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How eloquent could Anne Elliot have been! how eloquent, at least, were her wishes on the side of early warm attachment, and a cheerful confidence in futurity, against that over-anxious caution which seems to insult exertion and distrust Providence! She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.

Persuasion, Austen

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“In Dorne, she walked among vipers and none would bite her…”

oberyn & elia martell ☀️

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quick psa: purity culture is indoctrination that teaches women that their bodies are dirty and that they belong to their future husband only.

purity culture is not criticizing an artist for a problematic album cover that glorifies the degradation of women

purity culture is criticizing female artists for being sexual beings, it is not criticizing them for problematic behavior

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I'm sorry Miss Lively I was not aware of your game.

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Well we all knew this was coming.

He's now talking about "deporting bad" citizens. "Bad" No doubt means anyone who doesn't bend the knee to him and his diapers.

And you won't be getting "deported" but sent to that Alligator Concentration Camp.

And as a "bad" citizen; hey Mango Mussolini; FUCK YOU! You will NEVER be the president Obama was. He was a respectable leader while you're just the puppet of all those dictators you suck off.

Hell he was even LAUGHING about alligators eating people sent to Alligator Auschwitz. What's funny is how much of a dipshit he looks with that "Gulf of America" hat.

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I'm a Christian and a Catholic, and that's always… connected to the idea of, um, love and sacrifice being somehow related; and giving yourself to other people. And then [the idea that] death is not defeat. If you… if you can see what I'm getting at there... [...] In the same way, sadness is a little bit of an emotional death, but not a defeat if you can find a way to laugh about it. Because that laughter prevents you from having fear of it, and [that] is the thing that keeps you from turning to evil devices to save you from the sadness. As Robert Hayden said, "We must not be frightened or controlled into accepting evil as our deliverance from evil, we must keep struggling to maintain our humanity though monsters of abstraction threaten and police us." So, if there's some relationship between my faith and my comedy, it's that, no matter what happens, you are never defeated; you must understand and see this in the light of eternity and find some way to live and laugh with each other.

Stephen Colbert (Dua Lipa: "How Does Your Faith and Comedy Overlap?")

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Is Haaretz a "good" source to learn about I/P issues? What about Al Jazeera or the Times of Israel?

[meta question] How did you figure out how to answer the two above questions? I know that newspapers do make mistakes, but I'm willing to forgive them if they make mistakes in good-faith and not because their reporters and/or editorial have an ideology of hatred and bias (either towards or against Israel / Jews / Palestine / Muslims). And I know every news source has bias, I'm just trying to think for myself and ask questions.

This is a bigger question than I'm ready to tackle right now, Anon, but I may be able to offer a couple thoughts.

The first rule of reading the news is to trust no one source, read broadly.

I think Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye can teach you a lot about what Qatar wants Western leftists to think. Not at all reliable for factual reporting.

I have been reading and watching a little from Al Arabiya (Saudi) lately and have mostly been impressed, but I haven't delved into it deeply.

I think The Jerusalem Post can show you what the Israeli right wants the anglophonic world to believe. On any given day, you can see its biases clearly by browsing its headlines. As for newsgathering and reporting...? Mostly factual, but always slanted to the right.

I think that The Times of Israel does the best (imperfect) job in English of avoiding blatant biases. It seems pretty centrist to me, but I'm told others view it as center-left. Look through the headlines and you'll notice those headlines are not generally emotionally charged. The editors are making an effort to report the news in a value-neutral manner without loaded language. I really like that. I haven't had any serious complaints about factual reporting. I recommend you avoid The Blogs.

Haaretz can teach you a lot about what highly educated leftist ashkenaz elites in Israel think will gain the attention of Western progressives/leftists, and also sometimes has important information and actual journalism.

But instead of having me (an American who can only read any of these outfits in English) attempt to describe the cultural placement and significance of Haaretz, give Israeli analyst (for The Times of Israel) Haviv Rettig Gur six minutes and he'll do a much better job:

If you see the value in this, watch the whole podcast (below) to see Haviv delve into this week's big piece from Haaretz to explain the infuriating way it manages to lie with misleading, loaded headlines...while also doing important reporting:

The next obvious question should be: What about Haviv's biases?

He has 'em, of course. Everybody does.

I like how Haviv puts his biases out on the table in full view. He's a bleeding heart liberal on social issues, he's hawkish on defense, he's the son of a Rabbi and a proud Zionist who understands the insanity of the West well enough to explain to us what we're blind to. He does not flinch from criticizing the Israeli government or the IDF (as you'll see in this podcast episode).

I have not yet seen him attempt to dissemble. He's comfortable saying "I don't lnow." I have seen him in dialogue with others where he'll readily concede someone else's good point even when he doesn't like it...or extend enormous amounts of patience because he appreciates sincerity and intellectual honesty...especially from people with whom he disagrees.

Haviv isn't always right, but he's always knowledgeable, intellectually honest, and open about his biases.

That's about as good as it gets in today's media landscape.

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walking with Jesus by Barbara Crooker

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Did you hear about the golden retriever honor guard that watched over Melissa Hortmann on Friday? Twelve golden retrievers rotated throughout the afternoon so that there were always two with her standing guard.

I did and it made me so sad! I keep thinking about their dog and people saying he was trying to protect but I think that, if only based on my golden retriever experience, that he was more likely trying to comfort them in their final moments! Every golden retriever is a bodhisattva of care. Every golden retriever is a physical example of Christ’s unceasing love. It is such a violation of any society with being a part of.

But also what a wonderful way to honor a woman who lived her dedicated to care and peace and human decency. In her personal life and in her public service Melissa Hortman dedicated herself to providing comfort to others. May her memory inspire all of us to be people worthy of a golden retriever honor guard.

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If you have a moment today, 6/30/25, to call your Republican senators and scream at them scream at them ask them to reconsider their plan to destroy Medicaid and America in general, please do. I strongly suggest mentioning if not highlighting the deficit and ICE's wasteful and unnecessary budget in your call. In this version of the bill, ICE is set to receive more funding than the Marines and become the world's most expensive police and detention force.

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summer evening, windows open, a light breeze inside my room, freshly washed bedsheets, salted tomatoes on toasted bread, music playing in the background, sunshine dappled floor, wearing my summer perfume. moment of bliss

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I don't think people on the West Coast understand how much denser and multipolar the US is east of the Mississippi

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one thing about me is that I'm looking stuff up. you mentioned something and I don't know it? I am pulling out my phone and googling that shit. an actor? theoretical physics? a world leader? a vocabulary word? I am on the wikipedia page as we speak

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panicked thinking this was a mass shooting but still - this is terrifying

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“why should we care about jews feeling offended when people are dying”

antisemitic anti-zionism has killed people. jews have been warning (screaming our heads off, begging anyone to listen) of the dangers of anti-zionist rhetoric for years.

and now, karen diamond z”l, has died. she was murdered — burned alive and left to suffer for weeks — by one hamasnik, but anyone who has stood in the street and shouted to “globalize the intifada” is complicit

this is exactly what it looks like when the intifada is globalized

may her memory be a blessing