Shit.
Isiah Whitlock Jr, best known for his role as Clay Davis on “The Wire,” has died. He was 71
Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dies: ‘The Wire’ Actor & Frequent Spike Lee Collaborator Was 71
Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., known for his roles in The Wire, Veep, Your Honor and The Residence and a number of Spike Lee movies, passed away Dec. 30.
deadline.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Shit.
Reposted by Andy Trask
reminding you that you’re a movie lover whether you logged 1 film ten times or 500+ films this year. it doesn’t matter the genre or the length of the film. or whether you watched them in a theater, at home or on a plane. you’re a movie lover and we love you 🧡 💚 💙
December 30, 2025 at 7:00 PM
reminding you that you’re a movie lover whether you logged 1 film ten times or 500+ films this year. it doesn’t matter the genre or the length of the film. or whether you watched them in a theater, at home or on a plane. you’re a movie lover and we love you 🧡 💚 💙
Reposted by Andy Trask
Speaking of typos, someone should direct Ms. Dhillon to U.S. v. Murphy, 406 F.3d 857, 859 n.1 (7th Cir. 2005), aka the greatest footnote in appellate court history.
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
December 29, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Speaking of typos, someone should direct Ms. Dhillon to U.S. v. Murphy, 406 F.3d 857, 859 n.1 (7th Cir. 2005), aka the greatest footnote in appellate court history.
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
This is really good …
Knives out: the upper middle class are squabbling vicious children who do not deserve their inheritance
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
Glass onion: the new elite are the stupidest murderous cunts alive and deserve your scorn
Wake up dead man: those preaching anger as salvation are leading you to death, hope and kindness matter
December 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
This is really good …
Reposted by Andy Trask
Every time you're about to use the word "woke," take a second to ask yourself if you're using it:
1) How Black civil rights leaders would use it
Or
2) How racist people that make fun of Black civil rights leaders, and want to roll back civil rights, use it
Try not to do "2."
1) How Black civil rights leaders would use it
Or
2) How racist people that make fun of Black civil rights leaders, and want to roll back civil rights, use it
Try not to do "2."
December 29, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Every time you're about to use the word "woke," take a second to ask yourself if you're using it:
1) How Black civil rights leaders would use it
Or
2) How racist people that make fun of Black civil rights leaders, and want to roll back civil rights, use it
Try not to do "2."
1) How Black civil rights leaders would use it
Or
2) How racist people that make fun of Black civil rights leaders, and want to roll back civil rights, use it
Try not to do "2."
This happens in law, too. Our appellate group struggles with it on certain issues where overruled or bad points keep getting brought forward by citations that don’t trace points back to their source. I’ve heard it called “zombie precedent” and “well-settled error.”
This is why it’s so important to trace things back to the beginning whenever possible.
I believe @rauchway.bsky.social calls these “historical urban legends”
I believe @rauchway.bsky.social calls these “historical urban legends”
looking up the source of quotes, whether for a book or a video script, is great for figuring out when a quote everyone "knows" and has repeated for ages is actually just weird bullshit someone else made up
December 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
This happens in law, too. Our appellate group struggles with it on certain issues where overruled or bad points keep getting brought forward by citations that don’t trace points back to their source. I’ve heard it called “zombie precedent” and “well-settled error.”
Amen. No notes.
THIS IS A TRICK QUESTION college students eat what pizza is cheapest and deliverable, so I ate a lot of Dominos. I'm not proud. We all did what we had to do to survive.
That said, my favorite Chicago fast food was and continues to be Harold's Chicken.
www.haroldschickendowntown.com
That said, my favorite Chicago fast food was and continues to be Harold's Chicken.
www.haroldschickendowntown.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Amen. No notes.
Reposted by Andy Trask
As founding president of the American Society for Addition by Subtraction, I declare a moratorium on these overused and lame terms:
/ “walk and chew gum at the same time”
/ “An abundance of caution”
/ “authentic”
/ “epic”
/ “seismic”
/ “game changer”
/ “GOAT”
/ “leafy suburb”
/ “warfighter”
1/🧵
/ “walk and chew gum at the same time”
/ “An abundance of caution”
/ “authentic”
/ “epic”
/ “seismic”
/ “game changer”
/ “GOAT”
/ “leafy suburb”
/ “warfighter”
1/🧵
December 27, 2025 at 2:42 PM
As founding president of the American Society for Addition by Subtraction, I declare a moratorium on these overused and lame terms:
/ “walk and chew gum at the same time”
/ “An abundance of caution”
/ “authentic”
/ “epic”
/ “seismic”
/ “game changer”
/ “GOAT”
/ “leafy suburb”
/ “warfighter”
1/🧵
/ “walk and chew gum at the same time”
/ “An abundance of caution”
/ “authentic”
/ “epic”
/ “seismic”
/ “game changer”
/ “GOAT”
/ “leafy suburb”
/ “warfighter”
1/🧵
To make this concrete: I lived in England for five years under the NHS. My taxes were higher, to pay for the NHS. My take-home pay was higher, because health insurance was not deducted from my check. And I spent less, because ALL medical services were free, and every prescription was £7.80.
that does mean ordinary people would have to pay a lot more in tax for a proper welfare state. but for all but the quite rich it would be more than compensated by not needing to pay for healthcare, childcare, college etc out of pocket
December 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM
To make this concrete: I lived in England for five years under the NHS. My taxes were higher, to pay for the NHS. My take-home pay was higher, because health insurance was not deducted from my check. And I spent less, because ALL medical services were free, and every prescription was £7.80.
Reposted by Andy Trask
Reposted by Andy Trask
Remember, Mr. Rogers' original comment was intended for CHILDREN. Children need comfort, and their power is obviously very limited.
We're adults. We do need comfort, but we also need to take action. And what you'll find is the more you do, the better you'll feel. Look for the helpers and join them.
We're adults. We do need comfort, but we also need to take action. And what you'll find is the more you do, the better you'll feel. Look for the helpers and join them.
An important addendum to "look for the helpers" is "and then join them."
December 15, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Remember, Mr. Rogers' original comment was intended for CHILDREN. Children need comfort, and their power is obviously very limited.
We're adults. We do need comfort, but we also need to take action. And what you'll find is the more you do, the better you'll feel. Look for the helpers and join them.
We're adults. We do need comfort, but we also need to take action. And what you'll find is the more you do, the better you'll feel. Look for the helpers and join them.
Reposted by Andy Trask
The fact that we have super wealthy and extremely stupid people trying to set themselves up as new nobles has made historical nobility, which I only know from books, far more real to me. These people were not smart, they did not rule well, and rigid hierarchies of domination are very bad.
December 10, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The fact that we have super wealthy and extremely stupid people trying to set themselves up as new nobles has made historical nobility, which I only know from books, far more real to me. These people were not smart, they did not rule well, and rigid hierarchies of domination are very bad.
Yes. No great victim advocacy has ever been written in iambic pentameter.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=txLp...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=txLp...
December 9, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Yes. No great victim advocacy has ever been written in iambic pentameter.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=txLp...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=txLp...
So, so dark. So, so funny.
Will Arnett was on Conan and told a story about how Conan dealt with the death of his parents by accusing Jason Bateman of killing them. It’s so funny.
December 9, 2025 at 7:14 PM
So, so dark. So, so funny.
Reposted by Andy Trask
Historian here OTD a day that will live in infamy we need to point out that the reconstruction of Japan and Germany proved to be successful after WWII but the Reconstruction of the misbegotten Confederacy was brutally overthrown. We still live with the legacy of that history in the United States.
December 7, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Historian here OTD a day that will live in infamy we need to point out that the reconstruction of Japan and Germany proved to be successful after WWII but the Reconstruction of the misbegotten Confederacy was brutally overthrown. We still live with the legacy of that history in the United States.
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 8, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
Reposted by Andy Trask
once again, "the supreme court will act as a bunch of partisan republican hacks" is the single most accurate heuristic for predicting its behavior, putting any coherent legal theory to shame
because fuck you, that's why
because fuck you, that's why
December 4, 2025 at 11:19 PM
once again, "the supreme court will act as a bunch of partisan republican hacks" is the single most accurate heuristic for predicting its behavior, putting any coherent legal theory to shame
because fuck you, that's why
because fuck you, that's why
Reposted by Andy Trask
Same here.
Complex thinking requires clear writing.
Complex thinking requires clear writing.
this is my #1 advice to grad students: anyone can reproduce jargon; the bigger flex is being able to make the argument in straightforward prose. clarity is indicative of deep thought and engagement. even chatGPT can write word salad.
i strongly, strongly believe that good writing is downstream of clear thinking and a strong understanding of the subject matter at hand. without fail, tortured writing comes from writers who don’t know and can’t think clearly about anything.
December 3, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Same here.
Complex thinking requires clear writing.
Complex thinking requires clear writing.
Hot take: All but one of Shane Black’s movies are set at Christmas, but I’m not sure he’s ever made a Christmas movie.
November 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Hot take: All but one of Shane Black’s movies are set at Christmas, but I’m not sure he’s ever made a Christmas movie.
This is a true statement.
chow yun fat in A BETTER TOMORROW is the coolest a dude has ever looked on film
November 22, 2025 at 3:27 PM
This is a true statement.
Reposted by Andy Trask
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
November 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
Reposted by Andy Trask
I have a very bad feeling about this...
October 27, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I have a very bad feeling about this...
Reposted by Andy Trask
Retired intelligence analysts confirm what the political scientists are telling us — and what the world outside is telling us — the goal of these people is the end of law, the end of democracy, and the end of a recognizable republic.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US ‘on a trajectory’ toward authoritarian rule, ex-officials warn
A network of former intelligence and security officers says democratic decline is accelerating under Trump’s rule
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Retired intelligence analysts confirm what the political scientists are telling us — and what the world outside is telling us — the goal of these people is the end of law, the end of democracy, and the end of a recognizable republic.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Andy Trask
Me 10 years ago: You know people are always calling political opponents Nazis even if they aren’t anything like Nazis, I wish that would stop
Monkey‘s paw:
Monkey‘s paw:
October 21, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Me 10 years ago: You know people are always calling political opponents Nazis even if they aren’t anything like Nazis, I wish that would stop
Monkey‘s paw:
Monkey‘s paw:
Solid summary character stuff.
The four aspects of a great character are the Need, the Want, the Ghost, and the Lie.
A Want is their conscious desire.
A Need is what they really want but might not know.
A Lie is the thing they believe that keeps them from that Need.
A Ghost is that spiritual wound that caused the Lie.
A Want is their conscious desire.
A Need is what they really want but might not know.
A Lie is the thing they believe that keeps them from that Need.
A Ghost is that spiritual wound that caused the Lie.
October 21, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Solid summary character stuff.