Kate Averett
@convergecollide.bsky.social
sociologist (gender/sexuality/childhood/edu/family) at UAlbany. author of The Homeschool Choice (NYU, 2021). queer, feminist, spoonie, auntie, dog mom. she/her.
Reposted by Kate Averett
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
November 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Reposted by Kate Averett
We do. But no one is listening.
This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
To bear out this rosy projection, HSBC assumes that OpenAI will become "as ubiquitous [...] as Microsoft 365" (345mm users worldwide) while bringing in 10x the number of users (3bn).
November 27, 2025 at 8:14 PM
We do. But no one is listening.
Thanksgiving Eve family tradition of watching The West Wing Thanksgiving episodes has commenced!
November 26, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Thanksgiving Eve family tradition of watching The West Wing Thanksgiving episodes has commenced!
Reposted by Kate Averett
Please join us in congratulating @evapayne.bsky.social, whose book Empire of Purity has won the @berksconference.bsky.social's First Book Prize in the Women, Gender, & Sexuality category!
Read more about this "masterfully executed" work here: berksconference.org/annual-prize...
Read more about this "masterfully executed" work here: berksconference.org/annual-prize...
November 26, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Please join us in congratulating @evapayne.bsky.social, whose book Empire of Purity has won the @berksconference.bsky.social's First Book Prize in the Women, Gender, & Sexuality category!
Read more about this "masterfully executed" work here: berksconference.org/annual-prize...
Read more about this "masterfully executed" work here: berksconference.org/annual-prize...
Reposted by Kate Averett
They don't have to ban vaccines outright. They can just force people to jump through enough hoops to get vaccines that they eventually stop trying and give up.
The CDC has turned off its vaccine search tool.
The vaccines.gov site now gives an error when you enter a valid zip code.
They also removed text saying “Vaccines can help you stay healthy” and added a banner saying the site is being updated.
The vaccines.gov site now gives an error when you enter a valid zip code.
They also removed text saying “Vaccines can help you stay healthy” and added a banner saying the site is being updated.
November 26, 2025 at 5:19 PM
They don't have to ban vaccines outright. They can just force people to jump through enough hoops to get vaccines that they eventually stop trying and give up.
🫠🫠🫠🫠
(Relatedly, I cannot recommend highly enough having friends who you can ask “stupid questions.” I have several in different areas of my life [personal, professional] and they are absolutely CLUTCH.)
(Relatedly, I cannot recommend highly enough having friends who you can ask “stupid questions.” I have several in different areas of my life [personal, professional] and they are absolutely CLUTCH.)
This is so soulless, I can't stand it. We have BRAINS. We can USE THEM.
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
🫠🫠🫠🫠
(Relatedly, I cannot recommend highly enough having friends who you can ask “stupid questions.” I have several in different areas of my life [personal, professional] and they are absolutely CLUTCH.)
(Relatedly, I cannot recommend highly enough having friends who you can ask “stupid questions.” I have several in different areas of my life [personal, professional] and they are absolutely CLUTCH.)
Reposted by Kate Averett
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
November 25, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Is this cheese grater conscious? Many users feel they're talking to a real person. Scientists say it's time to consider whether they're onto something.
Reposted by Kate Averett
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
Reposted by Kate Averett
This story sums up college football very neatly: a player stabs two of his teammates (violence is a ubiquitous part of the sport, even internal to the team, even off he field, even encouraged by coaches)… and then the game proceeds as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
Because it isn’t, really.
Because it isn’t, really.
November 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
This story sums up college football very neatly: a player stabs two of his teammates (violence is a ubiquitous part of the sport, even internal to the team, even off he field, even encouraged by coaches)… and then the game proceeds as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
Because it isn’t, really.
Because it isn’t, really.
Reposted by Kate Averett
I want everyone to read Sarah Strong’s FIRST HALF stat line several times because it defies logic.
10 points
12 rebounds
4 assists
3 steals
3 blocks
THAT WOMAN IS EVERYWHERE.
10 points
12 rebounds
4 assists
3 steals
3 blocks
THAT WOMAN IS EVERYWHERE.
Double double before half. She is going to absolutely change the whole conversation.
November 22, 2025 at 1:57 AM
I want everyone to read Sarah Strong’s FIRST HALF stat line several times because it defies logic.
10 points
12 rebounds
4 assists
3 steals
3 blocks
THAT WOMAN IS EVERYWHERE.
10 points
12 rebounds
4 assists
3 steals
3 blocks
THAT WOMAN IS EVERYWHERE.
Reposted by Kate Averett
DONT FALL FOR MTG’S BULLSHIT SHE IS STILL A VIOLENT ANTISEMITE WHO BLAMES JEWS FOR EVERYTHING WRONG IN THE WORLD A FULLY ENDORSES GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY
Also, she fully believes a cabal of worldwide Jewish pedophiles control the government. She just thinks Trump has become compromised by them. Or possibly was secretly compromised the entire time.
November 22, 2025 at 1:58 AM
DONT FALL FOR MTG’S BULLSHIT SHE IS STILL A VIOLENT ANTISEMITE WHO BLAMES JEWS FOR EVERYTHING WRONG IN THE WORLD A FULLY ENDORSES GREAT REPLACEMENT THEORY
Reposted by Kate Averett
She wanted to run for senate. Trump wouldn’t let her. She knows she has no path to higher office through MAGA. She’s been getting popular with the left cause you’re all a bunch of fucking suckers. And she taking advantage of the moment to make a noisy step and gain more attention.
November 22, 2025 at 1:50 AM
She wanted to run for senate. Trump wouldn’t let her. She knows she has no path to higher office through MAGA. She’s been getting popular with the left cause you’re all a bunch of fucking suckers. And she taking advantage of the moment to make a noisy step and gain more attention.
Reposted by Kate Averett
This is very important. The intrusion of AI slop into higher education is not mainly coming from below, from the students. It's coming from the top.
What I've been noticing lately in convos with students is that they *despise* the AI-slopification of everything as much or even more than I do. And yet our universities & their admin seem to believe that students for some reason want it integrated into everything. THEY DON'T.
“To be sat there with this material in front of you that is just really not worth anyone’s time, when you could be spending that time actually engaging with something worthwhile, is really frustrating,” he said.
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 AM
This is very important. The intrusion of AI slop into higher education is not mainly coming from below, from the students. It's coming from the top.
Just spent 10 minutes on hold with a doctor’s office just for the call to disconnect 🫠
November 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Just spent 10 minutes on hold with a doctor’s office just for the call to disconnect 🫠
I’ve heard ads for one of these “AI companions” for kids several times over the last two days (on podcasts and on the radio) and they’re so alarming. In one of them the child refers to it as their “new friend.” BIG YIKES.
A warning for parents from advocacy groups: avoid AI toys this holiday season--but artificial intelligence toys are not safe for kids, according to children’s and consumer advocacy groups urging parents not to buy them during the holiday season. #Canada
www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/art...
www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/art...
A warning for parents from advocacy groups: avoid AI toys this holiday season
They’re cute, even cuddly, and promise learning and companionship -- but artificial intelligence toys are not safe for kids, according to children’s and consumer advocacy groups urging parents not to ...
www.ctvnews.ca
November 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I’ve heard ads for one of these “AI companions” for kids several times over the last two days (on podcasts and on the radio) and they’re so alarming. In one of them the child refers to it as their “new friend.” BIG YIKES.
Reposted by Kate Averett
Another name for this would be "pre-existing conditions," a way used to exclude disabled people from health care for decades in the US.
Understand, when you hear people talk about "rewarding the healthy" - these are policies that have a body count.
Understand, when you hear people talk about "rewarding the healthy" - these are policies that have a body count.
Please understand that "reward people for being healthy", in health insurance, also translates to "punish people for being disabled."
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
Markwayne Mullin: "Reward people for being healthy. Think about this. Healthcare is the only industry that you're not rewarded for taking care of your responsibility. If you think about homeowners insurance, if you're within 500 feet of a fire hydrant, your insurance goes down."
November 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Another name for this would be "pre-existing conditions," a way used to exclude disabled people from health care for decades in the US.
Understand, when you hear people talk about "rewarding the healthy" - these are policies that have a body count.
Understand, when you hear people talk about "rewarding the healthy" - these are policies that have a body count.
Reposted by Kate Averett
Please understand that "reward people for being healthy", in health insurance, also translates to "punish people for being disabled."
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
Markwayne Mullin: "Reward people for being healthy. Think about this. Healthcare is the only industry that you're not rewarded for taking care of your responsibility. If you think about homeowners insurance, if you're within 500 feet of a fire hydrant, your insurance goes down."
November 19, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Please understand that "reward people for being healthy", in health insurance, also translates to "punish people for being disabled."
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
The people who are most vulnerable, most in need, will be asked to bear higher costs, in many cases, pricing them out of accessing health care, into early graves.
Reposted by Kate Averett
I'm not exaggerating. It literally says trans people can be banned from all facilities entirely leaving them with nowhere to go at all. Since this covers public restrooms, workplaces, gyms, etc, this is effectively a full on ban on the participation of trans people in British society.
November 19, 2025 at 10:29 PM
I'm not exaggerating. It literally says trans people can be banned from all facilities entirely leaving them with nowhere to go at all. Since this covers public restrooms, workplaces, gyms, etc, this is effectively a full on ban on the participation of trans people in British society.
Reposted by Kate Averett
The UK is considering a policy that would effectively segregate trans people from society. It would bar trans people from "single sex spaces" even when they use the facility of their sex assigned at birth.
This is a full on policy of segregation without even the benefit of separate facilities.
This is a full on policy of segregation without even the benefit of separate facilities.
November 19, 2025 at 10:29 PM
The UK is considering a policy that would effectively segregate trans people from society. It would bar trans people from "single sex spaces" even when they use the facility of their sex assigned at birth.
This is a full on policy of segregation without even the benefit of separate facilities.
This is a full on policy of segregation without even the benefit of separate facilities.
This is great news!
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
![On official UC letterhead:
UNIVERSITY
OF
CALIFORNIA
James B. Milliken President
Office of the President
1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607
universityofcalifornia.edu
CAMPUSES Berkeley
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
Merced
Riverside San Diego San Francisco
Santa Barbara Santa Cruz
MEDICAL CENTERS
Davis
Irvine
UCLA
San Diego
San Francisco
NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos
DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
November 18, 2025
Dear Chancellors:
I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive.
As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California.
Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines.
Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership.
[continued on next image]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rzn6yramffebefeitqifiqqz/bafkreigiwq5ongzwpj4wqmgjam3yfvhyjnv5e3dbq6cnrrbwblqvs624gq@jpeg)
November 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
This is great news!
Reposted by Kate Averett
Oh hey, I found the war on christmas
"Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, ERO, and CBP intend to implement a comprehensive plan to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, and Christmas, Dec. 25."
Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays
The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.
thisweekinworcester.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Oh hey, I found the war on christmas
This pretty well sums up my main reason for being against generative AI use by my students, too. I want to be able to just love what they have to say rather than to approach their writing with suspicion!
Why am I so against generative AI in games?
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 PM
This pretty well sums up my main reason for being against generative AI use by my students, too. I want to be able to just love what they have to say rather than to approach their writing with suspicion!
Reposted by Kate Averett
The New York Times obit for Alice Wong doesn’t mention Covid or Gaza
It ignores two of her biggest causes because of political bias
Alice fought tirelessly for Covid mitigations
She fought for the people of Gaza
She rightfully reminded us that the genocide in Gaza is a disability justice issue
It ignores two of her biggest causes because of political bias
Alice fought tirelessly for Covid mitigations
She fought for the people of Gaza
She rightfully reminded us that the genocide in Gaza is a disability justice issue
November 17, 2025 at 11:31 AM
The New York Times obit for Alice Wong doesn’t mention Covid or Gaza
It ignores two of her biggest causes because of political bias
Alice fought tirelessly for Covid mitigations
She fought for the people of Gaza
She rightfully reminded us that the genocide in Gaza is a disability justice issue
It ignores two of her biggest causes because of political bias
Alice fought tirelessly for Covid mitigations
She fought for the people of Gaza
She rightfully reminded us that the genocide in Gaza is a disability justice issue
Reposted by Kate Averett
This is the dystopian bullshit so many of us feared. It's not coming, it's here.
license plate data merged with credit header data, marriage records, vehicle ownership, and voter registrations, in one app for ICE agents. oh and it sends push notifications when someone they're seeking is nearby.
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
This App Lets ICE Track Vehicles and Owners Across the Country
Material viewed by 404 Media shows data giant Thomson Reuters enriches license plate data with marriage, voter, and ownership records. The tool can predict where a car may be in the future.
www.404media.co
November 17, 2025 at 7:05 PM
This is the dystopian bullshit so many of us feared. It's not coming, it's here.
Reposted by Kate Averett
Wild how the Boy Mayor age for cis white men overlaps with the geriatric pregnancy age
This is some weapons-grade nonsense
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
November 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Wild how the Boy Mayor age for cis white men overlaps with the geriatric pregnancy age