Jesse Hession Grayman
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kopyor.bsky.social
Jesse Hession Grayman
@kopyor.bsky.social
930 followers 720 following 350 posts
Social/medical anthropologist at Waipapa Taumata Rau - U of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. Originally from Schenectady NY, USA. Research in Indonesia. Gardener. Home fermentation. Music nerd. Genre fiction.
📚📝🎓🎧🆘🌱🪴🌶️🌌🪐🇺🇸🇮🇩🇳🇿🏳️‍🌈 He/Him
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kopyor.bsky.social
3. Weapons (2025). Another entry in the "vanishing children" genre of horror. It's been a great year for horror, and Weapons is one jewel in the 2025 crown. The mystery intrigues, the villain Aunt Gladys is an instant camp icon, Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are great, and the ending is perfect!
Poster image for the 2025 horror film "Weapons" depicting elementary school children running off through a suburban neighborhood and vanishing into the night with arms outstretched in the shape of an inverted-V.
October 28, 2025 at 1:04 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
2. Abadi Nan Jaya (The Elixir) (2025). There are many bonkers Indonesian horror films but I think this is a first attempt in the modern zombie genre. Relentless action, good effects, fun shocks! A dysfunctional family business goes awry, and a village in Sleman pays the price with a zombie outbreak.
Film poster for the Netflix film "Abadi Nan Jaya" ("The Elixir"), an Indonesian zombie film. Poster depicts a zombie hand reaching for a spilled bottle of the "elixir," which is a failed product from a traditional medicine family-run corporation that is trying to develop a youth regeneration medicine. Under pressure to escape buyout from a national big pharma company, the company rushes out their new "elixir" product, and it turns everyone into zombies, and they can infect through bites, etc. It's currently the number 1 film on Netflix Indonesia! It's relentless and fun.
October 28, 2025 at 12:48 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
I enjoyed 3 terrific spooky season movies this past long weekend.
1. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). Inchoate but barely suppresed white settler Victorian anxieties in Australia. Plot and soundtrack presage The Virgin Suicides, with clear affinities between the two films.
#PicnicAtHangingRock (1/3)
Poster art for Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). Tag line reads: "On St. Valentine's Day in 1900 a party of schoolgirls sets out to picnic at Hanging Rock. ... Some were never to return." Drawn art depicts the white private school girls in white dresses as they set off to explore Hanging Rock where they encounter unexplained mysteries and some disappear. Fair use: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8185613 Although it is not technically canon in the original novel and film, I chose to "interpret" an underexplored and unrealized sexual tension between the two main male characters Michael Fitzhubert (who looks like Robert Irwin to me) and Albert Crundall.
October 28, 2025 at 12:06 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
Two skeets within minutes, each quoting #Andor, including one from the governor of Illinois. And that's just from today's brief scroll. Maybe it's cheesy, or tainted because its provenance is Disney, but I'm OK with the Andor screenplays serving as the sacred texts for our *hashtag* resistance.
Dave Itzkoff quote-skeets from Nemik's manifesto on Andor (“Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”) above a skeet by Aaron Rupar quoting the president who complained: "These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter." The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, quotes from Nemik's manifesto on Andor as follows, "Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.” And places this quote above a headline from variety.com announcing Jimmy Kimmel's return to ABC networks on Tuesday.
September 24, 2025 at 12:09 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
🌱🇳🇿 Ok now that I’m smitten with rhubarb after a decade+ long forgetfulness of its astonishing flavor, I discovered that it’s growing in the weed patch next to my house all these six years I’ve lived here and had no idea! #gardensky friends, can you confirm?
I think this is rhubarb growing in the weeds next to my house. If you are an expert on identifying rhubarb, can you please confirm? Four pictures here of the same patch, but from different angles. I think this is rhubarb growing in the weeds next to my house. If you are an expert on identifying rhubarb, can you please confirm? Four pictures here of the same patch, but from different angles. I think this is rhubarb growing in the weeds next to my house. If you are an expert on identifying rhubarb, can you please confirm? Four pictures here of the same patch, but from different angles. I think this is rhubarb growing in the weeds next to my house. If you are an expert on identifying rhubarb, can you please confirm? Four pictures here of the same patch, but from different angles.
September 3, 2025 at 11:27 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
Aid as a weapon: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - The Lancet www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
CORRESPONDENCEOnline firstAugust 29, 2025 Aid as a weapon: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Oqab Jabalia oqab.jabali@najah.edu ∙ Saqer Jabalib ∙ Dwight Haasec As conditions in Gaza grow increasingly dire, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has stepped in to replace rights-based aid with a model of distribution that is privatised, militarised, and politicised.1 The result for Palestinians is that finding food has become a life-threatening ordeal. GHF distribution centres are frequently described as death traps, characterised by gunfire, overcrowding, stampedes, and chaos, compounding the suffering of a population already burdened by protracted siege and displacement.2 First-hand testimonies, official reports, and investigative findings reveal a deeply layered humanitarian crisis across physical, psychological, and societal dimensions that has only worsened since GHF began operations.3 This crisis includes starvation, physiological collapse, psychological trauma, gender-based violence, the breakdown of identity, and psychic fragmentation.4 Rather than being a collateral consequence of war, this situation reflects a deliberate system of control for the purposes of forced displacement and collective punishment. The nature of GHF's distribution, which aid seekers have likened to the Hunger Games,5 evokes Michel Foucault's concept of public torture: performative violence inflicted upon an individual's body as a form of retribution and a display of state power.6 Except now the punishment is inflicted on an entire population. Since May 27, 2025, 859 people have died and thousands more have been wounded while seeking food at GHF sites.7 Doctors treating people wounded at GHF sites have noted patterns in the gunshot wounds, focused on the head one day, the torso the next, then the genitals another day. According to one doctor, “It almost feels like there is a quota for the number of people that need to be killed on a given day”.8 Over 165 charities and…
September 3, 2025 at 12:42 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
I made a humble apple-rhubarb crumble last night, and the sublime rhubarb flavor sent me on a reverie, so I looked up paintings to celebrate.
“Rhubarb” (1928) by Nikolai Astrup
“Cabbage and Rhubarb” (1929) by Mark Gertler
🍽️ 🍎 🥧
“Rhubarb” (1928) by Nikolai Astrup A striking oil painting depicting a garden scene with a figure harvesting rhubarb. Astrup infuses the composition with lush Scandinavian flora and precise botanical detail. “Cabbage and Rhubarb” (1929) by Mark Gertler A still-life that pairs cabbage and rhubarb together in bold colors. my humble apple-rhubarb crumble as it came out of the oven last night. The fruit mixture also includes orange zest and the juice from half the orange. On the edges of the pan are the boiling juices, bubbling up above the streusel crumble topping I made.
September 2, 2025 at 9:47 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
I mean, it has always been thus!
tHeY mAdE sUpErMaN WoKe In 1 9 4 9!
#Superman
a vintage Superman poster in which the comic book hero talks to children about the importance of respecting diversity. Image of Superman that appears to be by noted Superman comic book artist Wayne Boring showing Superman standing with group of children, text balloon reading "... And Remember, Boys And Girls, Your School — Like Our Country — Is Made Up Of Americans Of Many Different Races, Religions And National Origins. So ..." and continues underneath "... If YOU Hear Anybody Talk Against A Schoolmate Or Anyone Else Because Of His Religion, Race Or National Origin &Amdahl; Don't Wait: Tell Him THAT KIND OF TALK IS UN-AMERICAN. HELP KEEP YOUR SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN!" According to Snopes investigation, "this is a genuine piece of comic book art that was originally released in 1949." (I found this on Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/superman-1950-poster-diversity/ )
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
My awful senator @kirstengillibrand.bsky.social getting ratio-ed over on Threads is one example of why I haven’t deleted the app from my phone yet. 🍿 Apologize publicly.
#ratio #ZohranMamdani #SenatorGillibrand #racist #islamophobic #aipac #NYC
Senator Gillibrand getting ratioed hard in the replies to her senate vote against tax cuts for billionaires after she endorsed Cuomo for the NYC mayors race, after making extraordinary Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and after getting Al Franken to resign for sexual assault but still endorsing Cuomo who has done far worse. The replies are giving popcorn entertainment! Senator Gillibrand getting ratioed hard in the replies to her senate vote against tax cuts for billionaires after she endorsed Cuomo for the NYC mayors race, after making extraordinary Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and after getting Al Franken to resign for sexual assault but still endorsing Cuomo who has done far worse. The replies are giving popcorn entertainment! Senator Gillibrand getting ratioed hard in the replies to her senate vote against tax cuts for billionaires after she endorsed Cuomo for the NYC mayors race, after making extraordinary Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and after getting Al Franken to resign for sexual assault but still endorsing Cuomo who has done far worse. The replies are giving popcorn entertainment! Senator Gillibrand getting ratioed hard in the replies to her senate vote against tax cuts for billionaires after she endorsed Cuomo for the NYC mayors race, after making extraordinary Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and after getting Al Franken to resign for sexual assault but still endorsing Cuomo who has done far worse. The replies are giving popcorn entertainment!
July 2, 2025 at 8:34 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Congratulations to our former Development Studies student Sarah Albom (@thekiwisarah.bsky.social). With perseverance and patience, Sarah met the challenge of turning her BA Hons paper into her first peer-reviewed article for The Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.
doi.org/10.1080/1945...
Screen capture of the title and abstract for the following newly published article in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities: Research Article Title: A Comparative Analysis of Disability Policies in Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom Through the Lens of the Capability Approach Authors: Sarah Albom &Jesse Hession Grayman Published online: 09 May 2025 ABSTRACT Disability policy intersects many policy domains, requiring cross-governmental responses. How policy understands and responds to disability affects capabilities for millions of people. Applying Amartya Sen’s capability approach (CA) positioned in the social model of disability, this research conducts a comparative thematic analysis to evaluate how Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and the United Kingdom’s (UK) national disability strategies may shape opportunities for disabled people to live in ways they value. No CA research currently exists on these countries’ strategies. We find both countries’ strategies perceive disability as a social issue needing government action to expand disabled people’s capabilities at the individual, community and national levels. Our framework can evaluate agency by whether policy-makers engage with disabled people (lived experts of their experiences) to create disability policy. While both strategies state the importance of including disabled people in designing policy, only NZ’s strategy consistently demonstrates disabled people drive its focus. Both strategies are limited in how they acknowledge or target the economic deprivation of disabled people as a significant barrier to those experiencing disability, and have insufficient mechanisms around monitoring implementation to ensure accountability from government agencies. KEYWORDS: Disability public policy; capability approach; Aotearoa New Zealand; United Kingdom
May 10, 2025 at 10:23 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Me, Dez, and our hotel at golden hour in Russell.
The Duke of Marlborough at golden hour in Russell NZ Sunset in Russell NZ Me (right) and Dez (left) standing on the dock at sunset in Russell NZ
April 21, 2025 at 6:57 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Dez and I have safely arrived in Russell after a long drive from Auckland. Here we are enjoying the sights already.
A kind of oversized postcard greeting that says “welcome to Russell, NZ” depicting two young women on a beach, wearing old-fashioned, full body, bathing suits, and bathing caps, and in the background on the open sea, there’s a huge waka with dozens of Māori paddlers. This image is hanging in our bathroom at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.
April 21, 2025 at 4:12 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Yesterday I harvested my cayenne chili peppers and prepped them for the fermentation jar (pic1). Today I harvested my chocolate ghost (bhut jolokia) chili peppers and did the same (pics2,3,&4). These will ferment for at least three weeks (probably much longer) before I make hot sauces with them. 🌱🇳🇿
Cayenne chili peppers in various stages of chopping preparation for the fermentation jar A close up picture of a clump of at least six chocolate ghost (bhut jolokia) chili peppers hanging from the bush ready for harvest. Chocolate ghost (bhut jolokia) chili peppers in various stages of chopping preparation for the fermentation jar. The background shows the food processor I used to roughly chop them up after I removed all the stems. Two liter-sized (I think) jars with fermentation lids on them. Inside are the chopped chocolate ghost (bhut jolokia) chili peppers with some shallot and garlic in a 3% brine, in mesh bags (to prevent floating bits), and held down under the brine with glass weights.
April 19, 2025 at 12:05 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
We had storms for two days straight but I think this was the worst casualty in my garden…a few knocked over branches on my Tabasco chilies, and this one snapped off. 🌶️🌌🪐
A broken branch from one of my potted Tabasco chili plants. I put it in a vase near the window in front of my kitchen sink. It’s full of unripe chilies so it’s probably a loss. But these were late bloomers and with the cool autumn coming in, I’m not sure these would have fully ripened anyway.
April 4, 2025 at 8:46 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
Don’t get it twisted: “As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other.” — Mahmoud Khalil

edition.cnn.com/2025/03/11/u...
A quote from Mahmoud Khalil next to an image of him, circulated by Bend the Arc Jewish Action. The quote reads: “As a Palestinian student, I believe that the liberation of the Palestinian people and the Jewish people are intertwined and go hand-by-hand and you cannot achieve one without the other.”
March 14, 2025 at 4:41 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
My anthro colleagues and I went on a tour of the new Mormon temple in S Auckland this afternoon. No photos allowed inside the temple but it featured stunning bling architecture and gorgeous integrated Kiwiana throughout. The tour was tightly choreographed with a medium level of proselytizing.
Photography was not allowed in the temple but the tour began in a side buildings. Here we are waiting in church pews, in a chapel hall, for our tour group to be called up. From front to back: Jesse (me), Judith, Heather, Caitlin, Seline, and Callie. Judith joked that we were “Jesse and his harem.” 🤭 Here we are standing outside the temple after the tour. From L to R: Caitlin, Judith, Heather, Callie, Seline, and Jesse Here we are standing outside the temple after the tour. Going for a more artsy image, standing on the step, and a photographer below us looking up at us and capturing the steeple behind us. With a beautiful blue sky and white cloud behind us. From front to back: Heather, Caitlin, Seline, Callie, Judith, and Jesse A selfie of myself holding the cellcam low and pointing up to capture me and the soaring temple steeple behind me, plus gorgeous blue sky and white cloud.
March 10, 2025 at 6:59 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Highly recommend the Sly Lives! documentary. This is right at the midpoint when the highs of a genius run of music start taking a darker inward turn. Here is Dick Cavett being, well, a dick to Sly Stone. And Sly’s response properly shames him…and all of us.
#SlyStone #SlyLives #BlackGenius
March 5, 2025 at 8:43 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
10 yrs ago today, Dezant and I arrived in Auckland sight unseen to start our lives here. A few hours later, we were checking out the Chinese lantern festival across the street from our hotel in Albert Park and watching fireworks from the Sky Needle. This is our first selfie in Aotearoa: 1 Mar 2015.
Jesse (left) and Dezant (right, who took the selfie of us) sitting against a tree in Albert Park, Auckland, at the Chinese lantern festival, on our very first night when we moved to Aotearoa New Zealand. Photo caption: “Ten years ago today, Dezant and I arrived in Auckland sight unseen to start our lives here. A few hours later, we were checking out the Chinese lantern festival across the street from our hotel in Albert Park and to watch the Chinese New Year fireworks from the Sky Tower. This is our first selfie in Aotearoa: 1 March 2015.”
March 1, 2025 at 7:02 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Aji Lemon Drop chilies have started to ripen. First time growing these. Any tips? #chilies #GalaksiHotSauces #AjiLemon #AjiLimon #LemonDrop #AjiLemonDrop
🌶️🌌🪐
🌱🇳🇿
Aji Lemon Drop chilies have started to ripen. First time growing these. Any tips? #chilies #GalaksiHotSauces #AjiLemon #AjiLimon #LemonDrop #AjiLemonDrop
February 28, 2025 at 5:46 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Celebrating the arrival of Flashes with a new profile pic. This selfie was taken at Sandfly Bay on Otago Peninsula, just outside of Dunedin on 9 December 2024. It was such a perfect day!
It’s a selfie of me (pākehā male of Irish descent, short brown hair, wearing sunglasses) that I took at Sandfly Bay on Otago Peninsula, just outside of Dunedin on 9 December 2024. I’m standing on the flat beach with blue-green waves and white surf behind me, along with some rocks standing in the water offshore. There is a BlueSky behind and above me, just like this app, and it was such a perfect day!
February 25, 2025 at 7:21 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
(my first Flashes post!) My feta pasta dinner with tomatoes and basil from the garden. I probably have enough tomatoes on the dying vines for one more dinner like this, but it’s been a great season overall! 🍅🌱🇳🇿
#TāmakaiMakaurau #gardensky #Flashes
A plate of feta pasta. Penne shaped. Sauce is feta baked with two varieties of cherry tomato, plus garlic and chili and Italian spices, then after baking, a bunch of chopped fresh basil mixed in. Tomatoes, chilies, and basil all from garden!
February 25, 2025 at 6:25 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Celebrating the first ripening cabe rawit in this year’s cabe rawit section of my chili garden.
#cabe #cabai #caberawit #cabairawit #chili #chilli #garden #CabeRawitSetan #kebun #KebunCabe #CabeCabean #Auckland #TāmakaiMakaurau
🌶️🌱🇳🇿
February 21, 2025 at 10:32 PM
kopyor.bsky.social
We made a caprese salad with fresh basil from the garden as well! But yes it’s enough to just eat them without anything else.
🌱
Caprese salad using the sliced Cherokee purple tomatoes shown in the previous skeet.
January 25, 2025 at 10:25 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Cherokee Purple tomatoes from North Carolina, grown in Auckland. These could probably have ripened even further (brought them in before the birds got to them), and they are already so sweet!
🍅🍅🍅
🌱
Three Cherokee purple tomatoes on a cutting board, one of them cut into slices for a caprese salad.
January 25, 2025 at 2:06 AM
kopyor.bsky.social
Meet the new boss!
#meta #instagram
Search window on instagram for #democrat yields a censorship “we’ve hidden these results” as they “may contain sensitive content.”
January 21, 2025 at 10:36 AM