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danacairnswatson.bsky.social
I love to read but not sit still. I grow vegetables, support native ecosystems, swim, gaze at birds, and walk with dogs. I teach writing at UCLA to scientists, engineers, and future professional writers. I care about community and doing the right thing.
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Watch as a herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo protect their calves, Mkhaya and Zuli, during a 5.2-magnitude earthquake that shook Southern California. The animals repeated the behavior during an aftershock, but went back to their daily routines when the situation seemed safe. nyti.ms/3Eo2uW8

HAPPY TAX DAY! How much would you spend on a year of tornado warnings? The average US taxpayer spends only $4 a year to help fund the NWS. It’s a smart investment—every $1 invested in NWS yields approx. $73 in social benefits. 🌪️❄️ Support science. Support the NWS. Stay tuned for more this #TaxDay

Tax Day - round 3 - NIH 🩻🧠🧬 🧬 The average U.S. taxpayer contributes $105/year to NIH, helping fund: • Cancer & rare disease breakthroughs • Pandemic preparedness • Children’s health • Medical tech innovation • Mental health science & more NIH powers the science behind the healthcare we rely on.

@ucaft.bsky.social is hosting our 2025 election April 28-May 4. Members will be voting on the statewide executive board, chapter leadership and delegates, and Unit 18 (lecturers) table team and bargaining pillars. View this🧵for details and read the FAQs on the website ucaft.org/member_resou...

My Quote for the Day “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” ― Rachel Carson

What exactly gives so few people the power to do so many terrible things that affect so many people?

There are good, practical reasons for basic civility, attentive listening, and responding politely, honestly, and coherently—all those behaviors that are missing in the people now behind the podiums and big desks and microphones.

Never trust anyone who says, “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

One more thing that matters a whole lot. please sign: sign.moveon.org/petitions/pr...

Basic Woman’s Entire Personality Revolves Around Things She Enjoys — theonion.com/basic-womans...

And covid and measles etc. Just learned that my neighbor was told by CVS that Paxlovid was $800 b/c it's no longer covered by medicare.

Senator Jeff Merkley raised suspicions that Trump could be a Russian agent, citing his promotion of Russian propaganda, halting military aid to Ukraine, and leaking negotiation details. In response, Trump supporters just repeat empty slogans. Full video: t.me/wartranslated

Doesn’t it seem like people who read books would know who they DO NOT want to become? For example, you don’t want to be the kid who betrays all his friends to get Turkish delight (or power). Did anyone grow up wanting to become Dolores Umbridge? From the LA Times today:

I would have participated in Stand Up for Science but I was at meetings trying to hire someone before a hiring freeze was announced and trying to help two science students publish before they lose all motivation to continue.

I was bot involved in making any of the posters behind me but I agree with all of them.

#StandUpForScience En direct de la grotte Chauvet. Sous-terre mais debout ! Live from the Chauvet Cave, standing up for science even below ground ! @standupforscience.bsky.social

A good indicator that LLM hype has gone too far in science is that typically reporting on a new technology in a place like nature would check if it works.

The massive income and wealth inequality that exists in America today is literally a matter of life and death. People in wealthy counties live SEVEN years longer than people in poorer communities. That’s unacceptable. EVERYONE has the right to a long, happy and productive life.

You can find these at artologica.etsy.com Original paintings, one of each! 🧪🐡🎨

Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎

On behalf of decency and democracy, we have to stop the Trump administration’s actions. I am angry that I am being represented by Trump and Vance on the world stage. Everything is upside down, wrong is being done as if it were right, and we have to say that aloud over and over.

Neil Postman was right.

Bernie Sanders: "They will use the enormous media operations they own to deflect attention away from the impact of their policies while they entertain us to death."

This is a professor appreciation post. Experts in law, economics, public health, epidemiology, politics, history, computer science and cybersecurity, I see you and we are all relying on your expertise now more than ever.

“Why not call it the electricity coup?” Asks a woman who builds chatbots. When I asked her if she read the article, she said no: her chatbot did, and it told her my article was “highly manipulative.”

Okay, seriously though: we need to have a pretty serious talk about academics and academic instructions seemingly being incapable of saying "a random text generator isn't an appropriate tool here: do not use it under any circumstances" theconversation.com/ai-is-being-...