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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

A survey of a deeply dehumanizing prison system in NY state.

As the article makes clear, the indictment of the COs who murdered Robert Brooks is really an indictment of the powers that be in Albany

...& of us all.

A Year of Convulsions in New York’s Prisons

Jennifer Gonnerman reports on how two murders and a strike exposed a system at its breaking point.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

🎃 Fiona "Fi" Webster 🎃 @fiona-webster22.bsky.social · 1d

Paul Noth @paulnoth.bsky.social

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

A survey of a deeply dehumanizing prison system in NY state.

As the article makes clear, the indictment of the COs who murdered Robert Brooks is really an indictment of the powers that be in Albany

...& of us all.

A Year of Convulsions in New York’s Prisons

Jennifer Gonnerman reports on how two murders and a strike exposed a system at its breaking point.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Patrick Andelic @pkandelic.bsky.social · 1d

Britons' top choice is actually "Don't Know" with 37%.

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 1d

On the centenary of her birth, Margaret Thatcher is Britons' top choice for best PM of the last 50 years

Margaret Thatcher: 29%
Tony Blair: 12%
Harold Wilson: 6%
Boris Johnson: 4%
Gordon Brown: 3%
David Cameron: 3%
John Major: 2%

yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 2d

Do people lie to benefit the in-group and harm the out-group?

In a new paper, we found that people lied 9% more to help in-group members than out-group members! This is evidence of coalitional dishonesty

Democrats & Republicans both lied anonymously to double in-group members earnings (N=5,230)

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 3d

I wouldn't mind it if a reporter just asked one question & then followed up like crazy for the rest of the interview.

The opposite pattern is typical: a dozen questions, all of them answered with talking points.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 3d

I don't think Congresswoman Porter "belittled" this reporter & I don't think this should put Porter out of contention. Nothing really terrible happened here.

Noting: I did click through to the video; it is clear that this reporter got the better of Porter.

Katie Porter Videos Give California Rivals a New Opening

www.nytimes.com

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 3d

I think this is a gem of a film, if you are looking to watch something that is very Diane Keaton.

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993) ⭐ 7.3 | Comedy, Mystery

1h 44m | PG

www.imdb.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Daniel Westreich @epidbydesign.bsky.social · 3d

RIFs at CDC.

Destroying the Epidemic Intelligence Service, NCIRD, NCIPC & a dozen other areas/divisions/branches will cause enormous harm and suffering to America, and indeed to the whole world.

Call your Reps about it.

Then call them again.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse @whitehouse.senate.gov · 3d

Before us are illegal and unnecessary Republican mass firings, which they will own; behind us, millions of Americans whose health care Republicans attack, and will own.

We stand our ground.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Trump’s Shutdown Layoffs Deepen Impasse, Angering Democrats

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 4d

OMB head Russ Vought says RIFs have begun. In litigation challenging OMB's ability to RIF during a shutdown, OMB must provide more details by 3pm PT/ 6pm ET.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Russ Vought
@russvought
The RIFs have begun.

The Court hereby ORDERS defendants to file a response to the motion for a TRO no later than October 10, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. PDT. In their response, defendants SHALL address: (1) the status of any currently planned or in-progress RIF notices to be issued during/because of the government shutdown, including the earliest date that those RIF notices will go out; (2) which of the defendant agencies anticipate issuing RIF notices during/because of the government shutdown and the estimated number of employees at the defendant agency who will receive such RIF notices; and (3) whether any employees at the defendant agencies have been ordered back to work during the government shutdown in order to effectuate the issuance of RIF notices. Defendants shall provide evidence (declarations, exhibits, etc.) in support of the above information.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Rachel Levinson-Waldman @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social · 4d

This is a terrific piece, with really important insights on the state of defense AI contracting. Here's a tl;dr - but you should read the whole thing!

This year’s NDAA risks repeating past mistakes with a new generation of military contracts. The Department of Defense inspector general has issued more than 20 reports since 1998 documenting contractors overcharging the Pentagon. Weakening acquisition safeguards will not only pave the way for more waste; it also undermines the Pentagon’s ability to discern the proper role of AI and other emerging technologies in filling critical capability gaps, particularly at a time when claims about what these technologies can accomplish do not always stand up to scrutiny.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 5d

Like a canary in coal mine…

More than half of world’s bird species in decline, as leaders meet on extinction crisis

Biodiversity losses are growing, the IUCN reports as summit opens, but green turtle’s recovery ‘reminds us conservation works’

www.theguardian.com

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

Also fixed:

"In the 1980s and ’90s, the Caribbean was the main route for smugglers taking cocaine to the United States.
[THEN PLAN COLOMBIA HAPPENED.]
Now, most of that traffic moves through the Pacific."

Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

Fixed it:

"Why Blowing Up [insert literally anything] Won't Stop the Flow of Drugs."

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 6d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

I'm sure there's a time & place for such an approach,

but if you are reinforcing an evidence-free, ultimately disadvantageous (in terms of outcomes...but also politically!) approach, then I think this is not one of those times.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

Can a person making this argument find research suggesting that any interdiction effort--up to & including bombing--results in desirable/meaningful changes to the supply of illegal drugs?

I think this is one of those--I'd rather be clever than intelligent; tactical rather than strategic--choices.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

Personally I detect a few flaws in the "you're bombing in the wrong place to find illegal drugs" argument.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 6d

I'll not forget Liz Cheney telling the Democratic caucus re: impeachment that the Republicans will hurl insights & fight you either way, so you might as well *not* dilute the report or run away from its inescapable conclusions.

Liz Cheney.

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 6d

he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity

Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 7d

This is a professor at Rutgers who teaches a class on the history of anti-fascism. He also teaches about human rights. He has received multiple death threats and been doxed. He is relocating to Europe for his safety. This is where we are in the US now. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 6d

I think people are still unprepared for a world where you cannot trust any video content, despite years of warning.

Even when Google & OpenAI include watermarks, those can be easily removed, and open weights AI video models without guardrails are coming. www.404media.co/sora-2-water...

Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web

Bypassing Sora 2's rudimentary safety features is easy and experts worry it'll lead to a new era of scams and disinformation.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Claire Adida @claireadida.bsky.social · 7d

"Many of the CEOs I spoke with didn’t care about democracy per se. For them, democracy wasn’t a moral good. It was a source of volatility. What they wanted was stability... "

But "The evidence is overwhelming: countries that weaken democracy do not gain more stability and security, they lose it."

The Illusion of Order:

Business leaders think a little autocracy might bring stability. History and data say the opposite.

barbarafwalter.substack.com

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 7d

there is a structural element here, in that Catholic Charities is a major player & in receipt of a lot of gov $$

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 7d

"expand your efforts, don’t retreat"

Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson on How America’s Story Should Be Told

www.nytimes.com

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