Sumita Pahwa
@sumitapahwa.bsky.social
Social scientist, Bombayite, Californian, ex-Cairene. Mango maven. Cat lady. Teaches at Scripps College. Book: https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/5829/politics-as-worship/
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
OK where can I see it and listen to the music WITHOUT the annoying commentary, anyone?
This is the Alysa Liu performance everyone is talking about, and yes, you should watch it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCrF...
February 20, 2026 at 4:20 AM
OK where can I see it and listen to the music WITHOUT the annoying commentary, anyone?
Where can one watch the women's figure skating final performances, if one didn't catch them on Peacock/NBC in the daytime?
February 20, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Where can one watch the women's figure skating final performances, if one didn't catch them on Peacock/NBC in the daytime?
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Something we should all sit with.
Today in 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the wrongful incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans. A 1982 congressional study found it was driven by “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.” We remember and reject today’s fear-driven policies repeating this injustice.
February 19, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Something we should all sit with.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
"Thirty Tamili and Prakrit inscriptions reveal 2,000-year-old India-Egypt trade."
Such amazing evidence about this cultural contact!
#Egyptology #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky
www.deccanherald.com/india/thirty...
Such amazing evidence about this cultural contact!
#Egyptology #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky
www.deccanherald.com/india/thirty...
Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions found in Egypt’s Valley of Kings
About 30 Tamili and Prakrit inscriptions were found in rock-cut tombs in Egypt’s Valley of Kings, dating to the 1st–3rd centuries AD. Scholars say the find underscores India-Roman trade, merchant netw...
www.deccanherald.com
February 19, 2026 at 9:55 PM
"Thirty Tamili and Prakrit inscriptions reveal 2,000-year-old India-Egypt trade."
Such amazing evidence about this cultural contact!
#Egyptology #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky
www.deccanherald.com/india/thirty...
Such amazing evidence about this cultural contact!
#Egyptology #AncientBlueSky #ClassicsBlueSky
www.deccanherald.com/india/thirty...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
How do you organize safely and effectively in the golden age of surveillance? I have some thoughts and Wired does too: www.wired.com/story/how-to...
How to Organize Safely in the Age of Surveillance
From threat modeling to encrypted collaboration apps, we’ve collected experts’ tips and tools for safely and effectively building a group—even while being targeted and tracked by the powerful.
www.wired.com
February 19, 2026 at 9:49 PM
How do you organize safely and effectively in the golden age of surveillance? I have some thoughts and Wired does too: www.wired.com/story/how-to...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
The decisions amount to a huge legal rebuke, one the administration has ignored.
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Timeless
expecting this on a loop from 6pm onwards youtu.be/gbWQ2lD6kKU?...
The Day Today - Britain's Emergency Broadcast
YouTube video by Babu Frik
youtu.be
February 19, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Timeless
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
It remains wild to me how many people have not yet learned one of the core lessons of social media.
To wit: do not post through it.
Lemme explain. Anyone on social media with any following at all is familiar with the experience of being violently misread, of having your words taken to mean ...
To wit: do not post through it.
Lemme explain. Anyone on social media with any following at all is familiar with the experience of being violently misread, of having your words taken to mean ...
February 19, 2026 at 7:37 PM
It remains wild to me how many people have not yet learned one of the core lessons of social media.
To wit: do not post through it.
Lemme explain. Anyone on social media with any following at all is familiar with the experience of being violently misread, of having your words taken to mean ...
To wit: do not post through it.
Lemme explain. Anyone on social media with any following at all is familiar with the experience of being violently misread, of having your words taken to mean ...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
"The Times understands that the UK is yet to give permission for the US to use the bases in the event that Trump orders a strike on Iran, owing to concerns that it would be a breach of international law."
This is a BIG deal given the US-UK military relationship.
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This is a BIG deal given the US-UK military relationship.
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
UK blocking Trump from using RAF bases for strikes on Iran
The disagreement over the use of British sites is behind the US president’s withdrawal of support for the Chagos Islands deal, The Times understands
www.thetimes.com
February 19, 2026 at 3:13 PM
"The Times understands that the UK is yet to give permission for the US to use the bases in the event that Trump orders a strike on Iran, owing to concerns that it would be a breach of international law."
This is a BIG deal given the US-UK military relationship.
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This is a BIG deal given the US-UK military relationship.
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
The 'up or out' nature of youth sports in the US is something that struck me when I came to college here - you couldn't play unless you were good enough to make the team, and even 'intramurals' were v competitive. If your kid is in any youth league now, you have to drive them to tournaments each w/e
I know someone whose under-10 kid was kicked off their local team for not being good enough and so if the kid wanted to continue playing soccer they needed to buy a second car (one car household) so they could drive the kid to another less good team further away.
Costs aside, a huge reason youth sports are so broken in this country is that every parent and coach is wired to value victory above all else.
MLS is only now getting around to ideas with youth leagues that were adopted in Europe years ago.
www.goal.com/en-us/lists/...
MLS is only now getting around to ideas with youth leagues that were adopted in Europe years ago.
www.goal.com/en-us/lists/...
February 19, 2026 at 4:54 PM
The 'up or out' nature of youth sports in the US is something that struck me when I came to college here - you couldn't play unless you were good enough to make the team, and even 'intramurals' were v competitive. If your kid is in any youth league now, you have to drive them to tournaments each w/e
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
New #Union numbers were released this morning by BLS, showing that in 2025, 16.5 million workers in the United States were represented by a union, an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in the U.S. in 16 years. 1/
February 18, 2026 at 3:07 PM
New #Union numbers were released this morning by BLS, showing that in 2025, 16.5 million workers in the United States were represented by a union, an increase of 463,000 from 2024 and the highest number of unionized workers in the U.S. in 16 years. 1/
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
You can do that? Huh.
BREAKING: Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been convicted of insurrection for declaring martial law in December 2024, and has been sentenced to life in prison.
February 19, 2026 at 3:02 PM
You can do that? Huh.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
look at my country man, we’re getting out-No Kings’d by the fuckin’ british
King Charles has issued a statement following his brother Andrew’s arrest
February 19, 2026 at 2:22 PM
look at my country man, we’re getting out-No Kings’d by the fuckin’ british
"Under the Jones Act, goods transported between US ports must move on vessels that are US-flagged, US-built, and at least 75 percent US-owned. The result is a dramatic inflation of shipping costs."
This is amazingly stupid. We don't even have free trade with ourselves.
"Such is the expense of Jones Act shipping that adding thousands of miles and a foreign stop often costs less than shipping fuel directly between two US states." [Colin Grabow, Cato]
February 19, 2026 at 2:49 PM
"Under the Jones Act, goods transported between US ports must move on vessels that are US-flagged, US-built, and at least 75 percent US-owned. The result is a dramatic inflation of shipping costs."
They arrested the artist formerly known as Prince...Andrew? 😲
February 19, 2026 at 2:45 PM
They arrested the artist formerly known as Prince...Andrew? 😲
Can lawyers familiar with the various cases around the Dear Colleague letter weigh in on where the National Education Association vs US DoE stands in reference to the other cases, e.g. the AFT case?
www.courtlistener.com/docket/69706...
www.courtlistener.com/docket/69706...
National Education Association v. US Department of Education, 1:25-cv-00091 - CourtListener.com
Docket for National Education Association v. US Department of Education, 1:25-cv-00091 — Brought to you by Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal information.
www.courtlistener.com
February 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Can lawyers familiar with the various cases around the Dear Colleague letter weigh in on where the National Education Association vs US DoE stands in reference to the other cases, e.g. the AFT case?
www.courtlistener.com/docket/69706...
www.courtlistener.com/docket/69706...
It is indeed bog standard, and it sucks. Reporters marching up to athletes asking how they feel about a loss or victory and trying to make a soap opera out of it is not good reporting, though it is standard in the US, at least.
The question is fine. Have people lost their minds? This is a bog standard sports question.
February 18, 2026 at 11:10 PM
It is indeed bog standard, and it sucks. Reporters marching up to athletes asking how they feel about a loss or victory and trying to make a soap opera out of it is not good reporting, though it is standard in the US, at least.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Can we talk a bit about the terms “First Amendment absolutist” and “free speech absolutist,” and whether they have any agreed-upon meaning?
I promise to try, to the utmost of my ability, to Be Respectful Of Other Opinions.
/1
I promise to try, to the utmost of my ability, to Be Respectful Of Other Opinions.
/1
February 18, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Can we talk a bit about the terms “First Amendment absolutist” and “free speech absolutist,” and whether they have any agreed-upon meaning?
I promise to try, to the utmost of my ability, to Be Respectful Of Other Opinions.
/1
I promise to try, to the utmost of my ability, to Be Respectful Of Other Opinions.
/1
Trend? Ask any woman who has been on social media since 2010, it's as old as the hills.
I have noticed a trend amongst the columnists/staff writers at papers, journals, and think tanks, to be extremely sensitive to people saying they're wrong but they exclusively pick fights with queer or trans people and women
The people who usually do this are predictably male
The people who usually do this are predictably male
meanwhile on the other site some dude with 47k followers is so mad about I & @jamellebouie.net saying gender affirming surgery for minors isn't a thing - particularly my misuse of literally - that he has been @'ing me about it for over 24hr (also he's gotten like 26 likes because lol, dead website)
February 18, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Trend? Ask any woman who has been on social media since 2010, it's as old as the hills.
Electoral systems matter.
If you want to learn the fuller, more complex story — including about the would-be military coup and the downsides of Brazil's militant Supreme Court — please read the whole story. It was months of work, and I'm proud of what we came up with.
www.vox.com/politics/479...
www.vox.com/politics/479...
How one country stopped a Trump-style authoritarian in his tracks
What Brazil got right that America got wrong.
www.vox.com
February 18, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Electoral systems matter.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Bless her heart. She's never checked out a book from a library, has she?
Leavitt: "You need an ID to go and purchase alcohol. You need an ID to go to the library and check out a book. So the president thinks you should have an ID to vote in our nation's elections."
February 18, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Bless her heart. She's never checked out a book from a library, has she?