This. I wrote about how Michael Phelps's sport-advantageous physique is celebrated, while that of Black and brown athletes - especially if they are women - is often pathologized in the Performance chapter of HUMANS: A Monstrous History (link in bio).
But who's next on the monstrification list?
Too many days like this.
As Trump's war on Iran continues, reminder that his own son-in-law Jared Kushner — who is leading negotiations with Iran — stands to profit from lucrative contracts with its regional rivals.
War gives dictators like Trump (and his family) more power and more wealth.
Each one of these cases needs to be investigated.
Again, Jurgen Habermas—RIP, King—wrote Alex Karp and said I will no longer be your dissertation adviser BY FAX—because your ideas are mediocre. Nothing has changed.
We shouldn't just have to accept the fact that gas and heating oil prices will remain high for the next year.
The President is waging a reckless war — with Susan Collins' stamp of approval — and Maine people are facing skyrocketing costs as a result.
there is literally one proven policy to reduce traffic congestion long-term.
it’s congestion pricing. and Trump just spent a whole year trying to illegally scrap it in New York City
⬆️
M e t a g o v
has an award for fiction in praise of AI. I'm not linking to the award but am surprised at the effort.
For fuck's sake, sign up for The Onion, and get a free limited edition IW tote.
A share of merch sales will go to the Sandy Hook families, which will be the first time they get any money since they filed this lawsuit eight years ago.
Legal fees have been insane. Please sign up and help us out!
The Onion plans to turn Infowars into a comedy site with satirical echoes of the fringe conspiracy theories that Mr. Jones is known for. Tim Heidecker, one of the comedians behind “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, has been hired to serve as “creative director of Infowars.” He said he initially plans to parody Mr. Jones’s “whole modus operandi.” Mr. Heidecker has been working on his impression of Mr. Jones. But eventually, when that joke gets old, Mr. Heidecker said that he hoped to turn Infowars into a destination for independent and experimental comedy. “I just thought it would be just a beautiful joke if we could take this pretty toxic, negative, destructive force of Infowars and rebrand it as this beautiful place for our creativity,” Mr. Heidecker said in an interview. During a recent trip to Philadelphia, he traveled to the Liberty Bell to film a video in character as the new creative director of Infowars.
Get excited.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/b...
"Beyond state legislators and other Republican politicians, it’s unclear who, if anyone, is supporting these policies."
.7. FROM ARCHETYPES TO PROTOTYPES FROM PROTOTYPES TO STRATEGIC PUBLIC DENTITY: CONSTRUCTING THE PERSONA OF A PROPER POLITICAL LEADER Gábor Pál Speaking academically about "presidential"! communication in Hungary, the choice to focus on Viktor Orbán seems obvious. Still, it is worth considering whether this choice is scientifically sound or sufficiently fruitful. Let us there- fore consider the arguments in favor The first factor that justifies the choice is the topicality of the analysis. At the time of writing, Viktor Orbán is the incumbent head of the government ir the country. The second aspect, or set of aspects, that is important to take into account is Orbán's career and his role and significance in Hungarian political life. In the new political era following the collapse of the state socialist dictatorship and the transition to democracy. Orbán has become one of the most influential political leaders of the country. Since 1990, from the first free and multi-party elections, he has been a Member of the Parliament. Since Fidesz? became a parliamentary party, Orbán has been the organization's number one politician. Between 1990 and 1994 he was the party's parliamentary group leader, and after that, apart from a short three-year period (2000-2003), he held the post of party's chairman. He first served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1998 to 2002, for four years, and then as leader of the opposition for eight years. After
Gábor Pál shared with me some reflections recently. His chapter on Hungary examined the archetypes in the strategic public identity of the now-conceded Orbán.
3 · POLITICAL PRUDENCE IN TIMES OF PROTEST: THE RHETORIC OF BULGARIA’S PRESIDENT RUMEN RADEV Svilen V. Trifonov and Nadezhda Sotirova Bulgaria’s political landscape in the past three decades has been dominated by social protests and dramatic struggles for political power. Originating in the turbulence of the 1980s and 1990s and followed by the struggles to prepare for European Union (EU) accession (and afterwards—to manage and maintain EU standards), the country’s period since the official fall of socialism in 1989 has become known as the “Transition.” The period has been defined by con- sistent and enduring political instability with whiplash changes and appeals to revert to the “old” socialist rule. Historically a strong socialist supporter, Bul-garia, like many other Eastern European countries, has also had strong West- ern aspirations, assisting both the United States and NATO post-1989. Despite joining the European Union in 2007, Bulgaria continues its pro-Russian incli- nations highlighted by the numerous resurgences and political stronghold of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in the government post-1989. Thus, the country offers an interesting case study for the areas of transitology (from com- munism to democracy) and postsocialism studies as one of the closest allies to the USSR despite never being a formal member of the Soviet Union. An illustrative example of Bulgaria’s pro-Russian inclinations was the 2016 Presidential election in which Rumen Radev, an independent candidate with strong support of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, emerged victorious. As
Bulgaria’s election brings to mind
Svilen V. Trifonov and Nadezhda Sotirova's chapter, "a case study for the areas of transitology (from communism to democracy) and postsocialism studies as one of the closest allies to the USSR despite never being a formal member of the Soviet Union."
"Stories might address ethical training, sustainable maintenance, creator-friendly implementation, collective rather than corporate ownership, and/or new uses that complement rather than replace human strengths." Sure, Mark.
Something dark about a large corporation paying scraps to people to write fiction w/ their "vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change" and to "Imagine AI development, policy, and tools, built for—and following basic principles of— public benefit."
"These apps feed a broader ethos of gamification that encourages students to fixate on points, badges and other digital dopamine hits — and shy away from the experimentation, frustration and struggle that real learning demands"
"Perhaps the most insidious aspect of ed tech’s invasion is the widespread adoption of video-game-style apps to teach, assess and entertain students."
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/19/o...
Thank you. She was a delight.
The Alfange Lecture in Constitutional Law is named for her husband, and fortunately she was able to see this year via video. We would always enjoy it with her.
share.google/NzdVXN7uVqE3...
I offered to visit and she said that she would give us a call. I felt a hole open up.
We learned that she passed away 2 days later. Please take a moment to rea. This was a woman who lived a good life and made it better for others. May her memory be eternal.
I admired Barbara for her book business and birding interests. We went out regularly with them both, inviting them to our home, and then after Dean passed, with Barbara. She called me when she went into hospice and shared some kind reflections.
Our dear friend Barbara Alfange has left this world.
She and her husband Dean were friends since 1997 when I was back at @umassamherst.bsky.social and saw him on campus and said hello.
obits.postandcourier.com/us/obituarie...
She wrote this obituary herself.
There is not a single Ivy League school on this list of the best schools for first-generation students.
The contrast continues to this day. Half the US policy establishment is self-flagellating about how shock therapy, NATO expansion, etc. "lost Ru" and we need to fix it, while in Ru everyone is brainstorming how to bring the American enemy down (militarily, disinfo, bribery, destabilization).
The US always had a streak of conciliatory attitude to the USSR, seeking to understand where they're coming from and hoping to find middle ground. Meanwhile, when I was growing up in Bulgaria in the 80s, I learned Americans are militarists who want to kill us, while the USSR wants peace. Zero nuance
ZELENSKYY: Trump says Putin is afraid of United States, and I completely agree. That means we can put real pressure on him. But if America chooses not to pressure Putin and instead engages only in soft diplomacy and gentle dialogue with Russia, then they will stop being afraid.
Stevens to RFK Jr: "To top it off, Mr Secretary, I got a copy of HR-944. You know what it is? It's your impeachment articles, sir. You have abused your office, you have gutted America's public health! You should be ashamed."
I’ve heard about orange cats 🐈
It will never stop pissing me off how much trump is going to walk away from this presidency as a “real” billionaire in a way he never was before, and it is going to be solely because of the public office
