meredith balkus
@meredithbalkus.bsky.social
writer | nerd | cat mom | motorcyclist now: words at netflix + freelance + possibly a book then: vice, thrillist, st. martin’s press
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition. Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
nature.com
three bylines, six months late, almost zero new information we hadn't reported months ago. lowercased our name and mentioned deep in the story. no link to us. said they couldnt find the govt privacy document (we did). good job wall street journal
Corin Faife@corin.bsky.social · 7mo agoOne of the WSJ's A1 stories today was reported *6 months ago* by @404media.co, a team of just four journalists.
Every American should read this ACLU lawsuit about what is happening in Los Angeles and California. It is the stuff of dystopian nightmares. This is not immigration enforcement. It is positively stuffed with videos and articles documenting racial profiling on a scale unseen since Jim Crow.
if being part of the union does not entitle you to any of the benefits of the union, we do not, in any real sense, have a union
The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · last yr.President Trump has so far withheld federal relief funds, with many arguing that California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats in the deep-blue state have mishandled the fires and should be forced to rescind liberal policies in exchange for aid.
It’s a good thing Congress isn’t alive to see this
illegal war started by a man constitutionally ineligible to be president
Listen do you want to try writing the book or amputating a limb with the civil war bone saw? It's going to feel about the same.
This week, as the number of confirmed measles cases rose to 483, the CDC buried a report that would’ve stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. The move was “not normal at all,” one agency staff member said. By @sheinvestigates.bsky.social
The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the nation’s top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.
propub.li
This whole country wants bad things for others more than they want good things for themselves.
"Woke just means you give a damn about other people." — Jane Fonda accepting the Life Achievement Award at the SAG Awards
when the crowd cheers for the Nazi salute, what you have is a crowd full of Nazis
NEW for @aftermath.site - i wrote about Metaphor:ReFantazio, David Lynch, and the work we need to do to defeat doomerism and manifest the world we want.
Fantasy At The End Of The World - Aftermath
A new world is possible, but only if we log off and put in the work
aftermath.site
"rapid response" *checks calendar* huh
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · last yr.Leader Jeffries has announced the launch of the "Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group." The task force is part of a "multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration."
Kendrick Lamar deserves to win the very first Nobel Hate Prize
This is why the Samuel L. Jackson bits were so amazing. Just a total troll job on angry white people.
David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · last yr.Right wing influencers on social media thought that halftime show sucked.
we are reaching levels of national security threats I did not even realize were possible this is the kind of thing you put in a terrible b-movie where some nefarious cybercriminal has hacked The Entire Treasury and everyone rolls their eyes at the implausibility except somehow it's actually real
do you have any idea just how badly you have to fuck up to get Canada mad at you
Incredibly moving Justin Trudeau remarks: "We have fought and died alongside you....During your darkest hours...we were always there. Standing with you, grieving with you, the American people....Canadians are a little perplexed as to why our closest friends and neighbors are choosing to target us."
A gay guy, a Black man, and a woman walk into a flight deck— that’s not the beginning of a joke, but just a regular day at work! There was so much DEI on this plane that we could hardly get in the air. Luckily my limp wrists were able to wrestle the heavy jet back to the ground 💅🏼
