Mardi Gras Indians, or Black Masking Indians, spend months, thousands of dollars preparing hand-sewn suits The Mardi Gras Indians, or Black Masking Indians, have been around since the 1800s. Members spend months painstakingly handcrafting suits to be worn while marching through New Orleans' neighborhoods.

Mardi Gras Indians, or Black Masking Indians, spend months, thousands of dollars preparing hand-sewn suits

Beirut.

Oats, sardines and crisps: emergency foods to stockpile – and why you should share them In turbulent times, experts recommend building up a store of food if possible – focusing on long-life, no-cook items

Oats, sardines and crisps: emergency foods to stockpile – and why you should share them

How billionaire MacKenzie Scott's secretive giving is changing lives across Louisiana Grants have taken root across the state, many of them aimed at helping working families. Here's how much she's given across the state and how the money is being spent.

Grants have taken root across the state, many of them aimed at helping working families. Here's how much she's given across the state and how the money is being spent.

U.S. Forest Service unveils extensive closures of research facilities Cost-cutting move is expected to cause resignations and turmoil

What will happen to the 82 USFS experimental forests around the country? Many sites have decades-long experiments that are tracking how forests are changed by timber harvesting practices and climate change. As I say here, “you can't just pick up an experimental forest site and move it to SLC.”

A $99 couch or $8 coffee table? It’s all for sale at this hotel liquidation in Plymouth Meeting

The DoubleTree Philadelphia West in Plymouth Meeting is selling everything inside the former hotel.

As political pressure mounts, medical school accreditor drops requirement to teach about health equity The leading medical school accreditation body in the U.S. has removed language from its standards requiring schools to teach about health inequities

School accreditor drops required teaching on health inequities, known as structural competency, as Trump's DOJ probes three medical schools. www.statnews.com/2026/03/27/m...

Drexel agrees to $2.2 million settlement over tuition payments during COVID-19 shutdown

As many as 16,576 students who paid Drexel tuition for the spring 2020 term could claim a portion of the settlement.

Cuba face à une crise sanitaire majeure : l’OMS alerte sur l’impact du blocus américain et des pénuries d’énergie Le directeur général de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé s’inquiète d’une situation « profondément préoccupante » sur l’île, évoquant notamment « des milliers d’interventions chirurgicales reportées au cours du dernier mois » dans les hôpitaux.

Cuba face à une crise sanitaire majeure : l’OMS alerte sur l’impact du blocus américain et des pénuries d’énergie

Grammarly pulls AI tool mimicking Stephen King and other writers Writers criticised the feature which used their names and styles as "AI personas" without consent.

Just found out that my name, image and likeness was stolen and used by @grammerly.bsky.social -- along with other colleagues. I'm so done with these AI companies stealing everything including our identities. Thank you @juliaangwin.com for leading the charge! www.bbc.com/news/article...

Penn tuition, fees, and room and board will exceed $94,000 for 2026-27

Overall, tuition, fees and room and board costs at the University of Pennsylvania will rise from $91,112 to $94,582 for the 2026-27 school year.

Cover of Women, Gender, and Families of Color Volume 12, Numbers 1-2 Title with white background above an abstract burgundy and pink design of women's faces.

In Women, Gender, & Families of Color 12.1-2 on @projectmuse.bsky.social , @profpatterson.bsky.social ( @delstateuniv.bsky.social ) writes about being a woman + the first Black American chair of her dept in an HBCU context and carving out space for care in academia.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/34/artic...

Life in Cuba Under Trump's Pressure Campaign: No Electricity, No Oil, and Impossible Choices As the United States takes new steps against the regime that has ruled the island since 1959, the Cuban people face 20-hour blackouts, decreased internet access, and shortages of basic supplies.

As the United States takes new steps against the regime that has ruled the island since 1959, the Cuban people face 20-hour blackouts, decreased internet access, and shortages of basic supplies.

Exclusive: Riyadh becomes transit hub for worried rich fleeing Gulf Rich families and senior executives are being ferried to Saudi Arabia as safety concerns push those that can to escape for safety.

“Saudi Arabia is the only real option for people who want to get out of the region right now,” said Ameerh Naran, chief executive of private jet brokerage Vimana Private; private jets from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000, he said.

Riyadh becomes transit hub for worried rich fleeing Gulf

The Seydou Keita exhibition @brooklynmuseum.org has been extended until May. www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/... - I really appreciated this exhibition.

US is withdrawing all 1,000 troops from Syria: WSJ report

US is withdrawing all 1,000 troops from Syria: WSJ report https://aje.news/8iy33i

Fed Officials Signaled No Rush to Restart Rate Cuts, With Some Raising Possibility of Hikes, Minutes Show

Minutes from January's Fed meeting confirmed that officials are in no hurry to restart rate cuts. But according to the discussion, several officials raised the possibility of rate hikes if inflation stayed stubbornly high www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/b... @nytimes.com

OK, let’s discuss what’s happened with the proposed NYC public libraries budget for FY 27. Mayor Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov released his preliminary budget yesterday. This kicks off the city budget process. [Long thread]

Cover of Women, Gender, and Families of Color Volume 12, Numbers 1-2 Title with white background above an abstract burgundy and pink design of women's faces.

Out on @projectmuse.bsky.social , Women, Gender, & Families of Color 12.1-2 is on Care Work for Communities of Color in Higher Ed
Contributors:
@ewhitehat.bsky.social
@profpatterson.bsky.social
@dradjgonzalez.bsky.social
@markiejay06.bsky.social
+more!
muse.jhu.edu/issue/55238

ICE detains two more students from Liam Ramos’s school, officials say The brothers’ mother was taken by ICE and Minnesota educators were forced to bring the children to her

Liam, 5, has been freed, but four other students from his school district remain detained in Texas. Two boys from his elementary school were taken Thurs

“This isn’t something we are prepared or trained for. We’ve dedicated our lives to protecting + educating children,” school superintendent told me

Author Nicholas Patler's biography explores the life of America's first Black governor The life and career of Louisiana’s pioneering civil rights politician, who briefly served as the nation’s first Black governor, would be plagued by racism, accusations true and false and sordid machinations of American politics.

The life and career of Louisiana’s pioneering civil rights politician, who briefly served as the nation’s first Black governor, would be plagued by racism, accusations true and false and sordid machinations of American politics.

Epstein’s economic power among academics was made possible by a capitalist system that makes higher education dependent on the charity economy rather than a public good supported by taxing the rich

Why Houston Oil Majors Are Hesitant to Go All In on Venezuela Though petro-giants have long sought lost assets in the South American country, they have reasons, for now at least, not to leap at Trump’s invitation to join his war on the climate and the…

Exxon and ConocoPhilips, at least, are likely to require more assurances from the Trump administration to mitigate against the political risks of a venture with a long history of expropriations, legal disputes, shifting rules, and political instability. www.texasobserver.org/houston-oil-...

Millions Rely on an Affordable Internet Subsidy. It Ends This Month – The Markup Roughly half of Affordable Connectivity Program recipients are military families, one in four live in rural communities, and one in five are households with people who are 65 or older

Roughly half of Affordable Connectivity Program recipients are military families, one in four live in rural communities, and one in five are households with people who are 65 or older

Why are many New Orleans porch ceilings painted blue? The history spans back centuries. The color is called "haint" blue, and the story on why we paint with it starts with the Gullah people in 19th century South Carolina.

The color is called "haint" blue, and the story on why we paint with it starts with the Gullah people in 19th century South Carolina.

“Slow Pay, Low Pay or No Pay”: Trial Reveals How Insurers Try to Wield Power Over Doctors Blue Cross authorized mastectomies and breast reconstructions for women with cancer but refused to pay the full doctors’ bills. A jury called it fraud and awarded the practice $421 million.

Blue Cross had refused to pay thousands of claims for the center’s patients, but on several occasions executives at the insurance company had signed special one-time deals with the center to pay for their wives’ cancer treatment.

(Published April 2025)

Ikea’s $10 Kallsup speakers are tiny, colorful, and surprisingly loud The new Bluetooth speakers can pair with up to 100 units at once, turning a budget gadget into a fun party trick.

Ikea’s $10 Kallsup speakers are tiny, colorful, and surprisingly loud

Dear MPS families, Out of an abundance of caution, there will be no school on Thursday, January 8, 2026 and Friday, January 9, 2026 due to safety concerns related to today’s incidents around the city. All MPS-sponsored programs, activities, athletics, Community Education, including Adult Education, will be canceled. The District will not move to e-learning because that is only allowable for severe weather. MPS will continue collaborating with the City of Minneapolis and other partners on emergency preparedness and response. Sincerely, Minneapolis Public Schools

No school in Minneapolis tomorrow and Friday. Just got this email.

Trump Withdraws US From 31 Bodies in UN, Already in Fiscal Peril President Donald Trump has ordered the US government to pull out of 66 international organizations that the White House said “no longer serve American interests.”

President Trump has ordered the US government to pull out of 66 international organizations that the White House said “no longer serve American interests.”