HOPE, FOR ME, COMES FROM THE PAST’ BY ESSAYIST REBECCA SOLNIT ‘HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS,’ EMILY DICKINSON famously wrote, and that often leads to pictures of doves sitting quietly and looking sweet, but what if hope is an albatross that can soar for years without stopping, or an osprey that can haul a thrashing salmon out of rough waters? People tend to think hope is fluffy and frail, but it’s the force that has kept people going in the worst circumstances, the commitment to pursue the possibilities even when they seem remote. There are so many things hope is not: it is not optimism, which assumes that the future will be fine, and which requires nothing of us, any more than cynicism, despair, defeatism and doomerism do. It is not a prophesy of the future, since it arises in part from recognising that we make the future in the present and that it will be shaped by countless factors, visible and invisible, including our own participation. It is not an upbeat feeling or a feeling at all, since people in the worst circumstances have hoped that their efforts to free themselves might be met with success, that their bleakcondition might not be permanent or that their children might live to see a better time. second half of text with second post/photo

‘HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS,’ EMILY DICKINSON
famously wrote, and that often leads to pictures of doves sitting quietly and looking sweet, but what if hope is an albatross that can soar for years without stopping, or an osprey that can haul a thrashing salmon out of rough waters?

Multiple times this year I’ve had coffee with fellow immigrants who grew up in corrupt third world countries and the shared sentiment has been that Americans don’t understand how bad things are going to get.

Brad Lander spitting facts! Read the whole thread to see how he picks Cuomo apart so deftly.

Photo of red-tailed hawk caught mid-flight

I was wondering why I kept hearing a red-tailed hawk outside the apartment. One was hanging out in the general vicinity.

How to Weigh in on Election Changes on Your Ballot (Maybe) This Fall New Yorkers have until July 15 to speak up about open primaries, new election years and affordable housing up for consideration for November’s election.

New York City voters will likely have a say in more than just who they’re electing to City Hall this November.

it’s absurd that NYT forced him to delete these skeets, which … convey the factual information that Zohran Mamdani is, in fact, a man of South Asian descent who was born and raised in Africa, and that the pseudonymous source of the hacked material is a white supremacist eugenicist.

7/2 shifts:

- 11AM-12:30PM ET with @indivisible.org
- 4PM-9PM ET with People’s Action
- 5PM ET with Medicaid Defenders/SEIU
- 5:30PM-10:30PM ET with Together for CA Health
- 6PM-7:30PM ET with @activateamerica.bsky.social
- 6PM-8PM ET with @moveon.org

Links in replies.

Two weeks ago today, Donald Trump’s ICE agents arrested me.

Now, he’s threatening to put @zohrankmamdani in a prison camp he’s building in a Florida swamp.

It’s frightening. It’s essential to fight back. It makes me proud of how New Yorkers voted last week – and how we’ll vote again in November.

Hakeem Jeffries is so skilled at being a disappointment. The worst opposition leader possible. I am so sick of rank careerism and incompetence.

The media keep trying to attack Zohran and no matter how ridiculous the question, he keeps giving eloquent answers that win even more people over. The attacks are backfiring big time!

If New Yorkers are wondering who will fight back against Federal overreach, we have visible evidence today that Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander are the candidates that you should rank 1 or 2

Lander literally resisted federal overreach and Mamdani showed up immediately to have his back

Fuck Cuomo

A sign at a protest reads “you lost” next to a Confederate flag, “you lost” next to a Nazi flag, and “you’re next” next to a MAGA hat.

Let’s not mince words on exactly what the MAGA movement is.

Just gonna say, Bluesky is a lot of fun on No Kings Day. I am about to collapse into a puddle of exhilarated exhaustion but I can't stop scrolling.

More than 1M descend on Boston Common for Pride, No Kings rallies The Boston Pride Parade and No Kings march converged Saturday in downtown Boston.

1m people allegedly in boston today. the scale of this is just crazy. i think record-breaking www.wcvb.com/article/more...

Gilead in FORT WORTH, TX

#NoKingsDay

It is actually nuts that even when the NYC political establishment was presented with a broad field of talented candidates w/ many ideas, in a time of generational change & anti-corruption, they STILL chose to line up behind scandal-ridden Andrew Cuomo.

It’s cowardice.

Mamdani and Lander Will Cross-Endorse Each Other in N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race

Last night, @bradlander.bsky.social and I exposed Andrew Cuomo's record of corruption, scandal and disgrace on the debate stage.

With early voting starting tomorrow, we're cross-endorsing to defeat the ex-Gov. and win a city everyone can afford. Rank Brad #2!

Sign the Petition Stop Developer Land Grab in Elmhurst - Unaffordable Developments on Brownfield Sites

No more unaffordable luxury apartments in Elmhurst!!!

chng.it/qNSDxPbgJB

I’ve been known to have rolled up newspapers in both hands stomping the ground and whacking the ones that try to escape. Tourists have stopped to stare at me before. 😅

Similarities between ICE & the Gestapo

This morning we drove to Bozeman Pride for @zoandbehold.bsky.social to speak, then went down to Yellowstone and saw incredible sights.

Then, on the drive back to Missoula at 1AM, the heavens erupted.

Naked eye visible aurora. The northern lights told us Happy Pride :)

Phang: If you see claims that those convictions have been overturned on appeal — it’s bullshit. They have not been overturned on appeal. I have no idea—strike that—I have every idea where that comes from. It comes from stupid, far-right people who don’t know how to read and don’t know the law.

I have a huge request for my readers: Trump's tax and spending bill will be moving through the Senate. Senators can invoke the Byrd Rule to try to remove the anti-trans Medicaid ban and EHB changes.

You can find and call your senator here and ask them to do that.

Please share as well.

Yes please.

Origami Ballet - Agnes Obel - "The Curse"

Who’s Running for Borough President — And Why You Should Care Borough presidents are like mini-mayors. What they do in office depends a lot on who they are.

Borough president, or "beeps" for fun, have a lot less power than the mayor, but have a lot of sway over appointments to various civic boards, land use decisions, how money is allocated to community projects.

Here's who's running and why their role matters:

A happy smiling family sitting and playing mahjong

This past weekend, my wife @cara.remix.io and I, went to visit my parents. She learned how to play mahjong! It was a nice and lovely time with family.

Yaaaaay, thank you for the update ❤️