David Sewell
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davidsewell.bsky.social
David Sewell
@davidsewell.bsky.social
Native southern Californian, Swarthmore alum, former Tucsonan, retired from University of Virginia Press, living in Charlottesville. Interests include the greater Southwest, Lebanon/MENA (family members in Beirut); Quaker concerns.
Since getting involved with activism around the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia, I've set a Google news alert for articles about its operator, CoreCivic, and Geo Group, the other big private prison company in the U.S. Dismaying to see the glee in the financial press about their earnings.
October 21, 2025 at 2:09 PM
And also the Apache Stronghold appeal on the grounds of religious freedom of the permit allowing Resolution Copper to destroy Oak Flat. Gorsuch in his outlier role as an upholder of tribal rights.
October 6, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Anyone who has seen Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" will be reminded of the aging Skeksis draining the life essence of their captives and underlings to seek personal immortality.
September 3, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Close to 200 people showed up today on fairly short notice for a silent vigil for Kilmar Albrego Garcia and all immigration detainees at the intersection of the road leading to Farmville Detention Center where they are held.
August 31, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Sign of the times: at first sight of the new issue of Charlottesville’s alt weekly, I thought it was featuring a cover story about ICE raids or similar. Then realized that the helmets and insignia was just for high school football, or whatever.
August 21, 2025 at 5:21 PM
"Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people. ... Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice" (Jeremiah 5:26-28). I'm anything but a Biblical literalist, but those prophets did know how to speak truth to power.
August 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Probably not a coincidence that this design was created in Charlottesville.
August 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
(Seen last week in a Chapters bookstore, St. Catharines, Ontario)
August 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
(Duke Ting asked Confucius:) 'Is there any one phrase through which a country may be ruined?'

'No phrase can be expected to have such force as that,' replied Confucius. 'But there is the popular saying, "I should have no gratification in being a prince, unless none opposed my commands." ...
August 8, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Brightspeed, our awful phone/Internet provider in the eastern US, has an online support chatbot named "Cody". It took me a while to realize that the name must be a cute homophone for "code-y". I guess someone on their staff was channeling Pee Wee's Playhouse. (Think "Chairry" the armchair.)
July 24, 2025 at 2:57 PM
For #charlottesville area folks. The religious right must not be an uncontested voice in the public arena. #quaker #immigration
July 10, 2025 at 2:40 PM
More of the protest song.
July 4, 2025 at 7:26 PM
More from today's protest of DOJ intimidation at the University of Virginia's Rotunda. #UVA
July 4, 2025 at 7:26 PM
University of Virginia protest about to kick off. #UVA
July 4, 2025 at 4:56 PM
For anyone in Charlottesville and beyond who hasn't yet seen it. UVA president Jim Ryan's letter to the university community explaining his decision to resign in response from pressure from the Trump administration to do so.
June 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
For #Nokings I had to dust off tank-drawing skills I last used circa age 10. Surprisingly (to me) someone thought the poster was great and took a photo. Thousands of people lined US Hwy 29 today in #Charlottesville -- peacefully, exuberantly, of all ages, in solidarity.
June 14, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The University of Arizona alumni magazine should maybe have thought twice about the story title and headline layout. (The story is about hockey, not ... you know.)
May 31, 2025 at 8:32 PM
When I was first using computers in the early 1980s, someone shared the old chestnut, "Computers save nearly as much time as they waste". Substituting "LLMs" for "computers" captures the state of things today. I'm dealing with needing to use AI to clean up a mess that AI has created.
May 28, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Taken a half hour ago at the edge of a nearby pond. These goslings are about ten days old. Charlottesville, Virginia.
May 6, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Are those shirts available for sale somewhere? It reminds me of this one that Spadefoot Nursery in Tucson has carried for several years.
May 3, 2025 at 5:33 PM
In today's paper.
April 15, 2025 at 12:42 PM
"The people must fight for the law as for the city wall." —Heraclitus of Ephesus (tr. Curd/McKirahan)
April 14, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Refrigerator magnet from the Ben's Bells project that I brought back from last month's travel. Under the current administration, it qualifies as a subversive message.
April 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Ted DeGrazia, crucifix. The color photo shows the version in the museum courtyard; the B/W is a photo by Louise Serpa from 1966 currently on exhibit. Enough differences that I guess they represent two versions, or a restoration of a damaged original. Striking stylization either way.
March 25, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Decor in the restroom of Revolutionary Grounds coffee shop in Tucson, where I'm back spending ten days. A lot going on here--apparently I missed a Project 2025 protest just blocks away at Rep. Ciscomani's office. Here for restoration rather than revolution but may need a protest or two also.
March 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM