Od Lo Avdah Tikvatenu If we lose hope, we lose everything. I still believe we can save liberal democracy in the US, in spite of all the horrors.

It's Holocaust Remembrance Day. I'm asking you to remember that the Shoah wasn't an isolated moment, but a horrible escalation of an ongoing system of expulsions, pogroms, exploitation, and mass murders that begins with is ongoing today.

This shook me and I didn't think I had any shakes left this week:

Oh thank goodness.

These executive orders on banning federally funded entities from recognizing trans people or disallowing them from using the bathroom are not self-executing or immediately enforceable. They require formal rule making at a minimum. They are a scare tactic. Ignore and do not comply in advance.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה, אֱהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעלָם, מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam. Matir Asurim Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, who frees the captive. May there soon be peace, security, and self-determination for all.

Apparently, throwing up from relief and joy is a thing.

Notes from a disturbing moment at “Cabaret” on Broadway last night, as Adam Lambert had to force the audience to confront its apparent disrespect around antisemitism…this production of the show left me in a dark place. Grateful Adam forced others to sit in that head space. #NeverForget #TheaterSKY

Uhm... I have to learn to play League of Legends (for reasons) and I am not getting the appeal? It's like all the parts of MMOs that I hate with all the parts I like shunted off to other media?

breaking: residents of dresden "very upset" after "unprecedented" allied bombing campaign. one man, who identified himself as a "concentration camp guard" said, "i have never seen such violence in my life. what have i done to deserve this?"

Opinions are a dime a dozen. That’s why I like data and research. And there are some glaring data and research issues with this article. 1/N🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/01/04/u...

Got fancy under-eye puffiness/dark circle reducing thingamabobs for Hanukkah and decided to give them a go today. Really pissed that they work. I'm absolutely never going to pay actual $ for these, so now I have to spend the rest of my life knowing it's my own damn fault I look tired all the time.

If you've enjoyed Cryptmaster, please consider sharing the news. Despite an IGF award, a 95% Steam rating and a free demo, the game has gone mostly unnoticed by both press and players. It's not just a typing game and there may still be people out there who would enjoy it!

I've now left my third activist network because members got obsessed with Vatnik bullshit and all real work ground to a halt. We are not, as a species, smart enough to survive the technologies we've built.

So. I hear you got a giftcard and you don't know what to do with it. My rabbit and I have a suggestion. You *could* preorder WE LIVED ON THE HORIZON. It'll help keep Mochi in treats and bows. Bonus: It's pretty good and about many of the things you're worried about. tinyurl.com/456y7s33

JFC. If Trump appoints Dershowitz as the antisemitism czar (two words that should never go together in that way), it's more proof that his administration is hideously corrupt but it says nothing about the Jewish people. I guaran-damn-tee you we are more unhappy about this than any gentile.

It's emblematic of this time that an author writing about the Shoah, descendant of the author of one of it's legal justifications, uses her platform to literally spread blood libel. I'm grateful to Emily Kaplan for researched response, and not surprised @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social hasn't responded.

Do you have a Steam account? They are currently selling a game in which the player reenacts the horrors of Oct. 7th. Join me in filing a ticket insisting this game be removed. store.steampowered.com/app/1714420/...

Fuck I think we totally forgot that part in Dune Pt. 2 about not falling for charismatic violent folk heroes fueled by vengeance who look like Timothee Chalamet in a hoodie

Currently making alligator gumbo because we are having company for dinner and I'm not a great cook, so I have to make things people don't eat often so I can say, "It's supposed to taste like that."

A tale as old as time: Random woman becomes internet famous for describing sex act -> uses fame to execute seeming crypto scam -> Jews blamed

If you see this post, can you please help spread this information? #ASafeChoice is a referral network of physicians who provide medication abortion services ACROSS THE US. People everywhere need to know about this option. These doctors have capacity to help more women! Let’s spread word! ❤️✊

Announcing new projects is one of my favorite things to do. Forest Avenue, my press, just acquired PURGATOIRE, a novel, by @lizprato.bsky.social. It's historical fiction, with some magic--my favorite blend of genres!--and it's set in Colorado. Publication spring 2026. #writingcommunity

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: doing something which makes a concrete (if small) difference is the best defense against despair. Some cheap(ish) things you could do today: *donate period products to a DV or homeless shelter *donate pull-top cans of tuna or chicken to a food pantry *eat the rich

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: it's vaccine season. Get 'em if you haven't.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: going to a meeting to talk about ways to resist the worst of what's to come? Leave ALL your smart devices (phone, watch, etc) at home. It's not enough to just turn them off. If you need directions to the meeting, map it out ahead of time and write them down.

Nate Silver has tweeted about pardons three times in his life. Twice today to say he won’t vote for any Democrat who doesn’t denounce Biden’s pardon of Hunter and once in 2017…to say it’s completely normal for presidents, and Trump specifically, to abuse pardon power.

Hey new followers, just a reminder that I'm a Jew and a liberal Zionist who wants peace, security, and self-determination for all peoples in the region. If that's a deal-breaker, unfollow at your leisure. #AmYisraelChai

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: not all conflict have a good side and a bad side. Sometimes good people clash. Sometimes villains do the same. Which is to say, there is no hero to cheer for in Syria; only different evils at war with one another. Keep this in mind before you offer your hot take.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: if you're driving through Southern states today, but dont often, it's important to know that in many of them it's perfectly legal to pass on the right. Always check ALL your mirrors before switching lanes.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: breathe.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: if alcohol is served at your family gathering, stay sober enough that you can notice who has had too much and stay on the other side of the room.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: the only silver lining to Covid is Fake Covid*. Did you agree to spend Thanksgiving with family who voted to harm you (or is otherwise unsafe) and now wish you hadn't? Congrats, seeing this thread gives you Fake Covid (with your consent). Stay home. Feel better.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: you don't have to spend Thanksgiving with family members whose vote put you in danger. But if you choose to, you can also decide not to engage in political conversations with them. It won't be helpful. Also, have a trusted friend you can call for support.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: it's fine to feel however you feel, but feelings don't have to be acted upon or spoken about. Kind of glad those who FA are gonna FO? Fine. But lots of folks who didn't vote for this bullshit are also about to be harmed. Your glee at that harm only makes it worse.

Not a gif. They didn't move.

Optimist: the cup is half full Pessimist: the cup is half empty Narrative Designer: your ability to cast magic in this game depends on staying hydrated. You can only refill the cup at special mana-infused wells scattered inconveniently around the map. There, we just added 5+ hours of gameplay.

Ben Shapiro is the worst.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: self-care isn't giving yourself permission to do things that are ultimately harmful (drink, for instance), or have no actual impact on well-being (splurge purchases, etc). Self-care is doing things that make you more able to continue the fight (rest, eat well).

A poem for my last day working at the writing center for the semester (by Joseph Fasano)

The miracle of a Jewish family—now seven generations in this place—living so long and so safely in one place is a uniquely American story. It’s a story I value, and a safety and equality I wish were extended to all people. Shabbat Shalom, friends. Get some rest. We have work to do.

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: a confused poplulace is the friend of those who want to oppress you; do not help them by sharing unverified or unverifiable information. Even if you really, really want it to be true.

A few folks let me know that good egg @azalben.bsky.social has a block list going! Great first step. bsky.app/profile/did:...

Tante Sarah's Reminder of the Day: "Not giving into fascism" doesn't mean taking ineffectual public stands against things you can't change; it means finding ways to provide care, education, and support in spite of attempts to hinder your doing so in whatever way you can.

Hello everyone! I am an artist from Kyiv and I create these Christmas tree #SantaFella decorations 🎄🎅🏻 They are 5 cm high and hand painted! I will be very grateful for a repost 💙💛

Hey, Elon Musk: "scamdemic?" Here is my father about 10 minutes before he died of Covid-19 you absolute dumpsterfire of a human being.

Tante Sarah's Recommendation for the Day: stop talking about self-care and start focusing building compensatory networks of care. We are, none of us, sufficient to meet our own needs alone and that's about to be glaringly apparent to people who, until now, have somehoe thought they were.

A Friend: I'm on several lists here that block Zionists* Me: How do I get on those PLEASE TELL ME *Zionist=believes we have a right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland not "Bibi rocks and war is awesome" because both of those things are demonstrably false

An ex-NY Times columnist and Ivy League grad interviewed a billionaire about how he, the world’s richest man, and several other billionaires helped another billionaire/Ivy League grad/real estate mogul world defeat an HBCU grad to reclaim the most powerful office in the world. The headline: