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Jason Baluyut

@jasonbaluyut.bsky.social

370 followers 190 following 830 posts

I like to write and photograph stuff. I might get political. No to cruelty and broken systems; yes to kindness, love, and openness to possibility. He/him. Also on Mastodon: @[email protected]

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · Feb 15

Hello Bluesky! Hoping this is a place where I can share photos, geek out about music/literature/astronomy/other obsessions, and signal-boost like-minded folks trying to stay compassionate, sane, and human in these terrible times.

Here’s some blue sky from my neighborhood. See you around!

A streetlight and a flock of pigeons alighting on a building against a clear blue sky.

Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Sarah Kendzior @sarahkendzior.bsky.social · 5h

"Everything they do is extremely violent."

Greta Thunberg on Israel:

Excerpt of greta thunberg article in link below

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Holly Anderson 🍇 @hollyanderson.bsky.social · 5h

you fucked around and now the Episcopalians are doing memes. are you happy now. are you

Screenshot of a Facebook post featuring three of the Portland protesters wearing inflatable frog costumes with the following text:

Episcopalians on Facebook
Elizabeth Rose Elrod • 22h •
Exodus 8:2-6
"But if you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs...
The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your officials."

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 10h

#MeerMittwoch
Boracay Island, Philippines, January 2020. The volcanic rock formation just off the shore is Willy’s Rock, which has a shrine to the Virgin Mary on one side — a popular destination for pilgrims and tourists.

#photography #seawednesday #sea #seaside #beach #philippines

Photo of a tropical island beach, looking out to sea. A stretch of fine sand in the foreground leads to shallow water, with people wading calf-deep in the waves. In the middle distance offshore is a long, low rock formation topped by some trees. At its leftmost section is a small grotto (with a statue of the Virgin Mary inside, unseen), with people climbing up a short flight of steps from the water to reach it. A sailboat glides along the water further in the distance. Mountains lie on the horizon, under masses of low clouds sweeping across the blue sky.

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 10h

#FotoVorschlag
“Metall” / Metal

The internal cast iron frame of a grand piano can weigh up to 500 pounds (227 kg), and needs to withstand up to 30 tons (30,000 kg) of string tension: the silent strength underneath sublime sound.

#photography #piano #lightandshadow

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 1d

I’d been thinking for a while that it seems like a startling number of rappers have died in their mid-40s to mid-50s from natural causes but it didn’t really feel like an epidemic until I saw this list. 😦

Deaths of Hip-Hop Artists Reveal the Alarming State of Black Men’s Health

Neo-soul singer D'Angelo joins growing list of Gen X Black male performers who are dying relatively young.

capitalbnews.org

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

ACLU @aclu.org · 1d

The trailblazing transgender rights activist Miss Major has passed away at the age of 78.

Miss Major was a lifelong organizer and participant in the ballroom scene. She took part in the 1969 Stonewall Riots and was injured by the police — but she kept fighting.

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Guillermo del Toro @realgdt.bsky.social · 1d

The world lost a genial man, a genius communicator and a supreme artist. I lost a friend - beloved Drew.

Andrew 🐻 @awd.bsky.social · 1d

Rest in Peace, Drew Struzan

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Politico @politico.com · 1d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 1d

1. Yesterday, the press gave Gavin Newsom favorable coverage for signing pro-LGBTQ+ bills.

Little noticed, however, was that he vetoed one of the most important ones: a bill allowing trans people 12 month HRT stockpiles, protecting them from federal threats.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Gavin Newsom Vetoes Important HRT Stockpiling Bill For Trans Californians, Signs Other Pro-LGBTQ+ Bills

The bill would have allowed transgender people to maintain a safe supply of medication in the era of government crackdowns on care.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Susan Kaye Quinn is Writing Solarpunk 🌞🌱 @susankayequinn.bsky.social · 1d

omg this is so great

Trump was like "Portland, get ready! I'm gonna invade with my ICE thugs!"

but it turned out Trump wasn't ready for Portland

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5z...

A Message From The Frog Resistance

YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

www.youtube.com

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 1d

#ThickTrunkTuesday
#TextureTuesday
Tree and field, stones and sunlight.

#photography #trees #stones #texture #lightandshadow

Photo of the trunk of a mature tree growing in a gap in a low wall of stacked stones. The image highlights the texture of the stones and bark, dappled with sunlight. Beyond the tree and stone wall is a vivid green field with mown grass and distant trees. Taken at the Glass House historic site in New Canaan, Connecticut.

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 2d

#MonochromeMonday
#FotoVorschlag: At the #Museum

A working vintage voting machine from the Shirley Chisholm exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. She tried to take us to a better place and we’re still trying to get there.

#photography #monochrome #blackandwhite #history #nyc

Black and white photo of a vertical list of candidates on the face of a mechanical voting machine. At the top is text that reads “1972 Presidential Primary Election / June 20, 1972” followed by “Col. 1 / DEMOCRATIC” and the candidates’ names: Shirley Chisholm, Hubert Humphrey, Edward Kennedy, John Lindsay, George McGovern, Edmund Muskie, George Wallace. To the right of each name is a square window and a small black lever; most of the windows are blank with the levers pointed up, while the lever for Chisholm has been pulled down, causing an “X” to appear in her window.

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 2d

yearly reminder to people insisting that we view Christopher Columbus as "a man of his time" that *the people responsible for the Spanish Inquisition* thought Columbus was out of pocket

Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 2d

Christopher Columbus was dragged back to Spain in chains by a crusading knight, convicted of tyranny and immeasurable cruelty, pardoned by Isabella but banned from returning to Hispaniola.

Fuck Columbus.

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 2d

#FotoVorschlag
At the #Museum

The new Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History, with architecture inspired by natural rock formations.

#photography #urbanphotography #architecture #nyc

Photo of the central atrium of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History. The design evokes a rock canyon, avoiding straight lines in favor of organic curves and contours. Sunlight casts the shadow of a barred window in warm rectangles of light on a central “stone” arch. Further back is the glass-paneled facade and entrance, several stories high, beyond which is a tall tree with vivid green leaves and city buildings and streets.

Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 2d

#FotoVorschlag
At the #Museum

From the exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the Metropolitan Museum. Designer info in the alt text.

#photography #fashion #exhibition #metmuseum #nyc

Photo of a bald, dark-toned, male mannequin wearing a long gray bomber jacket over a striped collared shirt, green necktie, and light-colored pants studded with rivets. Beside it is an antique bureau with brown wooden drawers topped by a framed rectangular mirror, which reflects the image of a similar mannequin in a sleeveless white top. In the background are scattered displays of more mannequins in various outfits, under a dark ceiling dotted with museum lights.

Museum placard info for the main mannequin:

denzilpatrick (British, founded 2021)
Daniel Gayle (British, b. 1983)
James Bosley (British, b. 1983)
Ensemble, autumn/winter 2024-25
Tailed bomber jacket of gray synthetic twill; trousers of ivory cotton tumbled velvet studded with rivets of bronze metal; shirt of gold-and-ivory striped cotton plain weave; tie of green nylon plain weave; spats of ivory cotton tumbled velvet and bronze metal

Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 2d

#FotoVorschlag
At the #Museum

They each felt something was missing, but when they met at the museum they felt complete. It was like they were made for each other.

#photography #statue #sculpture #metmuseum #nyc

Photo of two marble Roman sculptures on pedestals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. At left is an armless, headless statue of a male youth, with one leg braced against a sculpted tree stump. At right is the sculpted head of a man. The lighting throws the shadow of the headless statue onto the tiled marble wall between the two artifacts.

Info from the museum placards:

Marble statue of the Diadoumenos (youth tying a fillet around his head)
Roman, imperial period, 1st-2nd century A.D.
Copy of a Greek bronze statue of ca. 430 B.C. by Polykleitos

Marble head of a youth
Roman, probably Claudian period, ca. A.D. 41-54
Copy of a Greek bronze statue of ca. 450 B.C. attributed to Polykleitos

Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Maya Schenwar @mayaschenwar.bsky.social · 3d

SO many neighbors out in RP today!

There is so much horror. And also, countless people in our neighborhood and across our magical city, Chicago, are demonstrating, every day, a loving and fierce dedication to keep each other safe.

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 3d

There are a tremendous number of ICE watchers out in Rogers Park this afternoon after some early morning abductions.

People are guarding churches and patrolling alleyways. Ran into Alderperson Hadden. First timers tell us they're primed and ready to use their whistles.

Know your rights flyer in Spanish on street pole

Alderperson Maria Hadden on street corner

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 3d

#FotoVorschlag
“Himmelsstürmer” / Sky striker, idealist, dreamer

#photography #landscape #silhouette #minimalism

Photo of a young woman in silhouette standing in a flat, empty landscape (Idaho farmland after harvest). She poses artfully, tilting her head sideways and extending one leg out in a “ballet” tiptoe as she stretches one arm upward into a clear blue sky. The sun is a glowing white halo at top frame, sending streaks of light downward. The photo conveys a mood of lightheartedness, expansiveness, and possibility.

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 3d

#FotoVorschlag
“Himmelsstürmer” / Sky striker, idealist, revolutionary, “skyward dreamer”

Statue of the Filipina revolutionary Gabriela Silang in her iconic pose: on horseback, bolo striking the sky, fighting for the dream of Philippine independence.

#photography #statue #publicart #philippines

Photo of a bronze statue of a young woman, facing right and riding a horse that rears up with its forelegs raised. The woman's hair flows back as if wind-blown and she wields a raised bolo in her right hand. The statue stands on a wide marbled pedestal. Behind it is a line of palm trees and a high-rise building with the words THE PENINSULA at the top of its facade. High overhead in a blue sky, a tiny moon looks down on the scene.

Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 3d

#SilentSunday

#photography #urbanphotography #streetphotography #brooklyn #nyc #vintage

Photo of a scene inside an ice cream parlor (Brooklyn Farmacy). Some notable elements: A Faema E61 vintage espresso machine — a long metal box in an illuminated red border with a horizontal stripe along the middle — sits on a black counter, flanked by stacked glasses and a water pitcher. The wall behind the counter displays a blackboard sign that reads “Enjoy! HOT CHOCOLATE with TOASTED MARSHMALLOW” handwritten in chalk. A half-spherical ceiling light hangs from a slender stem extending from a patterned tin ceiling. A soda jerk (ice cream parlor worker) in a white hat, white shirt and blue apron walks in from left frame, blurred by his motion. The scene feels cozy, dominated by brown and black tones, in shadows and soft glows.

Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 4d

I know not everyone is who they thought they would be under a fascist, authoritarian regime. That's okay. But it's time to do more than react and post about it. It's time to get organized—including mapping or creating lines of support and defense in your community.

Mapping Community Defense and Care in Our Neighborhoods

This worksheet can help us prepare for Trump's military interventions at the neighborhood level.

organizingmythoughts.org

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Reposted by Jason Baluyut

Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 4d

They're talking about killing leftist activists. They're talking about murdering people organizing in defense of immigrant communities, doing mutual aid work, and protesting their violence. They are talking about murdering people like me and my friends. We must do more than acknowledge it's fascism.

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 7d

My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says "Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 4d

One more for #FotoVorschlag
Color: #Orange
Sunset over Brooklyn.

#photography #urbanphotography #sunset #brooklyn #nyc

Photo of a dramatic orange sunset over the Brooklyn waterfront. In the foreground is a low building behind a fence, illuminated streetlights, some tree leaves at right frame, and a container crane with its boom lowered and extended, silhouetted against the sunset glow. Some power lines stretch across the sky from left to right frame. Dark clouds are backlit by orange light, which gradually turns yellow-gold at the horizon.

Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 4d

#FotoVorschlag
Color: #Orange

Pau Villarreal of The Warning. At Warsaw in Brooklyn, September 2024.

#photography #concert #thewarningrockband

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Jason Baluyut @jasonbaluyut.bsky.social · 4d

#FotoVorschlag
Color: #Orange

#photography #sunset #minimalism #urbanphotography #blur #bokeh

Photo of the sun shining through tree leaves, as seen through the mesh of orange safety netting in the extreme foreground. The fine mesh texture of additional netting in the middle distance, stretched over a wooden frame, can also be seen. Everything in the image is out of focus, with a lens flare around the sun and all points of light softened into bokeh.