Xander Vitolic-Bernstein

YouTube video by Clues Pod with Morgan Absher & Kaelyn Moore The Murdaugh Murders: Murder, Corruption, and Control | Clues Pod

Anyone watching #MurdaughonHulu? If this scintillating true-crime story is your cup of tea, check out the episode of #Clues I wrote! Hear how a brutal crime brought a southern dynasty crashing down.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKjG...

Thank you! And thank you for writing such beautiful poetry 😊

Birdsong (full poem) In moment of weakness, left prone to its lies, you merge with the darkness, assuming disguise, feel nothing unbroken, magnificence feigned, belligerent truth in the cruelties of rain, the dove's intimations, the nightingale's scorn when just beyond vision, your last muse is born. They come soaked in shyness through reticence, fear, bereft of direction, prechosen to steer, contentious...confusing... supposing...perhaps... (it's hard in the desert to turn on the taps). Two minds twist and tango with flitter and fray; soft background of birdsong cheeps 'Courage now, stay, fresh cogs and new levers spite cleaver, spurn claw, cruel storm oft-encountered shall bluster no more. Volcanoes and tremors of confidence killed, when shared with the right one denuded, bestilled. A risk must be taken, this safety zone fled; we can't sing forever alone in your head.'

Birdsong (full poem) In moment of weakness, left prone to its lies, you merge with the darkness, assuming disguise, feel nothing unbroken, magnificence feigned, belligerent truth in the cruelties of rain, the dove's intimations, the nightingale's scorn when just beyond vision, your last muse is born. They come soaked in shyness through reticence, fear, bereft of direction, prechosen to steer, contentious...confusing... supposing...perhaps... (it's hard in the desert to turn on the taps). Two minds twist and tango with flitter and fray; soft background of birdsong cheeps 'Courage now, stay, fresh cogs and new levers spite cleaver, spurn claw, cruel storm oft-encountered shall bluster no more. Volcanoes and tremors of confidence killed, when shared with the right one denuded, bestilled. A risk must be taken, this safety zone fled; we can't sing forever alone in your head.'

Birdsong (full poem) In moment of weakness, left prone to its lies, you merge with the darkness, assuming disguise, feel nothing unbroken, magnificence feigned, belligerent truth in the cruelties of rain, the dove's intimations, the nightingale's scorn when just beyond vision, your last muse is born. They come soaked in shyness through reticence, fear, bereft of direction, prechosen to steer, contentious...confusing... supposing...perhaps... (it's hard in the desert to turn on the taps). Two minds twist and tango with flitter and fray; soft background of birdsong cheeps 'Courage now, stay, fresh cogs and new levers spite cleaver, spurn claw, cruel storm oft-encountered shall bluster no more. Volcanoes and tremors of confidence killed, when shared with the right one denuded, bestilled. A risk must be taken, this safety zone fled; we can't sing forever alone in your head.'

And here's the text version of 'Birdsong', from my forthcoming collection This Joyful Interlude 🪶

#poem #poems #poetry #writing #books

4/4

The Normalization of Book Banning This report offers a window into the complex and extensive climate of censorship between July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.

It's #BannedBooksWeek! And this year there are more banned books than ever. Check out the report by @penamerica.bsky.social then go to your library (or online) to order a copy of Carrie. Because guess what? Stephen King is the most banned author in America.

pen.org/report/the-n...

"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself."

"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself."

I want to see things that encourage me to think slowly, rather lead my emotions like a leash.

More and more I crave what’s truly human. Poetry and philosophy and the mystery of the divine. Not this reductive, materialistic, tech-obsessed framework that people treat like the second coming.

Calling all #Hollywood creatives! Want to level up your networking and give back to the community? Join the JHRTS Board!

Applications close July 9. DM me, or email jhrts@hrts.org with any questions!

Apply Here: lnkd.in/gMSqFuaR

Join JHRTS Here: lnkd.in/g7zZa7Ma

“Pretty much wherever you are, you’re probably less than 30 minutes away from your closest No Kings event.” - @leahgreenberg.bsky.social with @democracynow.org

We hope to see you at your local #NoKings Day mobilization on Saturday: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

Nature has so much intelligence. My dad recently discovered a niche of stem cells in the eye that communicate with neurons. The neurons ask for what they need, and the stem cells give it. Just mind-blowing…

Century-old mystery of plant communication solved: Plants signal stress through negative pressure mechanisms Imagine if a plant in a farmer's field could warn a grower that it needs water? Or if a farmer could signal to plants that dry weather lies ahead, thereby prompting the plants to conserve water?

"Imagine if a plant in a farmer's field could warn a grower that it needs water? Or if a farmer could signal to plants that dry weather lies ahead, thereby prompting the plants to conserve water?"

🌱... some #goodnews in science and innovation.

phys.org/news/2025-04...

So damn cool.

Some wisdom on fighting #fascism from Albert Camus. The greatest, and most dangerous temptation of any rebellion is to emulate its enemy.

I love it when a plan comes together…

But seriously, feel better dude!

The high price of eggs is not about bird flu. It’s (sigh) just another example of corporate greed. Read the data for yourself. Thanks to
@foodandwater.bsky.social for the info.

www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/u...

That feels accurate.

A billboard in Yosemite National Park reads, “When park rangers are hanging upside down flags in Yosemite, you know you messed up.” The sign features three small, inverted flags and is surrounded by a crowd of people, protesting against trump/elon’s actions administration.

Upcoming Boycotts & Protests

3/4 – #FiftyFiftyOne Protests
3/4 – #ProtectOurKids Protests
3/7 – @standupforscience.bsky.social — The March for Science

3/7-3/14 – Amazon Boycott
3/21-3/28 – Nestlé Boycott
4/7-4/14 – Walmart Boycott
4/18 – Economic Blackout #2
4/21-4/28 – General Mills Boycott

We are experiencing an assault on science unparalleled by anything I’ve seen in my life. It’s not one issue or another anymore, the entire institution is under attack by the most powerful individuals in the country.

This Friday, where will you be?

standupforscience2025.org

Los Angeles friends who lost homes in the fires & are now furnishing new places: Spear auction house has multiple auctions right now from a prop house that's liquidating. That means furnishings galore: sofas, chairs, tables, shelving, lamps, etc. Could be useful. spear.prod2.maxanet.auction/Public

A reminder to my fellow #filmmakers that there is a new film fest in OR dedicated to celebrating the #solarpunk genre! We need more stories in this genre on our screens.
(Submitting our ASU collab 'The Assignment'.)
🌏🎬
#betterfutures #climatestories
#filmsky filmfreeway.com/SolarPunkFil...
SUBMIT ⬇️

Martha Beck on How to Free Yourself From Anxiety Harvard sociologist Martha Beck provides insight into why we experience anxiety, and how we can free ourselves from stress long-term.

Creativity as an antidote to anxiety.
nicenews.com/health-and-w...

We the people are pissed! Nationwide protests TODAY, MONDAY, Feb. 17th, #NoKingsDay.

Find a protest at > events.pol-rev.com 🇺🇸

Where will we see you?

#50501movement #FiftyFiftyOne #BuildTheResistance #PoliticalRevolution #NoVoiceUnheard #NoKings #VoicesOfFlorida #VoicesUnheard @polrev.bsky.social

Share your best resistance symbols!

Also, there’s a march in every state capitol tomorrow… wear blue!

Wildfire Response Resources

Friends! JHRTS has created a spreadsheet to track resources for those affected by the fire, as well as those who want to help. Add to this sheet and share freely!
Since this sheet has edit-access, please be careful not to delete any information.
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Such a brilliant quote!

Or perhaps we simply can’t describe a system we’re inside of. I just finished Erik Hoel’s book The World Behind The World, and he makes an interesting case that science needs a paradigm shift around consciousness. Definitely an interesting read! He worked on IIT with Tononi before becoming a writer.

If everything is conscious, then it kind of kicks the can though, right? Because we still would have to answer how the brain understands it, rather than creating it, and it would have to be an emergent property since we obviously can’t perceive things at an atomic scale.