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Deanna Zandt // dz

@deanna.bsky.social
7.4K followers 229 following 131 posts

Generally entertaining human.

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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I'm back with part 2 of the AI series I'm writing for @jimhightower.com: Data centers! In this post, I attempt once again to separate hype and hubbub from doom, though admittedly, there's a whole lotta doom with this part.
jimhightower.substack.com
Friday Signpost: Data Centers, Explained: What They Are and What They're Costing Your Community (Part 2)
Data centers aren’t new—they’ve been around for decades. The current building frenzy is something else entirely, though. Here’s what’s what.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
For my work with @jimhightower.com, I wrote an AI explainer for our largely non-technical audience. I've tried to strip out both hype and doom, while hitting on the concentration of power that AI companies are creating. Part 1 is here; part 2, on data centers, comes next week.
jimhightower.substack.com
Friday Signpost: They're Calling AI a “Revolution.” Here's What's Actually Going On. (Part 1)
The first in a two-part series explaining, in plain English, what artificial intelligence is and why it’s everywhere right now.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
There needs to be a Dolly emoji. #Dollymoji #IfNotNowWhen
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
In @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s New York, the fairies are moving back. Nature is healing ✨🧚‍♂️
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Someone just biked by my house, talking on the phone, and said the phrase, "Airbnb for magicians." Please tell me I'm in the timeline where this was supposed to be a joke. I beg of you.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
I found a Hightower in his natural habitat! @jimhightower.com
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
We are now in Purgatory Spring. It will be neither warm nor cold the next several weeks. You will always choose the wrong jacket. Good luck.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
NYC: This Fool’s Spring. Do not try to hold onto it. Enjoy it for the tart it is and release it when it leaves, as it inevitably will. It’s a vacation fling, not partner material.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
In addition to the death and trauma: www.payforwar.com Updated every second.
payforwar.com
PayForWar.com — What is this war costing you?
Real-time cost tracker for U.S. military operations in Iran. Updated every second.
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Jim Hightower @jimhightower.com · 17/02/2026
One of the luckiest breaks in my life is that I got to work with and learn from #JesseJackson. The Reverend didn't just talk — he rallied a multiracial populist movement and actually led. #RestInPeace
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Tech always feels more complicated as we age, but I've been noticing some troubling patterns the last few years with obstacles that people over 70-75 are up against.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Just a little light philosophy while chatting’ with the homies.
The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters. Antonio Gramsci
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
I don’t have any armchair QB’ing in me, thank goodness, but I wanted to share some very small things that have come up for me this weekend in the wake of Saturday’s events in Minneapolis. Thx to @jonesforar.bsky.social for the light of connection. deannazandt.substack.com/p/small-thou...
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Man notorious for fucking teenagers in Russia thinks the Epstein scandal is overblown.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
I got to participate in the table read of a brilliant play today, & realized I might, at 50 yrs old, finally get DISCOVERED. I needed an acting resume! Whipped one up right beforehand, & someone saw it and left notes! Eeeeeeeee! Zoom in, it’s all worth it. “Alarming Cackle” will be my memoir title
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
I was overwhelmed by the conflicting info on NYC ballot proposals so I made a spreadsheet: bit.ly/2025BallotNYC
bit.ly
2025 NYC Ballot proposals
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Who's got ballot measure info? I asked @nywfp.bsky.social via text but they didn't have this time 😭
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
2/ Brave people standing up can spark waves of change. No community or country is a monolith. We are in this together and my heart heals a tiny bit when I hear these stories.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
1/ My dear friend and longtime comrade @msifry.bsky.social has a new book out-- I've been helping him bring it to the world, and I have learned about a badass peace movement sparked by *Israeli reserve officers*, of all people, that I never knew existed.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
I am “googled a meme I didn’t understand and found a NYTimes article about it from several months ago” years old
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
I made this! Heeeeeee. Plus: this is one of the coolest programs I’ve ever heard of: using improv to teach girls leadership skills!! YES ✨😍
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
✨✨ Happy September!! TL;DR> Hire me! ✨✨ www.linkedin.com/in/deannazandt
✨✨ Happy September!! TL;DR> Hire me! ✨✨
--
As I wrap up a set of projects, I once again have availability for new clients. "What will she do for money?" I hear you ask. Well, I won't do *that* (yet), but here's what I *will* do:

* Design and build small Wordpress based websites, either as a one-time deal with handoff, or with an ongoing support contract
* Support establishing or growing a Substack newsletter, for fun and for profit
* Create text- and image-based social media posts that align with and help realize an organization's strategic goals
* Advise on what those goals should be, if needed
* Work with your organization to perform a digital audit, and/or vet digital-services vendors for you (creating RFPs, reviewing proposals, interviewing candidates)

My topic specialities include media, advocacy, nonprofits, mental health/emotional wellness, early childhood policy/advocacy, gender-affirming work, rural issues and more. 

Examples of my work are available on request, and check out some new recommendations in my LinkedIn profile (linkinbio ofc) from folks I've worked with recently. I'm also open to hearing about things I don't have listed here, but that you might think of me for!
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
A little light reading! deannazandt.substack.com/p/between-pa...
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 17/08/2025
#thisis50👩‍🎤💖
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
I am very much enjoying Texas politics for once. jimhightower.substack.com/p/here-we-go...
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Such a great feeling: while I'm prepping one of @jimhightower.com's columns for posting, I have to call him and ask him to send me the source for his criticism of Greg Abbott taking corrupt campaign donations because there's so many out there, I can't tell which one he's referring to *this time.* 🫠
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
🦁Help me find a venue for my 50th birthday party this August!🦁
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Years ago, I asked friends what they would do if they weren't professional activists. Cecile Richards commented that she's always wanted to have her own taco truck. THIS IS OUR MOMENT TO HONOR HER LEGACY @ppact.org
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
I just went to open the NYT Games app but accidentally open the MTA app which speaks volumes about the state of… *waves hands* things.
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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
I talked to someone who didn't vote in 2024. I asked her why. She said she hates Trump policies, but thought Kamala "couldn't speak well." I asked her what she meant. She watched a YouTube video that was spliced to make Kamala look like an idiot. This voter fell for it and stayed home. The point?
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Funny story: The first time I met @jimhightower.com in person after I started working for him in 2005, I told him (before I knew that he literally does not own a computer and never has) that I thought it was really cool that he was kind of one of the original podcasters.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
God bless these angels
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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Hi, friend. How many doors did you knock in rural America? Which rural Democratic candidate did you support? How many phone calls did you make to rural folks? Most of my neighbors don’t even have a Dem to vote for. It’s why I work so hard in rural spaces. Sincerely, A corn fed Democrat
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Chris Jones @jonesforar.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
The Trump/Musk $1 billion USDA cuts will absolutely hurt families, schools, food banks, and local farmers across Arkansas. Just look at the numbers. The real question: Why hasn’t Gov. Sanders used her close personal relationship with President Trump to stand up for Arkansas farmers and families?
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Does anyone else feel like the goal of the coup is a @nealstephenson.bsky.social “Snow Crash” style dystopia?
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Bill Hogseth @billhogseth.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
The ruling class wants us hopeless. Because hopeless people don’t fight back. At GROWW, we organize working-class people in small towns & rural areas to win real fights in western WI. Hope is a skill. We build it through action. That’s why I stood with Bernie Sanders yesterday in Altoona, WI
youtu.be
Bill Hogseth on Hope
YouTube video by John Calabrese
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
🚨 Brag alert, not even gonna try for faux-humble: This is one of the things I've been working furiously for the last two years! I was put in charge of transitioning a print publication with a robust, mostly Boomer, subscriber base to Substack. jimhightower.substack.com/p/milestone-...
jimhightower.substack.com
Milestone: We've reached 50,000+ subscribers!
Two years ago, we made the extremely difficult and, frankly, heartbreaking decision to stop publishing the print edition of The Hightower Lowdown, after over 20 years in the business.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
There’s someone close by, in a neighbor’s house that shares our block’s backyards, who is laughing so hard that it’s infectious. The sound is ricocheting off all the backs of the buildings and I can’t help but wonder how many of us are awake and giggling together. 😆❤️
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Ken. Buddy. This isn't a framework for action. I support you and dug what you've built and what you've said you wanted to do, truly. This... this ain't it, friend. Hit us everyday folk up, we're chomping at the bit for taking this party back.
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Scarleteen @scarleteen.com · 18/02/2025
Our focus is on sharing resources and providing support to our community, NEVER on how to appease those who benefit from our silence and fear. We’re not going anywhere and will continue to be here for you when you need us 🖤
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
Maybe he’s onto something… #mentalhealth #ssri #prozac #depression
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
One of the most helpful, solid, hyperbole-free, dismissive-free, comforting things I’ve consumed about the last few weeks. @fivefourpod.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/6NoN...
open.spotify.com
Your Trump 2.0 Questions, Answered [UNLOCKED]
5-4 · Episode
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
"Experts on tyranny point out that people are ill equipped to handle fascism because they make it look inevitable, and we lose our ability to envision the alternative." reframingamerica.substack.com/p/restoring-...
reframingamerica.substack.com
Restoring Sanity
We will prevail. We need to talk like it.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
@iwriteok.bsky.social I shouted out your Woody Guthrie episodes as my pick for our recs this week at @jimhightower.com's substack. We're pretty obsessed with him and these were just such a delight! ✊https://jimhightower.substack.com/p/a-weekend-note-from-us-what-were
Deanna’s picks: Down the Woody Guthrie rabbit hole again

I was out a dive bar in my neighborhood singing karaoke last weekend, and I was wearing my “This Machine Kills Fascists” T-shirt from The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa. A guy came over to me, pointed to my shirt, and yelled, “Woody Guthrie is AWESOME.” This is not something one expects to have yelled at them in an old-school, working-class Brooklyn neighborhood dive bar! We got to talking, and he told me about two episodes of a podcast called “Behind the Bastards.”

Now, normally the show covers, shall we say, challenging people as their focus, but for their holiday episode, they choose a really great human and cover lesser-known aspects of their life. This past year, they chose Woody Guthrie! (One of the hosts is from Oklahoma, and the podcast overall have a pretty strong left-leaning lens.) I listened to both, and absolutely loved diving in. There’s something to learning about all of the complicated parts of our heroes—it makes them more human, more accessible, more worthy (in my opinion) of our love. Here are the episodes on YouTube; you can also find them wherever you get your podcasts.
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Deanna Zandt // dz @deanna.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Ok, ok, ok. We are all scared and angry. But the bullshit some people are saying about rural people is infuriatingly ignorant and makes our work SO MUCH HARDER. You think all rural people voted for Trump and now they’re “getting what they voted for”? STFU RIGHT TF NOW.
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Heather Chapman @mothertongue.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Axing USAID isn’t just hurting developing countries. It hurts our economy too, because USAID pays farmers, researchers, businesses, universities, and nonprofits nationwide to provide food assistance. #USAIDRural #FarmersFirst #AmericansFirst
A drawing of the outline of the state of Kentucky with the following text: USAID Supports Kentucky Agricultural Producers
USAID partners with businesses, universities, nonprofits, and farmers across Kentucky to provide lifesaving agricultural assistance around the world. A Kansas State University study on the value of USAID agricultural research showed a return of $8.52 for every dollar invested.
The University of Kentucky partners with USAID to train agricultural researchers in Indonesia to sustainably address local challenges - reducing the need for future assistance.
Two Large-Scale Kentucky Farmers fulfill direct orders for humanitarian food assistance.
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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
USAID supports Missouri Ag producers. I hope you’ll share… #USAIDrural
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Blue Ohio | Every State Blue @everystateblueoh.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
USAID supports Ohio Ag producers – businesses, universities, nonprofits, and farmers. #USAIDRural
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JLRay @jlray.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Elon's war on the Constitution directly hurts Texas farmers. Here in Texas, USAID has an ROI well above its cost, realized in our groceries, food supply chain, our tech and research sectors, our teachers who impart agricultural sciences to the next generation of Texans. I support Texas, not Elon.
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Jim Hightower @jimhightower.com · 06/02/2025
USAID is more than just foreign spending-- it also supports farmers and rural industry here at home. Here's how just Texas benefits. #USAIDRural
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