Jen Howard

Good.

Thousands of public comments slam Trump’s ballroom: ‘I did not vote for this’ A Post analysis of submitted comments found more than 97 percent were critical of the planned 90,000-square-foot addition. The White House has defended it as necessary.

About that planned ballroom ... the people have spoken and THEY DO NOT LIKE IT. wapo.st/40QuXvf #historicpreservation #whitehouseballroom

One was a pharmacist who owned a neighborhood drugstore in Richmond, VA; the other was an engineer who built schools and bridges in western Massachusetts.

👀

A man asked me last night what publishing needs to do for literary fiction to begin appealing to men again. I said, as nicely as I could, that, with over 2,000 books published every Tuesday, of which many would appeal to men, it’s not a publishing problem, it’s a men problem.

Sigh. The crafty grandmas and aunties in my family always had bags for their yarn, crochet hooks, etc. Everything old is new (and trendy) again. “Analog bag” makes me think of a go bag—and maybe the point is to escape digital tech…

Doesn’t get more analog than that.

Throw “maxxing” in there and it’s like chum in the water for a certain type.

😂

pile of circle stickers that say "Everything is better with footnotes." With a footnote callout to me.

Reordered these. Bc the world.

Can 'friction-maxxing' fix your focus? With technology offering instant gratification and quick thrills, experts explain how adding friction to our day-to-day can help heal our attention span and deepen our sense of self.

The term "friction-maxxing" makes me roll my eyes, as does the phrase "analogue hobbies" (hello old friends like reading, gardening, and crafting), but some food for thought here. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

The Ensh*ttification of the Institute of Museum and Library Services Trucks On: What's Happening and What You Can Do Nearly a year after the Institute of Museum and Library Services was dismantled, what's happening at the agency? What can we do to help out?

Yesterday, I highlighted all of the ways that the Institute of Museum and Library Services has been enshittified with the installment of the new regime.

One of those updates was a new AI slop homepage that went up late last week:

Guess what's been reverted?

bookriot.com/the-enshitti...

Don't love the proposed plans for the monstrous new ballroom at the White House? Yeah, I don't either. Tomorrow (March 5) at noon is the deadline for the public to submit comments to the National Capital Planning Commission. Get on it! #historicpreservation savingplaces.org/public-comme...

Looking Inward Join docent June Heintz for guided mindfulness practices followed by slow looking with an artwork on view.

Intrigued by the "slow looking" approach to interacting with visual art, as in this (sold out!) event at UVA's Fralin Museum: www.eventbrite.com/e/looking-in... #GLAM

Teens in households making under $75K are more likely to use chatbots for help with all or most schoolwork % of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who say they do all or most of their schoolwork with the help of AI chatbots U.S. teens — 10 Household income <$30,000 — 20 $30K–$74,999 — 15 $75,000+ — 7 Note: Those who did not answer or gave other responses are not shown. Source: Survey conducted Sept. 25–Oct. 9, 2025. “How Teens Use and View AI” PEW RESEARCH CENTER

According to PEW, teens in households making under $75K are more likely to use chatbots for help with all or most schoolwork. I read a comment on another platform that said this is amazing news because we are "finally going to close the achievement gap." That is not how I would interpret this data.

DOI Targets for Removal from National Parks under EO14253/SO3431 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive From README file located in source data:This data belongs to the American people, who need to know what is being done in their name. Donald Trump, Russell...

This is quite something: archive.org/details/nps-...

Ding-dong! The Dutch Fish Doorbell needs you to help migrating fish A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell

Well, in more pleasant news, the Fish Doorbell is back... 🧪

Total Lunar Eclipse on March 2–3, 2026 – Where and When to See Total lunar eclipse on March 2–3, 2026: Where and when is the Blood Moon visible and what will it look like? Visibility map, animation, and local times.

🌕➡️🔴 Lunar eclipse alert!

Depending on where you are (mostly: Central/Eastern Asia, Oceania, most of North/Central America), you may be able to see a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE ("blood moon") overnight!

You can find information about timing and viewing locations here: www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/luna...

And I trust a Yorkshireman to know a good cup of tea.

That is indeed what I am after! Thank you.

Ooh, will explore. 🙏

BLM Announces Plan to Fell Oregon's Last Great Forests One billion board feet per year... 30 days to make your voice heard.

You only have a short time to comment. They are trying to destroy our forests to enrich a few logging company executives and the politicians they’ve paid off.
Leave your comment here:

eplanning.blm.gov/Participate-...

morethanjustparks.substack.com/p/blm-announ...

I’m also looking to up my herbal-tea game. Thanks for the rec!

The world’s on fire, and I’m out of good tea. One of these things I can do something about. Tea lovers, what loose-leaf breakfast blends do you love? I’m a fan of a good strong Irish or Scottish breakfast tea. I am not an Earl Grey partisan. I also like smoky teas. Hit me with your recs!

Rachel Hartigan for Lost: Amelia Earhart’s Three Mysterious Deaths and One Extraordinary Life Unravel one of history’s greatest mysteries in this spellbinding narrative exploring three leading theories of Amelia Earhart’s tragic disappearance. When Amelia Earhart’s plane disappeared i…

Attn DMV litfolk! Tonight at @peoplesbooktakoma.com: Rachel Hartigan talks about LOST: AMELIA EARHART'S THREE MYSTERIOUS DEATHS AND ONE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE, which officially pubs tomorrow. I'm excited for this one. peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/lost-e... #AmeliaEarhart #aviationpioneers #BookSky 📚

🤦‍♀️

An Army Corps project could wipe out one of Florida’s last thriving coral reefs The fate of one of the last thriving coral reefs in Florida may be imperiled by plans to widen the shipping channel leading into Port Everglades.

"Do we want to be an example of doing everything we can to protect these ecosystems while accomplishing the goals of the project [or] an example like the Port of Miami, where we had a catastrophic and preventable loss of our critical natural resources?” wapo.st/46yTXe5 [gift link] #GreenSky 🌎

Live tracker toll in US-Israeli and Iranian attacks, jnclueing 201 killed in Iran, 3 in the UAE, 1 in Kuwait, 2 in Iraq, and 9 in Israel

Al-Jazeera has a running live update of all the officially reported casualties in the Levant and Persian Gulf www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblo...

I think about this Tony Benn speech much more than I used to

Silhouette of a woman with an enormous updo hairdo, long 18th century gown, and an absurd hat perched atop.

How can you be talking about HISTORY with everything that's going on. 18th century history? Women's history? Waves hands.

Friends, it is precisely because of everything that's going on that we need to talk about history much, much more.