Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 29/09/2026My kid is a music major at WCU. He told me after he was accepted that he was told the reason it took weeks to hear back was that the music school had its largest ever application pool this year. 100
Reposted by Christa (she/her)jj skolnik @supremenothing.myatproto.social · 20/09/2026i genuinely do think a lot of people’s politics start from ego instead of a genuine desire for the world to be more fair and less full of suffering 514118
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Music in the US & maybe the West generally has become so commercialized, we forget its roots, but so many cultural traditions' music has documented oppression as much as love or angst or fun. Just heartbreaking that it *still* has to be about this. 011
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I'm neck deep in graduate classwork when I'm not at my day job, but I adapted a Brightspace discussion board post for this week's blog: This Semester's (and Summer) Reading List Has Me Mourning, and Marginally Hopeful disaster-minded.ghost.io/this-semeste...disaster-minded.ghost.ioThis Semester's (and Summer) Reading List Has Me Mourning, and Marginally HopefulSome reads feel like anachronisms, but others offer a different way to approach old assumptions 100
Reposted by Christa (she/her)camacho @bencamach0.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Part 2 of this story is up on Inadvertent: www.inadvertent.news/p/tunneling-... This series is better paired with a longer reader session. : )inadvertent.newsTunneling Through SandHow Long Beach Police used the statements of a victim with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to underpin an already weak case. 111
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Edie Schaffer ❌👑 @sfedie.bsky.social · 16/09/2026#Firefighting is inherently dangerous but it’s unconscionable that the #Trump admin is heightening that danger by refusing to adequately staff & provide resources & support to the #USFS. Congress must act to safeguard USFS personnel so they in turn can protect us. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...theguardian.com‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire seasonUS grapples with federal firefighter shortage as crews say they’re spread thin and lack resources during unrelenting year of fire 025
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 11/09/202625 years ago, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people, including 2,753 New Yorkers. As we remember that terrible day, let us also remember the first responders, office workers and strangers who ran toward danger to help each other. 562328437344
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Yes bc by that logic we should also not require Selective Service at 18 or allow drivers licenses at 16. Or, for that matter, jobs bc who knows what risk a young person will expose an employer to with their poor decision making? Oh but it's fine when it's for the "productivity" cult, right? 🙄 020
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Addendum to last week's story: I had to file a complaint w the BBB after it appeared ViaPath deactivated my account w/o my knowledge (i.e. they never informed me that their TOS changed as of 6/1). They are holding funds hostage that I already deposited so I could message Erica about her story. 200
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 05/09/2026My musician kid: *explains the music theory concept of circle of fifths* Me: "I cooked five pancakes in a circle in the pan" 010
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026When I was volunteering at the COVID19 vaccine POD in 2021, people would say over and over again that they were getting vaccinated for the people they love. Last year, only 17.5% of American adults got the COVID19 vaccine. Please get one for the people you love. 💕 752177716
Reposted by Christa (she/her)ProPublica @propublica.org · 02/09/2026NEW: Residents of a riverfront trailer park in the Appalachian Mountains have lost homes and loved ones in multiple storms. A policy gap puts mobile home residents in harm’s way again and again. with @theassemblync.bsky.socialpropublica.orgHurricane Helene Killed His Wife and Destroyed His Mobile Home. New Tenants Are Now Renting the Same Flood-Prone Land.Residents of a riverfront trailer park in the Appalachian Mountains have lost homes and loved ones in multiple storms. A policy gap puts mobile home residents in harm’s way again and again. 691097468
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 02/09/2026"The alarming conditions inside Delaney Hall and other ICE jails have long been the reality of daily life for nearly 2 million incarcerated people in this country." The entire U.S. carceral system is built on cruelty.theappeal.orgI’ve Seen Prison Conditions Kill. That’s What’s Happening at Delaney Hall.As a person incarcerated in Texas, I know that rotten food and poor medical care are not unique to Delaney Hall. 02917
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026I was never a Potter fan, and obviously wouldn't engage with the new show on moral grounds, even if I were, but I am also so sick of repeatedly recycled IP. Give writers a chance to give us new stories ffs. 218516
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 01/09/2026If Part 1 was the setup, then Part 2 is the delivery: here, I show exactly how much of a travesty this case was, for both accused AND accuser. open.substack.com/pub/inadvert...open.substack.comTunneling Through SandHow Long Beach Police used the statements of a victim with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to underpin an already weak case. 145
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 01/09/2026I first became aware of @thefurbearers.bsky.social after they very kindly reviewed my 1st children's book nearly 10y ago now. It's nice to see continued intersections / overlapping concerns! 010
Reposted by Christa (she/her)The Fur-Bearers @thefurbearers.bsky.social · 31/08/2026The Fur-Bearers has sent an open letter to BC’s political leadership calling for reduced commercial and recreational trapping as wildlife face growing pressures from wildfires, drought and climate change. The letter also calls for meaningful protection for beavers: buff.ly/a93y71I #BCpoli #BCgov 053
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 01/09/2026If Part 1 was the setup, then Part 2 is the delivery: here, I show exactly how much of a travesty this case was, for both accused AND accuser. open.substack.com/pub/inadvert...open.substack.comTunneling Through SandHow Long Beach Police used the statements of a victim with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) to underpin an already weak case. 145
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 30/08/2026A happy late #Caturday from these very cautious ferals! 020
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 29/08/2026I'm afraid my first reaction to this was, "Who knew the alien invasion would begin by sucking all the pollinators up into the sky?" Clearly I have watched a few too many films of a certain genre. 010
Reposted by Christa (she/her)ProPublica @propublica.org · 28/08/2026People who’ve worked on U.S. government vaccination programs fear that kids in America will wind up fighting for their lives against preventable infections. “I don’t think I imagined it could or would be this bad,” said a former CDC vaccine leader.propublica.orgMeasles Used to Be in Our Rearview Mirror. Now Cases Are Reaching Record Highs.In other parts of the world that have let their guard down to vaccine-preventable diseases, long-forgotten scourges have roared back and killed and disabled children. 34806374
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 28/08/2026There would be no excellent journalism w/o excellent editors. My gratitude for @bookstakat.bsky.social's work making a forest from my trees (weeds) knows no bounds! 000
Reposted by Christa (she/her)kat 🐈⬛ @bookstakat.bsky.social · 28/08/2026This story is both heartbreaking & close to my heart. Such excellent journalism.Grateful for the opportunity to edit it in collaboration w/ @bencamach0.bsky.social. Part 1 of 2 up on Inadvertent now! 083
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 27/08/2026I've been on an overtime cycle at work, getting ready for my next class & not paying as close attention to this as it deserves, not least bc of the compounding disaster(s) from natural to man-made. ##emergencymanagement 000
Reposted by Christa (she/her)elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 27/08/2026"caused by a glacial collapse" 512953
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 27/08/20261/ Foodborne illness is having a moment. It feels like every time I open my phone, there’s a new headline. And truthfully, increased rate of foodborne outbreaks is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. So I looked at the numbers to determine if we're actually seeing more outbreaks. 413727
Reposted by Christa (she/her)I Travel Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 26/08/2026Always keep this in mind when people tell you that abolition is just a roundabout way to excuse abusers. 335589
Reposted by Christa (she/her)@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Here's the link to donate to Dolly's library: imaginationlibrary.com "The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.” 16744
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 25/08/2026Dolly Parton's family asked that, in lieu of flowers, fans make a donation to the singer's Imagination Library. Here's what the charity does ⬇️ www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...rollingstone.comTurning Pages: Inside Dolly Parton's Imagination LibraryCore team of 15 staff and thousands of volunteers and partners help the country-music philanthropist deliver books to kids around the world. 128190518288
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Sue @cameratrapsue.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Dolly Parton’s legacy goes far beyond her music. Through her Imagination Library, disaster relief, and support for medical research, she used her success to lift up millions of people and make the world a little kinder. She will really be missed. RIP Dolly. 411118
Reposted by Christa (she/her)yung intranet @bane.at.haunted.computer · 25/08/2026Please take some of your time to read this first part in a series. 011
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Also, can I just say I'm in such weird headspace around this. When I first completed the piece I honestly thought it might revive my journalism career. Now I'm in a totally different field earning a degree in still another totally different field. 100
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Three years ago this month, I learned of Erica Johnson, a Black woman serving a life sentence in CA for an attempted murder she said she didn't commit. The reporting took me about 8 months. Publication, longer. But it's finally out in the world: open.substack.com/pub/inadvert...open.substack.comDid Tunnel Vision Result in a Long Beach Woman’s Wrongful Conviction?And did police and prosecutors exploit a victim’s traumatic brain injury to win it? 183
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Sheril Kirshenbaum @sheril.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Cyber threats to water infrastructure are escalating and the US is alarmingly vulnerable. This year attackers hit water systems at multiple sites in at least 12 states. This should be treated as a public health emergency and national security crisis. www.csis.org/analysis/map... 14228
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Jared Dahl Aldern @jdaldern.bsky.social · 22/08/2026grist.org/wildfires/fi...grist.orgFirefighters sound alarm as US faces critical staffing shortage: ‘We don’t have enough people’Firefighters describe being pushed to limit by a brutal wildfire season, with key leadership roles going unfilled. 24512
Reposted by Christa (she/her)PuahHope @puahhope.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Gardening is fun, but mine is not a subsistence garden. If I had to rely on it for food year round, I'd starve. I never know from one season to another what I'm going to have enough of because conditions change dramatically. Society success depends on reliable food, water, shelter 021
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 22/08/2026This week's post followed up last week's, in which I focus specifically on religious trauma and its particularly insidious effects, largely bc it starts so young. H/t & thanks to the fellow grad student whose thesis formed a lot of this post: disaster-minded.ghost.io/how-trauma-w...disaster-minded.ghost.ioHow Trauma Warps Our Capacity for ResilienceAnd how even communities meant to bring us together can tear us apart 100
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 22/08/2026I read this through an emergency management lens; thinking in terms of 1) such a personal disaster as life-altering as losing everything in a flood or wildfire & 2) how these personal traumas impact our resilience following community disasters. We need each other. Now more than ever. 010
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 22/08/2026I read an article this morning that said “we are mourning in future tense” and that hit hard. Watching everything happen around us in real time is hard enough, but knowing that it’s going to be a long road to hopefully put it all back together is even harder. 691620304
Reposted by Christa (she/her)CocoEagle @cocoeagle.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I cannot express this any better.... the frustration is real 133174135243
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Give me a single image from a film that immediately makes you hear the song from the soundtrack in your headstatic.klipy.comDirty Dancing Iconic Lift with Patrick Swayze & Jennifer GreyAlt: Dirty Dancing Iconic Lift with Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey 011
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Virginia S. O'Possum, but scary @virginiaopossum.bsky.social · 18/08/2026I would like someone to analyze what it is about AI writing that makes it almost impossible to absorb. I feel like a Westworld android saying, "It doesn't look like anything to me," when I try to edit something the AI has written at work. My brain just skates right off the page. 6505
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Eb @ebthen.bsky.social · 27/08/2024Part of why Hurricane Harvey was so hard on Houston was because of the loss of wetlands that could absorb the excess water. We need to stop using language that suggests swamps are contaminated places. It helps us devalue them and ignore how important they are. 1217
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Eb @ebthen.bsky.social · 27/08/2024Swamps are good places and good things live in swamps. Stop associating swamps with bad things. Wetlands are essential. 23912
Reposted by Christa (she/her)Deerb Boy (VA commissions open) @deerb.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Company named after a rainforest that gives life to the planet is destroying the environment and history. Bro. 02810
Christa (she/her) @wordrascal.bsky.social · 16/08/2026There are ways to get involved on a very personal, very local level w #emergencymanagement & #disasterresponse. Take a CERT course, volunteer w an organization, make the time to learn & become organized to make it a true community effort vs waiting for "the people / responders in charge." 000