Carla Martinez Machain

Looking forward to another year of Foreigner Thanksgiving, which involves chilling at home, eating vegan food, and doing absolutely nothing. Days off when it's not your holiday are the absolute best.

Dear Pet Sitter: Please Lock Up the Knives and Watch Out for Blimps

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who does this, lol. Mine include graphics. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/w...

My mom's cousin is my "tío segundo" and I will absolutely never refer to him as my "first cousin once removed" regardless of which language I'm speaking. Some people really can't seem to understand the concept of different linguistic cultures.

There is literally no other way to describe your father’s cousin in English thats accurate. Second cousin is not a culturally relevant term. “Aunt” is a class of person, not a single bond of relation. “Uncle” is a class of person, not a single bond of relation.

U.S. Military Kills 14 More People Accused of Smuggling Drugs on Boats

More illegal boat strikes by the US, this time killing 14 (with one survivor) in four separate attacks off eastern Mexican coast. Once again, no evidence or legal justification provided. Bears repeating that these strikes are illegal, immoral, and ineffective

Our #JHR dataset on police, military, and paramilitary human rights abuses in LATAM, divided by actor and by type of abuse is now up on dataverse: w/ @ghashiakiyani.bsky.social & Paola Fajardo
dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm...

I too saw the big Yayoi Kusama pumpkin this weekend at AKG in Buffalo

How a polka-dotted pumpkin became the world’s most coveted art installation They’re in museums, on buzzy art islands, on the sides of buses and — if you spend any time thinking about art — probably living rent-free in your head. Here’s why the artist’s signature squashes keep...

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Haunted, Hallowed or Odd: 7 Hotels With Bizarre Histories

I've been to the Crescent Hotel and Spa in Eureka Springs, AR and was so scared that I literally almost drove back to Little Rock in the middle of the night (true story!):
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/t...

We'll be launching a follow-up survey soon, so feel free to share any thoughts you might have with us; feedback is always useful!

At the edge of war: Frontline ally support for the United States military1 How does public messaging affect public support for, or opposition to, a U.S. military presence abroad? This study focuses on Poland as a frontline ally with an exceptionally high external security...

Given the recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace, sharing this recent article with @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social and Grzegorz Smułek where we explore NIMBYism wrt US troops in Poland in the context of Russian threats
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Anne Frank, here in the US. FFS.

Kristi Noem Says ICE Will Be ‘All Over’ the Super Bowl

I mean, good? Let them waste their time there? Does Noem know how much Super Bowl tickets cost? Don't think your average undocumented immigrant is going to be there...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/a...

Taylor Swift Conquers Her Biggest Stage Ever on 'The Life of a Showgirl' Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl' combines new, exciting sonic turns with incisive storytelling.

Who else stayed up to listen??,

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

Have they started terrorizing the MHK yet? Here in BUF they're everywhere.

Opinion | E-bikes are an e-menace America’s streets are being swarmed by teens on fast, silent electric bikes, and injuries are rising.

It really amazes me that we somehow as a society are okay with unlicensed minors driving around in motorized vehicles like this

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

ICE Is Deporting People to Africa on Nearly Un-Trackable Military Flights Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is deporting people to African countries like Ghana on military flights that are nearly un-trackable.

NEW: Air Force jets are doing ICE flights to Africa with transponders turned off, making them nearly un-trackable.

This includes the third-country removal to Ghana and another secret flight. We figured out where it landed.

From me for @rollingstone.com:

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

An Intern Climbs the Stairs, Learning With Every Step

A quick little read that manages to pack so much good advice in it. Will def be sharing with my grad students:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/i...

3rd deadly US strike on a boat in the Caribbean.

As with the others:
-in area US military operates freely
-where arrest has relatively low risk, and greater strategic value
-no US legal rationale, or even attempt to offer one
-blatant violation of international law
-no evidence US knew who they hit

The Best Part of Any Piece of Mail Is the Stamp

I always carry postage stamps in my wallet. You never know when the opportunity to mail a postcard will present itself
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/m...

I also felt like the city made it easier to find opportunities to work out. Running in Stanley Park, yoga at the hotel, love it!

Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer America’s cancer research system, which has helped save millions of lives, is under threat in one of its most productive moments.

“It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” America’s cancer research system, which has helped save millions of lives and is in one of its most productive moments, is under threat by the Trump administration.

What Happened to Mexico City’s Food Scene? Americans.

Yes, AirBnBs in Mexico City are a real problem, but otherwise this article felt a bit underresearched. You can't understand Mexico City if you only go to Roma and Condesa. Also, Jewish delis and fancy pastries were there in the 90s, just in different neighborhoods

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/d...

For those of you at #APSA2025, come check out our panel today at 4 PM. Lots of papers about troop deployments, foreign military training, and other foreign policy tools! @ilkerkalin.bsky.social

Happy to be in Vancouver for #APSA2025. This was our "troops as DV" paper that @michaelallen.bsky.social , @flynnpolsci.bsky.social , and I are finally getting back to. Thanks to @marinahenke.bsky.social and @mcfuhrmann.bsky.social for super useful feedback!

The Met Opera Turns to Saudi Arabia to Help Solve Its Financial Woes

Did anyone else immediately think "potential Gilded Age storyline!!" when they read this?
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...

Reframing Jan. 6: After the Pardons, the Purge

People still think it's hyperbole when we talk about this govt being autocratic. It's not. Autocracy is not always flashy and dramatic, sometimes it's "boring" and bureaucratic like this
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/n...

Out at dinner at a restaurant in CDMX and someone at the table next to us just said, in English, "regression analysis. " Way to ruin my vacation vibe, bro

Even if the Lincoln Memorial was a hotbed of crime—which it really isn't—sending Armed Forces would be wrong.

Crime is a law enforcement issue. We hire cops to handle it. Military addressing it is illegal, and for good reason.

Blatant lie as pretext for power grab AND would be wrong even if true.

Opinion | Trump’s Domestic Deployments Are Dangerous. For the Military. The nation’s most trusted institution must not be reduced to a political tool.

In @nytopinion.bsky.social

“The military I love is under threat — from its own commander in chief,” writes our columnist David French. Using the U.S. military against domestic foes “risks fracturing its bond with the American public and diminishing its ability to recruit.”