Paul Collins
@paulcollins.bsky.social
Author, Professor of English at PSU, bewildered radio guest.
Personal account.
www.pdx.edu/english/profile/paul-collins
Personal account.
www.pdx.edu/english/profile/paul-collins
I can't find US outlets referring to Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, the basic intl law & UN precept that one nation can't grab another's resources. That would be... a timely explainer, right about now.
The Guardian seems to be the only place that's bothered to specifically note it.
The Guardian seems to be the only place that's bothered to specifically note it.
Trump’s focus on Venezuelan oil reinforces claim action was never about ‘war on drugs’
US president claims US will take back ‘stolen’ oil, but experts say no legal claim to natural reserves exists
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:56 PM
I can't find US outlets referring to Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, the basic intl law & UN precept that one nation can't grab another's resources. That would be... a timely explainer, right about now.
The Guardian seems to be the only place that's bothered to specifically note it.
The Guardian seems to be the only place that's bothered to specifically note it.
Reposted by Paul Collins
New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
January 3, 2026 at 9:42 PM
New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Always delighted/horrified to see in the for-sale listings how in 1975 you could buy drum kits upholstered in denim or — wait for it — faux leather.
December 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Always delighted/horrified to see in the for-sale listings how in 1975 you could buy drum kits upholstered in denim or — wait for it — faux leather.
Reposted by Paul Collins
Transit's main competition is cars. If you raise fares from $2.50 to $3, you're still way more affordable than driving. But if you cut the bus from every 15 to every 20, you're screwed because cars have infinity frequency and 24 hr service span.
I hate that we’re having to think in these terms, but the evidence seems to be bearing out that steep fare hikes are less damaging to ridership than service cuts.
2025 was brutal for US transit. Agencies faced budget deficits, flat ridership, and open hostility from the White House.
I wrote a series of stories outlining ways to help transit endure.
Lesson #1: Whatever you do, don’t cut service. Riders will leave – permanently.
Here are a few others 🧵
I wrote a series of stories outlining ways to help transit endure.
Lesson #1: Whatever you do, don’t cut service. Riders will leave – permanently.
Here are a few others 🧵
December 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Transit's main competition is cars. If you raise fares from $2.50 to $3, you're still way more affordable than driving. But if you cut the bus from every 15 to every 20, you're screwed because cars have infinity frequency and 24 hr service span.
"International trainees said the foundation sent them to a Nebraska hog farm where they toiled for 12 hours a day, got no training and were threatened with deportation, according to internal State Department emails."
Good work at the Times on the abuse of J-1 visas by profiteers. Gift link:
Good work at the Times on the abuse of J-1 visas by profiteers. Gift link:
They Were Supposed to Protect Young Workers. Instead, They Cashed In.
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
"International trainees said the foundation sent them to a Nebraska hog farm where they toiled for 12 hours a day, got no training and were threatened with deportation, according to internal State Department emails."
Good work at the Times on the abuse of J-1 visas by profiteers. Gift link:
Good work at the Times on the abuse of J-1 visas by profiteers. Gift link:
Hey, remember when the DOJ issued redacted PDFs that could be defeated in seconds, back in... *squints*.... 2003?
Unediting the Editing of a Report (Published 2003)
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Hey, remember when the DOJ issued redacted PDFs that could be defeated in seconds, back in... *squints*.... 2003?
Reposted by Paul Collins
Merry Christmas from Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet
December 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Merry Christmas from Peter Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet
Sometime since late October the FTC changed references to itself to the "Trump-Vance FTC." Settlement payment letters also refer to "President Trump's Federal Trade Commission."
(Extra fun fact: this FTC suit was filed in 2023, during the Biden administration.)
(Extra fun fact: this FTC suit was filed in 2023, during the Biden administration.)
December 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Sometime since late October the FTC changed references to itself to the "Trump-Vance FTC." Settlement payment letters also refer to "President Trump's Federal Trade Commission."
(Extra fun fact: this FTC suit was filed in 2023, during the Biden administration.)
(Extra fun fact: this FTC suit was filed in 2023, during the Biden administration.)
Outstanding kid's inscription in a 1928 mystery novel, & I may have to get bookplates that say this
December 24, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Outstanding kid's inscription in a 1928 mystery novel, & I may have to get bookplates that say this
Reposted by Paul Collins
And now someone has uploaded a version that wasn't filmed off a TV.
There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.
There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.
Pulled 60 Minutes segment on CECOT : CBS : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
This is a screen recording of a 60 Minutes segment about the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison in El Salvador, which was intended to be...
archive.org
December 22, 2025 at 11:51 PM
And now someone has uploaded a version that wasn't filmed off a TV.
There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.
There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.
A curious record of *indoor* temperatures: organ tuning books kept in churches.
"The average summer temperature... was 17.2C during the late 1960s. By the 2020s it had reached 19.8C.... A change of just 1 degree celsius may alter the pitch of one of these instruments by 0.8 hertz, said Scott."
"The average summer temperature... was 17.2C during the late 1960s. By the 2020s it had reached 19.8C.... A change of just 1 degree celsius may alter the pitch of one of these instruments by 0.8 hertz, said Scott."
Organ-tuning books in English churches provide notes on a warming climate
Researchers have realised the records are a ‘goldmine’ to study changes in environmental conditions
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
A curious record of *indoor* temperatures: organ tuning books kept in churches.
"The average summer temperature... was 17.2C during the late 1960s. By the 2020s it had reached 19.8C.... A change of just 1 degree celsius may alter the pitch of one of these instruments by 0.8 hertz, said Scott."
"The average summer temperature... was 17.2C during the late 1960s. By the 2020s it had reached 19.8C.... A change of just 1 degree celsius may alter the pitch of one of these instruments by 0.8 hertz, said Scott."
Reposted by Paul Collins
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Alfonsi wrote.
Here’s a gift link to this stunner Washpost story, quoting the 60 Minutes correspondent on the CECOT story, who accuses Bari Weiss of spiking the piece all because the Trump Administration wouldn’t comment.
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO.”
wapo.st/3YL4T3D
“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO.”
wapo.st/3YL4T3D
‘60 Minutes’ correspondent says CBS’s Bari Weiss abruptly pulled segment on Trump deportations
CBS News pulled a ‘60 Minutes’ segment about a prison in El Salvador one day before it was set to air because the Trump administration declined to participate.
wapo.st
December 22, 2025 at 3:16 AM
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Alfonsi wrote.
Since they cite boomers, let's look at 1973, when mid-boom turned 18.
US median household income was 12k, median home price was 33k, median public U tuition was $514 (!). Now it's 84k, 410k, & 10k. Income rose 7x, homes rose 12x, tuition rose 19x.
Young people aren't imagining that it's harder.
US median household income was 12k, median home price was 33k, median public U tuition was $514 (!). Now it's 84k, 410k, & 10k. Income rose 7x, homes rose 12x, tuition rose 19x.
Young people aren't imagining that it's harder.
These Young Adults Make Good Money. But Life, They Say, Is Unaffordable.
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Since they cite boomers, let's look at 1973, when mid-boom turned 18.
US median household income was 12k, median home price was 33k, median public U tuition was $514 (!). Now it's 84k, 410k, & 10k. Income rose 7x, homes rose 12x, tuition rose 19x.
Young people aren't imagining that it's harder.
US median household income was 12k, median home price was 33k, median public U tuition was $514 (!). Now it's 84k, 410k, & 10k. Income rose 7x, homes rose 12x, tuition rose 19x.
Young people aren't imagining that it's harder.
Reposted by Paul Collins
The Abundance movement often points to environmental groups as the obstacles to building. But who actually files the lawsuits blocking projects? It’s not environmental groups. It’s been lawyered-up HOAs protecting property values all along. Regulation by litigation is the problem.
December 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The Abundance movement often points to environmental groups as the obstacles to building. But who actually files the lawsuits blocking projects? It’s not environmental groups. It’s been lawyered-up HOAs protecting property values all along. Regulation by litigation is the problem.
Reposted by Paul Collins
Gift link, probably the funniest thing the Wall Street Journal has done this year.
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Gift link, probably the funniest thing the Wall Street Journal has done this year.
Reposted by Paul Collins
MilleniOs (1999-2000): To ring in Y2K, Cheerios released this special edition, brown sugar-sweetened variant, with "2"-shaped cereal pieces that would spell "2000" when placed next to three "Os". They also encouraged consumers to use the boxes as time capsules for the "once in a lifetime" event
June 6, 2025 at 5:55 PM
MilleniOs (1999-2000): To ring in Y2K, Cheerios released this special edition, brown sugar-sweetened variant, with "2"-shaped cereal pieces that would spell "2000" when placed next to three "Os". They also encouraged consumers to use the boxes as time capsules for the "once in a lifetime" event
This guy - a political hack w/ no ed experience, made chancellor a month ago - cites alleged concerns of parents, lawmakers, employers... everyone but actual students & faculty. His curricular flowchart is the Powerpoint slop you might imagine with no experience & no contact with actual dept staff.
In an interview, Texas Tech’s system chancellor defended new limits on course content related to race, gender, and sexuality as necessary to deliver degrees that meet employer demand and parent expectations. https://chroni.cl/4j7ISpo
The Man Behind Texas Tech’s Controversial Curriculum Crackdown
Brandon Creighton believes colleges should focus on careers and salaries — not contested ideas about race, gender, and sexuality.
www.chronicle.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
This guy - a political hack w/ no ed experience, made chancellor a month ago - cites alleged concerns of parents, lawmakers, employers... everyone but actual students & faculty. His curricular flowchart is the Powerpoint slop you might imagine with no experience & no contact with actual dept staff.
Reposted by Paul Collins
This is a *fantastic* look for the administration: telling the student paper that if they want to know the new grade appeal policy, they can file an open records request
December 13, 2025 at 3:45 PM
This is a *fantastic* look for the administration: telling the student paper that if they want to know the new grade appeal policy, they can file an open records request
Good.
Gift link:
Gift link:
National Trust Sues to Block Trump’s White House Ballroom Construction
www.nytimes.com
December 13, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Good.
Gift link:
Gift link:
The tentative name "University of the Northwest" sounds like a committee's idea of placeholder. They should go a bit bolder, like Cascadia U.
Declining enrollment and budget woes vex colleges across the country these days, but leaders at Pacific and Willamette say they’re not pursuing the partnership due to financial challenges. They say the partnership will lead to better services and expanded career pathways for students.
Willamette, Pacific universities announce plan to merge
Oregon’s two oldest private universities say their plan to consolidate will benefit students, the state’s workforce and help future-proof the institutions.
www.opb.org
December 11, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The tentative name "University of the Northwest" sounds like a committee's idea of placeholder. They should go a bit bolder, like Cascadia U.
Ezra Pound, the original comments troll
December 11, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Ezra Pound, the original comments troll
Reposted by Paul Collins
scanning the @sundance.org lineup: hmm, interesting, might be good, sure why not, :loses entire fucking mind:
December 10, 2025 at 5:04 PM
scanning the @sundance.org lineup: hmm, interesting, might be good, sure why not, :loses entire fucking mind:
Reposted by Paul Collins
The Nazis, in 1941, banned the Fraktur font because it was “too Jewish.” alphahistory.com/pastpeculiar...
1941: The Nazis ban Jewish fonts
In 1941 the Nazis continued their campaign of persecution against Germany's Jews - by banning all Jewish fonts.
alphahistory.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:29 AM
The Nazis, in 1941, banned the Fraktur font because it was “too Jewish.” alphahistory.com/pastpeculiar...
A delightful description in here from 1925 of Harry Stephen Keeler's writing space, which includes blackboards of his novel plots coded with colored chalks, a massive wall of filing cabinets, and a pet rabbit named H.L. Mencken.
![Photo of passage from a 1925 profile in an Armour Institute alumni newsletter: "An immense blackboard covers the adjoining wall, which with colored chalks and vertically and horizontally ruled lines shows the chronological position of every character in a mystery novel he would be writing. A third wall has every inch of its area covered with a huge filing cabinet, containing several hundreds of drawers, in which is tabulated, in very neat and concise form, material and information pertaining to almost every conceivable subject from Chinese curios to such branches of science as sociology and pschiaty [sic]. A description of his workshop would by no means be complete without including one of his most prozed possessions, a pet rabbit which makes its home in his waste-basket. 'I know you'll be terribly disappointed,' said Harry Stephen Keeler, 'for you hoped to find literary atmosphere here. But there ir -- or he -- is.' Pointing to the rabbit, 'That's H.L. Mencken. That's the atmosphere.'"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:szszhxvp46zm3f5bqe4eye73/bafkreibpv5jiik5f3xpcweqcrirvgio2hut2v3yvnsqixdgufypyuwjrsi@jpeg)
December 9, 2025 at 2:09 AM
A delightful description in here from 1925 of Harry Stephen Keeler's writing space, which includes blackboards of his novel plots coded with colored chalks, a massive wall of filing cabinets, and a pet rabbit named H.L. Mencken.