Michael A Davenport, 3,090 Degrees Fahrenheit (Oil on canvas, 2025)
30in x 48in
From the artist’s Inprnt:
“3,090 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which sand becomes glass, in a process known as the Pilkington Process. This is not the temperature of burning; this is the temperature of becoming something.”
presented without commentary or apology
slam that fucking unmute button
Oh? what a promising thumbnail.
That’s quite a costume. I love this woman’s hair, and her energy…
WAITAMINUTE
They’re huge??????????
That’s……a fucking WOMBAT?!?!
i thought wombats were small. That looks photoshopped!
That’s Patrick! A wombat raised since he was a joey on a wildlife park in Victoria, Aussie, he’s known as both the oldest and biggest wombat we know of!
Most wombats average around 30 to 40 inches, so fat Pat is definitely an outlier. For comparison here’s a more ‘regular’ wombat.
dynamaxed
I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that personally, I had always figured wombats were kinda like groundhogs in the USA. Not “small” small, not like a rat or a cottontail rabbit, but, y'know. Woodchuck sized. Punxsutawney Phil sized.
When I visited Australia shortly after college and went to one of the zoos and saw a wombat the first time, and learned they are the size of small children and can weigh 50-70lbs, I was VERY taken aback. Because we have what I THOUGHT was a pretty comparable animal. I had seen pics like this
And we’ve got, y'know. this thing.
I figured they’re probably the closest thing we have to wombats, and PROBABLY filled a similar niche, if not exact, and were PROBABLY close in size given the pics I’d seen of them… but I’d never seen a pic with a size reference, so I was not prepared.
I do wonder if Australians that know about woodchucks/groundhogs know they’re small, or were surprised to find out they’re small, compared to wombats.
[image 1: four frames from the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up”; the frames were chosen so the positions of Rick Astley’s hands echo the composition of loss.jpg. image 2: Tumblr tag: “posts that induce Rage”.]
Maybe being good at social media should not be the main qualifier for all creative work
Seeing the notes on this talk about all the other careers that I hadn't even considered being affected by this is just depressing. What do you mean you need to be Instagram famous to have a career as a hairdresser?
i think rickrolling is the only meme that gets objectively funnier with age. in 2009 you learned to anticipate it but in 2019 it happens just infreqently enough that i fall for it every single time
like people still make rage comics and doge jokes and shit but it’s always ironic (the real punchline is that you’re using an outdated format) or more in line with modern absurd internet humor. rickrolling is the only meme i can think of that’s been the exact same for a full decade- click on a link thinking you’re getting something else, get rick astley instead, and it’s still consistently funny
the more time passes the more foolish you feel for falling for a rickroll as well. Like darn I learnt about this prank 10+ years ago how did I just fall for it now,
Plus, as far as memes go, turns out it’s still incredibly popular
Nooope. Nope, you can’t get me. I’m not clicking on that link and you can’t make me.
I am a fool for clicking
[image 1: the three frames from Arrested Development that originated the Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tag, except the paper bag is labeled “An obvious rick roll link”, the guy looking in the bag is labeled “Me”, and when the guy says “I don’t know what I expected”, he’s labeled “Me, rickrolled”.]
[image 2: Discord user Lord Lexicon of Encyclopaedia says, “I can’t believe I’ve been rickrolled in this, the year of our Lord 2019”.]
Just witnessed several Quakers I’ve known since childhood pull the “Palestinians are Semitic people” card and then try to use their academic credentials to justify this position. Two of them are English professors and were arguing that the etymology of words changes regardless of the history.
One of their goyische friends then argued that antisemitism was coined by Zionists as a means to deflect criticism.
Except every Jew in the comments came in with receipts about the history of the word “antisemitism”, how it was coined, why “Semitic people” is an outdated classification based on pseudoscience, and so on.
The response?
The goyim became openly antisemitic and hostile to their, now former, Jewish friends who were trying to correct them and their misinformed position. All of them started spouting ZOG and Protocols level conspiracy theories wrapped in academic jargon.
I’m flabbergasted.
After the Brant Rosen thing with Quakerism I became aware of the inherit strain of antisemitism within the community, but to actually witness it in people I’ve known since kindergarten? People I know as well informed academics who make reasoned, educated, and cited posts and writings? People I know who have marched, advocated, and fought for various minority groups and their rights?
Oof.
It really shows how much impact antisemitism has on people. It truly takes away morals and ethics to allow such ignorance to come from the mouths/keyboards of such “informed” academics. It makes you abandon all of your principles by openly admitting you’ll listen to every minority group and the hatred and bigotry they experience except Jews.
I went to elementary and high school with everyone involved. I know what morals and principles they were taught. I know the community culture they were raised in.
And it has all been abandoned because it’s in vogue to be antisemitic and justify it in support of “activism”.
But now it’s on FB for all of their friends and family to see, and everyone has screenshots so they can’t dirty delete.
"Two distinct patterns of antisemitism can be identified by the Jewish holidays that celebrate triumphs over them: Purim and Hanukkah.
In the Purim version of antisemitism, exemplified by the Persian genocidal decrees in the biblical Book of Esther, the goal is openly stated and unambiguous: Kill all the Jews.
In the Hanukkah version of antisemitism, whose appearances range from the Spanish Inquisition to the Soviet regime, the goal is still to eliminate Jewish civilization. This goal could theoretically be accomplished simply by destroying Jewish civilization, while leaving the warm, de-Jewed bodies of its former practitioners intact....[The regime] isn’t antisemitic but merely requires that its Jews publically flush thousands of years of Jewish civilization down the toilet in exchange for the worthy prize of not being treated like dirt, or not being murdered."
Dara Horn, "People Love Dead Jews"
THE ORIGINS OF THE LEFT AND LEFT-WING ANTISEMITISM
The left-right political spectrum is a rather recent phenomenon of history. In fact, prior to the late 18thcentury, there was no particular set of political viewpoints or values associated with either the “left” or the “right.” The terms came into use during the French Revolution (1789-1799); those loyal to the king were considered “right-wing,” whereas the revolutionaries were considered “left-wing.” Needless to say, antisemitism long predates these designations.
It was in the midst of the French Revolution that France’s Jews, long subjected to statelessness and limited rights, were first emancipated. On the surface, this was a positive development. For the first time in European history, Jews were granted the opportunity to live as equals. Under one condition.
Jews could no longer exist as a distinctethnic, cultural, and national minority and were to assimilate into French society as French citizens. Napoleon Bonaparte himself believed that in systematically stripping the Jewishness from the Jew, he could turn Jews into “good citizens.” He also claimed to do this in pursuit of a “universal liberty of conscience.”
This, unfortunately, remains emblematic of much of the antisemitism we still see on the left today. Many left-wing antisemites may not want to physicallyeradicate Jews, but they sure work hard to eradicate the qualities that make us distinctly Jewish, oftentimes under the banner of "human rights" or "equality."
"The Jews should be denied everything as a nation, but granted everything as individuals."
French revolutionary Count Stanislas de Clermont-Tonnerre, 1789
"[It is necessary to] reduce, if not destroy, the tendency of Jewish people to practice a very great number of activities that are harmful to civilization and to public order in society in all the countries of the world. It is necessary to stop the harm by preventing it; to prevent it, it is necessary to change the Jews…Once part of their youth will take its place in our armies, they will cease to have Jewish interests and sentiments; their interests and sentiments will be French."
Napoleon Bonaparte, 1806
THE SOVIET UNION (PRE-WORLD WAR II)
The far-left Soviet Union was hostile to non-Russian forms of nationalism that might threaten Soviet hegemony or rule. For this reason, shortly after its establishment, the regime began targeting Zionists.
In 1918, the Soviet Communist Party established a “Jewish branch,” with the consent of Vladimir Lenin. It was named “Yevsektsiya,” meaning “Jewish Sections of the Communist Party.” The mission of the Yevsektsiya was, quite literally, the “destruction of traditional Jewish life, the Zionist movement, and Hebrew culture.”
From the outset, the Yevsektsiya began harassing Zionist Jews. Initially, the Yevsektsiya legally abolished the “kehillas,” the traditional Jewish community organizations. Sometimes, they even burned their offices down. They shut down everything from Jewish political groups to theaters to sports clubs. They raided all Ukrainian “Zionist” offices and arrested every single one of their leaders. They worked to “de-Hebraize” Yiddish by changing the spellings of all Yiddish words that came from Hebrew.
Until their dissolution in 1929, they imprisoned, tortured, and murdered thousands of Jews. According to historian of Soviet history Richard Pipes, “In time, every Jewish cultural and social organization came under assault.”
THE SOVIET UNION (POST-WORLD WAR II)
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the Soviet Union went through great lengths to deny the specifically antisemitic nature of the Holocaust. For example, they erected a memorial for the Babyn Yar Massacre, in which 34,000 Jews were slaughtered over the course of two days, but never mentioned its Jewish victims, instead labelling it a massacre of “the peaceful Soviet people.”
The Soviet Union also persecuted members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee who worked to document evidence for the Holocaust.
As before World War II, the Soviets worked hard to suppress Jewish cultural and spiritual life, stripping many Jewish families of thousands of years’ worth of history. For example, though not officially illegal, Jews were punished for speaking or studying Hebrew or participating in religious traditions. Jews were not allowed to assimilate into Soviet society due to their ethnic background, but they were also criminalized if they tried to hang on to their ancient traditions, ultimately resulting in a catch-22. Oftentimes, Jews were imprisoned under false pretenses, with the Soviet government accusing them of “Zionist crimes.” People with Jewish last names were subject to highly restrictive university quotas or banned from performing certain jobs.
"Hitler wanted to destroy us physically. Stalin wants to do it spiritually."
Peretz Markish, Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, before his 1949 execution
In its Tisha B’Av guide, “Jewish” Voice for Peace encourages participants to pray in Arabic or English, rather than in Hebrew, the language Jews have been praying in for three millennia, because our ancestral language, which predates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by thousands of years, could be “deeply traumatizing for Palestinians.”
Video here.
At a Rabbis for Ceasefire event, with prominent left-wing activists and politicians in attendance, including Rashida Tlaib, the rabbi drops her voice to a whisper during the section of Parashat Toldot that reads “to you and your descendants I have given these lands [the Land of Israel].”
Parashat Toldot was likely written sometime between the 10th and 5th centuries BCE.
Video here.
The parts being skipped are “to you and your descendants I have given these lands [the Land of Israel].”
Parashat Toldot was likely written sometime between the 10th and 5th centuries BCE.
SOME (APPARENTLY NECESSARY) DISCLAIMERS
(1) “Hanukkah antisemitism” did not originate with the left. This is not the point I am arguing. After all, the French Revolution took place some 1,956 years after the Maccabean Revolt.
Other prominent, earlier examples of “Hanukkah antisemitism” include the Spanish Inquisition and the forced conversions to Islam that periodically happened throughout the Muslim and Arab worlds.
(2) If there’s anything that was made clear after the celebrations following October 7, it’s that “Purim antisemitism” very much exists on the left as well.
(3) Yes, of course antisemitism – including “Hanukkah antisemitism” – also exists on the right. Again, I am not arguing that antisemitism only exists on one side of the political spectrum, or that it’s only dangerous on one side of the political spectrum.
(4) Rather, the point of this post is to illustrate that “Hanukkah antisemitism” has long been rampant in left-wing, so-called progressive, and/or liberal circles. Under the guise of “equality” and “human rights,” antisemites have worked to strip us of our distinctly Jewish identities.That is not to say everyone on the left is an antisemite, either. Obviously.
Please read the disclaimers before you argue with me in the comments about things I never said 😅
Cory Booker is coming up on 24 hours on the senate floor btw
it is currently 6:46pm EDT
Fucking wild to be teaching about Rosa Parks at the same time as a trans woman in Florida does an act of civil disobedience to use a women's restroom in the state capitol
As far as I know, she is the first woman arrested bc of this law. The law requires that the trans person be warned to leave the bathroom by a state official, and then if they stay they are guilty of trespassing after a warning.
So like, me, my gf, others just piss and nobody asks or tells, but this young woman sent a statement about the law to over 100 FL lawmakers so they would know she was coming, the cops were ready for her, she brought a reporter and went in anyway and spent the night in a men's jail. She is out on bail, and is hoping this will inspire change of the law. But if found guilty, and the law is upheld as constitutional, then she could spend up to 60 days in a mens county jail.
Have you ever wanted to eat a dish that is 70% dairy fat by volume? Have I got the recipe for you!
Tried a recipe tonight from Portico by Leah Koenig, which is about the cuisine of the Jewish community in Rome and has yet to let me down. This is semolina gnocchi gratin, which is semolina prepared with milk, butter, Parmesan, and a couple of egg yolks, cooled until firm, then cut into discs and baked in layers with more butter and Parmesan until golden ("gnocchi" is used somewhat esoterically in this case). I had a little extra so I shaped them into kitty cats and baked them separately.
So far I've tried separate portions with pesto, teriyaki sauce, sauteed mushrooms, and a little pile of Italian beef, and it went with everything. Because it's mostly butter.
[ID: four photographs from tonight's cooking project. Top left, ingredients including whole milk, butter, cheese, semolina, and egg yolks; top right, the mixture awaiting cooling. Center, a baking dish full of golden brown discs fresh from the oven, and finally bottom, a plate with two pieces of baked semolina that have been cut out with a cat shaped cookie cutter, with one upside down to show the browning underneath.]
in the song best song ever by 1D they’re not playing the song that is the best song ever, they’re just dancing all night to it. and in the monster mash, we know that the monster mash itself is the DANCE not the song they’re dancing to. and famously, in tenacious d’s song, tribute, they were not playing the greatest song ever, but rather just a tribute to it. so what I posit is this: all three of these songs are referencing the same song, the one all encompassing greatest song of all time that compels man and monster and demon alike to dance. but what song it is, we may never know…….
GUYS. WE FUCKING FOUND THE SONG.
Do you think people who are virgin should write smut? I feel like most of them don’t even know what they’re writing and just write what they think sex is
the implication this ask suggests that people who write about murders, cannibalism, politics, magic, royalty au, sci-fi, wars, supernatural, time travel, medieval era, werewolves, vampires, mermaids or goblins must be murderers, cannibals, presidents, wizards, royalties, astronauts, ghost hunters, soldiers, time travelers, knights, werewolves, vampires, mermaids or goblins in real life is so funny to me
…And to Ursula Le Guin as well, it looks like.
So there you have it.
...And me? I know about wizards, too. And about the Powers that Be. And about worlds where relationship comes in some unusual shapes. I know about adventure. And starships. And found family. And swordsmanship. And sex. And making love. And being young. And being centuries or millennia old. (Sometimes both at once... like the sex and the making love.) And about taking good care of other people's universes, when I wind up on their turf.
(shrug) So find out what you know. Take as much time as you need. Then write about it… because, trust me, no one else can do it the way you will.
Cory Booker fasted and stood all day and all night and spoke till his voice nearly gave out for his constituents. And Republicans can't even show up to town halls. The contrast could not be starker. Let Senator Booker be an inspiration to us all. "The power of the people is greater than the people in power."
Give yourself credit for still standing after so many people trying to convice you that you should not be authentic and deserved to stay in the darkness. This World needs you to keep shining . No one can stop it
