iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Michael Waas

P. Y. Mund @pymundgenealogy.com · 24/07/2026

So - I've been meaning to post this for a while A team of Jewish genealogist and geneticists (including my friend @mdwaas.bsky.social) published their findings about the patrilineal ancestry of Moroccan Jewry, which are in line with other recent studies (and contrary to popular perceptions) 1/4

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

שיהיה סוף סופית למלחמה הגרועה והעצובה הלילה

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Reposted by Michael Waas

RAYGUN @raygunsite.com · 08/05/2025

Da Pope. Online now, in Chicago soon. #raygun www.raygunsite.com

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Renée Carl @easteuromutt.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

4 April 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Ohrdruf, a forced labor camp near Gotha, Germany. The 89th Infantry Division and the 4th Armored Division are recognized as the liberating forces. My great-uncle, with the 89th, arrived at Ohrdruf in the rain, at 1600 on 6 April 1945.

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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

OpenAI is using Studio Ghibli-style memes as an ad hoc promotional campaign for its new image generator—despite Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki's famous hatred of AI. Sam Altman made his X avatar a 'Ghiblified' portrait. Disgracing Miyazaki is part of the point: It's more proof to them tech has won.

bloodinthemachine.com

OpenAI's Studio Ghibli meme factory is an insult to art itself

Sam Altman is promoting his new image generator by appropriating the work of one of the greatest living animators—who is "disgusted" by AI.

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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 24/03/2025

Roses are red Whales are gigantic I texted the war plans To the Atlantic - P. Hegseth

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Beyond the sheer artistry of the images, I am not entirely sure just how many people are aware how subversive this brave individual's actions are in the Turkish context. My Ottomanist and early Turkish republic imagery bells are going off in direct rebuke of AKP.

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Yair Wallach @yairwallach.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

The aims of Israel's unilateral ending of the ceasefire and return to mass bombing in Gaza: 1. Facilitate's Ben Gvir's return to government 2. Passing of budget (before 31 March otherwise early elections) 3. Deflecting public outrage over the attempted sacking of Attorney General, head of Shin Bet

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

I’m so tired of hearing Rubio & other rightwingers now claiming that if you’re on a green card you’re a ‘guest’ in this country. BS. You’re a lawful permanent resident. The clue is in the name. If someone is a permanent resident in your home, are they the same as the guests who come and go? Come on.

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

As another Trump-induced market crisis unfolds from tariffs, it's time we ask "What's the Matter with Billionaires?" I've run the numbers. Billionaires do better under Dems. So why do billionaires keep supporting GOP policies against their economic interests? See my latest piece on why. (TLDR 🧵⬇️)

open.substack.com

What's the Matter with Billionaires?

How America's wealthiest sabotage their own prosperity (and ours) to avoid paying taxes

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Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) @apgenealogists.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Records preservation and access is a cornerstone of APG’s advocacy efforts; we encourage you to check out FundNARA.com to learn more about what YOU can do to help keep access to the US National Archives open to genealogists, historians, and others with an interest in American history.

fundnara.com

fundNARA.com - Congress must fund the National Archives at the current level!

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides core government functions necessary to preserve, protect, and make accessible records from all three branches of the federal government.

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Renée Carl @easteuromutt.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

What is the relationship between Congress and records preservation and access? Spoiler alert: funding! Join us on Sunday 2 March to understand more and learn how your voice can make a difference. Event is open to all, but registration is required.

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Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

!!! At least six federal judges in Texas, along with their clerks and staff, received DOGE’s “tell us what you did last week or else” email. The Chief Judge of the 5th Circuit told judges and staff not to respond. texaslawbook.net/texas-lawboo...

texaslawbook.net

Texas Lawbook Exclusive: ‘WHAT Did You Do Last Week?’ Texas Judges Hit With ‘DOGE Emails’ - The Texas Lawbook

Just days after Elon Musk said “it is time” to consider impeaching federal judges who block President Donald Trump’s government reform initiatives, at least six federal judges in Texas and many more o...

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

The legacy of the Iron Curtain, like in Poland, still clearly visible in the political fault lines in unified Germany.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

OMB director Russ Vought has officially begun carrying out his section of Project 2025. Technical thread to follow, but it’s really important - this is a major path through which the Trump administration will illegally impound funding, refusing to carry out some of our spending laws.

Delegation of Apportionment Authority

I hereby delegate to the Program Associate Directors the authorities delegated by the President to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget for apportioning funds pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1513(b).

This delegation supersedes any previous delegation of such authority and will remain in place until revised or revoked. The Program Associate Directors may re-delegate this authority as necessary in writing. This delegation does not limit the authority of the Director to exercise the delegated authority.

Russell T. Vought,

Director, Office of Management and Budget.

Externally, the Director must ensure that OMB has sufficient visibility into the deep caverns of agency decision-making. One indispensable statutory tool to that end is to ensure that policy officials- the Program Associate Directors (PADs) managing the vast Resource Management Offices (RMOs)-personally sign what are known as the apportionments. In 1870, Congress passed the Anti-Deficiency Act® to prevent the common agency practice of spending down all appropriated funding, creating artificial funding shortfalls that Congress would have to fill. The law mandated that all funding be allotted or "apportioned" in installments. This process, whereby agencies come to OMB for allotments of appropriated funding, is essential to the effective financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. OMB can then direct on behalf of a President the amount, duration, and purpose of any apportioned funding to ensure against waste, fraud, and abuse and ensure consistency with the President's agenda and applicable laws.
The vast majority of these apportionments were signed by career officials- the Deputy Associate Directors (DADs)-until the Trump Administration placed this responsibility in the hands of the PADs and thereby opened wide vistas of oversight that had escaped the attention of policy officials. The Biden Administration subsequently reversed this decision. No Director should be chosen who is unwilling to restore apportionment decision-making to the PADs' personal review, who is not aggressive in wielding the tool on behalf of the President's agenda, or who is unable to defend the power against attacks from Congress.

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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

The AP finally sued the White House over its ban. Here's the lawsuit: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21/02/2025

New in PN: AOC shows how to fight back and stand strong "Prominent figures standing up can undermine the climate of fear that MAGA relies on to impose terror. AOC’s work on behalf of her constituents and refusal to be intimidated are models of resistance other Democrats would do well to imitate."

publicnotice.co

AOC shows how to fight back and stand strong

Other Democrats, from Schumer to Hochul, should follow her lead.

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

If you are a genealogist, historian, or anyone involved in the field of history, this is a must attend. It is vital that we properly and effectively advocate for the continued funding of NARA. It is our canary in the coal mine.

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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

New: DOGE's spending has been secret. No longer. My colleagues have uncovered it. www.propublica.org/article/doge...

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 20/02/2025

Tyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage.

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

New York Governor Kathy Hochul responds to Trump and says he is no king and that she’ll see him in court.

“Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and critical to our economic future - as a New Yorker, like President Trump, knows very well.

Since this first-in-the-nation program took effect last month, congestion has dropped dramatically and commuters are getting to work faster than ever.

Broadway shows are selling out and foot traffic to local businesses is spiking.

School buses are getting kids to class on time, and yellow cab trips increased by 10 percent. Transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day.

We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.

The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program.

We'll see you in court.”

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Elon Musk claims DOGE has saved $55 billion, but the numbers don’t add up. DOGE released a list of canceled contracts totaling $16 billion in supposed savings. However, nearly half of that came from an $8 billion ICE contract—except that contract was actually worth just $8 million.

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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

“I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”

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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Scoop: The databases powering DOGE.gov are insecure, and people outside the government have already pushed their own updates to the site to prove it: www.404media.co/anyone-can-p...

404media.co

Anyone Can Push Updates to the DOGE.gov Website

"THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN."

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Happy to share that a rare Ottoman Empire Census with surnames for the Jewish community of Izmir that I located has been indexed and published on JewishGen. There will be more to come!

groups.jewishgen.org

New Records Added: 1247 AH Izmir Census (1831-1832)

The new topic will begin with this message. Subject of the new topic:

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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

UK govt has announced that they are revising the historical knighthood to Sir Francis Drake to now say it was awarded to Sir Francis Lamar because in western tradition when you have a son he takes your last name

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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

The good news is that reactionary centrists are engaging in some self-reflection on the excesses of the right-wing backlash to 'wokeness.' The bad news is that they are saying it is woke people's fault. archive.is/CaC56

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Here is the letter from the Department of Justice ordering SDNY to drop the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

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David Dennis Jr @daviddennisjr.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I wrote about the biggest rap performance of all time, Kendrick’s positioning of anti-Drake-ness as part of a larger pro-Blackness and justice for Serena Williams andscape.com/features/gen...

andscape.com

The subversive genius of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance

The Compton MC might have just given us the biggest rap performance ever

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

Me in my natural element explaining esoteric legal sources for genealogy (photo shows me pointing at a cizye register from Izmir and explaining it, taken by @caitlinhollander.bsky.social at my presentation yesterday on Sephardic genealogy and history)

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Reposted by Michael Waas

Sam 🐈‍⬛ @sammakescoolstuff.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

In a sentence never before uttered by humans, I am delighted to share that an alligator stole my conservation instructor’s hat by jauntily walking into the water while wearing it 🐊

A middle aged man helplessly holds an alligator’s tail as it steals his hat

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Renée Carl @easteuromutt.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

We need to talk about the Federal Records Act. Everything else is a distraction.

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Reclaim The Records @reclaimtherecords.org · 06/02/2025

Have you checked out our brand new website, all about the AWFUL proposed legislation that got snuck into New York's proposed budget, which would destroy public access to birth, marriage, and death records -- and even the basic indices? Well, you should. www.nysvitalrecords.org

nysvitalrecords.org

NYS Vital Records Info

What is Being Proposed in the FY 2026 NYS Budget? Closing off access to New York State birth records for 125 years, marriage records for 100 years, and death records for 75 years, replacing today's wa...

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Michael Waas @mdwaas.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

In the never ending search for confirming family stories, today, I finally found proof that my gg grandfather was indeed a legitimate resident in Moscow during the time when legitimate Jewish settlement in the city was highly restricted. That proof? The birth of his first son that no one knew about!

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 27/01/2025

it is very telling of these guys’ conception of how power works that they see issuing a flurry of executive orders as evidence of presidential strength and vigor and not a sign that the president is too weak to pursue a serious legislative agenda

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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

Incredible stuff futurism.com/trump-admin-...

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Tomer Burg @burgwx.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

It's no exaggeration to say today brought a truly historical weather event to the Gulf Coast - lots of places all the way down to the water got over 6-8 inches of snow, shattering records going as far back as 1895 in some places. Let's review what caused this historic event 🧵

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21/01/2025

New in PN: The "find out" phase begins "Trump’s campaign was ugly, dystopian, and authoritarian. His first presidency was a disaster. A near majority of voters pulled the lever to put him back in charge anyway. Put bluntly, we, as a country, fucked around. And now ..."

publicnotice.co

The "find out" phase begins

Voters effed around. And now ...

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Renée Carl @easteuromutt.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Most holdings in Presidential Libraries aren't online either - not quite 3% of the 692 million textual pages. Oh yea, did you know NARA is responsible for administration of the Presidential Library System? All under NARA's tiny budget. Call for Congress to #fundNARA. www.archives.gov/findingaid/p...

archives.gov

Presidential Library Explorer

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15/01/2025

New in PN: Jack Smith reminds us of the futility of truth in the Trump era "Smith’s final report feels a bit quaint, a relic of an era that started off hopefully but is now fully behind us. It's a sad reminder of the futility of truth as Biden exits the scene."

publicnotice.co

Jack Smith reminds us of the futility of truth in the Trump era

His final report closes the door on a once-hopeful investigation.

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Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland @araukie.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Thanks to the 1,600 people and organisations who responded to the UK Ministry of Justice’s proposals on the retention of wills. Good news: The UK Government has determined not to proceed with any reforms that involve the destruction of original wills Read in full here: www.gov.uk/government/c...

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Daniel José Older @djolder.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Give "Control Salt Delete" kid a medal you cowards

A list of snowplow name suggestions from kindergarten thru 4th grade classes including "Control Salt Delete"

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Arnon Degani ארנון @arnondeg.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Best 🧵 series: 1/6 Settlements and Israel's security. The security rational of the settlements is that the threat they face from being embedded within Palestinian communities requires military presence for security, this presence denies terrorists a chance to entrench and build up militarily.

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