🪻 lee 💐

image from Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol are sitting together on a couch, Matt holds his arms out enthusiastically while Jay looks skeptical.

image from Peking Opera Blues. Cherie Chung, Brigitte Lin, and Sally Yeh all inspect a globe to try to locate their city.

image from Reflection in a Dead Diamond. A woman kneels holding a sword; she is dressed head to toe in black latex with only her eyes visible. A man in a suit stands out of focus in the background.

image from Please Baby Please. Cole Escola wears a floral dress and a veil, and they look amazing. They are standing in a phone booth full of flowers. Andrea Riseborough stands outside the booth.

favorite first watches of February

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads: The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same... - Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

Lost 19th century film by Méliès discovered at the Library | Timeless Library conservators recently made a startling discovery in a batch of decaying film reels -- a long-lost 1897 film by early cinema icon George Méliès. The French magician-turned-filmmaker's

"The 45-second film, made around 1897, was the first appearance on film of what might be called a robot"

HELL. YES.

10 Movies to Stream for Black History Month

"The films in this collection chronologically present the emergence of groundbreaking Black directors, expansive female and queer-centered stories, and their wrestling with Black representation."

Must-read piece for Black History Month by @812filmreviews.com

a still from the film Dead Presidents. a Black woman (N'Bushe Wright) in white make-up hides in the dark while holding two guns.

a still from the film A Chinese Ghost Story. an Asian ghost (Joey Wong) wearing all white stands in a window.

a still from the film The Chronology of Water. a white woman (Imogen Poots) in a swimsuit is standing at the edge of a lake, facing away from the camera.

a still from the film You Can Count on Me. a white man (Mark Ruffalo) and a white boy (Rory Culkin) are fishing on a bridge.

favorite first watches of January 2026

DHS has shot 12 people during immigration enforcement operations since September:

Trump’s war on trans people has left Americans seeking asylum — from America Four trans Americans claiming refuge abroad tell Io Dodds why they no longer feel safe in their home country, from fears of martial law to being arrested in changing rooms

NEW: This is a story I worked really hard on.

I spoke to four American trans people about why they're claiming asylum in Canada or the Netherlands.

It's an eye-opening window into just how unsafe people now feel here — and what drove them to that point.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Dear friends,
As have become a habit, I mark each #autumnequinox by sharing a small poem by Xin Qiji. I also start my translation cycle of Chinese and Japanese poems and prose that mark the twenty-four lunisolar micro-seasons. Translation notes blogged here:
#everynightapoem

Judith Butler is being targeted by the US government. We must stand up | Joel Swanson What is happening to Judith Butler – a Jewish intellectual – in the name of fighting ‘antisemitism’ is outrageous

"In the name of 'fighting antisemitism', the Trump administration is publicly making an example out of arguably the most famous Jewish public intellectual in the country today."

As the man who made All the President’s Men, how did you feel when Nixon died? I had no remorse. I did not think he deserved the kudos he got in death — there was this weird revisionism that went on. You feel for the family. There’s some sympathy for that. But for me it was not the passing of a great man. He was a man who dealt us some pretty undignified blows. He did not symbolize the better part of ourselves at all.

Robert Redford on Richard Nixon's death. Not much changes, I guess.

The remarks weren’t “about Charlie Kirk,” they were about how this administration is using Kirk’s death as an excuse to shut down critics … and they responded by proving him completely correct.

development organizations years following the Effectiv brown.edu Private rimination laws, over the ten 10. t h he exception of actions to enforce this Agreement, the United States agrees not to institute any civil action or other adverse agency action against Brown, its officers, Corporation members, directors, agents, and employees (the "Brown Releasees) based on the Released Claims. The United States releases the Brown Releasees from any liability related to the Released Claims. The United States is not releasing Brown or the Brown Releases from any other liability. 11. The University will take the following steps to ensure compliance with Title IX and its implementing regulations, by providing safe and equitable opportunities and spaces for women: a. Brown Athletics facilities, the University willprovide female student-athletes with intimate facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms strictly separated on the basis of sex. b. The University will define "male" and "female, for the purpose of all practices, policies and procedures adopted and implemented by the University for any athletic opportunity, event, competition, category, program, or activity designated for women, consistent with the definitions 3 adopted in Executive Order 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and estoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government (Jan. 20, 2025), and Executive Order 14201, Keeping Men out of Women's Sports (Feb. 5, 2025). c. The University will offer women the option of female-only housing, restrooms, and showering facilities, and for these purposes will adopt the abovementioned definitions of "male' and "femalc." d. The University will ensure students have access to single-sex floors in on-campus housing, using the above-mentioned definition. 12. h University will not perform gender reassignment surgery or prescribe puberty blockers or hormones to any minor child for the purpose of aligning the child's appearance with an identity that differs from hi…

president.brown.edu Private BROWN 5. Addressing government requirements for "male" and "female" defnitions for athletics and on-campus housing, as well as limits on gender-affirming care As we have for decades, Brown has agreed to abide by Title IX and NCAA eligibility rules regarding the participation of transgender athletes in intercollegiate sports. We also committed that the University will continue to provide housing and restroom access in a way that allows for gender- inclusive, women-only and men-only options. The agreement also states, The University will not perform gender reassignment surgery or prescribe puberty blockers or hormones to any minor child for the purpose of aligning the child's appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex."' The University will refer affected students who seek care from Student Health Services or the University Pharmacy to area specialists. The agreement does not affect medical teaching or training, and does not apply to clinical services provided by health systems that are separate entities from Brown, such as Brown University Health and Care New England. We remain fully commited to serving the health needs of all Brown students in a manner consistent with our long- established policy of nondiscrimination, which includes sex, gender identity and gender expression. The LGBTQ Center, Student Health and Wellness Services, and other offices in the Division of Campus Life, as well as the Warren Alpert Medical School School of Public Health. the College,

Brown University is caving to Trump.

They are banning trans women from female bathrooms, dorms, locker rooms, and sports across campus. They're also cracking down on trans care for minors, though that is unlikely to be broadly impactful since it's a university.

president.brown.edu/president/br...

The “deal” that Brown made with the Trump admin is much more extreme than is being reported. It includes government oversight of course evaluations and no barrier to government interference in faculty hiring.

Read it for yourself here:

www.brown.edu/sites/defaul...

I'm really glad the anti-trans Medicaid exclusions were removed from Trump's billionaire bailout but a bill that still kicks 20 million (largely working class) people off their health insurance is still going to have a disastrous impact including and especially on trans people. Kill the bill.

It bears repeating that 5calls.org makes it incredibly easy to contact your reps. They give you the phone numbers, a script to read, and a run down of what is happening with each issue. I just called my senators in my pjs half awake and I'll probably do it some more later

hi again, cis folks!

the comment period for the proposed rule to remove trans care from the ACA as an essential health benefit is open til april 11.

context & guidance in the thread below. it doesn’t have to be hard; you can do it waiting for coffee.

13 days left, as of this post. please comment.

Trans Rights Readathon is March 21-31 🏳️‍⚧️
and since it is especially needed this year, I made a booklist of trans horror authors to seek out and discover (myself included). These are exceptional works of fiction in a variety of formats, so please—take your pick (but do!)

If you are a cis person *please* take 2 minutes to do this. Trans people with non-updated gender markers, historical gender marker changes, and X markers are terrified to travel right now; rolling back this policy would mean a lot.

i recently did the same, they wrote an incredible story detailing the staff elon musk unleashed plundering the government, it’s important to support actual journalism when the mainstream media fails us. their subscription is only $5 right now for a year, too!

Three ways to immediately change corporate participation in Ohio’s 2025 Pride celebrations Pride has lost its way, but we can restore the activism and community it was founded on (and lay off the swag).

My friend Ken explains how the “corporations at Pride” problem is more than just annoying pinkwashing. They are crowding out the community builders you need to meet, the people who make Pride and progress possible! @kenschneck.bsky.social @thebuckeyeflame.com

“I don't think the point is: Why are we different? Why have we refused to walk one of two narrow paths, but instead demanded the right to blaze our own? The question is not why we were unwilling to conform even when being beaten to the ground by ridicule and brutality. The real burning question is: How did we ever find the courage? From what underground spring did we draw our pride? How did each of us make our way in life, without a single familiar star in the night sky to guide us, to this room where we have at last found others like ourselves? And after so much of ourselves has been injured, or left behind as expendable ballast, many of us worry "What do we have left to give each other? Upon what basis will we build something lasting between us?" I think we have a whole world to give back to each other.”

Leslie Feinberg

MS: I've noticed that all the way through this conversation David, you've referred to him in the present tense. DL: You have to keep Angelo alive. I believe life is a continuum, and that no one really dies, they just drop their physical body and we'll all meet again, like the song says. It's sad but it's not devastating if you think like that. Otherwise I don't see how anybody could ever, once they see someone die, that they'd just disappear forever and that's what we're all bound to do. I'm sorry but it just doesn't make any sense, it's a continuum, and we're all going to be fine at the end of the story.

david lynch on angelo badalamenti, who passed away in 2022

A grotesque headless cow that says "eat my fear"

NEW YORK (AP) - It seems David Lynch is too gruesome even for New York. The cow sculpture created by the director for a public art show is being returned to California without going on display, The New York Times reported Thursday. Lynch, known for the eerie 1990s television drama ``Twin Peaks,'' chopped off his cow's head and stuck forks and knives into its back. He also covered parts of the cow with a reddish, blood-like substance. ``I thought it was Charles Manson,'' city Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern told the Times. ``I don't know whether it's shock art or schlock art. David Lynch should stick to his day job, making movies.'' CowParade NYC 2000 features several hundred fiberglass cows decorated by artists and schoolchildren and displayed on sidewalks around the city. Lynch said he was disappointed to be excluded. ``Don't you think when people tell you you're allowed to do whatever you want as long as it's not sexually X-rated that they should stand behind their word and show your cow?'' Lynch said. A cow by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was rejected before the cow parade began in June and sued the city and organizers unsuccessfully.

One of my favourite small David Lynch moments is when he tried to do one of those ceramic art cows for New York City and submitted this and was rejected.

Concept art by David Dany for Moomins on the Riviera (2014), dir. Xavier Picard, Pictak Cie

400+ years after the "First Thanksgiving" most Americans have no idea that the Wampanoag people are still here. My tribe, the Aquinnah Wampanoag, is on Martha's Vineyard and we're still fighting for our land and rights. We’re also doing some cool stuff. 🧵👇 if you’d like to learn more & support us

maybe I need to find my own inspiration ✨

Here's a letter tool as well. Tell your US senator to stop arming a country that keeps doubling down on war crimes, destabilization, & the deaths of children. actionnetwork.org/letters/a280...

text reads "from the river to the sea, palestine will be free". a woman wearing a kuffiyeh bears the wings of a sunbird, carrying two poppy stems with the palestinian flag flying behind her, a single tear on her determined face.

🍉

unless the server spits in my food in front of me the tipping starts at 20%, rounded up, and goes up from there

if you routinely tip under 15% in this country you should not eat out