Kevin Barron
@kevinbarron.bsky.social
Eyes on the prize: to ensure our children stand a chance of ANY future, a viable biosphere is paramount. The technofascists in ascendency know full well the dangers ahead, and are consolidating power for that reason.
They don’t have a viable plan.
They don’t have a viable plan.
Pinned
Kevin Barron
@kevinbarron.bsky.social
· Jun 25
Until we realize that this is not a political fight, but a fight for survival as a species, we will continue to fight a rearguard action, and continue to lose. We need a vision based on the reality of the ecological crisis, and sound scientific actions that will empower that vision based on history
“If we are to persuade society to take conservation seriously, we must stop framing it as the altruistic quest to save other species from extinction, and instead present it as the selfish, pragmatic goal of sustaining the conditions for human civilisation and other life on Earth.”
When ecologists argue that nature underpins the economy, they are over-simplifying
Nature underpins the survival of humans on Earth
www.frontiersin.org/journals/con...
Nature underpins the survival of humans on Earth
www.frontiersin.org/journals/con...
Frontiers | In the Climate Emergency, Conservation Must Become Survival Ecology
•Earth faces a climate emergency which renders conservation goals largely obsolete.•Current conservation actions are inadequate because they i) underplay bio...
www.frontiersin.org
November 29, 2025 at 7:51 AM
“If we are to persuade society to take conservation seriously, we must stop framing it as the altruistic quest to save other species from extinction, and instead present it as the selfish, pragmatic goal of sustaining the conditions for human civilisation and other life on Earth.”
Reposted by Kevin Barron
Instead of gawking & feeling helpless at images of children...choose to help. Little Remas & Toleen needed shelter...well, over a year ago. They're still displaced, getting submerged in cold rain with the rest of their family.
Give/find their link here. chuffed.org/project/hope...
Give/find their link here. chuffed.org/project/hope...
Keep Hope Alive: a Gaza Giving Circle
We are a team of volunteers in the US and UK, led by two sisters passionate about helping our friends on the ground keep their families and neighbors alive with food, water, & shelter. We saw that…
chuffed.org
November 29, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Instead of gawking & feeling helpless at images of children...choose to help. Little Remas & Toleen needed shelter...well, over a year ago. They're still displaced, getting submerged in cold rain with the rest of their family.
Give/find their link here. chuffed.org/project/hope...
Give/find their link here. chuffed.org/project/hope...
Insane. The extortion will only get worse.
The legal, media, and academic institutions capitulating to an authoritarian ordering payments for favorable treatment are damning themselves to irrelevance. They are destroying their institutions. They will be — and should be — shunned for failing in their most basic purposes for existing.
BREAKING: Northwestern University has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury $75 million, over the course of three years as part of an agreement with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations into the university
Full statement from NU below:
Full statement from NU below:
November 29, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Insane. The extortion will only get worse.
‘ceasefire’ has become something we are expected to be grateful for, now that ‘ceasefire’ means continued genocide
‘There is no equipment to remove the rubble – not for the Palestinians, anyway. Any heavy-lifting machinery is being used by the Israelis to move the Yellow Line, which is creeping inwards.’
New from @selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
New from @selmadabbagh.bsky.social on the blog.
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
Selma Dabbagh | Rebranding Genocide
The killing of Palestinians has continued, sometimes surpassing pre-ceasefire levels and accelerating viciously in the...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
‘ceasefire’ has become something we are expected to be grateful for, now that ‘ceasefire’ means continued genocide
Reposted by Kevin Barron
Reposted by Kevin Barron
this week's fediverse news is about how Newsmast is building apps for local news publishers that combines their articles with social media feeds, combining news with the fediverse into a single app
connectedplaces.online/fediverse-re...
connectedplaces.online/fediverse-re...
Fediverse Report – #144
Newsmast launches news app that combines local news with fediverse integration, and the first Brazilian fediverse conference with WebSocialBR
connectedplaces.online
November 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
this week's fediverse news is about how Newsmast is building apps for local news publishers that combines their articles with social media feeds, combining news with the fediverse into a single app
connectedplaces.online/fediverse-re...
connectedplaces.online/fediverse-re...
Reposted by Kevin Barron
Postdoc job! I expect to have an opening at Johns Hopkins for a postdoctoral researcher working somewhere in the broad realms of physics, philosophy, and complexity. Apply at Academic Jobs Online:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
Johns Hopkins University, Physics and Astronomy
Job #AJO30496, Postdoctoral Fellow in Foundations of Physics, Complexity, and Emergence, Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, US
academicjobsonline.org
September 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Postdoc job! I expect to have an opening at Johns Hopkins for a postdoctoral researcher working somewhere in the broad realms of physics, philosophy, and complexity. Apply at Academic Jobs Online:
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30496
Reposted by Kevin Barron
John Moriarty is one of the greatest Irish poet-philosophers you’ve never heard of.
The Mysticism and Ecological Sensibility of John Moriarty
By Anthony Behan
backloop.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM
John Moriarty is one of the greatest Irish poet-philosophers you’ve never heard of.
Reposted by Kevin Barron
Is this 2025 United States or 1938 Germany?
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Penn Refuses to Disclose Jewish Faculty, Student Names
The Trump administration asked the university to hand over personal information for the members of Jewish clubs and organizations as well as the Jewish Studies department.
www.insidehighered.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Is this 2025 United States or 1938 Germany?
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
In a perverse reenactment of the first Thanksgiving as conceived by the Onion, ICE asks an Indigenous person for ID. Then claim her tribal ID is fake.
Elaine Miles (“Northern Exposure,” “Smoke Signals,” “The Last of Us”) was walking to a bus stop, she said, when 4 men wearing masks and vests w/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement label stepped out of 2 black SUVs with no front plates and demanded her ID. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
In a perverse reenactment of the first Thanksgiving as conceived by the Onion, ICE asks an Indigenous person for ID. Then claim her tribal ID is fake.
The “ceasefire” scam
In recent days, Israel has dramatically escalated its violations of the ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon, which have been met with utter silence from the United States. Could this mean a return to the full-scale atrocities of the past two years?
mondoweiss.net/2025/11/isra...
#Palestine #Israel
mondoweiss.net/2025/11/isra...
#Palestine #Israel
Israel is violating ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, and Trump is allowing it
In recent days, Israel has dramatically escalated its violations of the ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon, which have been met with utter silence from the United States. Could this mean a return to the...
mondoweiss.net
November 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The “ceasefire” scam
Reposted by Kevin Barron
"The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics," my lecture series for the Great Courses (24 half-hour lectures), is still available on Prime video for a few days! Tell your family that watching football on Thanksgiving is hopelessly uncool.
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
November 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
"The Many Hidden Worlds of Quantum Mechanics," my lecture series for the Great Courses (24 half-hour lectures), is still available on Prime video for a few days! Tell your family that watching football on Thanksgiving is hopelessly uncool.
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...
Reposted by Kevin Barron
How to get rid of Citizens United?
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment.
There’s a far simpler way. Let me explain: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment.
There’s a far simpler way. Let me explain: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
How to Get Rid of "Citizens United"
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment. There’s a far simpler way
robertreich.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM
How to get rid of Citizens United?
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment.
There’s a far simpler way. Let me explain: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
We can do away with it without a new Supreme Court. Nor do we need a constitutional amendment.
There’s a far simpler way. Let me explain: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-get-rid-of-citizens-united
Misanthropy is worse than unproductive: it supports the status quo and sends us towards extinction.
It often seems to be motivated by normalcy bias and the desire to be part of an elite who somehow rise above the fate of the masses (if only intellectually).
It is intellectually lazy and cowardly.
It often seems to be motivated by normalcy bias and the desire to be part of an elite who somehow rise above the fate of the masses (if only intellectually).
It is intellectually lazy and cowardly.
“From a purely practical point of view, we need to ask ourselves which framing of humanity actually makes a positive difference.” — Maren Morgan
Misanthropy is Bad and Unproductive
by Maren Morgan | Death In The Garden
backloop.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Misanthropy is worse than unproductive: it supports the status quo and sends us towards extinction.
It often seems to be motivated by normalcy bias and the desire to be part of an elite who somehow rise above the fate of the masses (if only intellectually).
It is intellectually lazy and cowardly.
It often seems to be motivated by normalcy bias and the desire to be part of an elite who somehow rise above the fate of the masses (if only intellectually).
It is intellectually lazy and cowardly.
Not to mention, “I just grab ‘em by the pussy”
To paraphrase Dennis Hopper in "Speed," in 249 years we've gone from "I regret but I have one life to give for my country" to "Quiet, piggy!"
November 25, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Not to mention, “I just grab ‘em by the pussy”
Extremely well-written piece; required reading for anyone who still roots for team human.
“This time of chaos can also be an opportunity, a chance to emulate the older cultures that replaced them: those who planted trees in the ruins of empire, who remade the Commons on abandoned plantations, and quietly continued to tend their small forest garden as their ancestors had before them.”
The Lost Forest Gardens of Europe
The indigenous Mesolithic societies of Europe never disappeared: they adapted, and survived in new ways. Their cultures, values, spiritual beliefs, and relationships with the land are encoded in the f...
www.shelterwoodforestfarm.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Extremely well-written piece; required reading for anyone who still roots for team human.
ecosocialist agroecology will not rely on small private biz in competition with each other and relying on exploited labour. It will require cooperation and the construction of new ‘markets’ where food is valued for its ability to provide sustenance and nutrition as a centerpoint of human culture.
Towards an agroecological theory of change
Small, privately-owned farms and localised markets can never achieve agroecology, therefore the movement needs a new strategy.
thestruggleforland.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:56 AM
ecosocialist agroecology will not rely on small private biz in competition with each other and relying on exploited labour. It will require cooperation and the construction of new ‘markets’ where food is valued for its ability to provide sustenance and nutrition as a centerpoint of human culture.
Perspective!
Sam Stranks, Professor of Energy and Optoelectronic Materials at the University of Cambridge, told New Scientist: “Solar panels made from silicon now cost roughly the same as plywood.”
Sam Stranks, Professor of Energy and Optoelectronic Materials at the University of Cambridge, told New Scientist: “Solar panels made from silicon now cost roughly the same as plywood.”
How are emerging economies leading a renewable-energy revolution?
Renewable energy is booming across emerging economies, where the economic viability of wind and solar power has made them the obvious choice in most national and regional contexts. More importantly, t...
www.economies.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Perspective!
Sam Stranks, Professor of Energy and Optoelectronic Materials at the University of Cambridge, told New Scientist: “Solar panels made from silicon now cost roughly the same as plywood.”
Sam Stranks, Professor of Energy and Optoelectronic Materials at the University of Cambridge, told New Scientist: “Solar panels made from silicon now cost roughly the same as plywood.”
Food for thought!
(because food for eating is becoming impossible)
(because food for eating is becoming impossible)
“It will require cooperation and it will require the construction of new ‘markets’ where food is valued for its ability to provide sustenance and nutrition – and as a centerpoint of human culture.”
IMO transitional forms might include diverse mosaics of different regionalized farming system.
IMO transitional forms might include diverse mosaics of different regionalized farming system.
New post where I push a little bit further on my previous writing on agroecology being a project of class suicide and why this means small privately-owned farms are not the vehicle of change for agroecology as too often supposed
thestruggleforland.substack.com/p/towards-an...
thestruggleforland.substack.com/p/towards-an...
November 25, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Food for thought!
(because food for eating is becoming impossible)
(because food for eating is becoming impossible)
Best holiday recipe yet!
(Maybe start with crow)
(Maybe start with crow)
Have you considered topping your pies with regime crumble?
November 24, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Best holiday recipe yet!
(Maybe start with crow)
(Maybe start with crow)
Reposted by Kevin Barron
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
November 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
At this point it must be acknowledged that the confirmation process is broken.
How can it be changed from political theater to an enforceable contract?
How can it be changed from political theater to an enforceable contract?
Except, of course, it’s *not* all he can say.
Cassidy could concede publicly that confirming Kennedy was a tragic mistake. He could call for RFK Jr's resignation. He could schedule hearings, haul the secretary to Capitol Hill, and demand the CDC’s public resources reflect the scientific cannon.
Cassidy could concede publicly that confirming Kennedy was a tragic mistake. He could call for RFK Jr's resignation. He could schedule hearings, haul the secretary to Capitol Hill, and demand the CDC’s public resources reflect the scientific cannon.
TAPPER: You were the deciding vote that allowed RFK Jr to ascend to the role of Health Secretary. Did you give him too much credit?
CASSIDY: The fact is the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe. That's all I can say.
CASSIDY: The fact is the scientific community agrees that vaccines are safe. That's all I can say.
November 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM
At this point it must be acknowledged that the confirmation process is broken.
How can it be changed from political theater to an enforceable contract?
How can it be changed from political theater to an enforceable contract?
Reading this - recommended!
And I should say, as it’s so obvious these days, colonization in many forms has never ended
Colonization was like a powerful jigsaw ripping apart nations' families, shredding them into the darkness of a denied past. Now, Indigenous people work to rebuild the puzzle, reclaiming the tiny pieces of history scattered to the winds and reclaiming their identities, histories, and homelands.
November 23, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Reading this - recommended!
Another attempt at book burning by the administration.
FAILED
FAILED
I used to handle interlibrary loans for a public library. ILL is a magnificent expression of the idea that readers deserve books, and books deserve readers. It’s libraries everywhere pooling their resources for the benefit of everyone.
Killing IMLS could have killed ILL.
This is great news. 📚
Killing IMLS could have killed ILL.
This is great news. 📚
Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries IMLS
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
November 22, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Another attempt at book burning by the administration.
FAILED
FAILED
Reposted by Kevin Barron
I fear we have both
A climate deal without explicit language calling for a fossil fuel phaseout is like a ceasefire without explicit language calling for a suspension of hostilities.
#COP30
#COP30
November 22, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I fear we have both