iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I decided I would check the LCAAJ interviewee from Satanov's audio, and before even listening to it, I notice that in the eydes.de location index it is listed as "Sótǝnǝf," which I might have seen before and just paid no mind to it.

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@pymundgenealogy.bsky.social among others, how would you pronounce the name of the Ukrainian shtetl Satanov/Sataniv? Variant latin alphabet spellings aside, I have always heard some variation of /saˈtənɔv/ in my family, the first vowel sometimes to /æ/, and the third sometimes to /ə/ or /o(ʊ)/. (+↓)

I like how even a frum publication that's purposefully being deferential and friendly to Trump gives us a window into how ridiculous and dumb he is by just recounting the things he said. Some excerpts from an article on the pre-Rosh Hashana meeting with the Rabbonim and Admorim at the White House:

The president then expressed his surprise at what he views as the community’s priorities.

“I sent B-2s and bombed Iran to smithereens. I saved you guys—without me there would be no Israel left—but I don’t get a thank-you from the Jewish community. But I commuted this butcher from Iowa—what’s his name?”

The assembled all said, “Rubashkin,” and the president continued, “Oh yeah, Lubashkin—the guy is alive? And everyone is so excited—more than what I did to Iran.”

Rosenfeld said, “Mr. President, when you commuted Rubashkin, they were literally dancing in the streets in Brooklyn.”

And Trump said, “Brooklyn! I got 94 percent of the Hasidic vote in Brooklyn.”

Trump had at his desk cards with the pictures of the Rebbes and figures showing how many votes he had received in their communities.

Trump continued recounting the Rubashkin case.

“I called the judge and I asked, ‘What are you, crazy? A guy has illegal workers and you give him a 28-year sentence? Who doesn’t have illegal workers?’

“The judge said the prosecutor had wanted even more. So I said the prosecutor is an antisemite and I’m commuting the sentence.”

Rosenfeld said there are other Jews who might be in prison today because of biased judges or prosecutors and asked the president to instruct the DoJ to do a full review of every case involving an Orthodox Jew to see if there was bias.

Everyone then stood silently as Rav Aharon read “Hanosen teshuah lamelachim,” wishing a blessing upon the president while Segedin translated.

“Did you understand that?” Trump asked his frum son-in-law.

“Yes,” Kushner replied. “It was beautiful.”

“Isn’t he great?” said the president proudly.

The Skverer’s son handed a letter from his father to the president.

“Your father is still alive?” exclaimed Trump. “You’re old yourself. How old is he?”

The Rebbe’s son, feeling it was inappropriate to state his father’s age, simply responded, “Old.”

Pushed by Trump to state the age more times, the son finally replied, “Between 80 and 90.”

“Okay,” Trump agreed, “that’s old.”

Back in the Oval, Rav Aharon said Rav Malkiel would address the Israeli military draft. White House staffers appeared to have no interest in engaging the subject and said, “Rabbi Zalman will speak.”

When it became clear that Rav Malkiel wouldn’t interrupt them, Rav Aharon began to raise the issue of the draft himself before staffers again redirected, “Rabbi Zalman, it’s your turn.”

Trump then turned to the subject of a world leader he apparently assumed would be popular with the group.

“Don’t you guys love Bibi?” he said. “He’s the best guy.”

The delegation replied, “We love Trump.”

The president turned to Kushner and said, “What’s with you people, they don’t like Bibi?” Kushner replied, “Mr. President, they’re focused on you.”

A few minutes before the meeting ended, Lawler, with Trump’s permission, brought three of his constituents into the Oval: Gestetner, Lawler’s aide Rafi Silberberg, and Yehuda Zorger, a trustee of the Village of Airmont. Margaretten also entered the Oval at that time.

Trump handed out special presidential coins to everyone present and “Trump 2028” hats to some. Izzy Spitzer asked for and received a presidential pen.

Rav Malkiel handed Trump letters requesting help for two individuals.

The meeting ended after 20 minutes. Some later expressed disappointment that they had been unable to discuss with the president that which they had come for.

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I think at some point there was some family lore (based on an old letter that didn't actually explain) on which person came from Brody when, but as I remember it told to me: they're named Brody because they're from Brody, and we know that they're from there because they're named Brody.

Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 14/09/2026

Getting kicked out of the anti-Yiddishist LOTR book club for pronouncing gollum goylem.

Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 14/09/2026

I want to believe, but also I will not be doing so because 1. I have been very burned by polling before, and 2. Nate Silver.

As a sidenote, it is kind of dumb, and I'd never vote for James Hayes over Summer Lee (and certainly not from this ad), but I feel like it's a little bit exemplary of the specific issues *I* have with Lee being kind of unreceptive and insensitive that she doesn't do these types of ads in the paper.

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How would one blow this shofar?

James Hayes for Congress ad in the Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh wishing the Jewish community a good and sweet new year. There are AI generated apples, honey, and what appears to be a badly malformed and therefore unusable shofar.

I arrived home from Germany last night, and I'm sorry to report that none of this happened while I was there. I assume bureaucracy just slowed it down too much. On a serious note, it was a lot of fun, and I'm also certain any improvement in German skill I gained while there is quickly dissipating.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 10/09/2026

How come when I get injured in some way they never put me on an IR list? Feels like a double standard that professional athletes get that opportunity.

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Newest instance of people either refusing or being unable to read: An Instagram post was recommended to me that was a screenshot of an X "dunk" on @souljagoyshmulik.bsky.social, who had said that Israeli state action has led to the proliferation of antisemitism abroad.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 06/09/2026

Germany is going to break me without some quickly implemented language reform: 1. Lose some case marking, you're doing too much redundancy. 2. Try out some alternate sound changes from MHG, at least on a trial run. Long o would sound so beautiful as /ɔɪ/ :) 3. Spelling reform, maybe a new alphabet?

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 05/09/2026

I want to be clear I have no blanket ideological issue with DSA, and when it functions as a policy org for electoralism, I think it works well. My main issue is that it is not so well organized outside of like 3-5 local chapters in big cities, and I don't think that's a good argument *for* the org.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 04/09/2026

It was different in a lot of ways, but were people making pearl harbor commemorative merch like this? If not, what went wrong between 1942 and 2001?

jeremy kaplowitz @jeremykaplowitz.com · 04/09/2026

Reposted by Sammy/שמואל

i just wish for once i could see someone like myself represented on television. a young hot 20 something trying to make it in this crazy city we call the big apple

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 04/09/2026

Fetterman's far worse and for many reasons other than this, but as long as we're getting mad about members of PA's congressional delegation, it has been a personal pet peeve of mine that Summer Lee seems sort of uninterested in taking meetings (or much constituent feedback, though a lot is bunk).

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 03/09/2026

I have a feeling we're going to be seeing this picture, and maybe some other similar ones, on some of the worst people on the internet's accounts soon, paired with their antisemitic conspiracies of choice. (presumably a lot of ZOG, but maybe some more bespoke stuff too)

Some Hasidim in a very blurry picture on the grounds of the white house

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 03/09/2026

wow, I didn't know he did that

A heavily edited meme with three panels set in the oval office.

The first panel has Trump speaking to the two brothers that each serve as Rebbe of their respective Satmar communities with him standing in between them. He says "C'mon it's Elul. You're brothers. Make peace. It's time!"

The second panel the brothers are side by side (it looks as though one has his arm slightly around the other) and Trump says "Many Eluls came and went -- no peace. One Elul with Trump, the whole Satmar fight is over! They even like each other. They Like Trump! Who would've thought?"

The third panel Trump is alone and he says "This is the 10th war I've brought to an end. I am the peace President!"

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 02/09/2026

I am almost 100% sure this has been explored before and I will definitely be looking for any articles about it when I am back on a computer, but the prevalence of borrowing a Yiddish word with an /a/ and at least writing it with an <o> in English is very interesting to me.

hikikomorphism @hikikomorphism.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Reposted by Sammy/שמואל

most of these things don't even generate images! not knowing things doesn't make you more morally pure, learn to be a better hater!

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 02/09/2026

If anyone here is familiar with a rhyme said by a parent with a kid on their lap and imitate like the kid's riding a horse before letting them "fall in" between their legs can you let me know the wording you know, specifically "ride a horse to {city}" vs "trot trot to {city}" and which place names.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 02/09/2026

Quirks of growing up not really paying attention to the Hebrew calendar except for holidays (and yahrtzeits I suppose): I kind of knew my birthday (5 tammuz), but since it's not a day we really observe anything on, I never really knew of anything that happened on it until I just looked today.

Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 31/08/2026

I'm not in the habit of ranking the stuff Trump does since it's all so bad, and even if I were I'm sure this wouldn't be that high up towards worst, but making Doug Ford look even the slightest bit good is really getting to me.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 28/08/2026

I realize the point is for it to be in bad faith, but I just genuinely don't understand the logic on its own terms of "Orthodox Jews have lots of kids in order to get access to more welfare programs." Like is this actually persuasive to anyone who is not already an antisemite?

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 27/08/2026

I'm just glad Gordon Lightfoot isn't alive to see this.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 27/08/2026

This is not quite what happened with the song I bet, but tokhes in a Litvish accent has something describable as an /ɔ/ vowel (could be higher or maybe even slightly lower for some, but I digress). This vowel being a rounded /ʌ/ means an American without either sound might use /ə/ and voila, /təʃ/.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 26/08/2026

keyne hora for tim rice, but with the last two days of news, I encourage everyone who is 80 years old (or potentially older) to be very careful for at least the rest of the week

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 26/08/2026

Is something going on with bluesky (notifications-wise especially) more broadly or am I just having some issues on my end? It doesn't really matter for me at this point since I'm going to just go to sleep now anyway, but something weird has been going on for me tonight.

Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 26/08/2026

Where is toyota and does the fourth and current toyoter rav still live there? Also any important works by the first toyoter rav or any in between?

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Reposted by Sammy/שמואל

🐈‍⬛️כעלעמער קאַץ @orphanim.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

i really really dont like how pop leftism has overlapped with the same social demeanor and rhetoric that used to categorize red hat conservatives and fascists. its sometimes indistinguishable except one has a hammer and sickle or mao picture

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 24/08/2026

Hopefully for everyone's sake, but especially mine, this is the last I'll ever say about Hasan Piker.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 24/08/2026

Something I do think worth discussing more is that because people aren't born antisemitic and have to learn the prejudice, we should be paying more attention to what kinds of things lead people to the radicalizing forces in the first place, so as to better mitigate the number who get radicalized.

Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 23/08/2026

Wide-ranging question I have about OTD formerly Hasidish actors who go on to portray Hasidim on screen or stage: How do various people feel here? Assuming a currently Hasidish person is fine with such a movie being made in the first place, do they maybe have an opinion on an OTD actor? Case by case?

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Reposted by Sammy/שמואל

Shecky @shecky.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Kevin passed about an hour ago. The time to find his cats a home IS now, and I'm not one step closer to finding it. Please, friends.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 18/08/2026

A question that maybe is best directed to one or possibly two people who follow me on here (I'll tag later if necessary) but I'm curious to hear from anyone: Way up in my family tree I have someone named Volko, a grandson of a man listed as Vol'. Where do these names come from? Volf? Volodymyr?

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 18/08/2026

This is obviously very common in shuls now and for good reason, but in my experience with a number of shuls they usually seem to have much less security than what I've seen described online and in articles. Not necessarily in this case, but sometimes it sounds much more involved than I have seen?

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 14/08/2026

It doesn't seem like the answer of why is particularly hard to intuit, but I'm curious if others have observed Yiddish learners, especially early on, using שלום on its own as a greeting. This also has me wondering if other Modern Hebraisms have made their way into the secular Yiddish classroom.

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Sammy/שמואל @sammyshear.com · 11/08/2026

sammy, your speech too verbose, your threads too long, your gripes too pedantic, they'll kill you