Social movement scholar here again. So, why protest?

Nihilists were out yesterday arguing that "protests don't do anything."

A short 🧵:

Two police officers walk down a city street, each carrying shopping bags and drinks. The image is in black and white. A truck advertisement is visible in the background.

Two Men
#Chicago #CPD #mono

folks were handing out fliers in Cville today, this is real and the organizing work is being done. put May Day on your calendar.

A black and white image featuring a concrete barrier with graffiti that reads "GENERAL STRIKE MAY 1st." The background includes a view of tall buildings and a bridge over water.

General Strike May 1st
#NK3 #Chicago #NoKings

A Challenge for ‘No Kings’ Protests, the Third Time Around

Millions are so mad at the gov we have taken to the streets more times to exercise our 1A rights than at any other time in US history.

NYT: "it’s an open question whether posting another big number will be enough to influence the course of the nation’s politics."

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/u...

Again, the first Tea Party rallies in April 2009 -- heavily promoted in advance by Fox News -- only had about 300,000 attendees across 750 cities, but the media treated it like the Second American Revolution.

There will be multiple *individual* No Kings rallies today that have more people at them.

A person sitting on the grass holds a sign reading "Elect a Clown, Expect a Circus," while displaying a small American flag. The background features a crowd at a No Kings event.

Elect A Clown Expect a Circus
#Chicago #NK3

B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone YouTube video by BBKingVEVO

Some Kings actually.

A Challenge for ‘No Kings’ Protests, the Third Time Around

The NY Times saves its harshest skepticism for progressives. Instead of being impressed by 3,000+ coordinated protests, NYT dismisses the value of “hitting a number” and asks if No Kings will be “a primal scream that fades into a whimper.”
F off, NY Times. We'll defeat fascism w/o you. (Gift link)

Probably not, but still something fun. I enjoy the energy of the enthusiastic participants

The surprising science behind red-light therapy — and how it really works People are buying helmets, face masks, vests and beds that emit long-wavelength light. Beneath the hype, there is some interesting biology.

The surprising science behind red-light therapy — and how it really works www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Why So Many Control Rooms Were Seafoam Green The Color Theory Behind Industrial Seafoam Green

Why So Many Control Rooms Were Seafoam Green bethmathews.substack.com/p/why-so-man...

that's not an actual flight attendant outfit, those lights are not plane overheads, actual ICE officers don't do this kind of thing alone by themselves, there are bunch of other small tells here

Faber Birren painted his bedroom red to see if it would drive him mad, then designed the colors of the nuclear age A college dropout tested color on meat displays, then designed the safety palette for Manhattan Project reactor rooms.

Faber Birren painted his bedroom red to see if it would drive him mad, then designed the colors of the nuclear age boingboing.net/2026/03/26/f...

Every time I hear Trump babble, am reminded of the great Mose Allison's lyric, "If you must keep talkin'
Please try to make it rhyme
Because your mind is on vacation and your mouth is workin' overtime"

I'm going on Krugman's substack in a few to talk energy, so I've been trying to wrap my head around a 30K view of the domestic energy landscape. It has brought to mind one of my favorite rants, which I will rant at you once again here.

Let's talk about a contrast. 🧵

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, top Dem on the House appropriations panel, says DHS is *choosing* not to pay TSA workers while paying its other employees.

She says:

85% of ICE + CBP are being paid
75% of Secret Service
0% of TSA workers

"The Department made that decision," DeLauro says on the House floor.

The image features a layered composition of glassware reflecting a modern urban building. The scene is framed by a film strip border, adding a vintage aesthetic.

Wine O’Clock

ICE Killed A Man Outside Chicago Last Year. Little Has Been Done To Investigate Neither the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office nor Franklin Park police chose to launch probes into the death of Silverio Villegas González. That’s in stark contrast to Minneapolis, where local off...

Unlike officials in Minneapolis, Chicago & other IL officials have done *nothing* to investigate ICE brutality in Chicago, especially the killing of Silverio Villegas González. I appreciate @blockclubchi.bsky.social for many things, esp for staying on this story blockclubchicago.org/2026/03/23/i...

📢🪧As Trump escalates his attempts to control us, it's ON US, THE PEOPLE to show we'll join up to protect one another & our country.

❌👑 In the USA, we have #NoKings!

📅📍 In Chicago, join us in Grant Park, Sat 3/28, 1:30 pm. www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec... Or find another location: nokings.org/

Donald Trump saddles up a Chicago hobbyhorse — Christopher Columbus The president paused from harrying immigrants to honor everybody's favorite revered explorer and/or brutal maniac.

Donald Trump saddles up a Chicago hobbyhorse — Christopher Columbus chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2...

Nobel laureate calls it 'treason': $580 million traded minutes before Trump's oil reversal | Fortune Approximately $580 million of oil futures were sold before Trump shocked the markets with a dubious statement.

🧵🧵🧵 Welcome to a thought experiment I call “What Are the Chances.” This thread looks at strongly held suspicions about Trump:
1. What are the chances …
… that Trump isn't using insider info to help himself and/or cronies make a killing on trades just before his social media posts move the markets?

O'Neill Burke rejects bid for special prosecutor to target ICE, says it threatens to 'thwart' justice The Cook County state's attorney pushed back on a broad coalition's effort to have an independent official installed to investigate the federal agents behind Operation Midway Blitz. She said she’s…

O'Neill Burke rejects bid for special prosecutor to target ICE, says it threatens to 'thwart' justice chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
how did Cook Count elect such a MAGA adjacent state’s attorney?

Canadian woman held with daughter by ICE warns all immigrants to ‘lie low’ Tania Warner says she has documents showing she is in the US legally, but immigration agents were not swayed

Canadian woman held with daughter by ICE warns all immigrants to ‘lie low’ | US immigration | The Guardian

From the mobydick community on Reddit: A question about Queequeg's mark signature Explore this post and more from the mobydick community

A question about Queequeg's mark signature : r/mobydick www.reddit.com/r/mobydick/c...

Photographer Questioned at Home by FBI Over His Images of Protesters Two federal agents came to his house.

Photographer Questioned at Home by FBI Over His Images of Protesters petapixel.com/2026/03/24/p...

Kodak Revives the Ektapan Name for Three 'New' Black and White Films This looks a lot like Kodak T-Max.

Kodak Revives the Ektapan Name for Three 'New' Black and White Films petapixel.com/2026/03/24/k...

ICE Agents Deployed To Nation's Swamped Airports To Stand Around And Do Nothing | Defector The second government shutdown of the year, this one affecting only the Department of Homeland Security, went into effect on Feb. 14. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and…

ICE Agents Deployed To Nation's Swamped Airports To Stand Around And Do Nothing | Defector defector.com/ice-agents-d...

United Center owners' massive 1901 Project could get nearly $55 million property tax break Mayor Brandon Johnson introduced the property tax incentives to the City Council, and the arena's owners said it would help support their self-funded $7 billion project.

United Center owners' massive 1901 Project could get nearly $55 million property tax break chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...
but of course

Traders placed $580mn in oil bets ahead of Donald Trump’s social media post on Iran talks Thousands of Brent and WTI contracts changed hands 15 minutes before president’s message on Truth Social

Someone or someones made $580,000,000 in exquisitely well-timed oil trades that took place 15 minutes before Trump's dubiously optimistic post about the negotiations with Iran.

Gift link ⤵️

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...