flyered in the neighborhood and there are about a dozen residents here. I live very close myself. Bonnie Bastien, Community Building Manager, leading the meeting.

JFC what a terrible, terrible day. Hug your kids and open your wallet if you can.

Great article. Its focus is American imperialism and both parties' support for violence, cruelty and discrimination abroad, but I'd also point to those things at home. The point is not "ideological purity," but just basic decency. It shouldn't be radical to reject dehumanization -- of *anyone*.

I personally don't care much what they call it, and I definitely see RSJ playing a key role in making City operations more just, equitable and inclusive, but this is a betrayal of Somerville's values. @mayorjakewilson.bsky.social must do better.

Just finished The Hospital at the End of the World by @justinkey.bsky.social, and then this article popped into my inbox. AI has lots of great uses. I don't want it to be my doctor, and I don't want my doctor to be reduced to writing prompts and obeying the machine.

As part of the #SomervilleMA Urban Forestry Committee, I care a lot about the success of our Tree Preservation Ordinance, which is why this story unnerved me. The places discussed have been far less thoughtful than us, but some zealots want to kill all such measures. www.npr.org/2026/06/12/n...

Super interesting. Feels utterly impossible in our current regime, but regimes do change.

On this cold, gray day, my gift to you is Phoebe napping on Ninja. She looks tiny, but she's >7 lbs now to his 12, just very good at curling up. The old grump who hissed at her for months is now thoroughly tamed.

“I don’t see the social benefit of these. What do they do? Like, sorry, just go to the restaurant. Pick up your food.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

How good are your city's green spaces at mitigating the urban heat island effect, and how equitably are those cooling benefits distributed? Working on a project, I encountered this paper, which includes an amazing data table with cities worldwide. I picked out a few. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

If you've ever worked on disaster risk reduction issues, or just needed to make a strong case for adaptation, you've probably used EM-DAT. It's a treasure, and it's in trouble. They're asking everyone to support a petition to save it. openletter.earth/the-worlds-c... #DRR #disasters

If electricity prices went up 76% to subsidize the solar industry, people would completely lose their shit. But doing it to subsidize the Slop Industry is apparently kosher.

Watch this now. You may become a bit obsessed. Apparently @jonathanmeiburg.bsky.social did, while on a research vessel in Antarctica. Gorgeous song, mesmerizing video, wrenching if, like me, you can't stop thinking about climate change.

Free compost in East Somerville by the Franklin St side entrance to Capuano

Terrifying. And no, the solution isn't better AI.

This is an great thread, and IMO this is the key point. "All of the above" energy development just locks in more fossil fuels, because it creates more assets and expected profits that companies stand to lose. It's holding energy progress and climate goals hostage to incumbent interests.

I love this so much. I want to personally reclaim a dozen underused spaces in Somerville -- vacant lots, parking lots -- and just do this. For food security, for community, for climate resilience... @mayorjakewilson.bsky.social @mutualaidmamas.bsky.social thoughts? www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Nice little compilation by @zeteo.com of totally normal and civil things that 🎃 has said about the left, "radicals," "fascists," "thugs" and "vermin" like, you know, the then-VP, the future NYC mayor, members of Congress, etc. zeteo.com/p/watch-trum...

Editor's tip of the day: The editing process is iterative, but you can only *get somewhere* if you keep narrowing the focus. You start with what should be your actual final draft. The editor does a full edit, and hopefully it's good. You accept most edits, make a small number of new changes... (1/2)

Editor's tip of the day: "namely" is a pretty useless word. Try a colon instead. Example: Shakespeare wrote a great tragedy about grief -- namely, Hamlet. Shakespeare wrote a great tragedy about grief: Hamlet.

People surveyed noted job availability, cost of rent, safety and the ability to buy a home as some of the most important factors when deciding how long to stay in Greater Boston. But what business leaders want instead is... tax breaks.

I am attending this meeting and will live-whatever-this-is (seriously, did we come up with a name for posts here?). I live down the street and I will be disappointed if we end up with more parking and 3-4 stories. I want a big tower! Join me: www.somervillema.gov/events/2026/... 1/?

When I looked at the (sadly only) 2 proposals for redeveloping 90 Washington St., I thought, well this is pretty obvious! One genuinely cool and green proposal with 600 housing units, including 120 affordable, and nice civic space, and another with a comically huge garage in the middle. Silly me.

For once, 🎃 truly can boast of achievements "like you've never seen before": @jamellebouie.net catalogs the epic corruption of this administration. It's a fantastic time to be a rich criminal. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/o...

Lots to think about here. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Today is @walkmass.bsky.social's Annual Celebration, which you can still attend virtually or in person in Kendall Square: www.givesignup.org/TicketEvent/.... As a Somervillen and WM board member, I'm happy to be presenting a Golden Shoes award to our very own PTAC & Mobility Division. (1/2)

Wise words from @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy: "By arranging policy so that the most awful schemes of the worst people are the most profitable, you guarantee that those people will end up organizing commercial and labor markets." pluralistic.net/2026/04/06/e...

Jesus.

Honesty in street signs. Refreshing! Washington St. near the East Somerville station entrance. @311somerville.bsky.social

Riding our bikes down Cross Street tonight, my husband and I were accosted by a road-raging woman in a pickup truck who was so angry that we were partly in her lane (on a street with no bike lane) that she honked loudly, then charged at us at high speed, just barely missing my husband. #SomervilleMA

Yay to happy sluts, and looking forward to whatever @charliejane.bsky.social concocts next (including "Horny for Justice"). But right at the top I noticed the WaPo killed her column, which had introduced me to SO many cool books. Would love to see another pub adopt it! It's always great. #booksky

To Be Taught, If Fortunate, a gorgeous novella by Becky Chambers, is on sale right now on Kindle for just $1.99. Snap it up! It's so cool. a.co/d/05HFN0YW

Bow Market is a treasure, full of cool and interesting little businesses, with lots of tasty food and booze and great ambiance. We need A LOT more of this, and a lot less of the corporate-size retail and hospitality space developers keep adding (e.g. Assembly and new Union Sq spaces in Somerville).

Perfection. youtu.be/T4Upf_B9RLQ?...

Indigenous Peoples play an outsize role in nature conservation around the world, which the Global Biodiversity Framework explicitly recognized. This AIPP paper, which I was privileged to edit, shows how IPs in Asia have worked to shape national strategies under the GBF aippnet.org/engagement-i...

I just ran into a man from Inspectional Services walking up Cross Street with his tablet, issuing tickets, and I thanked him profusely for his efforts. In general, conditions seem much better than in January, which suggests #SomervilleMA did hold people to account. @mayorjakewilson.bsky.social

Oh so many good books here! Incredible package and a great cause. Just minutes to go!

The Themis Files series by @neuvel.net starts out as an adventure, turns way darker in #2, and goes full-on dystopian in #3, yet it's also surprisingly moving? Very timely, too, as xenophobia and racism run wild. Highly recommended! #Booksky thethemisfiles.com

Whatever's on your schedule today, make sure at some point you get as much pleasure and joy as Phoebe in the afternoon sun.

Electrical utilities in Mass. don't generate their own power, but rather buy it from separate suppliers who aren't regulated by the DPU. And it turns out they're *grossly* overcharging. Learn how and what we can do about it: www.synapse-energy.com/overcharged-... #mapoli #utilities #electricity

Just purchased via Kobo! Looks fascinating.

Boston is a home for everyone. Know your rights and help keep your community safe. Find more information at miracoalition.org/KYR.

Guest Column from @walkmass.bsky.social: Enough With the Snow, We Deserve Accessible Sidewalks - mass.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/g...

ICE is operating in East Somerville this morning and I'm hearing that at least one person has already been taken. If you see them, call LUCE: 617-370-5023

"It’s scary and dangerous for healthy adults, nerve-wracking for parents with small children, and simply impossible for the most vulnerable members of our communities. Worst of all, it’s this way by design."

A must-read from Cory Doctorow. Many things that feel as settled as gravity are actually not at all. But also, if zoomers and alphas feel oddly right-wing, maybe it's because this hellish time is all they've ever known? Just as GenXers are imprinted with reaganism.

And not to put too fine a point on it, but a president who ran on eliminating “illegal” immigrants created a ton more “illegal” immigrants by canceling a bunch of actual real legal statuses. He took people off the path that everyone says they want people on.

Kids today have no respect for their elders, or for personal space.

NEW: The @wired.com Security desk put together a comprehensive guide to filming ICE—with tips for reducing risk at the forefront. No paywall, but please consider subscribing to help find these kinds of resources. And stay safe out there. www.wired.com/story/how-to... www.wired.com/v2/offers/wi...