“Socialism” is a scare word they’ve hurled at every advance the people have made. “Socialism” is what they called public power, social security, farm price supports, and free and independent labor organizations. “Socialism” is their name for anything that helps all people.

—US President Harry Truman

The prez of West Texas A&M Uni has a confusing proposal for a "textbook-free campus".
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2023/08/29/west-texas-am-says-it-wont-charge-textbooks-next

He clarified that he means "textbook-free, not free textbooks." Hence #OpenTextbooks (#OER) won't satisfy him. But he encourages OER as if they would.

Faculty criticized him for “encouraging [them] to invest significant time” in creating “#OpenAccess materials" (OER) rather than using or improving materials from publishers.

His response? Use #AI.

#Academia
@academicchatter

White House laughs off report Biden wants to limit Americans to two beers a week

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/white-house-biden-two-beers-b2400770.html

#WhiteHouse #Biden #TwoBeersAWeek #LimitAmericans #LaughingOffReport #USPolitics #Politics #News

I recently learned about Normalcy Bias, and I think it's important that everyone understands what this is.

Normalcy bias is a tendency to underestimate the likelihood or impact of a negative event. Around 80% of people show normalcy bias in crisis situations.

This means normalcy bias can be incredibly dangerous and, therefore, important to understand. In my opinion, the (ongoing) pandemic is a good example of normalcy bias in action.

#NormalcyBias #COVID19 #CovidIsNotOver

This lady giving side eye is all of us.

‘If you really can't figure out which political party or which politician to vote for, just ask if they're on the side of libraries.

Are they voting to fund their libraries?
Are they voting to keep them free?

Then vote for those guys.
They're probably the good guys.

And by the same token, the book burners, the book banners, they're probably the bad guys.’

— @neilhimself

https://ilovelibraries.org/article/i-will-always-be-on-the-side-of-the-libraries-a-conversation-with-neil-gaiman/

@bookstodon #libraries #news #reading #politics #usa #books

delightful Tolkien quote I stumbled into today:

“I wisely started with a map, and made the story fit (generally with meticulous care for distances). The other way about lands one in confusions and impossibilities, and in any case it is weary work to compose a map from a story.”

https://tolkienlibrary.com/press/1152-tolkien-writings-to-understand-rules-of-life.php

Republicans continuing to be psychotic.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/23/letters-1380/

#Lead #Republicans #Aviation #LeadedFuel

i love the idea of bikepaths with trashcans

May every penny he ever makes go to his victims, before he’s run over by a MAGA bus driver aiming for some homeless dude on the corner.

Kyle Rittenhouse Sued by Estate of Man He Killed in Self Defense

https://www.insider.com/kyle-rittenhouse-sued-estate-man-he-killed-self-defense-2023-8

Young climate activist tells Greenpeace to drop ‘old-fashioned’ anti-nuclear stance https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/29/young-climate-activist-tells-greenpeace-to-drop-old-fashioned-anti-nuclear-stance (Me: uninformed claptrap - humans still do not know how to manage for safety nor to safely dispose of spent fuel!)

Iran summons Swiss diplomat over US seizure of Iranian crude oil that's now at port in Houston

Iran has summoned a Swiss diplomat over the apparent U.S. seizure of Iranian crude oil from a ship that sat for months off Texas #press

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/iran-ap-tehran-swiss-texas-b2400572.html?utm_source=press.coop

This is the kind of free thinking Fascists want to crush.

Any society that values profit and property over people's wellbeing is doomed to fail. An Economic system that requires infinite growth on a planet with finite resources can not work.

Fun fact for people who think #COVID19 is “just the flu”:

According to the CDC, in the four weeks of July 2023 (the weeks of 7/1, 7/8, 7/15/ and 7/22, which was during what many consider a “low” or “safe” period):

1,990 people died of COVID
86 people died of flu

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/COVID19/index.htm

#House

‘Widespread fuel contamination’ reported at some Florida gas stations as Idalia looms #Florida #gasoline #GasStations #Idalia https://www.tampabay.com/hurricane/2023/08/27/florida-gas-contamination-idalia/

OMFG THIS IS SO HUGE!!!

WHAT THIS MEANS: If a company attempts to dissuade their workers from forming a union...

THE UNION IS AUTOMATICALLY FORMED WITH OR WITHOUT A FORMAL VOTE AND THE COMPANY MUST IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE IT.

Jumping up and down because OMFG THIS IS BIG!!!

https://newrepublic.com/post/175207/national-labor-relations-board-nlrb-rules-companies-union-bust