Jonah Blank
@jonahblank.bsky.social
Anthropologist, author, dad. Order purely alphabetical
Pinned
Jonah Blank
@jonahblank.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God: Retracing the Ramayana T…
The three-thousand-year-old epic Ramayana chronicles Lo…
goodreads.com
Who am I? What am I doing here?
Intro thread with links to some of my work.
My first book was "Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God: Retracing the Ramayana Through India"
goodreads.com/book/show/17...
[🧵 of publications]
Did you pay even a dime of taxes in 2007?
How about in 2011?
If the answer is "yes," then you paid more than Jeff Bezos:
How about in 2011?
If the answer is "yes," then you paid more than Jeff Bezos:
We found that Jeff Bezos paid *zero* taxes in 2007 and 2011.
In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.
This is how he did it (published 2021):
In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.
This is how he did it (published 2021):
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
www.propublica.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Did you pay even a dime of taxes in 2007?
How about in 2011?
If the answer is "yes," then you paid more than Jeff Bezos:
How about in 2011?
If the answer is "yes," then you paid more than Jeff Bezos:
In #journalism, this is what's called a "beat sweetener": A reporter writes a completely substanceless puff-piece about someone, in hope of gaining future access.
Why the NYT thought that Katie Britt would ever be a useful source is a mystery. But they didn't need to subject us to this ass-kissery.
Why the NYT thought that Katie Britt would ever be a useful source is a mystery. But they didn't need to subject us to this ass-kissery.
What utter BS. After 46 paragraphs about her reading her bible at 5AM, visiting kids, etc, we get to what matters:
“In Mr. Trump’s second term, Ms. Britt has voted in line with the president 100 percent of the time. Her disagreements emerge only in private, in conversations”
🤮🤮🤮, @nytimes.com
“In Mr. Trump’s second term, Ms. Britt has voted in line with the president 100 percent of the time. Her disagreements emerge only in private, in conversations”
🤮🤮🤮, @nytimes.com
The G.O.P. Senator Who Can’t Stop Thinking About the Boy ICE Detained
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:03 AM
In #journalism, this is what's called a "beat sweetener": A reporter writes a completely substanceless puff-piece about someone, in hope of gaining future access.
Why the NYT thought that Katie Britt would ever be a useful source is a mystery. But they didn't need to subject us to this ass-kissery.
Why the NYT thought that Katie Britt would ever be a useful source is a mystery. But they didn't need to subject us to this ass-kissery.
AOC remains the Democrats' best communicator.
♦️As a backhand aside, she makes clear she doesn't expect Trump to last a full term.
(She's referring, of course, to impeachment or 25th amendment. And let's hope she's right).
♦️As a backhand aside, she makes clear she doesn't expect Trump to last a full term.
(She's referring, of course, to impeachment or 25th amendment. And let's hope she's right).
AOC on the Kennedy Center: The renaming is completely illegitimate. All they did was screw some nameplates onto the building. That’s coming right off. Enjoy your name on there for a year or two, but that’s getting ripped right out.
February 6, 2026 at 1:53 AM
AOC remains the Democrats' best communicator.
♦️As a backhand aside, she makes clear she doesn't expect Trump to last a full term.
(She's referring, of course, to impeachment or 25th amendment. And let's hope she's right).
♦️As a backhand aside, she makes clear she doesn't expect Trump to last a full term.
(She's referring, of course, to impeachment or 25th amendment. And let's hope she's right).
Exactly.
This should have been the lede sentence.
And the article should have been one sentence long.
This should have been the lede sentence.
And the article should have been one sentence long.
paragraph 48: "In Mr. Trump’s second term, Ms. Britt has voted in line with the president 100 percent of the time."
February 6, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Exactly.
This should have been the lede sentence.
And the article should have been one sentence long.
This should have been the lede sentence.
And the article should have been one sentence long.
Wire services already provide the bulk of international coverage, even for top-tier news organizations. Even NYT relies on the wires-- it's their job to be everywhere.
Sadly, almost every newspaper relies on a sugar-daddy. If Bezos no longer wants to be that, he should have sold the Post.
Sadly, almost every newspaper relies on a sugar-daddy. If Bezos no longer wants to be that, he should have sold the Post.
What is the answer? State sponsored journalism? I mean really, we would all pay for real news, but you need a billion dollars to get the infrastructure in place. Will the AP and Reuters survive? It feels inevitable they will fail.
What does it matter if the #WashingtonPost kills its international coverage?
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
February 6, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Wire services already provide the bulk of international coverage, even for top-tier news organizations. Even NYT relies on the wires-- it's their job to be everywhere.
Sadly, almost every newspaper relies on a sugar-daddy. If Bezos no longer wants to be that, he should have sold the Post.
Sadly, almost every newspaper relies on a sugar-daddy. If Bezos no longer wants to be that, he should have sold the Post.
Wait, isn't this the one where you ski down a steep hill, and then jump as far as you can?
If so, how does-- on second thought, I don't really need to know.
If so, how does-- on second thought, I don't really need to know.
From @theathletic.com: Reports have surfaced before the Winter Olympics that allege ski jumpers are injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid to fly farther. The World Anti-Doping Agency has vowed to investigate.
Are ski jumpers enhancing their penises to fly further? WADA is ready to investigate
World sport's anti-doping body has vowed to look into the lurid claims that first surfaced in a German newspaper in January.
nyti.ms
February 6, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Wait, isn't this the one where you ski down a steep hill, and then jump as far as you can?
If so, how does-- on second thought, I don't really need to know.
If so, how does-- on second thought, I don't really need to know.
Every Democrat should hold that line 100%:
♦️NOTHING gets named after Trump.
Not.
One.
Damn.
Thing.
(OK, maybe a garbage dump or a sewage treatment facility. But that's it).
♦️NOTHING gets named after Trump.
Not.
One.
Damn.
Thing.
(OK, maybe a garbage dump or a sewage treatment facility. But that's it).
BREAKING 🚨 🚨 🚨
Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him
The startling offer, which was described by two people familiar with the conversation, was swiftly rejected by Schumer.
www.cnn.com/2026/02/05/p...
Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him
The startling offer, which was described by two people familiar with the conversation, was swiftly rejected by Schumer.
www.cnn.com/2026/02/05/p...
Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project — if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he was finally prepared to drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a major New York infrastructure projec...
www.cnn.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Every Democrat should hold that line 100%:
♦️NOTHING gets named after Trump.
Not.
One.
Damn.
Thing.
(OK, maybe a garbage dump or a sewage treatment facility. But that's it).
♦️NOTHING gets named after Trump.
Not.
One.
Damn.
Thing.
(OK, maybe a garbage dump or a sewage treatment facility. But that's it).
What does it matter if the #WashingtonPost kills its international coverage?
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
Myanmar's military-imposed import restrictions have crippled the country’s economy.
Increasingly, people say, the only way to get daily household items like nail polish remover or cat food is to have the rare visitor mule them in from elsewhere.
Increasingly, people say, the only way to get daily household items like nail polish remover or cat food is to have the rare visitor mule them in from elsewhere.
Coca-Cola, cat food, tampons: The missing goods of military-run Myanmar
Myanmar’s military regime has tightened import restrictions, exacerbating the country’s economic crisis and sparking widespread hardship among the people.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:20 AM
What does it matter if the #WashingtonPost kills its international coverage?
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
We won't have stories like this.
Because there's no US newspaper with a bureau in #Myanmar (it's typically covered out of #Thailand, if at all), and only a tiny handful with a bureau anywhere in #SoutheastAsia.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
The word don't is censored. Don't, or Don T. If you're looking for just some fun proof they're doing control+f censoring
![To:
Jeffrey Epstein[jeevacation@gmail.com]
From:
Sent:
Wed 7/15/2009 1:56:13 AM
Subject:
Re: florida visit?
good typing!
oh well, looks like it's a long flight anyhow... edmonton is so far away from EVERYTHING.
On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 7:49 PM, Jeffrey Epstein <jeevacation@gmail.com>
wrote:
i am tied up until aug
On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 9:41 PM,
wrote:
You planted a seed with your invite today. I have next Wed thru Sunday off (July 22-26), my last vacation for months.
I was going to take polo lessons in Calgary but I (DON'T) think my body can handle it! I pull a muscle every time, and I'm starting to realize my budding polo career might have to take a back seat to my actual job.
think
What are you doing next week?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2kpgkv4xcyduvylimyapgcj7/bafkreifsvmmha2afgveksvxc5czx4rwpan2e37riayppfadft5sfr43vxm@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
The word don't is censored. Don't, or Don T. If you're looking for just some fun proof they're doing control+f censoring
80 million of them could come just by changing the president's eating habits.
Dr Oz: "We project that America will lose about 100 million pounds this year, which will make folks a lot healthier."
February 6, 2026 at 12:27 AM
80 million of them could come just by changing the president's eating habits.
Wise DC Pundits are freaking out both too much, and not enough:
♦️The midterms aren't where he'll try to stage his coup: He doesn't really care about protecting Mike Johnson's job.
♦️But he WILL use the midterms to test out a LOT of different ways to end democracy. And deploy them in 2028.
♦️The midterms aren't where he'll try to stage his coup: He doesn't really care about protecting Mike Johnson's job.
♦️But he WILL use the midterms to test out a LOT of different ways to end democracy. And deploy them in 2028.
Breaking:
The White House press secretary just said she "can't guarantee" that ICE won't be around polling locations in November.
The White House press secretary just said she "can't guarantee" that ICE won't be around polling locations in November.
February 6, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Wise DC Pundits are freaking out both too much, and not enough:
♦️The midterms aren't where he'll try to stage his coup: He doesn't really care about protecting Mike Johnson's job.
♦️But he WILL use the midterms to test out a LOT of different ways to end democracy. And deploy them in 2028.
♦️The midterms aren't where he'll try to stage his coup: He doesn't really care about protecting Mike Johnson's job.
♦️But he WILL use the midterms to test out a LOT of different ways to end democracy. And deploy them in 2028.
I went to college with Metaxas.
He's not nearly as dumb as he's pretending to be.
He's not nearly as dumb as he's pretending to be.
For a split second EVEN METAXAS SAW IT.
THE SCALES FELL FROM HIS EYES before he hurriedly gathered them up off the floor and re-applied them like contact lenses.
THE SCALES FELL FROM HIS EYES before he hurriedly gathered them up off the floor and re-applied them like contact lenses.
February 5, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I went to college with Metaxas.
He's not nearly as dumb as he's pretending to be.
He's not nearly as dumb as he's pretending to be.
Alternate wording:
♦️GOP Senator love love love LOVES Trump, and has always voted to give him everything he requests. But the Times, for some reason, believes that if it publishes an absurd puff-piece, maybe someday she'll tell them something newsworthy.
♦️GOP Senator love love love LOVES Trump, and has always voted to give him everything he requests. But the Times, for some reason, believes that if it publishes an absurd puff-piece, maybe someday she'll tell them something newsworthy.
Senator Katie Britt of Alabama stands fully behind President Trump in public, but at times seeks to wield influence behind the scenes, guided by her personal values as a mother and a Christian. Her approach faces an acute test as federal immigration agents pursue aggressive tactics in Minnesota.
The G.O.P. Senator Who Can’t Stop Thinking About the Boy ICE Detained
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Alternate wording:
♦️GOP Senator love love love LOVES Trump, and has always voted to give him everything he requests. But the Times, for some reason, believes that if it publishes an absurd puff-piece, maybe someday she'll tell them something newsworthy.
♦️GOP Senator love love love LOVES Trump, and has always voted to give him everything he requests. But the Times, for some reason, believes that if it publishes an absurd puff-piece, maybe someday she'll tell them something newsworthy.
The ones in my neighborhood have spent a LOT of time guarding the McDonalds.
February 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM
The ones in my neighborhood have spent a LOT of time guarding the McDonalds.
✋🏼
Something all these billionaires/tech bros/Wall Streeters & their academic/journalistic courtiers don't seem to get is:
♦️This is NOT normal.
They want you to believe (to quote one of them directly) "This is how men behave."
Not me. Not any of my friends.
It's simple:
➡️ Bad people do bad things.
Something all these billionaires/tech bros/Wall Streeters & their academic/journalistic courtiers don't seem to get is:
♦️This is NOT normal.
They want you to believe (to quote one of them directly) "This is how men behave."
Not me. Not any of my friends.
It's simple:
➡️ Bad people do bad things.
raise your hand if you are not, in fact, in the Epstein files
February 5, 2026 at 10:59 PM
✋🏼
Something all these billionaires/tech bros/Wall Streeters & their academic/journalistic courtiers don't seem to get is:
♦️This is NOT normal.
They want you to believe (to quote one of them directly) "This is how men behave."
Not me. Not any of my friends.
It's simple:
➡️ Bad people do bad things.
Something all these billionaires/tech bros/Wall Streeters & their academic/journalistic courtiers don't seem to get is:
♦️This is NOT normal.
They want you to believe (to quote one of them directly) "This is how men behave."
Not me. Not any of my friends.
It's simple:
➡️ Bad people do bad things.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
Every president from Nixon on released their tax returns, but Trump -- who insisted he would follow that custom -- repeatedly refused to do that. So finally they were leaked, showing he paid only $750 in 2016 and nothing in 2017.
He's now demanding all of us, who *did* pay our full taxes, pay him.
He's now demanding all of us, who *did* pay our full taxes, pay him.
Donald Trump’s frivolous $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns, if he were to win or get a settlement, would be paid entirely by U.S. taxpayers. trib.al/eiYvT8m
February 5, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Every president from Nixon on released their tax returns, but Trump -- who insisted he would follow that custom -- repeatedly refused to do that. So finally they were leaked, showing he paid only $750 in 2016 and nothing in 2017.
He's now demanding all of us, who *did* pay our full taxes, pay him.
He's now demanding all of us, who *did* pay our full taxes, pay him.
Bezos isn't willing to publish opinions that might irritate the president, but that doesn't mean he's afraid to speak truth to power:
♦️He's permitted this blistering attack on the political and economic worldview of...Billie Eilish.
♦️He's permitted this blistering attack on the political and economic worldview of...Billie Eilish.
It’s time to put Billie Eilish’s theory of property out to pasture, Richard Epstein and Max Raskin write.
"Americans are not thieves who built on stolen land." https://wapo.st/4rDYzrn
"Americans are not thieves who built on stolen land." https://wapo.st/4rDYzrn
February 5, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Bezos isn't willing to publish opinions that might irritate the president, but that doesn't mean he's afraid to speak truth to power:
♦️He's permitted this blistering attack on the political and economic worldview of...Billie Eilish.
♦️He's permitted this blistering attack on the political and economic worldview of...Billie Eilish.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
Two rescues and three deaths last week in the U.S. underscore the dangers of walking on thin ice. Here is what to know if you're ever at risk of plunging through ice.
How to Survive a Fall Through the Ice
The cardinal rule? Don’t panic. You actually have more time than you think to self-extricate or wait for help to arrive, an expert said.
nyti.ms
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Two rescues and three deaths last week in the U.S. underscore the dangers of walking on thin ice. Here is what to know if you're ever at risk of plunging through ice.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
One more comment on the Post debacle: this hurts journalism broadly. Good journalists will go do something else. The rest will be fighting for fewer jobs and everyone will earn less. Fewer people will take up the career. The damage done is to the ecosystem, as well as the paper.
February 5, 2026 at 3:11 AM
One more comment on the Post debacle: this hurts journalism broadly. Good journalists will go do something else. The rest will be fighting for fewer jobs and everyone will earn less. Fewer people will take up the career. The damage done is to the ecosystem, as well as the paper.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
This is a remarkable @nytimes.com split screen:
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
February 5, 2026 at 7:13 PM
This is a remarkable @nytimes.com split screen:
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
If Susan Collins wins, she won't be up again until 2032.
And if we still have meaningful elections by then, we'll be inhabiting a cosmic timeline rather different from the one in which we're now trapped.
And if we still have meaningful elections by then, we'll be inhabiting a cosmic timeline rather different from the one in which we're now trapped.
The only thing I’m certain of is that if she survives this environment and wins again, she is effectively unbeatable and there’s no point in worrying about who runs against her anymore in the future
February 5, 2026 at 8:48 PM
If Susan Collins wins, she won't be up again until 2032.
And if we still have meaningful elections by then, we'll be inhabiting a cosmic timeline rather different from the one in which we're now trapped.
And if we still have meaningful elections by then, we'll be inhabiting a cosmic timeline rather different from the one in which we're now trapped.
And exactly as accurate.
Real Ralph Wiggum "I saw one of the babies and the baby looked at me" energy here
Trump at the Natl Prayer Breakfast on National Guard troops in DC: "They took Tren de Aragua, & honestly I don't want to say this, but they beat the crap out of them. They beat the crap out of them. They found they were doing bad things and Tren de Aragua didn't want anything to do with these guys."
February 5, 2026 at 8:39 PM
And exactly as accurate.
So...all vertically-modest 63-year-olds?
Trump at Natl Prayer Breakfst: "We prefer somebody that's a strong, powerful person w/extremely good vision that can shoot a rifle very well to a person that's extremely weak, non-muscular, can't shoot a rifle, has no idea where the hell he is. We have a military where they all look like Tom Cruise"
February 5, 2026 at 8:01 PM
So...all vertically-modest 63-year-olds?
Amen.
As both a former newspaper editor responsible for headlines and an academic producing arcane research: I understand the difficulty of getting people to pay attention to one's work.
But trying to trick one's audience into reading an article or monograph isn't cute. It's just insulting.
As both a former newspaper editor responsible for headlines and an academic producing arcane research: I understand the difficulty of getting people to pay attention to one's work.
But trying to trick one's audience into reading an article or monograph isn't cute. It's just insulting.
There isn't a sigh hard enough for these dumbass headlines. Warriors were a SOCIAL GROUP, and later a legal classification. Gender was not relevant to whether one was part of a warrior group/family/etc. You might as well write: THIS JUST IN: WOMEN EXISTED! www.the-independent.com/asia/japan/b...
Half of Japan’s samurai were women, groundbreaking exhibition at British Museum says
‘Samurai’ explores over a thousand years of Japanese history related to the elite warrior class
www.the-independent.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Amen.
As both a former newspaper editor responsible for headlines and an academic producing arcane research: I understand the difficulty of getting people to pay attention to one's work.
But trying to trick one's audience into reading an article or monograph isn't cute. It's just insulting.
As both a former newspaper editor responsible for headlines and an academic producing arcane research: I understand the difficulty of getting people to pay attention to one's work.
But trying to trick one's audience into reading an article or monograph isn't cute. It's just insulting.
Reposted by Jonah Blank
New: Susan Collins raised more from AIPAC donors last year than small donors.
We asked her campaign about it. They hung up.
Last year, we asked if she knew how many Americans the Israeli military had killed.
She replied: “I am pro-Israel.”
@minnahfarshad.bsky.social @andrewperez.bsky.social
We asked her campaign about it. They hung up.
Last year, we asked if she knew how many Americans the Israeli military had killed.
She replied: “I am pro-Israel.”
@minnahfarshad.bsky.social @andrewperez.bsky.social
Susan Collins Is Getting More Money From AIPAC Than Small Donors
As oysterman Graham Platner handily outraises Republican Susan Collins, the pro-Israel lobby collected nearly 20% of her donations for her.
zeteo.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:43 PM
New: Susan Collins raised more from AIPAC donors last year than small donors.
We asked her campaign about it. They hung up.
Last year, we asked if she knew how many Americans the Israeli military had killed.
She replied: “I am pro-Israel.”
@minnahfarshad.bsky.social @andrewperez.bsky.social
We asked her campaign about it. They hung up.
Last year, we asked if she knew how many Americans the Israeli military had killed.
She replied: “I am pro-Israel.”
@minnahfarshad.bsky.social @andrewperez.bsky.social