Xander Lenc
@xlenc.bsky.social
Prison geographer. Nasty, brutish, and short. I help edit some stuff at @oaklandreviewofbooks.org and you should read it.
Trump complaining about not understanding Bad Bunny led me to look up the history of presidential multilingualism. Unsurprisingly the presidency has grown far less multilingual over time. More surprisingly, seven presidents were fluent in Ancient Greek but NONE have spoken fluent Spanish.
February 9, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Trump complaining about not understanding Bad Bunny led me to look up the history of presidential multilingualism. Unsurprisingly the presidency has grown far less multilingual over time. More surprisingly, seven presidents were fluent in Ancient Greek but NONE have spoken fluent Spanish.
Opening day ticket sales for Melania at my local AMC are going great.
January 30, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Opening day ticket sales for Melania at my local AMC are going great.
The official state pokémon of Minnesota.
January 29, 2026 at 12:25 AM
The official state pokémon of Minnesota.
It's especially striking when settlers and the IDF raze Palestinian olive groves because Deuteronomy very, very specifically prohibits this even when at war. Israel doesn't just routinely oversee war crimes under modern law, but open blasphemy.
January 19, 2026 at 4:19 AM
It's especially striking when settlers and the IDF raze Palestinian olive groves because Deuteronomy very, very specifically prohibits this even when at war. Israel doesn't just routinely oversee war crimes under modern law, but open blasphemy.
NYT is now straight-up just publishing maps that look like they're from regional meme pages on facebook.
January 19, 2026 at 12:48 AM
NYT is now straight-up just publishing maps that look like they're from regional meme pages on facebook.
I wanted to abandon all immigration enforcement.
January 14, 2026 at 11:28 PM
I wanted to abandon all immigration enforcement.
Ironically, the Burger King is an illusionist and a farcical parody of royalty, which makes him much more of a clown than Ronald.
January 9, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Ironically, the Burger King is an illusionist and a farcical parody of royalty, which makes him much more of a clown than Ronald.
I have contacted the proper authorities and will report back with any updates.
January 9, 2026 at 12:07 AM
I have contacted the proper authorities and will report back with any updates.
I'm currently doing a deep-dive on the history of clowns and I am fascinated by the original U.S. trademark registration certificate for Ronald McDonald.
January 8, 2026 at 11:35 PM
I'm currently doing a deep-dive on the history of clowns and I am fascinated by the original U.S. trademark registration certificate for Ronald McDonald.
Walter Benjamin, 1921.
December 22, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Walter Benjamin, 1921.
Homicide dropping by nearly 50% in two years is truly incredible. That's even lower than the homicide rate prior to the pandemic.
December 3, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Homicide dropping by nearly 50% in two years is truly incredible. That's even lower than the homicide rate prior to the pandemic.
Getting up each day and checking the NYT website for biased headlines to get mad at, take screenshots of, and post on social media alongside hectoring appeals for people to not look at the NYT website that you check literally every morning:
December 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Getting up each day and checking the NYT website for biased headlines to get mad at, take screenshots of, and post on social media alongside hectoring appeals for people to not look at the NYT website that you check literally every morning:
Me preparing to open a wikipedia page about an unfamiliar British pop culture reference.
November 19, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Me preparing to open a wikipedia page about an unfamiliar British pop culture reference.
The youtube comment section continues to be a grand intellectual symposium.
November 16, 2025 at 3:04 AM
The youtube comment section continues to be a grand intellectual symposium.
A new study from Colombia's Labor Lab finds that the use of prisoner labor along Hyundai's supply chain in Alabama lowered non-incarcerated worker wages.
"We find that a 10% increase in the share of incarcerated workers in a plant is associated with a 10-14% drop in wages for free workers."
"We find that a 10% increase in the share of incarcerated workers in a plant is associated with a 10-14% drop in wages for free workers."
November 14, 2025 at 11:45 PM
A new study from Colombia's Labor Lab finds that the use of prisoner labor along Hyundai's supply chain in Alabama lowered non-incarcerated worker wages.
"We find that a 10% increase in the share of incarcerated workers in a plant is associated with a 10-14% drop in wages for free workers."
"We find that a 10% increase in the share of incarcerated workers in a plant is associated with a 10-14% drop in wages for free workers."
Apparently he's been on this kick since 2021. Obviously Crumb is nobody's political hero, but this is definitely new terrain for his stupidity. The guy just can't help but waste his talents.
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Apparently he's been on this kick since 2021. Obviously Crumb is nobody's political hero, but this is definitely new terrain for his stupidity. The guy just can't help but waste his talents.
My favorite anecdote about RevCom is that they went to Burning Man in 2010 and installed a bunch of wordless signs with Bob Avakian's face on it, including a large flashing neon Bob, in the hopes of "imprinting" upon the minds of the attendees.
October 17, 2025 at 7:58 PM
My favorite anecdote about RevCom is that they went to Burning Man in 2010 and installed a bunch of wordless signs with Bob Avakian's face on it, including a large flashing neon Bob, in the hopes of "imprinting" upon the minds of the attendees.
I so mad that West Virginia University has operated a safe, free/affordable, and adorable rapid transit system for over FIFTY YEARS and I never knew about it.
September 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
I so mad that West Virginia University has operated a safe, free/affordable, and adorable rapid transit system for over FIFTY YEARS and I never knew about it.
Wikipedia is the greatest website on earth because no matter how safe and mundane an article sounds (e.g. "coconut water"), there is always a 10% chance you are about to learn about something truly horrific.
![A wikipedia screnshot under the heading "Medical use in Cambodia." "Although substituting coconut water for saline is not recommended by physicians today, it was a common practice during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.[10][11] The Documentation Center of Cambodia cited the practice of allowing untrained nurses to administer green coconut water during the Pol Pot regime as a crime against humanity.[12]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tbqdxuyhlvfe6lwjxef4tjth/bafkreidzmpwa6evtujp5vts3theuyu334ehtcgukjzmldll7j5j26saqi4@jpeg)
September 24, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Wikipedia is the greatest website on earth because no matter how safe and mundane an article sounds (e.g. "coconut water"), there is always a 10% chance you are about to learn about something truly horrific.