iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 4h

Alright. Gonna write this @thesavir.bsky.social abstract & get it submitted on time. Yep. Gonna happen. Once I figure out the analysis & what it is I’m writing about. Sixteen days is plenty of time. For sure

A laptop and coffee cup sit on a little table overlooking a city scene through the windows

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

“CARE teams respond to requests for mental health services made through 911 dispatch or the program’s non-emergency email.”

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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

And so it continues... Our economic debates seem utterly disconnected from the reality. That reality: This is an economy mostly creating healthcare jobs, and it does so month after month, and everything else is just noise.

Line chart titled "Effectively all of the net job creation has been in healthcare and social assistance, and jobs are shrinking in the rest of the economy" showing change in non-farm payrolls since January 2025 through September 2026. Healthcare and social assistance added 998,000 jobs with consistent growth throughout the period, while the rest of the economy lost 222,000 jobs, meaning all net job creation came from healthcare. The rest of the economy showed particular weakness from May through August 2025 when losses reached 218,000 jobs. This striking divergence reveals an unusual concentration where one sector's growth of roughly 48,000 jobs per month has offset persistent contraction across all other industries combined.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Any of the below Alders could have show up to meet quorum. But they didn’t care enough about domestic violence/their jobs to bother to do so. (My alder showed up) Will any of them show up at the Community Violence Intervention/Gender Based Violence conference on Tuesday at Malcolm X?

Text from an article listing cowardly Chicago alderpersons who didn’t show up to a hearing on domestic violence. Hall, Michell, Curtis, Taylor, Tabares, Ervin, Taliaferro, Napolitano, Gardiner, and Clay

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Bénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

RFK Jr cancelled the work of the task force that recommends Preventive Medicine. He refused to allow the USPSTF to recommend cervical cancer screening for women or healthy lifestyle interventions for CVD prevention. Cancelled their meetings. www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...

medpagetoday.com

Trump Administration Suppressed USPSTF Recommendations

Group's recommendations on cervical cancer screening, cardiovascular prevention were blocked

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I think that I have once seen the workers with the bags of nuts. I just chalked it up to “wealthy people sure are eccentric,” & went along walking my dog. But this is bananas…nuts

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I happened to have these data pulled up on my computer. Let me save you the click: 2024 YTD: 451 -29% reduction 2025 YTD: 326 -2% reduction Homicides are down

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Look at that aloof guy in the background on his phone while the Secretary of State speaks. He’s too cool for this, obvs

A man in a tight white dress shirt and jeans stands in front of a sparkly green background while speaking to a crowd of people in a store.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Look at my amazing coworkers in the Behavioral Health bureau in that second picture. Meeting our community where it is

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Jared Rutecki @jaredrutecki.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Healthcare providers and community health workers gathered at the South Shore Cultural Center to celebrate the formal launch of a citywide street psychiatry pilot program that aims to directly reach unhoused Chicagoans living with complex mental health needs.

news.wttw.com

Chicago Launches Street Psychiatry Pilot Program to Bring Care to Unhoused Patients

The city’s street psychiatry pilot program is administered by teams of specialized healthcare workers who engage with people at shelters, parks, encampments, CTA transit areas and other community loca...

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Alder Andre Vasquez, Political Account @andrefor40th.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today, I, along with @daniellaspata.bsky.social and an overwhelming number of our colleagues, introduced the expansion of the Smart Streets pilot! When this passes, the map with be citywide, and it will be an ongoing program, not a pilot! We will also partner with the Mayor’s office to budget it out

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 16/09/2026

Happy Baby Safety Month.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Had a work-related need to go Harold Washington Library & check out a physical copy of a book. It’s been 22 years since I worked at one of the U of I library locations, but I still love having a reason to go into libraries.

The archway at Harold Washing Library under the L. A bunch of stupid cars in the way.

The main lobby at Harold Washington Library.

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Block Club Chicago @blockclubchi.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Chicago’s Divvy ridership hit a record high with 3.5 million trips this summer. buff.ly/RIk13dw

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Crashes are not “accidents” if you can see the reasons why they might happen. These four Alders address policy steps to prevent cyclist crashes.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Art! Walk! Art! Walk! Art! Walk!

A man in sunglasses, a blue hat, and peach-ish shirt kinda of smiles amongst the trees.

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Active Transportation Alliance @activetransportation.org · 11/09/2026

Rep. Buckner at first NITA board meeting: "This is not a new acronym on top of the same old problems. This has to be a reset. People will support public transportation when they believe public transportation supports them." activetransportation.org/blog/transit...

activetransportation.org

Transit in the Chicago region kicks off a new chapter | Active Transportation Alliance

A newly created Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) board convened this week for its inaugural meeting, marking a major milestone […]

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The subhead reads “Labor Day caps a historically peaceful summer in Chicago.” Keep this in your back pocket for when that family member asks if you feel safe in the city. Via @chicago.suntimes.com chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/09...

chicago.suntimes.com

6 killed, 28 hurt in Labor Day weekend gun violence

Labor Day caps a historically peaceful summer in Chicago. The city had had 122 murders in June, July and August — the lowest summer total since 1965.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I hope everyone had a fun Bike the Drive. I couldn’t handle volunteering if there wasn’t a holiday tomorrow. Before/after pictured below. #BikeTheDrive

Looking up at Chicago skyscrapers from Grant Park in the dark.

A tired man in an orange shirt under an orange awning with 3 beers sitting in front of him.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Don’t worry! Fire on the track is only minor. Nothing out of the ordinary.

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Chris Kluwe @chriswarcraft.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

As a former professional football player, I can confidently say that this essay is incorrect from every conceivable angle, and contributes heavily to the culture of toxic masculinity that still infests high schools and colleges across the country.

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Laurie! Live! @laurie-merrell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

continue to appreciate that the Sun Times + WBEZ have consistently reported on the fact that crime is down in Chicago. this article explicitly says mayoral candidates are "sweeping aside the numbers in favor of anecdotes" and "stoking public anxiety" chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/0...

chicago.suntimes.com

Mayoral candidates decry Chicago violence ‘crisis,’ even as summer murders hit 61-year low

Chicago had 122 murders in June, July and August, the lowest summer total since 1965, according to city and police data. But in their mayoral quests, candidates keep stoking public anxiety about viole...

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

The carrot wanter is wanting carrots

A tan and white dog lays on the floor looking up intently in the hopes of getting more carrots.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

It was a long week. The boat cruise last night with one of my wife’s union locals was very needed.

A mean in a white shirt leans his head back against a railing on a boat. The Wrigley Building is lit up in the background.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Listen, jagoff, I was a postdoc at Harvard & I am telling you that you need to get over yourself. This article smacks of “I liked treating them like children but they want to be seen as humans?”

A super condescending block of text saying how special Harvard and Yale people are

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

“veers” undersells what happened. I the car smashed through a Jersey barrier and continued over the lakefront trail into the water. The kinetic energy involved was massive

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

For my fellow #BikeChi #ChiBike enthusiasts, I keep one in my saddle bag. On my bike is when I am covering the most ground in the city & therefore most likely to have opportunity to use it.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

This statistician had a stroke when he got to this section of the article. Medians are *specifically resistant* to outliers! Say “average age,” and you’d be fine. But not median!!! www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/n...

White text on a black background. The key phrase is “basically doubled the administration’s median age.”

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Active Transportation Alliance @activetransportation.org · 13/08/2026

Who else can't wait for Bark the Drive? 🐾 Friendly reminder that dogs on cargo bikes are welcome at Bike the Drive! Still haven't registered yet? Head to Bikethedrive.org

A dog on a cargo bike enjoying the best day ever on Lake Shore Drive

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

A lo, I say until you, a good time was had.

A man in a white shirt over a white undershirt, holding a hotdog in one hand, and pointing up with 2 fingers in the other. He is wearing a black mitre on his head and looking away from the camera

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Someday when this girl shuffles off her mortal coil, this is what I will remember: laying in the sunbeam, giving me side-eye when I ask if she wants to go outside.

A tan and white dog lays in the sunbeam on a gray bed

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Work happy hour canceled. I’ll just have NA happy hour with my girl instead.

A yellow and orange can of non-alcoholic beer in the foreground. A tan and white dog looks back at the camera in a sassy fashion

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Active Transportation Alliance @activetransportation.org · 04/08/2026

"From 2000–2024, there were 528,245 ± 9,042 preventable deaths in U.S. traffic crashes at an economic cost of $754 B and VSL of $4.30 T." Time and time again we have made the choice against proven strategies that would save lives.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I’ll save you a click since I was looking at these data this morning for work: Through July 31st •2.4% higher than 2025 (250 v 244) •29% lower than 2024 (250 v 350) I.e., same as last year, which was a historic reduction.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

All of the stories under the Crime header of the @chicago.suntimes.com homepage are of traffic crashes right now (9:20 am 8/3). Traffic violence = bad? Huge if true.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

She’s been lethargic since mom has been out of town.

A tan and brown dog lays on a gray dog bed.

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SideStreets @sidestreets.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

We need a mayor who doesn't just wing it. Hatched and raised right here in Chicago, Imani is raising his chicks in the same neighborhood he grew up in. He knows what it means to build a home in the city. Vote Imani.

A picture of Imani, the piping plover, on the sandy ground of Montrose Beach, with the words "IMANI FOR MAYOR overhead surrounded by two six-pointed stars.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Big Chicago cred to the Alderperson who said “the CARES program” when referring to CARE (alternative mental health response) in this community meeting. Maybe he’ll stop at Da Jewels on his way home.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

My “slightest breeze rustling any objects in the house” detector (pictured here hiding in a corner from the danger) went off.

a little tan and white dog sits in the corner looking concerned into the distance

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

MAHA has failed to get any of its major goals. So in their time left all that remains is grifting.

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Any #BikeChi have any information on a cyclist hit by a bus near State and Roosevelt?

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A public health story in two parts. Or, pushing food safety decisions onto the customer.

Two bags of pre-made Taylor farms salad kits

Two empty bags of Taylor Farms salad kits sitting by a green compost bucket

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Chicago, Bike Grid Now! @bikegridnow.org · 17/07/2026

We are SO tired of being hit on Lincoln Ave so we're jamming. The NW side has Milwaukee, the SW side has Archer, and the West side is getting Ogden. We want the same for Lincoln Ave, which CDOT is not maintaining. 📍 Oz Park (Lincoln/Larrabee/Webster) ⏰ Monday 7/27, 6:30 meet, 6:45 roll

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

And then another Ghost Red at Howard. FIVE GHOST TRAINS SINCE 5 pm

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Two! Two ghost trains waiting at Davis to head back into the city. This is after an earlier ghost Purple northbound at Howard this evening. Is the weekend Purple always this bad? #chicago #cta

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Dave Swedler @daveswedler.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

At @cdph.bsky.social we have the largest network of urban air quality sensors. This is what it looked like this morning. Things are bad map.clarity.io/open-air-chi...

A map of the city of Chicago made up of dots. The dots are mostly red.

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