Bex, if you can keep it
@bextraordinary.bsky.social
🇦🇺 in 🇺🇸 (MA). Sr Research Associate, (B)exited academia.
Work: Criminal justice, public health, CBPAR, women & girls, IPV/IPH, substance use & harm reduction.
Play: Fantasy crochet, pottery, TTRPGs.
bextraordinarycreatures.com
Work: Criminal justice, public health, CBPAR, women & girls, IPV/IPH, substance use & harm reduction.
Play: Fantasy crochet, pottery, TTRPGs.
bextraordinarycreatures.com
Pinned
-- I'm a criminal justice and public health scholar interested in the intersection of health and the criminal legal system, especially substance use, harm reduction, and reproductive justice. This year I left my tenured Assoc. Prof. position to work for a research & evaluation nonprofit. It's great!
Just had my first Charleston Chew and it tasted like a hospital smells...?
November 12, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Just had my first Charleston Chew and it tasted like a hospital smells...?
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
I think it’s now safe to call this race.
Progressive urban planner Katie Wilson defeats centrist incumbent Bruce Harrell and will become Seattle’s next mayor.
Progressive urban planner Katie Wilson defeats centrist incumbent Bruce Harrell and will become Seattle’s next mayor.
Seattle's mayor race update:
Katie Wilson's lead grows to 1,346 votes over and incumbent corporate-Democrat Bruce Harrell.
Kate Wilson won 61.23% of the 6,121 ballots counted today.
Overall total:
Katie Wilson 50.08% 137,217
Bruce Harrell 49.59% 135,871
Write-in 0.33% 908
Katie Wilson's lead grows to 1,346 votes over and incumbent corporate-Democrat Bruce Harrell.
Kate Wilson won 61.23% of the 6,121 ballots counted today.
Overall total:
Katie Wilson 50.08% 137,217
Bruce Harrell 49.59% 135,871
Write-in 0.33% 908
November 12, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I think it’s now safe to call this race.
Progressive urban planner Katie Wilson defeats centrist incumbent Bruce Harrell and will become Seattle’s next mayor.
Progressive urban planner Katie Wilson defeats centrist incumbent Bruce Harrell and will become Seattle’s next mayor.
Just did this myself on two different orders - $300 of supplies+shipping from China that I had to pay an extra $100 to receive, and then an order from the UK that had an extra 10% tacked on (which was far better than the $80 flat fee option). All paid by me.
Paid a Colombian tea grower $1,500 for a shipment. Got billed $150 by the Trump administration at the border. *I* got billed. Not the tea growers. Not the Colombian government. Me. The American business owner. I paid the Trump tax.
November 12, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Just did this myself on two different orders - $300 of supplies+shipping from China that I had to pay an extra $100 to receive, and then an order from the UK that had an extra 10% tacked on (which was far better than the $80 flat fee option). All paid by me.
Gradient canes! After this things went a bit pear-shaped - it's hard to maintain the circular crosssection. Can't believe I didn't immediately master a skill the first time I tried it, this is an OUTRAGE. What is the point of Instagram if it shows me pottery techniques it takes years to perfect? 😤
November 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Gradient canes! After this things went a bit pear-shaped - it's hard to maintain the circular crosssection. Can't believe I didn't immediately master a skill the first time I tried it, this is an OUTRAGE. What is the point of Instagram if it shows me pottery techniques it takes years to perfect? 😤
Can't make it to my pottery class tonight, but that's not gonna stop me! I watched some videos and learned how to use ceramic stains and blend gradients 🤓
November 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Can't make it to my pottery class tonight, but that's not gonna stop me! I watched some videos and learned how to use ceramic stains and blend gradients 🤓
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
Has anyone seen/written a good GRAPHIC OR TABULAR summary of qualitative data lately? Preferably in the context of hypothesis testing in political science.
I've got Gamboa's figures from _Resisting Backsliding_, but I'd love something else.
Thanks!
I've got Gamboa's figures from _Resisting Backsliding_, but I'd love something else.
Thanks!
November 11, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Has anyone seen/written a good GRAPHIC OR TABULAR summary of qualitative data lately? Preferably in the context of hypothesis testing in political science.
I've got Gamboa's figures from _Resisting Backsliding_, but I'd love something else.
Thanks!
I've got Gamboa's figures from _Resisting Backsliding_, but I'd love something else.
Thanks!
So I guess the strategy was to let retiring or otherwise safe people cave, let everyone else make strong statements & campaign on their contempt for the cavers, then.. something? (Wait for Rs to shoot down every possible deal/solution again & keep campaigning on that?).
November 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
So I guess the strategy was to let retiring or otherwise safe people cave, let everyone else make strong statements & campaign on their contempt for the cavers, then.. something? (Wait for Rs to shoot down every possible deal/solution again & keep campaigning on that?).
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
This Veterans Day I want to acknowledge the Black veterans of WWII who fought fascism and nazism and came home to fight for civil rights and democracy here. New research shows Black veterans were critical in securing the voting rights currently under attack.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Homefront: Black Servicemembers and Black Voters in the Civil Rights Era
The role of Black World War II veterans in the Civil Rights Movement has been well documented, but the effect of Black military service on Black voting patterns remains unclear. Combining detailed in...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:10 PM
This Veterans Day I want to acknowledge the Black veterans of WWII who fought fascism and nazism and came home to fight for civil rights and democracy here. New research shows Black veterans were critical in securing the voting rights currently under attack.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
This payment is for causing what is arguably the biggest urban environmental injustice case in Brazil. Braskem irresponsibly (and knowingly) extracted so much rock salt from the ground that it destabilized multiple neighborhoods, leading residents to abandon their homes.
Braskem agrees to pay $222 million in compensation to Brazil's Alagoas state reut.rs/498Bs24
Braskem agrees to pay $222 million in compensation to Brazil's Alagoas state
Brazilian petrochemical firm Braskem said on Monday it has agreed to pay 1.2 billion reais ($222 million) to the northeastern state of Alagoas, the latest compensation deal related to the damages caused by its salt mines operations.
reut.rs
November 11, 2025 at 1:13 AM
This payment is for causing what is arguably the biggest urban environmental injustice case in Brazil. Braskem irresponsibly (and knowingly) extracted so much rock salt from the ground that it destabilized multiple neighborhoods, leading residents to abandon their homes.
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
" @povertyscholar.bsky.social said that losing food benefits is not only a crisis in itself, but it can lead to other crises...'Crises tend to cascade and compound...As this happens, people are less likely to vote.”
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
How a loss of public benefits harms democracy - Salon.com
When public programs like SNAP are cut, voter turnout historically declines
www.salon.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
" @povertyscholar.bsky.social said that losing food benefits is not only a crisis in itself, but it can lead to other crises...'Crises tend to cascade and compound...As this happens, people are less likely to vote.”
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
If you’re seeing this viral claim that Trump is working on 15-year car loans, it’s fake.
November 10, 2025 at 11:38 PM
If you’re seeing this viral claim that Trump is working on 15-year car loans, it’s fake.
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
Found the tweet that Joyce Carol Oates bodied Elon Musk with and it's so beautiful in its eloquent, simple take down. So much so he's crashing out trying to prove he reads books now. Put this in the Louvre.
November 10, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Found the tweet that Joyce Carol Oates bodied Elon Musk with and it's so beautiful in its eloquent, simple take down. So much so he's crashing out trying to prove he reads books now. Put this in the Louvre.
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
“The report found that the heaviest AI users are thought leadership writers (84%), PR/comms professionals (73%), and content marketing writers (73%).”
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
November 9, 2025 at 5:08 PM
“The report found that the heaviest AI users are thought leadership writers (84%), PR/comms professionals (73%), and content marketing writers (73%).”
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
Last week I had a site visit at a prison where people aren't even allowed to receive physical mail. A picture your kid drew? Can't hang it up in your cell, it can only exist in scanned form on a tablet.
"Maxwell has received custom meals personally delivered to her cell, after-hours time in a private exercise area, access to a service puppy, and private meetings with visitors arranged by the warden, complete with snacks. Visitors were allowed to bring computers..."
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
Democrats reveal whistleblower details of Ghislaine Maxwell prison ‘luxuries’
In a letter to the president, House Democrats say Maxwell’s treatment as she prepares a clemency request makes the convicted sex offender look like a “guest at a Trump hotel.”
www.msnbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Last week I had a site visit at a prison where people aren't even allowed to receive physical mail. A picture your kid drew? Can't hang it up in your cell, it can only exist in scanned form on a tablet.
Sometimes I hear the stupidest shit and it only emphasizes to me that organizations get exactly the employees that they hire for. 🤷🏼♀️ If your hiring process and criteria are fucked, guess what?
November 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Sometimes I hear the stupidest shit and it only emphasizes to me that organizations get exactly the employees that they hire for. 🤷🏼♀️ If your hiring process and criteria are fucked, guess what?
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
New: The Supreme Court DENIES Kim Davis' request to overturn Obergefell, the marriage equality decision. No noted dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
New: The Supreme Court DENIES Kim Davis' request to overturn Obergefell, the marriage equality decision. No noted dissents. www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
I will not be watching or reading any "analyses" about the Democratic party in D.C. I know all about them & their complicity. I'm not interested and I choose to reclaim my time and attention.
There're other kinds of politics to engage & most importantly to do (including in our local communities).
There're other kinds of politics to engage & most importantly to do (including in our local communities).
November 10, 2025 at 1:59 PM
I will not be watching or reading any "analyses" about the Democratic party in D.C. I know all about them & their complicity. I'm not interested and I choose to reclaim my time and attention.
There're other kinds of politics to engage & most importantly to do (including in our local communities).
There're other kinds of politics to engage & most importantly to do (including in our local communities).
I took today off, I need today off, I thought it was a clever idea to take today off because then there's also the holiday tomorrow.
Instead I am a ball of anxiety about the stuff on my to-do list that will sit there until.. Wednesday? That can't be!
Instead I am a ball of anxiety about the stuff on my to-do list that will sit there until.. Wednesday? That can't be!
November 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I took today off, I need today off, I thought it was a clever idea to take today off because then there's also the holiday tomorrow.
Instead I am a ball of anxiety about the stuff on my to-do list that will sit there until.. Wednesday? That can't be!
Instead I am a ball of anxiety about the stuff on my to-do list that will sit there until.. Wednesday? That can't be!
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
I keep seeing regular Americans taking more risks every day to fight tyranny, want, and cynicism than I see from the opposition party, and I imagine many of those regular Americans are asking themselves what the value proposition of such an opposition party is, really
November 10, 2025 at 4:31 AM
I keep seeing regular Americans taking more risks every day to fight tyranny, want, and cynicism than I see from the opposition party, and I imagine many of those regular Americans are asking themselves what the value proposition of such an opposition party is, really
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
Sometimes the depressed brain needs one (1) win and it gets absolutely nothing from the world
November 10, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Sometimes the depressed brain needs one (1) win and it gets absolutely nothing from the world
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
40 men Trump sent to CECOT tell the NYT they were beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted. The details are worse than you can imagine.
We can’t let them get away with this. Miller and the other architects of this sadism need to go to prison.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
We can’t let them get away with this. Miller and the other architects of this sadism need to go to prison.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:20 AM
40 men Trump sent to CECOT tell the NYT they were beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted. The details are worse than you can imagine.
We can’t let them get away with this. Miller and the other architects of this sadism need to go to prison.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
We can’t let them get away with this. Miller and the other architects of this sadism need to go to prison.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
look I know being an engaged citizen IS the work of democracy but it is also the work of elected officials not to create situations where everyone has to be mobilized all the time to prevent them from allowing some kind of Dickensian horror on a Sunday night while you're in between loads of laundry
November 9, 2025 at 11:37 PM
look I know being an engaged citizen IS the work of democracy but it is also the work of elected officials not to create situations where everyone has to be mobilized all the time to prevent them from allowing some kind of Dickensian horror on a Sunday night while you're in between loads of laundry
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
Newsom is an opportunist who clearly sees which way the wind will blow in 2026 and 2028. He knows surrendering Dems are ending their own careers and he intends to capitalize.
Pathetic. This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!
November 10, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Newsom is an opportunist who clearly sees which way the wind will blow in 2026 and 2028. He knows surrendering Dems are ending their own careers and he intends to capitalize.
Reposted by Bex, if you can keep it
i think this is key. taking the deal would amount to taking the blame. it would turn a clear political victory into an unambiguous defeat.
If the Dems blink after all of this, for a deal that all but ensures no ACA subsidies in 2026 anyway, then what was the purpose of letting the shutdown go for 40 days in the first place?
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 AM
i think this is key. taking the deal would amount to taking the blame. it would turn a clear political victory into an unambiguous defeat.