Jonathan Emmesedi

Intermittent humanities education worker. Brit resident in USA.

Profile picture: Boy standing thigh deep in the ocean, holding a trident in his left hand. Image created by AI.

Header picture: Ocean waves. Picture from US government National Ocean Service.

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npub1vl94a4cxmklty2wq8waej7xj67rc2tvvenrzvl0xg7mhlf3ajg6qlqlt4e

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[email protected]

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relay.ditto.pub

nostr.wine

nos.lol

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Last Notes

2026-04-26 05:53:17 CEST

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@nprofile…d3nc
If you go back to my post, it is clear that I have read "Anthem".

2026-04-26 05:32:08 CEST

I've read about Ayn Rand, and I've read short extracts from "Atlas Shrugged", supposedly her magnum opus.
Those extracts did not inspire me to plough through the whole of "Atlas Shrugged", but I thought to be fair I ought to read a complete work of hers, so I picked up a copy of her 1938 novella "Anthem".
In a repressive, techophobic, collectivist dystopia, a young man rebels, rediscovers electricity, and then escapes from captivity to be joined by his female lover. He hopes to rebuild a society based on individualism -- "Anthem" concludes with the protagonist's determined to carve into the stone portal of his fort the "sacred word EGO".
Rand's writing is lifeless, with both characters and setting being little more than vehicles for the author's ponderous didacticism. The slight romance narrative smacks of sub-Hollywood teenage fantasy, with the protagonist renaming his lover "The Golden One", followed by her dubbing him 'The Unconquered".
The concluding pages are supposed to be a poetic invocation of egoism. Instead, they come across as Rand attempting to club the reader into submission.
I am pained to learn that this book is frequently assigned in US high schools, as it is devoid of literary merit and of no great significance in literary or cultural history. If teachers or school districts want to assign a mid 20C "antitotalitarian" work, why not press copies of "1984" into students' hands?
Nevertheless my afternoon was not entirely wasted, as I can now get through the rest of my life without having to read another word of this tiresome crank, yet have a clear conscience when I describe her as possessing not a shred of literary talent, because my judgment is based on a first hand acquaintance with her writing.
#Books #Literature #USLiterature #AmericanLiterature #AynRand #Anthem #RightWing
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/116/468/651/001/054/546/original/1c39ee5d8bf499b7.png

2026-04-22 02:34:59 CEST

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/measles-complications-1.7530506
The New York Times today published an essay by Rebecca Archer, the woman pictured at the head of the linked CBC story, entitled "Measles Took My Daughter: This Is What I Want Everyone To Know".
Unfortunately, I m unable to link to the NYT article, but do hunt down and read it if you can, because it is a powerfully written piece both informative about public health and heartbreaking in its account of a daughter lost.
Even if you cant' get hold of the NYT essay, read about Rebecca and Renae.
What RFK and the antivaxxers are doing is unforgivable.
#PublicHealth #Measles #RFKJr

2026-03-29 00:46:28 CET

Although I don't wear t shirts that often, I bought one with this design because I thought it witty, pretty, and pertinent to the moment.
#NoKings #StaySaltyMeltIce #ICE #TShirt #Protest
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/116/309/452/054/873/550/original/785b61d6c6423fe6.png

2026-01-20 05:57:44 CET

>> But why the praise from Moscow? Why the apparent encouragement?
It's because Russia has much to gain from the current situation.
Trump's fixation with Greenland, his determination to take over the island and impose tariffs on European countries that oppose his plan have put a huge strain on the transatlantic alliance: both on America's relations with Europe, and within Nato.
Anything that weakens – or threatens to split – the Western alliance is viewed by Moscow as a huge positive for Russia. <<
https://bbc.com/news/articles/c17zpvkddpzo
#DonaldTrump #Greenland #Russia #Politics

2025-10-07 01:16:54 CEST

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@nprofile…qwx8
I never want to hear the term "digital natives" again.

2025-04-06 16:16:19 CEST

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@nprofile…gd7f
"Hydronym" is my word of the day. Thank you!

2025-03-31 01:58:41 CEST

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@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
Here are STAYC in today's Inkigayo outfits.
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/254/093/370/442/109/original/c0dddee97c050599.webp

2025-03-31 01:56:24 CEST

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@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
Contrast and compare with the STAYC -- Bebe stage I just posted:
https://youtu.be/1zKn_NtWO-8?si=rPjz-NWLkqjgGjii

2025-03-27 00:34:50 CET

If the term "Chuuves" warms your heart, watch this White Day video.
Note also one of the marvels of Kpop: idols are the only people on the planet who can still look beautiful while slurping noodles.
#Kpop #Chuuves #Chuu #Yves #LOONA #WhiteDay #Food #ChineseFood
https://youtu.be/DV23DOFUOgc?si=_g3hqy3a3lzM69V_

2025-03-24 04:46:58 CET

Who will rid me of this turbulent chick?
#Mastodon #Spam #FediverseChick #Nicole
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/215/335/525/573/199/original/692f2b507148be50.png

2025-03-23 04:35:51 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen ILLIT – Almond Chocolate.
So much Kpop has caught my attention in the past week that it has been difficult to choose a single song or stage. I ended up going with “Almond Chocolate” because I love the strings, synthesizer, and girl group vocals combination. It’s a song in the same space as early Lovelyz, and it’s a sound I adore. Just like almond chocolate, it’s sweet with a little bitterness too.
The song was originally in Japanese and will be used in a Japanese film. As I’ve noted before, we shouldn’t underestimate the importance and complexity of the Korea-Japan dimension in kpop.
I chose this stage because I like the coordinated but not identical white outfits. Minju (braid, skirt, long sleeves, ending fairy) is adorable!
https://youtu.be/DDzxfRX1FFE?si=8TJyRJFBO8ZU1-dJ
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ILLIT #AlmondChocolate #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-23 03:42:05 CET

I don't know whether to barf or laugh:
>>Witkoff, who met Putin ten days ago, said the Russian president had been "gracious" and "straight up" with him. Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".<<
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine
#Politics #Ukraine #SteveWitkoff #KeirStarmer #DonaldTrump #VladimirPutin
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62zm4eqvp7o

2025-03-21 16:38:30 CET

@nprofile…2gfk
I enjoyed this Nogizaka46 release, and I thought it might be up your street too.
https://youtu.be/0SUhfOH3X_A?si=mDUkYQFPCnsNqbu2
#JPop #Nogizaka46

2025-03-19 01:10:52 CET

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@nprofile…9e80
Were the second guy's slides filled with lots of text?

2025-03-19 00:48:27 CET

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@nprofile…9e80
Shouldn't the chair of the meeting be putting a stop to this?
Sorry to hear you have to sit through this.

2025-03-17 05:34:35 CET

I wish it were easier to follow Bluesky accounts from Mastodon. Few of the people I want follow have made bridging possible.
Image: Photograph of a Blue Morpho butterfly (Morpho menelaus). Wingspan of the specimen is cca. 10 cm (4 inches). Abdomen was removed to prevent staining. -- Gregory Phillips -- Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 -- Wikimedia Commons
#SocialMedia #BlueSky #brid_gy #Fediverse
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/175/879/658/424/077/original/871f809455d7fdc5.png

2025-03-17 00:59:08 CET

I'm so glad I am not "dating", because this use of spreadsheets seems like something from a dystopia.
My secret to dating in San Francisco is a spreadsheet
#Dating #SanFrancisco #Technology
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/trick-to-san-francisco-dating-17446896.php

2025-03-16 04:50:35 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Le Sserafim – Come Over.
Let me make it clear right away that I don’t think “Come Over” is a song for the ages. I don’t even think it’s the best song on the album, as I found both “Ash” and “So Cynical” more engaging musically; “Hot”, as so often is the case with Le Sserafim title tracks, left me cold. No – I’ve chosen this “Come Over” stage because of the choreography, which is strikingly different from the girl group norm. As a bonus, the wave hairdos look good and Eunchae (fun fur top) unselfconsciously confirms my belief that she is one of the prettiest idols.
https://youtu.be/JtJwVC-s27o?si=uL5B5SyCZu3H8NJJ
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #LeSserafim #ComeOver #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-13 04:51:58 CET

I'm not quite so smitten with the 1980's as David Bailey is , but I do love his picture here of Naomi Campbell.
‘The 1980s turned out to be magic’: David Bailey on the era of excess – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/mar/11/the-1980s-turned-out-to-be-magic-david-bailey-on-the-era-of-excess-in-pictures
#DavidBailey #NaomiCampbell #Photography #1980s

2025-03-07 05:54:31 CET

I have all these ideas for Mastodon posts throughout the day, but by the time I have the opportunity to spend time here I am usually too tired to post that much.
#SocialMedia

2023-09-04 07:58:26 CEST

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@npub1g0t…tvm4 @npub1kt3…5004
I wonder if social media now makes us worry about children's reading in the same way that the advent of television did in years past.
In addition to the horribly instrumental approach to reading that you mentioned, the underfunding and closure of public libraries has weakened the culture of reading amongst children, I suspect.

2023-08-06 21:22:02 CEST

Words fail me...
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/110/844/294/427/872/339/original/cb0651e9fa618bd5.jpeg