James Wagner
@jamesarthurwagner.bsky.social
cranky radical, fussy aesthete, humanist, generalist, partner of
@bhoggard
@bhoggard
Pinned
I love this image, of a plucky caterer, maybe family, working on some celebratory bunting
tall vertical ladder resting on clothesline, clear Midwest September sky, the comfort of stars and stripes in a time and in a place (1936/WI) we imagine more innocent, white apron, rolled slacks, shirt sleeves
tall vertical ladder resting on clothesline, clear Midwest September sky, the comfort of stars and stripes in a time and in a place (1936/WI) we imagine more innocent, white apron, rolled slacks, shirt sleeves
but most important to the area’s two imperial interests, the idea is, obviously, to clear out what they regard as the remaining human debris, an essential part of Israel’s and Trump’s plans for luxury development in the new, Greater Israel
APNewsAlert: JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says it will open the Rafah crossing in coming days to allow Palestinians to exit from Gaza to Egypt.
December 3, 2025 at 12:25 PM
but most important to the area’s two imperial interests, the idea is, obviously, to clear out what they regard as the remaining human debris, an essential part of Israel’s and Trump’s plans for luxury development in the new, Greater Israel
lightly-smoked Connecticut Valley farm Kassler (smoked pork chops) warmed in rendered duck fat,
w/shallot/cut parsley stem/slivered pink celery, topped w/Hudson Valley horseradish jelly/celery tops;
Catskills rutabaga cut as French fries, tossed w/oil/dried sage/dried smoked bell pepper, parsley
w/shallot/cut parsley stem/slivered pink celery, topped w/Hudson Valley horseradish jelly/celery tops;
Catskills rutabaga cut as French fries, tossed w/oil/dried sage/dried smoked bell pepper, parsley
December 3, 2025 at 5:41 AM
lightly-smoked Connecticut Valley farm Kassler (smoked pork chops) warmed in rendered duck fat,
w/shallot/cut parsley stem/slivered pink celery, topped w/Hudson Valley horseradish jelly/celery tops;
Catskills rutabaga cut as French fries, tossed w/oil/dried sage/dried smoked bell pepper, parsley
w/shallot/cut parsley stem/slivered pink celery, topped w/Hudson Valley horseradish jelly/celery tops;
Catskills rutabaga cut as French fries, tossed w/oil/dried sage/dried smoked bell pepper, parsley
Reposted by James Wagner
the way nothing is happening as the president blows people up in the ocean is steadily untethering me. people on the television every day saying "this is murder" as it continues to happen and the senate slowly lurches toward having a committee meeting. it feels impossible
December 2, 2025 at 9:09 PM
the way nothing is happening as the president blows people up in the ocean is steadily untethering me. people on the television every day saying "this is murder" as it continues to happen and the senate slowly lurches toward having a committee meeting. it feels impossible
Reposted by James Wagner
@nickturse.bsky.social was the first to report on the second boat strike @theintercept.com and he’s doing nonstop crucial work
EXCLUSIVE: Entire Chain of Command Could Be Held Liable for Killing Boat Strike Survivors, Sources Say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s actions could spark investigations for war crimes or outright murder, sources told The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/h...
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s actions could spark investigations for war crimes or outright murder, sources told The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/h...
Entire Chain of Command Could Be Held Liable for Killing Boat Strike Survivors, Sources Say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s actions could spark investigations for war crimes or outright murder, sources told The Intercept.
theintercept.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:19 AM
@nickturse.bsky.social was the first to report on the second boat strike @theintercept.com and he’s doing nonstop crucial work
Reposted by James Wagner
ICE raids are cruel, inhumane, and do nothing to serve public safety.
My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants— of which I am one.
My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants— of which I am one.
December 2, 2025 at 2:18 AM
ICE raids are cruel, inhumane, and do nothing to serve public safety.
My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants— of which I am one.
My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants— of which I am one.
Reposted by James Wagner
Last week, ICE arrested and separated a father and son after a routine check-in. Six-year-old Yuanxin had just enrolled in the first grade at an elementary school in Astoria. Now he's in custody, alone. ICE won't say where. This cruelty serves no one. It must end.
December 2, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Last week, ICE arrested and separated a father and son after a routine check-in. Six-year-old Yuanxin had just enrolled in the first grade at an elementary school in Astoria. Now he's in custody, alone. ICE won't say where. This cruelty serves no one. It must end.
Reposted by James Wagner
As we scramble through toppled monuments or ruminate on those never built, art historian Cat Dawson’s new book questions the fundamental utility of monuments — who are they for, and what work do they actually do?
Monuments Were Never Meant to Last Forever
Art historian Cat Dawson’s new book invites us to contemplate a world populated by subversive monuments — or one that does away with them altogether.
hyperallergic.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
As we scramble through toppled monuments or ruminate on those never built, art historian Cat Dawson’s new book questions the fundamental utility of monuments — who are they for, and what work do they actually do?
unfinished
December 2
because every day is a world AIDS day
Unfinished Painting 1989
Keith Haring
one of the artist’s final paintings, intentionally left lncompete before his 1990 death from AIDS at 31
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinis...
December 2
because every day is a world AIDS day
Unfinished Painting 1989
Keith Haring
one of the artist’s final paintings, intentionally left lncompete before his 1990 death from AIDS at 31
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinis...
December 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
unfinished
December 2
because every day is a world AIDS day
Unfinished Painting 1989
Keith Haring
one of the artist’s final paintings, intentionally left lncompete before his 1990 death from AIDS at 31
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinis...
December 2
because every day is a world AIDS day
Unfinished Painting 1989
Keith Haring
one of the artist’s final paintings, intentionally left lncompete before his 1990 death from AIDS at 31
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unfinis...
Reposted by James Wagner
i don't talk much about world aids day in my own words because i am so mad. i am always mad, every day
December 2, 2025 at 6:58 AM
i don't talk much about world aids day in my own words because i am so mad. i am always mad, every day
Reposted by James Wagner
easier to talk about being mad on someone else's behalf. i hate these people we're facing down more than i can or should say
December 2, 2025 at 7:05 AM
easier to talk about being mad on someone else's behalf. i hate these people we're facing down more than i can or should say
military murder, or murdering the military?
trying to process either
1. our military can’t even proffer illegal defense it was just following orders, or
2. it has to work with a civilian authority that gives mushy directions, abandons it when there are consequences
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/u...
trying to process either
1. our military can’t even proffer illegal defense it was just following orders, or
2. it has to work with a civilian authority that gives mushy directions, abandons it when there are consequences
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/u...
Hegseth Ordered a Lethal Attack but Not the Killing of Survivors, Officials Say
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:29 AM
military murder, or murdering the military?
trying to process either
1. our military can’t even proffer illegal defense it was just following orders, or
2. it has to work with a civilian authority that gives mushy directions, abandons it when there are consequences
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/u...
trying to process either
1. our military can’t even proffer illegal defense it was just following orders, or
2. it has to work with a civilian authority that gives mushy directions, abandons it when there are consequences
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/u...
I grew up in the midst of these dynamos
incidentally, there’s a reason they’re called Great
incidentally, there’s a reason they’re called Great
“It’s just a lake! Lakes don’t get big waves!”
Lake Michigan, Holland State Park
Lake Michigan, Holland State Park
December 2, 2025 at 5:03 AM
I grew up in the midst of these dynamos
incidentally, there’s a reason they’re called Great
incidentally, there’s a reason they’re called Great
that style and ease looks so familiar
I feel like I sailed with this guy and his big sloop years ago on Narragansett Bay
I feel like I sailed with this guy and his big sloop years ago on Narragansett Bay
#ClassicsAdventCalendar - 1 December 🏺
The Dionysus Kylix - A beautiful Black-Figure kylix, signed by the exquisite potter/painter Exekias (ΕΧΣΕΚΙΑΣ ΕΠΟΕΣΕ), ca. 530 BC.
Image: Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich (KM3179); Beazley 310403
The Dionysus Kylix - A beautiful Black-Figure kylix, signed by the exquisite potter/painter Exekias (ΕΧΣΕΚΙΑΣ ΕΠΟΕΣΕ), ca. 530 BC.
Image: Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich (KM3179); Beazley 310403
December 2, 2025 at 4:54 AM
that style and ease looks so familiar
I feel like I sailed with this guy and his big sloop years ago on Narragansett Bay
I feel like I sailed with this guy and his big sloop years ago on Narragansett Bay
butter-roasted Hudson Valley farm steelhead fillet, slivered pink celery, Sicilian oregano-citrus seasoning salt, celery tops; boiled NYS Abundance potatoes, Finnish butter/fresh thyme; Cretan olive oil-sauteed Savoy cabbage, bruised juniper berries, Rioja wine vinegar, drizzled w/olive oil
December 2, 2025 at 4:20 AM
butter-roasted Hudson Valley farm steelhead fillet, slivered pink celery, Sicilian oregano-citrus seasoning salt, celery tops; boiled NYS Abundance potatoes, Finnish butter/fresh thyme; Cretan olive oil-sauteed Savoy cabbage, bruised juniper berries, Rioja wine vinegar, drizzled w/olive oil
Reposted by James Wagner
Auguste Rodin, The Fallen Angel (Lucifer), ca. 1895
December 1, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Auguste Rodin, The Fallen Angel (Lucifer), ca. 1895
quite right
your description is one that could also be applied to the country as a whole
a lot of its people still care deeply about what a society should be
but its administration, and its information system, has been captured by (I’ll forgo describing the despoilers)
your description is one that could also be applied to the country as a whole
a lot of its people still care deeply about what a society should be
but its administration, and its information system, has been captured by (I’ll forgo describing the despoilers)
I mean, it’s complicated. A lot of the faculty at them still care deeply about educating. And they are actually more affordable than ever for students to attend. And yet their admins are captured by group-thinky consultant class.
December 2, 2025 at 12:04 AM
quite right
your description is one that could also be applied to the country as a whole
a lot of its people still care deeply about what a society should be
but its administration, and its information system, has been captured by (I’ll forgo describing the despoilers)
your description is one that could also be applied to the country as a whole
a lot of its people still care deeply about what a society should be
but its administration, and its information system, has been captured by (I’ll forgo describing the despoilers)
Reposted by James Wagner
It tried to kill me but I have finished the book. Second pass pages read through, final copy and line edits done.
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
November 30, 2025 at 10:42 PM
It tried to kill me but I have finished the book. Second pass pages read through, final copy and line edits done.
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
Please read my book. I worked very hard on it. 😭 (Also read Legendborn, as you can see from the background, I’m a fan)
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746817...
Reposted by James Wagner
New organization "Broadway Voices for Palestine," announces that tomorrow, they will be performing a virtual reading of plays written by Palestinian children.
Proceeds will go to The Hands Up Project charity.
Allie Trimm, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, explains more:
Proceeds will go to The Hands Up Project charity.
Allie Trimm, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, explains more:
December 1, 2025 at 12:56 AM
New organization "Broadway Voices for Palestine," announces that tomorrow, they will be performing a virtual reading of plays written by Palestinian children.
Proceeds will go to The Hands Up Project charity.
Allie Trimm, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, explains more:
Proceeds will go to The Hands Up Project charity.
Allie Trimm, who plays Glinda in Wicked on Broadway, explains more:
Reposted by James Wagner
Headline comment: If “closed” isn’t in quotation marks then neither should “colonial threat” be
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump says Venezuelan airspace should be viewed as closed. Maduro government slams 'colonial threat'
The Venezuelan government is accusing President Donald Trump of making a ”colonial threat” and seeking to undermine the South American country’s sovereignty.
apnews.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Headline comment: If “closed” isn’t in quotation marks then neither should “colonial threat” be
apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com/article/trum...
these things are no longer institutions intended for education
they’ve become simple ego-warming badges, certificates of exclusivity, and cynical devices for billionaire and corporate money laundering
they’ve become simple ego-warming badges, certificates of exclusivity, and cynical devices for billionaire and corporate money laundering
December 1, 2025 at 9:46 PM
these things are no longer institutions intended for education
they’ve become simple ego-warming badges, certificates of exclusivity, and cynical devices for billionaire and corporate money laundering
they’ve become simple ego-warming badges, certificates of exclusivity, and cynical devices for billionaire and corporate money laundering
Reposted by James Wagner
OMG www.mdhistory.org/resources/st... omg so cool
Stereoview of Fifteenth Amendment celebration in Baltimore – Maryland Center for History and Culture
Stereoview photograph of people in Monument Square of Baltimore, Maryland, on May 19, 1870 celebrating the passage of the 15th Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote. The images ...
www.mdhistory.org
December 1, 2025 at 8:03 PM
OMG www.mdhistory.org/resources/st... omg so cool
Reposted by James Wagner
Today is the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest. Six myths: 1) She wasn't old or tired. 42 years old that day, she had a "life history of being rebellious" & had spent two decades helping to turn the Montgomery NAACP into a more activist branch alongside ED Nixon and Johnnie Carr.
December 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Today is the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest. Six myths: 1) She wasn't old or tired. 42 years old that day, she had a "life history of being rebellious" & had spent two decades helping to turn the Montgomery NAACP into a more activist branch alongside ED Nixon and Johnnie Carr.
Reposted by James Wagner
remembering the late 1990s/early 2000s observations of a Day Without Art, a Visual AIDS project for World AIDS Day—and on the web, people turning their own personal websites black
Day Without Art | Visual AIDS
December 1st is Day With(out) Art, held each year as an international day of action and awareness in response to the AIDS crisis.
visualaids.org
December 1, 2025 at 4:34 PM
remembering the late 1990s/early 2000s observations of a Day Without Art, a Visual AIDS project for World AIDS Day—and on the web, people turning their own personal websites black
December 1, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by James Wagner
sometimes you know for a fact that a famous person is a jew and it turns out they are just italian and it's something we all have to learn to live with
December 1, 2025 at 12:32 AM
sometimes you know for a fact that a famous person is a jew and it turns out they are just italian and it's something we all have to learn to live with