C.H. Romatowski
@romatowski.bsky.social
5.8K followers 1.2K following 5.9K posts
Editor, translator, filmmaker. Recovering academic. Leftist. Perfumista. ME/CFS, MCAS, POTS. EN/FR. She/they. DMV. More some days than others.
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romatowski.bsky.social
My family’s news from this spring: Elon fired my sister the day she learned she has breast cancer.

Here’s a bit of what it’s been like for her as one of the civil servants fighting to preserve our public services, at the same time that she’s fighting for her life.
A Real Cancer in Washington
The quiet heroism of my friend in government
www.theatlantic.com
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jbendery.bsky.social
If you're one of the thousands of federal employees who Russ Vought/the Trump admin just RIF'd, I'm very interested in hearing from you about the work you've been doing and what services will now be hurt/gutted with you gone.

Anonymity granted.

[email protected] / Signal: jbendery.41

🙏
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
aubreyhirsch.bsky.social
Did you know that if you buy my book on Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes 5 times as much as I do on each copy sold? Sharing some behind-the-scenes book math on why buying directly from presses is best for EVERYONE (except Bezos) in my newsletter today! aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/book-math
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jamellebouie.net
underrated part of this is that stoller very clearly has no idea what "the passive voice" is
romatowski.bsky.social
TF Tobacco Vanille and then CB I Hate Perfume Smokey Tobacco is a good dupe for that
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
robdubbin.bsky.social
you might've heard the workers of @kickstarterunited.org are on strike to preserve a 4-day work week and set livable pay minimums. everyone deserves rights like this and we stand with those fighting for them! per their wishes, our campaign continues, in solidarity
www.kickstarter.com/projects/bra...
Coming soon: Starfriends: The 5-Star Game About What Everyone Else Thinks
A play-anywhere fusion of Wavelength, Letterboxd, and Apples to Apples, for friends and strangers alike.
www.kickstarter.com
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
pwcdanica.bsky.social
"In the latest change to COVID vaccine guidance, Virginia residents ages 3 and up can now receive a COVID shot without needing to have a prescription or pre-existing condition."
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jacobsberg.bsky.social
Well hey, thanks!
phillewis.bsky.social
Government workers 👇🏾
Lunch is on the house:

Being in the heart of downtown DC, we love that so many of our Federal employees stop by during lunch for a Donburi at China Chilcano or a Fútbol Club at Jaleo. And just because the government is shut down doesn't mean you have to miss out on your favorite lunch spot- because this time, its on us!
Join us for lunch from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM at any of our participating restaurants and enjoy a free lunch item when you present your government ID-you heard that right! Dine in with us Monday through Friday and choose your favorite: a sandwich at Jaleo, a donburi at China Chilcano, a wrap or pita at Zaytinya, or a torta at Oyamel.
We've always believed in serving our community with open arms and good food-no shutdown can stop that.
romatowski.bsky.social
parisaforjustice.bsky.social
The AG is independent of, and doesn’t answer to, the governor. Returning Miyares to office is placing him in the position to obstruct and block Spanberger’s agenda. If we fall for the false outrage and get frightened into abandoning Jay, Miyares as AG will remain Trump’s right hand in Richmond.
bluevirginia.bsky.social
The Virginian-Pilot today: lead story is on Jay Jones, lead editorial is on Jay Jones, nothing on the government shutdown or decimation of CDC or a million other important stories. Your "liberal media" at work! bluevirginia.us/2025/10/sund...
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jacmacandsneeze.bsky.social
Retailers wanted to play in our faces lying about theft to justify all sorts of VC-induced nonsense and my city said alright, you have a theft problem? Staff your goddamned stores. Companies cling to lean staffing as a hostile labor practice, those of us who've worked retail have heard it all before
paleofuture.bsky.social
“The city’s ‘Safe Stores are Staffed Stores’ ordinance is the first of its kind in the country. It requires large stores to increase the number of employees relative to self-checkout stands and also puts a limit on the number of items and types of goods that can be rung up at self-checkout.”
The controversial solution Long Beach has picked to battle shoplifters
Long Beach regulates self-checkout amid growing shopper frustration.
www.latimes.com
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jmgabriel.bsky.social
In addition to this, I strongly encourage anyone who has been denied a claim to:

1) demand, on the phone and in writing, ther the name, license number, and specialty status of the physician who approved the denial be sent to you in writing.

I'm not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice, but....
propublica.org
Few patients appeal a health insurance denial, but a little-known process that requires insurers and plans to seek an independent opinion can force insurers to pay for what can be lifesaving treatment.

Here’s what experts say you need to know.
How to Fight Your Health Insurance Denial with an External Appeal
When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...
www.propublica.org
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
inquirer.com
Every day at noon, no matter how busy, Johny Merida Aguilar left his construction job and hurried to his 5-year-old son's school to feed him. His son has brain cancer and generally only accepts food from his father.

Merida Aguilar was arrested by ICE in September and faces deportation to Bolivia.
He was caring for his 5-year-old son with brain cancer. Then he was detained by ICE.
A court has temporarily blocked Johny Merida Aguilar's deportation to Bolivia.
www.inquirer.com
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
romatowski.bsky.social
Really appreciated @nhold.bsky.social’s piece elaborating on this comparison. If you could use a link to help persuade family, I think it’s a good pick.
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
jamellebouie.net
federal agents stealing children and sending them south. where have i heard about that before?
caitlindeangelis.bsky.social
ICE kidnapped a 7th-grader with a pending asylum claim and spirited him out of state without notifying his parents, seemingly with the cooperation of the local police in Everett, MA.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...
Everett 13-year-old arrested by ICE and sent to Virginia detention facility
By Marcela Rodrigues Globe Staff,Updated October 12, 2025, 44 minutes ago



31
A 13-year-old boy was arrested by ICE in Everett and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested by ICE in Everett and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Everett after an interaction with members of the Everett Police Department and sent to a juvenile detention facility in Virginia, according to his mother and immigration lawyer Andrew Lattarulo.

The boy’s mother, Josiele Berto, was called to pick her son up from the Everett Police Department on Thursday, the day he was arrested. After waiting for about an hour and a half, she was told her son was taken by ICE, Berto told the Globe in a phone interview.

“My world collapsed,” Berto said in Portuguese.

From the police department, the boy was taken to ICE’s holding facility in Burlington on Thursday evening, where he spent a night before being transferred by car to the Northwestern Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Winchester, Va., on Friday morning, his mother said. The juvenile facility is more than 500 miles away from Everett.

The boy is a 7th-grader at Albert N. Parlin School in Everett, his mother said. The teen and his family, who are Brazilian nationals, have a pending asylum case and are authorized to work legally in the United States, Lattarulo said.
romatowski.bsky.social
I heard somewhere maybe he has a PhD in political economy (or similar)? Which made it all make a lot more sense
romatowski.bsky.social
It’s heartbreaking bc just like one of us, that’s the last person I’d want to be left to the whims of a chatbot💔 like, the same reasons they are turning to it are also why they’re probably in MORE danger from it than a person w/o those struggles. It’s so damning that legit resources aren’t available
Reposted by C.H. Romatowski
prisonculture.bsky.social
Don't forget to spend your FSA money. Lots of things that you can purchase using those funds will be of great use and interest to places like homeless shelters, domestic violence organizations, mutual aid groups & more.

Consider buying menstrual products for one thing.
romatowski.bsky.social
This is so hard. I don’t know if it’s one of your sick friends but the lack of accessible therapy (for so many people really) can make this so tough to resolve