Ben Webster

Might more correctly be called a chart, not graph.

Is this a misleading graph? Doesn't it imply that the circles are stacked on top of each other? The # of book bans, as defined and counted by PEN America, was about 2.5 times bigger in 2024-25 (6,870) than in 2021-22 (2,532). But the graph makes it seem the most recent numbers dwarf the earlier.

YouTube video by Marija Vidmar Morphine - Scratch

mood

Harvard Will Not Comply With a List of Trump Administration Demands Federal officials said they would freeze the money after Harvard said it would not submit to requests to overhaul hiring and report international students who break rules.

I'm proud of Harvard for not caving to these absurd demands. H. isn't perfect; it can do better at encouraging a range of viewpoints. But what the government wants is hostile takeover. Also, the idea that any of this is somehow in the cause of protecting Jews is a transparent, cynical lie.

9/ The tariffs are DESIGNED to create economic hardship. Why? So that Trump has a straight face rationale for releasing them, business by business or industry by industry.

As he adjusts or grants relief, it’s a win-win: the economy improves and dissent disappears.

My favorite feature of a Trump presidency is being presented with one shameless falsehood every morning. "Volodymr Zelenskyy is a dictator." He's like a tear-off Lie of the Day calendar.

Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza and Says Palestinians Should Move The president met with the Israeli prime minister at the White House, meeting in person with another world leader for the first time since returning to power.

The appropriate response is laughter

When their app lights up with a ride, Albuquerque Uber drivers must think: At last! Someone to share my life story with! A sympathetic ear for all my personal struggles! A friend with whom I can frankly discuss career aspirations, childhood regrets, legal quandaries, relationships, sex...

Heard Shostakovich 5th Sym played by NM Philharmonic tonight. I always love Shost., mainly because he never repeats anything once more than necessary. But also hear a parody of political bluster in the skewed bombastic fanfares, + a hint of paranoid ideology in the dark jumping patterns.

I've noticed the same thing, but the problem isn't media literacy. When people see Walter White or Tony Sopranos as straightforward heroes, they're doing exactly what the shows invite them to do. The flashes of self-awareness the writers insert here and there don't change that.

Hello, I am here!

And hope that Bluesky will prove to be the less commercial, less moronic, but still broadly popular social network we're in need of.