Liora Halperin's Avatar

Liora Halperin

@lioracle.bsky.social

History Prof. (Israel/Palestine, Jewish history, Middle East), urbanist, map-lover, punster, ebike and public library enthusiast. Seattle, WA

2,126 Followers  |  4,353 Following  |  748 Posts  |  Joined: 26.08.2023  |  1.6093

Latest posts by lioracle.bsky.social on Bluesky

Like put one in front of the central library. Or the courthouse. This isn’t hard, people.

04.08.2025 16:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Map of Seattle showing blue pins around but not in downtown

Map of Seattle showing blue pins around but not in downtown

Why are there no ballot drop boxes anywhere in downtown Seattle?? (Closest is King Street) @kingcounty.gov @seattletru.bsky.social @wilsonforseattle.bsky.social

04.08.2025 16:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

So why did they decided to put the one-way bus-only lane on the G in Madison Valley (which is also open to bikes) on the *downhill* direction? Way to make bikes go uphill with traffic when it could have been actually helpful bike infrastructure. @qagggy.bsky.social @seattlebikeblog.com

04.08.2025 04:31 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
A fish falls from the sky and sparks a brush fire in British Columbia A small brush fire and power outage in British Columbia started Wednesday not with lightning or a careless camper, but with an airborne fish.

β€œThe authorities believe an osprey flying overhead dropped its catch midflight. The fish struck power lines, producing sparks that landed on dry grass and ignited the blaze, which took up less than an acre.”

04.08.2025 04:25 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Is it just me or when you see β€œperiod drama” and β€œsec scenes” in the same story, Victorian/Edwarian/whatever isn’t where your mind goes

02.08.2025 21:48 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Everyone I know keeps a grammarian on retainer (or should)

02.08.2025 21:46 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Seattle times headline β€œvisit the real Seattle. It’s not all riots, bad drivers, overrated burgers and the freeze”

Seattle times headline β€œvisit the real Seattle. It’s not all riots, bad drivers, overrated burgers and the freeze”

Way to promote your own city, Seattle Times

02.08.2025 14:54 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Tomorrow (Sat) seems like a good day to do everything by bike in Seattle, esp crossing lake Washington

02.08.2025 04:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it's shutting down The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels federal money to public media stations, says it's winding down operations after President Trump signed a law rescinding all funding.

Viewers like you are the last and only hope

01.08.2025 22:15 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I discovered that putting hummus and fig jam on a sandwich tastes great. Reinvention of the classic legumes and jam sandwich.

01.08.2025 16:35 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Gotta get more people drinking bleach stat

31.07.2025 20:31 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Thank you, Seafair, for reminding us, viscerally, that having military jets flying overhead is terrifying even if you aren’t afraid they are going to kill you, and how much the more so if they might.

31.07.2025 19:01 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Am a broken record on this but do we think β€œyour university is losing money and jobs because of The Jews for whom there are special exceptions to the rules” encourages or discourages antisemitism newrepublic.com/article/1925...

30.07.2025 23:01 β€” πŸ‘ 163    πŸ” 52    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 1

Fully appropriate to have a mechanism for students to confidentially (not anonymously) report discrimination or abuse from profs and have those claims investigated, but fully anonymous end-of-course student evals ain’t it.

30.07.2025 23:19 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I don’t know anything about AI so I can’t say. Maybe someone else can weigh in.

30.07.2025 21:38 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Let’s just say that this experiment did not build my faith in using this technology for bibliographic purposes.

30.07.2025 21:29 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

When I asked about another, nope, β€œno record…Therefore, it is very likely that the previously suggested title was a misattribution or unfounded claim.”

30.07.2025 21:21 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Then I asked about another fake title it supplied from a real author. Is this real, I asked. It replied β€œI can confirm that [book] does not appear to exist as a published memoir…Conclusion: there is no credible evidence that such a book with that title exists.”

30.07.2025 21:12 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

It β€œapologized,” then recommended a real book with a similar title by a different author that was written entirely outside the period I had asked about.

30.07.2025 21:09 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I just asked GPT for a list of Hebrew memoirs from a particular period. It gave me a list of real authors but some totally fake though plausible titles. I said of one, this book doesn’t exist. It said β€œYou’re absolutely right…it does not seem to exist in the form I described.”

30.07.2025 21:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

β€œSays Cohen blithely, biting into a scone.”

30.07.2025 19:39 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Puff: All about Air. Cloud puff with smile

Puff: All about Air. Cloud puff with smile

My kid seems to love beautifully illustrated, simply narrated books in which natural phenomena are anthropomorphised. This has now become a major favorite: Puff, by Emily Kate Moon, all about air, wind, and oxygen

30.07.2025 18:59 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Is there any effort afoot to get some kind of crossing improvement on 26th at Boyer (Seattle)? Part of signed Lake Washington loop, but not even a x-walk. Visibility is terrible given weird shape of intersection and curving rds. Needs a flashing beacon IMO. @seattlebikeblog.com @qagggy.bsky.social

30.07.2025 03:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Three book covers: when cloud became a cloud, when moon became the moon, when tree became a tree. All with whimsical illustrations of cloud, moon and tree each with eyes

Three book covers: when cloud became a cloud, when moon became the moon, when tree became a tree. All with whimsical illustrations of cloud, moon and tree each with eyes

My new favorite children’s book author/illustrator is Rob Hodgson. Phenomenally done books about science and nature for kids that get into concepts in a wonderful way without too many words

29.07.2025 22:48 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Why do the worst people always have the worst taste?

29.07.2025 20:30 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

If you are going to include purple as one of the team colors for camp color war day, it helps to live in a city, which we do, where purple is the color of the major local university.

29.07.2025 20:06 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Box of peanuts with warning β€œdue to possible allergic reactions please do not remove peanuts from store”

Box of peanuts with warning β€œdue to possible allergic reactions please do not remove peanuts from store”

People with peanut allergies magically do not have allergic reactions inside Five Guys stores?

29.07.2025 18:45 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Close up of children climbing inside of jellyfish shaped playground climber just opened on Seattle waterfront

Close up of children climbing inside of jellyfish shaped playground climber just opened on Seattle waterfront

β€œThese are the jellyfish’s vocal cords,” explains my newly anatomy-interested child to fellow rope climbers. β€œThey help the jellyfish speak.”

29.07.2025 05:15 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Big day for the PNW in the Tuesday NYT crossword. Won’t say more as not to spoil anything :)

29.07.2025 05:10 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
PacSci Campus Updates & Temporary Closure - Pacific Science Center To bring guests new exhibits, improved spaces, and a more welcoming experience, PacSci will be temporarily closed from September 2 through October 10.

Pacific Science Center Seattle: closed Sept 2-Oct 10; opening up its courtyard to the public and changing entrances; bringing a new traveling exhibit about spiders; and getting rid of the old and beloved but apparently unmaintainable animatronic dinosaur exhibit. pacificsciencecenter.org/closure/

28.07.2025 23:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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