Let’s not forget to acknowledge Alexandre Dumas this Black History Month
The writer of two of the most well known stories worldwide, The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo was a black man.
That’s excellence.
Let’s not forget that he was played on screen by a white man. And the fact that he was black is barely ever mentioned or the book he wrote inspired by his experiences.
Other things not to forget about Alexandre Dumas:
chose to take on his slave grandmother’s last name, Dumas, like his father did before him.
grew up too poor for formal education, so was largely self-taught, including becoming a prolific reader, multilingual, well-travelled, and a foodie, resulting in his writing both a combination encyclopedia/cookbook (which just— is fucking outrageous to me) AND the adaptation of The Nutcracker on which Tchaikovsky based his ballet
he also wrote a LOOOOT of nonfiction and fiction about history, politics, and revolution, bc he was pro-monarchy, but a radical cuss, and that got him in a lot of hot water at home and abroad.
even beyond that, he generally put up with a lot of racist bullshit in France, so he went and wrote a novel about colonialism and a BLATANTLY self-insert anti-slavery vigilante hero (which he then cribbed from to write the Count of Monte Cristo, the main character of which, Edmond Dantés, Dumas also based on himself).
(…a novel which also features a LOAD of PoC beyond the Count, and at LEAST one queer character, btw, bc EVERY MOVIE ADAPTATION OF ANYTHING BY DUMAS IS A LIE; seriously, at LEAST one of the four Musketeers is Black, y'all.)
famously, when some fuckshit or other wanted to come at Dumas with some anti-Black foolishness, Dumas replied, “My father was a mulatto, my grandfather was a Negro, and my great-grandfather a monkey. You see, Sir, my family starts where yours ends.”
for the bicentennial of his birthday, Pres. Jacques Cirac was like, “…sorry about the hella racism,” and had Dumas’s ashes reinterred at the Panthéon of Paris, bc if you’re gonna keep the corpses of the cream of the crop all together, Dumas’s more widely read and translated than literally everybody else.
and they are still finding stuff old dude wrote, seriously; like discovering “lost” works as recently as 2002, publishing stuff for the first time as recently as 2005.
ALSO IMPORTANT:
SWAG
I am absolutely ashamed to admit I had NO idea Dumas was black.
daddy general dumas was an immense fierce french warrior who was a 6 foot plus, stunningly gorgeous and charismatic Black gentleman
he invaded egypt
the native egyptians said “is this napoleon? this must be napoleon. we for one welcome our majestic new overlord”
then napoleon showed up
napoleon has all the presence of yesterday’s plain Tesco hummus
the native egyptians were like “… no… no, we’ve thought very hard and we’ll have General Dumas actually”
this did not make napoleon happy
in fact it made him jealous
napoleon felt so emasculated that he launched a campaign of revenge against General Dumas, including taking away his pension, that probably inspired a lot of Alexandre’s rather satisfying scenes in which fathers are nobly avenged and the money-grubbing villains are rubbed in the mud
there’s a cherry blossom tree in DC that keeps blooming every year even though it shouldn’t and the park service keeps thinking it’s dead and then it keeps blooming! well they’re removing a lot of trees to rehabilitate the area and they’ve said it’s finally time for stumpy to go and they’re going to mulch it and use the mulch to enrich all the other trees so it can help everything else keep going. and they’re also going to plant spliced little pieces of it all over so that stumpy can live forever and this is genuinely sending me into a spiral
For added context on what rehabilitating the area means: there are structural issues with the Tidal Basin seawall that cause flooding like this independent of rainfall. Big portions of the sidewalk in Stumpy’s section are regularly submerged, which is bad for the land and the trees themselves, not to mention an accessibility issue for visitors.
It’s sad that Stumpy and many other trees in the area will need to be cut down, but it will ensure the continued survival of the other trees in the area, and Stumpy himself will live on in his cuttings!
I believe Stumpy will be taken to the national arboretum and his clones will return to the tidal basin after the rebuilding.
Someone left him a bottle of bourbon as an offering.
The Japanese Embassy came to pay him honor this week.
Stumpy and his cohort are part of the original gift from Japan more than 100 years ago, and many have lived this long bc the National Parks takes care of them. Normally the trees live about 40-50 years.
Every Friday. Every Friday i either see this post or live in fear of seeing it. I can’t wake up and say ‘it’s friday’ anymore without thinking of this post. I am living a nightmare and it’s your fault
FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU I HATE GNOMEO AND JUILET SO MUCH I WANT TO SMASH RHOSE STUPID FUCKING GNOMES INTO A 1000 SHARDS I WANT TO PERSONALLY BREAK THEM ALL I HOPE THEY GO TO GMOME HELL FUCK YOU
Every Friday. Every Friday i either see this post or live in fear of seeing it. I can’t wake up and say ‘it’s friday’ anymore without thinking of this post. I am living a nightmare and it’s your fault
I’m not sure why crispy chickpeas aren’t everywhere as like a top ADHD snack because they are:
Delicious (so you will actually seek them out/want to eat them)
Crispy (a good stim for texture people)
Easy to make (super hands off, they just roast for like 30 minutes while you do something else)
Healthy (it’s literally just beans! Such protein!)
Versatile (you can switch up the seasonings if you get tired of one flavor; you can also put them on/in a bunch of different dishes)
Cheap AF & forgiving of your timeline (a can of chickpeas won’t go bad in your pantry if you don’t have the energy to make something with them this week)
So here’s the resippy.
Cooked chickpeas (I usually use one can)
Olive oil
Salt
Paprika or curry powder or rosemary or your favorite spice (optional)
Steps:
Drain and rinse your chickpeas.
Dump them onto a towel or paper towel and rub them dry a bit.
Remove any loose skins. If you’re feeling extra you can remove all the skins; this makes them slightly crispier. I do not find this to be worth it.
Put them on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper if you want to save yourself some cleanup). Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, a generous pinch or two of salt, and your seasoning.
Roast in your oven. I usually do 400°F for about 25-30 minutes, but this is pretty forgiving and you can do 425 for 20 minutes or whatever you want to do
Taste a chickpea. It should have an audible crunch. If it doesn’t, put it back in until it does
When done, taste for seasoning and add any additional salt or seasoning you want. Proceed to devour them.
These are best fresh, but I still like them later on (if I don’t eat them all right away). Store in an airtight container for a couple days at room temp or a few days in the fridge.
There’ll be a post like, “ableism is bad” and all the comments will be “yeah! Ableists are all sociopaths and narcissists!” “Ableists all live in their moms basements and don’t contribute anything to society!”
A reminder for those of us with cats at Easter that lilies of ANY kind are BAD for cats. Some species such as Calla, Peace and Peruvian do not cause kidney damage or death like Easter and daylilies, but they can still cause irritation and gastrointestinal issues if ingested…
I think the obsession with having been “born this way” largely stems from the idea that you need to be “innocent” to be guiltless.
If something is weird then you need to have no control over it, otherwise it would be mandatory to fix it. If I said that I had control over my stimming and could stop it at any time, people would request I do so. Not for my comfort but for theirs. If I said that I had control over my gender and could be something binary or maybe even cis, people would request I do so. If I said that I have control over my sexuality and could make myself heterosexual, people would request I do so. If I said I could control my attraction and could make myself monogamous, people would request I do so. If I said that I could control my disability and could choose to stop a flair up in its tracks, people would request I do so. They would never ask out of the goodness of their hearts, they would always be asking because I was annoying, concerning, distracting, or inconveniencing them.
Diversity is sometimes only tolerated if you have no control. If you have control, rules will be made to stop it. Hair will be straightened, clothes will be standardized, languages will be shushed, interests will be squashed, weight will be lost, and so on and so on and so on. Proving that we were born this way replaces the more obvious, that we’re okay this way. I don’t need to be a helpless victim of my differences to be forgiven for them. My differences aren’t crimes.
I think the obsession with having been “born this way” largely stems from the idea that you need to be “innocent” to be guiltless.
If something is weird then you need to have no control over it, otherwise it would be mandatory to fix it. If I said that I had control over my stimming and could stop it at any time, people would request I do so. Not for my comfort but for theirs. If I said that I had control over my gender and could be something binary or maybe even cis, people would request I do so. If I said that I have control over my sexuality and could make myself heterosexual, people would request I do so. If I said I could control my attraction and could make myself monogamous, people would request I do so. If I said that I could control my disability and could choose to stop a flair up in its tracks, people would request I do so. They would never ask out of the goodness of their hearts, they would always be asking because I was annoying, concerning, distracting, or inconveniencing them.
Diversity is sometimes only tolerated if you have no control. If you have control, rules will be made to stop it. Hair will be straightened, clothes will be standardized, languages will be shushed, interests will be squashed, weight will be lost, and so on and so on and so on. Proving that we were born this way replaces the more obvious, that we’re okay this way. I don’t need to be a helpless victim of my differences to be forgiven for them. My differences aren’t crimes.
sometimes it’s better refrain from deep introspection and allow yourself to just be.
and by that I mean: I don’t have to sit with myself and overthink and analyze and rationalize every ounce of my being. I am not a case study I am a person. faults and all. like any other person. sometimes I have to look at my mistakes and avoid self flagellation. sigh and learn what I can and move on. remember that I am living, and this is part of the process. free myself of that inner critic. allow myself to be, and try again.
A cartoon from 1914 that could have been written today
A reminder that if you’re struggling to pay rent, buy food, working multiple jobs or more than 40 hours a week, capitalism is working just at is intended to.
Israel is aiming to either push everyone out of Gaza or completely wipe them out. Either way, we’re witnessing a LIVE ethnic cleansing with the US as its main and biggest supporter.
24 Feb 2024
—
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s a “conflict”. Call it what it is: an ethnic cleansing. Imperialism. An occupation. Terrorism.
I hope the number is not that high. Desperately so. But also a reminder that it is definitely higher than official number reported by the Ministry of Health. The official number only accounts for deaths reported by hospitals (of which over 30/36 are no longer functioning).
So one argument zionists use is that “Well its Palestines fault that their goverment doesnt build them defense system”.
Yall wanna talk how israel got its iron dome?
Yall really think that israel would have the money for it without US??
Also wanna talk about how israel has banned and is banning normal items from entering Gaza. So tell me how is Gaza supposed to build iron dome or anything like that? Like zionists give me your best take.
People really struggle with the whole WE thing. WE would be the WHOLE UNION not just the millionaires.
“But you got yours, why aren’t you saying ‘fuck them’?”
Jack Lemmon used to call this “sending the elevator back down”, helping younger actors/actresses with their talent, introducing them to producers/directors, helping where he could. An Oscar winning actor helping the up-and-coming, just because he could do so. Nice to see that spirit still alive and well standing up against a bunch of rich, entitled, forgot-where-they-came-from CEO’s.
you’re required to participate in this poll btw. i need data
tumblr what is wrong with you first the walrus vs fairy thing and now this? are you saying it’s less fucked up to find out you’re not a biological organism than find out you’re a human created from one parent-twin who is genetically identical to you?
Clone: horror at the lie of your body (for what purpose? how many are there? are they like you?)
vs.
Robot: horror at the lie of your mind and your humanity itself (have you ever actually had a thought of your own, or is everything you are/you think/you understand just created by another person’s brain? whose mind/brain are you?? whose thoughts are in your head?? What does it mean to “think” when you’re only a manmade echo of humanity constructed from Boolean logic loops? Do you even have a soul?)
There’s a CLEAR ANSWER HERE.
clone: you are the theft of another being, inextricably tied by the blood running through your veins they may not have even given to you. you aren’t you, you’re them, you were made to be them, you’re not different, there shpuld not be a you, you are them,
robot: ok well im a robot so show me my blueprints so i can install a sword in my arm to beat up ppl that i dont like. what the fuck ever. can i run doom
Former President Donald Trump delivered an alarming message to U.S. allies during a Saturday rally where he outlined a scenario in which he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to other NATO members.
Speaking to a crowd in Conway, South Carolina, Trump told a story that cast himself as a tough-talking negotiator.
“NATO was busted until I came along,” he began. “I said, ‘Everybody’s going to pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”
He rehashed the story a few moments later.
“One of the presidents of a big country stood up and said, ‘Well sir, if we don’t pay and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’ I said, ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’ He said, ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump said.
“You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills,” he added.
The audience cheered loudly for the former president, who is notorious for failing to pay bills on the campaign trail and in his past business endeavors.
It is not clear whether the scenario Trump described actually happened. Trump frequently takes credit for supposedly pressuring other NATO members into contributing more funding during the course of his first term.
today I learned that in 2008, the city council of florence overturned dante’s sentence of execution if he returned from exile. yes, dante’s inferno dante, who died in 1321.
but the funniest part of this is not that they were debating the exile of a man who has been dead for over 500 years.
the funniest part is that the vote was 19-5. five people voted to uphold dante’s exile.
The objectively funniest part of this is actually that the city that holds his remains, Ravenna, refused to give his remains back. This was a ploy from florence to have his remains moved back for the tourist money and its been ongoing for a long time. Florence had a fake tomb built in the city to trick people into visiting, and have tried to force the return of the remains.
His actual caretakers have been very steadfast in keeping them hidden, moved, or generally out of reach to respect his choice in life to never, ever, ever return to florence, even when he was first offered the chance to return. This is at this point an almost millenium long feud that florence is really, really mad about losing
so basically the five people who wanted to uphold his exile were in the right
as someone who got 2 concussions this year and inhaled toxic substances at the workplace i can confidently inform you all that all characters in the star wars prequels are absolved of stupidity. they’re all dumb as a box of rocks but its not their fault that no one made them wear helmets in wartime. the introduction of SPOSHA (space OSHA) would reduce incidences of darth vader creation by at least one i just know it
“anakin shouldn’t have done that” he was huffing space gasoline at age 7 literally what did you expect. “obi-wan shouldn’t have done that” he literally goes through a window face first in episode 2. “padme shouldn’t have done that” she’s had a career since she was 10
OVER 20? i thought that shit was at 14 god’s honest truth. which is bad enough but WORSE? holy shit. you could fucking fly a jet plane through the holes in his brain, legend has it if you get a brain scan on that man the scarring on his frontal lobe spells out ‘HELP.’ fucking 20+? that live fast die young ass motherfucker. born with a job, broke both legs by 6, death NASCAR career by 9, logged his first kill at 11, married at 19, 20+ workplace electrocutions by 22. installs his first authoritarian government by 22. overachieving but in all the wrong fields only. i mean 20+? that man hasn’t walked in a straight line in years. holy fuck man. 20+? yeeeeeeeeeeesh. holy shit. fuck
cats have pointy ears that look like this ^. .^ and they hold them up all day long and they’re so brave for that. we shouls all thank them for.their little triangle ears….
my favorite thing about the mystery genre is that we all accept the concept of “world famous detective” without hesitation even though that is absolutely not a real category of celebrity
ALT
What I find incredible is that Hbomb really isn’t a detective. Like, I mean nothing against him, but he’s basically just following the research bunny. It’s just that he chooses to research things that everyone else takes at face value and keeps stumbling on elaborate webs of lies.
u know what makes me cry….. that one van gogh quote about life changing for the better….. “many people seem to think it foolish, even superstitious, to believe that the world could still change for the better. and it is true that in winter it is sometimes so bitingly cold that one is tempted to say, ‘what do i care if there is a summer; its warmth is no help to me now.’ yes, evil often seems to surpass good. but then, in spite of us, and without our permission, there comes at last an end to the bitter frosts. one morning the wind turns, and there is a thaw. and so i must still have hope.” yeah….. Crying….
