Jim Freeman
@jimshy49.bsky.social
Religious Studies professor, gardener, cocktail book author, home cook, mindfulness teacher, martial artist, Zen Buddhist. No wisdom, no attainment, and nothing to attain.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Trans rights are workers' rights.
literally fuck anyone who doesn’t see at this point that it’s an organized nationwide effort to make trans people unemployable.
every trans person they push out of public life is a win for them & a whole hell of a lot of cis people need to start stepping up and saying fuck off to freaks like this.
every trans person they push out of public life is a win for them & a whole hell of a lot of cis people need to start stepping up and saying fuck off to freaks like this.
December 23, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Trans rights are workers' rights.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Police should be held to the same accountability standards as any other professional, EFF’s Adam Schwartz told @utahnewsdispatch.com. “They’re the ones with a badge and a gun who are enforcing the law. They, more than anyone else, should be following rules.” utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/12/19/...
Failure to activate: When Utah officers violate body-cam policies • Utah News Dispatch
The Utah Investigative Journalism Project filed nearly 170 records requests with 48 Utah law enforcement agencies about body camera use.
utahnewsdispatch.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Police should be held to the same accountability standards as any other professional, EFF’s Adam Schwartz told @utahnewsdispatch.com. “They’re the ones with a badge and a gun who are enforcing the law. They, more than anyone else, should be following rules.” utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/12/19/...
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Wait until you hear that LLMs can only train on digitized/datafied info.
Most of the FACTS scholars use are in archives/libraries.
Less than 1% of archival colletions worldwide have been digitized.
Also: lots of facts are not even in archives, but in the attics.
Most of the FACTS scholars use are in archives/libraries.
Less than 1% of archival colletions worldwide have been digitized.
Also: lots of facts are not even in archives, but in the attics.
suspect a big reason why many academics and others who work in areas where getting facts RIGHT is key are disinterested in using LLMs for research:
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
December 21, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Wait until you hear that LLMs can only train on digitized/datafied info.
Most of the FACTS scholars use are in archives/libraries.
Less than 1% of archival colletions worldwide have been digitized.
Also: lots of facts are not even in archives, but in the attics.
Most of the FACTS scholars use are in archives/libraries.
Less than 1% of archival colletions worldwide have been digitized.
Also: lots of facts are not even in archives, but in the attics.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
My hometown. Has gotten a lot less coverage than ICE invasions of other cities. Memphis is majority-Black, which may have something to do with it.
A city under siege by its own government.
A city under siege by its own government.
December 16, 2025 at 7:53 PM
My hometown. Has gotten a lot less coverage than ICE invasions of other cities. Memphis is majority-Black, which may have something to do with it.
A city under siege by its own government.
A city under siege by its own government.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
getting kids up at the asscrack of dawn is bad for them! we’ve had actual research on this shit! it doesn’t build character, it just means they’re tired and cranky and don’t learn as well
No it's because for some of us it is more convenient to drive our kid to school than to have to get them up at 530 in the morning to be able to make the bus at 615 and then have them sit on the bus for an hour and a half on the way home too. 8 year old should not have a 530am-430pm day
What should I have expected from the hand wringing was website but people who are smothering their kids in the hope that their kid will never ever develop the independent skills to actually leave. If you're going to do this, get a dog, it's less cruel.
December 16, 2025 at 6:29 PM
getting kids up at the asscrack of dawn is bad for them! we’ve had actual research on this shit! it doesn’t build character, it just means they’re tired and cranky and don’t learn as well
Reposted by Jim Freeman
It’s interesting that multiple law firms, universities, media outlets, politicians, and corporations have given in to the demands of Donald Trump, while some Indiana Republicans found the backbone to stand up to the wannabe Dictator. The lesson here: Grow a fucking backbone.
December 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
It’s interesting that multiple law firms, universities, media outlets, politicians, and corporations have given in to the demands of Donald Trump, while some Indiana Republicans found the backbone to stand up to the wannabe Dictator. The lesson here: Grow a fucking backbone.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
In cutting off federal funds to Catholic charities in Texas and threatening to cut off federal funding to Indiana if the state Republicans don't vote the way he wants, Trump has managed to create two of the most explosive, impeachable scandals in presidential history in the last twenty four hours.
December 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
In cutting off federal funds to Catholic charities in Texas and threatening to cut off federal funding to Indiana if the state Republicans don't vote the way he wants, Trump has managed to create two of the most explosive, impeachable scandals in presidential history in the last twenty four hours.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
“Faith leaders have been beaten, arrested, even shot with “less lethal” weapons, and church attendance has fallen significantly—by more than 50% in Spanish-speaking parishes in one Catholic diocese. But now there’s a plan to target Spanish-speaking churches nationwide during the holiday season”
Trump's War On Christmas Is A War On Liberalism
After decades of make-believe, the Trump administration is promising an actual war on Christmas that would traumatize religious communities with armed state power.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:10 AM
“Faith leaders have been beaten, arrested, even shot with “less lethal” weapons, and church attendance has fallen significantly—by more than 50% in Spanish-speaking parishes in one Catholic diocese. But now there’s a plan to target Spanish-speaking churches nationwide during the holiday season”
Reposted by Jim Freeman
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
December 12, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Happy everything in academia is due at the same time season for those who celebrate!
December 8, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Happy everything in academia is due at the same time season for those who celebrate!
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Climate injustice:
“…in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve compared with their pre-disaster state…”
“…in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve compared with their pre-disaster state…”
Built environment disparities are amplified during extreme weather recovery - Nature
Higher-income neighbourhoods rebuild and improve after disasters while lower-income areas do not return to pre-disaster conditions.
www.nature.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Climate injustice:
“…in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve compared with their pre-disaster state…”
“…in the aftermath of extreme weather events, lower-income neighbourhoods are less likely to rebuild and do not return to their pre-disaster state, whereas higher-income areas rebuild and tend to improve compared with their pre-disaster state…”
Reposted by Jim Freeman
NEW: Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them.
They finally got their wish.
They finally got their wish.
Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Threshold for Safe Formaldehyde Exposure
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them.
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or use them.
They finally got their wish.
They finally got their wish.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
"We are not the party of participation trophies..."
I hate to break this to you, but...
I hate to break this to you, but...
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 AM
"We are not the party of participation trophies..."
I hate to break this to you, but...
I hate to break this to you, but...
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Who has made this 🤣
December 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Who has made this 🤣
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Quote of the Week: “When societies surrender judgment to technolog[y]...the result isn’t augmented intelligence but simulated learning: a paint-by-numbers approach to thought.” - Ronald Purser archive.is/Wjv9C
December 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Quote of the Week: “When societies surrender judgment to technolog[y]...the result isn’t augmented intelligence but simulated learning: a paint-by-numbers approach to thought.” - Ronald Purser archive.is/Wjv9C
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Two independent studies found that AI chatbots were better at persuading voters than political ads. The most persuasive bots also lied the most. This is something that humans working in psyops have known for decades. AI is psyops at scale. www.technologyreview.com/2025/12/04/1...
December 5, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Two independent studies found that AI chatbots were better at persuading voters than political ads. The most persuasive bots also lied the most. This is something that humans working in psyops have known for decades. AI is psyops at scale. www.technologyreview.com/2025/12/04/1...
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Antisemitism is an enormous and growing problem is America—and it’s mostly coming from MAGA.
Among Republicans - " The Holocaust of Jews and Nazi Germany was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians describe"
Disagree: 56%
Agree: 37%
Manhattan Institute / Oct 26, 2025
Disagree: 56%
Agree: 37%
Manhattan Institute / Oct 26, 2025
December 4, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Antisemitism is an enormous and growing problem is America—and it’s mostly coming from MAGA.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Black Mirror was not meant to be inspiration
The co-founder of Kalshi says: " The long-term vision is to financialize everything and create a tradable asset out of any difference in opinion."
December 3, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Black Mirror was not meant to be inspiration
Reposted by Jim Freeman
"Ian" shares, "I work 10 hrs/day in Salinas CA operating agricultural machinery that harvests different types of lettuce. My job requires effort & dedication. It's essential to keep the soil fertile and ready so it continues to produce food for our holiday tables." #WeFeedYou
December 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"Ian" shares, "I work 10 hrs/day in Salinas CA operating agricultural machinery that harvests different types of lettuce. My job requires effort & dedication. It's essential to keep the soil fertile and ready so it continues to produce food for our holiday tables." #WeFeedYou
Reposted by Jim Freeman
Looking out the window on a wet, grey, late November day on the south-east coast of Ireland, I can almost feel thankful for the rain.
In Europe, a division is emerging: the south and south east grow drier, including parts of the UK. Meanwhile, the North and North East, including parts of the UK, are growing wetter:
2/6
2/6
November 29, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Looking out the window on a wet, grey, late November day on the south-east coast of Ireland, I can almost feel thankful for the rain.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
This is freaking incredible
I hope someone draws this wonderful story about Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and the power of the arts to help us see things differently, to the attention of our Education Secretary. Do read it, it will lift your spirits.
December 2, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This is freaking incredible
Reposted by Jim Freeman
NEW: A ProPublica and @highcountrynews.org investigation found that government programs supporting grazing on public lands prop up a wealthy few while harming the environment.
The Trump administration is supercharging the system.
The Trump administration is supercharging the system.
Wealthy Ranchers Profit From Public Lands. Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab.
A ProPublica and High Country News investigation found that government programs supporting grazing on public lands prop up a wealthy few while harming the environment. The Trump administration is supe...
www.propublica.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: A ProPublica and @highcountrynews.org investigation found that government programs supporting grazing on public lands prop up a wealthy few while harming the environment.
The Trump administration is supercharging the system.
The Trump administration is supercharging the system.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
ICE is a terrorist organization.
Abolition is the moderate position.
Abolition is the moderate position.
Pastor Jorge Bautista was telling a Border Patrol agent "we come in peace" when the agent fired toxic powder at him, leaving him struggling to breathe.
“No one should be assaulted for being out there protesting,” he says.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social
“No one should be assaulted for being out there protesting,” he says.
With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social
Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters
Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear g...
www.propublica.org
December 2, 2025 at 4:03 AM
ICE is a terrorist organization.
Abolition is the moderate position.
Abolition is the moderate position.
Reposted by Jim Freeman
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 11:09 AM
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
Reposted by Jim Freeman
"Homelessness today isn't just the person sleeping outside a Walmart. It's often the cashier or worker stocking the shelves inside."
I joined @pbsnews.org to talk about There Is No Place for Us and the staggering rise of the "working homeless":
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
I joined @pbsnews.org to talk about There Is No Place for Us and the staggering rise of the "working homeless":
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
November 29, 2025 at 11:54 PM
"Homelessness today isn't just the person sleeping outside a Walmart. It's often the cashier or worker stocking the shelves inside."
I joined @pbsnews.org to talk about There Is No Place for Us and the staggering rise of the "working homeless":
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
I joined @pbsnews.org to talk about There Is No Place for Us and the staggering rise of the "working homeless":
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...