The Weird T
As a nation, we need to stop popping the soma tablets peddled by Silicon Valley billionaires and launch a far more skeptical investigation of how AI is affecting the way adolescents learn to read, write and think. We’re on the verge of losing an entire generation — first removed from classrooms by the pandemic and now freed from intellectual exercise by AI.—Ron Charles, Washington Post
Democracy can never be undermined if we maintain our library resources and a national intelligence capable of using them.—Franklin D. Roosevelt
American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.—James Baldwin
Books, Music, Art, Culture
The Private Calligraphy of Henri Michaux: The poet turned to psychedelics to discover the nature of his own consciousness, producing inscrutable drawings that alternately vibrate until they blur, or wash gently to and fro. Michael Glover, Hyperallergic, 5/28/25: “In these drawings he is in pursuit of a definition — a defining to himself, perhaps — of what exactly it is to have been under the influence, turning to his own roving hand for an answer.”
Soul icon Irma Thomas on the Stones, segregation and survival: ‘Restaurants refused to serve us – we lived on sardines and crackers:’ She has endured racism, industry machinations and Hurricane Katrina across her seven decades in music. Now with a new album, and an unlikely boost from Black Mirror, the 84-year-old ‘Soul Queen of New Orleans’ is hitting new heights, Garth Cartwright, The Guardian, 5/26/25
Death, Desire, and the Poetics of the Automobile: the Tension Between Our Obsession With Freedom and the Constraints of Car-Centric Capitalism, Rosie Stockton, LitHub, 5/29/25: “The poetics of the car drive us through death and back: to grapple with the tragedy and truth that there is no outside to the darkness that surrounds in the form of capital, nor the repetitive teleology of the death drive.” (Her book: Fuel)
One Brief Shining Moment: Manisha Sinha’s history of Reconstruction sheds fresh light on the period that fleetingly opened a door to a different America, Adam Hochschild, NY Review of Books, 5/29/25 issue. Book: The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860–1920
20 Years of Getting Lost: on the Creative Process of Finding Yourself: “All of us are continually gathering ideas, stories, glimpses, encounters that we can sift through to find constellations of meaning,” Rebecca Solnit, LitHub, 5/27/25: “I was ready to be that third I, to talk about heartbreak, yearning, sorrow, my own life—and of course about these things as they fit into the larger theme of loss and getting lost.” Book: A Field Guide to Getting Lost
Loving Our Bodies and freeing our bodies, Rob Brezsny, Astrology Newsletter, 5/27/25: “….you are your body, and your body is you. You love your body. You are in awe of it. You are delighted to be united with it.”
‘Space travel is queer’: the unstoppable film-maker skewering Bezos and Musk’s macho fantasies, Cath Clarke, The Guardian, 5/29/25: “Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian has made a hilarious film taking issue with the tech bros’ dreams of celestial conquest.” “Doppelgangers” film trailer.
Why we turned our hayfield into an art protest: Our show for 2025 sincerely asks the question: What happens when we defund the arts? Eve O. Schaub, VTDigger, 5/26/25 Video!
‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ Remembers When TV Had a Conscience, and a Spine: George Clooney’s play about CBS News standing up to political pressure, even as its current ownership might succumb to it, James Poniewozik, NY Times, 5/30/25: “…the thing about settlements like this is they settle nothing.”
When Lightnin’ (Hopkins) Struck, Mark Daponte, Culture Sonar, 5/27/25: “I don’t think there could be a B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, or Stevie Ray Vaughn without Lightnin’.” (Jimmie Vaughn)
Got me way down here
You got me way down here
Before I be your dog
I'll make you alone
Baby, please don't go
In Praise of the Inherent Queerness of Nature: Consider the Possibilities of a More Egalitarian Relationship With the Natural World, Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, LitHub, 5/28/25: “Queer ecology challenges scientists to ask what boxes exist in our fields, who made them, and what we could learn if we broke them down.” Book: Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature
Our Gutenberg Moment: Fear of AI risks chaining us to the status quo. That’s not how progress works, Emily Chamlee-Wright, Persuasion, 5/30/25: “AI is rendering specific aspects of human labor unnecessary. But just like the printing press, AI promises to render human labor on the whole more productive, not less.”
“The Songs Prove That We Were Here”: on Sufjan Stevens: The Author of "The Emperor of Gladness" Considers the Life Raft of Music, Ocean Vuong, LitHub, 5/30/25: “Sometimes it feels like the only time anybody is whole is when they’re gone. Something complete about not finding the pieces of us scattered across our lives.”
So can we pretend, sweetly
Before the mystery ends?
I am a man with a heart that offends
With its lonely and greedy demands
There’s only a shadow of me; in a matter of speaking, I'm dead
—from “John, My Beloved,” Sufjan Stevens
Politics, Economics, Technology
Why US Democracy Is Failing – and How to Restore It, Mordecai Kurz, Project Syndicate, 5/30/25: “Two forces have driven democracy’s retreat. The first is the information technology (IT) revolution that began to reshape the economy in the 1970s. The second is the free-market policy agenda initiated by President Ronald Reagan’s administration in 1981. The restoration of democracy requires achieving two central goals: The first is to suppress private power and eliminate the extreme economic and political inequality that has turned the US into an oligarchy. The second is to ensure that the benefits of innovations and economic growth are more equally shared, so that no group is left behind and forced to pay the price for gains enjoyed by others.”
Why I am optimistic about the long term, Robert B. Hubbell, Today’s Edition, 5/29/25: “The foundation for our eventual success is being laid every day, brick by brick, with every protest, letter, postcard, call, text, and meeting in living rooms across the nation.”
Sunday thought: The tide may be turning, Robert Reich, Newsletter, 6/1/25: “The vast majority of Americans are rejecting him…The forces of sanity, decency and the rule of law are pushing back.”
Democrats, There’s a Way Out of The Political Mess We’re In: My offer to current and future Democratic candidates who want to do better in rural America, John Peace, Barn Raiser, 5/26/25: “Democrats have gotten too darn tangled up in “identity” politics, ceding much of their traditional voting bloc to the Republican party.”
Progressive Petition Calls for DNC 'Emergency Meeting' to Shift Gears Against Trump: ‘Doing the same old thing (or nothing) nets the same dismal results,’ wrote one petition signer, Eloise Goldsmith, Common Dreams, 5/28/25
Civil Society is Mounting a Resistance to Trump—Business Leaders Must Follow Suit, Michael Posner, Just Security, 5/30/25: “This must not be seen as a partisan issue but instead needs to be framed as an essential effort to safeguard the conditions that have made American markets the strongest and most dynamic in the world: free expression, stable governance, and a predictable rule of law.”
Democracy Today, Democracy Tomorrow, Democracy Everywhere, Democracy Forever!: In Defense of the Universal Right to Self-Governance, Mike Brock, Notes from the Circus, 5/30/25: “The principle is simple, universal, and non-negotiable: human beings have the inherent right to govern themselves.”
On Self-Care in Difficult Times, and the Value of Hope: And homages to friendship and solidarity, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lucid, 5/29/25: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare”—Audre Lorde.
Will We Have an 1854 Moment? The point here is not to replicate a particular historical episode, but rather to suggest the urgency of breaking with conventional thinking about what is permissible. Lethargy and pusillanimity got us into this mess in the first place, Van Gosse, Portside, 5/31/25: “…challenge the stranglehold of do-nothing Democratic “leaders” like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, and forge a new party consensus, or even a new organization or coalition, committed to all-out resistance.”
As Ice deports children, what futures do we lose? I was forced to flee my homeland as a child; so were my own children. So the horror can be grasped by our celebrity-driven society: are we removing the next Mozart? Ariel Dorfman, Guardian, 5/31/25
The Blunt Force Assault on Education, William Ayers, Writers for Democratic Action, 5/29/25: “Totalitarian rule is on the rise here and in many other parts of the world, and education is not some random collateral damage—it’s an early and fundamental target.”
Immunity plus the pardon power equals absolute despotism, Lucian K. Truscott IV, Newsletter, 5/27/25: “The real problem is Trump’s ability to pardon anyone he orders to commit a crime in his name.”
Digital Corruption Takes Over DC: Time to call crypto what it is: A criminal enterprise, Paul Krugman, Newsletter, 5/30/25
Scott Pelley Tells the Truth: The CBS '60 Minutes' correspondent did not hold back in his Wake Forest commencement address, providing another powerful and necessary pushback, Steven Beschloss, America, America, 5/26/25: “I’m a reporter so I won’t bury the lede. Your country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today.”
The Republican budget is an attack on the American economy: Everywhere you look, it delivers blows to America's economic future, Paul Waldman, Public Notice, 5/29/25: “Hugely expensive tax cuts that do almost nothing for economic growth…”
Why Trump is really going after Harvard: If the US’s oldest university bends the knee, the door to authoritarianism opens and democracy fades, experts warn, David Smith, Guardian, 6/1/25
First Harvard. Then 378,000 American Jobs: It’s not just Ivy League politics — it’s your local community, Elise Labott, The Preamble, 5/28/25: “International students generated $43.8 billion for the US economy in 2023–24 while supporting 378,000 American jobs through their spending on tuition, housing, food, and transportation.”
A hidden measure in the Republican budget bill would crown Trump king: The bill could stop federal courts from enforcing their rulings, eliminating any restraint on Trump, Robert Reich, The Guardian, 5/27/25
The Gutting of the Department of Education Is Worse Than You Think: Four experts on public education in the US spoke to The Nation about how the dismantling of the Department of Education will hurt students immediately and in the years to come, Elsie Carson-Holt, Adelaide Parker, The Nation, 5/28/25
The New Dark Age: The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself, Adam Serwer, Atlantic, 5/27/25: “If this assault is successful, it will undermine Americans’ ability to comprehend the world around us. Like the inquisitors of old, who persecuted Galileo for daring to notice that the sun did not, in fact, revolve around the Earth, they believe that truth-seeking imperils their hold on power.”
The Reemergence of Social Darwinism: The 19th-century doctrine that most closely resembles Trumpism, Robert Reich, Newsletter, 5/29/25: “The America they actually seek is the one we last had in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.”
Trump has no plan for who will grow US food: ‘There is just flat out nobody to work’ Tareq Saghie, Guardian, 5/28/25: “Farms rely on seasonal workers and undocumented immigrants, but the Republican’s plans to fill the gap would ‘legalize oppression’, advocates say.”
SCOTUS has allowed the Trump admin to end legal status for more than 1 million people: Friday's order allows DHS to cancel immigration parole for about 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, Chris Geidner, Law Dork, 5/30/25
Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes: Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws, Mica Rosenberg et al, ProPublica, 5/30/25
Emil Bove cannot become a federal judge: This is a line that cannot be crossed, Chris Geidner, Law Dork, 5/28/25: “Emil Bove was Donald Trump's criminal defense lawyer. Then, president-elect Donald Trump named him to a senior role at the Justice Department. Then, Bove forced out ethical lawyers at DOJ to advance President Donald Trump's aim of getting the case against Eric Adams tossed out.”
Foreign Policy Malpractice: When have we given up so much power so quickly? Jennifer Rubin, The Contrarian, 5/29/25
A zombie wave of surveillance devices, Mark Hurst, Creative Good, 5/30/25: “…the first step toward a solution is awareness. Let’s keep at it.”
Trump Taps Palantir to Create Master Database on Every American: Trump’s dystopian plan is already underway, Hafiz Rashid, TNR, 5/30/25: “Will anyone be able to stop Trump and these tech oligarchs?”
A stone on the path means the tea's not ready,
a stone in the hand means somebody's angry, the stone inside you still
hasn't hit bottom.
—from “Seaside Improvisation,” Richard Siken
Science, Environment, Wilderness
The US government stole the Black Hills. Now it’s clear-cutting them: The Trump administration wants to fast-track logging in the Black Hills. What could go wrong? A lot, say tribes, scientists, and conservationists, Anya Kamenetz, Grist, 5/21/25
Supreme Court declines to stop transfer of Native American site for mining: The justices left in place a lower-court decision that allows the transfer of land in central Arizona known as Oak Flat that is sacred to Western Apache Indians, Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 5/27/25
The ‘Green’ Aviation Fuel That Would Increase Carbon Emissions: The U.S. agriculture lobby has long promoted ethanol for cars. If President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” becomes law, the industry would be given tax credits for producing crop-based fuel for planes, too, despite evidence it would spur deforestation and increase emissions, Michael Grunwald, Yale E360, 5/27/25
Get ready for several years of killer heat, top weather forecasters warn, Seth Borenstein, AP, 5/28/25
Lens of Time: A Watershed in Motion: Where does our water come from, how do the variations in its flow affect the ecosystems it feeds, and how can timelapse photography help land managers understand and protect this valuable resource? Katie Garrett, BioGraphic, 5/29/25: “In 2011, Forsberg started Platte Basin Timelapse, an ambitious project to document how the watershed has changed and is changing using dozens of strategically placed solar-powered cameras, from the headwaters in northern Colorado to where the watershed empties into the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska.”
The Colorado River is running low. The picture looks even worse underground, study says: The Colorado River Basin has lost twice as much groundwater since 2003 as water taken out of its reservoirs, according to a study based on satellite data, Joshua Partlow, Washington Post, 5/27/25
A new, low-carbon way to make chemicals, without the big, dirty factories: Startup OCOchem has built factory-assembled “artificial photosynthesis” cells to make formate, a widely used chemical now produced with fossil fuels, Jeff St. John, Canary Media, 5/29/25
Many people believe climate change is happening, but most don’t act. Why? A new study looks systematically for what works—and what doesn’t—to overcome psychological barriers that keep people stuck in the carbon-emissions status quo, Sarah DeWeerdt, Anthropocene, 5/27/25: “Prompting people to relate climate change to themselves and people they care about was the most effective way to motivate sharing news and petitions about climate change.”
Mayors are making climate action personal. It’s working: As the Trump administration boosts fossil fuels and rolls back regulations, mayors are greening their cities — in more ways than one, Matt Simon, Grist, 5/28/25
The Debate That American Conservationists Should Be Having: What if the U.S. protected ecosystems directly? Emma Marris, Atlantic, 5/25/25: “Part of the appeal of a system that directly protects ecosystems is that it recognizes that they’re dynamic.”
The rise and fall – and rise again – of white-tailed deer, Elic Weitzel, The Conversation, 5/29/25: “Ecologists estimate that there were roughly 30 million white-tailed deer in North America on the eve of European colonization – about the same number as today.”
What in this world are we waiting for?
What else is there other than longing?
Every passenger at the gate answers the same:
I have nothing to declare other than longing
—from “Other than Longing,” Joanna Sit
Health, Wellness, Wellbeing
Chronic stress contributes to cognitive decline and dementia risk – 2 healthy-aging experts explain what you can do about it, Jennifer Graham-Engeland, The Conversation, 5/28/25: “…following a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity and getting enough sleep. Even small changes can make a big difference.”
Scientists develop gene delivery ‘trucks’ that could treat brain diseases: Gene delivery systems can target specific brain cells, a breakthrough that could lead to treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, Mark Johnson, Washington Post, 5/28/25
Mediterranean diet provides symptom relief for patients with IBS in pilot study: The low FODMAP diet was compared head-to-head with the Mediterranean diet, Michigan Medicine, ScienceDaily, 5/30/25
Birds, Birds, Birding
Manhattan bird lovers plan to turn Broadway malls into avian oases, Rosemary Misdari, Gothamist, 5/28/25
America's Corn Belt acts as barrier for migrating songbirds, Kathi Borgmann, Cornell Chronicle, 5/27/25
Even birds can’t outfly climate change, Bill Hathaway, Yale News, 5/28/25: “While birds are better able than most species to relocate in response to climate change, the environment is changing faster than they can fly, a new Yale study finds.”
Juncos
They operate from elsewhere,
Some hall in the mountains -
Quick visit, gone.
Specialists on branch ends,
craft union. I like their
clean little coveralls
William Stafford
Dear Friends:
We can still be optimistic about the future! While each week’s political and environmental news remains relentlessly terrible (which is the point of the would-be dictator and his minions), there is much more positive news to share as well, and some truly uplifting work going on across the country.
We always have each other to rely on. We stand together in our communities of all kinds and shapes.
Please keep in touch…hearing from you makes the work I do worthwhile.
I send my love to all of you - David
…don’t tune out, and don’t give up.—Margaret Sullivan
We do not know how but we must act so the future exists. We must see how to meet it now.—Deena Metzger