praccu.com

I’ve heard people confuse top two primaries with ranked choice voting. They couldn’t be more different. The NYC mayoral race shows why. Vote no on 3.

CSIndie published my letter about the 2400 Mass Ave kick-off meeting by the CRA: csindie.com/redevelopmen... I hope they don't add $150,000 a unit to the cost with underground parking. This is a common tactic used by the anti housing community to kill housing projects. #mapoli #cambridgema

From The Archive: DOJ To Bring Back Firing Squad As Means Of Entertainment

Attend small local meetings. I just got done with a kick off meeting for a housing development run by a local nonprofit. The previous attempt to develop the property was killed by people attending local meetings who successfully pushed the cost per square foot to $1500. #mapoli

Another OCPF filing, and the same pattern: More than 95% of the money raised by the Yes on 3 campaign in the first half of September came from just six corporate executives in private equity, venture capital, and investment banking. Don't let them buy our elections.

WEATHER *IS* HAPPENING

"Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census" comes out in one month! Please pre-order the book if you can (or ask your library for a copy). You can choose French or English, audio, e-book, or hardcover.

😬😬 had someone at the Markey door knocking event in Somerville try to tell me Markey should weaken his support for trans people.

@pawlbologna.bsky.social Harvard Bookstore hosting Seth Moulton at the Brattle. Very disappointed, Harvard Bookstore has historically been an ally. www.harvard.com/event/rye-ba...

I keep hearing excuses that only "single issue" voters care about what Moulton said about transgender people, but my problem with Seth isn't just a "single issue." It's his willingness to regurgitate MAGA talking points as soon as it became politically expedient for him. Thread of some thoughts.

There are two paths before you Massachusetts, you may take only one.

what's good for goodyear tires is good for the country

In Seattle's Pike Place Market, vendors claimed that removing cars would cripple them. Nope. Sales actually rose. Remember: Studies show that biz owners consistently exaggerate how many customers drive and undercount those who walk, bike, or ride transit. Info: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

@thewaroncars.bsky.social You should sell "I got a purple heart in the war on cars" swag.

Got in to Heathrow at 8am (work trip). There was a transit strike, so my subway line was down, but there were nice people there to tell me where to go. Added 5 minutes and an extra transfer to my trip. Very pleasant experience. 8/10, would suffer again.

Overheard in Somerville "You're not going to bring your sword into the dispensary?"

So ... now we're fighting two terrible social media ID check proposals in Massachusetts. We'll get this call tool updated, spread it far and wide and use it to call your MA state lawmakers. There will be a "conference committee" we can pressure to fix the problems. stoponlineidchecks.org/ma

"Would you like to participate in a study on hand surgery recovery? You will be randomly assigned to receive opioids, an experimental pain killer, or a sugar pill." No. Nope. Absolutely not. Give me the drugs. (I had a much less invasive surgery last time and needed every single one of the pills.)

I've been asked recently for something on Why Ed Markey / Why Not Seth Moulton, so I decided to do a stock-taking of Seth Moulton's record. jonathancohn.medium.com/ma-elects-fi...

I want to send a records request to the MADOT to find out what the GLX sound barriers cost. Anyone know what documents I should be requesting? #mapoli #somervillema #cambridgema

Schadenfreude: watching the rich people skip the line to get off the (on time) plane because of a tight connection, and then pass them as the gate agent calmly says "I'm sorry, they will not hold your flight. If you walk quickly you should be able to catch it."

Minuteman Library Network authentication servers are down right before I get on a plane. I can't have my ebooks and I shall simply perish.

/ THE WEATHER IS HAPPENING TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS TRANS LOGO 3" STICKER / BEING SOLD WELL BELOW COST IF U USE COUPON CODE "METATARSAL" 4 20% OFF / *THE RULE IS, IF U HAVE XTRA $$$ U MUST DONATE 2 1 OF THE LINKED TRANS ORGS* / THATS THE RULE / THX / merch.weatherishappening.com/product/tran...

JHawk is a great follow if you care about Cambridge politics.

We like to talk about voter suppression as something only Republicans do. But putting the state primary on the major move-in day is shameful voter suppression by Democrats here in MA. #mapoli www.wwlp.com/news/massach...

"Were treated like dogs. Theyre making us lay on the floor. Were here to help Waymo" Its ok grandpa. The war ended 40 years ago. Go to sleep

Lawyer: Federal agents detain Guatemalan man, 29, with no criminal record: Immigration agents blocked the car that he and his wife were driving in and smashed a window to detain him without presenting a warrant. With video. New Bedford newbedfordlight.org/lawyer-feder...

Yep. I saved hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month just from switching from Substack to self-hosted Ghost. I pay a roughly flat $85/month now (~$75 for mailsending, $10 for hosting), vs. 10% of all my subscription income.

“People support me because I write policies that have a real chance to make a difference in the housing crisis. If I wasn’t doing that, I wouldn’t be doing my job.” @burhanazeem.bsky.social www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/03/b...

you know things are going well when they break out the turnip photos

Last year, I laid down the line - it was time to annex Boston and form MegaCambridge. This year the official conversation begins. I've filed a resolution with City Hall to start proceedings. Central is already onboard! Posters are going up. You won't miss them.

@cambridgemass.bsky.social has a housing crisis. Yet unaccountable "Neighborhood Conservation Districts" (NCDs) run by the city drastically decrease housing construction and increase down-converted unit losses compared to equivalent parcels outside NCDs. dan-sprague.github.io/2025/03/30/ncd

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/26/o... This would be nice. #mapoli

i wish i could have told elon musk "your posts are bad and you should feel bad" and backed it up with charts and data

@devononearth.bsky.social Y'all should do Wolves. It's a buddy comedy with George Clooney and Brad Pitt. It's pretty bad, but also they're surrounded by girl bosses that insult them and tell them what to do.

You did it! On Monday night, City Council ended exclusionary zoning and paved the way for new homes in Cambridge's vibrant neighborhoods. All invited to celebrate at ABC's social TONIGHT 6:30pm, at 730 Tavern in Central Square. There may even be some ABC mugs for sale, to mark this milestone 🥳

Wanna support the pro housing efforts in Cambridge? A Better Cambridge www.abettercambridge.org Cambridge just passed some landmark pro-housing zoning, and are ready to win more improvements for working families in Cambridge. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/11/b... #mapoli #cambridgema #yimby

I can’t believe it - after years of advocacy, exclusionary zoning has ended in Cambridge. We just passed the single most comprehensive rezoning in the US—legalizing multifamily housing up to 6 stories citywide in a Paris style Here’s the details 🧵

@universalhub.com I'm really excited for the Cambridge City Council meeting tonight! They're voting on expanding multi-family zoning (4 floors plus the option for 2 more floors of affordable units, in some cases) across the city, as well as improving rules like floor area ratios and setbacks.

honestly the most concerning thing about the big statement from Meta is that it refers to it as "transgenderism," which reeks of some capital-i Ideology. makes my teeth itch... cool rest of the decade coming up i bet

when i strike oil im getting that P. Thiel vein installed in my skull that sucks the moisture out of my brain and pisses it all over my head

Alright here we are folks, at the conclusion to the 2024 NEW YEAR BONDVITATIONAL. Only two choices for our New Year's Episode remain. One that would be really good and funny and one that wouldnt. I trust you know what is to be done. Vote for the GRAND FINAL at the link in the next skeet or whatever

"Ai is coming for your jobs". I'd like to see ai take a southwest flight with 3 layovers to open for hoobastank at a county fair

Winter Burrow makes a harsh survival game awfully cute aftermath.site/winter-burro...

Legal theory: the Internet archive should let people see any book they want via a real time webcam, with a robotic arm to flip the pages. I wonder if that would satisfy the legal standard of the court.