Joe Wright MD

@joewright.bsky.social

599 Followers 524 Following

Current project: telling the story of the rise and fall of Boston’s containment zone for street drugs and homelessness, 2014-24. Day job: doctor caring for people who are homeless or formerly homeless. https://www.joewrightmd.com SIGNAL: joewright.72

two men in black rowing unis with green white and red stripes and the letters “PLE” on the back sit in a sculling double, their oars featuring the colors and design of the Palestinian flag

Liner notes text
“With such fanfare, when Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya appeared last September at the University of California Berkeley Jazz Festival, he was anticipated with much excitement. Like a gift grander than he wished, Ekaya’s performance was an absorbing event and a bright surprise. When the band unveiled its gorgeous tapestries of original songs, steeped in the textures, and tones and rhythms of South African tradition, the audience, as one, was electrified…. everyone knew they were witnessing an almost mystical phenomenon. As one journalist observed, ‘Ibrahim delivered what may be the most eloquent performance at any Berkeley Jazz Festival and certainly the most stately set of the day.’ May I add that in the history of the festival, it was the most splendorous peak in my experience within the entire 19 festivals”

Various plastic tub sizes from 1/2 lb to 10 lb stand ready to hold Greek yogurt from Sofia’s Greek Pantry in Belmont, Massachusetts; a list of flavors includes Plain 0% or 2% and then a bunch of other flavor combos that all begin with honey

A large group of maybe twenty young California sea lions can’t decide on whether to all float together (“rafting”) or all go racing off together to the ocean. (They later all went racing off together.)

california sea lions sleeping, laid out on every horizontal surface of the lower beams of a pier, with ocean below them

A black and white cat sits on an airport floor while a dark colored cat lays sprawled out sleeping in a small corridor in the background

From the map room of the central Boston Public Library, a legend explains “Two maps from the
book The City Wilderness” explaining the efforts of South End settlement houses to map the “race factors”
and “industrial factors” of the
area. It concludes “While the
middle-class reformers had many well-intentioned plans to bring resources to these neighborhoods, their exoticizing treatment of an urban ‘wilderness’ often jostled uncomfortably with the efforts of immigrants and laborers to form their own social movements.”

In foreground, a sign saying “Everyone is welcome here” on a chain link fence (signifying the entrance to what was then the Engagement Center); down the street, the burnt sienna block tower of the South Bay House of Correction

2026 word is “intrepid”

A student presents a project of an app for mothers of incarcerated children to exchange messages with their children; the process is outlined in a series of children’s book-style illustrations below, including animal pictures to represent avatars of the animal friend who facilitates communication. Above is a schematic of the app’s process; and a brief illustration of the user interface.

Google AI text:

The saying "there's no booger in a boogie dance" is a playful way of saying that there's no actual "booger" (a piece of dried mucus) involved in the act of dancing. The term "boogie" generally refers to dancing, especially to upbeat music, so it's a lighthearted way of stating the obvious: dancing doesn't involve nose-picking or having dried mucus on your body.
In essence, it's a humorous observation that dancing is a lively activity, not a bodily function like producing mucus.

Google AI riffing:

The saying "no peace for a bear, no rest for a bird" is a variant of the proverb "no rest for the wicked". It emphasizes that those who are not virtuous or righteous will not experience peace or tranquility, often suggesting a consequence of their actions. The original biblical phrase in Isaiah 57:21 states, "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked".
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
"No peace for a bear":
Bears, like many animals, are inherently driven by their instincts and needs, such as hunting for food and finding a mate. They don't have the luxury of leisurely rest or peace like humans might imagine.
"No rest for a bird":
Birds are also constantly on the move, either foraging for food, building nests, or migrating. They have little time or opportunity for prolonged periods of rest.
"No rest for the wicked":
This part is a more general statement about the consequences of immoral or wicked behavior. The proverb suggests that those who engage in such actions will not find lasting peace or contentment.
The phrase, in its various forms, conveys a sense of restless activity and the lack of tranquility for those who do not adhere to moral principles or who are constantly preoccupied with worldly concerns

Google AI text:

The saying "there's no goulash in a gulag" is a sardonic and common phrase used to highlight the stark reality of the Soviet Gulag system and the lack of basic comforts or necessities for prisoners. It's a way of saying that while goulash (a hearty stew) might be a desirable meal, it wouldn't be found in the harsh and uninviting environment of a Gulag camp. The phrase underscores the absence of basic human comforts and the brutal conditions faced by individuals incarcerated in these camps.
Elaboration:
Gulag:
The term "Gulag" refers to the Soviet system of forced labor camps, characterized by harsh conditions, political oppression, and the inhumane treatment of prisoners.
Goulash:
Goulash is a type of hearty stew, typically made with meat and vegetables, and often considered a comforting and substantial meal.
"No goulash in a gulag":
This phrase is a metaphor that emphasizes the lack of basic amenities and comforts within the Gulag system. It suggests that even a simple, desirable meal like goulash wouldn't be available, highlighting the stark contrast between a comfortable meal and the brutal reality of life in the camps.

AI generated google search text complete with little images of nautili:

The statement "gardening is like a nautilus" suggests a parallel between the growth and expansion of a chambered nautilus and the process of gardening, particularly in terms of geometric precision, balance, and the ability to adapt and grow. Just as a nautilus shell spirals outward in a precise and harmonious manner, a garden can be designed and nurtured to create a balanced and beautiful space that reflects the principles of sacred geometry and the Fibonacci sequence.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Geometric Precision:
The nautilus shell's spiral shape is a perfect example of sacred geometry, where each chamber grows in direct proportion to the previous one, reflecting the principles of the Fibonacci sequence. Similarly, a well-planned garden can be designed with attention to proportion, scale, and the harmonious arrangement of plants, creating a sense of balance and order.

AI generated google text : The saying "it takes two squid to make an octopus" is a popular, humorous take on the fact that both squids and octopuses have eight tentacles, but they are not related. The saying plays on the fact that while they appear similar, they belong to different families of cephalopods. It also can be used in a more general sense to highlight situations where two seemingly unrelated things are used to create a single, unexpected result.
Here's a breakdown:
Squid and Octopus:
Both are cephalopods, a class of mollusks that includes creatures like squids, octopuses, and nautiluses.

A screen shot of the article:

As we pulled back into the station for lunch, I ask the officers how they thought the morning went. Sharkey admitted, "Look we're not really solving anybody's problem. This is a big game of whack-a-mole. I'll clear one run, get a person to move, but by doing that I'm just creating another call, right? If we arrested a guy, we'd never clear these calls, and when we cite them, they won't be able to pay and they'll just be out here longer and less willing to cooperate." Rodriguez, grasping for some sense of redemption. "Look, I get it if you're paying two million dollars for a house and how much are you paying for property taxes, and then you have to walk past this guy that's taking a crap right in front of your house, or you're walking with your kid and you see someone shooting up in the middle of the street or peeing or knocked out, like you don't want your kid seeing that. So we get why people call, because it's a quality-of-life issue for them.... But then our end, it's like where are they supposed to go? The shelters are full. What are we supposed to do with them?" (fieldnote, May 2016)

A middle aged gray beard white guy in glasses and a long sleeved black t shirt, with a blue sticker with a white M on it on his chest (the Mass MoCA museum pass), standing in front of a long room with light beige wood floors, big old factory windows on both sides of the room going all the way down the room, and an array of lights on the ceiling—an installation by the artist Spencer Finch.

An extensive table with various locations, towns, and specific locations of cruising areas in Kansas in 1989. (This table can be found by going to mappingthegayguides.org and entering Kansas as the search state, 1989 as the year, and "cruising areas" as the category.)

A disheveled but cheerful Gen x guy with a beard holds up his “I Finished the Power Broker” coffee mug, with a christmas tree in the background.

A utility box on a Cambridge street is painted sky blue with a pale silhouette, and red rectangular high rises—2 of the 3 Rindge Towers and the road in front of them—are painted inside the silhouette, as if through a person-shaped window looking out at the Rindge Towers

A screenshot of a phone text conversation—a picture of a crowded auditorium of Town Meeting Members with a projection at front:
New Zoning Bylaw(s):
Zoning Map & MBTA Communities Multi-Family Housing Overlay District - Heller and Wright Amendment
1. Yes/ In Favor
2. No / Opposed
3. Abstain
A bar graph shows Yes 98 No 124

below the picture one text starts the Friday Night Lights quote:
“boys when i talk about perfect I’m not talking about winning” and the reply takes another part of the same speech: “Can you look him in the eye. And know you’ve done everything.”

An illustration labeled “schematic diagram” with two identical rectangular volumes on a gray plane with accompanying text “Constrained footprint, separation required” and then in bold “Produces uniformity, site-insensitive, reduces unit count”. On the next gray plane, the two rectangular volumes are laid immediately against each other but staggered, along with a thinner one (representing the separation between the first two) staggered against those, the three volumes combined into a single building; text says “Footprint is determined by %open space and setback requirements” and then in bold “Allows site-sensitive solutions, increases unit count, consolidates open space”. Sorry alt-text readers: I promise the picture is just as nerdy as its description

Graph from the linked paper showing results (described also in paper) numerically as point estimates of association with risk of hospitalization, with error bars, showing semaglutide and liraglutide firmly in the decreased hazard ratio side and “AUD medications” (along with dulaglutide) near the middle and error bars extending on either side. Effects are similar in hospitalizations due to substance use disorder, vs hospitalizations due to AUD.

vacant lots and chain link fence in foreground, black and white wall mural of donna summer on three story building on left side of background, brick building near center of background, steel frame construction on right side of background—Nubian Square, roxbury ma

a dog runs along a reflective wet sand beach with waves breaking behind and a gray cloudy sky above

blurry picture of a tree with a blurry outline of a dark bird