Why are people posting about the US economy without remembering that our economic data is compromised?

Just in time for Christmas: a great interview with an absolute legend. Theda Skocpol and Edwin Amenta on her career, US politics, the erosion of democracy, and most of all, what to do about it. sociologica.unibo.it/article/view...

Enjoying a fire on the deck.

That this guy was on the ticket has some explanatory value for our current pit.

The Erika Kirk rise is gross.

What’s hard to believe is how open they are with the racism.

Hey Jeff Bezos! If they were founded in 1925, 2025 would be their 101st season (if continuous).

Fellow DLU alum has been radicalized. Love to see it.

There is a Locke, Hobbs, and a Rousseau playing in the NFL. There is also a Luther, Calvin, and a Knox.

Here’s the ? all academics should be asking their administrations: if we are supposed to be teaching students how to write w AI, then surely when scholars write with AI, that’s OK, right? We are teaching our students what we do, right? If it’s not OK for us (it’s not), it shouldn’t be OK for them.

AI companies are like a neighbor who has a lot of nice tools that they want you to feel free to use and they show you that by breaking into your house and using the tools to smash all of your stuff.

Recreating the rule of law and a better democracy is a long game. Gotta find something to distract you between the insane moments. TV, a craft, games, exercise, whatever. This stuff is not sustainable on its own.

Total clownshow. “No vaccines for children!!!” to cover for “We refuse to release the files.”

I think it’s pretty clear from the first 17 minutes of this game that Notre Dame got robbed.

Because US elites are addicted to oil revenues and normal roof solar is prohibitively expensive, I’m going outside to check the ground/neutral bonds on the solar system I built in November. If I make a mistake, this could be my last post. Just wanted to say it’s been real.

My forthcoming book— For which I began research in 2006. Is now posted on the website for Princeton University Press. Cover will be added soon. The King’s Slaves: The British Empire & the Origins of American Slavery

It’s Epstein-Files Eve! I’m celebrating by washing up my “Impeach Now” t-shirt.

Impeachment is one of the oldest legal principles in America. The Puritans embodied it in their earliest legal codes, full accountability with penalty of removal from office.

Americans have real value differences. I'm going to go insane telling people this. Debates will probably only make these differences more apparent and drive polarization.

I spent about 40 minutes on a zoom with my dissertation advisor yesterday and I cannot recommend this practice more highly (if your advisor was a positive force for you). He is the reason I love teaching and learning.

I like writing like this. My assessment is that this phenomenon is rooted in the basic fact that most people have no idea how politics affects their lives. And they hate smart people. newrepublic.com/article/2042...

The national address was tonight? With almost no warning?

Trying to motivate myself to read a 1637 puritan document on this sleepy December afternoon on winter break and I am failing.

I’m getting the vibe from Dem leadership that their position on AI is “China is doing it. We have to beat them at it.” Which also seems to be Trump’s position. Fails to understand how AI can affect a “democracy” in dramatically different ways than an authoritarian state.

It’s a ridiculous country that has college students that are trying to finish up their semester’s work while battling homelessness. What sort of ‘learning style’ is this?

Doing all my thinking and writing in the house this morning. Too cold to go anywhere.

Bravo to the conservative Christians who saw that they were aligned with Nazis/horrible people and decided to call them out. Moore has paid the price in some ways for that, & he should have seen it coming sooner (is Trump different from Limbaugh?), but his voice is still important in the discussion.

Do all the posts about what being a billionaire does to your brain apply to Pritzker? I’m always underwhelmed when I hear him.

I’ve got Tybee Island beach all to myself.

Grades are all in. Temps in the 30s (F). There’s only one option for the afternoon: time to hit the beach for a bit of sunshine and reading.

Impeachment support has to be among the demands for Dem candidates in ‘26. Just basic survival of our society. Establishment so desperately just wants to return to politics as usual.

For the umpteenth time since at least Watergate, there are going to be no actual legal, personal, or professional consequences for the lawless authoritarianism from the GOP. It’s the signal feature of 🇺🇸 politics & why all the awful & illegal things keep happening again & again & again.

LLMs can only understand the first line. Humans can understand the infinite context below.

It finally happened. After almost 15 years at my current school, I finally figured out how to make a phone call to an off-campus number and made one today.

If these animals had thumbs, we would be toast. They have to be smarter than we are.

Not sure why, but it was a massive struggle to get 18-22yos to do stuff this fall.

I’m in complete decompression mode after this semester. Looking for all the ways to relax.

One thing I don’t like about my current house is all of the air vents are in the ceiling. I have always enjoyed sitting by a heat vent in the floor during the winter. It is very relaxing to me.

They are just going to buy everything until we have no choice but to destroy everything.

“I just fed your exam into a machine and it gave you that grade. Take it up with the administration who demanded you have AI literacy.”

Cases are down 900%!!!

My colleagues were confused when I brought this notepad into a committee meeting earlier this semester. My girls loved this store.

Holy crap

"Positive liberty" as a trope of the 20th century is a scam.

The Fog of Grading is starting to lift.

LOL

I’m happy to say the grading frenzy has begun and will, after a lunch break, continue through the afternoon.

I’ve said it before and it still holds true: Ohio State is the white privilege of college football.

This Dr Pepper tuition giveaway is morally embarrassing.