MatttttttttB
@matttttttttb.bsky.social
e.g. Artist, dog-lover, and avid reader
Reposted by MatttttttttB
here is the book. highly recommend it. wwnorton.com/books/978132...
Savings and Trust
Winner of the 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize<br />A <em>Publishers Weekly</em> Best Nonfiction Book of 2024<br /><br />A leading historian exposes how the rise and tragic failure of the Freedman&#...
wwnorton.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:12 AM
here is the book. highly recommend it. wwnorton.com/books/978132...
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Calling it retiring immediately made me think of this lol
February 13, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Calling it retiring immediately made me think of this lol
Reposted by MatttttttttB
This is a travesty. African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin has been one of the best programs in the country. And for historical context, this is explicitly about reversing the gains of student movements in the 60s and 70s.
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
UT to consolidate gender and ethnic studies programs into one new department
Affected departments include those that focus on African and African Diaspora Studies, Mexican American Studies, Women and Gender Studies and American Studies.
www.statesman.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:26 PM
This is a travesty. African and African Diaspora Studies at UT Austin has been one of the best programs in the country. And for historical context, this is explicitly about reversing the gains of student movements in the 60s and 70s.
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
www.statesman.com/news/educati...
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
February 12, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Overall, we have tallied 4x more protests through Jan 31, 2026 than we had through Jan 31, 2018
February 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Overall, we have tallied 4x more protests through Jan 31, 2026 than we had through Jan 31, 2018
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Helpful graphic about dates if redistricting referendum passes
Congressional filing deadline and primary will be moved
Clock ticking on referendum itself and ballots have to be printed
Notably lower court order did not say referendum could not happen (despite legal finding)
Congressional filing deadline and primary will be moved
Clock ticking on referendum itself and ballots have to be printed
Notably lower court order did not say referendum could not happen (despite legal finding)
Virginia 2026: Voting & Candidate Deadlines (early voting on the redistricting referendum starts 3/6, just 22 days from now) bluevirginia.us/2026/02/thur...
February 12, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Helpful graphic about dates if redistricting referendum passes
Congressional filing deadline and primary will be moved
Clock ticking on referendum itself and ballots have to be printed
Notably lower court order did not say referendum could not happen (despite legal finding)
Congressional filing deadline and primary will be moved
Clock ticking on referendum itself and ballots have to be printed
Notably lower court order did not say referendum could not happen (despite legal finding)
Reposted by MatttttttttB
From my reading, it seems impossible to have a miscarriage and not somehow run afoul of the law in abortion ban states
February 12, 2026 at 4:07 PM
From my reading, it seems impossible to have a miscarriage and not somehow run afoul of the law in abortion ban states
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Great interview with Dorothy Provine, who I guess is the Mother Ann Lee of DC government records.
February 12, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Great interview with Dorothy Provine, who I guess is the Mother Ann Lee of DC government records.
😞
(this seems to suggest they'll put bus lanes in the places where there *aren't* car backups, ie, in the places where bus lanes are *least* needed - like on Georgia Ave/97 during the Red Line shutdown in the summer of 2024...)
February 12, 2026 at 3:11 PM
😞
Yeah for sure. I guess I’m saying I’d include operation/design of those residential streets when they interact with the arterials, as part of what makes it work
February 12, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Yeah for sure. I guess I’m saying I’d include operation/design of those residential streets when they interact with the arterials, as part of what makes it work
Tbf there’s a lot that interacts with this seemingly: smaller freight vehicles, smaller surface transit vehicles, street parking as has been mentioned
February 12, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Tbf there’s a lot that interacts with this seemingly: smaller freight vehicles, smaller surface transit vehicles, street parking as has been mentioned
I think also a willingness at intersections with those arterials to have small turning radii that would make an American engineer balk. Tokyo will have 4-lane+center turn lane arterials with crossing distances that feel like half of what they’d be on a similarly configured road in US.
February 12, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I think also a willingness at intersections with those arterials to have small turning radii that would make an American engineer balk. Tokyo will have 4-lane+center turn lane arterials with crossing distances that feel like half of what they’d be on a similarly configured road in US.
Such pointless bullshit, childishly sticking a finger in DC’s eye
February 11, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Such pointless bullshit, childishly sticking a finger in DC’s eye
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Good paper re current state procurement rules that prioritize procedural transparency enforced by adversarial legalism in an effort to obtain "low bids" over administrative discretion to choose best value.
Potts shows how this has not always been the case and is the result of historic legal drift.
Potts shows how this has not always been the case and is the result of historic legal drift.
February 11, 2026 at 9:29 PM
Good paper re current state procurement rules that prioritize procedural transparency enforced by adversarial legalism in an effort to obtain "low bids" over administrative discretion to choose best value.
Potts shows how this has not always been the case and is the result of historic legal drift.
Potts shows how this has not always been the case and is the result of historic legal drift.
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Back to racial segregation: What neighborhood (tract) demographics does a person experiencing the "typical" level of segregation/integration for each racial group experience?
February 11, 2026 at 4:25 AM
Back to racial segregation: What neighborhood (tract) demographics does a person experiencing the "typical" level of segregation/integration for each racial group experience?
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Some data viz with CC--
One way of looking at shifting patterns of segregation: In 1990, something like 1/3 of Census tracts in the city of Chicago were >~95% Black. In 2023, there were virtually zero tracts at that level.
Otoh, 2000 tracts that were <10% Black have seen virtually no increase
One way of looking at shifting patterns of segregation: In 1990, something like 1/3 of Census tracts in the city of Chicago were >~95% Black. In 2023, there were virtually zero tracts at that level.
Otoh, 2000 tracts that were <10% Black have seen virtually no increase
February 11, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Some data viz with CC--
One way of looking at shifting patterns of segregation: In 1990, something like 1/3 of Census tracts in the city of Chicago were >~95% Black. In 2023, there were virtually zero tracts at that level.
Otoh, 2000 tracts that were <10% Black have seen virtually no increase
One way of looking at shifting patterns of segregation: In 1990, something like 1/3 of Census tracts in the city of Chicago were >~95% Black. In 2023, there were virtually zero tracts at that level.
Otoh, 2000 tracts that were <10% Black have seen virtually no increase
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Here you go! I'll write some new ones for this semester too. They loved them. The "read without your phone or screens in the room" was a revelation, and many of them decided to keep doing it. They had NO IDEA (& were horrified) how often they interrupt themselves to look at a phone for no reason.
![Reading Scenario Experiments. This series of prompts is designed to get you thinking about how the setting for reading affects concentration, comprehension, and even the existential experience of reading. Every week, one of the following prompts will appear on the syllabus. I encourage you to try all of them that you are able. How does a different reading setting affect your mood? Your receptiveness to the prose? Your pleasure or difficulty reading? What are the particular impacts of changing your lighting or surroundings? What do you notice about yourself and about the work you are reading during this experiment?
1. read by candlelight (use a small lamp in dorms where no candles are allowed!)
2. read for one hour without checking any devices, answering texts, etc.
3. walk out into nature (climb a tree, sit on a rock, grab a spot in a hammock) and read
4. host a reading night with friends & food (sit in companionable silence, reading without chatting)
5. read aloud a chapter to someone else
6. climb into bed at night and read by flashlight under the covers for at least 30 minutes, as if you’ve already been told “lights out” as a kid
7. reread a chapter and see what new things you notice the second time through
8. change your ambient-noise level: add music if you normally read in the quiet; or read without music if you are normally a music-listener
9. read with a sketchpad at hand and sketch scenes, characters, or other elements from the story
10. practice focused listening: have someone read to you
11. make yourself a special, fancy snack on a real plate to nibble while eating: pay attention to the cooking or arranging or choosing of ingredients to make it especially appetizing first
12. make tea (even if you’re not usually a tea drinker), and read and sip
13. invent a new reading scenario for yourself, or repeat the one you liked the best from this term
[writing assignment using these prompts follows; text character limit prevents inclusion of it in full]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rfs7afx6ue4mknbhhpnrzkyz/bafkreiel77b25truczj372qokmg5p3apa2dphux3jtplpz3dv35jul6wdu@jpeg)
July 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Here you go! I'll write some new ones for this semester too. They loved them. The "read without your phone or screens in the room" was a revelation, and many of them decided to keep doing it. They had NO IDEA (& were horrified) how often they interrupt themselves to look at a phone for no reason.
Reposted by MatttttttttB
States can do a lot to spur electric cars and provide other, cleaner & cheaper transportation options.
@michealpodgers.bsky.social has compiled seven sets of policies any state (and many local governments) can adopt now: climatecabineteducation.org/transportati...
@michealpodgers.bsky.social has compiled seven sets of policies any state (and many local governments) can adopt now: climatecabineteducation.org/transportati...
Transportation 101 Policy Guides - Climate Cabinet Education
Transportation 101 Policy Guides by Climate Cabinet Education: practical, accessible guides on transit planning, active mobility & multimodal policy for climate action.
climatecabineteducation.org
February 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM
States can do a lot to spur electric cars and provide other, cleaner & cheaper transportation options.
@michealpodgers.bsky.social has compiled seven sets of policies any state (and many local governments) can adopt now: climatecabineteducation.org/transportati...
@michealpodgers.bsky.social has compiled seven sets of policies any state (and many local governments) can adopt now: climatecabineteducation.org/transportati...
That thing that’s so easy to show: where you’re not living.
It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t hate people who have need
The rule would have required people to prove they’ve been on the streets or in and out of shelters for at least six months before they can qualify for a safe haven bed.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/10/m...
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/10/m...
February 10, 2026 at 4:11 PM
That thing that’s so easy to show: where you’re not living.
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Breaking: Trump told Palm Beach police chief 'everyone' knew about Epstein and 'evil' Maxwell www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
Trump told Palm Beach police chief ‘everyone’ knew about Epstein, Maxwell was ‘evil’
The new information comes as Ghislaine Maxwell was summoned to appear Monday before a Congressional committee.
www.miamiherald.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Breaking: Trump told Palm Beach police chief 'everyone' knew about Epstein and 'evil' Maxwell www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
Reposted by MatttttttttB
Just how unprecedented is the ongoing immigration enforcement crackdown? We answer those questions and more in our new NBER working paper.
www.nber.org/papers/w34794
www.nber.org/papers/w34794
February 9, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Just how unprecedented is the ongoing immigration enforcement crackdown? We answer those questions and more in our new NBER working paper.
www.nber.org/papers/w34794
www.nber.org/papers/w34794
Reposted by MatttttttttB
the absolute state of things, in one image
February 9, 2026 at 4:29 PM
the absolute state of things, in one image
Reposted by MatttttttttB
8/ For more on what kids are experiencing inside the Dilley detention center, read the full story by reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social:
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2026 at 12:43 PM
8/ For more on what kids are experiencing inside the Dilley detention center, read the full story by reporter @micarosenberg.bsky.social:
Reposted by MatttttttttB
look the victims of my evil spider wife were no saints
February 8, 2026 at 7:56 PM
look the victims of my evil spider wife were no saints
Reposted by MatttttttttB
it's cool how Gingrich wrecked everything and then no one ever fixed it
February 8, 2026 at 4:11 AM
it's cool how Gingrich wrecked everything and then no one ever fixed it