@prometheanascent.bsky.social
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So lemme tell you about @adapalmer.bsky.social's Inventing the Renaissance, which came out last year and absolutely blew me away.
I'd replace half the 1st-year curriculum with this book.
Reading it made me a better historian, and also the kind of person who underlines books.
Plus, it's hilarious.
I'd replace half the 1st-year curriculum with this book.
Reading it made me a better historian, and also the kind of person who underlines books.
Plus, it's hilarious.
February 16, 2026 at 3:59 PM
So lemme tell you about @adapalmer.bsky.social's Inventing the Renaissance, which came out last year and absolutely blew me away.
I'd replace half the 1st-year curriculum with this book.
Reading it made me a better historian, and also the kind of person who underlines books.
Plus, it's hilarious.
I'd replace half the 1st-year curriculum with this book.
Reading it made me a better historian, and also the kind of person who underlines books.
Plus, it's hilarious.
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had a very respectful chat about theology tonight
February 14, 2026 at 4:59 AM
had a very respectful chat about theology tonight
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slavery is one of the rare things historically where the more you learn about it the more you realize your initial assessment was correct and it was in fact one of the most evil things ever to occur
Physically incapable of analyzing politics outside of this insipid frame.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
February 14, 2026 at 2:28 PM
slavery is one of the rare things historically where the more you learn about it the more you realize your initial assessment was correct and it was in fact one of the most evil things ever to occur
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Yes he was handsome. But give some credit to the meticulous attention his wife Anna Murray Douglass paid to his care, his home, & the presentation of his garments. It was Anna, a free woman who he met in Baltimore, who out of her meager savings gave FD the money for his train ride to escape.
February 14, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Yes he was handsome. But give some credit to the meticulous attention his wife Anna Murray Douglass paid to his care, his home, & the presentation of his garments. It was Anna, a free woman who he met in Baltimore, who out of her meager savings gave FD the money for his train ride to escape.
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Now this is a movie plot!!! Someone understands grad school.
February 14, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Now this is a movie plot!!! Someone understands grad school.
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forgot the most important of the genre
February 12, 2026 at 11:31 PM
forgot the most important of the genre
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Happy birthday, Frederick Douglass! @douglassday.bsky.social celebrations start at 11 pm CT / 12 pm ET in the History Department here at Iowa. Come on over! douglassday.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Happy birthday, Frederick Douglass! @douglassday.bsky.social celebrations start at 11 pm CT / 12 pm ET in the History Department here at Iowa. Come on over! douglassday.org
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Sigh. Another ultra-simplistic reading of the Melian Dialogue which treats it in isolation rather than considering its place in the larger narrative and what the reader would have known about what happens next.
Can somebody with expertise in ancient history do a take down of this utter nonsense from the @nytimes.com? Yes ancient Judaism does humanise the oppressed, but so did other ancient societies. @bretdevereaux.bsky.social @fakehistoryhunter.net
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/o...
Opinion | Donald Trump, Pagan King
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Sigh. Another ultra-simplistic reading of the Melian Dialogue which treats it in isolation rather than considering its place in the larger narrative and what the reader would have known about what happens next.
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she is so mean to everyone and i love her for it. hope it continues 🙏💘
#wh40k #roguetrader #yrlietlanaevyss
#wh40k #roguetrader #yrlietlanaevyss
March 28, 2025 at 8:39 AM
she is so mean to everyone and i love her for it. hope it continues 🙏💘
#wh40k #roguetrader #yrlietlanaevyss
#wh40k #roguetrader #yrlietlanaevyss
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“my ‘we’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process’ shirt is raising a lot of questions that are answered by the shirt”
Homan: "ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We're not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process."
February 12, 2026 at 2:44 PM
“my ‘we’re not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process’ shirt is raising a lot of questions that are answered by the shirt”
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I know I should be gravely offended, but I’m honestly really confused at how “Stonewall remains a national monument but we’re taking down the queer stuff” works. It’s like saying you aren’t allowed to talk about boats at Pearl Harbor anymore.
The Trump administration’s decision to remove the Pride Flag from the Stonewall National Monument is despicable.
This administration’s bigotry will not erase the history of Stonewall.
I'll always stand with our LGBTQ+ community.
This administration’s bigotry will not erase the history of Stonewall.
I'll always stand with our LGBTQ+ community.
Trump administration removes Rainbow Flag from Stonewall National Monument
The Trump administration removed a large Rainbow Flag from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument, the National Park Service confirmed to Gay City News
gaycitynews.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:24 PM
I know I should be gravely offended, but I’m honestly really confused at how “Stonewall remains a national monument but we’re taking down the queer stuff” works. It’s like saying you aren’t allowed to talk about boats at Pearl Harbor anymore.
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I have immense respect for indigenous cultures. However, it is deeply impractical to feed 8+ billion people sustainably and reliably without high-tech industrial agriculture.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
February 9, 2026 at 8:34 PM
I have immense respect for indigenous cultures. However, it is deeply impractical to feed 8+ billion people sustainably and reliably without high-tech industrial agriculture.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
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kind of funny that an olympian said they are here to represent "compassion, respect, and love for others" and some people automatically knew that was a statement against them
February 7, 2026 at 10:25 PM
kind of funny that an olympian said they are here to represent "compassion, respect, and love for others" and some people automatically knew that was a statement against them
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Oooh, that's a baaaaad bunny! #SuperBowls
So I heard we’re posting super bowls. Here’s a Fatimid lusterware bunny. Islamic lusterwares originate in Iraq to emulate the sheen of Chinese porcelain, but the combo with highly animated-looking Fatimid animal motifs is my favorite. He even has a little snack.
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
www.metmuseum.org/art/collecti...
Bowl Depicting a Running Hare - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bowl with Eagle (63.178.1) and Bowl with Hare (64.261)The tenth and eleventh centuries under the Fatimid caliphate were times of prosperity in Egypt and the neighboring lands, when a burgeoning class ...
www.metmuseum.org
February 8, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Oooh, that's a baaaaad bunny! #SuperBowls
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oooh we are posting super bowls?
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
February 8, 2026 at 5:04 PM
oooh we are posting super bowls?
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
As a specialist in Islamic ceramics *cracks knuckles* I present this fabulous 11th c. lustre painted bowl from Fatimid Cairo depicting a Coptic priest. Its white glaze imitates Chinese porcelain and the lustre technique was invented in Iraq a century earlier.
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Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
February 5, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
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I had a great "look at the squiggles" moment earlier this week when revisiting the earliest Copernicus illustration of the sun-centered cosmos - we always look at the diagram, but the incredibly careful & artful arrangement of manuscript text around the central illustration is kind of fascinating:
February 5, 2026 at 6:22 PM
I had a great "look at the squiggles" moment earlier this week when revisiting the earliest Copernicus illustration of the sun-centered cosmos - we always look at the diagram, but the incredibly careful & artful arrangement of manuscript text around the central illustration is kind of fascinating:
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Chotiner shot that man right in the face with his own gun and he never heard the *click*.
February 2, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Chotiner shot that man right in the face with his own gun and he never heard the *click*.
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Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users
Class-action lawsuit alleged that Google's voice assistant illegally recorded and shared private conversations with advertisers.
www.cbsnews.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
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The Ancient War continues
February 1, 2026 at 9:09 PM
The Ancient War continues
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Liam is back home.
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
February 1, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Liam is back home.
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
He is only one of the approximately 3,800 children in ICE custody.
(Source: www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...)
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reposting both for underlying insight and for solid use of "zugzwang"
one of the key motions of protest is that it places the adversary in zugzwang: either they abide the protest, and look weak, or attack the protest, and look cruel
February 1, 2026 at 9:46 AM
reposting both for underlying insight and for solid use of "zugzwang"
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Federal judge has ordered the release of Liam Ramos (the bunny hat boy) and his father. A brief and rather remarkable order. Clearly written to be shared widely, so please do. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 31, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Federal judge has ordered the release of Liam Ramos (the bunny hat boy) and his father. A brief and rather remarkable order. Clearly written to be shared widely, so please do. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Good advice from an ophthalmologist Dr Glaucoflecken (I know - still not sure it's a real name) on what to do if you get tear-gassed.
Looking at you, #Minnesota Warriors for Democracy & Justice!
Also #Minneapolis. Y'all know we always got you, right?
Peace & love!
Looking at you, #Minnesota Warriors for Democracy & Justice!
Also #Minneapolis. Y'all know we always got you, right?
Peace & love!
January 30, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Good advice from an ophthalmologist Dr Glaucoflecken (I know - still not sure it's a real name) on what to do if you get tear-gassed.
Looking at you, #Minnesota Warriors for Democracy & Justice!
Also #Minneapolis. Y'all know we always got you, right?
Peace & love!
Looking at you, #Minnesota Warriors for Democracy & Justice!
Also #Minneapolis. Y'all know we always got you, right?
Peace & love!