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Derek A. Michaud

@derek-michaud.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1K following 155 posts

Senior Lecturer and Chair of Philosophy, University of Maine.

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Reposted by Derek A. Michaud
Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 19h
"Yeah, in Germany today, you can't even support far-right efforts to ban Holocaust memorials without someone calling you a Nazi! What is this country coming to?" (www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
"But Silke Schutz, 63, a baker who called herself a “staunch AfD voter”, described the Stolpersteine as “a waste of money, regardless of who pays for them”.

“There are so many victims no one cares about,” she said, citing people killed in traffic accidents. “We had nothing to do with the war and at some point it [remembrance] has got to come to an end. But when I express my opinion, I’m insulted as a Nazi.”"
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Kate Manne @katemanne.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ban the fucking frats and, if you care about self-protection in the way many of us do, please avoid them katemanne.substack.com/p/ban-the-fu...
katemanne.substack.com
Ban the Fucking Frats—and in the Meantime, Avoid Them
My open letter to a seventeen-year-old female college applicant
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Ryan CrawCour @ryan.crawcour.social · 01/10/2026
BREAKING NEWS: Tensions between Thor and the Care Bears have escalated rapidly overnight.
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
www.mainepublic.org/education-ne...
mainepublic.org
UMaine will lay off faculty and staff to make up for a $19 million budget shortfall next year
The plan also calls for eliminating one-fifth of currently vacant positions, combining course sections and eventually closing programs with low enrollment to reduce costs.
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Joseph Rezek @rezekjoe.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
BREAKING: Boston University's English department (my dept) recently voted to approve new learning outcomes for the English major, including an anti-AI provision that requires students to “craft and revise writing that is sustained, original, and generated without the assistance of AI."
bu.edu
New Learning Outcomes Announced | English
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
US data centers will be use more natural gas than any country except China, Russia, Iran and the United States. It's like we're inventing a huge new nation, just when the climate needs it least billmckibben.substack.com/p/the-two-ho...
billmckibben.substack.com
The Two Horsemen, Riding in Formation
Is There Suddenly an Opening for AI and Climate Sense?
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Shana Tova!
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AAUP @aaup.org · 05/09/2026
"The AAUP is not going to stand by & watch President Trump once again attempt to destroy the greatest system of higher education in the world that gives opportunity to a diverse set of students for a diverse country. Yes, emphatically, yes. We are going to fight this." – Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
npr.org
IRS targets private schools that help racial minority students
The Trump administration has said it will end the tax-exempt status for universities with programs that help racial minority students.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The House voted to condemn “socialism” earlier this week. Listen, I’ve been in and around politics for over 50 years. I grew up during McCarthyism and the “red Scare” of the 1950s. I’ve seen all of this fear-mongering before. Here’s what’s really going on.
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Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
No undergrad should be using an LLM and it's absurdly irresponsible to suggest otherwise.
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
From the NFL to philosophy: Dr. Mike DeVito tackles life's toughest questions at UMaine Details: tinyurl.com/yzcbvf7a
tinyurl.com
From the NFL to philosophy: Mike DeVito tackles life’s toughest questions at UMaine - University of Maine Athletics
ORONO, Maine -- Mike DeVito waited until the second-down play was over, dropped to the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium and grabbed his leg.
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Simon Hewitt @leedshewitt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
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EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
No professional accomplishment has ever made me happier than this. theonion.com/translator-o...
theonion.com
Translator Of Original ‘Minions’ Epic Poem Slams ‘Sexless, Bloodless’ Film Adaptation
PHILADELPHIA—In a 4,500-word essay published in Harper’s Magazine, Emily Wilson, known for her popular translation of the Minions epic poem, blasted the latest film Thursday as a “sexless, bloodless” ...
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Wilson's translation was published in 2017. Nolan began writing his script in 2024.
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EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I wrote about the Nolan Odyssey for the LRB. I'll summarize some of my main points below, in case you don't feel like reading all that. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Emily Wilson · An Uncomplicated Man
As they say at the awards shows, I was humbled to learn that Christopher Nolan has read at least the first line of my...
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 21/07/2026
NYC is hosting the annual Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the 1st time in 35 years, & the Para National Championships for the 1st time ever. We’re giving away 500 free tickets for New Yorkers to experience this historic moment. Enter the lottery by 11 PM tonight! on.nyc.gov/TrackAndField
on.nyc.gov
WIN YOUR CHANCE TO JOIN US AT THE USA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Please click the link to complete this form.
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Ken Bazinet @kenbazinet.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Last September, Collins accepted a $10,000 donation from Epstein associate Casey Wasserman, including $7,000 to her campaign committee and $3,000 to Dirigo PAC sponsored by Collins. Wasserman also hosted a Hollywood fundraiser for Collins, MTN reported. #EpsteinCoverUp #SusieTheEnabler
yahoo.com
More Donations from Epstein Contacts to Susan Collins Uncovered
Collins took money from men on the Epstein list before voting against releasing the files
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Michael Socolow @michaelsocolow.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
From ex-wife of the ICE Agent who shot the innocent Mainer: "Ashley Brouillette told a reporter that she wanted to speak publicly because she had previously reported concerns to his superiors in the military about his mental health. She said he was abusive in their relationship."
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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 16/07/2026
OK.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 14/07/2026
This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.
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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
It's tragically appropriate that we spent a whole generation telling students that the humanities were moribund, and they should all study STEM, only for the greatest innovations in STEM to prove why the humanities were so essential all along.
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Angry Staff Officer @pptsapper.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Happy “liberal arts professor helps save the Union” day to all who celebrate
Charge of the 20th Maine at Little Round Top
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The Chicago Manual of Style @chicagomanual.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
ICYMI: An em dash can be used in place of almost any mark of punctuation in a sentence—for better or worse. Details in the Q&A.
chicagomanualofstyle.org
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition
Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for ...
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Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 24/06/2026
Opinion | Humanists often invoke truth, beauty, and the soul. The better case is more concrete: In an AI-saturated world, close reading, clear thinking, and precise writing are survival skills, not luxuries. chroni.cl/4g3Ve2g
chroni.cl
Why Are Humanists So Bad at Defending the Humanities?
There is a more persuasive case, and it’s been ignored.
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Looks like we sent the USWNT to this World Cup.
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Pop Culture & Theology (& Religion, too) @popandtheology.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I know there are Stephen King fans here interested in contributing to this book!
popularcultureandtheology.com
Call for Papers: Theology and Religion in the Works of Stephen King
Theology and Religion in the Works of Stephen King Call for Papers Stephen King has aptly been labeled ‘The King of Horror’ and is one of the most prolific and successful authors in history. With a…
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AAUP @aaup.org · 08/06/2026
Today, the AAUP released the Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2025–26. It is sobering. Full-time faculty salaries are down about 0.4% in real, inflation-adjusted terms. Average full-time faculty salaries remain 9.5% below fall 2019 & about 5.8% below fall 2008. 1/
aaup.org
Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession Now Available
This year's Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession finds that faculty salaries are still losing ground to inflation and expands data collection on part-time faculty pay.
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Jordan S. Carroll 🌹 @jordanscarroll.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
everyone, I have produced a report on how to remedy the decline of scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. here it is: Executive Summary: Fund the Humanities and Social Sciences. Body: Fund the Humanities and Social Sciences a hell of a lot more. Please cite this as the Carroll report.
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David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
GOP: we will cut all college programs that do not support our theology DEMS: we will cut the same programs, but because they don’t support the business school or the new AI venture
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 03/06/2026
1. How common is LLM use in scientific publishing, and how does it vary across field, publisher, journal prestige, author demographics etc.? @kylesiler.bsky.social has new paper in PNAS that addresses this question on a massive scale: 7.3 million papers from Elsevier, PLOS, MDPI, and Frontiers.
pnas.org
The diffusion of large language models in published academic articles | PNAS
Large language models (LLMs) are rapidly changing academic research, raising questions of who is adopting these tools and under what conditions. Th...
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Amy Fried @asfried.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
The Dunlap campaign says that a pro-Baldacci Super PAC "just spent a HALF MILLION DOLLARS on TV ads and mail." If you oppose DC elites pushing their candidates on Mainers, don't rank Baldacci. Personally I'm putting Dunlap first and hpe you will include him in your rankings. #mepolitics
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
UC Berkeley Law creates new AI policy that bans AI for "conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising, translating, or editing any work submitted for credit" or exams because "thinking remains the sine qua non of good lawyering (and of a quality legal education)." That's what I'm talking about.
Rule:
The use of AI is prohibited for aid in conceptualizing, outlining, drafting, revising,
translating, or editing any work submitted for credit. AI use is prohibited for any use for
any purpose in any exam situation. Students may not upload course
materials—including assignments, readings, slides, class recordings, or other class
content—into generative AI systems. AI can be used for research on papers ONLY for the
limited purpose of identifying sources, such as cases, statutes, or secondary sources.
Students are responsible for the accuracy of their research and all other aspects of their
submitted work. Citations to sources that do not exist will raise a presumption of
prohibited AI use
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Stoppe callinge them "data centers" and starte callinge them "shitty plagiarism hellmouths" calmatters.org/environment/...
calmatters.org
Data centers are guzzling California’s water. We have no idea how much.
A new report warns that data center buildout is encroaching on California’s most vulnerable, water-stressed communities. The problem is, no one’s saying how much water they use
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Group of academics in regalia.
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Jes Battis @jesbattis.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Once again: there is no *ethical* use of AI. Universities "exploring ethical uses" are cashing in and trying to grab money to survive in the face of government shortfalls. You cannot "ethically" use a machine that steals art, energy, water, and land. Using AI to "make art" is exploitation and theft.
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Justin Caouette, Ph.D. @justincaouette.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Grieving What AI Has Taken from Learning #philsky #philosophy #AI
dailynous.com
Grieving What AI Has Taken from Learning - Daily Nous
"I wonder if these people have ever seen a student’s face when they finally understand something for the first time." Jane Sloan Peters, a professor of religious studies and historical theologian at t...
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Justin Caouette, Ph.D. @justincaouette.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
HOW TO WRITE A PHILOSOPHY PAPER #philsky #philosophy #writing
jazlyncartaya.com
How to Write a Philosophy Paper — Jazlyn Cartaya
A practical guide to writing a philosophy paper, covering the “rules” students can use to produce strong philosophy writing.
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Modern Language Association @modernlanguage.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
"Society needs specialized humanities research—research that delves deeply into literary, linguistic, or cultural topics," says @paulakrebs.bsky.social. We need to invest in humanities research for the advancement of society. #TalkAboutHumanities
Headline: We Need Humanities Research. "Society needs specialized humanities research—research that delves deeply into literary, linguistic, or cultural topics. Just as medical research cannot progress without basic scientific research, so social and cultural criticism needs deep research before it can 'go public.'"  Paula M. Krebs, Executive Director, MLA; Modern Language Association logo, #TalkAboutHumanities
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M. T. Anderson @mt-anderson.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Ironically Vance identifies exactly why the current war is immoral. In no way does it meet the standards of Just War Theory.
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AAUP @aaup.org · 11/04/2026
“There is a massive difference between faculty in their own departments determining that programs are no longer viable—which has been the usual way program closure has been initiated in the past—and such closure decisions being made solely by administrators." Crystal Bartolovich, Syracuse U AAUP
dailyorange.com
Faculty warn of shared governance’s ‘erosion’ after portfolio review
The portfolio review process did not include a faculty vote, reviving concerns over shared governance for some SU faculty members.
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Philosophy Talk @philtalkradio.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
ICYMI Yesterday's not-at-all nasty, brutish, or short broadcast on political philosopher Thomas #Hobbes is now available for download: podcasts.apple.com/rs/podcast/h... #PhilSky
podcasts.apple.com
Hobbes and the Ideal Citizen
Podcast Episode · Philosophy Talk · 5 April · 51min
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 02/04/2026
The death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was found on a Buffalo street in February — five days after Border Patrol agents left him at a doughnut shop — has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Wednesday. to.pbs.org/3NZGHsz
pbs.org
Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide
The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office didn't reach any conclusions about responsibility for Nurul Amin Shah Alam's death.
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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
The greatest evidence for the value of a broad humanistic education is just how many people feel threatened by it. miamiherald.com/news/politic...
amp.miamiherald.com
Florida bans sociology from core curriculum at state universities
For years, Republican lawmakers and education leaders have argued that sociology — especially high-enrollment introductory courses — has been overtaken by progressive ideology
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Derek A. Michaud @derek-michaud.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
My colleague Jessica Miller rocking the public facing philosophy! www.newscentermaine.com/video/news/l...
newscentermaine.com
In the sexy, sumptuous world of “Bridgerton,” a UMaine professor finds weighty themes
Yes, the TV series offers frothy entertainment, but it also tells us about life today
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
HELP AN IMPORTANT STUDY ON ABUSE IN RELIGION If you're 18+ & belonged to any US faith org -- for victim-survivors AND community members who can speak to institutional responses! For adults: SA/harassment. For kids, CSA or ANY kind of abuse, neglect, etc. fordham.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
initial findings in abuse survey: If you were abused by a faith org you had less group trust and sense of community than others.
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Peter Adamson @histphilosophy.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
If you can get to Berkeley this Saturday join us for a workshop on grounding in the history of philosophy! I'll be talking about grounding in Neoplatonism. events.berkeley.edu/CMES/event/3...
events.berkeley.edu
Workshop | Grounding in the History of Philosophy I
This small workshop is the first of two gatherings devoted to the theme of grounding. Although the debate in its contemporary form dates only to th...
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Peter Adamson @histphilosophy.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Just published: a volume in honor of the great Neoplatonism scholar Paul Kalligas! I have a piece in it about Iamblichus and Proclus and how they read Plato's Alcibiades. brill.com/display/titl... #philosophy #philsky #neoplatonism
brill.com
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