iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Debt Collective 🟥 @debtcollective.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

he University of California system was once the largest and most prestigious public school system IN THE WORLD — but today, more of the UC's budget comes from tuition than taxes. We have to fight for formerly public systems like the UC to be truly public — and tuition-free — once again.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Christy Kelly-Bisson @garlicbreath644.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

“I found no evidence of foreign companies buying farmland in the region,” Kelly-Bisson said in a statement. “The entities that are most responsible for taking farmland ownership away from farmers are Canadian investment companies.” Just to clarify, my statement was referring to eastern Ontario.

cbc.ca

ANALYSIS | Ontario bill aiming to expand northern farming raises land ownership, affordability concerns | CBC News

The Ontario government says expanding agriculture in the Clay Belt would strengthen food security and support farmers. But some farmers, researchers and environmental advocates say the plan leaves que...

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Stentor Danielson @chefstentor.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Congratulations to our new union comrades at Penn State! Especially glad to hear the union covers temporary and part time faculty as well, to head off attempts to pit adjunct and TT against each other. www.centredaily.com/news/local/e...

centredaily.com

Penn State faculty vote to unionize in one of PA’s largest public sector union elections

“This is an historic union election and the largest union election in Pennsylvania’s public sector in nearly five decades.”

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Stefan Ouma @econgeo.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

We are turning 30, with a blast! @emilyreisman.bsky.social, @landstuff.bsky.social and Zenia Kish take us into the world of agrarian platform capitalism. Read more: institutionallandscapes.org/contribution... #geosky @landrush.bsky.social @antipodeonline.bsky.social @pollenetwork.bsky.social

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Madeleine Fairbairn @landstuff.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

California produced a report proposing policies that would foster more equitable access to farmland. The Trump USDA freaked out and threatened legal action. Adam Calo and I wrote an op-ed on why these policies are EXACTLY what the state needs to make our food system stronger and more sustainable.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

I’ve been writing Popular Information for 8 years, and this is one of the most important stories I’ve ever published. This is a humanitarian crisis that has gone unreported.

ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months

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Louise Seamster @louiseseamster.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

TIL about the Baldwin Test, and this example of applying it to edtech (and the other ex upthread) is instructive for all of us, providing specific ways we can be more intentional about description of tech claims. these principles are also more broadly applicable to other overhyped domains.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Patrick Bigger @pmbigger.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Since I walked away from a tenure track job 4 years ago to move to think tank work, A LOT of people have asked me how and why; I tried to consolidate some of that thinking into this interview I did with @mjhaugen.bsky.social for @cplusc.bsky.social 's substack

climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com

“How Do You Solve for Impact?”

An interview with Patrick Bigger on leaving academia, strategic research, and scholar activism

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Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Democratizing finance by turning everyone into a venture capitalist.

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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 18/09/2025

These are precedented times and the precedent is a loud ass warning www.nytimes.com/1939/02/04/a...

nytimes.com

Goebbels Ends Careers of Five 'Aryan' Actors Who Made Witticisms About the Nazi Regime (Published 1939)

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IPES-Food @ipes-food.org · 18/07/2025

The Orwellian myth at the heart of industrial agriculture? That environmental destruction is actually conservation. This must-read essay traces how productivism – the obsession with yield – fuels ecocide & colonialism, while failing to 'feed the world'. 📖 spectrejournal.com/the-enduring...

spectrejournal.com

The Enduring Fantasy of “Feeding the World” – Spectre Journal

Members of the Agroecology Research-Action Collective argue against the productivist logic underlying the "feed-the-world" approaches to feed security.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

John Skiles Skinner @skiles.blue · 16/06/2025

The majority of DOGE's "work" is to use LLMs to search federal grants for the keywords "LGBTQ," "BIPOC," and similar, and then to cancel those grants. They are targeting minorities in the most literal, automated way. The outcomes of this are all over their own website:

Department of Government Efficiency
@DOGE
RT @SecRollins: 🚨@USDA was funding a $397K grant in the San Francisco Bay to educate queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers and consumers ab…Read more
DOGE
Secretary Brooke Rollins
@SecRollins
🚨@USDA was funding a $397K grant in the San Francisco Bay to educate queer, trans, and BIPOC urban farmers and consumers about food justice and values-aligned markets…🤦🏻‍♀️

This grant has been CANCELLED.
@DOGE @DOGE_USDA
06:08 PM · Mar 12, 2025

Department of Government Efficiency
@DOGE
While looking into this, the team identified a $25,000 award entitled “Empowering LGBTQIA+ Refugees in Greece” with the description “To provide material, legal and psychological support to LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers and refugees; inform and raise awareness of civil society on issues… Read more
DOGE
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
@HSajwanization @e_fragkos @DOGE Wow
03:25 PM · Feb 12, 2025

Department of Government Efficiency
@DOGE
Good work by @US_IMLS @Sonderling47 cancelling $25M in wasteful DEI grants for $15M in savings, including:

-$265K for Queens College in New York to research “why BIPOC teens” read Japanese comic books
-$250K to erect “LGBTQ+ historical markers” across Ohio
-$140K for the
08:04 AM · Apr 3, 2025

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Janessa Goldbeck @janessagoldbeck.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

🚨 There’s a lot of horrific news out of Washington right now—but you might have missed this: Senate Republicans just introduced a plan to sell off 120 million acres of our public lands. Let me break down what’s in the bill and why it’s a full-scale land grab. 🧵

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

With Trump's "big tragic bill," "backed by American industry," reaching its penultimate stage, I want to share a "big democratic alternative" I worked on with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, which would be powered by America's people.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

United Farm Workers @ufw.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Take action today to protect US farm workers. Tell your Congressmembers to say NO to weakened H-2A wage provisions that would undercut American farm workers' wages and protections. ufw.org/aewr #WeFeedYou

A photo of Farm workers laboring in a field with the words: Protect U.S. farm workers. Say No to weakened H-2A provisions.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Emily May @emtomology.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Only a quarter of Illinois farmland is owned by the people who farm it. That’s shaping what’s grown and how it’s grown, including the use of conservation programs/practices. Great in-depth read from @chicagotribune.com www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/01/i...

chicagotribune.com

Who owns most of the farmland in Illinois? Not farmers.

Less than 25% of Illinois farmland is owned by the farmer who works the land, with the rest leased by individuals, family trusts and, increasingly, investors looking to turn a profit.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Alex Kirshner @alexkirshner.com · 16/05/2025

this is a letter to the editor from a high school track runner who came in second to a trans girl in a race. her state house rep in maine started talking about it. so she wrote this: www.pressherald.com/2025/05/14/r...

Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, recently used my second-place finish in the 1,600-meter run, and that of my teammate in the 800-meter run, to malign Soren Stark-Chessa, the trans-identified athlete who finished first.

One of the reasons I chose to run cross-country and track is the community: Teammates cheering each other on, athletes from different schools coming together, and the fact that personal improvement is valued as much as, if not more than, the place we finish.

Last Friday, I ran the fastest 1,600-meter race I have ever run in middle school or high school track and earned varsity status by my school’s standards. I am extremely proud of the effort I put into the race and the time that I achieved. The fact that someone else finished in front of me didn’t diminish the happiness I felt after finishing that race. I don’t feel like first place was taken from me. Instead, I feel like a happy day was turned ugly by a bully who is using children to make political points.

We are all just kids trying to make our way through high school. Participating in sports is the highlight of high school for some kids. No one was harmed by Soren’s participation in the girls’ track meet, but we are all harmed by the hateful rhetoric of bullies, like Rep. Libby, who want to take sports away from some kids just because of who they are.

Anelise Feldman
Freshman, Yarmouth High School
Yarmouth

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Even labor exploitation, structural racism, and environmental/climate destruction subsidize AI companies, they're still not close to being profitable.

Some astonishing numbers in here:
-OpenAI loses $2 for every $1 it makes
-OpenAI projects annual losses of $14 billion by 2026
-To break even OpenAI needs to increase revenue 25x in just 5 years
-33% of VC portfolios are committed to AI
-5 AI-heavy stocks account for 29% of the S&P 500's value

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

.chantal//RYAN @thoughtrise.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

unfollowing everyone on linkedin except this guy

linkedin post screenshot:

Ken Cheng - I want to connect with you, emotionally)

Al will never be able to write like me. Why? Because | am now inserting random sentences into every post to throw off their language learning models. Any Al emulating me will radiator freak yellow horse spout nonsense. 1 wiite all my emails, That's Not My Baby and reports like this to protect my data waffle iron 40% off. 1 suggest all writers and artists do the same Strawberry mango Forklift. The robot nerds will never get the better of Ken Hey can | have whipped cream please? Cheng. We can tuna fish tango foxtrot defeat Al. We just have to talk like this. All. The. Time. Piss on carpet

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Madeleine Fairbairn @landstuff.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Know how the secretary of education was referring to AI as "A1"? I've just discovered the generational inverse of this: my 9-year-old is reading a book about Al Capone. Turns out he's been reading it as: "A.I. Caponey." It took me ages to figure out what he was talking about.

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Madeleine Fairbairn @landstuff.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

This really mild petition asking Newsom and the UC system to stand up for academic freedom and freedom of speech has reached 2,000 signatures from UC faculty, but it should have much more. UC Faculty, there is still time to sign!!!

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

IPES-Food @ipes-food.org · 10/04/2025

The US #LandSqueeze in a graph. As farm sizes climb, the number of farms continues to fall. When farmland is concentrated into fewer and fewer hands, #food becomes commoditized and uniform. Rural communities are hollowed out. Diverse foods rely on diverse farms.

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Madeleine Fairbairn @landstuff.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

I cannot wait to read this article. It explores the role of the law in enabling the financialization of farmland in recent years. This is such an important topic and I have no doubt the analysis will be absolutely brilliant, like everything else @jessicashoemaker.bsky.social writes.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Janel Comeau 🍁 @verybadllama.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I have tariffed the penguins that are on Heard Island and which you were probably assuming did not export goods forgive me they were taking advantage of us so cunning and so cold

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Strom Thurmond's record is 24 hours and 18 minutes which was done against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 & in defense of segregation. Cory Booker, a Black senator from Jersey, breaking his record to speak out against a white supremacist President would be poetic justice.

cnn.com

Cory Booker crosses 23-hour mark in marathon Senate floor speech protesting Trump agenda | CNN Politics

Sen. Cory Booker is holding the Senate floor into Tuesday afternoon, as the New Jersey Democrat continues his marathon speech protesting actions taken by President Donald Trump’s administration.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy @iatp.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

IATP joins calls for the release of Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez from ICE detention. Farmworker organizations on the ground believe that ICE targeted Lelo for his leadership in standing up for farmworkers and immigrants in his community. @foodchainworkers.bsky.social foodchainworkers.org/2025/03/we-d...

foodchainworkers.org

We Demand the Release of Farmworker Leader Alfredo "Lelo" Juarez from ICE Detention - Food Chain Workers Alliance

FCWA is calling for ally organizations to join use in demanding Lelo's release by signing on to our open letter.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Mike McCarthy @itsmccarthy.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Got serious on the Macro + Cheese podcast about how finance degrades democracy, creates oligarchy + state deformations, and why the solution to our crises is economic democracy. All themes in The Master’s Tools for @versobooks.bsky.social Check it out! realprogressives.org/mnc-podcast-...

realprogressives.org

Episode 320 - Breaking Out The Master's Tools with Michael McCarthy

Professor Michael McCarthy on the decline of labor power, the rise of neoliberalism, and the ramifications of financialization on democracy and inequality.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Haroon Akram-Lodhi @ahakram-lodhi.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Quoting @ianmosby.bsky.social: "I don't care if my work is pirated for non-commercial uses. I do care when it's pirated by ruthless tech oligarchs" 54 works by me have been used by Meta to train its AI

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Jennifer Clapp 🇨🇦 @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Today is publication day! I explain how agricultural inputs - which weren't even widely traded market goods 200 years ago - have become giant industries dominated by just a handful of transnational firms today. mitpress.mit.edu/978026255170... Many thanks to those who helped me along the way!

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IPES-Food @ipes-food.org · 12/02/2025

The undocumented farmworkers who power *up to 50% of the US agricultural workforce* face mounting fears of expulsion under Trump's deportation agenda. Risking not only people's lives, but crippling labor shortages, #foodsystem disruptions, & soaring #food prices. www.forbes.com/sites/daphne...

forbes.com

How Donald Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Threatens U.S. Food Supply

With half of farmworkers consisting of undocumented migrants, the Trump immigration crackdown could lead to labor shortages, disrupted food supply and increased prices.

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Ben Lilliston @benlilliston.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

"many federal agencies that specifically serve rural America could suffer deep job losses from Trump and Musk’s proposed `deferred resignation' offer to civilian government employees." open.substack.com/pub/thecockl...

open.substack.com

The Trump-Musk War on Federal Workers Could Hit Rural America hard.

239 rural counties from all over the nation have local economies driven by federal and state government employees.

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Reposted by Madeleine Fairbairn

Ximena Bustillo @ximenabustillo.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This is what happens when you go to rural.gov which used to be the site the Biden admin used to connect/discuss federal programs targeting rural communities. USDA is the only fed agency with the specific rural mandate, including housing, internet, + infrastructure

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Marcia Brown @marciabrown.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

USDA has resumed debt collection and foreclosure proceedings against farmers who have struggled to pay back their loans, according to a notice obtained by POLITICO Wednesday, as it moves to suspend a $3.1B program designed to help struggling borrowers. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

subscriber.politicopro.com

POLITICO Pro: USDA moves to pause debt relief program, resumes foreclosures against struggling farmers

Stephen Miller’s legal group sued to block an earlier version of the debt relief during the Biden administration.

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Tanja Schneider @taschn.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

🌳 Cornelius Heimstädt @cheimstaedt.bsky.social and I call for contributions to a special issue on valuing sustainability for Valuation Studies. Looking forward to your submissions 📝

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IPES-Food @ipes-food.org · 15/01/2025

Hunger is political—it's not a technological problem. Technology can’t fix who decides who eats. Technology can't uproot the deep inequalities that keep people hungry. You can’t invent your way out of inequality. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

theguardian.com

Nobel prize winners call for urgent ‘moonshot’ effort to avert global hunger catastrophe

More than 150 Nobel and World Food prize laureates sign open letter calling for immediate ramping up of food production

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Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

omg this clip is great. this is Cerulean belt levels of "do artifacts have politics" great

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Lindsay Naylor @lbnaylor.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

So excited to share the cover for my new book out with University of Georgia Press in 2025. "All Geographers should be Feminist Geographers: creating care-full academic spaces" --starting to feel real!! Thanks to @mickodopolous.bsky.social and team! ♥️ #geosky #geogchat

Cover of new book. Brick courtyard of mentor's circle with sculpture on college campus, with brick buildings in the background.

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Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

The greatest trick the likes of Blackstone ever pulled was convincing the world they actually have the remotest interest in helping solve housing shortages

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