This year, @americanrivers.bsky.social placed the Lumbee River on its list of Most Endangered Rivers due to contamination from PFAS & other “forever chemicals.” See their write-up here 👇🏽. I’m also dropping links below to some of my research on river’s environment, history, & cultural significance.
Dear G!
How are you?
Nice story about J. E. in New York mag, you look great on the picture. I know you are very busy flying all over the world. How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY. Have a great time!
Love, Melania
A collective photo taken at Firestorm Books. Our team, including five humans and two dogs, is sitting on the sidewalk in front of the building looking relaxed. The sky is bright but cloudy and flags on the building hang without any indication of wind. The building is painted forest green and various posters and signs are visible in the windows, which reflect the sky. The largest reads "Immigrants Welcome."
Like a lot of small businesses in our region, Firestorm has been in financial distress for the last year. Hurricane Helene was our tipping point, but local cost of living increases, inflation, and higher occupancy costs are huge contributors. 1/9
Who knew men attracted to a "lifestyle" where women have no economic independence and are confined to the home where they are cut off from support networks and sold the myth that their only value is as baby-making machines and sexual objects might exhibit "hostile sexism"! Who could have predicted!
This is true across the entire administration. The disastrous ServiceFirst rollout is a prime example of a systemic and ongoing communications failure.
Yard signs that Read “David versus Goliath, NC Senate, all eyes on the recount“
Seen in Oak Ridge this morning. Think this is the first time I’ve encountered political yard signs about a recount?
Columbia President with NEW details:
5 DHS agents entered a residency with no warrant.
They said they were police looking for a missing kid.
Security camera even captures them showing pictures of the "kid."
A campus officer asked for a warrant & their boss.
They ignored him & took the student.
Minnesota: "School officials say the [5-year-old] child was used as bait. They say [ICE] agents made little Liam knock on the door to ask to be let in in order to see if anyone else was home."
🙄
The Mob Boss isn’t happy with Tillis voting against his budget.
In case folks missed it, many UVa departments, including mine, posted this statement on our websites a month or two ago:
On a brownish-orange background, an illustration in black outline with pale orange highlights, of diverse individuals engaged in communal activities with sketches, papers, thinking, and discussion. Bold white text reads "Communiversity.” Below, it announces "Applications open for 2025 NYC Communiversity Courses" in yellow text.
NYC friends—we have an exciting piece of news to add to your day: Registration for our anti-criminalization Communiversity is officially LIVE! 🎊
Workshops and classes will take place this August to November, and are for NYC-based folks. Learn more: www.interruptingcriminalization.com/communiversity
Oh gosh. This is LITERALLY 95% of all Central Asian and Caucasus language education in the US and Canada (and like 75% of US+Canada+Western Europe) happens. This is an actual national security issue, beyond the academic loss. All of us that study former USSR went through their programs.
Fight! Win! Building our power in higher ed. Summer Institute 2025
The 2025 Summer Institute presents a crucial opportunity for AAUP & AFT members to learn how to fight back against attacks on higher ed while continuing to advance our shared vision for the future.
Attendance is FREE for AAUP & AFT members!
Join us!
Register Here! ⬇️
www.aaup.org/event/2025-a...
This is very, very bad.
A new state law will likely force the closure of hundreds of low-enrollment programs at Indiana University. The cutoff is 15 graduates/year for undergrad majors, 7 for Masters programs, and 3 for PhD programs, averaged over 3 years.
wfiunews.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/h...
The dismantling of the research apparatus that made America the science and tech giant it's been over the past century is the greatest own-goal in history. We haven't even begun to calculate or feel the losses
Can’t let effective state governance get in the way of your summer vacations.
This is oligarchy. This is obscene.
While 60% live paycheck to paycheck & kids go hungry, Jeff Bezos, worth $230 billion, goes to Venice on his $500 million yacht for a $20 million wedding & spends $5 million on a ring while his real tax rate is just 1.1%.
End this oligarchy.
A placard with the following text NO ICE ACCESS IN THIS OFFICE PRIVATE PROPERTY - ENTRY RESTRICTED BY LAW NOTICE TO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT & IMMIGRATION AGENTS: This is a private workplace. You are not permitted to enter non-public areas of this office (including offices, break rooms, storage areas, and staff-only areas) without a valid judicial warrant signed by a federal judge or magistrate An ICE administrative warrant (Form I-200 or 1-205) does not authorize entry into private areas of this office. You may not question emplovees or search the premises without proper legal authorify. All employees and visitors have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ENTER THIS OFFICE WITHOUT A VALID JUDICIAL WARRANT, YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE. IF YOU PRESENT A JUDICIAL WARRANT, PLEASE NOTIFY MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL COUNSEL IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PROCEEDING. IF YOU ENTER, YOU ARE TRESPASSING, AND WE WILL SEEK LEGAL RECOURSE. This policy is in compliance with: U.S. Constitution, Fourth Amendment California Government Code $ 7285.1 California Labor Code $ 1019.2 Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB 450)
We are posting this placard at all of our offices and asking our union contract farms to post as well.
We encourage our friends to put up similar placards at their business as immigration agents do not have the right to go on private property without permission.
The mood at our university is widespread uncertainty and fear. First we faced huge funding cuts as federal agencies and research programs were dismantled by Trump. Now we are at the mercy of our state legislature and university leadership who are taking the opportunity to cut funding even further.
Poor staff morale because of widespread layoff fears isn’t great for “operational effectiveness” or cost savings.
UNC staff are an integral part of our campus communities and are vital to the successful function of our programs. “Centralization” in the name of efficiency has been tried before and failed. UNC leadership should find other ways to cut costs that won’t result in mass job losses.
Make no mistake: whether you use Medicaid or not, you will feel the impacts of cuts to the program. The budget bill the Senate is considering right now would kick 16 MILLION people off their health insurance, & health care costs could go up by up to $485 per year for most people.
I wrote a whole dissertation and she just tweeted it out
Insightful piece on the future of the many different sectors within US higher education
www.chronicle.com/article/what...
Hi, this is Meg Barnette, Brad's wife.
While escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE.
This is still developing, and our team is monitoring the situation closely.
