Some Links to Start Your Week

A few related to the news and a few not

Author

Sandy Allen
October 13, 2025

Welcome to What’s Helping Today, a newsletter about the everyday work of staying alive on earth — written by author and journalist Sandy Ernest Allen.

Hi all,

Wanted to do a quick links roundup with some things to read or watch … some topical, some not.

Hooray to a politician actually supporting trans folks!

A Politician Actually Defended Trans People. It Shouldn't Be This Rare.

Many Democrats are treating trans people as politically toxic. NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani released a two-minute video proving there's another way.

www.readtpa.com/p/a-politician-actually-defended-trans

Hooray for basic income (for artists)!!

Numerous countries express interest in Government’s basic income for artists pilot scheme

Minister for Culture committed to making the scheme permanent if funding is secured in budget

www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/10/06/governments-basic-income-for-artists-pilot-scheme-sparks-international-interest

Consider helping 404 Media investigate book bans and educational censorship in your area?

Help Us Investigate Book Bans and Educational Censorship Around America

404 Media has gotten a grant to unearth public records about systematic censorship of books, schools, and libraries in the U.S.

www.404media.co/help-us-investigate-book-bans-and-educational-censorship-around-america

Maybe buy a Bob Ross painting to support a public TV station??

Dozens of Bob Ross paintings will be auctioned to help public TV after funding cuts

Thirty of Ross' trademark landscapes will be sold at a series of auctions starting in November. He painted many of them live on The Joy of Painting, which started airing on PBS in the 1980s.

www.npr.org/2025/10/08/nx-s1-5566744/bob-ross-paintings-auction-public-media

A great speech by a fellow independent journalist:

Truth, morality and independence in journalism under the second Trump regime

My full remarks to students and faculty at Grinnell College.

www.thehandbasket.co/p/grennell-college-speech

Advice for how to keep burning without burning out:

The Emergency Is the Atmosphere

“It’s meant to exhaust us. It’s meant to destroy us."

organizingmythoughts.org/the-emergency-is-the-atmosphere

Today in headlines and studies confirming the probably-obvious-but-depressing:

Pew Survey: Only 31% Of Trans People Report Being Accepted By Their Parents

The survey comes as transgender people experience a legal assault from the far-right in the United States.

www.erininthemorning.com/p/pew-survey-only-31-of-trans-people

Relatedly, this beautiful story:

No One Was Helping Black Transgender Youth. So These Parents Stepped In.

A new nonprofit provides resources to Black families of transgender and nonbinary youth at a moment of heightened political hostility.

capitalbnews.org/black-parents-support-trans-youth

Cool news re: bamboo made from plastic …

Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle

Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, and its cellulose fibres can be turned into a hard, mouldable plastic for use in cars and appliances

www.newscientist.com/article/2499052-biodegradable-plastic-made-from-bamboo-is-strong-and-easy-to-recycle/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Utterly fantastic takedown of Bari Weiss; I recommend watching the whole thing:

Good news re: Trump losing and planet earth winning:

Trump Just Suffered His First Loss on Offshore Wind

A judge has lifted the administration’s stop-work order against Revolution Wind.

heatmap.news/sparks/revolution-wind-injunction

Good news re: some colleges and universities standing up to this president … (looking directly at my alma mater) …

What’s a College President to Do in the Trump Era?

Not going on bended knee to Washington would be a good start.

www.thebulwark.com/p/colleges-universities-trump-era-compact-civil-society?r=7dw69&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

MIT president says she 'cannot support' proposal to adopt Trump priorities for funding benefits

MIT's president said she “cannot support” a White House proposal that asks MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump’s political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding.

apnews.com/article/mit-higher-education-compact-trump-627997083eee635fb865249f1bcc3244

Re-sharing my latest Gardening Report column for the Catskill Crew, with fall and winter gardening tips:

A FEAST

Join Catskill Crew for The Feast BBQ on Oct 18 in Mount Tremper with Wells BBQ & The Pines. Smoked brisket, ribs, live music, and fall Catskills happenings.

catskillcrew.com/p/the-catskill-bbq-feast

As it says there, fellow gardeners are invited to send in questions for future columns.

Thanks everybody,
Sandy

p.s. Repeating but: If you’re affiliated with Brown — especially if you’re trans/gnc and/or queer student/staff/faculty; or parent of a student affected; and/or have been vocal/active in this fight — please reach out if you’d like to potentially interview. This is for an upcoming piece. More here.

p.p.s. Fellow Brown alumni (and anyone else with a relationship to the school): If you’ve not seen the latest, President Paxson solicited “community input” re: the “compact.” If you wanna share your thoughts, you can do so here.

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