Michelle Strausbaugh
@behindasurface.bsky.social
Living the horror and wonder lurking behind the usual surface of health. I play with words in bed. Book and tea hoarder cliche. Write erratically at behindthesurface.com
One might think this could unite lefties and the Chamber of Commerce to kick the bastards out?
February 16, 2026 at 12:59 AM
One might think this could unite lefties and the Chamber of Commerce to kick the bastards out?
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
"I summon the loves that, racked and followed by summer's scythe, embalm the evening air with their white inactivity."
- Rene Char, "Invitation" (translated by Mary Ann Caws)
- Rene Char, "Invitation" (translated by Mary Ann Caws)
February 15, 2026 at 4:48 AM
"I summon the loves that, racked and followed by summer's scythe, embalm the evening air with their white inactivity."
- Rene Char, "Invitation" (translated by Mary Ann Caws)
- Rene Char, "Invitation" (translated by Mary Ann Caws)
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Academic and research writers are often told to write accessibly. Rarely are we encouraged to write artistically.
Yet scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Karl Marx wrote about their data and theories as artists, using literary devices, humor, sarcasm, drama, poetry, and beauty.
Yet scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Karl Marx wrote about their data and theories as artists, using literary devices, humor, sarcasm, drama, poetry, and beauty.
February 15, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Academic and research writers are often told to write accessibly. Rarely are we encouraged to write artistically.
Yet scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Karl Marx wrote about their data and theories as artists, using literary devices, humor, sarcasm, drama, poetry, and beauty.
Yet scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Karl Marx wrote about their data and theories as artists, using literary devices, humor, sarcasm, drama, poetry, and beauty.
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
I wanted to be a Literary Writer when I grew up. Do you know how fucked that is
February 15, 2026 at 6:24 PM
I wanted to be a Literary Writer when I grew up. Do you know how fucked that is
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
You know what real “civilizational erasure” is? It’s claiming that the U.S. has always been a WASP country — which erases what we IN FACT actually have always been, namely a salad bowl of ever evolving, ever amalgamating races, creeds, and colors apnews.com/article/muni...
Europeans push back at US over claim they face 'civilizational erasure'
A top European Union official has rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration.
apnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:12 PM
You know what real “civilizational erasure” is? It’s claiming that the U.S. has always been a WASP country — which erases what we IN FACT actually have always been, namely a salad bowl of ever evolving, ever amalgamating races, creeds, and colors apnews.com/article/muni...
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Note: Allegations of racial profiling aren’t just coming from congressional Democrats.
Over the past month, Cardinal Cupich, who oversees the Archdiocese of Chicago, has repeatedly claimed that his own priests have been racially profiled by DHS agents. religionnews.com/2026/02/10/c...
Over the past month, Cardinal Cupich, who oversees the Archdiocese of Chicago, has repeatedly claimed that his own priests have been racially profiled by DHS agents. religionnews.com/2026/02/10/c...
February 15, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Note: Allegations of racial profiling aren’t just coming from congressional Democrats.
Over the past month, Cardinal Cupich, who oversees the Archdiocese of Chicago, has repeatedly claimed that his own priests have been racially profiled by DHS agents. religionnews.com/2026/02/10/c...
Over the past month, Cardinal Cupich, who oversees the Archdiocese of Chicago, has repeatedly claimed that his own priests have been racially profiled by DHS agents. religionnews.com/2026/02/10/c...
Oh the memories! We were too poor for an Easy-Bake Oven but did get a Holly Hobby oven at a garage sale that was the same general idea. Never seemed to get hot enough to truly bake much though. (Love histories of material objects like this!)
Hi. Are you buried in the horrors right now? Maybe you can take a break and recover some hit points while you read this charming history of the Easy Bake Oven.
How the Easy-Bake Oven, an Appliance That Allowed Kids to Heat Treats With a Light Bulb, Revolutionized the Toy Industry
The product, launched in 1963, became a staple in American households
www.smithsonianmag.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Oh the memories! We were too poor for an Easy-Bake Oven but did get a Holly Hobby oven at a garage sale that was the same general idea. Never seemed to get hot enough to truly bake much though. (Love histories of material objects like this!)
Met the love of my life in a kinky chat room in June 2002. We've been together ever since. The #internet can inded bring us good things.
Anyway here’s the card I gave my partner for Valentine’s yesterday
February 16, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Met the love of my life in a kinky chat room in June 2002. We've been together ever since. The #internet can inded bring us good things.
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
theres a reason this baldwin quote is my guiding light in the world. im an artist and a communist. reading is my passport into humanity.
February 15, 2026 at 10:37 PM
theres a reason this baldwin quote is my guiding light in the world. im an artist and a communist. reading is my passport into humanity.
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
“Solitary 100 percent makes it harder to return to society as productive members. It creates a deep-seeded hate and distrust for the system and all connected to it,” says Kwaneta Harris, who has experienced the practice in a Texas prison.
“Designed to Break You:” Two Incarcerated Writers on the Heavy Toll of Solitary Confinement
The authors of a new book on solitary answer your questions about their experiences with isolation and the movement to end the torturous practice.
boltsmag.org
February 15, 2026 at 11:02 PM
“Solitary 100 percent makes it harder to return to society as productive members. It creates a deep-seeded hate and distrust for the system and all connected to it,” says Kwaneta Harris, who has experienced the practice in a Texas prison.
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees staggering reduction in homelessness
The state program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years. At the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
www.streetroots.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:35 AM
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
“A program that deals only with the poor will end up being a poor program...one must try to find a way to link the interests of all classes in these programs.” www.nybooks.com/online/2026/... @nybooks.com @awgaffney.bsky.social #medicaid #healthcare #chronicillness
Medicaid Undone | Adam Gaffney
One year ago President Donald Trump promised to “love and cherish” Medicaid. Alas, his affection for the public insurance program was short-lived. The
www.nybooks.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:58 PM
“A program that deals only with the poor will end up being a poor program...one must try to find a way to link the interests of all classes in these programs.” www.nybooks.com/online/2026/... @nybooks.com @awgaffney.bsky.social #medicaid #healthcare #chronicillness
Or to get sick, for that matter. #chronicillness
Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
Opinion | Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Or to get sick, for that matter. #chronicillness
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
Opinion | Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Our Health Care System Isn’t Built for You to Get Old www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
#Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving #Medicare #Medicaid #healthcare
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Medicaid work requirements will particularly hurt unpaid caregivers www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/m... via @statnews.com
#Medicaid #insurance #Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving
#Medicaid #insurance #Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving
Medicaid work requirements will particularly hurt unpaid caregivers
Big, impending changes to Medicaid will quietly but profoundly decimate the unpaid workforce that already props up our long-term care system.
www.statnews.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Medicaid work requirements will particularly hurt unpaid caregivers www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/m... via @statnews.com
#Medicaid #insurance #Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving
#Medicaid #insurance #Alzheimers #dementia #caregiving
What will next year bring those of us who rely on Medicaid to pay for our home care or day programs? Will I still have a caregiver in 2028? www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
How people with disabilities could bear the burden of Medicaid funding cuts
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will slash more than a trillion dollars in federal spending from Medicaid and the Children’s Heal...
www.pbs.org
February 12, 2026 at 10:26 PM
What will next year bring those of us who rely on Medicaid to pay for our home care or day programs? Will I still have a caregiver in 2028? www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Highlighting the work that was done to gather data on the impact of sweeps on our unhoused population.
We will further exacerbate an endless game of whack a mole where people become homeless and we expand contracts and industry for sweeps.
Everyone loses here.
www.propublica.org/article/port...
We will further exacerbate an endless game of whack a mole where people become homeless and we expand contracts and industry for sweeps.
Everyone loses here.
www.propublica.org/article/port...
November 12, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Highlighting the work that was done to gather data on the impact of sweeps on our unhoused population.
We will further exacerbate an endless game of whack a mole where people become homeless and we expand contracts and industry for sweeps.
Everyone loses here.
www.propublica.org/article/port...
We will further exacerbate an endless game of whack a mole where people become homeless and we expand contracts and industry for sweeps.
Everyone loses here.
www.propublica.org/article/port...
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Really grateful to Western City Magazine for this interview about There Is No Place for Us.
"The painful truth is that it's less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it's been designed."
"The painful truth is that it's less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it's been designed."
‘Who are our cities for,’ asks Brian Goldstone, ‘if millions of Americans are homeless?’ - Western City Magazine
"The painful truth is that it’s less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it’s been designed. That ...
www.westerncity.com
October 1, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Really grateful to Western City Magazine for this interview about There Is No Place for Us.
"The painful truth is that it's less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it's been designed."
"The painful truth is that it's less of a contradiction than just the system functioning the way it's been designed."
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
'Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters'
-Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz -
Catholic Arena just posted.
#LetGazaLive
-Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz -
Catholic Arena just posted.
#LetGazaLive
October 1, 2025 at 11:49 PM
'Those who remain in Gaza will be considered terrorists and terror supporters'
-Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz -
Catholic Arena just posted.
#LetGazaLive
-Israeli Minister for Defence, Israel Kantz -
Catholic Arena just posted.
#LetGazaLive
It's @kathleenbelew.bsky.social 's book come frighteningly to life.
Hegseth: The military is for killing people and breaking things. No more rules of engagement.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
Trump: I’ll be sending the military into U.S. cities.
Hegseth: "A few months ago I was at the White House when President Trump announced his liberation day for America's trade policy. It was a landmark day. Well, today is another liberation day. The liberation of America's warriors ... you kill people and break things for a living."
September 30, 2025 at 7:55 PM
It's @kathleenbelew.bsky.social 's book come frighteningly to life.
This wins YouTube today. Most clever thing I've seen in a very long time. Want to say more but it would spoil the ending! youtu.be/Q6Bg26MWJMY?...
The Dark Mythology of Modern Advertising | Plastic Pills
YouTube video by PlasticPills
youtu.be
September 30, 2025 at 7:53 PM
This wins YouTube today. Most clever thing I've seen in a very long time. Want to say more but it would spoil the ending! youtu.be/Q6Bg26MWJMY?...
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
The Palestinian photojournalist who Israel killed an hour ago, Yahia Barzaq, was a newborn photographer.
I’m sharing here some of his photography.
I’m sharing here some of his photography.
September 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
The Palestinian photojournalist who Israel killed an hour ago, Yahia Barzaq, was a newborn photographer.
I’m sharing here some of his photography.
I’m sharing here some of his photography.
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
Being a volunteer nurse in Gaza means being brave beyond belief and unpaid. Can you help Hammam today?
September 30, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Being a volunteer nurse in Gaza means being brave beyond belief and unpaid. Can you help Hammam today?
Reposted by Michelle Strausbaugh
If only we had a robust system of local businesses and free public institutions, where readers could browse and speak with professionals, perhaps called "booksellers" and "librarians"! If only publishers supported them with the same fervor they have for... individual artists doing their own promo?
Someday writers and publishers will all collectively learn the folly of putting all their business eggs in one platform basket!
January 17, 2025 at 10:19 PM
If only we had a robust system of local businesses and free public institutions, where readers could browse and speak with professionals, perhaps called "booksellers" and "librarians"! If only publishers supported them with the same fervor they have for... individual artists doing their own promo?