DEFEND OUR FREEDOM TO BE SEEN: TELL THE FCC THAT LGBTQ STORIES DON’T NEED A WARNING LABEL: glaad.org/fcc
#warning #danger #entertainment #fcc #tv #movie #tvshow #politics #trump #lgbt #lgbtq #discrimination #law #justice #censorship #freedom #usa #democracy #humanrights #news #protest
Another week, another story of the callousness of the British state; the already failing e-Visa system seems to be corrupting & dismissing people's right to stay in the UK, has this week halted a mother's return to be with her child, while stranding her in Germany with another.
As so often the Home Office is quick to make mistakes but slow to rectify them with (seemingly) no regard to the human costs.
The state's runs rough shod over normal people (again).
#politics
theguardian.com/politics/2026/…
Liza Tobay was told settled status had been ‘red flagged’ when she tried to fly home from Germany to ScotlandLisa O’Carroll (The Guardian)
There's been little acknowledgement but Susan George (political scientist as Wikipedia have it, or political economist, as I would prefer) passed on 14th February. I've seen no obituaries, but here is her Wikipedia entry which included the long list of her excellent & insightful books... many of which were always on my reading lists
I'm sure the lack of obits has nothing to do with her being a women or a critique of global capitalism. /s
h/t @AnnPettifor
The revelation comes as part of a series of corrections in a legal case over DOGE’s access to Social Security Administration data.Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (TechCrunch)
EU touts climate leadership while undermining antideforestation rules, critics say news.mongabay.com/2025/11/eu-t…
#EU #environment #forest #deforestation #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #politics #EUPol
BELÉM, Brazil — At a Nov. 19 press conference at the U.N. climate summit currently underway in Brazil, European Union officials spoke for half an hour without a single mention of forests or efforts to halt deforestation — even though COP30 is taking …Hans Nicholas Jong (Conservation news)
No Kings rally in Evanston, IL, looking N, W and S.
A good time, peaceful, neighborly. Democracy.
cc
@indivisibleteam
@indivisiblechi
@50501movement
@50501Chicago
#NoKings #indivisible #rally #protest #democracy #USpol #politics
Latest comic: What does not belong?
#cartoon #comic #politics #democracy #firstamendment #monarchy #authoritarianism #uspol
And This Clip Speaks For Itself
#JDVance #RightVsLeft #Politics #Hawkpodcasts #VideoShort
Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.youtube.com
20 years ago and still…
Given the USA spends more (by some margin) on health per capita than any other country, the Q. is if that money is not prolonging lives of US citizens, what is it doing?
To which the answer is:
enriching healthcare corporations, pharmaceutical firms and, of course, the politicians who these firms 'support'.
When politicians in the UK say we need to learn form the US healthcare system, the only lesson we need to learn is to not adopt a profit-centered model!
A few takeaways from my research:
1 - Not one staffer said they’d turn to scientists first when facing a science-related question.
2 - Party leadership, lobbyists, and trusted friends-of-friends often have more influence than peer-reviewed studies.
3 - Scientists are unintentionally sidelining themselves by only engaging with one side of the aisle.
sheril.substack.com/p/what-sci… #science #politics #uspol
In policy conversations, relationships—over research—shape outcomes.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
Would you want to drink with a Nazi?Tod Perry (Upworthy)
It starts with disinformation.
It progresses to bludgeoning the press into silence.
It moves on to denying election results and fighting like hell to overturn an election they squarely lost ...
meidasplus.com/p/urgent-maga-t…
The MAGA attack on 65,000 votes — and the judge fighting back.Ben Meiselas (Meidas+)
Our top story: If the voucher bill were to pass, select private companies could soon be reeling in tens and even hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars per year. We took a closer look at who stands to gain the most. texasobserver.org/school-vouch…
#education #politics #USpol #vouchers #news #schools #TXlege #Texas #GregAbbott
The Legislature’s current proposals put a handful of private contractors in the driver’s seat. Other states have already seen problems.Justin Miller (The Texas Observer)
This week's comic: Your New Order Has Arrived
"Meta and X are going rogue:" European Digital Rights group (EDRi) urges EU to invest in infrastructure "like Mastodon, Peertube and other key pieces of the Fediverse" to secure Europe's independence
edri.org/our-work/meta-and-x-a…
#news #tech #technology #socialmedia #twitter #fediverse #politics #europe
To solve the core problem, we have to curb the immense grip Big Tech has on our institutions and invest in independent digital alternatives.European Digital Rights (EDRi)
For the first time since 2006, there will be no women leading House committees. 🤔 #politics #uspol
abcnews.go.com/Politics/republ…
The committees will be dominated by white men when the new Congress is seated.Lauren Peller (ABC News)
Latest comic: Experts explain why America voted for plague
#cartoon #comic #politics #uspol #media #journalism #election #authoritarianism
“When you think of the incentive structure [in #politics] right now to get your name out, it’s about people who want to throw rocks & create controversy… People who work & toil away to pass common sense, good, bipartisan legislation that actually helps people’s lives? That doesn’t get press.” politico.com/news/2024/10/13/g…
- Senator Gary Peters, who isn’t always in the news, but scores as the most effective Senator in Congress news.vanderbilt.edu/2023/03/20…
Reps. Gerald Connolly, D-VA, and Don Bacon, R-NE, and Sens. Gary Peters, D-MI, and John Cornyn, R-TX, top their respective lists of the most effective Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the recently completed 117th Congress (2021–23), according t…Kara Furlong (Vanderbilt University)
April Kirkman, 67, traveled to Plains from California w/her guitar & a song she wrote for the fmr POTUS. The song is titled, “I Wanna Be a Jimmy Carter Kinda Christian.” She said it is meant to praise a past era when #politics & #religion were less divisive.
“Faith, hope, love are what I choose,” the lyrics read. “Yea, yea, a Jimmy Carter kinda Christian. No, no, I ain’t talking ’bout religion. Just wanna walk a mile in those size 11 shoes.”
Latest comic: Don't take the bait
A team of scientists from the University of Bristol recently released research that pushed the date of our Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) back to about 4.2 billion years ago.
This suggests that the life that is in each of us, and in each of the organisms that make up our very large extended family, runs in an unbroken chain backward for 4.2 billion years.
That’s a pretty considerable investment by the universe in every living thing.
Perhaps we should reflect on that a little more as we continue to muck around on this planet.
It might be time to start fitting in.
#sustainability #philosophy #ClimateChange #biodiversity #nature #politics #economics #religion #Science
The Aspen Proposal provides a description of a sustainable human civilization 200 - 500 years in the future. This is a goal that will focus our efforts, allow us to backcast and provide hope for those working for change.Aspen Proposal
Where do your candidates stand on critical science and technology issues?
A teacher, veteran & coach from the Midwest with decades of leadership experience in government.
Governor Tim Walz will be a fantastic VP. #HarrisWalz2024 #politics #Walz
I hear he also likes cats. 🐈
Latest comic: JD Vance is an anti-abortion extremist
Latest comic: Lowering the temperature
#uspol #cartoon #2024election #authoritarianism #fascism #media #politics
Sheril Kirshenbaum is the Director of The Energy Poll at The University of Texas at Austin and the author of two books, Unscientific America (with Chris Moon...YouTube
Financial constraints to living & working in Washington, D.C. likely define & reinforce the community of people able to stay long enough to achieve senior positions, leading to a policy-making community distinct from the American public.
sheril.substack.com/p/left-out… #politics
So what? "Misperceptions & blind spots among decision makers may occur, in part, because their lived experiences primarily reflect those from communities with the resources required to maintain influential roles."
Barriers to Serving in Senior Congressional Staff Roles May Limit “Representative” Science PolicymakingSheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
It’s been a few months since I posted here. In that time, I’ve been able to give several talks about how our “unelected representatives” - the senior staffers shaping policy behind the scenes in Congress - make decisions.Sheril Kirshenbaum (Unelected Representative)
Want to hang out next Thursday night (or Friday depending on where you live)?
I'm joining the one & only @bschillace for a live conversation about #science #politics & culture.
We may discuss why so many people believe things that aren't true. Or explore how we got into this predicament. youtube.com/watch?v=ieOEPE92MB…
The Pecular Book Club is "a safe haven of nerdery for all peculiar people w bizarre interests." brandyschillace.com/peculiar/
Livestream: youtube.com/live/a3ev1p20acc?s…
This should be fun!
The earth is not flat. Vaccines work and they don’t make you magnetic. Global warming is real. Covid is airborne. But you will hear a great deal to the contr...YouTube
Big corporations could drive a worldwide shift towards more sustainable supply chains that limit damage caused by deforestation.Mary Gagen (Phys.org)
