Judith Blankman

"None Of These Books Are Obscene": Judge Strikes Down Much of Florida's Book Ban Bill In a major win for intellectual freedom, a judge rules against Florida law that led to removing hundreds of books from school libraries.

How about that? A victory for people who actually read.

The First Planned Migration of an Entire Country Is Underway The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu could be submerged in 25 years due to rising sea levels, so a plan is being implemented to relocate its population to Australia.

Climate change reality bites.

www.wired.com/story/the-fi...

NEW: The board of the Fulbright Program has just resigned after accusing Trump aides of political interference. They say a State Dept. office under Rubio and Darren Beattie has cancelled scholarships to nearly 200 US professors and researchers. Story: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/u...

Today’s harvest: snap peas, snow peas, broccolini

Yes!

CNN Poll: Trump’s approval at 100 days lower than any president in at least seven decades | CNN Politics Donald Trump won back the Oval Office and took charge of the government amid the strongest poll numbers of his political career, but as the 100-day mark of his presidency approaches, Americans’ views ...

Well earned, Orange POS.

www.cnn.com/2025/04/27/p...

The Zuckerbergs Founded Two Bay Area Schools. Now They’re Closing. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, opened the schools to help communities of color. Some families wonder if the shutting of the schools is related to his D.E.I. retrenchment.

The manipulation and likely meddling of the Orange POS strikes again. No clear info about DEI, but the timing makes it pretty likely.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s push to end DEI in K-12 public schools A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools.

Thankfully every day for the ACLU. If you don’t donate, now’s the time. If you already donate, double or increase it however you can. Too much is at stake.

apnews.com/article/trum... Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s push to end DEI in K-12 public schools

The new regime’s supporters are like a Medieval mob, willing to turn against anyone and rising to condemn and punish with the wave of a hand, the utterance of a word.

Due process, rule of law, what’s that? They go after whoever the Orange Combover thinks is bad, without proof.

Opinion | What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal. It will take a concerted effort by every sector of our society to respond to Trumpism’s threat.

I may be late to the party, but am Shari g this in case anyone else may have missed it. Spot on. Pads it on, please.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/o...

Google is tough to give
up. Its war contracting is a good reason to. I may start using Safari again.

Infuriating.

New vending machines will provide free Narcan, COVID tests and condoms to Sonoma County residents The machines will be completely free and anonymous, officials said, but people will be limited to three items per transaction.

An idea whose time has come.

www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news...

Happy Earth Day!

There’s no planet B.

Women, minorities fired in purge of NIH science review boards Scientists, with expertise in fields that include mental health, cancer and infectious disease, typically serve five-year terms and were not given a reason for their dismissal.

38 of the 43.

"38 of 43 experts cut last month from boards that review science and research in NIH laboratories are female, Black or Hispanic.

"The scientists typically serve five-year terms and were not given a reason for their dismissal..."

www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...

Federal Workers Are Facing a New Reality The problem for government employees isn’t just low morale. It’s the manufactured chaos.

Heart wrenching, infuriating, terrifying account of what it’s like for federal workers.

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

MAGA =
Morons At Gouging Americans

Miscreants Attacking Good Americans

Maniacs Are Gutting America

Disgusting. Donate to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to support the legal fight.

Excellent

Trump’s Jewish Cover Story The administration claims to be protecting Jews while advancing an agenda that most Jews oppose.

This, grrrr.

“Presented as an attempt to protect Jews on campus, these threats are actually part of a much wider war against American higher education, which Trump and his allies perceive as a citadel of hostile cultural power.”

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

3 grape shaped tomatoes on a countertop

I saved seeds from this recently purchased grocery store heirloom grape/cherry tomato. Anybody know the name of the variety? I’m hoping the one I plant taste better picked ripe.
#gardening #tomatoes

Yup

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows smog hanging over the New York skyline

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows damaged oil drums piled high at an Exxon refinery.

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows cars driving down a road as smoke spews from factories in the distance and air pollution hangs over everything.

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows smog in Los Angeles taken from a high vantage point.

Just thinking about what the US looked like before the EPA existed

2nd generation lupine, big gorgeous blue flowers. Grown from gathered seeds from someone’s yard.

Hopeful

THIS!!

Easy to do. I’ve been boycotting them since their change in policy began.

Good trouble!

Senate Democrats block GOP-led bill to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports | CNN Politics Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.

Senate Democrats blocked a GOP-led bill that would ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports at federally funded schools and educational institutions.

Seems worth a shot.

generalstrikeus.com/strikecard