Lisa Hirsch
@lisairontongue.bsky.social
Music writer (SF Classical Voice, SF Chronicle, Opera). Blogs at irontongue.blogspot.com. Alto, martial artist. Former tech writer. Music, books, politics, food, public health. Cis, queer, Jewish. I instablock men who follow only women's accounts.
Pinned
Lisa Hirsch
@lisairontongue.bsky.social
· Apr 12
My posts are roughly 40% classical music and opera; 40% leftist politics; 20% books / food / cat photos / architecture / other stuff.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
THREAD.
3 years ago, with no warning, a brilliant orange farm cat wandered over from the draughty barn where he had been living, in rural Cornwall, and decided he wanted to live with us instead.
We decided to call him Jim.
This is the first photo I took of him, on that night: December 1st, 2022.
3 years ago, with no warning, a brilliant orange farm cat wandered over from the draughty barn where he had been living, in rural Cornwall, and decided he wanted to live with us instead.
We decided to call him Jim.
This is the first photo I took of him, on that night: December 1st, 2022.
November 26, 2025 at 8:44 PM
THREAD.
3 years ago, with no warning, a brilliant orange farm cat wandered over from the draughty barn where he had been living, in rural Cornwall, and decided he wanted to live with us instead.
We decided to call him Jim.
This is the first photo I took of him, on that night: December 1st, 2022.
3 years ago, with no warning, a brilliant orange farm cat wandered over from the draughty barn where he had been living, in rural Cornwall, and decided he wanted to live with us instead.
We decided to call him Jim.
This is the first photo I took of him, on that night: December 1st, 2022.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
I will believe in the end of identity politics when steel and lumber (28,000 jobs and 105,000 jobs respectively) stop getting bailouts, while higher education (310,000 jobs) collapses in front of our eyes because it's full of ivory tower elites
November 26, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I will believe in the end of identity politics when steel and lumber (28,000 jobs and 105,000 jobs respectively) stop getting bailouts, while higher education (310,000 jobs) collapses in front of our eyes because it's full of ivory tower elites
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
BREAKING: SCOTUS will not grant the Trump administration’s request to allow it to fire Shira Perlmutter, the director of the Copyright Office, at this time. It puts off any decision while the court is considering the other two firings cases. Perlmutter stays in office during that time.
November 26, 2025 at 5:08 PM
BREAKING: SCOTUS will not grant the Trump administration’s request to allow it to fire Shira Perlmutter, the director of the Copyright Office, at this time. It puts off any decision while the court is considering the other two firings cases. Perlmutter stays in office during that time.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
In case you missed this, the BBC edited a historian's speech about Trump to remove the claim that he's "the most openly corrupt president in US history." This came after Trump had threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump Angrily Threatened to Sue BBC. Then Things Took a Darker Turn.
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
In case you missed this, the BBC edited a historian's speech about Trump to remove the claim that he's "the most openly corrupt president in US history." This came after Trump had threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Roz Chast: a woman after my own heart even though I am consciously trying to be less of a grudge holder.
Happy birthday Roz Chast 🎂
📷 Deborah Feingold, 1986
"I putter. I nurse old grudges. I fold origami while nursing old grudges. I think about the past. I wonder if there's any grudges I should start."
📷 Deborah Feingold, 1986
"I putter. I nurse old grudges. I fold origami while nursing old grudges. I think about the past. I wonder if there's any grudges I should start."
November 26, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Roz Chast: a woman after my own heart even though I am consciously trying to be less of a grudge holder.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Donald Glover.
Jamie Foxx.
John Singleton.
Cory Broadus.
Kid Cudi.
Sinbad.
We have to talk about blood clots and hypertension, stress and how it weathers us from the inside out, and how we push our bodies to their limits under capitalism despite the facts that we are not machines.
#BlackSky
Jamie Foxx.
John Singleton.
Cory Broadus.
Kid Cudi.
Sinbad.
We have to talk about blood clots and hypertension, stress and how it weathers us from the inside out, and how we push our bodies to their limits under capitalism despite the facts that we are not machines.
#BlackSky
November 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Donald Glover.
Jamie Foxx.
John Singleton.
Cory Broadus.
Kid Cudi.
Sinbad.
We have to talk about blood clots and hypertension, stress and how it weathers us from the inside out, and how we push our bodies to their limits under capitalism despite the facts that we are not machines.
#BlackSky
Jamie Foxx.
John Singleton.
Cory Broadus.
Kid Cudi.
Sinbad.
We have to talk about blood clots and hypertension, stress and how it weathers us from the inside out, and how we push our bodies to their limits under capitalism despite the facts that we are not machines.
#BlackSky
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
People need food. Market won’t provide it. Government should. It’s literally the whole point.
Turns out Mamdani's controversial proposal for government-run supermarkets isn't so novel. Other cities also are toying with the idea to bring fresh, affordable food to communities that do not have easy access to it. Good WSJ read (gift link)
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Inside Atlanta’s First Government-Funded Supermarket
The goal is for the store to become profitable without any government subsidy within three years.
www.wsj.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:53 PM
People need food. Market won’t provide it. Government should. It’s literally the whole point.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. While I’m in the spirit of thinking of how lucky I am, I like to donate to my local food bank—this year, that’s Alameda County Community Food Bank. donate.accfb.org/search/Donat...
ACCFB Donate Now
Help support ACCFB today!
donate.accfb.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. While I’m in the spirit of thinking of how lucky I am, I like to donate to my local food bank—this year, that’s Alameda County Community Food Bank. donate.accfb.org/search/Donat...
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
I expect nothing less from the brilliant @amalelmohtar.com, but this is gorgeous and heartbreaking in every way. You all should read it.
Free Palestine.
Free Palestine.
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Why I Need the Birds
A Love Letters Feature by Amal El-Mohtar - November 2025
stone-soup.ghost.io
November 26, 2025 at 1:02 AM
I expect nothing less from the brilliant @amalelmohtar.com, but this is gorgeous and heartbreaking in every way. You all should read it.
Free Palestine.
Free Palestine.
@amalelmohtar.com My gosh your review of "The Book of Love" is just about perfect. I just finished the book and it floored me. I am somewhat doubtful that I could write a coherent paragraph about it.
November 26, 2025 at 6:53 AM
@amalelmohtar.com My gosh your review of "The Book of Love" is just about perfect. I just finished the book and it floored me. I am somewhat doubtful that I could write a coherent paragraph about it.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Thinking of making a horror movie about a man who keeps discovering 12-inch rulers in his home. It's a found footage film.
November 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Thinking of making a horror movie about a man who keeps discovering 12-inch rulers in his home. It's a found footage film.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, pardoned by Donald Trump, has been accused of facilitating millions of dollars’ worth of payments to Hamas in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Zhao also financed the Trump family's entrance into the cryptocurrency market.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao accused of facilitating payments to Hamas
Crypto tycoon pardoned by Donald Trump faces US court complaint from families of victims of October 7 attack
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
So I'm editing the Edinburgh Edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Relatedly, if you're in the UK and you or your library possess the deluxe large paper British edition (1912 or 1914 versions), please let me know. It's the version with Iguanodon footprints on the cover.
November 25, 2025 at 8:02 AM
So I'm editing the Edinburgh Edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World. Relatedly, if you're in the UK and you or your library possess the deluxe large paper British edition (1912 or 1914 versions), please let me know. It's the version with Iguanodon footprints on the cover.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Right now the only way for the vast majority of writers and artists to make any kind of a modest living is to self-publish. All but the luckiest few are having to do this. This means the only income most of us have is from Crowdfunded projects. If you love what someone does & can afford it, pay them
November 24, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Right now the only way for the vast majority of writers and artists to make any kind of a modest living is to self-publish. All but the luckiest few are having to do this. This means the only income most of us have is from Crowdfunded projects. If you love what someone does & can afford it, pay them
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
That report about supposedly training Gemini on your email was incorrect and has since been updated.
November 25, 2025 at 5:58 AM
That report about supposedly training Gemini on your email was incorrect and has since been updated.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
My colleague, Dr. Vahid Abedini, was illegally detained by ICE on Saturday. He is currently being held without a court date in sight, despite being in the country legally. Please spread the word! We must ensure his due process rights are upheld. www.oudaily.com/news/ou-prof...
OU College of International Studies professor reportedly arrested by ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly arrested an OU professor at Will Rogers International Airport Saturday.
www.oudaily.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:05 PM
My colleague, Dr. Vahid Abedini, was illegally detained by ICE on Saturday. He is currently being held without a court date in sight, despite being in the country legally. Please spread the word! We must ensure his due process rights are upheld. www.oudaily.com/news/ou-prof...
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."
It takes 14 paragraphs before this NY Times article gets to factual matters about military personnel and their right to refuse to obey illegal orders. COME ON.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 AM
It takes 14 paragraphs before this NY Times article gets to factual matters about military personnel and their right to refuse to obey illegal orders. COME ON.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
I! M! L! S!
"The ruling nullifies the Administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS and permanently prohibits the Administration from taking such actions in the future. The ruling has immediate nationwide effect."
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
"The ruling nullifies the Administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS and permanently prohibits the Administration from taking such actions in the future. The ruling has immediate nationwide effect."
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
November 24, 2025 at 9:05 PM
I! M! L! S!
"The ruling nullifies the Administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS and permanently prohibits the Administration from taking such actions in the future. The ruling has immediate nationwide effect."
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
"The ruling nullifies the Administration’s actions to dismantle IMLS and permanently prohibits the Administration from taking such actions in the future. The ruling has immediate nationwide effect."
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
I think Democrats should double down on trans rights now. It's obvious that most voters don't care about it so you might as well stick with your principles and goad Republicans into focusing on it at the expense of everything else so they're the ones who look like freaks.
November 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I think Democrats should double down on trans rights now. It's obvious that most voters don't care about it so you might as well stick with your principles and goad Republicans into focusing on it at the expense of everything else so they're the ones who look like freaks.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
If you have celiac/coeliac disease or are gluten sensitive, see if you can find these Walker’s gluten free shortbread cookies/biscuits at your local grocery store. Holy crap, do these taste wonderful—not like sadness at all! And no tapioca/cassava flour!
November 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
If you have celiac/coeliac disease or are gluten sensitive, see if you can find these Walker’s gluten free shortbread cookies/biscuits at your local grocery store. Holy crap, do these taste wonderful—not like sadness at all! And no tapioca/cassava flour!
@tonybravosf.bsky.social has a wonderful article in the SF Chronicle about Basil Twist and SF Opera's dazzling production of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "The Monkey King." Gift link:
www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
Inside S.F. Opera’s dazzling new ‘Monkey King’ with puppeteer Basil Twist
San Francisco Opera’s new production “The Monkey King” will likely appeal to children of all ages with its tactile, immersive world and performances.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:11 PM
@tonybravosf.bsky.social has a wonderful article in the SF Chronicle about Basil Twist and SF Opera's dazzling production of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "The Monkey King." Gift link:
www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
America needs more patriots like Senator Mark Kelly and fewer miserable cowards like Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.
Sen. Mark Kelly facing military investigation after clashing with Trump
A statement from the Pentagon said all service members have a "legal obligation" to "obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful."
www.axios.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:36 PM
America needs more patriots like Senator Mark Kelly and fewer miserable cowards like Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Gender is a spectrum from just wanting have fun to being back in town, and to varying degrees, each of us contains attributes of both, which is a beautiful thing
November 24, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Gender is a spectrum from just wanting have fun to being back in town, and to varying degrees, each of us contains attributes of both, which is a beautiful thing
Reposted by Lisa Hirsch
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Turning Point leader, former GOP Rep pleads guilty to attempted election fraud | Arizona Mirror
Austin Smith election fraud guilty plea: Former GOP Rep admits forging 100+ signatures on ballot petitions in Arizona
azmirror.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...