J. I. Swiderski, MURP
@swiderski.bsky.social
// 🚶, 🚲, & 🚌 advocate & planner
// DC Michigander; Pitt+VATech alum
// fan of PGH, SF, cities; walking, bikes, & buses; libraries; maps; baseball, football, & hockey; puns; oxford commas; & semicolons
// Opinions mine, but you can have 'em
// 💜🤍💚 they/he
// DC Michigander; Pitt+VATech alum
// fan of PGH, SF, cities; walking, bikes, & buses; libraries; maps; baseball, football, & hockey; puns; oxford commas; & semicolons
// Opinions mine, but you can have 'em
// 💜🤍💚 they/he
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Is it pretentiousness or a desire to legitimize conflict to fuel more articles and more clicks that drives NYT to use phrases like “challenge scientific orthodoxy” instead of just reporting it straight-up as “ignoring decades of data”?
Breaking News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he personally instructed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism. The move underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy — in this case, that vaccines save lives — and bend the health department to his will.
RFK Jr. Says He Instructed CDC to Change Vaccines and Autism Language on Website
In an interview, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited gaps in vaccine safety research. His critics say he is ignoring a larger point: Vaccines save lives.
nyti.ms
November 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Is it pretentiousness or a desire to legitimize conflict to fuel more articles and more clicks that drives NYT to use phrases like “challenge scientific orthodoxy” instead of just reporting it straight-up as “ignoring decades of data”?
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
I’ve suggested this before, but this is an even clearer case where folks need to form a group named something like “Penn Jews Against Antisemitism” and then sue the admin—with their name leading on the caption.
Well, this is chilling AF.
The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
1/2
The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
1/2
storage.courtlistener.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:28 PM
I’ve suggested this before, but this is an even clearer case where folks need to form a group named something like “Penn Jews Against Antisemitism” and then sue the admin—with their name leading on the caption.
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Why would they want to silence and intimidate you? You’re a reliable Republican vote for rolling back DC’s local policing reforms and against “Socialism” on the eve of Mayor-elect Mamdani’s visit to the White House. Mike Johnson loves you.
This week, I demanded the release of a 2019 phone call transcript between President Trump and MBS. This obviously touched a nerve. The very next day, they spew lies to silence and intimidate me.
It’s not going to work
It’s not going to work
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Why would they want to silence and intimidate you? You’re a reliable Republican vote for rolling back DC’s local policing reforms and against “Socialism” on the eve of Mayor-elect Mamdani’s visit to the White House. Mike Johnson loves you.
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
all my homies are
November 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
all my homies are
I suppose chickens in leather _was_ the inevitable result of cows hawking (*cough*) chicken sandwiches…
[alt: a DC Peruvian-chicken shop with a giant inflatable chicken perched above the shop window wearing black boots and a pleather(?) beret. There's a large leather-pride flag over the door.]
[alt: a DC Peruvian-chicken shop with a giant inflatable chicken perched above the shop window wearing black boots and a pleather(?) beret. There's a large leather-pride flag over the door.]
November 21, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I suppose chickens in leather _was_ the inevitable result of cows hawking (*cough*) chicken sandwiches…
[alt: a DC Peruvian-chicken shop with a giant inflatable chicken perched above the shop window wearing black boots and a pleather(?) beret. There's a large leather-pride flag over the door.]
[alt: a DC Peruvian-chicken shop with a giant inflatable chicken perched above the shop window wearing black boots and a pleather(?) beret. There's a large leather-pride flag over the door.]
The 51st's giant ad blocks occasionally produce some...entertaining juxtapositions....
November 21, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The 51st's giant ad blocks occasionally produce some...entertaining juxtapositions....
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Across all the planets in the milky way the average number of trees per planet is at least 30
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Across all the planets in the milky way the average number of trees per planet is at least 30
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
i don't harbor any illusion that it's even possible to opt-out of every AI, every absurd overreach of data collection and invasion of privacy, but it does feel good to toggle everything off that you can get your hands on, if only out of spite
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 10:30 PM
i don't harbor any illusion that it's even possible to opt-out of every AI, every absurd overreach of data collection and invasion of privacy, but it does feel good to toggle everything off that you can get your hands on, if only out of spite
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Why does @gene4va.bsky.social keep voting for horrible Trump bills that take away DC home? If you are his constituent, perhaps you could call his office and ask?
I am especially disappointed in @gene4va.bsky.social. He has now voted SEVEN times to advance Trump’s takeover of DC. He claims to support democracy, but then opposes it at almost every turn for the city just 40 minutes away. Why is this local Dem supporting Trump’s agenda so strongly?
November 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Why does @gene4va.bsky.social keep voting for horrible Trump bills that take away DC home? If you are his constituent, perhaps you could call his office and ask?
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Autocorrect has become our worst enema.
November 19, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Autocorrect has become our worst enema.
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
As a District resident, it’s really hard to articulate just how morally offensive this is.
These 20 House Democrats just joined Republicans in voting to fully repeal DC's police reform laws.
Wiping off the books critical laws on use of force, transparency, and preventing violent cops from getting rehired.
They think that they should have more say over DC police than the people of DC.
Wiping off the books critical laws on use of force, transparency, and preventing violent cops from getting rehired.
They think that they should have more say over DC police than the people of DC.
November 20, 2025 at 3:36 AM
As a District resident, it’s really hard to articulate just how morally offensive this is.
Suit alleges hostile work environment at DC Dept of Employment Svcs due to sexist boss & unresponsive HR.
DC's response seems to be "being witness to numerous abusive comments doesn't make it a hostile work environment, plus some of those comments weren't sexist, they were abusive in other ways…."
DC's response seems to be "being witness to numerous abusive comments doesn't make it a hostile work environment, plus some of those comments weren't sexist, they were abusive in other ways…."
Renata Naylor reported “rampant sex discrimination” by her boss at DOES. She says agency leaders failed to address her complaints and fired her soon after.
Now she’s suing the District. Full story:
Now she’s suing the District. Full story:
Department of Employment Services Manager Fired After She Alleged Sexual Discrimination and Retaliation
Renata Naylor accused Daniel King of persistent sexual harassment and discrimination. She was fired soon after.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Suit alleges hostile work environment at DC Dept of Employment Svcs due to sexist boss & unresponsive HR.
DC's response seems to be "being witness to numerous abusive comments doesn't make it a hostile work environment, plus some of those comments weren't sexist, they were abusive in other ways…."
DC's response seems to be "being witness to numerous abusive comments doesn't make it a hostile work environment, plus some of those comments weren't sexist, they were abusive in other ways…."
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
I know we’re all desensitized to this and he says truly dangerous things regularly but this is objectively ridiculous and it makes him sound like a child.
Trump: My pollsters said, 'sir, if George Washington and Abraham Lincoln came back from the dead and they aligned and they went for the president, vice president as a combination, you'd be beating them by 25 points.'
November 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
I know we’re all desensitized to this and he says truly dangerous things regularly but this is objectively ridiculous and it makes him sound like a child.
i...what...how tf does DC still have mosquitoes more than halfway through &#%$ing November?
November 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
i...what...how tf does DC still have mosquitoes more than halfway through &#%$ing November?
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
A thread on yet another way that LLMs are making the world worse.
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
A thread on yet another way that LLMs are making the world worse.
"The delusion hasn't changed, but the formatting has."
A thread on yet another way that LLMs are making the world worse.
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 3:47 PM
"The delusion hasn't changed, but the formatting has."
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
what could go wrong
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 19, 2025 at 4:07 AM
what could go wrong
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Few things bug me more than higher ed leaders saying that we lost our mission and lost the trust of the public, when we have actually been the target of a decades-long smear campaign by the right wing that worked. The moment we’re losing our mission is right now, in capitulation.
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Few things bug me more than higher ed leaders saying that we lost our mission and lost the trust of the public, when we have actually been the target of a decades-long smear campaign by the right wing that worked. The moment we’re losing our mission is right now, in capitulation.
reposting because hell yeah, but also i just want more opportunities to see this goofball on my feed.
(…the dog with two tennis balls in their face, to be clear.)
(…the dog with two tennis balls in their face, to be clear.)
we did it y’all 🥹💪 they said it couldn’t be done www.fox5dc.com/news/new-bil...
November 19, 2025 at 12:42 AM
reposting because hell yeah, but also i just want more opportunities to see this goofball on my feed.
(…the dog with two tennis balls in their face, to be clear.)
(…the dog with two tennis balls in their face, to be clear.)
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
Putting out the bat signal for a friend who's on the board of an NGO focusing on eating disorder support/recovery - does anyone have connections with nonprofits, foundations, or electeds in the DC area working in that space?
November 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Putting out the bat signal for a friend who's on the board of an NGO focusing on eating disorder support/recovery - does anyone have connections with nonprofits, foundations, or electeds in the DC area working in that space?
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
You can oversee the bloody dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist with a bone saw, and the president of the United States will smile, shake your hand and threaten to pull the license of a news outlet whose reporter asks you a question about it.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing
The de facto Saudi ruler was branded a pariah in 2018 after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Now, U.S.-Saudi relations are approaching a high point.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
You can oversee the bloody dismemberment of a Washington Post journalist with a bone saw, and the president of the United States will smile, shake your hand and threaten to pull the license of a news outlet whose reporter asks you a question about it.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by J. I. Swiderski, MURP
between the flyovers, the parades, and the armed soldiers on patrol, I have become completely ploughshares-pilled. please let it all stop
November 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
between the flyovers, the parades, and the armed soldiers on patrol, I have become completely ploughshares-pilled. please let it all stop
30K AADT?
That's like radial-avenue level traffic in DC. Rhode Island Ave NE is like 27K, as is Connecticut NW by the zoo. Mass Ave past the embassies and Naval Observatory is 36K.
Hell, New York Ave east of the tunnel is over 50K.
(all via opendata.dc.gov/datasets/DCG...)
That's like radial-avenue level traffic in DC. Rhode Island Ave NE is like 27K, as is Connecticut NW by the zoo. Mass Ave past the embassies and Naval Observatory is 36K.
Hell, New York Ave east of the tunnel is over 50K.
(all via opendata.dc.gov/datasets/DCG...)
$5B to rebuild a bridge that carried 30,000 AADT, and has three Interstate alternative routes, doesn't seem like a wise investment.
LUNCH LINKS 11/18/25 (thanks Cloudflare): Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild likely to cost more than double initial estimates. Mold among issues residents experience in Alexandria public housing. Key endorsements secured for WMATA funding plan.
November 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
30K AADT?
That's like radial-avenue level traffic in DC. Rhode Island Ave NE is like 27K, as is Connecticut NW by the zoo. Mass Ave past the embassies and Naval Observatory is 36K.
Hell, New York Ave east of the tunnel is over 50K.
(all via opendata.dc.gov/datasets/DCG...)
That's like radial-avenue level traffic in DC. Rhode Island Ave NE is like 27K, as is Connecticut NW by the zoo. Mass Ave past the embassies and Naval Observatory is 36K.
Hell, New York Ave east of the tunnel is over 50K.
(all via opendata.dc.gov/datasets/DCG...)