Lee Gardner
@leegee.bsky.social
Reporter at @chronicle.com, music nerd, lotsa other kinds of nerd too. Half of @essentialpod.bsky.social and all of @vgplusrecs.bsky.social. He/him
I’ve been saying for years that what this world needs is more apex predators that aren’t us, and black bears don’t exactly fit that designation, but this is still a lovely piece.
This is the Bigfoot read I didn't know I needed from @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social
Double Take - Orion Magazine
Are people crying Bigfoot when it’s really a bear?
orionmagazine.org
January 17, 2026 at 7:16 PM
I’ve been saying for years that what this world needs is more apex predators that aren’t us, and black bears don’t exactly fit that designation, but this is still a lovely piece.
My latest: Vanderbilt announced the launch of two new campuses on two different coasts within about 24 hours this week at a time when most universities are keeping their heads down. What's up with that?
As Other Campuses Cut Back, Vanderbilt U. Looks to Expand
The university’s announcements of new outposts reflect a desire to chase prestige and enrollment without watering down its brand.
www.chronicle.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:06 PM
My latest: Vanderbilt announced the launch of two new campuses on two different coasts within about 24 hours this week at a time when most universities are keeping their heads down. What's up with that?
Reposted by Lee Gardner
A thing I also think about is what happens when faculty get tired of the cuts (because there are most definitely cuts on campus) while the admin buys up building after building. Plus, what if some people find Vanderbilt's flirtation with authoritarianism unattractive?
Vanderbilt has been on a remarkable run of expansion announcements. I talked to some smart folks about it.
As Other Campuses Cut Back, Vanderbilt U. Looks to Expand
The university’s announcements of new outposts reflect a desire to chase prestige and enrollment without watering down its brand.
www.chronicle.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:14 AM
A thing I also think about is what happens when faculty get tired of the cuts (because there are most definitely cuts on campus) while the admin buys up building after building. Plus, what if some people find Vanderbilt's flirtation with authoritarianism unattractive?
Vanderbilt has been on a remarkable run of expansion announcements. I talked to some smart folks about it.
As Other Campuses Cut Back, Vanderbilt U. Looks to Expand
The university’s announcements of new outposts reflect a desire to chase prestige and enrollment without watering down its brand.
www.chronicle.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Vanderbilt has been on a remarkable run of expansion announcements. I talked to some smart folks about it.
BTW I got served a streaming ad for “microdosing” last night, and all these well-adjusted-seeming folks were out in the sunshine exercising and being healthy and photogenic and whatnot, and microdosing *what*? Are we peddling acid on main now?
January 15, 2026 at 5:35 PM
BTW I got served a streaming ad for “microdosing” last night, and all these well-adjusted-seeming folks were out in the sunshine exercising and being healthy and photogenic and whatnot, and microdosing *what*? Are we peddling acid on main now?
Chilly out this morning.
January 15, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Chilly out this morning.
Proud of my fellow Baltimore film nerds for their demonstrable good taste.
Behold Beyond Video’s Top SIX SEVEN rentals of 2025!
It’s sublime how many gems rise to the top when people can choose from everything under one roof, rather than the false siloes created by corporate streaming services! For instance, peep the rankings for SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT and RED ROOMS!
It’s sublime how many gems rise to the top when people can choose from everything under one roof, rather than the false siloes created by corporate streaming services! For instance, peep the rankings for SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT and RED ROOMS!
January 14, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Proud of my fellow Baltimore film nerds for their demonstrable good taste.
Almost got a little downhearted and angsty on main.
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Almost got a little downhearted and angsty on main.
Good piece from @taylorswaak.bsky.social on why Hampshire fell short on its fall class and what it means for the institution.
A College Missed Its Enrollment Goal by Nearly Half. What Happened?
The reasons were both internal and endemic.
www.chronicle.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Good piece from @taylorswaak.bsky.social on why Hampshire fell short on its fall class and what it means for the institution.
The Little Pigeon
My favorite Twitter prompt was "RT this with your home river," so reskeet this with your home river.
Mine is the Patuxent.
Mine is the Patuxent.
January 12, 2026 at 9:46 PM
The Little Pigeon
The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp opened 24 years ago today.
January 11, 2026 at 5:42 PM
The Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp opened 24 years ago today.
Reposted by Lee Gardner
The scale of the protests in Iran are absolutely unbelievable. Hard to quantify, but I've seen some speculation that this uprising is more significant than the 2023 protests (themselves the largest challenge to the regime since it came into power in '79.)
(Video from @AmirMiresmaeili on Twitter)
(Video from @AmirMiresmaeili on Twitter)
January 8, 2026 at 8:27 PM
The scale of the protests in Iran are absolutely unbelievable. Hard to quantify, but I've seen some speculation that this uprising is more significant than the 2023 protests (themselves the largest challenge to the regime since it came into power in '79.)
(Video from @AmirMiresmaeili on Twitter)
(Video from @AmirMiresmaeili on Twitter)
Evergreen skeet
Defend the law as you would the city wall. Heraclitus said that. More or less.
January 8, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Evergreen skeet
Reposted by Lee Gardner
Here's something I wasn't expecting (and you probably weren't either): A collaboration between the late steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and the improvising metal duo Nomad War Machine, out 1/30 on VG+ Records (great name for a label, btw).
nomadwarmachineandsusanalcorn.bandcamp.com/album/contra...
nomadwarmachineandsusanalcorn.bandcamp.com/album/contra...
Contra Madre, by Nomad War Machine and Susan Alcorn
7 track album
nomadwarmachineandsusanalcorn.bandcamp.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Here's something I wasn't expecting (and you probably weren't either): A collaboration between the late steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and the improvising metal duo Nomad War Machine, out 1/30 on VG+ Records (great name for a label, btw).
nomadwarmachineandsusanalcorn.bandcamp.com/album/contra...
nomadwarmachineandsusanalcorn.bandcamp.com/album/contra...
Evergreen skeet about almost every-stinkin’-thing, not just football coaches.
Inertia is the great satan, whether things go better or worse in the future it was necessary to not do nothing
January 6, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Evergreen skeet about almost every-stinkin’-thing, not just football coaches.
Everybody loves a quiz, right?
Just in time for happy hour, I wrote about Dry January and figuring out if you might have a problem drinking! (There's a quiz!)
carigervin.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
carigervin.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How Do You Know When You Need to Stop Drinking?
You can always just quit. Until you can't.
carigervin.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Everybody loves a quiz, right?
Co-sign John here.
Today would’ve been Sandy Denny’s 79th birthday. She’s best known for Fairport Convention and “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” but to me this is one of the 10 most beautiful songs ever written.
Sandy Denny - By The Time It Gets Dark
YouTube video by gnossisdodge
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Co-sign John here.
Yikes. Hampshire missed its fall class by *half*.
Struggling Western Mass. college misses enrollment goal by half
With only 150 new students instead of the targeted 300 last year, financial stability for the institution will have to be pushed off.
www.masslive.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Yikes. Hampshire missed its fall class by *half*.
First day back on the job after a little holiday break and there’s news!
U. of Nebraska’s Big Cuts Drew Faculty Blowback. Now the Chancellor Is Leaving Suddenly.
Rodney D. Bennett oversaw budget-driven cuts to the flagship’s academic programs this fall that led to the faculty’s first-ever vote of no confidence.
www.chronicle.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:53 PM
First day back on the job after a little holiday break and there’s news!
Do any of you know where my car keys are?
January 2, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Do any of you know where my car keys are?
I wish you all a happy and safe New Year’s Eve, and I hope we can all look forward to a brighter 2026.
December 31, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I wish you all a happy and safe New Year’s Eve, and I hope we can all look forward to a brighter 2026.
1000x this
I think most researchers and policymakers underestimate how much people really do not understand the difference between college sticker and net price. And the way high prices at a select few influences feelings about all.
December 28, 2025 at 4:02 PM
1000x this
Hey, Baltimore, the Charles Theatre Revival Series is screening Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood this Saturday at 11:30 am and next Monday at 7 pm. It is perhaps the greatest Shakespeare film adaptation ever made, edging the director’s own Ran with its vigor and shot-after-shot visual dazzle.
December 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Hey, Baltimore, the Charles Theatre Revival Series is screening Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood this Saturday at 11:30 am and next Monday at 7 pm. It is perhaps the greatest Shakespeare film adaptation ever made, edging the director’s own Ran with its vigor and shot-after-shot visual dazzle.
No, I did not. 🪦
Did everyone survive the 80 degree temperatures in their elderly relative’s homes today?
December 26, 2025 at 4:23 AM
No, I did not. 🪦