Emil Mertzel
@emilmertzel.bsky.social
I help people design buildings in and out of the classroom. I like thinking about meaning, which makes me easily distracted. Fan of bikes and cars, go figure. (he/him)
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫
December 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
He's also responsible for raising all the money that paid for bringing Hollingsworth v. Perry & even more importantly Bostic v. Schaefer, which created the circuit split that forced SCOTUS to take on Obergefell v. Hodges. The role he played in American marriage equality cannot be overstated.
The cultural impact of Rob Reiner cannot be understated. Legend isn't big enough a word. It goes to 11. You can't handle the truth. As you wish. I'll have what she's having. I'm your number one fan. You guys wanna see a dead body? The very idea of a bucket list. The West Wing.
All from his movies.
All from his movies.
December 15, 2025 at 3:59 AM
He's also responsible for raising all the money that paid for bringing Hollingsworth v. Perry & even more importantly Bostic v. Schaefer, which created the circuit split that forced SCOTUS to take on Obergefell v. Hodges. The role he played in American marriage equality cannot be overstated.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Rob Reiner was a good guy. He made a lot of movies about good guys, in worlds where not everyone was good and you didn’t have to be good. He made movies about people trying. He was angry, as many hopeful people are. He knew the world could be better and he wanted it to be. His death is devastating.
December 15, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Rob Reiner was a good guy. He made a lot of movies about good guys, in worlds where not everyone was good and you didn’t have to be good. He made movies about people trying. He was angry, as many hopeful people are. He knew the world could be better and he wanted it to be. His death is devastating.
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This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
December 14, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
So there is already an ai-generated whitewashing campaign to bury the name of the Muslim man, Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed one of the Bondi Beach shooters, and replace his identity with a white guy name and that’s why even a thimble of our potable water powering this tech is too fucking much.
December 14, 2025 at 5:42 PM
So there is already an ai-generated whitewashing campaign to bury the name of the Muslim man, Ahmed al Ahmed, who disarmed one of the Bondi Beach shooters, and replace his identity with a white guy name and that’s why even a thimble of our potable water powering this tech is too fucking much.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
AAUP-TNS explains how the New School is vanguard in its approach to cuts, but its a model that will be rolled out elsewhere. Our fight is your fight!
Solidarity is the only way forward, and no data or consultant can control or manipulate it.
Join our struggle today: linktr.ee/aauptns
Solidarity is the only way forward, and no data or consultant can control or manipulate it.
Join our struggle today: linktr.ee/aauptns
The fight against austerity at The New School is connected to other fights in higher ed challenging admins that hire Huron, a consulting firm that offers data to justify budget cuts & faculty layoffs.
Ujju Aggarwal of AAUP-TNS says that solidarity across AAUP chapters & unions is the way forward.
Ujju Aggarwal of AAUP-TNS says that solidarity across AAUP chapters & unions is the way forward.
December 14, 2025 at 6:18 PM
AAUP-TNS explains how the New School is vanguard in its approach to cuts, but its a model that will be rolled out elsewhere. Our fight is your fight!
Solidarity is the only way forward, and no data or consultant can control or manipulate it.
Join our struggle today: linktr.ee/aauptns
Solidarity is the only way forward, and no data or consultant can control or manipulate it.
Join our struggle today: linktr.ee/aauptns
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Wtf. I just carefully read this entire interview with Frances Allen, only to find out at the end that it wasn’t really an interview with her, but was AI generated. “Vox Meditantis” and “Bob Lynn” have lied to me and I will not read their words again.
December 14, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Wtf. I just carefully read this entire interview with Frances Allen, only to find out at the end that it wasn’t really an interview with her, but was AI generated. “Vox Meditantis” and “Bob Lynn” have lied to me and I will not read their words again.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Compare the statement about the antisemitic terror attack in Australia by the Israeli Prime Minister with the one by Zohran Mamdani, and ask yourself who more truly cares about condemning antisemitism, as opposed to using it to promote unrelated politics.
December 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Compare the statement about the antisemitic terror attack in Australia by the Israeli Prime Minister with the one by Zohran Mamdani, and ask yourself who more truly cares about condemning antisemitism, as opposed to using it to promote unrelated politics.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia in which at least 11 people were killed.
Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.
Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.
December 14, 2025 at 4:33 PM
My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia in which at least 11 people were killed.
Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.
Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
We live in a culture where it is far more dangerous to say what a man did to you than for the man to actually do the thing to you. And that is because of all the people who know without actually knowing…That silence is its own kind of sexualized violence. www.ms.now/opinion/jeff...
Opinion | The real Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy is one of silence
Lyz Lenz: Newly released photos show how powerful people's silence enabled Epstein's horrors.
www.ms.now
December 14, 2025 at 4:38 PM
We live in a culture where it is far more dangerous to say what a man did to you than for the man to actually do the thing to you. And that is because of all the people who know without actually knowing…That silence is its own kind of sexualized violence. www.ms.now/opinion/jeff...
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
I wrote about big changes underway at the New School. It’s becoming a familiar story: financial pressures and leadership seeking urgent adaptations leading to turmoil and huge consequences for some faculty.
‘We’re Being DOGE-ed’: Sweeping Buyout Plan Rattles the New School’s Faculty
Leaders say cuts are necessary to close a $48-million budget hole.
www.chronicle.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I wrote about big changes underway at the New School. It’s becoming a familiar story: financial pressures and leadership seeking urgent adaptations leading to turmoil and huge consequences for some faculty.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Jesse Hamm had the take to end all takes on children's media. "People who disdain writing ‘just for children’ fail to realize that those children will remember what they read, maybe for the rest of their lives. You’re not writing for permanent children; you’re getting an early start on adults.”
December 13, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Jesse Hamm had the take to end all takes on children's media. "People who disdain writing ‘just for children’ fail to realize that those children will remember what they read, maybe for the rest of their lives. You’re not writing for permanent children; you’re getting an early start on adults.”
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Nobody’s presence can be illegal on stolen land. The whole basis of enforcing whether someone should be here or not is bullshit from the start.
November 14, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Nobody’s presence can be illegal on stolen land. The whole basis of enforcing whether someone should be here or not is bullshit from the start.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
I understand that a lot of folks have been misled by fear-mongering and powerful regressive voices but it’s still astonishing to me that so many have fallen for the idea that oppressively policing other people’s gender identity and expression could in any way be part of an enlightened future.
December 13, 2025 at 5:49 PM
I understand that a lot of folks have been misled by fear-mongering and powerful regressive voices but it’s still astonishing to me that so many have fallen for the idea that oppressively policing other people’s gender identity and expression could in any way be part of an enlightened future.
Inspired
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 11, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Inspired
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
White House Begins Christmas Season With Ceremonial Lighting Of Cross — theonion.com/white-house-...
White House Begins Christmas Season With Ceremonial Lighting Of Cross
theonion.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:57 AM
White House Begins Christmas Season With Ceremonial Lighting Of Cross — theonion.com/white-house-...
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
New study estimates that German households who remain on natural gas in 2045 could be stuck paying 10x what they pay today for gas pipeline maintenance. As other households electrify, gas utilities will spread the same maintenance costs over fewer remaining customers, raising prices dramatically.
Last gas-heated homes in Germany could face extra costs of 4,000 euros per year – analysis
www.cleanenergywire.org
December 9, 2025 at 1:31 PM
New study estimates that German households who remain on natural gas in 2045 could be stuck paying 10x what they pay today for gas pipeline maintenance. As other households electrify, gas utilities will spread the same maintenance costs over fewer remaining customers, raising prices dramatically.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
🇺🇸 trifectas get shot at doing something
Obama chose policy (ACA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
Biden chose policy (ARP/IRA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
The platform must be institutional reform next time. Right from the start, as @dhnexon.bsky.social said
Obama chose policy (ACA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
Biden chose policy (ARP/IRA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
The platform must be
If we want to actually be a representative democracy, then the platform needs to be institutional reform. All the Popularism and all the policies follow from that, not the other way around.
- DC/PR/USVI statehood
- Enlarging the House
- MMDs
- New VRA
- Totally revamping SCOTUS: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
- Automatic universal voter registration
- Rewriting the "national emergency" laws: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
- Subordinating the Senate: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Etc.
- Enlarging the House
- MMDs
- New VRA
- Totally revamping SCOTUS: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
- Automatic universal voter registration
- Rewriting
- Subordinating the Senate: bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Etc.
December 7, 2025 at 4:16 PM
🇺🇸 trifectas get shot at doing something
Obama chose policy (ACA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
Biden chose policy (ARP/IRA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
The platform must be institutional reform next time. Right from the start, as @dhnexon.bsky.social said
Obama chose policy (ACA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
Biden chose policy (ARP/IRA). It didn’t fix the authoritarian problem
The platform must be
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Rep. Ilhan Omar: "When I think about Stephen Miller and his white supremacist rhetoric, it reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany."
December 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Rep. Ilhan Omar: "When I think about Stephen Miller and his white supremacist rhetoric, it reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany."
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
"please someone get AI to do this" is the most pathetic fuckin sentence i have ever read. take a good look at how far the AI revolution has taken us. from "could someone please record this ten second bit and lay it over existing moon landing footage" all the way to "please SOMEONE get AI to do this"
December 6, 2025 at 10:15 PM
"please someone get AI to do this" is the most pathetic fuckin sentence i have ever read. take a good look at how far the AI revolution has taken us. from "could someone please record this ten second bit and lay it over existing moon landing footage" all the way to "please SOMEONE get AI to do this"
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
trading your entire soul for a computer you're TOO LAZY TO EVEN FUCKING USE
December 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
trading your entire soul for a computer you're TOO LAZY TO EVEN FUCKING USE
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
There has been no debate here among constitutional scholars, historians, political scientists, anyone with a pulse really.
Any telling you that this very straightforward point, one that has been universally accepted for a century and a half, is now an "abstruse" issue is just a liar and a hack.
Any telling you that this very straightforward point, one that has been universally accepted for a century and a half, is now an "abstruse" issue is just a liar and a hack.
Anyone who knows this history should know there’s no contested issue.
December 7, 2025 at 12:50 AM
There has been no debate here among constitutional scholars, historians, political scientists, anyone with a pulse really.
Any telling you that this very straightforward point, one that has been universally accepted for a century and a half, is now an "abstruse" issue is just a liar and a hack.
Any telling you that this very straightforward point, one that has been universally accepted for a century and a half, is now an "abstruse" issue is just a liar and a hack.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
This man did a photo opp of himself destroying homeless people's last possessions.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that the Democratic Party needed to be “more culturally normal” and “less judgmental.”
December 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
This man did a photo opp of himself destroying homeless people's last possessions.
Reposted by Emil Mertzel
Look, I'm just gonna tell cishet white people right now--Newsom ain't the one. You got Walz and Pritzker out here. You do not need a Bill Clinton clone wearing Mitt Romney's skin.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that the Democratic Party needed to be “more culturally normal” and “less judgmental.”
December 7, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Look, I'm just gonna tell cishet white people right now--Newsom ain't the one. You got Walz and Pritzker out here. You do not need a Bill Clinton clone wearing Mitt Romney's skin.