Heidi J. De Vries

US orders petroleum reserve release in bid to calm markets – as it happened This blog is now closed

US orders petroleum reserve release in bid to calm markets
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Iran is becoming more defiant in face of US-Israeli onslaught Tehran spurns Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and insists on guarantees it will not be attacked again

Tehran spurns Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and insists on guarantees it will not be attacked again
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Three merchant ships struck as tensions rise in Hormuz strait amid Iran war Crew of Thai-registered bulk carrier forced to flee fire, as US says it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels

Crew of Thai-registered bulk carrier forced to flee fire, as US says it has destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels
www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ma...

Joaquim Tenreiro folding screen

The other Madame X portraits
godsandfoolishgrandeur.blogspot.com/2026/03/mada...

Rimbaud and Verlaine in Washington Square Park “Godlike,” by the seminal punk musician Richard Hell, transposes a notorious affair between nineteenth-century French poets to nineteen-seventies New York.

"Godlike is a poet’s novel, a dazzling Künstlerroman that touches on art, love, aging, and queerness..."
www.newyorker.com/books/under-...

The German City That Defied McDonald's and Dumped 'To-Go' Waste Tübingen's hard-won crusade is a lesson in how to deflect single-use packaging from landfills — and life itself.

Tübingen’s hard-won crusade is a lesson in how to deflect single-use packaging from landfills — and life itself
reasonstobecheerful.world/tubingen-ger...

FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple Eddy Cue warns precedent set by San Bernardino case could lead to company being forced to turn users’ smartphones into surveillance devices

10 years ago - If the FBI can force decryption backdoors, why not backdoors to turn on your phone’s camera?
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

3/11/2005
Onondaga Nation files historic Land Rights Action to heal and protect their ancestral land for ALL people and for future generations, Syracuse, NY

Where Have All the Long COVID Clinics Gone? A nationwide survey reveals the uncertain state of specialized care for Americans living with the chronic condition

Disappearing Long COVID clinics
clinics.thesicktimes.org

"It’s a favorable time to slip free of any roles you’ve been performing by rote and just blurt out the more interesting truths. Tell someone, 'This isn’t working for me.' Or say, 'I need to be my pure self with greater authenticity.'"

3/10/1993
National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers honors Dr. David Gunn and all of the courageous people who provide care. Dr. Gunn was murdered outside Pensacola, FL clinic, first U.S. doctor killed during an anti-abortion protest

Alllll kinds of shoutouts to Mama Deemons for coming on KALX Live! last night with Polly Vinyl.

SF Elders Faced An Eviction and Homelessness. But They Fought Back and Won. “It’s a matter of life-and-death that we continue to organize.”

Three San Francisco elders faced eviction and homelessness. With help from their neighbors, they fought back and won.

Learn more in my latest article! 👇

bayareacurrent.com/sf-elders-fa...

Welcome to Gavin's Priors! A crowdsourced project that feeds the @heygavin bot on Bluesky's posts about Gavin Newsom's finest moments. The brainchild of @nora.zone and @sesmith.lol. When the bot pulls your contribution, it wil...

Reminder that @nora.zone and I are still compiling entries for @heygavin.bsky.social, the bot that will reply with a Gavin Newsom fact when you @ it. Gavin has done SO MANY EXCITING THINGS and we want to capture as many as possible so the bot's responses aren't repetitive. Please contribute!

Rest In Peace, Rest In Power, Dave Whitaker (1937 - 2026), street poet, San Francisco Rainbow Warrior, turned Bob Dylan on to Kerouac in Minnesota... aged 88 In 1963, Bob Dylan went back to visit old friends in Minnesota and recorded some songs at Dave Whitaker’s place.

Rest In Peace, Rest In Power, Dave Whitaker (1937 - 2026), street poet, San Francisco Rainbow Warrior, turned Bob Dylan on to Kerouac in Minnesota... aged 88 michaeldonnelly.substack.com/p/rest-in-pe...

Can San Francisco’s Small Clubs Survive? | KQED At SF Music Week, venue operators raised concerns about the health of the live music ecosystem, and implored the city to help.

Aside from their economic impact, independent venues have shaped San Francisco’s culture and global reputation. Yet at SF Music Week, panelist after panelist spoke about how San Francisco’s independent venues are struggling.

Nazis in Your Neighborhood: Anti-fascist researchers out an extremist music label operating in the Tenderloin Based in a supportive housing building, the one-man distributor sells fascist music and merch from all over the world

NEW: A man in the Tenderloin is operating a fascist music label that promotes Neo-Nazi materials from all over the world.

Here's how antifascist researchers found him — and what he has to say now that he's been outed:

sf.gazetteer.co/nazis-in-you...

‘Unsung Heroines’ Is a Rollicking Feminist History of the Bay Rae Alexandra’s new essay collection celebrates 35 leaders, activists, and rule-breakers we should have learned about in school.

I've been reading Rae, and occasionally editing her, for ... 13 years? I am deeply unsurprised she wrote a book and also unsurprised it's this good.

was a delight to interview her for @coyotemedia.org about Bay Area women who *should* be household names www.coyotemedia.org/unsung-heroi...

How It’s Made: A 7,000-Word Story on Coal in Oakland “This is the only time in my entire life, I think, where I wrote long and someone was like, ‘Well, could you make it longer?’”

People said they wanted more culture pieces on Bsky, right? For COYOTE, I interviewed the @oaklandreviewofbooks.org and @meganwachspress.bsky.social for a behind-the-scenes account of how Megan's 7,000-word feature (!) on coal in Oakland came to be—a phenomenal work of longform journalism.

Ebooks: durability is a feature, not a bug Cory Doctorow: HarperCollins' attempt to ensure ebooks can only be circulated 26 times by libraries is indefensible

15 years ago - Self-destructing ebooks: paper’s fragility is a bug, not a feature
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Massive war price tag could be a massive problem for GOP leaders The prospect of a ballooning new spending bill has GOP leaders bracing for a messy internal fight.

$2 billion a day ‼️

Call your reps. 🔥📞🔥
Script here > 5calls.org/issue/stop-i...

www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

3/9/2020
Trump initially denies seriousness of COVID-19 pandemic. When economy tanks, Trump pushes to prematurely reopen businesses, more concerned about stock market than lives

3/9/1841
U.S. Supreme Court frees enslaved people who seized slave ship Amistad in 1839

‘A very dangerous person’: alarm as Pete Hegseth revels in carnage of Iran war Critics say brash, bombastic Fox News host out of his depth to guide US military through murky new Middle East conflict

Critics say brash, bombastic Fox News host out of his depth to guide US military through murky new Middle East conflict
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

US submarine sinks Iranian warship as conflict spreads beyond Middle East Frigate goes down off Sri Lanka as Washington and Israel step up their offensive and promise to hit ‘deeper’ targets in Iran

Frigate goes down off Sri Lanka as Washington and Israel step up their offensive and promise to hit ‘deeper’ targets in Iran
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Dismay as Hegseth urges Latin American allies to join ‘offense’ against cartels Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs

Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Trump convenes ‘Shield of Americas’ summit with 12 Latin American leaders President called for regional cooperation in western hemisphere to counter China economic and political interests

In Miami, president calls for regional cooperation to counter Chinese economic and political interests
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

‘An ideological guest list’: Trump invites Latin America’s rightwing leaders to Florida summit Omission of presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, however, exposes failure of US president’s ‘theatrical’ doctrine, say experts

Omission of presidents of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, however, exposes failure of US president’s ‘theatrical’ doctrine, say experts
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Iran rejects Trump’s demand for unconditional surrender as a ‘dream’ Masoud Pezeshkian issues rare apology to neighbouring Gulf states for Iranian strikes as war enters eighth day

Masoud Pezeshkian issues rare apology to neighbouring Gulf states for Iranian strikes as war enters eighth day
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...