important thread on local media (not the kind you think) and new fronts in epistemic warfare

I am not a climate scientist but when I was a kid the number of times we couldn’t go outside because of Canadian wildfire smoke was zero times

Leave it to the New York Times to present the pro-genocide AIPAC candidate as a plucky underdog

A place dear to me.

"Land of the Sky Blue Waters" 📸 by Liz Covey

The Air Quality Index (AQI) at the Ely site in MN, United States is 283 [Very Unhealthy] as of Jul 15, 2026 @ 2PM Local Time. This is the highest AQI observation in 1 year. #AQIObs

The BWCA remains closed with evacuations orders in place as wildfires continue across northern Minnesota. Some of the worst air quality ever recorded in the state of Minnesota is occurring near Lake Superior. Here's the wildfire update for Wednesday

A must read! www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

I'm working on a project with library checkout data, so I'm combing through a bunch of random authors and works, and MY GOD the number and diversity of James Patterson books is truly astonishing. I didn't know he wrote middle school books, too.

The online defensive driving course I'm taking to get cheaper car insurance is funny. It starts: "If you're like most people, you're only taking this to get cheaper car insurance, and you'll click through fast and take the quizzes until you pass to get it done. But: YOU'RE ONLY CHEATING YOURSELF!"

celebrating the first day of school this year with a vasectomy

design people! culture sociology people! must-reads and must-cites on class in fashion and interior design?

I can’t even imagine being in middle of a long planned BWCA trip and being told to pack it up, BWCA is closing tomorrow. What an extreme bummer

what’s the Odyssey about? I’m so glad you asked

Andre Dubus has a son named Andre Dubus and they are both accomplished fiction writers.

Contemporary Graphomaniacs, A Syllabus: T. C. Boyle Stephen King Karl Ove Knuasgaard Joyce Carol Oates Danielle Steel

"One of the central lessons of modern color discourse is that mediation facilitates immediacy" — Nicholas Gaskill

T.C. Boyle, the king of the used bookstore

So excited for Thomas to bring back all these abandoned titles!

I, obviously, love yet another new backlist rediscovery imprint, but I especially like this quote: "'You know, some people are inspired by sunsets, but I tend to get inspired by institutional inconveniences,' Gebremedhin says." www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

nice to see someone with taste getting to do something good in the big five www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Arriving home from preschool: Me to Masha: The teachers said E had the *best* day E to Masha: I told them I had the *biggest* diarrhea! Masha to E: And what did they say? E to Masha: "Wowww"

Why the hate for GIFs? From a purely aesthetic perspective, as a cringey millennial, I have a soft spot for them.

@dan-sinnamon.bsky.social made me do it 😬

My first sex dream was with Sam Neill as Thomas Wolsey. RIP 😔

You heard it here: MIDDLEMEN is a danger to academic administrators everywhere.

I’m increasingly of the opinion that when AI Overviews disappears we’re going to realize it was the funniest thing ever to happen on the internet Here for instance, it invents a totally new form of literary criticism, without being asked to! (rest of this is all about batteries)

I am seeing more and more stories of this kind and I am cheering all of the way. Time to acknowledge that mainstream publishing is no longer interested in literary fiction - and the small presses are doing a great job of taking up the challenge.

He never deleted it.

Just got off the phone with a source close to God. He said the Lindsey Graham thing is because the past season of America’s gotten kinda expensive so they needed to cut someone from the budget. They felt he wasn’t doing much for the storyline so they’re just giving him an end of episode mention.

there's not enough time, nor will there ever be

If students are simply uninterested in the core bargain of a class like this, it’s hard to know what to do. You teach the material because you think it’s important they know it; they don’t give a shit, but want the credential; and the university wants their money. Your main option is “pretend”.

Just got off the phone with Mitch McConnell. We spoke for about 20 minutes. He discussed how 1989 was a great year for the Dead - crisp sound, bigger jams, and Jerry was lucid and creative. There are great shows throughout the 80s, but 87-89 were the best years with a peak in 89...

LinkedIn is a beautiful name for a little boy.

Israel must release pediatrician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held without charge for 18 months and now faces an imminent threat to his life from torture. Israel must end the targeting of health workers and the inhumane treatment of Palestinians in arbitrary detention.

The. Bibliography. Of. This. Episode.

'The Claims of Close Reading', by Johanna Winant. This kind of thing speaks to me partly because I love classical commentaries, and partly because there's nothing as good for me as losing myself in a good book or piece of writing. www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...

the damage at WVU is incalculable: hundreds of faculty lost their jobs but no one knows the true number even now, an also unknown number—including me— left and won’t be replaced, those who stayed have to teach more students with fewer resources. And how do you measure morale and energy?

Especially egregious in light of WVU’s recent cuts to real academic programs: “Lawmakers’ move to mandate the Washington Center followed a high-profile $45 million budget shortfall at WVU. It resulted in the axing of 28 academic majors and hundreds of jobs, including faculty members.”

Starting in just a few minutes at #SHARPIES26: @gbarnhisel.bsky.social interviewing @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and @manshel.bsky.social!

So far I've listened to Kramnick and Moi and it's really just catnip for me.

A new survey finds that American Jews are just as likely as all Americans to believe Israel is guilty of genocide, and that more American Jews approve of Mamdani than of Netanyahu. apnews.com/article/isra...

I once asked a priest to bless a printer that I was in the middle of fighting with and he went "I only bless things when there's a chance it'll take" and then turned and walked out of the room.

for anyone thinking about getting into the business let me just say that having a toddler and an infant is quite involved

Great opportunity to listen in on insights from @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social 👇

I'm incredibly pleased to announce I will be starting in August as the Rare Books Librarian for the University of Arizona! I'm so excited to be working with some amazing collections and even more amazing colleagues!! If you're in the Southwest & want to talk rare books & #BookHistory, come visit!