Sam Austin
@samva.bsky.social
they don't allow you to have bees in here
State Health Policy. Wisconsin Sport. Birds. NBA.
State Health Policy. Wisconsin Sport. Birds. NBA.
Reposted by Sam Austin
Happy 40th birthday to Bill Waterson’s ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. A work of consummate, stubborn, human, and more-than-human art.
November 18, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Happy 40th birthday to Bill Waterson’s ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. A work of consummate, stubborn, human, and more-than-human art.
My top 3 can’t-miss movie clichés:
1. Unclear which wire defuses bomb, hero changes mind at last second and cuts the right one
2. Long swim holding breath under ice/fire/obstacle
3. Dog eats something important, henchmen have to walk dog and wait for it to poop
1. Unclear which wire defuses bomb, hero changes mind at last second and cuts the right one
2. Long swim holding breath under ice/fire/obstacle
3. Dog eats something important, henchmen have to walk dog and wait for it to poop
My top 3 can’t-miss movie clichés:
1. A “Mexican standoff,” any context
2. Oh no, I coldly seduced this person as part of a libertine’s wager/espionage honeytrap but now I’m desperately in love with them
3. Trial witness who’s supposed to make the case unexpectedly destroys it on the stand
1. A “Mexican standoff,” any context
2. Oh no, I coldly seduced this person as part of a libertine’s wager/espionage honeytrap but now I’m desperately in love with them
3. Trial witness who’s supposed to make the case unexpectedly destroys it on the stand
My top 3 can't miss movie cliches
1. A moving ice cream truck playing music presented as something ominous
2. One of the henchmen having a change of heart in the final act
3. Just as the elevator door is closing, someone stops it
1. A moving ice cream truck playing music presented as something ominous
2. One of the henchmen having a change of heart in the final act
3. Just as the elevator door is closing, someone stops it
November 17, 2025 at 4:06 PM
My top 3 can’t-miss movie clichés:
1. Unclear which wire defuses bomb, hero changes mind at last second and cuts the right one
2. Long swim holding breath under ice/fire/obstacle
3. Dog eats something important, henchmen have to walk dog and wait for it to poop
1. Unclear which wire defuses bomb, hero changes mind at last second and cuts the right one
2. Long swim holding breath under ice/fire/obstacle
3. Dog eats something important, henchmen have to walk dog and wait for it to poop
Reposted by Sam Austin
PSC experts @pamherd.bsky.social and Luke Shaefer @umfordschool.bsky.social help us understand the consequences of blocking SNAP benefits, which mostly go to children or disabled elderly adults.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...
fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/ef...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...
fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/ef...
November 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
PSC experts @pamherd.bsky.social and Luke Shaefer @umfordschool.bsky.social help us understand the consequences of blocking SNAP benefits, which mostly go to children or disabled elderly adults.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...
fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/ef...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...
fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/ef...
Wisconsin should be proud of this. Our state seal *literally* has a horn of plenty on it, the idea that we're a land of nourishment and abundance.
Governor Evers is fighting for that idea; the Trump Administration is fighting to keep families from feeding their kids.
Governor Evers is fighting for that idea; the Trump Administration is fighting to keep families from feeding their kids.
![State seal of Wisconsin. It consists of the state coat of arms, with the words "Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin" above it and 13 stars, representing the original states, below it.
Top:
Forward, the state motto
A badger, the state animal
Center:
Top left: A plow, representing agriculture and farming
Top right: A pick and shovel, representing mining
Bottom left: An arm-and-hammer, representing manufacturing
Bottom right: An anchor, representing navigation
Center: The U.S. coat of arms, including the motto E pluribus unum
The shield is supported by a sailor and a yeoman, representing labor on water and land[1]
Bottom:
A cornucopia, representing prosperity and abundance
13 lead ingots, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States[1]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pz667zkmx4t5wn3b6dlabs2m/bafkreig2sywxjl7t25uocdgcep2llmkc5fsz743m4w7cakmgnu2vwyhyoy@jpeg)
November 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Wisconsin should be proud of this. Our state seal *literally* has a horn of plenty on it, the idea that we're a land of nourishment and abundance.
Governor Evers is fighting for that idea; the Trump Administration is fighting to keep families from feeding their kids.
Governor Evers is fighting for that idea; the Trump Administration is fighting to keep families from feeding their kids.
Reposted by Sam Austin
Last night, the Trump Administration sent a letter suggesting Wisconsin should return our FoodShare payments.
My response ⬇️
My response ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Last night, the Trump Administration sent a letter suggesting Wisconsin should return our FoodShare payments.
My response ⬇️
My response ⬇️
November 8, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Sam Austin
SNAP benefits are currently being held hostage by the Trump administration and their fate now lies with the Supreme Court.
Beneath the legal arguments are real people who simply need food—a former federal worker, a single mother of 4, a disabled man. I spoke to them. Here are their stories:
Beneath the legal arguments are real people who simply need food—a former federal worker, a single mother of 4, a disabled man. I spoke to them. Here are their stories:
The voices of SNAP
Recipients have become political pawns. They explained, in their own words, what Trump withholding funds has been like.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 8, 2025 at 3:08 PM
SNAP benefits are currently being held hostage by the Trump administration and their fate now lies with the Supreme Court.
Beneath the legal arguments are real people who simply need food—a former federal worker, a single mother of 4, a disabled man. I spoke to them. Here are their stories:
Beneath the legal arguments are real people who simply need food—a former federal worker, a single mother of 4, a disabled man. I spoke to them. Here are their stories:
Reposted by Sam Austin
“The network of veterinary labs that's responsible for testing ceased its regular meetings because of the shutdown, Poulsen says.
"The shutdown just kind of pours gas on a smoldering fire and makes us vulnerable," he says. "It's a national security issue."
"The shutdown just kind of pours gas on a smoldering fire and makes us vulnerable," he says. "It's a national security issue."
Bird flu surges among poultry amid a scaled back federal response
Migrating wild birds are spreading the virus to domesticated flocks, increasing the risk of eventually seeing a human outbreak. Scientists are troubled by the muted federal response.
www.npr.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:41 PM
“The network of veterinary labs that's responsible for testing ceased its regular meetings because of the shutdown, Poulsen says.
"The shutdown just kind of pours gas on a smoldering fire and makes us vulnerable," he says. "It's a national security issue."
"The shutdown just kind of pours gas on a smoldering fire and makes us vulnerable," he says. "It's a national security issue."
Reposted by Sam Austin
If you are looking for a pick-me-up, you could do worse than exploring the recent history of Bucks true buzzer-beaters, with a cacophony of celebratory video. www.jsonline.com/story/sports...
Like Giannis Antetokounmpo's shot last night, these are Bucks' last 15 buzzer-beaters
The Milwaukee Bucks now have 34 true buzzer-beaters in their history, as defined by Basketball Reference. These are the 15 before Giannis' on Nov. 3.
www.jsonline.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:30 PM
If you are looking for a pick-me-up, you could do worse than exploring the recent history of Bucks true buzzer-beaters, with a cacophony of celebratory video. www.jsonline.com/story/sports...
Reposted by Sam Austin
As my forthcoming book Coverage Denied illustrates, health insurance barriers (delays, denials) are a truly American experience, affecting the marginalized, the privileged & everyone in between. We shouldn’t have to depend on social networks to get prescribed care. www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
November 4, 2025 at 1:18 PM
As my forthcoming book Coverage Denied illustrates, health insurance barriers (delays, denials) are a truly American experience, affecting the marginalized, the privileged & everyone in between. We shouldn’t have to depend on social networks to get prescribed care. www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
Big W.P. Kinsella "The Iowa Baseball Confederacy" vibes in LA last night
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iow...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iow...
October 28, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Big W.P. Kinsella "The Iowa Baseball Confederacy" vibes in LA last night
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iow...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iow...
Reposted by Sam Austin
The easy shorthand in the headlines is a central part of the problem. It normalizes the lawless authoritarianism, over & over:
Again, this matters, not only on the substance of the agreement, but because the lazy reporting using "normal" shorthand terms normalizes the lawless authoritarianism of everything Trump does.
DOGE is not a "department"
These aren't trade "agreements"
EOs are not "laws"
Etc.
We need to do better.
DOGE is not a "department"
These aren't trade "agreements"
EOs are not "laws"
Etc.
We need to do better.
One reason the public is not more worked up about the lawless authoritarianism is that the media systematically covers the lawless authoritarianism as if it is legal regular politics. The headline story here is that the president is violating all of our int'l trade agreements & abusing US trade law.
October 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
The easy shorthand in the headlines is a central part of the problem. It normalizes the lawless authoritarianism, over & over:
Reposted by Sam Austin
Demolishing the White House and just demanding straight up cash from the Treasury. 10 months in.
The New York Times describes Trump demanding his own Justice Department pay him $230 million as a "potential" ethical conflict.
October 22, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Demolishing the White House and just demanding straight up cash from the Treasury. 10 months in.
Reposted by Sam Austin
You ever think about how mundane and disappointing the rest of Elliott from ET’s life must have been
October 21, 2025 at 12:27 AM
You ever think about how mundane and disappointing the rest of Elliott from ET’s life must have been
Reposted by Sam Austin
One nice thing about living in a liberal democracy rather than a police state is that you do not spend time feeling paranoid about whether the government is monitoring you, whether the people around you are agents of the state.
"Technologies purchased by ICE in recent weeks include spyware that can hack into smartphones remotely and cellphone location software that can enable the tracking of a phone’s movements without a court warrant..."
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
October 18, 2025 at 2:10 PM
One nice thing about living in a liberal democracy rather than a police state is that you do not spend time feeling paranoid about whether the government is monitoring you, whether the people around you are agents of the state.
listening to this season end on the radio, lying on my floor like cameron in ferris bueller
a man is laying in a bed with the words `` i 'm dying '' written on the bottom .
Alt: Cameron from Ferris Bueller is laying in a bed with the words `` i 'm dying '' written on the bottom .
media.tenor.com
October 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM
listening to this season end on the radio, lying on my floor like cameron in ferris bueller
Reposted by Sam Austin
What in the heck are you talking abo--- ok, I get it
October 12, 2025 at 9:26 PM
What in the heck are you talking abo--- ok, I get it
aw heck yeah @wiscobirder.bsky.social bird book drop
October 8, 2025 at 12:09 AM
aw heck yeah @wiscobirder.bsky.social bird book drop
Reposted by Sam Austin
I did think this was pretty funny
October 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
I did think this was pretty funny
Reposted by Sam Austin
October 7, 2025 at 2:52 AM
this aces-fever game....holy smokes
October 1, 2025 at 3:51 AM
this aces-fever game....holy smokes
Reposted by Sam Austin
(Battle Hymn of the Republic continues playing)
![And there’s the issue of masks. This Court has listened
carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for maskingup and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant Todd
Lyons, Acting Director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as
disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a
single reason -- to terrorize Americans into quiescence. Small
wonder ICE often seems to need our respected military to guard
them as they go about implementing our immigration laws. It
should be noted that our troops do not ordinarily wear masks.
Can you imagine a masked marine? It is a matter of honor -- and
honor still matters. To us, masks are associated with cowardly
desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we
have never tolerated an armed masked secret police. Carrying on
in this fashion, ICE brings indelible obloquy to this
administration and everyone who works in it. “We can not escape
history,” Lincoln righty said. “[It] will light us down in
honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.” Abraham Lincoln,
Second Annual Message to Congress (Dec. 1, 1862).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:maiw2rfujepnphhrejytvuu5/bafkreicdotnqas7vodrueuxzi2cjg54znecjps5vjnbpgyzzxxxzf4qeya@jpeg)
September 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
(Battle Hymn of the Republic continues playing)
Reposted by Sam Austin
Excited to share that next Friday will be the kickoff of funktoberfest 2025, a celebration of all things funk. I'll be featuring everything from deep cuts to electro boogie, with the goal of getting you to dance.
That's on WORT 89.9 FM Madison and www.wortfm.org around the world.
That's on WORT 89.9 FM Madison and www.wortfm.org around the world.
September 27, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Excited to share that next Friday will be the kickoff of funktoberfest 2025, a celebration of all things funk. I'll be featuring everything from deep cuts to electro boogie, with the goal of getting you to dance.
That's on WORT 89.9 FM Madison and www.wortfm.org around the world.
That's on WORT 89.9 FM Madison and www.wortfm.org around the world.