Philological Essayist
@pessayist.bsky.social
The site I share translations and thoughts of philological interest on: https://philologicaltryouts.substack.com/. Enjoys dabbling in Literary Chinese, Semitic Studies, Sanskrit, Pāli, Polemical Texts, and other stuff. Trying to discover Albanian & Burmese
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天學問答 - Argumentative Text Against Catholicism by Korean Scholar An Chŏngbok 安鼎福 (from 1790 AD) - Part 10
Finally this part has been completed. Excuses for the huge delay. Finally I can wish you a good 2026, that it may prove to be an okay year in the end!
philologicaltryouts.substack.com
Translation of an argumentative writing contra Catholicism written by a Korean scholar in the 18th Century - Part 10 is out now (finally)! ReSkeets, likes, constructive comments, etc., are appreciated, as ever! philologicaltryouts.substack.com/p/argumentat...
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Thread, for awareness.
INBOX: Rep. Thomas Massie, who has enraged Trump for his insistence on blocking tariffs and releasing the Epstein files according to the law, just issued what is widely known among Chinese dissidents as "a declaration of no suicidal intent" (不自殺聲明), a sign of extreme distress.
February 14, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Thread, for awareness.
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Nayib Bukele. Nasry Asfura.
Somebody needs to write about how local class structure has helped make Palestinian diaspora leaders the US's chief clients in Central America.
Somebody needs to write about how local class structure has helped make Palestinian diaspora leaders the US's chief clients in Central America.
February 13, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Nayib Bukele. Nasry Asfura.
Somebody needs to write about how local class structure has helped make Palestinian diaspora leaders the US's chief clients in Central America.
Somebody needs to write about how local class structure has helped make Palestinian diaspora leaders the US's chief clients in Central America.
Reposted by Philological Essayist
That photographer is Kent Nishimura and incredibly talented photographer!
A Reuters photographer captured this image of a page from Pam Bondi's "burn book," which she used to counter any questions from Democratic lawmakers during an unhinged hearing today.
It looks like the DOJ monitored members of Congress’s searches of the unredacted Epstein files.
Just wow.
It looks like the DOJ monitored members of Congress’s searches of the unredacted Epstein files.
Just wow.
February 12, 2026 at 1:59 AM
That photographer is Kent Nishimura and incredibly talented photographer!
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I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the strongest objections to AI come from either a leftist or a religious viewpoint: we both see it as a form of alienation from our humanity.
-Is a tool designed by oligarchic-techno facists
-Benefits the few at the expense of the many
-Is a massive data piracy operation
It's only clear purpose is to remove labor from the chess board. This is the ultimate aim of capital, it's why companies will burn trillions to make it happen.
-Benefits the few at the expense of the many
-Is a massive data piracy operation
It's only clear purpose is to remove labor from the chess board. This is the ultimate aim of capital, it's why companies will burn trillions to make it happen.
February 12, 2026 at 2:31 AM
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the strongest objections to AI come from either a leftist or a religious viewpoint: we both see it as a form of alienation from our humanity.
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An incredibly eye-opening piece
Holding living bodies in graveyards
The violence of keeping Ethiopian manuscripts in Western institutions.
africasacountry.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:20 AM
An incredibly eye-opening piece
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These bombs don't just kill, they are literally *designed* to destroy all traces of a victim's body. If you're lucky, you might end up as a blood spatter or a scalp fagment. No way to mourn, no way to count the dead.
They dropped them on schools and refugee camps.
They dropped them on schools and refugee camps.
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:06 AM
These bombs don't just kill, they are literally *designed* to destroy all traces of a victim's body. If you're lucky, you might end up as a blood spatter or a scalp fagment. No way to mourn, no way to count the dead.
They dropped them on schools and refugee camps.
They dropped them on schools and refugee camps.
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Ongelooflijk. NS gaat een belangrijk deel van zijn automatisering uitbesteden aan een computerdienstverlener uit de VS. Daarmee komt het beheer van het spoor, cruciale Nederlandse infrastructuur, deels in Amerikaanse handen. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...
NS besteedt ict deels uit aan Amerikaanse leverancier
Strategische autonomie: Ondanks alle discussies over strategische autonomie kiest NS een Amerikaanse beheerder voor cruciale IT-diensten. „Als iedereen zo handelt als NS, bouwen we nooit eigen digital...
www.nrc.nl
February 10, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Ongelooflijk. NS gaat een belangrijk deel van zijn automatisering uitbesteden aan een computerdienstverlener uit de VS. Daarmee komt het beheer van het spoor, cruciale Nederlandse infrastructuur, deels in Amerikaanse handen. www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...
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The CEO of one of the most influential port operators in the world, everybody!
Thomas Massie is cooking right now and explicitly states that UAE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem was sending torture videos to Epstein
February 10, 2026 at 5:13 AM
The CEO of one of the most influential port operators in the world, everybody!
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Summer school course: Old Georgian, 4–14 August 2026, Summer School of Ancient Languages, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. For those interested, register here for more information: forms.gle/J6HZYbAZwgAx...
Old Georgian Summer Course in Belgium, 4-14 august 2026
forms.gle
January 27, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Summer school course: Old Georgian, 4–14 August 2026, Summer School of Ancient Languages, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. For those interested, register here for more information: forms.gle/J6HZYbAZwgAx...
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Get that #FridayFeeling with a free book download from our open access repository! www.gorgiaspress.com/gorgias-open... #enjoy #freebooks
February 6, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Get that #FridayFeeling with a free book download from our open access repository! www.gorgiaspress.com/gorgias-open... #enjoy #freebooks
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Oooh we are posting super bowls?
Here is an example from the British Museum's collection of incantation bowls. These would be inscribed by magicians for a client who would place it upside down on the corners or at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. 6th to 8th century. Mandaic. Iraq.
Here is an example from the British Museum's collection of incantation bowls. These would be inscribed by magicians for a client who would place it upside down on the corners or at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. 6th to 8th century. Mandaic. Iraq.
February 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Oooh we are posting super bowls?
Here is an example from the British Museum's collection of incantation bowls. These would be inscribed by magicians for a client who would place it upside down on the corners or at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. 6th to 8th century. Mandaic. Iraq.
Here is an example from the British Museum's collection of incantation bowls. These would be inscribed by magicians for a client who would place it upside down on the corners or at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. 6th to 8th century. Mandaic. Iraq.
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This Day in Labor History: February 8, 1887. President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Act into law, creating a process to split up Indian reservations in order to create individual parcels of land and then sell the remainder off to white settlers. Let's talk ideas of work & the American genocide!
February 8, 2026 at 1:27 PM
This Day in Labor History: February 8, 1887. President Grover Cleveland signed the Dawes Act into law, creating a process to split up Indian reservations in order to create individual parcels of land and then sell the remainder off to white settlers. Let's talk ideas of work & the American genocide!
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Reposted by Philological Essayist
But anyway, it will forever baffle me how European government's could put key aspects of Europe's security in the hands of people who believe stuff like this
February 8, 2026 at 12:37 PM
But anyway, it will forever baffle me how European government's could put key aspects of Europe's security in the hands of people who believe stuff like this
Album recommendation from yours truly: All in all quite a good collection of electronic "post-Kraftwerk" compositions, even though one or two may cause some to cringe. Anyway: Have a listen and judge for yourself! www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCzz... (Moderne - L'Espionne Aimait La Musique - France 1981)
Moderne – L’Espionne Aimait La Musique (France, 1981) | FULL ALBUM
YouTube video by Synthify Archive
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Album recommendation from yours truly: All in all quite a good collection of electronic "post-Kraftwerk" compositions, even though one or two may cause some to cringe. Anyway: Have a listen and judge for yourself! www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCzz... (Moderne - L'Espionne Aimait La Musique - France 1981)
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#Gabbard blocked her own spy agencies from intel report about #Trump associate - boingboing.net/2026/02/07/g... "report involves an #NSA intercept of two foreign nationals discussing someone close to President Trump."
Gabbard blocked her own spy agencies from intel report about Trump associate
The NSA intercepted foreigners discussing a Trump associate and Iran. Gabbard restricted it — but told the White House.
boingboing.net
February 8, 2026 at 11:15 AM
#Gabbard blocked her own spy agencies from intel report about #Trump associate - boingboing.net/2026/02/07/g... "report involves an #NSA intercept of two foreign nationals discussing someone close to President Trump."
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Never forget the anniversary of King Taejong falling off his horse!
February 8, 2026 at 9:01 AM
Never forget the anniversary of King Taejong falling off his horse!
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One of the most sickening realizations I've ever had came when it hit me that six hundred years from now historians will be writing things like "while technically illegal, intercourse with minors was broadly accepted as normal among the American ruling class, and even a marker of status"
February 8, 2026 at 7:30 AM
One of the most sickening realizations I've ever had came when it hit me that six hundred years from now historians will be writing things like "while technically illegal, intercourse with minors was broadly accepted as normal among the American ruling class, and even a marker of status"
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I’m not arguing with no account defending AI. My grandmother lives in an area being environmentally compromised currently by an ai data center. I remember the color of the lake before they built it and the sludge I see in it when I go to see her. Shut the fuck up about “the benefits of AI” forever.
February 7, 2026 at 3:46 PM
I’m not arguing with no account defending AI. My grandmother lives in an area being environmentally compromised currently by an ai data center. I remember the color of the lake before they built it and the sludge I see in it when I go to see her. Shut the fuck up about “the benefits of AI” forever.
Bohae is standard issue over here B-). I must snicker at the claim about "rich health benefits," though. Still: Recommended for those of legal age and appreciative of deeper flavours.
I also need to figure out where I can get Bokbunja (Korean black raspberry wine) in the U.S. - does H Mart have it?
thesoulofseoul.net/meet-bokbunj...
thesoulofseoul.net/meet-bokbunj...
Meet Bokbunja: The Korean Black Raspberry Wine That Broke A Chamber Pot – The Soul of Seoul
Discover bokbunja, Korea's bold black raspberry wine with a legendary name, rich health benefits, and a flavor that's winning over soju drinkers—perfect for spicy meals, sweet desserts, and curious wi...
thesoulofseoul.net
February 8, 2026 at 4:51 AM
Bohae is standard issue over here B-). I must snicker at the claim about "rich health benefits," though. Still: Recommended for those of legal age and appreciative of deeper flavours.
Reposted by Philological Essayist
Never before a random shitposter had as much power as today. You can influence Polish-US relations by shitposting under a US ambassador tweets
February 6, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Never before a random shitposter had as much power as today. You can influence Polish-US relations by shitposting under a US ambassador tweets
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#photography #b&w #blackandwhite #stilllife
"Something of nothing, II"
📷 © @gblee.bsky.social
無 = nothing, absence, not having
"Something of nothing, II"
📷 © @gblee.bsky.social
無 = nothing, absence, not having
February 4, 2026 at 5:25 PM
#photography #b&w #blackandwhite #stilllife
"Something of nothing, II"
📷 © @gblee.bsky.social
無 = nothing, absence, not having
"Something of nothing, II"
📷 © @gblee.bsky.social
無 = nothing, absence, not having
Reposted by Philological Essayist
Great example of a thing that's fine for a grieving family or community member to say, but becomes a monstrous dereliction and evasion when politicians try to appropriate it: find the words! That's your whole job!
“Renee Goodman [sic], Alex Pretti – there are no words,” DeLauro said.
“You said there were no words after the murder of those two individuals,” said Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson. “I think the words are ‘Abolish ICE.’”
www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-02...
“You said there were no words after the murder of those two individuals,” said Rev. Jack Perkins Davidson. “I think the words are ‘Abolish ICE.’”
www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-02...
DeLauro to pressing clergy: 'I will not vote to abolish ICE'
The Connecticut U.S. representative found herself at odds with faith leaders.
www.ctpublic.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Great example of a thing that's fine for a grieving family or community member to say, but becomes a monstrous dereliction and evasion when politicians try to appropriate it: find the words! That's your whole job!
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"A truly sensational find" made by my friend and colleague Adrian C. Pirtea 👀👇
#Syriac
#ChristianArabic
#ChristianEast
#Syriac
#ChristianArabic
#ChristianEast
medieval worlds • no. 23 • 2025
A truly sensational find is presented in volume 23 of Medieval Worlds: a newly discovered Christian world chronicle in Arabic, which Adrian C. Pirtea examines in a preliminary case study. We furthermo...
medievalworlds.net
February 5, 2026 at 10:33 AM
"A truly sensational find" made by my friend and colleague Adrian C. Pirtea 👀👇
#Syriac
#ChristianArabic
#ChristianEast
#Syriac
#ChristianArabic
#ChristianEast
Reposted by Philological Essayist
old japanese be like “woman”
October 10, 2025 at 1:02 AM
old japanese be like “woman”