Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
@tomh4.bsky.social
Trying to stay focused on higher ed, but someone always seems to be wrong on the internet.
To be clear, USDA deputy Undersecretary Patrick Penn - the author of this angry memo - personally authorized the states to provide full benefits only two days ago.
November 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
To be clear, USDA deputy Undersecretary Patrick Penn - the author of this angry memo - personally authorized the states to provide full benefits only two days ago.
If USDA is going to punish states for providing full benefits to SNAP recipients, it will have to explain this Friday memo from the FNS director instructing states to do exactly that. www.fns.usda.gov/snap/updated...
November 9, 2025 at 3:58 PM
If USDA is going to punish states for providing full benefits to SNAP recipients, it will have to explain this Friday memo from the FNS director instructing states to do exactly that. www.fns.usda.gov/snap/updated...
This could be an enduring image of Trump. In 2016, Trump said "My whole life I take money. Now I'm going to be greedy for the United States." That satisfied many Americans until now, when everyone can see that he never stopped being greedy for himself. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016...
November 1, 2025 at 9:16 PM
This could be an enduring image of Trump. In 2016, Trump said "My whole life I take money. Now I'm going to be greedy for the United States." That satisfied many Americans until now, when everyone can see that he never stopped being greedy for himself. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016...
UVA has helpfully posted a FAQ explaining the agreement. The FAQ includes a passive-aggressive note pointing out that the Trump admin promised to dismiss all federal investigations upon signing an agreement, but then changed its mind to keep the investigations pending until 12/31/2028. Shot/chaser:
October 22, 2025 at 9:51 PM
UVA has helpfully posted a FAQ explaining the agreement. The FAQ includes a passive-aggressive note pointing out that the Trump admin promised to dismiss all federal investigations upon signing an agreement, but then changed its mind to keep the investigations pending until 12/31/2028. Shot/chaser:
The high point of canvassing in a whisper-quiet suburban neighborhood of Cherry Hill on Sunday:
October 21, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The high point of canvassing in a whisper-quiet suburban neighborhood of Cherry Hill on Sunday:
Don’t forget Collingswood! huge crowd and awesome puppets.
October 18, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Don’t forget Collingswood! huge crowd and awesome puppets.
Handmaids going all bastarde non carborundum in Collingswood NJ!
October 18, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Handmaids going all bastarde non carborundum in Collingswood NJ!
Who can forget this immortal gif? 😢
October 7, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Who can forget this immortal gif? 😢
The Compact end-runs a sweeping conservative policy agenda around Congress. For example, signatories must freeze tuition for 5 years and refund tuition to anyone who drops out in their first term. Signatories w/a $2m+ endowment can't charge tuition for students pursuing hard science programs.
October 2, 2025 at 3:39 PM
The Compact end-runs a sweeping conservative policy agenda around Congress. For example, signatories must freeze tuition for 5 years and refund tuition to anyone who drops out in their first term. Signatories w/a $2m+ endowment can't charge tuition for students pursuing hard science programs.
Also, the phrase "...not something for us to participate in" is carefully chosen to remind audiences that Republicans have a majority in Congress and are therefore responsible for a shutdown. Dems aren't shutting anything down, they're just Bartlebying. m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51m...
September 23, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Also, the phrase "...not something for us to participate in" is carefully chosen to remind audiences that Republicans have a majority in Congress and are therefore responsible for a shutdown. Dems aren't shutting anything down, they're just Bartlebying. m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51m...
I just scrolled down the NYT website and for a brief shining moment thought, "I've completely misjudged Ben Shapiro! He went on Ezra Klein and denounced Trump's demagoguery!" Alas, it was a different Shapiro, the governor who had his executive mansion burned down.
September 16, 2025 at 9:43 PM
I just scrolled down the NYT website and for a brief shining moment thought, "I've completely misjudged Ben Shapiro! He went on Ezra Klein and denounced Trump's demagoguery!" Alas, it was a different Shapiro, the governor who had his executive mansion burned down.
Worth juxtaposing Jamelle‘s point with Ezra Klein’s assessment of Charlie Kirk in his latest column.
September 16, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Worth juxtaposing Jamelle‘s point with Ezra Klein’s assessment of Charlie Kirk in his latest column.
Hellhole alert: As of 2024, Chicago's homicide rate was not even in the top 5 among large cities. Highest were St. Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington DC, and Atlanta. www.rit.edu/liberalarts/...
September 2, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Hellhole alert: As of 2024, Chicago's homicide rate was not even in the top 5 among large cities. Highest were St. Louis, New Orleans, Detroit, Washington DC, and Atlanta. www.rit.edu/liberalarts/...
Can't believe they're just finding out about the Hellmouth under Sunnydale High School. #buffy buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Hellmouth
August 26, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Can't believe they're just finding out about the Hellmouth under Sunnydale High School. #buffy buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Hellmouth
For a timeline cleanse, here's an alternative to looking at pictures of adorable pets: Read the Fournier Register, an oral history of hundreds of regular people in a small community in southern France in the early 14th century. You may ask, how did this happen? www.sjsu.edu/people/nancy...
August 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
For a timeline cleanse, here's an alternative to looking at pictures of adorable pets: Read the Fournier Register, an oral history of hundreds of regular people in a small community in southern France in the early 14th century. You may ask, how did this happen? www.sjsu.edu/people/nancy...
Then I asked why it made the mistake, and it cited "quick visual scanning or assumption error." Chat-GPT's troubleshooting function simulated what a human would say in that context, which makes sense from a probabilistic word-completion standpoint but also defeats the point of using an LLM.
August 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Then I asked why it made the mistake, and it cited "quick visual scanning or assumption error." Chat-GPT's troubleshooting function simulated what a human would say in that context, which makes sense from a probabilistic word-completion standpoint but also defeats the point of using an LLM.
That's what I thought based on Amanda Hoey's post, but it turns out to be a misinterpretation of Weigel's Semafor column.
August 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
That's what I thought based on Amanda Hoey's post, but it turns out to be a misinterpretation of Weigel's Semafor column.
Thanks for clarifying. I went back to your post (I subscribe!) to see if it was as stupid as @amandahoey.bsky.social claimed. It wasn't. Your key point is that Dems are missing opportunities to embarrass Republicans with authentic scandals, which seems correct.
August 4, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Thanks for clarifying. I went back to your post (I subscribe!) to see if it was as stupid as @amandahoey.bsky.social claimed. It wasn't. Your key point is that Dems are missing opportunities to embarrass Republicans with authentic scandals, which seems correct.
Will Zelenski halt the meritless prosecutions that accompanied the NABU bill? What Ukrainians learned about their leader this week they are unlikely to forget. kyivindependent.com/editorial-da...
July 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Will Zelenski halt the meritless prosecutions that accompanied the NABU bill? What Ukrainians learned about their leader this week they are unlikely to forget. kyivindependent.com/editorial-da...
Big anti-monarchical crowd came out in Collingswood, New Jersey today.
June 14, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Big anti-monarchical crowd came out in Collingswood, New Jersey today.
My first Trump-era Department of Education email newsletter has arrived, and...it's a lot. All those earnest Biden-era articles about trying to measure and improve educational experiences? Gone. It's all culture war from here on out, baby. Sec McMahon ambushes dumb Dems! No trans! Final mission!
April 30, 2025 at 6:18 PM
My first Trump-era Department of Education email newsletter has arrived, and...it's a lot. All those earnest Biden-era articles about trying to measure and improve educational experiences? Gone. It's all culture war from here on out, baby. Sec McMahon ambushes dumb Dems! No trans! Final mission!
April 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Yes, Dr. Stephen Miran wrote a paper proposing a theory by which the threat of massive tariffs could lead to restructuring America’s debt load in a beneficial way - which bears no resemblance to Trump’s actual tariff policy. Ezra Klein calls this “theory washing”.
April 3, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Yes, Dr. Stephen Miran wrote a paper proposing a theory by which the threat of massive tariffs could lead to restructuring America’s debt load in a beneficial way - which bears no resemblance to Trump’s actual tariff policy. Ezra Klein calls this “theory washing”.