This was a great article - I’ve often thought about how the word processor has shaped how I write and think.
Wanted to post something about concise writing and speaking then I remembered I’d written a column about it almost 20 years ago.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Jonathan Wolff yearns for the brevity in writing formerly honed by the precis exam
I'll keep this brief, as I know we're short of space, writes Jonathan Wolff
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:31 PM
This was a great article - I’ve often thought about how the word processor has shaped how I write and think.
A lovely essay reflecting on difficult questions about the world we live in and our ability to love and contribute.
“we keep trying because trying itself is a form of faith, a muscular type of prayer.”
“we keep trying because trying itself is a form of faith, a muscular type of prayer.”
How do we love what we can't save — a planet, or a body?
I wrote about the connections between severe ME and the climate crisis, and the discipline of continuing. jrehmeyer.substack.com/p/two-system...
#MyalgicE #mecfs #ClimateAction #climatecrisis
I wrote about the connections between severe ME and the climate crisis, and the discipline of continuing. jrehmeyer.substack.com/p/two-system...
#MyalgicE #mecfs #ClimateAction #climatecrisis
Two Systems in Collapse
What illness can teach us about responding to climate change
jrehmeyer.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:39 PM
A lovely essay reflecting on difficult questions about the world we live in and our ability to love and contribute.
“we keep trying because trying itself is a form of faith, a muscular type of prayer.”
“we keep trying because trying itself is a form of faith, a muscular type of prayer.”
Reposted
A fascinating read.
A life update: this wound up paying off. I'm still applying to several jobs that are hopefully careers, but I've got my survival needs covered by a job at the airport that I'm apparently pretty good at.
And instead of being in an office alone, which was driving me mad, I see 20k people a day.
And instead of being in an office alone, which was driving me mad, I see 20k people a day.
There is a line around this building to get to the line entrance to wait to get into this job fair.
At the airport. For airport jobs.
At the airport. For airport jobs.
October 7, 2025 at 10:02 AM
A fascinating read.
Love this!
September 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Love this!
I can only imagine reading Machiavelli’s letters to his friends if he were alive today!
“When the world grows corrupt, as it does now, republics cannot endure, for men, driven by ambition and greed, tear apart the common good, and no law can restrain them.”
Machiavelli (c. 1517)
Machiavelli (c. 1517)
September 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I can only imagine reading Machiavelli’s letters to his friends if he were alive today!
Reposted
I keep returning to this by the late Helen De Cruz
In the Poetic Edda you've got Odin who knows Ragnarok is coming, who knows the gods and the world as we know it will be obliterated, but he just keeps on going and doing what he's doing anyway, and I feel this is the energy we need for the 2020s.
September 23, 2025 at 7:57 AM
I keep returning to this by the late Helen De Cruz
‘The lake seems very still, as if it is holding its breath’ - from the alt text
I love this one.
I love this one.
September 13, 2025 at 6:00 PM
‘The lake seems very still, as if it is holding its breath’ - from the alt text
I love this one.
I love this one.
I appreciated Kristie De Garis’s insightful discussion of the patterns of prejudice.
“Prejudice works quietly. It slips in through small choices, unconscious habits, reflex comparisons. … it’s about recognising how the same patterns reappear, and what they quietly erase each time.”
“Prejudice works quietly. It slips in through small choices, unconscious habits, reflex comparisons. … it’s about recognising how the same patterns reappear, and what they quietly erase each time.”
Literary criticism carries cultural authority, which is why it must be as rigorous about its own habits as it is about the books it reviews
Authors aren’t supposed to do this. Luckily, I’ve never been good at following rules that are entirely made up
kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/literary-c...
Authors aren’t supposed to do this. Luckily, I’ve never been good at following rules that are entirely made up
kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/literary-c...
Literary Criticism Under Review
Authors aren’t supposed to do this.
kristiedegaris.substack.com
September 13, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I appreciated Kristie De Garis’s insightful discussion of the patterns of prejudice.
“Prejudice works quietly. It slips in through small choices, unconscious habits, reflex comparisons. … it’s about recognising how the same patterns reappear, and what they quietly erase each time.”
“Prejudice works quietly. It slips in through small choices, unconscious habits, reflex comparisons. … it’s about recognising how the same patterns reappear, and what they quietly erase each time.”
It really is this simple.
The thing about living in a human society is you either decide that everyone (except those for whom it would be medically dangerous) has to take VACCINES into their bodies or everyone (with no exceptions at all) has to take VIRULENT PATHOGENS in from those around them and, look, the first is better.
September 3, 2025 at 10:15 PM
It really is this simple.
I’ve had this thought on many issues these days. It’s heartbreaking realizing that some of your friends are transphobes and wish harm to your friends or the trans children of friends.
There was a time not that long ago, when a number of people I thought were talented and funny and who it might be cool to be friends with weren't openly transphobic, and now I wonder if it was that they weren't transphobic then but decided to be, or were always transphobes and just got loud about it
September 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
I’ve had this thought on many issues these days. It’s heartbreaking realizing that some of your friends are transphobes and wish harm to your friends or the trans children of friends.
I though this was such a good metaphor. Practice healthy resistance my friends, and know that everyone’s optimal macros may vary.
Let’s talk about Healthy Resistance. I spend a good amount of my time talking people down. So here’s my recommendation for staying sane. (1/5)
You’re familiar with macronutrients? Great. Use this as a rough model:
You’re familiar with macronutrients? Great. Use this as a rough model:
September 3, 2025 at 9:37 PM
I though this was such a good metaphor. Practice healthy resistance my friends, and know that everyone’s optimal macros may vary.
The alt text for this post is priceless!
So you've got a fishpond, & you love eels. Should you put eels in your fishpond?
The Fleta, a 13th C. book on English common law, says NO. They'll eat the other fish, then eat each other. Then the remaining ones will just leave overland for a better home.
Don't do it, friends.
🗃️🧪
The Fleta, a 13th C. book on English common law, says NO. They'll eat the other fish, then eat each other. Then the remaining ones will just leave overland for a better home.
Don't do it, friends.
🗃️🧪
August 1, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The alt text for this post is priceless!
Reposted
"I think it’s a pointless exercise that needlessly derails a simple truth that should horrify all of us: the Israeli military is literally shooting and killing starving people while they attempt to get food."
I Think It's Bad to Shoot at Starving Kids
Perhaps controversially.
charlotteclymer.substack.com
July 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"I think it’s a pointless exercise that needlessly derails a simple truth that should horrify all of us: the Israeli military is literally shooting and killing starving people while they attempt to get food."
This was lovely.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about this fascinating exchange Colbert had with Dua Lipa, when she asked him about the role his faith plays in his comedy.
July 18, 2025 at 5:22 PM
This was lovely.
“Our attention shapes our thinking. Our thinking shapes the world. What we notice, and what we ignore, influences not only our ability to feel empathy, but our politics, our parenting, our journalism, and our tolerance for injustice.”
Another excellent essay.
Another excellent essay.
We’re being trained to only notice extremes. Outrage or comfort. Villain or hero. Horror or hope.
But most harm doesn’t look like that. It lives in the middle. Quiet, familiar, easy to excuse.
This essay is about what we’re missing… and what it’s costing us.
shorturl.at/TPZFX
#Scotland #Writing
But most harm doesn’t look like that. It lives in the middle. Quiet, familiar, easy to excuse.
This essay is about what we’re missing… and what it’s costing us.
shorturl.at/TPZFX
#Scotland #Writing
The Overlooked Harms of the Attention Economy
On what gets attention, what doesn’t, and the stories we choose to ignore
shorturl.at
July 8, 2025 at 10:59 AM
“Our attention shapes our thinking. Our thinking shapes the world. What we notice, and what we ignore, influences not only our ability to feel empathy, but our politics, our parenting, our journalism, and our tolerance for injustice.”
Another excellent essay.
Another excellent essay.
“We’re taught that manners keep us safe, enlightened, but politeness doesn’t prevent harm. It just ensures harm isn’t recorded in the minutes, and that those responsible remain untouched.”
An excellent article on how politeness is used for control.
An excellent article on how politeness is used for control.
Not all legacies of the British Empire are loud. Some are quiet, habitual, and dressed in good intentions. In the UK, tone still trumps truth, and politeness remains more culturally sacred than justice.
kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/please-tha...
#Writing #Scotland #Culture #Identity
kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/please-tha...
#Writing #Scotland #Culture #Identity
Please, Thank You, and Other Forms of Control
How politeness is the last surviving pillar of the British Empire. Not all legacies of the empire are loud. Some are quiet, habitual, and dressed in good intentions. In Britain, tone still trumps trut...
kristiedegaris.substack.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:02 PM
“We’re taught that manners keep us safe, enlightened, but politeness doesn’t prevent harm. It just ensures harm isn’t recorded in the minutes, and that those responsible remain untouched.”
An excellent article on how politeness is used for control.
An excellent article on how politeness is used for control.
This.
Aside from the fact that anyone can get seriously ill from COVID, a key point they are deliberately hiding when removing access is that COVID vaccines reduce transmission. People choose to get vaccinated to protect other people. It is wrong and harmful to take that choice away.
May 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
This.
A good thread that raises some important points when we talk about footprint etc., and the social changes we need to tackle climate change.
I dislike analyses like these, which claim to estimate the "share" of climate change that is "caused" by the wealthiest 10%, 1%, or whatever.
They are rarely what they seem to be -- especially in popular media.
www.carbonbrief.org/two-thirds-o...
They are rarely what they seem to be -- especially in popular media.
www.carbonbrief.org/two-thirds-o...
Two-thirds of global warming since 1990 caused by world’s ‘wealthiest 10%’ - Carbon Brief
Of the 0.61C increase in global average temperatures over 1990-2020, a new study estimates that 65% was due to the emissions of the wealthiest 10%.
www.carbonbrief.org
May 8, 2025 at 3:22 PM
A good thread that raises some important points when we talk about footprint etc., and the social changes we need to tackle climate change.
Beautiful and evocative.
“The Devil’s Promenade, they call it. But I knew there were no devils here. How could there be, when they’re all inside my phone?”
“The Devil’s Promenade, they call it. But I knew there were no devils here. How could there be, when they’re all inside my phone?”
New article! On mysteries, folklore, and the threat of AI: sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/the-spookl...
The Spooklight
It is better to be sincerely stupid than artificially intelligent.
sarahkendzior.substack.com
May 4, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Beautiful and evocative.
“The Devil’s Promenade, they call it. But I knew there were no devils here. How could there be, when they’re all inside my phone?”
“The Devil’s Promenade, they call it. But I knew there were no devils here. How could there be, when they’re all inside my phone?”
Reposted
Pierre Poilievre says that "everything is broken in this country."
We reject that. Canada is unbroken and we are ready to fight for it. If you believe the same, join us and do your part tomorrow.
#NeverPoilievre
We reject that. Canada is unbroken and we are ready to fight for it. If you believe the same, join us and do your part tomorrow.
#NeverPoilievre
April 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Pierre Poilievre says that "everything is broken in this country."
We reject that. Canada is unbroken and we are ready to fight for it. If you believe the same, join us and do your part tomorrow.
#NeverPoilievre
We reject that. Canada is unbroken and we are ready to fight for it. If you believe the same, join us and do your part tomorrow.
#NeverPoilievre
An important thread.
People posting about RFK:
For many years, autistic people have discussed what we want people to call us.
In endless surveys, about 90% of autistics prefer being called autistic or autistic people, not "people with autism."
It's not a trivial matter. "Person with autism" subtly implies... 1/x 🧵
For many years, autistic people have discussed what we want people to call us.
In endless surveys, about 90% of autistics prefer being called autistic or autistic people, not "people with autism."
It's not a trivial matter. "Person with autism" subtly implies... 1/x 🧵
April 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
An important thread.
I really appreciated this analysis. A reminder to really understand the footprint of all our choices so that we can be mindful. Perhaps even in reposting ;-)
Thank-you for this.
Thank-you for this.
I’ve been listening to the “AI is evil” chat & getting suspicious
Is AI energy-greedy? Yes
Is it thirsty? Absolutely
Is it being monstered? It would seem so
This isn’t a defence of AI. It’s a defence of critical thinking
kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/is-ai-the-pr...
#AI #Technology #Scotland #Books
Is AI energy-greedy? Yes
Is it thirsty? Absolutely
Is it being monstered? It would seem so
This isn’t a defence of AI. It’s a defence of critical thinking
kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/is-ai-the-pr...
#AI #Technology #Scotland #Books
Is AI the Problem - Or Just the Headline?
When one topic starts dominating headlines, especially with urgency, I pause. When the focus narrows, I get suspicious. That’s when I start asking questions.
Public attention is often managed: not al...
kristie-de-garis.ghost.io
April 21, 2025 at 10:03 PM
I really appreciated this analysis. A reminder to really understand the footprint of all our choices so that we can be mindful. Perhaps even in reposting ;-)
Thank-you for this.
Thank-you for this.
A wonderfully touching view of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis telephoned a church in Gaza nearly every night since October 2023. But the New York Times didn’t include that fact in its obituary.
mondoweiss.net/2025/04/main...
#Palestine #Israel
mondoweiss.net/2025/04/main...
#Palestine #Israel
Mainstream obituaries are erasing Pope Francis’s deep concern for Palestine
Pope Francis telephoned a church in Gaza nearly every night since October 2023. But the New York Times didn’t include that fact in its obituary.
mondoweiss.net
April 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
A wonderfully touching view of Pope Francis.
Reposted
I enjoyed reading Ada Palmer’s book Inventing the Renaissance.
One chapter in particular has sat in the back of my mind. The chapter asks ‘What has to go wrong for someone to die in the gutter’, ‘you can learn a lot about a culture by asking that question’ says Palmer.
Thinking about that. 💕
One chapter in particular has sat in the back of my mind. The chapter asks ‘What has to go wrong for someone to die in the gutter’, ‘you can learn a lot about a culture by asking that question’ says Palmer.
Thinking about that. 💕
“Inventing the Renaissance” is a history of histories of this (not so) golden age. Much of making history is simply adding new POVs to the braid as historians ask new & more diverse questions w/ each generation. I hope you’ll enjoy my effort to show the process at work! 25/25 https://buff.ly/4j6qkoS
April 16, 2025 at 11:42 PM
I enjoyed reading Ada Palmer’s book Inventing the Renaissance.
One chapter in particular has sat in the back of my mind. The chapter asks ‘What has to go wrong for someone to die in the gutter’, ‘you can learn a lot about a culture by asking that question’ says Palmer.
Thinking about that. 💕
One chapter in particular has sat in the back of my mind. The chapter asks ‘What has to go wrong for someone to die in the gutter’, ‘you can learn a lot about a culture by asking that question’ says Palmer.
Thinking about that. 💕