@jpate.bsky.social
Writer who likes cult films, noir and Gothic novels. He/him.
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this is such a great encapsulation of what the various factions of the reactionary right want. i might add that they envision themselves as slave masters and the rest of us, in one way or another, as their slaves. betterdonkey.substack.com/p/the-vra-wa...
May 17, 2026 at 4:03 PM
this is such a great encapsulation of what the various factions of the reactionary right want. i might add that they envision themselves as slave masters and the rest of us, in one way or another, as their slaves. betterdonkey.substack.com/p/the-vra-wa...
Watched Sudden Fear (1952). I'm a fan of Gothic-influenced noir and this is very much in that mode. Joan Crawford is great as the successful playwright attracted to a struggling actor (Jack Palance). The last third of the film, where Crawford's character seeks revenge/escape, is especially good.
May 17, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Watched Sudden Fear (1952). I'm a fan of Gothic-influenced noir and this is very much in that mode. Joan Crawford is great as the successful playwright attracted to a struggling actor (Jack Palance). The last third of the film, where Crawford's character seeks revenge/escape, is especially good.
Recently finished Patrick McGrath's The Grotesque (1989). Really enjoyed it. The novel walks a fine line between being incredibly bleak and disturbingly funny. Feels influenced by both Joe Orton and Edward Gorey. I definitely plan to read my by McGrath.
May 15, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Recently finished Patrick McGrath's The Grotesque (1989). Really enjoyed it. The novel walks a fine line between being incredibly bleak and disturbingly funny. Feels influenced by both Joe Orton and Edward Gorey. I definitely plan to read my by McGrath.
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Remembering Orson Welles, born on this day, 1915. Pictured here in The Third Man, 1949.
May 6, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Remembering Orson Welles, born on this day, 1915. Pictured here in The Third Man, 1949.
Also from AWP this weekend: a copy of Brillo, by @p-cunning.bsky.social. Paul Thek, Warhol--really looking forward to reading this book too.
March 11, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Also from AWP this weekend: a copy of Brillo, by @p-cunning.bsky.social. Paul Thek, Warhol--really looking forward to reading this book too.
Had a good time at AWP in Baltimore this weekend. Really looking forward to reading the books I picked up there from @actionbooks.bsky.social. I'm a big fan of Jaime Saenz's poetry (his The Night is fantastic) so I was especially excited to see Two Poems, trans. by Ted Dodson and Kit Schluter.
March 11, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Had a good time at AWP in Baltimore this weekend. Really looking forward to reading the books I picked up there from @actionbooks.bsky.social. I'm a big fan of Jaime Saenz's poetry (his The Night is fantastic) so I was especially excited to see Two Poems, trans. by Ted Dodson and Kit Schluter.
Last week I saw Humoresque (1946) at the AFI Silver Theater, a movie I've been wanting to see for a while. A great film about artistic obsession and simmering class tensions. It's bleak but also surprisingly funny (mainly due to Oscar Levant's performance). Highly recommended.
February 14, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Last week I saw Humoresque (1946) at the AFI Silver Theater, a movie I've been wanting to see for a while. A great film about artistic obsession and simmering class tensions. It's bleak but also surprisingly funny (mainly due to Oscar Levant's performance). Highly recommended.
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virginia is about to be a one party democratic state again (laudatory)
Virginia Democrats look to decimate GOP seats in redistricting effort
Virginia Democrats look to decimate GOP seats in redistricting effort
But some Democrats warn that the effort may be more difficult than it looks.
dlvr.it
January 14, 2026 at 12:27 PM
virginia is about to be a one party democratic state again (laudatory)
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The United States carried out a large-scale attack on Venezuela overnight and captured President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. President Trump says in a statement.
January 3, 2026 at 11:49 AM
The United States carried out a large-scale attack on Venezuela overnight and captured President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. President Trump says in a statement.
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Fifty years ago, Sweden attempted the most ambitious democratic transition to socialism ever.
Its architect, a Jewish economist who witnessed the rise of Nazi Germany firsthand, was motivated by the imperative to never repeat the horrors of fascism.
Its architect, a Jewish economist who witnessed the rise of Nazi Germany firsthand, was motivated by the imperative to never repeat the horrors of fascism.
The Anti-Fascist Origins of Swedish Social Democracy
Fifty years ago, Sweden attempted the most ambitious democratic transition to socialism ever. Its architect, a Jewish economist who witnessed the rise of Nazi Germany firsthand, was motivated by the imperative to never repeat the horrors of fascism.
jacobin.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Fifty years ago, Sweden attempted the most ambitious democratic transition to socialism ever.
Its architect, a Jewish economist who witnessed the rise of Nazi Germany firsthand, was motivated by the imperative to never repeat the horrors of fascism.
Its architect, a Jewish economist who witnessed the rise of Nazi Germany firsthand, was motivated by the imperative to never repeat the horrors of fascism.
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Healthcare premiums are set to soar in 2026 as key subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expire for millions of people. The United States "has essentially done nothing to control health care costs," says Elisabeth Benjamin of @cssnyorg.bsky.social.
December 30, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Healthcare premiums are set to soar in 2026 as key subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expire for millions of people. The United States "has essentially done nothing to control health care costs," says Elisabeth Benjamin of @cssnyorg.bsky.social.
Abel Ferrera is great in Marty Supreme. The guy really should be in more films.
December 31, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Abel Ferrera is great in Marty Supreme. The guy really should be in more films.
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In the 60 Minutes controversy, Weiss is likely doing what she always does: producing a line of propaganda masquerading as news coverage that serves the interest of her patrons–in this case, David Ellison, whose interests are served by protecting Donald Trump.
https://bit.ly/45bGW9m
https://bit.ly/45bGW9m
Bari Weiss's Counter-Journalistic Crusade Targets “60 Minutes”
The new editor in chief at CBS News has shown she's not merely stupendously unqualified--she's ideologically opposed to the practice of good journalism.
bit.ly
December 22, 2025 at 10:45 PM
In the 60 Minutes controversy, Weiss is likely doing what she always does: producing a line of propaganda masquerading as news coverage that serves the interest of her patrons–in this case, David Ellison, whose interests are served by protecting Donald Trump.
https://bit.ly/45bGW9m
https://bit.ly/45bGW9m
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What arrogance. What narcissism.
I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the naming of federal buildings after sitting presidents.
I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the naming of federal buildings after sitting presidents.
The Kennedy Center is adding 'Trump' to its name, White House says reut.rs/4qhpKaI
The Kennedy Center is adding 'Trump' to its name, White House says
The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which President Donald Trump filled with allies during a broad takeover earlier this year, has decided to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.
reut.rs
December 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
What arrogance. What narcissism.
I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the naming of federal buildings after sitting presidents.
I will be introducing legislation prohibiting the naming of federal buildings after sitting presidents.
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“Trans people and our families are facing terror from this administration.”
Doctors in Jail? Hospitals Stripped of Fed Funding? The Criminalization of Trans Youth Healthcare
The Trump administration on Thursday announced new measures to target hospitals and doctors providing care to trans youth. Under the new rules unveiled by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr...
www.democracynow.org
December 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM
“Trans people and our families are facing terror from this administration.”
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Jeff Buckley on the reminder you might need.
December 16, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Jeff Buckley on the reminder you might need.
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"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
Watched The Occupant of the Room and really enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of Christmas season ghost stories, and this one does a great job invoking an eerie, late-night, wintery atmosphere. Written and directed by @kierlajanisse.bsky.social and based on an Algernon Blackwood story.
December 19, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Watched The Occupant of the Room and really enjoyed it. I'm a big fan of Christmas season ghost stories, and this one does a great job invoking an eerie, late-night, wintery atmosphere. Written and directed by @kierlajanisse.bsky.social and based on an Algernon Blackwood story.
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In Gaza, "surveillance is constant," says Palestinian writer Mohammed Mhawish. This omnipresent sense of being watched and tracked — through checkpoints, social media, drones, AI and more — creates an "enormous psychological burden" on the civilian population.
Gaza Writer Mohammed Mhawish on Life Under Israeli Surveillance
Award-winning Palestinian reporter Mohammed Mhawish, who left Gaza last year, joins us to discuss his new piece for New York magazine about Israel’s surveillance practices. It describes how Palestinia...
www.democracynow.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:01 AM
In Gaza, "surveillance is constant," says Palestinian writer Mohammed Mhawish. This omnipresent sense of being watched and tracked — through checkpoints, social media, drones, AI and more — creates an "enormous psychological burden" on the civilian population.
Recently watched The Honeymoon Killers (1970). It's a tense, claustrophobic character study of two truly twisted individuals, based (very loosely) on the "lonely hearts killers" case. It's riveting and deeply unsettling. Scorsese was the original director before he was fired from the project.
December 16, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Recently watched The Honeymoon Killers (1970). It's a tense, claustrophobic character study of two truly twisted individuals, based (very loosely) on the "lonely hearts killers" case. It's riveting and deeply unsettling. Scorsese was the original director before he was fired from the project.
Reposted
Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands to Boycott Eurovision over Israel’s Participation
Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands to Boycott Eurovision over Israel’s Participation
Public broadcasters in Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Spain said Thursday they will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, after the European Broadcasting Union refused to hold a vote on wh...
www.democracynow.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands to Boycott Eurovision over Israel’s Participation
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This is spot-on.
The UVA "deal" might be the worst/most dangerous (so far). With the help of UVA's leadership, Trump coerced a leading U.S. university to foreswear all efforts (including 100% lawful measures) to achieve diversity.
A betrayal of our values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UVA "deal" might be the worst/most dangerous (so far). With the help of UVA's leadership, Trump coerced a leading U.S. university to foreswear all efforts (including 100% lawful measures) to achieve diversity.
A betrayal of our values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The University of Virginia and Cornell deals with Trump set a dangerous precedent | Serena Mayeri and Amanda Shanor
The bespoke agreements are full of peril for the universities, allowing the federal government to quietly exert control
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:20 AM
This is spot-on.
The UVA "deal" might be the worst/most dangerous (so far). With the help of UVA's leadership, Trump coerced a leading U.S. university to foreswear all efforts (including 100% lawful measures) to achieve diversity.
A betrayal of our values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UVA "deal" might be the worst/most dangerous (so far). With the help of UVA's leadership, Trump coerced a leading U.S. university to foreswear all efforts (including 100% lawful measures) to achieve diversity.
A betrayal of our values.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
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Udo Kier's first and only post on Twitter 💯
March 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Udo Kier's first and only post on Twitter 💯