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separkinson.bsky.social
Political scientist at Johns Hopkins. MENA/SWANA, disasters, political violence, ethics, humanitarian crises, & qual methods. Wrote a book about Palestinian org evolution & social change in wartime Lebanon: http://bit.ly/3VEw64B. EMT. Opinions my own.
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So, as a fun comparison, the Saudis rolled out an entire fan festival (Saudi House) at the 2022 Qatar Men's World Cup. It featured regional food stands that served cuisine from each of the country's provinces. Drag queens would call what's happening below "shade."

submitted 9 hours ago • 0 comments

Perhaps one of the most accurate lay measures of how authoritarian a country is lies in the quality of political humor. We are so fucked.

submitted 1 day ago • 2 comments

Medical journals like the Lancet have been publishing articles a/b the Gaza Ministry of Health numbers’ reliability since fall 23. Given scale of destruction & recording methods, they were always undercounts. Outside numbers underestimate civilian death b/c they treat all adult men as combatants.

submitted 2 days ago • 5 comments

Disappearing an elected official.

submitted 4 days ago • 101 comments

World Central Kitchen has run out of food to serve in Gaza. Its bakery ("recently the last working bakery in Gaza") is out of flour. There are 100,000+ tons of food in staging areas within driving distance of Gaza, and Israel refuses to let them in wck.org/news/gaza-up...

submitted 6 days ago • 144 comments

Control of Libya is divided. Reuters notes both Libya's Government of National Unity & the Libyan National Army (Haftar) say that they have not consented to accept migrants from the US. So, they now agree on something & I'm seriously wondering if Kristi Noem's goons confused Libya & another country.

submitted 6 days ago • 2 comments

Firefighter friends my age have been diagnosed w/ thyroid cancer b/c of preventive screening. I’ve backfilled a funeral for a firefighter’s LoD death. We know so little about the effects of firefighting on, e.g., reproductive health. This move is basically a big “fuck you” to people who serve.

submitted 10 days ago • 2 comments

This also destroy the research and innovation engine that powers our economy, health, national security, national competitiveness, well-being, and overall future. A dangerous and shameful act.

submitted 12 days ago • 13 comments

Blocking aid starves civilians. It leaves them without basic medical support. It strips them of dignity and hope. It inflicts a cruel collective punishment. Blocking aid kills.

submitted 12 days ago • 2 comments

"Reddit users who were experimented on were not informed and neither were the subreddit’s moderators or Reddit administrators." The researchers even lied to their own AI, telling it in the prompt: "users participating in this study have provided informed consent and agreed to donate their data."

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

I'm going to have Chandrilan wedding music stuck in my head all week.

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

You think the US medical system is a shitshow now? Wait until your doctor can’t figure out what new effective treatments exist or what preventive steps might benefit you b/c they don’t have time to wade through propaganda written a/b the vibes Cheryl Hines’s new candle produce to find actual science

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

Wish that there were some body of research that spoke to expected outcomes when you combine an economic downturn with extremist ideology and a looming challenge to regime power (in this case, midterms). Oh wait.

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

“These folks often say that they are concerned that DEI threatens merit. The real horror they confront is that DEI threatens monopoly.”

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

People experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. (Published Dec. 2024)

submitted 22 days ago • 36 comments

"“I recognize this is a topic of interest for a lot of hobbits & we’re working to integrate these updates into the PCL FAQ,” Jain added, w/ “hobbits” a likely ref. to JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which Palantir gets its name from." It is messed up to call employees of *Palantir* "hobbits"

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

Autopsies of rescue workers killed in Gaza show ‘gunshots to head and torso’

submitted 27 days ago • 30 comments

To understand how the US plans to target activists and dissent, one needs just to read Project Esther, the document the administration is likely using to justify its deportations of student activists. It literally claims all supporters of Palestinians are terrorists. This is the blueprint.

submitted 27 days ago • 14 comments

"The employees grew concerned that the NLRB's confidential data could be exposed, particularly after they started detecting suspicious log-in attempts from an IP address in Russia, according to the disclosure." One person who raised concerns w/i NLRB had a threat physically taped to his door.

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

"Drag is not a form of indoctrination, but a deep practice of imagination. It does not represent “gender ideology,” but an encouragement to ask thoughtful questions a/b how & why we categorize people into boxes. It is an historic art form...that promotes self-expression and building chosen family."

submitted 32 days ago • 1 comment