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I'm starting to teach a new French 101 class this evening. Very excited about it. Looking forward to meeting the students!

on this insight, Graeber was absolutely correct. in the vacuum created by the neoliberals’ ban on dreams, neofascist visions & creativity have flourished

If the AI bubble really is bursting, please take this lesson from it:

Nothing marketed to you this relentlessly is ever worth it. If it was, they wouldn’t need to beg you.

Thousands of Israelis stayed home from work, flooded city streets and blocked roads and highways across the country on Sunday, staging some of the largest anti-war protests in months as the military prepares for a major assault on Gaza City. wapo.st/4mvMVfK

I also think it’s worth noting that the leftist leaders who most terrify the establishment (and not by any means exclusively in the GOP) are coalition builders. the FBI killed Fred Hampton because, among other things, he was bringing Black, Hispanic and white groups together to organize on housing

i’ll never get over how blatantly and proveably lying is one of the best political strategies of the modern age

Don't want innocent people to be whisked away without a chance to defend themselves? Then every single person (including the Worst Person You Know) deserves that chance.

Currently putting together a course which includes a section on propaganda, so this is timely!

I have a good example of language in uk news that sanitises and legitimises racism its things like “backlash against antiracism“

Sending love, friend.

Title: Gender Census 2025. Text: If you can't easily put yourself into just one of these two boxes, you are invited to take part. Illustration: Two boxes, each with photos of relevant dictionary pages.

The 12th annual international Gender Census 2025 is now open until at least 30th August 2025!

survey.gendercensus.com

It's for anyone whose gender (or lack thereof) isn't described by the M/F binary. It's short and easy, and results are useful in academia, business and self-advocacy.

If you were alive in the 1980s, this is among the most wonderful & truly incredible things you have ever witnessed in your lifetime.

Petition: Repeal the Online Safety Act We want the Government to repeal the Online Safety act.

If you're a UK citizen, you can sign this petition to attempt to have the act repealed. This is much more effective than whining about Bluesky and "moving to Discord or Twitter" (both of which will be forced to comply or will block/be blocked by the UK) petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...

The UK is no stranger to excessive amounts of regulation being passed to try to curb problems rather than actually trying to solve the problem at the root, because solving the problem would involve showing extra kindness to the vulnerable and underprivileged. See also: psychoactive substance ban

Set your phone to black and white This title is literal.

Changing your phone display to black and white might seem minor. But the tech oligarchs are drawing us into our devices, trying to make us think the world in our palms that’s more vibrant than the world outside. All the while they’re taking over the outside world.

www.jphilll.com/p/set-your-p...

Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die July 21, 2025 AFP has been working with 1 writer, 3 photographers and 6 videographers, all freelance, in the Gaza Strip since its staff journalists left in 2024. Along with a few others, they are now the only ones left to report what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The international press has been banned from entering the territory for nearly two years. We refuse to watch them die. One of them, Bashar, has been working with AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then freelance photographer, and since 2024, as lead photographer. On July 19th he managed to post a message on Facebook: “I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can’t work anymore.” Bashar, 30, works & lives in the same conditions as all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another under Israeli bombings. For > a year he’s lived in utter destitution, working at extreme risk to his life. Hygiene is a major issue for him, with recurring bouts of severe intestinal illness. Since Feb, Bashar’s been living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother, 4 brothers & sisters and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is devoid of any furnishings, except a few cushions. On Sunday morning, he reported that one of his brothers had “fallen, due to hunger.” Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, it’s no longer enough to buy food, or they have to pay completely exorbitant prices. The banking system has collapsed, and those who exchange money via online bank accounts charge a commission of up to 40%. AFP no longer has the ability to provide them with a vehicle and there is not enough fuel to allow these journalists to travel for their reporting. Driving a car means becoming a target for Israeli airstrikes. AFP reporters therefore travel on foot or by donkey cart. (alt txt continued in next post)

A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"

Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:

The @LemkinInstitute is calling on every leader in the world to step in immediately with measures that ensure food and water gets into Gaza right now. No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits. GET FOOD AND WATER INTO GAZA NOW. IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT.

Wow—the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named after Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who coined the term genocide) says plainly:

"No more discussions, meetings, reports, sessions, summits…IF YOU HAVE THE POWER, YOU MUST USE IT."

"HISTORY WILL DETERMINE THE RECTITUDE OF YOUR ACTIONS."

Glad you enjoyed it a second time!

Around 100,000 march in Budapest Pride event in defiance of Hungary's ban Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and fines to participate in the annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed by a law passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's right-wing governing part...

A nice reminder of the immense power contained in saying “no.” When people refuse to comply, it raises the costs ($$$, political, social, etc) of enforcing authoritarianism. They very well might try anyway, but every person that says “no” is another point of friction.

www.npr.org/2025/06/28/n...

He and his husband were terrorized by homophobes who murdered him, in case you didn't know, which you very understandably might not given the headlines.

also sometimes what feels like “spam” tactics to you is just desperation, not a grift. people are trying to get our attention with whatever tools work. yeah I get way more requests every day than I can keep up with, but that’s comparatively such a champagne problem as a person in a safe cozy house

Intelligence on Earth Evolved Independently at Least Twice Complex neural circuits likely arose independently in birds and mammals, suggesting that vertebrates evolved intelligence multiple times.

Fascinating - “…birds and mammals did not inherit the neural pathways that generate intelligence from a common ancestor, but rather evolved them independently. This suggests that vertebrate intelligence arose not once, but multiple times.”

www.wired.com/story/intell...

If you are trans and seeking support, you are welcome to call Trans Lifeline.

US: (877) 565-8860
CAN: (877) 330-6366

Update: mandolin lessons will not be happening, big sigh. Back to YouTube

Israel is currently preventing food from getting into gaza; starvation as a form of collective punishment is pretty definitionally genocide.

This morning, I emailed the local music shop to see if I can get mandolin lessons. Fingers crossed! I would love to know how to jingle jangle properly.

Congratulations!

Beautiful.

When I use Google now I just automatically scroll past the AI summaries like they’re banner ads