Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
@bestonetx.bsky.social
Award-winning community college prof, writer, editor, historian of Texas Jews and the Galveston Movement. Alte kaker in training.
Views expressed here are mine and are protected by the First Amendment.
Books: tinyurl.com/besbks
www.BryanEdwardStone.com
Views expressed here are mine and are protected by the First Amendment.
Books: tinyurl.com/besbks
www.BryanEdwardStone.com
Pinned
The wise man does not break into his fellow's speech. He is not in a rush to reply. He asks what is relevant and replies to the point. Of what he has not heard he says, "I have not heard," and he acknowledges what is true.
-- Talmud (Pirkei Avot)
-- Talmud (Pirkei Avot)
On busy grading days I like to motivate myself with little rewards. Just grade two more essays then you can stand up. Get through five and you can have a sip of water.
December 2, 2025 at 3:15 PM
On busy grading days I like to motivate myself with little rewards. Just grade two more essays then you can stand up. Get through five and you can have a sip of water.
Another reason not to obey illegal orders is that if you do, the people who gave the order will blame you for it.
WAPO: “.. Officials in Congress and the Pentagon said Monday they are increasingly concerned that the Trump administration intends to scapegoat the military officer who directed U.S. forces to kill two survivors of a targeted strike ..”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
December 2, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Another reason not to obey illegal orders is that if you do, the people who gave the order will blame you for it.
I count off as much as I can when students use AI, but the most frustrating cases are when I'm sure they used it but they still managed to get it to evade the failsafes and tells I build into my assignments. Those students get credit for work they didn't do, and there isn't much I can do about it.
December 1, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I count off as much as I can when students use AI, but the most frustrating cases are when I'm sure they used it but they still managed to get it to evade the failsafes and tells I build into my assignments. Those students get credit for work they didn't do, and there isn't much I can do about it.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Crypto Leaders Call For Infusion Of 20 Million Dopes To Stabilize Market
Crypto Leaders Call For Infusion Of 20 Million Dopes To Stabilize Market
BOSTON—Stressing that the move would help keep digital currencies liquid through the coming year, crypto leaders called for an infusion of 20 million dopes Thursday to stabilize the market. “We’re cal...
theonion.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Crypto Leaders Call For Infusion Of 20 Million Dopes To Stabilize Market
Students' First Amendment freedom of religion is not bigger than professors' First Amendment freedom of speech.
Why does what other people claim to “sincerely believe” matter to my rights and liberties??
December 1, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Students' First Amendment freedom of religion is not bigger than professors' First Amendment freedom of speech.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
The worst thing to happen to academia was the emergence of a nomadic administrative class like the one in corporations who just move from institution to institution setting fires and walking away.
Say what you will about the flaws of faculty governance, but at least they believe in the mission.
Say what you will about the flaws of faculty governance, but at least they believe in the mission.
December 1, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The worst thing to happen to academia was the emergence of a nomadic administrative class like the one in corporations who just move from institution to institution setting fires and walking away.
Say what you will about the flaws of faculty governance, but at least they believe in the mission.
Say what you will about the flaws of faculty governance, but at least they believe in the mission.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
That assignment isn't a religious freedom issue. You have to do the assignment. They didn't do the assignment. The feedback was incredibly generous and thorough, much more thorough than the assignment. This is about bending over backwards to the far right, not about religious freedom or anything.
December 1, 2025 at 4:17 AM
That assignment isn't a religious freedom issue. You have to do the assignment. They didn't do the assignment. The feedback was incredibly generous and thorough, much more thorough than the assignment. This is about bending over backwards to the far right, not about religious freedom or anything.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Syllabus policies and rubrics are now legal documents. I hate this so much.
December 1, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Syllabus policies and rubrics are now legal documents. I hate this so much.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
This is bananas.
But also faculty please now more than ever make your rubric on memos/ writing super explicit.
This would fail in my class because it doesn’t “meaningfully engage readings.” Protect yourself as much as possible from engaging on politics.
Hope this prof sues the shit out of them.
But also faculty please now more than ever make your rubric on memos/ writing super explicit.
This would fail in my class because it doesn’t “meaningfully engage readings.” Protect yourself as much as possible from engaging on politics.
Hope this prof sues the shit out of them.
Turning Point at OU posted this girl's essay in full and man is it rough
December 1, 2025 at 1:07 AM
This is bananas.
But also faculty please now more than ever make your rubric on memos/ writing super explicit.
This would fail in my class because it doesn’t “meaningfully engage readings.” Protect yourself as much as possible from engaging on politics.
Hope this prof sues the shit out of them.
But also faculty please now more than ever make your rubric on memos/ writing super explicit.
This would fail in my class because it doesn’t “meaningfully engage readings.” Protect yourself as much as possible from engaging on politics.
Hope this prof sues the shit out of them.
If you're pursuing a career that requires a degree you can't earn without forcing your professors to change what they teach, then maybe you aren't pursuing a career you actually want.
December 1, 2025 at 1:56 AM
If you're pursuing a career that requires a degree you can't earn without forcing your professors to change what they teach, then maybe you aren't pursuing a career you actually want.
Chat, what was the free market?
"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."
Analysis: OpenAI is a loss-making machine, how can it survive?
Don't call it a bubble! Loss-making monster OpenAI is on the hook for $1.4 trillion (with a T) in compute commitments. How can this go on?
www.windowscentral.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Chat, what was the free market?
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Several major universities are essentially giving up their ability to teach students much of anything with the hopes of avoiding repercussions from awful people, that care nothing about the academy. Seems like a losing battle to me.
November 30, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Several major universities are essentially giving up their ability to teach students much of anything with the hopes of avoiding repercussions from awful people, that care nothing about the academy. Seems like a losing battle to me.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
the primary thing that TPUSA provides to young conservatives is a blueprint for weaponizing the abject cowardice of university administrators against individual teachers and instructors, and university admins should take a long look in the mirror and think about what that says about them
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
November 30, 2025 at 8:51 PM
the primary thing that TPUSA provides to young conservatives is a blueprint for weaponizing the abject cowardice of university administrators against individual teachers and instructors, and university admins should take a long look in the mirror and think about what that says about them
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
If a Psych prof assigns students an essay response paper with explicit guidelines and then flunks a student for turning in a paper that ignores those guidelines but instead makes vague gestures to "the Bible" then THAT IS NOT A VIOLATION OF THE STUDENT'S RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
November 30, 2025 at 8:45 PM
If a Psych prof assigns students an essay response paper with explicit guidelines and then flunks a student for turning in a paper that ignores those guidelines but instead makes vague gestures to "the Bible" then THAT IS NOT A VIOLATION OF THE STUDENT'S RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
Find that special something for all your six-fingered relatives.
Major retail chains and tech companies are offering new or updated artificial intelligence tools in time for the holiday shopping season.
AI-assisted shopping is the talk of the holiday shopping season
Major retail chains and tech companies are offering new or updated artificial intelligence tools in time for the holiday shopping season.
bit.ly
November 30, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Find that special something for all your six-fingered relatives.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Designed in my brain with movable type, vintage printing plates and linocut, and printed on a tiny press by hand, taking five impressions to print each card. Each has unique details making them one-off.
No AI, just real art made by a real person.
Last chance for shipping next week!
No AI, just real art made by a real person.
Last chance for shipping next week!
Hi! Would you like some of my lovely Christmas cards?
I still have a small number of packs available and sending out a couple of times a week.
You can find them here:
ko-fi.com/s/1af2e209ad
I still have a small number of packs available and sending out a couple of times a week.
You can find them here:
ko-fi.com/s/1af2e209ad
November 29, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Designed in my brain with movable type, vintage printing plates and linocut, and printed on a tiny press by hand, taking five impressions to print each card. Each has unique details making them one-off.
No AI, just real art made by a real person.
Last chance for shipping next week!
No AI, just real art made by a real person.
Last chance for shipping next week!
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Joanne Freeman (a U.S. historian at Yale) worked between her BA ('84) and going back to school for her MA/PhD ('98), which is inspiring to me as someone who dropped out of grad school and is now in it again after working (in libraries).
November 30, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Joanne Freeman (a U.S. historian at Yale) worked between her BA ('84) and going back to school for her MA/PhD ('98), which is inspiring to me as someone who dropped out of grad school and is now in it again after working (in libraries).
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
They’re simultaneously arguing that soldiers have to follow all orders from the president, legal or not, but they get to ignore orders from a federal judge if they feel they’re not legal.
KARL: Did you know about the judge's order when you issued your order for the planes to continue?
KRISTI NOEM: This is an activist judge. We comply with all federal orders that are lawful and binding.
KRISTI NOEM: This is an activist judge. We comply with all federal orders that are lawful and binding.
November 30, 2025 at 5:43 PM
They’re simultaneously arguing that soldiers have to follow all orders from the president, legal or not, but they get to ignore orders from a federal judge if they feel they’re not legal.
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
there's something very exhausting and obnoxious about the plethora of "texas is terrible for xyz reasons" takes because it's been done ad nauseam, usually adds nothing new and again it's like okay what do you want me to do about it
November 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
there's something very exhausting and obnoxious about the plethora of "texas is terrible for xyz reasons" takes because it's been done ad nauseam, usually adds nothing new and again it's like okay what do you want me to do about it
Reposted by Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם)
Those of us who study immigration knew it was a very bad idea to centralize the immigration bureaucracy in DHS after 9/11 and to make immigration policy synonymous w/ national security. Plus FLOODING DHS with cash & other resources. In the Third Reconstruction, this agency needs to be dismantled.
And of course Trump is gutting the watchdogs designed to provide a check on this sort of atrocious behavior. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
November 30, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Those of us who study immigration knew it was a very bad idea to centralize the immigration bureaucracy in DHS after 9/11 and to make immigration policy synonymous w/ national security. Plus FLOODING DHS with cash & other resources. In the Third Reconstruction, this agency needs to be dismantled.
Immigration from all parts of the world is America's lifeblood. Without abundant immigration we die.
WELKER: Is the administration ending all legal immigration into the United States?
KRISTI NOEM: The president is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third world countries
KRISTI NOEM: The president is absolutely determined to stop all processes at this point in time from third world countries
November 30, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Immigration from all parts of the world is America's lifeblood. Without abundant immigration we die.
My community college has higher enrollment than ever and costs are going down for many of our students due to an innovative new tuition waiver.
Why not write about that, @npr?
Why not write about that, @npr?
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
College 'sticker prices' have risen dramatically. Here's why
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
n.pr
November 30, 2025 at 1:09 PM
My community college has higher enrollment than ever and costs are going down for many of our students due to an innovative new tuition waiver.
Why not write about that, @npr?
Why not write about that, @npr?
The point of this article is that Harvard is really expensive but public state universities can be a reasonable alternative. What a scoop.
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
College 'sticker prices' have risen dramatically. Here's why
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
n.pr
November 30, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The point of this article is that Harvard is really expensive but public state universities can be a reasonable alternative. What a scoop.
Exactly. The only way to prepare students for the work force is to teach them to do things AI can't do.
“Based on the available evidence, the skills that future graduates will most need in the AI era—creative thinking, the capacity to learn new things, flexible modes of analysis—are precisely those that are likely to be eroded by inserting AI into the educational process.”
“When you allow a machine to summarize your reading, to generate the ideas for your essay, and then to write that essay, you’re not learning how to read, think, or write.“
November 30, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Exactly. The only way to prepare students for the work force is to teach them to do things AI can't do.