Mitch Lerner
@mitchelllerner.bsky.social
Diplomatic historian, Director of East Asian Studies at Ohio State. Former director of Institute for Korean Studies, former SHAFR president. Boxer, hockey player, beer drinker, Democrat, Red Sox fan. Gets hurt a lot (especially lately).
Zohran Mamdani Is New York’s First Millennial Mayor. You Can Tell by His Suit.
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:31 PM
A Bose-Einstein condensate is a phenomenon through which scientists dramatically slowed and even stopped light by creating ultra-cold atoms and shining a laser pulse through, causing the light to propagate at shockingly slow speeds. Still, it moved way more quickly than the movie “Smashing Machine.”
October 18, 2025 at 2:49 AM
A Bose-Einstein condensate is a phenomenon through which scientists dramatically slowed and even stopped light by creating ultra-cold atoms and shining a laser pulse through, causing the light to propagate at shockingly slow speeds. Still, it moved way more quickly than the movie “Smashing Machine.”
I know with great certainty that robots with AI will someday rise up and kill us all. But considering how awful the umpires are in the Red Sox-Blue Jays game, I think that if the first step toward the elimination of human life on earth is the rollout of robot umpires, I am in favor of it.
September 24, 2025 at 2:00 AM
I know with great certainty that robots with AI will someday rise up and kill us all. But considering how awful the umpires are in the Red Sox-Blue Jays game, I think that if the first step toward the elimination of human life on earth is the rollout of robot umpires, I am in favor of it.
East Asianists: OSU is hiring in modern Japan! We prefer candidates with a chronological focus on years the Red Sox won the World Series and a methodological approach that emphasizes the immense contributions of short red-headed jazz fans, but we can be flexible! jobs.chronicle.com/job/37884726...
Assistant Professor of Modern Japanese History - Columbus, Ohio job with The Ohio State University, Department of History | 37884726
The Department of History at The Ohio State University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor of modern Japanese history.
jobs.chronicle.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:43 AM
East Asianists: OSU is hiring in modern Japan! We prefer candidates with a chronological focus on years the Red Sox won the World Series and a methodological approach that emphasizes the immense contributions of short red-headed jazz fans, but we can be flexible! jobs.chronicle.com/job/37884726...
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
Here’s a story that’s becoming all too common: federal immigration agents using racial and ethnic profiling as a rationale for stopping, questioning and detaining U.S. citizens who they suspect are undocumented.
A U.S. Citizen Detained by ICE for Three Days Tells His Story
A conversation with George Retes, an Army veteran swept up in a California raid
www.theatlantic.com
September 11, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Here’s a story that’s becoming all too common: federal immigration agents using racial and ethnic profiling as a rationale for stopping, questioning and detaining U.S. citizens who they suspect are undocumented.
Texas hasn’t been really good since Vince Young and Mitch Lerner left for the next level.
August 30, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Texas hasn’t been really good since Vince Young and Mitch Lerner left for the next level.
Having the ball on the OSU 8 yard line and running the qb between the tackles three times is your weekly reminder that there is no IQ test to be a football coach.
August 30, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Having the ball on the OSU 8 yard line and running the qb between the tackles three times is your weekly reminder that there is no IQ test to be a football coach.
So far, Arch Manning has sucked. I haven’t seen a much-hyped debut collapse this quickly since William Henry Harrison.
August 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
So far, Arch Manning has sucked. I haven’t seen a much-hyped debut collapse this quickly since William Henry Harrison.
When Roman Anthony's new contract with the Red Sox ends, the Mets will still have one more year of paying Bobby Bonilla.
August 6, 2025 at 9:55 PM
When Roman Anthony's new contract with the Red Sox ends, the Mets will still have one more year of paying Bobby Bonilla.
Roughly 100-120 billion people have existed on earth since its creation. With numbers of that magnitude, it seems possible that at least 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 people in that group were at one point as sick as I am right now. But, it's doubtful. Damn COVID! Someone bring me some horse de-wormer!
August 6, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Roughly 100-120 billion people have existed on earth since its creation. With numbers of that magnitude, it seems possible that at least 2 or 3 or maybe even 4 people in that group were at one point as sick as I am right now. But, it's doubtful. Damn COVID! Someone bring me some horse de-wormer!
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
To be clear, the orange felon fired the Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after producing a truthful jobs report because he wants to hide how badly he’s crashing the economy and he’ll install one of his minions to produce fake numbers from now on. Fascism.
August 2, 2025 at 4:51 PM
To be clear, the orange felon fired the Head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics hours after producing a truthful jobs report because he wants to hide how badly he’s crashing the economy and he’ll install one of his minions to produce fake numbers from now on. Fascism.
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
Monthly reminder: Many people have a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination and Insecurity Mountain, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, and use it to cut your chest open and yank that book out.
August 1, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Monthly reminder: Many people have a book in them, but it takes a special kind of freak to leave the Land of Laziness, cross the Plains of Procrastination and Insecurity Mountain, find the Blade of No One Made You Do This, and use it to cut your chest open and yank that book out.
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.
August 2, 2025 at 2:18 AM
It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.
My week in Taiwan was great, but it also made me appreciate the simple joys of coming home to your loved ones. That's right: the air conditioner and I are going to spend some serious quality time together for the nest few days.
July 26, 2025 at 1:54 PM
My week in Taiwan was great, but it also made me appreciate the simple joys of coming home to your loved ones. That's right: the air conditioner and I are going to spend some serious quality time together for the nest few days.
My week in Taiwan included meetings with officials from KMT and DPP as well as political activists, scholars, etc. I now feel ready to talk about the recall election results, if anyone wants an inside perspective. I can also talk about what it feels like to be roasted alive by the Taiwan heat.
July 26, 2025 at 1:51 PM
My week in Taiwan included meetings with officials from KMT and DPP as well as political activists, scholars, etc. I now feel ready to talk about the recall election results, if anyone wants an inside perspective. I can also talk about what it feels like to be roasted alive by the Taiwan heat.
I learned some really important things about diplomacy on my trip to Taiwan, but this lesson from the restroom at a prominent think tank is perhaps most impactful.
July 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I learned some really important things about diplomacy on my trip to Taiwan, but this lesson from the restroom at a prominent think tank is perhaps most impactful.
In case anyone is worried that I didn’t represent the finest Ohio fashions while I was meeting government officials in Taiwan.
July 25, 2025 at 3:28 PM
In case anyone is worried that I didn’t represent the finest Ohio fashions while I was meeting government officials in Taiwan.
So this weekend is my daughter’s bridal shower in Ohio and my wife just told me that the sewage line backup up in the basement this morning. I told her that the wine in the VIP lounge in the airport in Taipei was kind of warm so I was suffering too, but I don’t think it helped.
July 25, 2025 at 3:27 PM
So this weekend is my daughter’s bridal shower in Ohio and my wife just told me that the sewage line backup up in the basement this morning. I told her that the wine in the VIP lounge in the airport in Taipei was kind of warm so I was suffering too, but I don’t think it helped.
After last night’s win, the Red Sox—over their last 800 games covering almost 6 seasons—have 400 wins and 400 losses. That’s pretty incredible. And pretty depressing.
July 10, 2025 at 3:10 AM
After last night’s win, the Red Sox—over their last 800 games covering almost 6 seasons—have 400 wins and 400 losses. That’s pretty incredible. And pretty depressing.
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
The Yankees finished the game with a bigger number than the other team. Unsure what this means. Will research.
July 6, 2025 at 8:44 PM
The Yankees finished the game with a bigger number than the other team. Unsure what this means. Will research.
Sure, sex is great but have you seen Spinal Tap on the big screen? I will be able to answer "yes" to that in about 5 hours, and I can't wait. One of the great mockumentaries ever made. It's an 11.
July 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Sure, sex is great but have you seen Spinal Tap on the big screen? I will be able to answer "yes" to that in about 5 hours, and I can't wait. One of the great mockumentaries ever made. It's an 11.
We base much of our political system on the idea that the Founding Fathers were brilliant people with a keen sense of what was needed for the nation’s future. But if they were so smart, why didn’t they declare independence in April? No one should attend an outside celebration in this heat.
July 4, 2025 at 3:51 PM
We base much of our political system on the idea that the Founding Fathers were brilliant people with a keen sense of what was needed for the nation’s future. But if they were so smart, why didn’t they declare independence in April? No one should attend an outside celebration in this heat.
Because I have nerve damage in both feet, I’m pretty selective about my shoes, and there’s one kind that I like enough so that I own two pairs of them. Unfortunately, when I packed for the conference that I am currently attending, I grabbed the two right shoes.
June 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Because I have nerve damage in both feet, I’m pretty selective about my shoes, and there’s one kind that I like enough so that I own two pairs of them. Unfortunately, when I packed for the conference that I am currently attending, I grabbed the two right shoes.
Checking out the very cool Star Trek exhibit at the Lancaster design museum. This quote is on the wall at the start. Gene Roddenberry was certainly prescient in a lot of ways.
June 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Checking out the very cool Star Trek exhibit at the Lancaster design museum. This quote is on the wall at the start. Gene Roddenberry was certainly prescient in a lot of ways.
Reposted by Mitch Lerner
Arrest quotas are fundamentally evil.
"A good day:" Detained U.S. citizen said agents bragged after arresting dozens at Home Depot
"A good day:" Detained U.S. citizen said agents bragged after arresting dozens at Home Depot
A U.S. citizen who was tackled and arrested by border agents after filming and yelling at them, said his "blood boiled" when agents high-five'd each other after grabbing dozens at Home Depot on Thursday.
www.latimes.com
June 21, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Arrest quotas are fundamentally evil.