Elaine Spiller
@elainespiller.bsky.social
Professor of applied math and statistics.
Is everyone aware of the General Motors streetcar conspiracy? In the mid-20th century, auto and oil interests bought up electric streetcar systems across the US and systematically replaced them with bus routes and paved roads, funneling commuters toward private cars.
General Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Charlie Kaufman is reportedly adapting Susan Orlean’s critique of Emily Wilson’s critique of Christopher Nolan
Joseph Rezek@rezekjoe.bsky.social · 4d agoSUSAN ORLEAN HAS JOINED THE ENEMY IN THE ODYSSEY WARS
Who doesn’t have a friend who died of Covid or has long Covid?
much solidarity to our colleagues in sociology. DDRIG grants are truly transformative for early career scholars’ ability to conduct research with benefits not only for their disciplines, but also for society as a whole
Philip N Cohen@philipncohen.com · last wk.Per @asanews.bsky.social email, after being cut off by NSF, ASA is ending the Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant.
I grew up in the 1980s, so basically I remember the media destruction of Jimmy Carter, and whoah, is the second Trump Administration, a bigger failure than Carter, and whoah, it is a direct result of their bananas enactment of every bad Republican idea ever.
Cheryl Reeve, winningest coach in WNBA history, defends transgender athletes against sports bans. “Exclusion is never the answer. Separate isn’t equal. Trans lives matter.” 💗🏳️⚧️💗🏀💗
I have said it before and I say it again: The Renew Deal. C’mon!
Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · last wk.I do find it amazing that even in this moment, the Dems can't come up with some sort of "Contract for America" like language that offers an alternative to Trump. Maybe they have it, but whatever governing vision they have is lost in the noise.
So I have a different idea about how to bring science into a new "golden age"... This document is attributed to Michael Kratsios, who is the co-chair of PCAST (The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology). www.whitehouse.gov/releases/202... 1/5
President Trump Announces Appointments to President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
Today, President Donald J. Trump appointed the first members to his President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Established by
whitehouse.gov
It's impressive how many ethical quandaries can be solved by asking yourself, "Would Weird Al be cool with this?"
Steven Santos@stevensantos.bsky.social · 2w agoGuess who had the integrity not to accept $1 million to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival last year?
This should be a lightbulb moment for Democrats: You are free to run on this platform because Republicans are going to accuse you of it whether you do or not!
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2w agoTrump: "The Democrats are gonna terminate the filibuster as soon as they have a chance and then they're gonna approve DC and Puerto Rico as states. They get 4 more senators, 12 more congressmen, like 40 electoral votes ... you don't want to see me cry."
Political reasons for tenure denials are a violation of faculty governance and academic freedom The best part? The president (Jim Davis) is himself not an academic, and got tenure not as a result of a formal review, but pro forma from the Board of Regents as part of his hiring contract
Sarah T Roberts, PhD@ubiquity75.xyz · 2w agoUT President interfering with faculty tenure. Just the latest egregious example of administrator overreach and political capitulation. Non-paywall follows.
Cabo Verde are the true winners of this World Cup.
the proposed rule punishes students for runaway tuition costs. funny how the c-suite folks who *run* universities never have to make sacrifices, never have to take accountability, and *still* get to collect MBA paychecks. maybe schools should serve students. radical leftist nonsense, i know.
if you want schools to focus on education, there are *other* moves to make: 1. restrict administrative bloat. maybe havep an admin-to-student spending ratio. 2. restrict schools' spending on non-educational and non-student support services. 3. budget transparency; make them publish every detail.
No science fiction could have prepared us for just how stupid the end of the world can be. "The environment was on the brink of collapse, and so, rather than deal with that, we burned what fuel we had left getting computers to scam each other for money."
Antifascism looks like Pedro Pascal. It looks like Alex Pretti and AOC. It looks like 600 priests, imams, and rabbis in the cold streets of winter Minneapolis. Antifascism is gorgeous.
PEIPolitical 🇨🇦@peipolitical.bsky.social · 3w agoMiller: "It's not a coincidence that when you look at these violent Antifa demonstrations not one of the people that is demonstrating looks like a normal person. Not one looks normal. They're all deformed in some way in their appearance, in their dress, in their mannerism." #cdnpoli
As with so many things, it is critical to realize this is not bumbling or ineptitude or not thinking through policy implications. On the contrary: making it impossible for foreign students to do the doctorate here is THE WHOLE POINT. It’s about starving higher ed under the guise of America first.
Ben Allen@evodynamics.bsky.social · 3w agoCongrats we just made it impossible to come here for a PhD www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/m...
Networks that did not cover live were validated. That speech was a kitchen-sink mishmash of moldy six-year-old conspiracy slop circling around the drain.
We COULD turn toward solar & wind, make future development walkable, etc. OR we could declare war on Canadian smoke. Probably we can stop it with missiles, or, like, shooting our guns at it.
Incidentally, if you ever meet the executives who approved “economy plus” language? well…we punch Nazis…
Watching the shoving before the corner kicks, I keep waiting to see Haaland just punch out a defender like Mongo knocking out the horse in Blazing Saddlers
Few patients appeal a health insurance denial, but a little-known process that requires insurers and plans to seek an independent opinion can force insurers to pay for what can be lifesaving treatment. Here’s what experts say you need to know.
This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.
When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...
propublica.org
I’ve taken to sending this people when I cuss them out. I do it for my HEALTH. www.sondermind.com/resources/ar...
How Unresolved Anger Triggers Autoimmune Disorders | Women's Health
Discover why researchers are finding a powerful connection between suppressed rage and autoimmune disorders in women.
sondermind.com
Once again, I am just a small-town international relations professor, standing here, begging our media & our Congress to take our most important signed, ratified international treaty seriously & threats by the One Special Boy to violate it as the presidency-ending scandal that it should have been.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4w agoTrump on Greenland: "That's what hurt my relationship with NATO...it's an important part for the United States. It's surrounded by China ships & Russian ships. Greenland should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark. We could remove all our soldiers out of Europe. They better be careful"
You’ve seen the video of the Japanese national team playing against 100 kindergarteners?
