Last of the Apteryx
@lastoftheapteryx.bsky.social
Retired after 40 odd years of teaching literature to undergraduates. I miss the interaction with the up and coming kids. I do NOT miss reading and responding to essays. Oh, and I definitely recommend retirement.
STOP PRESS [is that still a thing?
Message from the Revolutionary War: the rich start it and the poor bleed for it.
Message from the Revolutionary War: the rich start it and the poor bleed for it.
November 26, 2025 at 1:54 AM
STOP PRESS [is that still a thing?
Message from the Revolutionary War: the rich start it and the poor bleed for it.
Message from the Revolutionary War: the rich start it and the poor bleed for it.
I just heard that genes are responsible for up to 90% of autism cases. Why doesn't RFK Jr. and the FDA just ban genes?!
November 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
I just heard that genes are responsible for up to 90% of autism cases. Why doesn't RFK Jr. and the FDA just ban genes?!
We've entered the tense of exiles, certainly of Cuban exiles.
Cubans' imperfect past—viajábamos, teníamos, vivíamos.
America: we used to travel on the best roads; we used to have the best science; we used to live in the best country.
See why the tense is called imperfect?
Cubans' imperfect past—viajábamos, teníamos, vivíamos.
America: we used to travel on the best roads; we used to have the best science; we used to live in the best country.
See why the tense is called imperfect?
August 28, 2025 at 9:11 PM
We've entered the tense of exiles, certainly of Cuban exiles.
Cubans' imperfect past—viajábamos, teníamos, vivíamos.
America: we used to travel on the best roads; we used to have the best science; we used to live in the best country.
See why the tense is called imperfect?
Cubans' imperfect past—viajábamos, teníamos, vivíamos.
America: we used to travel on the best roads; we used to have the best science; we used to live in the best country.
See why the tense is called imperfect?
Trump's interest in peace is not about peace as such—as he said, a cease fire isn't necessary because who cares (OK, not an exact quote). It's all about keeping eyes on the prize, the Nobel Prize. As always with Trump, "peace" is about himself, what he can get out of it.
August 18, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Trump's interest in peace is not about peace as such—as he said, a cease fire isn't necessary because who cares (OK, not an exact quote). It's all about keeping eyes on the prize, the Nobel Prize. As always with Trump, "peace" is about himself, what he can get out of it.
Mike Johnson. A real profile in courage. Yessiree.
July 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Mike Johnson. A real profile in courage. Yessiree.
I'm not Catholic, but . . .
May 31, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I'm not Catholic, but . . .
This is the most absurd of the cuts—unless Musk-rat wants to keep Mars all to himself.
www.space.com/space-explor...
www.space.com/space-explor...
Trump's 2026 budget plan would cancel NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. Experts say that's a 'major step back'
"They need to change course."
www.space.com
May 20, 2025 at 3:45 AM
This is the most absurd of the cuts—unless Musk-rat wants to keep Mars all to himself.
www.space.com/space-explor...
www.space.com/space-explor...
1/In his column today Jonah Goldberg writes that "Trump's economic 'philosophy' is a repudiation of conservative economic and political philosophy" because, he says, the idea that "He—and he alone—knows what . . . [businesses and consumers] should pay for what they need"
May 2, 2025 at 9:11 PM
1/In his column today Jonah Goldberg writes that "Trump's economic 'philosophy' is a repudiation of conservative economic and political philosophy" because, he says, the idea that "He—and he alone—knows what . . . [businesses and consumers] should pay for what they need"
Truth. Not social. Just truth.
April 6, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Truth. Not social. Just truth.
Penguin guano headed our way.
April 4, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Penguin guano headed our way.
From “The Love Song of B. Bezos Karp, Inc.”
I have seen the moment of my bonus flicker,
And I have seen the eternal cockwomble hold my coat,
and snicker,
And in short, I was a coward.
I have seen the moment of my bonus flicker,
And I have seen the eternal cockwomble hold my coat,
and snicker,
And in short, I was a coward.
March 22, 2025 at 3:55 AM
From “The Love Song of B. Bezos Karp, Inc.”
I have seen the moment of my bonus flicker,
And I have seen the eternal cockwomble hold my coat,
and snicker,
And in short, I was a coward.
I have seen the moment of my bonus flicker,
And I have seen the eternal cockwomble hold my coat,
and snicker,
And in short, I was a coward.
Two cheeks and but one ass.
March 1, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Two cheeks and but one ass.
The trolls have arrived.
December 29, 2024 at 5:31 PM
The trolls have arrived.
Question.
Supposed Luigi Mangione were a black man, evidently with psychological issues, traveling in a NY subway car.
Would he be lionized? Would he be a hero? Would he be an influencer? Would he still be alive?
Supposed Luigi Mangione were a black man, evidently with psychological issues, traveling in a NY subway car.
Would he be lionized? Would he be a hero? Would he be an influencer? Would he still be alive?
December 19, 2024 at 3:33 AM
Question.
Supposed Luigi Mangione were a black man, evidently with psychological issues, traveling in a NY subway car.
Would he be lionized? Would he be a hero? Would he be an influencer? Would he still be alive?
Supposed Luigi Mangione were a black man, evidently with psychological issues, traveling in a NY subway car.
Would he be lionized? Would he be a hero? Would he be an influencer? Would he still be alive?
Reposted by Last of the Apteryx
Accurate 👇🏼
December 10, 2024 at 1:03 AM
Accurate 👇🏼
Reposted by Last of the Apteryx
And you thought the dementors in the movie were scary!
December 2, 2024 at 1:34 AM
And you thought the dementors in the movie were scary!
A sincere question. I have some 750 books on Kindle, in the cloud. When I kick the bucket, does ownership of those texts also kick the bucket? Can those books be passed on to another generation? If not, then is it really ownership that's at the heart of ebooks?
December 1, 2024 at 3:14 AM
A sincere question. I have some 750 books on Kindle, in the cloud. When I kick the bucket, does ownership of those texts also kick the bucket? Can those books be passed on to another generation? If not, then is it really ownership that's at the heart of ebooks?
Oz and Carson—double cautions to the wanna-be brain surgeons amongst us.
November 25, 2024 at 8:50 PM
Oz and Carson—double cautions to the wanna-be brain surgeons amongst us.
What would happen if the gvt. started to arrest employers who hire undocumented workers, say 6 months per case, and fined corporations that hired such folks, say $1,000,000 per worker?
Demand side consequences, right?
Demand side consequences, right?
November 24, 2024 at 8:28 PM
What would happen if the gvt. started to arrest employers who hire undocumented workers, say 6 months per case, and fined corporations that hired such folks, say $1,000,000 per worker?
Demand side consequences, right?
Demand side consequences, right?
I call him cockwomble, and the definition says why: British slang term for someone who is . . . prone to making foolish statements or behaving inappropriately, while also having a high opinion of their own importance. [U]sually used to describe a man. No longer dearleader, then, or trumpery.
November 22, 2024 at 8:21 PM
I call him cockwomble, and the definition says why: British slang term for someone who is . . . prone to making foolish statements or behaving inappropriately, while also having a high opinion of their own importance. [U]sually used to describe a man. No longer dearleader, then, or trumpery.
Reposted by Last of the Apteryx
🚨In this video, The Intellectualist examines Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, whose civil war predictions and calls for militant nationalism have sparked fears of a militarized U.S. politics.
youtube.com/shorts/MWGr3...
youtube.com/shorts/MWGr3...
Trump's Defense Pick Hegseth Warns of Civil War, Sparks Fears of Militarized U.S. Politics
YouTube video by The Intellectualist
youtube.com
November 22, 2024 at 4:37 PM
🚨In this video, The Intellectualist examines Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Pentagon pick, whose civil war predictions and calls for militant nationalism have sparked fears of a militarized U.S. politics.
youtube.com/shorts/MWGr3...
youtube.com/shorts/MWGr3...