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Reposted by Joe

Kristina Killgrove

@killgrove.bsky.social

NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.

Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪

Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.

www.livescience.com

November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

On days like this, Madison’s BRT line is a godsend.

November 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

At last weekend’s (very fine) MSO concert, UW’s Art History Dept. set up a table and gave out slides of paintings formerly used in survey courses.

I snagged one for Manet’s “Woman with a Parrot.”

A slide of Edouard Manet’s “Woman with a Parrot.”

November 26, 2025 at 9:03 PM

Reposted by Joe

Mark Joseph Stern

@mjsdc.bsky.social

Nestled within this bizarre story is the important news that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has taken the first steps toward striking down its state’s GOP congressional gerrymander, a move that could net Democrats 2-3 more seats in the House of Representatives. slate.com/news-and-pol...

Conservative Justice Uses Fake Quote to Justify Wisconsin Republican Gerrymander

It is not clear how Ziegler’s misquotation wound up in the published opinion of a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice.

slate.com

November 26, 2025 at 7:21 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

How do we feel about McGreevey’s comeback? It was my understanding that he had left politics behind.

November 26, 2025 at 7:06 PM

Reposted by Joe

Taniel

@taniel.bsky.social

Next Tuesday, 12/2:

—Dems are going for an upset in Tennessee,
—Dems also trying to flip two cities in the Atlanta suburbs,
—DSA vs Dem establishment battles for Atlanta officesc
—and ideological battles within Dem factions in Jersey City.

It’s a lot!

In my guide: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

The 25 Elections to Watch This December - Bolts

On the heels of their sweeping wins in November, Democrats have opportunities to gain further ground in December runoffs and special elections. They’re hoping for upsets in conservative territory, fro...

boltsmag.org

November 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM

Reposted by Joe

Johanna Winant

@johannawinant.bsky.social

I wrote an essay for @bostonreview.bsky.social about what I learned about close reading when I taught at West Virginia University

www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...

The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review

Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.

www.bostonreview.net

November 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM

Reposted by Joe

David M. Perry

@lollardfish.bsky.social

"But then, “What is she thinking?” is a common refrain for the Greek chorus as women stand beside some of the worst men in America."

Lyz @lyz.bsky.social · 1d

I read the Cheryl Hines book so you don’t have to www.patreon.com/posts/144407...

What is Cheryl Hines thinking? Nothing, apparently | Men Yell at Me by Lyz Lenz

www.patreon.com

November 26, 2025 at 2:58 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

top 5 side 1, track 1, not in order
“Magic in Here,” The Go-Betweens, The Friends of Rachel Worth
“Kiss and Say Goodbye,” Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Kate and Anna McGarrigle
“Dreams Never End,” New Order, Movement
“Start Together,” Sleater-Kinney, The Hot Rock,
“Action,” Saint Etienne, Finisterre

feral streep @feralstreeep.bsky.social · 1d

top 5 side 1, track 1, not in order

“Smooth Operator” Sade, Diamond Life
“I Might Have Been Queen” Tina Turner, Orivate Dancer
“Hanging On The Telephone” Blondie, Paralell Lines
“Upside Down” Diana Ross, Diana
“All I Want” Joni Mitchell, Blue

Patrick Bromley @patrickbromley.bsky.social · 1d

Top 5 Side 1, Track 1s

November 26, 2025 at 4:30 AM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

Kaputt sein

November 26, 2025 at 1:51 AM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

www.wispolitics.com/2025/wiscons...

Wisconsin Supreme Court appoints panels to hear challenges to state’s congressional map

The Wisconsin Supreme Court today appointed separate three-judge panels to hear two lawsuits seeking new congressional lines, opening the door to new maps being in place ahead of the 2026 elections.

www.wispolitics.com

November 26, 2025 at 1:26 AM

Reposted by Joe

maya ventura online (1000 free hours!)

@mayawalkwith.me

FINAL SEATTLE MAYORAL UPDATE:

Katie Wilson is the certified mayor-elect of Seattle by a margin of 2,011 votes out of a total of 275,751 - not significantly higher than '21 turnout (264426), a stark difference from elections elsewhere in the US.

Worked out well. But beneath the surface? A bit grim.

November 26, 2025 at 12:40 AM

Reposted by Joe

Mark Joseph Stern

@mjsdc.bsky.social

When liberals secured a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, they changed internal procedures—over the objection of the conservative chief justice, who claimed they were taking away her power. Today the justices released MESSY details about the affair...
www.wicourts.gov/sc/rulhear/D...

BRIAN HAGEDORN, J. (concurring). The Wisconsin Supreme
Court is composed of seven justices who are supposed to be members
of the same team. Unlike trial courts, when we act, we do so
collectively. To accomplish this, over the last 175 years, this
court has established various practices and traditions, both
formal and informal. These practices ensure all voices are heard,
create clear lines of decision-making authority, and establish
consistent and neutral processes to govern our case-deciding and
administrative work. Some of these are reflected in formally
adopted Supreme Court Rules, and some in our Internal Operating
Procedures. But the true currency of a court like ours is trust.
When trust is broken like it has been here, every aspect of our
work suffers.
¶2 This all began in the summer of 2023 when four justices
wished to make significant changes to how this court functions.
Fair enough. These modifications could have been pursued through
a process built on collegiality and mutual respect. Instead, my
colleagues pursued a more destructive path.
¶3 The morning our then-newest justice was sworn into
office——August 1, 2023——my four colleagues at that time set off to
reshape our court and the operation of the court system. They had
apparently engaged in significant discussions in the months prior
and decided to force through these changes during our summer
recess, and to do so via email with or without the input of their
other colleagues. They issued a press release triumphantly
announcing that these changes were all about transparency,
accountability, and inclusivity. This was true in the same way

Pearl Harbor was a strike for peace in the Pacific. I will not
rehash every detail (Justice Ziegler's excellent writing recounts
much of the history), but the reader deserves a taste.
¶4 The first shot sounded when my four colleagues fired the
Director of State Courts, who functions as the CEO of
administrative matters for the entire judicial branch. Without
following any established process, one of my colleagues sent an
email proposing that we fire our Director and install a new, preselected interim Director in his place. This happened through
email, over the course of two business days, while the Director
was out of town on state business, during our summer recess. He
never received a performance review indicating concerns; he was
simply told his employment was over. This came just months after
some of these same colleagues emphasized the importance of having
all justices participate in hiring key staff.
¶5 Later that same week, my colleagues proposed dramatic
changes via email affecting both our case-deciding and
administrative responsibilities. The email invited justices to
attend a new, unscheduled meeting of the court later that week to
discuss the proposals. One justice said she could not be there;
another objected to the meeting as outside our court calendar.
The meeting would go forward no matter what, we were told. I
implored my colleagues to reconsider, to treat their fellow
colleagues with the respect they would want if circumstances were
reversed. They refused. The meeting went on as expected, and
with only four members present, they voted to fundamentally remake
our court.

¶7 Among their changes, my colleagues radically altered the
role of the chief justice. They created a new, three-person
administrative committee (on which the chief justice would
ostensibly sit) to take over nearly all of the chief justice's
most important administrative duties. And they did so in the face
of serious objections that these changes violated the Wisconsin
Constitution, which says the chief justice "shall be the
administrative head of the judicial system." Wis. Const. art.
VII, § 4. One justice who in the past championed the
constitutional role of the chief justice suddenly changed course.
Again, these actions stripping the chief justice of powers she had
exercised for as long as anyone could remember were proposed via
email, and were voted on a few days later during an unscheduled
meeting of just four justices during our summer recess. Not
exactly transparent, accountable, and inclusive.
¶8 Another significant series of amendments to our internal
rules involved modifying the way we consider certain kinds of
cases, essentially making it much easier for this court to expedite
cases coming to us outside the normal appeals process. Why the
change? As everyone understood, my colleagues had the not-sosecret goal of swiftly hearing particular politically charged
cases. This was all by design.
¶9 And how did this experiment go? Not well.
Administratively, it was not clear who was in charge. We
experienced significant breakdowns in communication amidst a lack
of clarity about who was doing what. Our staff was often caught
in the middle of a court that did not have established lines of

communication and authority. And when the Director of State Courts
was unceremoniously fired for what many perceived as political
reasons, it sent a shockwave through the system. Furthermore, my
colleagues' changes were not one and done. Throughout the past
two years, they continued to modify the court's procedures in a
similar ad-hoc fashion, often after realizing problems with their
earlier ill-considered changes. This only added to the confusion.
¶10 Finally, at one of the court's internal conferences this
past June, my colleagues shifted course. One of the four announced
she was "withdrawing" her prior votes from the past two years
(which, by the way, is not a thing) with the idea that every
disputed change was now, all of a sudden, reversed. What changed?
Again, it was no mystery. My colleagues wanted to take power away
from then-Chief Justice Annette Ziegler. Such a move ensured that
my colleagues would run the court through the administrative
committee. Following the April 2025 election, they concluded they
would have the votes to elect a chief justice of their choosing
and have a block of votes to support her, so they no longer needed
to seize those powers. This is not a cynical take. It is exactly
what happened.
¶11 What's past is past, however. I have no desire to hold
this against my colleagues, and I am grateful they have changed
course. In fact, I was happy to work collaboratively on many
operational changes reflected in this order, most of which I

November 25, 2025 at 8:32 PM

Reposted by Joe

Elliot

@1t2ls.bsky.social

Today’s poem: Elizabeth Bishop, “One Art”
#lunchpoems

November 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM

Reposted by Joe

Jay Shelat

@jshelat1.bsky.social

This is what pisses me off about the current higher ed crisis. The humanities always take the fall for structural failures of admin or low enrollment.

We already have to justify our own existences bc STEMy depts and admin refuse to learn what we do!!

Dr. Jakob Burnham @jakobburnham.bsky.social · 2d

Where I work, grad student enrollment in Engineering and Business is down 70% and 40%, respectively.

Now, to cover the loss in revenue from these Departments, the rest of the colleges have to take MASSIVE hits. History Dept alone has cut/closed 6 TT lines. Forget about raises or salary equity. 🫠

Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 3d

Enrollment by international students from China dropped by 3 percent, from India by 4 percent, and enrollment from students from Mexico has flatlined. Here are the likely consequences for Texas' education and economy:

November 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

youtu.be/CTc59ACLZIc?...

Grant & Robert

YouTube video by SeasonRecords

youtu.be

November 25, 2025 at 12:21 AM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

I liked "Sentimental Value" very much but it's very modulated; in some ways, it reminds me of John Schlesinger's classic "Sunday, Bloody Sunday."

November 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

A few omissions: "The Lady Eve," Metropolitan," "Moonstruck," "Smiles of a Summer Night," "Stolen Kisses"

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 3d

The movie listed at #1 is so incredibly misplaced that it calls into question the veracity of the entire list. It belongs on the list, yes, but SO MUCH further down. An absolute, credibility-wrecking flub. Boo, @variety.com! Boo!

variety.com/lists/best-c...

The 100 Best Comedy Movies of All Time

Variety's list of the 100 best comedy movies of all time includes 'Annie Hall,' 'Pretty Woman,' 'Waiting for Guffman' and 'Young Frankenstein.'

variety.com

November 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM

Joe

@demymondaine.bsky.social

What’s your bag, Charlie Brown? What do you like? Are you a talker?

Bobert @bobertonbluesky.bsky.social · 3d

That’s all you got, Charlie Brown, two wrong feet in fucking ugly shoes.

Matt Browner Hamlin @mattbh.com · 3d

Well I got her number. How do you like them apples, Charlie Brown?

November 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM

Reposted by Joe

Jeremy Berg

@jeremymberg.bsky.social

This is concerning.

NIH is changing their policy so that staff have to prepare justification for every application that is funded BUT NO DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SKIPPED (BASED ON PERCENTILES).

1/2