Susan Buckley

Meet Mary Somerville: The Brilliant Woman for Whom the Word “Scientist” Was Coined How a Scottish polymath forever changed the course of gender in science and made a high art of connecting the seemingly disconnected.

#WomenInSTEM 👩‍🔬👩‍💻👩‍🏫
The word "scientists" was first coined for a woman! The Victorian term 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🧐 was "man of #science" but W. Whewell was so impressed by Mary Somerville's work that he used a word to emphasise Somerville's interdisciplinarity. 🧪

More at www.themarginalian.org/2016/12/26/m....

Germany launches permanent troop deployment on NATO’s eastern flank Berlin formally activates brigade in Lithuania, signaling a major shift in defense posture.

Germany officially launched its first permanent foreign troop deployment since World War II today — a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania — as Berlin moves to bolster NATO’s eastern flank in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Wow.

Rep. Chuck Edwards is getting torn apart at a town hall in Asheville, NC.

“I’m a veteran & you don’t give a fuck about me. You don’t get to do this to us!”

Edwards orders veteran to be thrown out.

We’re approaching a tipping point now. Anger across the country is going to boil over soon.

Epic idea

JD Vance claimed on X that “Slava Ukraini” protesters followed him & shouted at his daughter.

Guess he didn’t realize it was caught on camera. No one yelled at his kid, and they didn’t follow them.

Vance & Musk need to quit using children as shields. The public isn’t backing down—we want answers.

‘I’m on the side of the workers’: the Minnesota senator calling out Trump and Musk Tina Smith is leaving at the end of her term, and says she would call Musk a dick even if she had to face re-election

👏👏👏

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Bernie out there working.

Might save a life.

Being a historian, people ask me if I think the US is living through Germany 1933.

I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.

CALL TO ACTION: Call your representatives at (202) 224-3121 and ask what criteria they plan to use when “vetting” their constituents.

For shame!

A grassroots movement is calling on all Americans to abstain from shopping with major retailers tomorrow, February 28, as part of an “economic blackout.”

I encourage you to join. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/boycott

Elon Musk’s Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online A WIRED investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online.

A WIRED investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online.

Just a reminder, you don’t have to wait for your member of congress to begrudgingly answer to their constituents. You can hold a town hall (be sure to invite them!) without them & show their cowardice to everyone! bsky.app/profile/leah...

Great news for Freelancers working in the State of CA! The Freelance Worker Protection Act went into effect January 1, 2025. This law requires freelancers to be paid 30 days after completion of work for any job over $250, & gives them the ability to take legal action against clients who don’t pay.

Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Leaves Millions Without HIV Treatment (Gift Article) President Trump’s pause on aid, and the gutting of the primary aid agency, could jeopardize the health of more than 20 million people worldwide, including 500,000 children, experts say.

Two weeks into President Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid, H.I.V. groups abroad have not received any funding, jeopardizing the health of more than 20 million people, including 500,000 children.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...

LinkedIn post: On January 24th I formally resigned from my position with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I started at CDC in 2010, and I have spent 20 years in public service, including my 15 years in service at the federal level. Here is a little bit of what I wrote in my resignation, because I'm not sure that anyone is actually going to read it. "I feel honored to be among the public health professionals that have had the privilege to work at CDC. As I reflect on my own experiences and accomplishments during my time here, I am humbled by the magnitude and the importance of our work. To my colleagues: we have worked together through chaos and uncertainty, transition, reorganization, preparation, and response. You are the most selfless, dedicated, and passionate people I know. I have watched you work around the clock, take additional details, deployments, and responsibilities, try to balance work and family, forego self-care, and keep pushing and work together to protect the public’s health. I’ve seen your sacrifice. I want you to know that your support and guidance has been invaluable, and I am proud of the work we have accomplished together." While I was backing up files I found my oath that I signed in 2010. I believe in our work, and I am sad to be leaving federal service. But I have immense gratitude for all of the opportunities that I've had and the connections that I've made. I will continue to protect the public's health in a different capacity (stay tuned...) but for now, thank you for trusting me.

The policy lead for CDC's H5N1 response has abruptly resigned.

Sources tell me CDC's response to the bird flu pandemic has been severely hobbled by the chaos of the past two weeks.

WIRED has been doing vital work.

If you’re looking to support good journalism right now, subscriptions are cheap.

Our evacuation warning has just been lifted for the Palisades fire. Phew!

For SoCal friends,

Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.

For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla

Airbnb.org offers temporary housing to people impacted by Los Angeles wildfires To support those impacted by the wildfires in Los Angeles, Airbnb.org is working with local organizations to provide free, temporary housing to people displaced from their homes.

Air BNB is offering free, temporary housing to those impacted by the wildfires. Please share with your networks: news.airbnb.com/airbnb-org-o...

Pacific Palisades fire. Very close but hopefully we won’t need to be evacuated.

My Life As a Homeless Man in America An extraordinary firsthand account.

This firsthand account of what it’s like to be homeless in America – by a former Boston Globe art critic – is as good as everyone says it is.
www.esquire.com/news-politic...

The usual suspects are out there yelling "There are 23 million government workers! Fire most of them!" No awareness that most work for local governments, and most of *them* are schoolteachers. Federal employment hasn't grown since the 1950s

Musk Unleashes Online Army on Federal Workers. ‘A Tough Way to Find Out She’s Losing Her Job.’ As Trump efficiency czar, the billionaire is targeting employees by name on X—sparking pushback.

Revolting mob rule, Stalinist, Maoist, fascist, call it what you want, it is disgusting, with the power of the state and social media to mobilize the US version of China's Red Guard to target civil servants, professionals doing their job.
Gift article. Please repost.

www.wsj.com/tech/musk-un...

This is really the core of the right-wing agenda here: dismantle our public school system so they can indoctrinate children with a Christian, white-supremacist education.

Pay attention to Oklahoma.

Bibles in classrooms isn't the big story.

The same legal teams behind the seeding of Dobbs are driving a case to create religious schools fully funded by the public & they've already petitioned the Supreme Court.

Understandably, everyone was focused on the election.