Aya
@melangell.bsky.social
UX/UI researcher. Graduate student at LSE. Warhammer 40K fan. Elder Millennial.
Pinned
I can’t believe I was carded for an espresso martini.
November 26, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I can’t believe I was carded for an espresso martini.
Reposted by Aya
Reposted by Aya
If I ever have a frustratingly stubborn attraction to someone, it’s usually because they have a skill set / body of experience I want to have. That was a useful lesson to learn. The attraction went away when I went out and learned / experienced the thing I was actually craving.
November 25, 2025 at 11:22 PM
If I ever have a frustratingly stubborn attraction to someone, it’s usually because they have a skill set / body of experience I want to have. That was a useful lesson to learn. The attraction went away when I went out and learned / experienced the thing I was actually craving.
Reposted by Aya
The Trump administration has been targeting Iranian immigrants in the U.S. for arrest, many of them seemingly arbitrary. One analysis found that hundreds of Iranian immigrants have been arrested by ICE under Trump — with a major spike in the week after the U.S. military struck Iran this June.
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
The Trump administration has been targeting Iranian immigrants in the U.S. for arrest, many of them seemingly arbitrary. One analysis found that hundreds of Iranian immigrants have been arrested by ICE under Trump — with a major spike in the week after the U.S. military struck Iran this June.
Reposted by Aya
An Iranian professor for the University of Oklahoma was released by ICE after spending three days in detention for what the agency has deemed “standard questioning.” Vahid Abedini was on his way to the Middle East Studies Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. when he was arrested.
ICE Detains Iranian Professor for 3 Days for “Standard Questioning”
“It was a deeply distressing experience, especially seeing those without the support I had,” the scholar said.
truthout.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:00 AM
An Iranian professor for the University of Oklahoma was released by ICE after spending three days in detention for what the agency has deemed “standard questioning.” Vahid Abedini was on his way to the Middle East Studies Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C. when he was arrested.
Onboarding done for new job, yay.
November 25, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Onboarding done for new job, yay.
HTS could never run a unified Syria because their ideology has always centered on a narrow form of religious supremacy. This alienated Kurds (even though many Kurds are Sunni), Alawites, Christians, Druze, and other minorities who together make up a very large portion of Syria’s population.
November 25, 2025 at 9:28 PM
HTS could never run a unified Syria because their ideology has always centered on a narrow form of religious supremacy. This alienated Kurds (even though many Kurds are Sunni), Alawites, Christians, Druze, and other minorities who together make up a very large portion of Syria’s population.
Alawites held a massive protest over the kidnappings and sectarian murders carried out by HTS. Instead of backing off, HTS militants tried to crush the protest by shooting directly at the crowd.
November 25, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Alawites held a massive protest over the kidnappings and sectarian murders carried out by HTS. Instead of backing off, HTS militants tried to crush the protest by shooting directly at the crowd.
Reposted by Aya
I do need to stop, tho.
August 17, 2025 at 4:15 AM
I do need to stop, tho.
Yah, and kind of reminded me of that Hurwitz clip. She was upset young people applied the never again lesson consistently, not just where the curriculum intended. That’s the danger of teaching evil as something external and exceptional instead of part of continuing imperial structures.
True. The disassociation is problematic. The Nazi analogy is also often seen as an over reaction (and more easily dismissed as a result).
In my history classes, the comparisons between the US and Nazi Germany were limited to contemporary topics (e.g., US vs Nazi concentration camps in the 1940s).
In my history classes, the comparisons between the US and Nazi Germany were limited to contemporary topics (e.g., US vs Nazi concentration camps in the 1940s).
November 25, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Yah, and kind of reminded me of that Hurwitz clip. She was upset young people applied the never again lesson consistently, not just where the curriculum intended. That’s the danger of teaching evil as something external and exceptional instead of part of continuing imperial structures.
I don’t get it. Caffeine makes me violently sick, nothing that keeps other people awake works on me, but give me some warm water and tilt me back at a 40-degree angle and I fall asleep instantly like a literal baby for twelve hours.
November 25, 2025 at 1:24 AM
I don’t get it. Caffeine makes me violently sick, nothing that keeps other people awake works on me, but give me some warm water and tilt me back at a 40-degree angle and I fall asleep instantly like a literal baby for twelve hours.
Literally shaking from having one cup of coffee, lol.
November 25, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Literally shaking from having one cup of coffee, lol.
Reposted by Aya
Venezuela’s Cartel Threat Is ‘Made Up’ youtu.be/XdiEgyC6I0s?...
Venezuela’s Cartel Threat Is ‘Made Up’
YouTube video by BreakThrough News
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Venezuela’s Cartel Threat Is ‘Made Up’ youtu.be/XdiEgyC6I0s?...
Reposted by Aya
Still pretending like Epstein's significant and extensive ties to israeli intelligence are "conspiracy theories" I see
It’s obviously OK to criticize Israel.
But when it becomes an obsession.
When it’s the only country you think shouldn’t exist.
When you blame Israel for 9/11, Charlie Kirk, and Jeff Epstein.
When you compare Israel to Nazi Germany.
You should look inward and address your antisemitism.
But when it becomes an obsession.
When it’s the only country you think shouldn’t exist.
When you blame Israel for 9/11, Charlie Kirk, and Jeff Epstein.
When you compare Israel to Nazi Germany.
You should look inward and address your antisemitism.
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Still pretending like Epstein's significant and extensive ties to israeli intelligence are "conspiracy theories" I see
Jolani’s guys are currently going into Alawite areas and mass slaughtering people, and ISIS fighters with full ISIS patches are doing the same. And those ISIS units doing the killing are the same ones Jolani just sent toward the Lebanese border in case you’re wondering how free Syria is rn.
November 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Jolani’s guys are currently going into Alawite areas and mass slaughtering people, and ISIS fighters with full ISIS patches are doing the same. And those ISIS units doing the killing are the same ones Jolani just sent toward the Lebanese border in case you’re wondering how free Syria is rn.
I think Nazi comparisons can be emotionally satisfying but analytically useless. The US doesn’t need a Nazi analogy to be critiqued; it has its own long record of violence that should be examined on its own terms. You don’t need a Nazi frame to understand why US militarism is catastrophic.
November 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
I think Nazi comparisons can be emotionally satisfying but analytically useless. The US doesn’t need a Nazi analogy to be critiqued; it has its own long record of violence that should be examined on its own terms. You don’t need a Nazi frame to understand why US militarism is catastrophic.
The crises feel disconnected only because we’re encouraged to look at them in isolation. The through-line is the political priorities of the U.S. state and the way media power is organized. These aren’t separate issues.
It still is ridic that more Gen Zers showed up for pro-Palestine protests than the ones now against Trump. They're all about a conflict 6,000 miles away that doesn't involve any American soldiers but not their own country falling apart
November 24, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The crises feel disconnected only because we’re encouraged to look at them in isolation. The through-line is the political priorities of the U.S. state and the way media power is organized. These aren’t separate issues.
EU: We made some edits to Trump’s peace plan.
The edits: removing all the parts Russia wants, all the parts the US wants, and adding things Europe cannot actually enforce.
???
The edits: removing all the parts Russia wants, all the parts the US wants, and adding things Europe cannot actually enforce.
???
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
EU: We made some edits to Trump’s peace plan.
The edits: removing all the parts Russia wants, all the parts the US wants, and adding things Europe cannot actually enforce.
???
The edits: removing all the parts Russia wants, all the parts the US wants, and adding things Europe cannot actually enforce.
???
Reposted by Aya
If you’ve ever wondered why the U.S. stays in endless conflict no matter who’s president or why support for Israel is treated as untouchable, go ahead and register for the course! Get other people you know to join, too!
Hi! I just wanted to bring this to your attention! The Palestinian Youth Movement is running a FREE hybrid course on America’s Forever Wars in the Middle East. peoplesforum.org/foreverwars
COURSE: America’s Forever Wars in the Middle East
This 4-part course from the Palestinian Youth Movement will study the history and present of US intervention in the Middle East to equip participants with a deeper understanding of US imperialism, Isr
peoplesforum.org
November 23, 2025 at 8:17 AM
If you’ve ever wondered why the U.S. stays in endless conflict no matter who’s president or why support for Israel is treated as untouchable, go ahead and register for the course! Get other people you know to join, too!
Reposted by Aya
From Marjorie Taylor Greene to Venezuela and the incredible ineptitude of Western governments (led by the US), everything in this moment in our collective existence is about Israel
Everything is about Israel
YouTube video by The Mizrahi Perspective
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:37 AM
From Marjorie Taylor Greene to Venezuela and the incredible ineptitude of Western governments (led by the US), everything in this moment in our collective existence is about Israel
Reposted by Aya
60%+ of Israelis surveyed don't thing the abuses of Palestinian prisoners should be investigated.
84% say the IDF should get an excellent or very good grade for *moral conduct*.
62.5% say a 'terrorist' should be murdered even if they don't pose a threat.
www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopoli...
84% say the IDF should get an excellent or very good grade for *moral conduct*.
62.5% say a 'terrorist' should be murdered even if they don't pose a threat.
www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopoli...
November 24, 2025 at 1:18 PM
60%+ of Israelis surveyed don't thing the abuses of Palestinian prisoners should be investigated.
84% say the IDF should get an excellent or very good grade for *moral conduct*.
62.5% say a 'terrorist' should be murdered even if they don't pose a threat.
www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopoli...
84% say the IDF should get an excellent or very good grade for *moral conduct*.
62.5% say a 'terrorist' should be murdered even if they don't pose a threat.
www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopoli...
Reposted by Aya
Enormous mistake as @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social reappoints Jessica Tisch NYPD commissioner. He calls her a pursuer of police corruption but she promoted John Chell. Calls her an opponent of authoritarianism but she collaborated with ICE. The case against Tisch:
Mamdani's NYC Can't Afford NYPD Commissioner Tisch
With ICE on its way, how can we expect an ICE collaborator to protect New Yorkers? Here's a compromise: make Tisch sanitation commissioner again
www.forever-wars.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Enormous mistake as @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social reappoints Jessica Tisch NYPD commissioner. He calls her a pursuer of police corruption but she promoted John Chell. Calls her an opponent of authoritarianism but she collaborated with ICE. The case against Tisch:
Recently, after months of being one of the loudest elected officials calling for:
- intifada solidarity
- cutting ties between the NYPD and IDF
- accountability for Netanyahu
- Palestine liberation messaging
…Mamdani suddenly walked back a lot of that rhetoric.
- intifada solidarity
- cutting ties between the NYPD and IDF
- accountability for Netanyahu
- Palestine liberation messaging
…Mamdani suddenly walked back a lot of that rhetoric.
November 24, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Recently, after months of being one of the loudest elected officials calling for:
- intifada solidarity
- cutting ties between the NYPD and IDF
- accountability for Netanyahu
- Palestine liberation messaging
…Mamdani suddenly walked back a lot of that rhetoric.
- intifada solidarity
- cutting ties between the NYPD and IDF
- accountability for Netanyahu
- Palestine liberation messaging
…Mamdani suddenly walked back a lot of that rhetoric.
Reposted by Aya
Just a reminder: when you sit there and go at Candace Owens or Jimmy Dore etc who are questioning the assassination of Charlie Kirk what you’re really doing is defending the official police and Trump narrative. The Israeli narrative. And you’re throwing Tyler and the trans community under the bus.
November 20, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Just a reminder: when you sit there and go at Candace Owens or Jimmy Dore etc who are questioning the assassination of Charlie Kirk what you’re really doing is defending the official police and Trump narrative. The Israeli narrative. And you’re throwing Tyler and the trans community under the bus.
I trust Pezeshkian as much as I trust Zarif at this point…
November 23, 2025 at 11:13 PM
I trust Pezeshkian as much as I trust Zarif at this point…