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Michael Chae

@michaelchae.bsky.social
108 followers 113 following 214 posts

Collecting books on minimalism. Living on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. 1st person subjective experience. Opinions are only mine.

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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Hard to stop something that is cheaper and more stable. arstechnica.com/science/2026...
arstechnica.com
Trump tried to curb clean energy. It’s booming anyway.
Capacity will rise by a record 45GW this year, according to S&P Global Energy.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
My affliction
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
What is there to say? Read on. Hard to stomach that the human toll wasn't anticipated, studied, considered. www.npr.org/2026/07/17/g...
npr.org
Trump's team says 'no children' died from USAID cuts. Consider these 3 cases
Both Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, who led the effort to sunset the foreign aid agency, have said that no deaths have been linked to the cutting of its funding. These parents tell a different story.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Money obfuscates consequences #climatechange www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/c...
nytimes.com
Without Climate Change, U.S. Heat Wave Called ‘Virtually Impossible’
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Reposted by Michael Chae
derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Justice Brown Jackson's argument for birthright citizenship is very moving. I recommend reading it in full. An excerpt with alt-text below. “The Reconstruction Amendments were an anticaste, antisubordination reset for the Nation, not a mere spot treatment for the dark stain of slavery.” — KBJ
Still, most freed Blacks resisted the pressure to self-deport. Instead, many started organizing toward the creation of the kind of Nation the colonizationists opposed—one that guaranteed liberty and justice for all. In the decades leading up to the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, Black Americans organized and gathered at more than 600 local and national conventions across the country. There, delegates erected the political and intellectual scaffolding for the Fourteenth Amendment and, later, for the Black Civil Rights Movement more generally. 

Critically for present purposes, these visionaries already understood themselves to be American citizens. “The refrains ‘we are Americans’ and ‘we are citizens’ echoed in conferences throughout the North.” Moreover, “[b]irthright figured importantly” as “delegates frequently characterized their status as that of native-born citizens.” The delegates argued that, as such, they had the requisite allegiance, so, at a minimum, the Federal Government owed them the duty of protection. 

The famed orator Frederick Douglass was one of these delegates. Capturing the spirit of the moment, Douglass proclaimed that Chief Justice Taney—the author of the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford, 19 How. 393 (1857)—“[could] do many things, but he [could not] … change the essential nature of things.” In the absence of the artificial evils of slavery and racial subordination, Douglass explained, “the glorious birthright of our common humanity, will become the inheritance of all the inhabitants of this highly favored country.”

Do note this: The citizenship thesis of the Colored Conventions was thus not that some new status should be created and conferred on freed Blacks.It was instead that freed Blacks already had a rightful claim to citizenship because they had been born on American soil. After all, the Nation, from its founding, had “boldly proclaim[ed] that all men are born free and equal, and that consequently life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are inherent in every individual, vested inalienably by natural birthright.” No ideal was more inherently American. Now, “rest[ing their] cause on the republican standard of the revolutionary Fathers,” freed Blacks were “knock[ing] at the doors of the constitution and demand[ing] an entrance.” And “[i]f … asked what evidence [they] bring to sustain [their] qualifications for citizenship, [they would] offer them certificates of … BIRTH and NATIVITY.” Would the Nation live up to its promise?

Such universalist appeals were a conscious choice. Yes, Black Americans had suffered a singular wrong. And yes, they had “fought and bled” for the Union, paying a steep price for their freedom. But the delegates did not rest on these laurels. Rather, they drew upon the moral and political force of the universal principles that were already core to the Nation’s identity.

That bears repeating: Freed Blacks did not advocate for a unique set of rules that catered only to their situation. Nor did they seek to advance their own position relative to, or at the expense and exclusion of, other marginalized groups.Instead, those whose gatherings helped galvanize the push for full equality understood that “[a] diverse origin does not disprove a common nature, nor does it disprove a united destiny.” The firmest foundation for freedom would require an anticaste reset—“both for his sake and for ours”—and would benefit all.

During his U. S. Senate candidacy, Abraham Lincoln developed a similar vision. In the lead-up to the now-famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln explained that the promise of liberty and equality in the Declaration of Independence “was held sacred by all, and thought to include all.” Lincoln expressly and intentionally linked the fate of Black Americans and immigrant groups (“among us perhaps half our people who are not descendants at all” of the Founders), and noted that the Nation’s future hinged on a universal definition of citizenship that excluded neither. He explained that the Declaration’s promise that “all men are created equal” was the “electric cord … that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together,” regardless of race or descent.

The case was made. First, there was war. And then, the delegates’ (and Lincoln’s) universalist view of citizenship made its mark on the Constitution.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Expecting Voldemort to show up after this.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
130 years later, grateful again for Wong Kim Ark taking a stand. www.nbcbayarea.com/news/nationa...
nbcbayarea.com
Wong Kim Ark's descendants celebrate Supreme Court's birthright citizenship decision
Wong Kim Ark's descendants celebrated the Supreme Court decision that upheld his win for birthright citizenship.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Scotland moved beyond treating the symptoms. Worked upstream. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Scotland was the 'murder capital of Europe'. Then it started treating violence like a disease
In the early 2000s you were more three times more likely to be assaulted in Scotland than in the US, but the country now ranks among some of the safest in the world.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
We’ll probably see this kind of headline a few more times. Chasing the shiny new thing before thinking it though.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Here we go again
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
"In fact, the very act of trying to look ahead to discern possibilities and offer warnings is in itself an act of hope." - Octavia Butler
Essay by Octavia Butler in book form
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Paying to become outdated. Kind of like paying to keep measles. Guess we are doing that too.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Add this to the growing list: climate, healthcare, education, ethics, income inequality
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Still one of the best human inventions. A melding of utility, designed space, and overlapping of groups. www.bbc.com/future/artic...
bbc.com
Not just books - how renting a sewing machine from the library can improve democracy
Finland's libraries are increasingly being valued not by how many books they lend, but how they help societies function.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
An immune response www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/u...
nytimes.com
The Reflecting Pool Appears to Be Rejecting Its Makeover
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Zero! #cancer www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Cervical cancer deaths fall to zero in young women given vaccine
A new study finds that hundreds of lives have been saved since school-age girls were offered the HPV jab in 2008.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
That should reduce things by 600%
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Transparency: publicly available calendar doesn't exist, and being in meetings all day doesn't = engagement arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
arstechnica.com
RFK Jr. melts down over NYT report, admits he blacklists reporters
NYT reported Kennedy is disengaged. Kennedy's response seems to show NYT is right.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Increasingly a metaphor for access to healthcare, education and economic mobility in the US. It can stop being a fight if we can stop making it one.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
I notice something new every time I walk by.
A tree at sunset
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Character is revealed in victory and defeat.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Will there be anyone jumping the shark?
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
What do we have against health and dignity?
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Need to broaden our horizon of cancer treatment. Think of the whole person and their whole life. www.npr.org/2026/06/09/n...
npr.org
More Americans survive cancer. But the psychological impacts can persist for years
Due to advancements in treatment and screening, more Americans are surviving cancer. But many are left with lingering mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
We’ve got it good here on earth. Invest in it like you’re going to terraform Mars.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Much more exciting than UAPs to behold
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
More math and logistics problems. Not to mention compassion. www.npr.org/2026/06/03/n...
npr.org
People with cancer or HIV could lose Medicaid under new work rules, advocates say
Adults on Medicaid will be required to work 80 hours per month. The Trump administration says people who are sick will have to prove they are too sick to work to be exempt from the new work rules.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Best reality TV!
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Happy every time is see a story on this!
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
An IFL science moment! #cancer www.nbcbayarea.com/news/nationa...
nbcbayarea.com
After new drug’s ‘unprecedented’ results for pancreatic cancer, doctors look at other uses
The experimental drug daraxonrasib, which doubled survival time in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, may also prove effective for lung, colon and ovarian cancers.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Ran into a friend on the way back from a meeting
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Fewer volunteers -> renting robots -> more food for people with chronic conditions www.wired.com/story/these-...
wired.com
These Robots Are Making Meals for a Nonprofit in San Francisco’s Tenderloin
A nonprofit in the city’s most troubled district has turned to robotic meal prep tech to make up for a dearth of human volunteers.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Profound and moving. www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgWM...
youtube.com
Extended interview: Martin Short
YouTube video by CBS Sunday Morning
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Attention economy relies on people not wanting to think deeply & the promise of a simple entertaining solution. Politicians, media are playing off of this. Thinking & logic don’t get clicks.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Next handwashing will be on the block
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Tactics cloned by sugar and oil industries
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Asimov would have enjoyed this. Good environment to apply the laws of robotics. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/t...
nytimes.com
Meditating or Rebooting? A Robot Buddhist Monk Comes to Korea.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Plot of the next Back to the Future movie.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
The best streaming service
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
There may be a point to decaf. www.wired.com/story/scienc...
wired.com
Science Has Found Even More Ways Coffee Is Good for You
A new study shows the mechanisms of how coffee modifies the microbiome, reduces inflammation, and influences mood. Even decaf has its perks.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Below the Planck scale
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
This is the US jumping the shark www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/b...
nytimes.com
Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
What about directing efforts toward a healthcare premium bailout for millions of people?
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
250 years later, the roles have been reversed.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Should top one of those 40 under 40 lists
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Phenomena of this scale is an antidote to human hubris.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
If only we could get Vonnegut’s take on this.
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Reposted by Michael Chae
Tommi Ylamurto @ylamurto.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
“ A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” #blueskyartshow #odd
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
The cover of new science textbooks in the US.
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Michael Chae @michaelchae.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Magnificent and humbling
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