Sophia Holtz
@sophiaholtzzz.bsky.social
writer, illustrator, complainer
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
What's frustrating is in ten years, you will see a few of the small elite institutions that have survived suddenly advertising that they have an AI-free educational environment and charging a heckuva premium for it.
December 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM
What's frustrating is in ten years, you will see a few of the small elite institutions that have survived suddenly advertising that they have an AI-free educational environment and charging a heckuva premium for it.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
getting the onion newspaper is worth it alone for the ads
December 4, 2025 at 11:08 PM
getting the onion newspaper is worth it alone for the ads
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
Historian of eugenics here. I don't normally like to retweet bad arguments, but this is such a fundamental misunderstanding of eugenics, I think it's important to point out. I don't have time to debunk all of the ways this is inaccurate, but I'll highlight a few things and then recommend some books🧵
December 4, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Historian of eugenics here. I don't normally like to retweet bad arguments, but this is such a fundamental misunderstanding of eugenics, I think it's important to point out. I don't have time to debunk all of the ways this is inaccurate, but I'll highlight a few things and then recommend some books🧵
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
As a historian of eugenics, just want to confirm that eugenics is bad. Racism and ableism are the foundations of eugenics, and if those things shape what you mean by "desired" genetic characteristics, then it is eugenics and therefore bad. However, not all genetic intervention has to be eugenic.
December 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
As a historian of eugenics, just want to confirm that eugenics is bad. Racism and ableism are the foundations of eugenics, and if those things shape what you mean by "desired" genetic characteristics, then it is eugenics and therefore bad. However, not all genetic intervention has to be eugenic.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
How about we worry less, as a society, about whether individuals might be cheating to get a disability accommodation or some help buying food, and more about whether extremely wealthy people and corporations are paying their fair share of taxes?
December 2, 2025 at 9:42 PM
How about we worry less, as a society, about whether individuals might be cheating to get a disability accommodation or some help buying food, and more about whether extremely wealthy people and corporations are paying their fair share of taxes?
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
I teach big classes, so I get a lot of accommodation letters and I simply follow them and go on with my day because why the hell wouldn‘t I. If I wanted to be a cop, I would have applied.
We need to be able to see that the line "accommodations have gone too far" is an expression of the ableist notion that disabled students do not belong in higher ed. Its fundamentally an anxiety about the fact that disabled students get an "advantage" over abled students.
December 2, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I teach big classes, so I get a lot of accommodation letters and I simply follow them and go on with my day because why the hell wouldn‘t I. If I wanted to be a cop, I would have applied.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
be the bitch doing something yourself that you want to see in the world
there’s a scene in the new documentary where Elizabeth Taylor is talking about the stigma of AIDS and how she got involved in the movement and it’s fucking everything
December 1, 2025 at 8:54 PM
be the bitch doing something yourself that you want to see in the world
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
Since our fucking government isn’t observing World AIDS Day, I will. In 1990, I started taking care of people in the last stages of AIDS in their homes. I did this for nearly two years. The home care company I worked for had meetings for those of us who solely (or nearly solely) took care of PWAs.
December 1, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Since our fucking government isn’t observing World AIDS Day, I will. In 1990, I started taking care of people in the last stages of AIDS in their homes. I did this for nearly two years. The home care company I worked for had meetings for those of us who solely (or nearly solely) took care of PWAs.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
“I considered myself a strong person, a resilient person, but I’ve never gone through something like this... Leave your family out of nowhere, the uncertainty of what’s going to happen to you."
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/i...
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/i...
Sidewalk Arrests Seize New Yorkers in ICE’s Latest Surge
Activists and legal advocates are tracking seemingly random detentions of immigrants on the streets in what they say is a campaign of ethnic profiling.
www.thecity.nyc
November 26, 2025 at 8:45 PM
“I considered myself a strong person, a resilient person, but I’ve never gone through something like this... Leave your family out of nowhere, the uncertainty of what’s going to happen to you."
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/i...
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/26/i...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
i feel like a lot of the disconnect between the ai boosters and the rest of us is about the fact that they do not think the humanities matter, therefore political, sociological, and cultural critiques don’t matter. “people are using this” is not an answer to “this is a detriment to society”
November 26, 2025 at 8:23 PM
i feel like a lot of the disconnect between the ai boosters and the rest of us is about the fact that they do not think the humanities matter, therefore political, sociological, and cultural critiques don’t matter. “people are using this” is not an answer to “this is a detriment to society”
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
Call your council member
NEW: Julie Menin is claiming victory in the City Council speaker's race after securing commitments of support from 35 of her colleagues, putting an early end to the contest and teeing up potential tensions with incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Story coming shortly
Story coming shortly
November 26, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Call your council member
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
Setting aside any merits, boy oh boy, the timing on this NYTImesMag cover piece in the midst of:
-RFK Jr.'s wildly conspiracist campaign against SSRIs
-the RW pro-natalist push
-the escalating hideousness of the Epstein story
-an unabated youth mental health crisis
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
-RFK Jr.'s wildly conspiracist campaign against SSRIs
-the RW pro-natalist push
-the escalating hideousness of the Epstein story
-an unabated youth mental health crisis
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
More Teens Are Taking Antidepressants. It Could Disrupt Their Sex Lives for Years.
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Setting aside any merits, boy oh boy, the timing on this NYTImesMag cover piece in the midst of:
-RFK Jr.'s wildly conspiracist campaign against SSRIs
-the RW pro-natalist push
-the escalating hideousness of the Epstein story
-an unabated youth mental health crisis
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
-RFK Jr.'s wildly conspiracist campaign against SSRIs
-the RW pro-natalist push
-the escalating hideousness of the Epstein story
-an unabated youth mental health crisis
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
This article does not contain a single piece of evidence for its central premise.
I don't think I've ever disagreed and agreed more strongly with a piece, seesawing from one paragraph to the next.
Will come back to dissect.
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
Will come back to dissect.
#GiftLink #GiftArticle
America’s Children Are Unwell. Are Schools Part of the Problem?
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:40 PM
This article does not contain a single piece of evidence for its central premise.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
I've never gotten over this. Ever. We marked the first year after his murder with a "play-in" event in Chicago. I had the idea for this and I have never forgotten him. You can see some of the photos from the event here: www.facebook.com/media/set/?v...
November 23, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I've never gotten over this. Ever. We marked the first year after his murder with a "play-in" event in Chicago. I had the idea for this and I have never forgotten him. You can see some of the photos from the event here: www.facebook.com/media/set/?v...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
AOC on MTG retiring: "She's carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in and after making millions of dollars insider trading stocks for weapons manufacturers and others while in office."
November 22, 2025 at 2:36 PM
AOC on MTG retiring: "She's carefully timing her departure just 1-2 days after her pension kicks in and after making millions of dollars insider trading stocks for weapons manufacturers and others while in office."
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
This is very cool. Often food pantries need to spend their money making sure everyone has the basics to keep them fed and healthy, but not on the spices and flavors that make an enjoyable meal. www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/don...
Donate a Holiday Spice Set • Give the Gift of Flavor | Burlap & Barrel
Help make someone's holiday meal special. When you purchase a single jar, 3-pack, or 6-pack of our equitably sourced spices, we’ll donate that exact set to a New York food pantry supporting families i...
www.burlapandbarrel.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
This is very cool. Often food pantries need to spend their money making sure everyone has the basics to keep them fed and healthy, but not on the spices and flavors that make an enjoyable meal. www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/don...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
We asked our first-year students to take a survey about the ethics of using LLMs at various points in the writing process (research, brainstorming, drafting, spell-checking) and the results were sort of heartening. Especially in their comments, it was clear that they're really thinking about it.
November 20, 2025 at 12:44 AM
We asked our first-year students to take a survey about the ethics of using LLMs at various points in the writing process (research, brainstorming, drafting, spell-checking) and the results were sort of heartening. Especially in their comments, it was clear that they're really thinking about it.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
VIDEO: Federal Agents Bust Into Queens Apartment, Pointing Guns at Mother and Her Four Kids www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/19/q...
On Camera, Fed Agents Point Guns at Mother and Four Kids in Queens
The agents came looking for a relative who no longer lived in the apartment, the shellshocked mother told THE CITY. Days later, her children are terrified to leave their parents' sides.
www.thecity.nyc
November 19, 2025 at 6:27 PM
VIDEO: Federal Agents Bust Into Queens Apartment, Pointing Guns at Mother and Her Four Kids www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/19/q...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
What Tom Holland’s historic lip-sync showcase taught us about stormwater management
Grab your umbrella and your tights.
neorsd.medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:22 AM
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
It is fascinating to me how many different kinds of scams aimed at authors exist these days, given that most of us are broke. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Lost in the plot: how would-be authors were fooled by AI staff and virtual offices in suspected global publishing scam
Book publishing websites in Australia, the UK and New Zealand appear to be using fake testimonials and AI staff pages to lure aspiring writers into handing over their money
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:42 PM
It is fascinating to me how many different kinds of scams aimed at authors exist these days, given that most of us are broke. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...
Reposted by Sophia Holtz
79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
Sanford grandfather, born in refugee camp, nabbed by ICE after 70 years in U.S.
Paul Bojerski never gained official residency, but he checked in regularly with ICE for years. Then in July, at age 79, he was detained and sent to Alligator Alcatraz.
www.orlandosentinel.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:18 PM
79-year-old Paul Bojerski was born to Polish parents in a WWII German refugee camp. His family legally emigrated to the U.S. when he was 5.
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...
He’s been taken by ICE in Florida.
www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/s...