re: PR and academics more generally, personally hiring a PR person feels kinda unseemly but that's also something done by people in very different contexts than any I've ever been in or can imagine being in, and I can see how there'd be real stakes to that in that situation, so I try to not judge.

Yeah very sad. The proportion of people who won the academic career lottery who came away embittered feels surprisingly high. I sort of get it given the general state of higher ed but it also seems like many bitter winners mostly respond in selfish (and sometimes actively hateful) ways unfortunately

Dean Suburban I

I have no idea how common it is and I just try not to think about it but I definitely know of two fairly recent examples.

I can't remember, who was Galileo's dean?

To believe that Chuck Schumer disliked the deal but let enough of his caucus members vote for it to pass, you'd have to disclaim any knowledge of how politics works.
This is a planted story that puts the best light on a bad situation.

I love that his name is Richard and 'I'm catsitting because Richard gets lonely' is such a great phrase, a little sad and very sweet

Also did a relisten through all of the Banner Pilot catalog recently bannerpilot.bandcamp.com, hadn't done that in a long while. This kind of punk was very formative for me and the main thing I listened to for years. I don't listen to it often anymore but I'm still very, very into it when I hear it.

Immediately prior cycle of very frequent listening were these: Ken Pomeroy's kenpomeroy.bandcamp.com/album/cruel-..., Kowloon Walled City's kowloonwalledcity.bandcamp.com/album/piecew..., Godflesh's godflesh.bandcamp.com/album/a-worl... and Steel Pulse's www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

On the hit podcast @deathpanel.bsky.social, @benchansfield.bsky.social discusses their new book, *Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City.*

It's definitely 'crick' where I grew up.