Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 4hI complain a lot about Americans being stupid about foreign countries more than the reverse, but at this level of detail, European leftists genuinely don't know how YIMBY and pragmatic Mamdani is. They know he's very left-wing and good at social media so they assume he's like Die Linke and not SPD. 4341
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 5hBiden restrains Israel from bombing Iran. Trump doesn't, and bombs Iran himself. American natsec posters on Bluesky conclude from the above that Israel is unmanageable (and needs to be managed as a subordinate). Anything to avoid blaming their own country. The Canadians are right to decouple. 3515
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 11hA few years ago, a person in France attacked a Jew while yelling "Allahu Abkar." This was widely reported in the press. It shortly thereafter turned out he was a white French person yelling that as a false flag attack. Interest in the attack subsequently died down. 0194
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 11hThe Western European mentality that communism is a nice ideal that every under-30 person with a heart should aspire to but just doesn't work in practice is worse than the Eastern European or American mentality that it is an inherently genocidal ideology whose adherents are inherently suspect. 3214
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 11hHigh-speed rail across borders at comparable price points to domestic TGVs and ICEs when? 0130
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 13hUS regulations are written to be very hard to read, but are actually rather loose. For example, here's sleeper placement. Here it's every 75 cm, or every 60 on high-speed track; in the US, it's 75 on high-speed track (16/39'), 85 on <200 km/h track (14/39'). web.archive.org/web/20161225... PDF-p. 51web.archive.orgWayback Machine 040
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 18hRussia is not my enemy. After Moscow is properly occupied by the EU/NATO/Ukraine and after the Russian state is de-Putinized and democratized, I can see Russia thrive inside the EU, even if some former officers who served in Ukraine participate in it, even if it's led by annoying Navalnyites. 4192
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 18hWill anyone be interested if I pitch an article going over how when immigrants do something bad (e.g. hit a Jew) it's ascribed to immigrants, but when natives do, one specifies politics (far right, far left, etc.)? For example, in Berlin people conflate the PFLP with Islamism. 2110
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 19hEine Enteignung für Infrastruktur, mit Marktwerte Bezahlung, ist nicht ähnlich als was Die Linke hier schlagt vor. 091
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026People mistake the "only Nixon could go to China" principle for "therefore, any Nixon would go to China." The vast majority of Nixons would nuke China; that's why Nixon could go to China. In the case of Trump and Bibi, people cited that principle and then ignored the bombings of Iran. 4338
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Jon Worth @jonworth.eu · 28/09/2026Damn I am tired of people laughing about Deutsche Bahn. Travel in many other places in Europe and you will discover Germany is trying to do many things right with its railways. A quick blog post / rant from me: jonworth.eu/your-deutsche-… #CrossBorderRail jonworth.euYour Deutsche Bahn "joke" is no longer funny (if it ever was)Before attempting my record attempt between Kemijärvi, Finland and Lagos, Portugal, people told me over and over it would break down in Germany. So much so that I even tried to re-but (pre-but?) some of the likely critique. Now, having made the trip, and none of the total 2933777
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Brendan Dawe @dawe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Civil War- No trains for 13 years First train runs at 160 km/h excuse me, I didn’t appreciate your game Syrian Railways 818923
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Bardella: "the banks are all held by Jews." www.mediapart.fr/journal/poli...mediapart.fr« Les banques sont toutes détenues par des juifs » : Jordan Bardella face à ses écrits antisémites« Mediapart » a mis la main sur des échanges de l’actuel président du RN, au début de sa carrière politique. On y découvre l’antisémitisme obsessionnel de celui qui rêve de devenir premier ministre. … 6123
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026New cost overruns on Nya Tunnelbanan announced, bringing the cost up to $340 million/km in 2025 prices. The later Yellow Line is going to be $390 million/km. nyatunnelbanan.se/nyheter/geno...nyatunnelbanan.seGenomlysning klar – uppdaterad prognos för nya tunnelbananFörvaltning för utbyggd tunnelbana har under 2026 genomfört en omfattande genomlysning av kostnader, tidplaner och återstående arbeten för samtliga projekt i tunnelbaneutbyggnaden. Det är en del av ar... 2112
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026In Germany, 8% of students are in humanities programs (including foreign languages). In the US, it's only 2.5% of 4-year college students. History alone is 1.6% here, 0.85% in the US. hochschuldaten.che.de/deutschland/... nscresearchcenter.org/final-spring...hochschuldaten.che.deStudierende in Deutschland | CHE HochschuldatenDaten zu Studierenden in Deutschland: Gesamtzahl, nach Hochschultyp (Universität, HAW,...) , nach Hochschulträgerschaft (privat, kirchlich, staatlich), nach Geschlecht, nach Staatsbürgerschaft und nac... 1262
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · 25/09/2026🚨 New: Green industrial policy in backdrop of EU recovery funds In 2020, Covid froze Italy's economy. 🇪🇺 agreed on 🇮🇹's Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR): €194.4B, largest share of NextGenEU. The PNRR is now almost over, at last instalment. What did it actually do for climate & energy? 🔋🪡 13410
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Die Unmöglichkeit der Berlin-Linken, ihr Plan Wohnungen enteignen ohne Entschädigung zum Marktwert aufgeben, macht sie eine extreme Partei. Weniger extreme als die AfD oder BSW, natürlich, aber weniger legitim als die Berlin-CDU, unglücklich. 150
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Alona Ferber @aloner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Our paywall is down until October 5th! Plenty of time to read your fill of @prospectmagazine.co.uk So why not start with my deep dive on Israel's election, a central question being: how much will change, in Gaza, in the West Bank, if Netanyahu does lose? www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/israel...prospectmagazine.co.ukInside the battle to oust Benjamin NetanyahuIsrael is more divided than ever, perpetually at war, a global pariah— and it’s going to the polls. The alternatives may not offer that much hope 02220
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Aliette de Bodard @aliettedebodard.com · 28/09/2026K1 would like to do some 3d modeling; he downloaded blockbench and blender--anyone know of short tutorials, preferably video? (By which I mean a series of short lessons--obv it'll take hours to master the things, but so far k1 has found a 2h and a 5h video and is understandably turned off) 5204
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Pedestrian Observations: The Origin of Premodern Western Cities pedestrianobservations.com/2026/09/27/t... @bretdevereaux.bsky.socialpedestrianobservations.comThe Origin of Premodern Western CitiesBret Devereaux writes about the origin of cities. He critiques a fantasy fiction-oriented YouTube vlogger who isn’t a trained historian, and in his critique, he expounds on the origin of citi… 180
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Stephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 27/09/2026Janno Lieber likes to blame Mamdani’s free bus campaign and Covid for muddying the waters and worsening bus fare evasion. Meanwhile, Lieber’s own buses are confusing riders in multiple ways (this bus is not going to Court Sq!) by flashing a “FARE REQUIRED” message on a free subway replacement bus 3757
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Support vocational education for everyone (STEM Ph.D.s, and enough hiring in the academic humanities so that humanities Ph.D.s can be vocational). 080
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026This is why I think the line in American intellectual magazines about how American decentralism is more resilient to backsliding is wrong. The decentralization makes it impossible to punish corruption, which Israelis watching Netanyahu's antics know must lead to imprisonment, not slaps on the wrist. 290
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026In Hungary, the state directly captured the media and civil society under Orbán, and once Orbán lost, defunding these was easy and media bias flipped. In the US, these are all independent organizations, so the state can't really de-Trumpize the media or de-Project-2025-ize the thinktanks. 0193
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I think the answer is found in different civil society structures. In the US those are more partisan - the strong partisanship side of weak-parties-strong-partisanship - which allows failed politicians and appointees to maintain high status even out of power, and makes accountability impossible. 3122
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Mac the squirrel :) @macsquirelera.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I do think that it’s important to note that they’ve never been particularly cared for by conservatives and Bavaria in particular is weird about them 1233
Reposted by Alon (they/them)The LIRR Today @thelirrtoday.com · 27/09/2026NYC MTA: randomly play announcements on the Subway about how "there are more than 150 accessible stations" and that you should check the website for elevator status (while in a tunnel with no signal) Hamburg: alert bus passengers real-time about elevator outage issues at connecting transit stations 1335
Reposted by Alon (they/them)The LIRR Today @thelirrtoday.com · 27/09/2026One of the things that again struck me at Innotrans was how very few exhibitors showcased solutions and examples from the Americas. And the few that were on display just look like s—t compared to their international peers. Look at these bus displays, same hardware, very different info quality! 5457
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 27/09/2026Swiss referendum on further strengthening neutrality fails even more spectacularly than anticipated. Looks like some 70% voted against.nzz.chSchweizer lehnen starrere Neutralität ab – Rückenwind für den BundesratDas Stimmvolk lehnt die Neutralitätsinitiative mit über 70 Prozent ab. Damit behält die Landesregierung in schwierigen Zeiten den nötigen Spielraum. 315036
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026If you think tying pragmatic pro-bedtime leftists to extremists in a popular front is good anti-fascist praxis, go to the polls in France and look at how Mélenchon is doing in the head-to-head polls against Le Pen and compare with how the Macronists are doing. 2142
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Drel:la, default effect @sektordrei.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Je mehr dieser Prof. Stecker bei den Medien durchgereicht wird, umso stärker verändert sich sein Stil von anfangs noch irgendwie gutachterlichem Habitus zu schneidigen Meinungsbeiträgen und VIP-Allüren. Ich meine, bei Frau Koppetsch lief das auch so. www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/koali...tagesspiegel.deKoalitionen hatten ihre Zeit, genau wie das Faxgerät: Ein Plädoyer für flexible Mehrheiten im Berliner AbgeordnetenhausNach der Berlin-Wahl beginnen die Sondierungen. Doch Koalitionen mit Einigungszwang sind nicht mehr die adäquate Antwort auf ein so polarisiertes und fragmentiertes Abgeordnetenhaus. 5666
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Nilo @nilo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Just saw this @garethdennis.uk post on twitter dot com, and think it’s valuable to remember the vastly different contexts that exist today compared to when Donald Heath was put in charge of the ECML electrification project 2373
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The issue is, Gifted Kids by ID are not the same as gifted kids. They're a subset of gifted kids who haven't had intellectual achievements as adults. We don't call Terence Tao a "gifted kid." We say "Fields Medalist." 1354
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The problem with trying to hypothesize what a competent prime minister would have done after 7.10 is that a competent prime minister would never have left the Gaza Envelope undefended and would not have repeatedly refused to listen to intelligence warnings that Hamas was about to launch an attack. 4320
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Both in the events leading up to the so-called Western Wall Tunnel riots in 1996 and those preceding the October 7 attack, Netanyahu was aware of the dangers ahead yet knowingly chose to risk Israel's peace and security in pursuit of perpetual war www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026...haaretz.comOpinion | From the Western Wall riots to October 7: Netanyahu sabotaged peace by designBoth in the events leading up to the so-called Western Wall Tunnel riots in 1996 and those preceding the October 7 attack, Netanyahu was aware of the dangers ahead yet knowingly chose to risk Israel's... 1288
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Robin Detje @robindetje.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Dieser Text von @dnah.bsky.social bei @taz.de ist nötig, weil ein großer Teil der Pali-Soli auf furchterregende Weise gewaltkrank ist.taz.deAntisemitismus in der Linkspartei: Wollen wir nicht besser sein?Ich will, dass Berlins nächste Regierende Elif Eralp heißt. Gleichzeitig will ich, dass die Ängste von uns jüdischen Menschen ernst genommen werden. 619166
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 26/09/2026Example why @zeit.de is one of, if not the best German newspaper. Both articles - one arguing in favour one against having Die Linke lead a government in Berlin - are very good. They trust their readers to make up their own mind. epaper.zeit.de/article/49cd...epaper.zeit.deDie Linke – zu radikal zum Regieren? 7778
Reposted by Alon (they/them)ellie lockhart (she/they) @eleanor.lockhart.contact · 25/09/2026"abandoning the EU was a mistake" star wars old fans 🤝the british 14711
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Philip Stephens @philipstephens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026One day everyone is going to realise that Heathrow is never, ever, going to have a third runway and at last begin a useful discussion about Britain's airports.. www.ft.com/content/0206...ft.com 118516
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Andrés Pertierra @andrespertierra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026The story came out, Netenyahu denied it, now new sources are confirming it; he was warned about the imminent attack that became October 7th and failed to inform subordinates because he worried it would jeopardize Saudi Arabian recognition of Israel www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/w...nytimes.comNetanyahu Said to Have Been Warned by Emirati Leader About Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7 (Gift Article)The warning from the leader of the United Arab Emirates, which lacked specific details about the nature of an attack, never reached the chiefs of Israel’s security establishment, Israeli officials sai... 411445
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I await English media reporting on Germany complaining that German memory culture on anti-Semitism speaks over Jewish voices, belittling Jewish fears of red triangle threats with the line "no other minority is more protected by the police." www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/hist...tagesspiegel.deHistoriker Wolfgang Benz im Gespräch: „Die Linke ist nicht antisemitisch“Wolfgang Benz hält die Kritik an der Berliner Linken für zu weitgehend. Hier erklärt er, was die Partei jetzt tun muss und was man aus der Weimarer Republik für die Gegenwart lernen kann. 051
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Eli Kahn 🏳️🌈 @elikahn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026“fish”: not real, or includes humans “trees”: real in the way “animals that fly” are real “berries”: botanic definition has zero overlap with culinary definition “snakes”: actually several types of lizard “reptiles”: includes birds but “fowl” somehow just equivalent to Galloanserae! 0184
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 25/09/2026Several of Paris Metro’s new lines (Grand Paris Express) will have openings delayed, after years of delays. New schedule: —Dec 2026: M18 part 1 —2027: M15 part 1, M18 part 2 —2028: M16/M17 part 1 —2029: M16/M17 part 2 —2030: M17 part 3/M18 part 3 —2031: M15 part 2 www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/... 1325
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026It poses a serious dilemma in Berlin, too, because any option is going to be bad on anti-Semitism: either a Linke mayor who supports the PFLP and Putin, or a CDU one who thinks people of non-European migration background committed the Holocaust. A Green or SPD mayor compromise is best but difficult. 3110
Reposted by Alon (they/them)Christoph Bautz @christophbautz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Der konservative Kampf gegen Antisemitismus wäre deutlich glaubwürdiger, wenn es Konsequenzen haben würde, dass die CDU nun auf kommunaler Ebene offen mit Rechtsextremen kooperiert, um die Erinnerung an den Holocaust zu verhindern. Aber da wird nichts kommen - oder?zeit.deStolpersteine in Heidenau: AfD und CDU stimmen in Heidenau gegen Verlegung von StolpersteinenIn Heidenau in Sachsen wurde offenbar gegen die weitere Verlegung von sogenannten Stolpersteinen gestimmt. Der Antrag kam von Politikern der AfD und der CDU. 12350123
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Everybody here is engaging in Talmudic rituals (arguing incessantly). 2251
Alon (they/them) @alonlevy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026DW Enteignen is the purest distillation of anti-bedtime leftism. And this is not the same as alt-left. The Berlin Greens are as committed to democracy and Ukraine as their national counterparts; they're anti-bedtime but not alt-left. Conversely, Mamdani is a thoroughly pro-bedtime leftist. 3150