iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

And when my friends had driven home from the dinner they just kept exclaiming about how he was such an extraordinary young man. I have nothing deeper to add at the moment, just immense sadness.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Soon after this happened, I found out that some of our closest friends had celebrated a holiday meal with this family, includ their son, who was kidnapped a week later and eventually killed. At the home of a friend from high school I'd lost touch with a while ago, who is cousins w/this family.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Two things can be and are true: What happened on Oct 7 was absolutely horrific. And. The government response has been an absolute nightmare. Right now I'm just sitting with this essay by someone I don't know, but who I found out 3yrs ago I'm intimately connected to: time.com/article/2026...

time.com

Hoping for Better, 3 Years Since Oct. 7

Three years since the horrific Oct. 7 attack, Rachel Goldberg-Polin writes about the pain of losing her son, Hersh, and her hopes for healing.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

have convinced me that I should eat more of something - basically, I like variety, mostly plants. Esp brassicas & tomatoes. But all our reporting has convinced me that oily fish (if you can), fermented foods, *fiber*-rich foods are critical. Esp fiber. Anyway, please listen: I think you'll enjoy!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

for the explanation of what fiber actually is and how it does what it does in our bodies. I'm being extra careful now, and I'm already a bean-lover! Plus, my (unsurprisingly) favorite part: no, of course you can't get all the benefits with a powder. There aren't many episodes we've done that

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I thought I already knew quite a bit about why we should be eating beans/legumes and the gut microbiome etc but reporting this all did truly blow me away. Trust me, it's worth listening to both for the weird story of the gorilla poop-obsessed father of cornflakes *and*

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Apologies for forgetting alt text: The first two photos show bees on goldenrods, and the last two are bees on two different varieties of purple asters

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Okay a couple more - it's so easy to be distracted! (Don't worry, I'm still mixing the next show, grading my students, submitting invoices, ordering replacement parts, sending out emails about upcoming interviews... But the bees! And the flowers!)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

And the gift of this messiness is that the bees absolutely *love* it. We've seen monarchs and hummingbirds, too. Hopefully more of those in the future! Just my little pitch for a beautiful, flowering, green, and, yes, messy native ecosystem wherever you can help create one.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Our little urban yard (true, it's generous, esp in back, by urban standards, but still tiny) doesn't look like the 'ideal' for gardens, and luckily we don't have an HOA yelling at us to have grass/be tidy/whatever. We're going for the more is more approach to native plants/shrubs/trees

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Somerville, if you're wondering where the bees are, I just want to say that they are all in our yard. (I didn't get them on all our asters, though they're on those, too.) And all the birds! They're hanging out here, too!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

o m f g. I don't even - I can't even -

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

LOVE ours, too. Love love. (Also we covered the whole gas industry 'cooking with gas' sloganeering on a previous Gastropod ep so)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I haven't been camping near Gorham NH in the Whites in forever and will be doing so but also because we feel like it will be eating dinner/breakfast in Gorham. Anyone been recently? Recommendations?

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Okay wow now I'm going to have to steal 'cooking with induction.'

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

(That said, I *do* put a lot of work into moderating things well, so...please think of me when you're hiring people to moderate!)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This has nothing to do with anything, but whew I just put a lot of work into preparing for and crafting the conversation for the MIT FutureFest panel I moderated this AM. This was one of the hardest ones to make generally accessible and linked together in some sort of narrative! I'm wiped!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Clearly we're a strong voting bloc!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is seriously my political platform, when I (never) run for local office.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Okay yes I hearted to show I agree with you but also white hot...sadness.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Please do the same wherever you live. Our local news has long been dying - destroyed by many things, including the same forces (like private equity) that are stripping nursing homes for dollars and parts. But we can help save them. Without them, there's no accountability. We desperately need it.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Okay I'm clearly not done with my white hot rage over this story but also I just want to point out: JOURNALISM. LOCAL JOURNALISM. This is why I will never stop paying for the boston globe and WBUR and so on. And ProPublica, for their focus both on national news and also partnership with local news

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

(also, this def is shanda fur die goyim, which now basically covers like four of the entire dozen or so yiddish words I know)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

People's lives aren't pieces on a board you can move around to optimize your personal income. I mean, they are, and it f*&^ing should all be illegal. But in this case he lied! JAIL. FOR YEARS. AND TAKE ALL THE MONEY FROM HIM AND RESTORE ALL THE FACILITIES.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

That these types of places - which are so necessary! - are subject to the whims of a crooked, greedy person/organization and can be totally destroyed, destroying the lives of the people who rely on them and the people who work there?! As I said - put him in jail. Put them all in jail.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Just to make sure everyone knew that I was watching. To be fair: the people there were nearly all lovely, kind, hard-working. Still, the place freaked me out, they all seemed overworked, she could go hours without someone responding. Obv not everyone had a kid who could show up every day.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

On which facility was the safest/best care/etc, tried to get her into one where her friend had been, but in the end her insurance only covered one nearby, others like an hour away. I had to basically drop her off and hold my breath. I stayed in town for a couple of weeks, showing up every day

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

One of the most stressful days in the past few years was when my mom-dramatically weakened by chemo, prob her blood hadn't been well monitored-collapsed, went to the hospital, I flew down to MD. A few days later she had to be released to rehab, I didn't know for how long. I tried to do research

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I don't know if true for you, but I tried to figure out same for my mom, then realized ins would only cover one place close to the hospital/her house, which wasn't my preferred location. But we didn't end up really having a choice... Basically I'd also check w/the insurerer (unless finances allow).

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I hate all of this. I don't know what people think students learn in these classes, but I *loved* my women's health class at UMd (as well as all my women's lit classes, esp women's science fiction/feminist science theory). Preaching to the choir, etc., but these classes were foundational for me.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This is a person who's never spoken to a Jew (in good faith) and certainly never any rabbis or religious scholars. And yes, clear anti-Semitism. Also, really?! Come on!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I can only imagine. Our contractor—who has *decades* of experience—basically said he never wanted to build here again. We try to speak out in favor as often as we can.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

And I'm not a developer! Just a person who wanted to build their forever eco home!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Had to flip to the recs bc I'm still traumatized from building in Somerville 3yrs ago. Letters to hundreds of 'abutters.' Going in front of the historic commission, which just randomly canceled one month, but still had so much power over our tiny,ugly, poorly built, never-meant-to-survive house.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I have to say I keep wondering why our elected officials in DC haven't organized - with a large group of concerned citizens - a constant watch/group of 'put yourself in front of the bulldozers.' I'm a little far! But this seems like the clear next step!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

These food fads make me batty, and I just want to yell "almost everyone already gets enough protein!" over and over. But all that would happen is I'd get hoarse.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I love this idea (for all the reasons in the thread) and @cambridgemass.bsky.social and @cityofsomerville.bsky.social should go in on this together because our commuting/cycling/e-bike riding populations are strongly linked. (Will it happen? Someone has to suggest it!)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Skiing downhill while eating turnips cooked with cilantro and listening to right wing talk radio.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

AHHHHHHH. Just sent a freshman off to UMass. (Not my kid, my adopted...niebling? Mentee who's become more than that?) I want her to have high quality professors in classes where she can get the most attention possible! Not access to AI!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Same for POC who feel extra vulnerable. Same for friends with disabilities, or ones who need extra med care. Or those vulnerable in other ways. Let's let everyone know we have their back & will fight for them. Let's all fight for each other. My v earnest hope for the new year is that we succeed.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Everything I'm writing comes out so f*&ing earnest. That said, it's the anniversary of 9/11 & almost Rosh Hashannah. That said, let the immigrants in your life know how much you appreciate them. (Some might be in tipping jobs, tip extra.) Same for all your trans fam/friends.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

(If anyone is going through moving parents out of homes lived in for decades, I deeply deeply empathize.)

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

(I'm still not really over the last one, prepping a home of 40yrs for a move in about a week and a half is - whew. Back yesterday and I'm barely standing.) The senior apt complex, where she already has friends, will be great for her, but she unsurprisingly wasn't happy about the move.

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

How do you explain the laws of supply and demand to people who refuse to understand? That more housing — even if it's higher priced, there will be a lot *more* of it overall — has been shown to keep prices steady or even decrease them? IT'S REAL! And these examples are all providing MORE HOUSING!

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Cynthia Graber @cagraber.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

NFW. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised. But. Whew. People.

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