Zora O'Neill
@zoraoneill.com
Author, ALL STRANGERS ARE KIN (now an AUDIOBOOK!). Editor. I comment on: Arabic, refugees, travel, grammar, Queens, more. she/her. Profile pic: black tee with “love” in white, in Arabic and English. Banner: mosaic of Manhattan skyline seen f/ Queens.
News flash, Mr. Cats: You’re not the least bit special or insightful. *Everyone* is operating under their own idea of “common sense.”
All the “common sense” dudes can do is expose their failure to understand anyone.
All the “common sense” dudes can do is expose their failure to understand anyone.
Anytime you see the phrase "common sense" deployed like this it should be a big 🚩. A true mark of empty conservatism and/or insanity.
December 17, 2025 at 4:40 PM
News flash, Mr. Cats: You’re not the least bit special or insightful. *Everyone* is operating under their own idea of “common sense.”
All the “common sense” dudes can do is expose their failure to understand anyone.
All the “common sense” dudes can do is expose their failure to understand anyone.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Today in Proximities:
- Two-week-old freezes to death in Gaza as Israel restricts entry of shelters
- India summons Bangladesh envoy as tensions persist
- Benin jails 30 over failed coup attempt
As always, you can read it in under two mins.
www.proximities.news/p/gaza-india...
- Two-week-old freezes to death in Gaza as Israel restricts entry of shelters
- India summons Bangladesh envoy as tensions persist
- Benin jails 30 over failed coup attempt
As always, you can read it in under two mins.
www.proximities.news/p/gaza-india...
Gaza, India, Benin
Today's three stories you should know
www.proximities.news
December 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Today in Proximities:
- Two-week-old freezes to death in Gaza as Israel restricts entry of shelters
- India summons Bangladesh envoy as tensions persist
- Benin jails 30 over failed coup attempt
As always, you can read it in under two mins.
www.proximities.news/p/gaza-india...
- Two-week-old freezes to death in Gaza as Israel restricts entry of shelters
- India summons Bangladesh envoy as tensions persist
- Benin jails 30 over failed coup attempt
As always, you can read it in under two mins.
www.proximities.news/p/gaza-india...
Don’t forget the Segway!
just a collection of "inevitable" multi-billion dollar tech that was going to be the future of everything until everyone in the audience who was supposed to just get on board said "lol no"
December 17, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Don’t forget the Segway!
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
A million Muslims live in New York City. We belong here, as does every other New Yorker.
This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.
This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.
December 15, 2025 at 10:25 PM
A million Muslims live in New York City. We belong here, as does every other New Yorker.
This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.
This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.
In a motel called the Retro Inn and I can’t tell if it was a conscious decision to have an actual phone book and bible in the drawer? Just like old times!
December 16, 2025 at 1:00 AM
In a motel called the Retro Inn and I can’t tell if it was a conscious decision to have an actual phone book and bible in the drawer? Just like old times!
All this violence AND the Pinochet-admiring descendent of Nazis Juan Antonio Kast wins the presidency of Chile. What a horrific weekend.
December 15, 2025 at 5:38 AM
All this violence AND the Pinochet-admiring descendent of Nazis Juan Antonio Kast wins the presidency of Chile. What a horrific weekend.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
This ending always gets me and became even more poignant after River Phoenix’s untimely death: youtu.be/l7r-R61W1DQ?...
Stand By Me (1986) - Ending scene
YouTube video by Facundo Verdun
youtu.be
December 15, 2025 at 5:05 AM
This ending always gets me and became even more poignant after River Phoenix’s untimely death: youtu.be/l7r-R61W1DQ?...
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Just spent 30 min explaining Manneken Pis to my kid and looking at the archive of costumes
Brussels is an odd place and I love it so much
Brussels is an odd place and I love it so much
www.mannekenpis.brussels
December 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Just spent 30 min explaining Manneken Pis to my kid and looking at the archive of costumes
Brussels is an odd place and I love it so much
Brussels is an odd place and I love it so much
Sheesh poor Australians not getting enough prayers. They must feel so abandoned in this tragedy.
Just want to share with my American friends how the Australians respond to a shooting tragedy. Action, rather than thoughts and prayers.
December 15, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Sheesh poor Australians not getting enough prayers. They must feel so abandoned in this tragedy.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Made a site comparing the sizes of living things :)
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
December 10, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Made a site comparing the sizes of living things :)
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
The great Julius Csotonyi spent 5 months painting over 60 illustrations for the site, no ai used
> neal.fun/size-of-life/
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Also, if I have any trusted friends or friends of friends who knows one of the following languages and is willing to donate time to translate a flyer to help support teachers/trans kids/disabled folks in AB, reach out 🥹
Arabic
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Tigrigna
Yue (Cantonese)
Amharic
Punjabi
Spanish
Urdu
Arabic
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Tigrigna
Yue (Cantonese)
Amharic
Punjabi
Spanish
Urdu
December 11, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Also, if I have any trusted friends or friends of friends who knows one of the following languages and is willing to donate time to translate a flyer to help support teachers/trans kids/disabled folks in AB, reach out 🥹
Arabic
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Tigrigna
Yue (Cantonese)
Amharic
Punjabi
Spanish
Urdu
Arabic
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Tigrigna
Yue (Cantonese)
Amharic
Punjabi
Spanish
Urdu
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
The way we are not, in fact, at any way suffering a shortage of good ideas... Whew. Plus we have loads of good ideas (solar power, single payer health care, electric bikes, hell, TRAINS, that could be further spread. A shortage of ideas? WHUT?
Lmfao every AI defense piece is like "AYY I FUCKIN SUCK BRO HOPEFULLY THIS FUCKIN STEAL YOUR SHIT MACHINE WILL MAKE ME SUCK SLIGHTLY LESS OK"
December 14, 2025 at 4:39 AM
The way we are not, in fact, at any way suffering a shortage of good ideas... Whew. Plus we have loads of good ideas (solar power, single payer health care, electric bikes, hell, TRAINS, that could be further spread. A shortage of ideas? WHUT?
Zohran Mamdani is the new Marina Abramovic.
December 13, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Zohran Mamdani is the new Marina Abramovic.
This is f-ing ridiculous, considering all the crap I had to show to get my Real ID.
Add to this that HSI just filed a declaration in our case challenging these policies saying they can’t trust REAL IDs as proof of status.
So showing your papers isn’t even enough to end the stop.
So showing your papers isn’t even enough to end the stop.
December 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
This is f-ing ridiculous, considering all the crap I had to show to get my Real ID.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
White people don't really want to admit that racism was a bonding exercise throughout their lives. Similar to how men (including myself) don't always acknowledge how sexism was and may still be one for us and that shit is a problem.
December 13, 2025 at 3:37 PM
White people don't really want to admit that racism was a bonding exercise throughout their lives. Similar to how men (including myself) don't always acknowledge how sexism was and may still be one for us and that shit is a problem.
You know, those “artsy” stretches are opportunities to *think* about the show and the issues it’s raising. Maybe to think about your own individuality and your relationship to the collective good. Stuff like that.
I was asked what I thought now that #pluribus has reached seven episodes.
I’m not seeing any of the liberal subtext some folks are seeing. But I’ve learned to watch the show by fast forwarding through the long, artsy stretches where no one speaks.
There were exactly 2 lines of interesting dialogue.
I’m not seeing any of the liberal subtext some folks are seeing. But I’ve learned to watch the show by fast forwarding through the long, artsy stretches where no one speaks.
There were exactly 2 lines of interesting dialogue.
December 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
You know, those “artsy” stretches are opportunities to *think* about the show and the issues it’s raising. Maybe to think about your own individuality and your relationship to the collective good. Stuff like that.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
i’m sorry but it is so darkly ironic that a not insignificant number of people the christian nationalist government is just absolutely fucking grinding into the ground rn are named jesus
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
How a US Citizen Was Scanned With ICE's Facial Recognition Tech
Jesus Gutiérrez told immigration agents he was a U.S. citizen. Only after they scanned his face, did the agents let him go.
www.404media.co
December 13, 2025 at 4:07 PM
i’m sorry but it is so darkly ironic that a not insignificant number of people the christian nationalist government is just absolutely fucking grinding into the ground rn are named jesus
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps
Heng Guan is awaiting an immigration hearing on Monday that could lead to his removal from the U.S. and ultimately land him back in China, according to his lawyer and a New York-based activist group.
www.wsj.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
And TSA, for that matter.
Just a reminder that ICE didn't exist until 2002. It's not some longstanding institution that must be maintained. It was created as a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11, and it could be gotten rid of as easily as it was created.
December 13, 2025 at 4:58 AM
And TSA, for that matter.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Just a reminder that ICE didn't exist until 2002. It's not some longstanding institution that must be maintained. It was created as a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11, and it could be gotten rid of as easily as it was created.
December 12, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Just a reminder that ICE didn't exist until 2002. It's not some longstanding institution that must be maintained. It was created as a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11, and it could be gotten rid of as easily as it was created.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
It's worth reading this about the #DarienGap before watching Episode 7 of #Pluribus. Warning for distressing images and descriptions:
Seventy Miles in Hell
The Darién Gap was once considered impassable. Now hundreds of thousands of migrants are risking treacherous terrain, violence, hunger, and disease to travel through the jungle to the United States.
www.theatlantic.com
December 13, 2025 at 4:33 AM
It's worth reading this about the #DarienGap before watching Episode 7 of #Pluribus. Warning for distressing images and descriptions:
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
Every time I see a cop hit the siren for a split second so they can run a red light and then just continue moseying along I am filled with a indescribable rage
December 12, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Every time I see a cop hit the siren for a split second so they can run a red light and then just continue moseying along I am filled with a indescribable rage
Mamdani's soccer team was called the Talking Headers? This is so far off the nerd chart, in the most fabulous way.
December 12, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Mamdani's soccer team was called the Talking Headers? This is so far off the nerd chart, in the most fabulous way.
Reposted by Zora O'Neill
This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.
December 11, 2025 at 11:40 PM
This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.
Ugh Code Pink showed their colors supporting Bashar, so this does not surprise me at all. And is anyone in this photo actually Palestinian? Otherwise this is like Pelosi with the kente cloth.
December 11, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Ugh Code Pink showed their colors supporting Bashar, so this does not surprise me at all. And is anyone in this photo actually Palestinian? Otherwise this is like Pelosi with the kente cloth.