Michelle Chihara

Today in Politics Chat, I talked about how power sloshes around when a president is checked out, and noted that right now unelected officials like Stephen Miller are trying to grab it. But instead, We the People can take it back and create a better nation.

‘Reject the Compact’ petition urges USC not to sign Trump’s contract Faculty show support for USC to reject the federal government’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

Fight on, friends
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/10/06/r...

Universities teaching literature students how to cope with long novels Critics blame GCSE English for deterring teenagers from the subject, describing the literature syllabus as boring and repetitive

I think we’re really going to have to do a lot more of this. A massive deprogramming so that people can read more than ten words at a time without anxiety.

www.thetimes.com/uk/education...?

“…one twist to Bostrom’s future-gazing is the idea of a suicidal superintelligence, … ‘the AI ... should, upon having established with sufficient probability that this is what humanity’s extrapolated volition would wish it to do, safely shut itself down.’”

Especially when that thing involves leaning into Blackstone getting more power…

Deadline is kinda right now! I’m behind the curve! I know you know. Help me out, jump in.

Come to Montreal in the Spring!!!

Come think beyond current constraints! I’m going to be talking complementary currencies…

www.acla.org/seminar/7bfc...

The Case for Fiscal Insurgency by Will Beaman A common refrain keeps surfacing among prominent journalists- and commentators-in-digital-exile on BlueSky. Commenting on the emergence of yet another shadowy centrist think tank, Ne…

The assumption that only billionaires or suburban taxpayers can provision democracy has become so entrenched that it is easier to imagine acquiescing to authoritarianism than bypassing this veto.

Montreal with @thisblue.bsky.social, Duncan Faherty, and what's sure to be a sharp seminar of scholars. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

www.acla.org/seminar/7bfc...

In light of today’s absolutely fucking deranged “I’m in a war movie” speeches by Trump and Hegseth, I give you the plaque at West Point.

Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence NATIONAL SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM/NSPM-7 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE                THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

This is really bad. It won’t get the popular opposition the Kimmel incident did, but it’s way more sweeping and authoritarian. This is an effort to bring the full force of government down on any and all opposition to this administration.

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Emmys 2025: One Bad Bit Overshadowed TV's Biggest Night The 2025 Emmys honored deserving work in all categories but the celebrations were lost to a cruel charity gimmick that shortened speeches.

I liked a lot of last night's Emmy results, but boy did I hate last night's Emmy telecast:

(Pple always tell me it doesn't matter if your ideas get scooped/stolen bc yours are always different or better in some way... never makes me feel better!) fwiw @seeshespeak.bsky.social's excellent book is quoted on the "course pledge" page of my History of TV grad seminar at USC!

Concur completely with Professor Norena, this is a disastrous action. I don’t see how Chancellor Rich Lyons recovers from it. As I posted here yesterday, it marks the end of the time when UC Berkeley could claim the mantel of Free Speech as part of its core identity.

Definitely feeling the need to connect irl with others who see how dark things are getting

screencap from linked article: Google said in a statement: “Quality raters are employed by our suppliers and are temporarily assigned to provide external feedback on our products. Their ratings are one of many aggregated data points that help us measure how well our systems are working, but do not directly impact our algorithms or models.” GlobalLogic declined to comment for this story.

Some important reporting on data work.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Surprising but telling to see Google flat-out denying the contribution of data workers to their products:

>>

The next time someone tells you this is just how it is/"AI" is inevitable/this junk is here to stay, please remember that the future is not yet written and we don't have to put up with this.

The Problem of Disinformation (E334) | QAA Get more from QAA on Patreon

This is wild but I went on my fav podcast
QAA Pod to harp on about the phoney baloney NatSec social science of Disinfo Studies. Big thanks to @travisview.bsky.social and Julian! www.patreon.com/posts/135278...

I also just think she’s disgustingly wrong and I am also screaming into a paper bag

Off the Books | Triple Canopy Is art a loophole? An essay on “compliant non-compliance” in the face of institutional decay. ...

"A small cohort of artists + cultural wrkrs, distinguished by a clear-👀 understanding of the contradictions + compromises that govern the field, has recast the legacy of socially engaged art [thru] institutional decay. They’ve put the tools of finance + law to use in redirecting wealth + power..."

The reason why older generations burnt the shit out of their meat and boiled the shit out of their vegetables, was your kid died if you didn't.

Medium rare steaks and roasted Brussels sprouts are a side effect of an intact food safety infrastructure

I got you. I can DM you the PDF.

Where is this?

After Nonviolence, by Ben Ehrenreich The end of peaceful resistance in Palestine

In response to the movement "...The moral awakening occurred as planned. It just didn't make a difference. What they hadn't counted on was the utter lack of real democracy in the West."

"After Nonviolence: The end of peaceful resistance in Palestine" by Ben Ehrenreich
harpers.org/archive/2025...

I teach at a non-elite institution and I can tell you that the problem is definitely not exclusive to the Ivy League, even among students who talk about disliking it and fearing its consequences.

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low likelihood, study finds Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low likelihood, study finds

- Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic impacts

#climatecrisis #AMOC
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

If you read that headline fast, it sounds like Laffer is telling us he's the right man for BS

Tax the Rich Campaigns Need Coalition Credits By the Money on the Left Editorial Collective As Zohran Mamdani and allied progressives turn a campaign victory into governing capacity, the primary weapons used against them will be fiscal. Centri…

"Money is a public responsibility. It names, coordinates, and sustains the capacities people already build together. Our approach is accountable where life is actually organized—schools, unions, libraries, clinics, transit, tenant groups, and campaigns—and it is governed in public."

Ppl who’re surprised about cuts to higher ed in blue states seem to think that disdain for humanities in particular & highered in general is limited to one side of the aisle. This isn’t true./1