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Alan Richardson

@alanrichardson.bsky.social

3.9K followers 1.4K following 11K posts

Professor of Philosophy, UBC Faculty Member, Science and Technology Studies Graduate Program, UBC Philosophy of Science History of Philosophy of Science

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Philosophy 46%

History 20%

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 8h

Courageous students from my alma mater!!

Lynda Lopez @lyndab08.bsky.social · 8h

UIC students led a protest today against the ICE arrests behind a UIC building at Congress and Racine yesterday, a short distance also from an elementary school on Loomis.

UIC students protest ICE detentions after viral video sparks outrage

YouTube video by WGN News

youtu.be

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Reposted by Alan Richardson

Lynda Lopez @lyndab08.bsky.social · 8h

UIC students led a protest today against the ICE arrests behind a UIC building at Congress and Racine yesterday, a short distance also from an elementary school on Loomis.

UIC students protest ICE detentions after viral video sparks outrage

YouTube video by WGN News

youtu.be

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Reposted by Alan Richardson

Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 8h

Fascists and autocrats fear what teachers do because they know their brand of greed, hierarchy, and extremism cannot survive in a democracy of diverse, educated citizens. Thank you @NationalMemo.com. www.nationalmemo.com/teachers-aga...

In Her New Book, Teachers Union Leader Explores 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers'

With nearly every day presenting more evidence of America’s eroding democracy, it’s understandable to wonder whether a countervailing force will come forward to ensure—to paraphrase Lincoln—that the g...

www.nationalmemo.com

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Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Melanie C. Green, Alan Richardson , and 3 more Efrén O. Pérez, Melanie C. Green, Alan Richardson, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Nathan P. Kalmoe, David Darmofal

ProPublica @propublica.org · 11h

Kristi Noem, while governor of South Dakota, supplemented her roughly $130,000 salary by secretly accepting $80,000 donated to a political nonprofit she was affiliated with, records show.

She never disclosed this income on federal ethics forms.

(Published June)

Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations

A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...

www.propublica.org

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 11h

Our business model requires theft isn’t really a winning argument

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Colin Woodard

Willamette Week @wweek.com · 12h

Jack Dickinson, 26, says “we’re winning this.”

An Interview With the Portland Chicken

Rachel Saslow

www.wweek.com

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 13h

How many Trump watches does that buy?

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 13h

"...total ill gotten gains of approximately $18,933"

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 15h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Reposted by Alan Richardson

Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 13h

Philosophers are funny because they'll go all out refuting a claim like "Scientists before and after a revolution might be said to live in different worlds" but just shrug at claims like "Names are magic words that help me know Nixon is necessarily not a robot and kitties necessarily aren't demons."

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Reposted by Alan Richardson

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 13h

"...total ill gotten gains of approximately $18,933"

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 15h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Reposted by Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman , and 2 more Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Scott A. Imberman, Aviel Roshwald, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 14h

Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.

Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.

And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Kimberly A. Prather, Steve Peers , and 10 more Kim L. Scheppele, Kimberly A. Prather, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Shelly Lundberg, Trevon D. Logan, Laurent Pech, Alan Richardson, Robert B. Reich, Stephen P. Smith, Judith Freedman, Aviel Roshwald, Nathan P. Kalmoe

New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 15h

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 17h

Circumcision rates in the USA have been dropping www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroo...

Johns Hopkins Study: Newborn Male Circumcision Rates in U.S. Dropped Between 2012 and 2022

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Aviel Roshwald

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18h

McLaughlin: "Pritzker said there's racial profiling, which is absolutely false. Our officials use reasonable suspicion. That's protected under the US Constitution 4th Amendment."

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Reposted by Alan Richardson

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett @crockett.house.gov · 18h

Let me be clear: Democrats are at work waiting for Republicans to wrap up their vacation and join us. It’s time for Mike Johnson to bring his caucus back, get to work, and stop playing politics with folks’ lives.

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 18h

Televising their most moronic claims seems a bad idea….

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

RFK Jr: "Somebody showed me a TikTok video of a pregnant woman at 8 months pregnant -- she's an associate professor at the Columbia Medical School -- and she is saying 'F Trump' and gobbling Tylenol with her baby in her placenta. The level of Trump Derangement Syndrome is now a pathology."

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 18h

This made-up bullshit is so dangerous

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 19h

Besides linking Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, RFK Jr. now says circumcision is part of the reason why kids are autistic.

"Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it's highly likely because they're given Tylenol. None of this is positive..."

Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 18h

Vancouver deserves a serious human being as mayor

Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 19h

I don’t know if it is my favourite but Canada needs a shout-out, so: The Saddest Music in the World

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 19h

Good lord….

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 19h

How in the living fuck is this possible?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

Trump Watches commercials are now running regularly on Newsmax

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Reposted by Philip Nel, Alan Richardson, Scott A. Imberman , and 1 more Philip Nel, Alan Richardson, Scott A. Imberman, Helen Jefferson Lenskyj

Larry Ferlazzo @larryferlazzo.bsky.social · 19h

Oklahoma’s Republican governor criticizes guard deployment. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, on Thursday criticized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as a violation of his beliefs in federalism and “states’ rights.”

His comments, in an interview with The New York Times, marked the first time a Republican governor has questioned the interstate deployment of National Guard troops over a governor’s objections. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and other Democratic elected officials have been strongly critical of the move and have implored Republican governors to join the opposition.

Mr. Stitt on Thursday said, “We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights,” adding, “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Scott L. Greer, Philip N. Cohen , and 11 more Joe R. Feagin, Scott L. Greer, Philip N. Cohen, Eric Goldman, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan, James Goodwin, David Bartram, Jens Siegert, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 19h

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Joseph Schafer , and 7 more Will Jennings, Scott L. Greer, Joseph Schafer, Kevin Carey, Smith, Alan Richardson, Andrew Jacobs, Scott A. Imberman, Simon Lester, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Alan Richardson, Dana R. Fisher , and 2 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Alan Richardson, Dana R. Fisher, Simon Lester, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

JD Vance describes Chuck Schumer as "one of the most famous Palestinians in the world"

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 20h

How this man passed grade 7 is a mystery

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Trump: "You never had anybody here that knew what the hell they were doing. I'll be honest with you. It makes me angry ... we're gonna get drug reductions of 500%."

Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 20h

Elvis Costello is mor on my favourites. Here’s verse 3 from Watching the Detectives.

[Verse 3]
You think you're alone until you realize you're in it
Now fear is here to stay, love is here for a visit
They call it instant justice when it's past the legal limit
Someone's scratching at the window; I wonder who is it?
The detectives come to check if you belong to the parents
Who are ready to hear the worst
About their daughter's disappearance
Though it nearly took a miracle to get you to stay
It only took my little fingers to blow you away

Reposted by Alan Richardson, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Trump: "You never had anybody here that knew what the hell they were doing. I'll be honest with you. It makes me angry ... we're gonna get drug reductions of 500%."

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Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 20h

I suppose in this case they will just have a morgue attached

Alan Richardson @alanrichardson.bsky.social · 20h

Huge failure of public education we need the No up to 95% or so.

Polling Canada @canadianpolling.bsky.social · 20h

"Do you think there is a connection between childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and autism?"

No: 45%
Yes: 35%

Unsure: 20%

Research Co. / Sept 12, 2025 / n=1003 / Online