Helen Zaltzman
@helenzaltzman.bsky.social
Podcaster from The Allusionist, Answer Me This and Veronica Mars Investigations. Pronouns she/they (TBH I think 'they' should be the default and we opt in to gendered pronouns/gender). linktr.ee/helenzaltzman
Shout out to the nyt for enthusiastically laundering and mainstreaming anti trans extremism these last several years
Sahil Kapur@sahilkapur.bsky.social · last mo.Pew Research Center poll on “transgender athletes competing on sports teams that don’t match their birth sex”: • 27% of American adults are somewhat/very/extremely comfortable with it • 73% are not comfortable with it Democrats are also NOT comfortable with it: 55-44% margin.
new episode in your podfeed! @hrishikesh.co & #SaminNosrat, @superlinguo.bsky.social, @korystamper.bsky.social & @alexkennedynba.bsky.social - a lovely bunch - answer questions about part-time vegetarianism, people griping if you call yourself bi or pan, & petty linguistics theallusionist.org/vega
Allusionist 232. Vega — The Allusionist
What do you call yourself if you're a part-time vegetarian? What petty linguistic things would you change? And what do you do if people gripe at you if you say that you are bi or pan? To answer these ...
theallusionist.org
Katseye members dropping like they're on a luxury holiday with Hercule Poirot
so weird I'm not on this list, patreon.com/allusionist to get me there www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/co...
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Ontario jails are using an AI tool that claims to predict prisoners’ behaviour. And it’s disproportionately placing Black prisoners in maximum security. An investigation by @desmondcole.bsky.social reveals the province knew the tool would discriminate against Black people—and used it anyway.
Black prisoners are assigned harsher living conditions in Ontario jails—thanks to AI ⋆ The Breach
Ontario jails are using a program that claims it can predict prisoners’ behaviour, disproportionately putting Black prisoners in higher-security facilities
breachmedia.ca
Hello! There is a new episode in your podfeed, A Nice Chat with @superlinguo.bsky.social of @lingthusiasm.com. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/lingthusionist, and there’s a longer version available on Lingthusiasm’s Patreon
Allusionist 231. Lingthusionist — The Allusionist
“Linguistics and language is such a good mechanism for being curious,” says Lauren Gawne , linguistics prof, author of the book Gesture , and cohost of the podcast Lingthusiasm. I'm in vacation...
theallusionist.org
it doesn't, because unlike the Russian government, I don't own those other resorts, do I? I don't benefit financially from people divesting from JKR.
bitch I can’t fucking go piss in five states because of you, I don’t want to hear about encroachments on personal life
PBS News@pbsnews.org · 3mo agoSupreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday that a sharp increase in threats targeting her and other justices is increasingly encroaching on their personal and family lives. https://to.pbs.org/4f1DhjZ
there still seem to be far too many people who don't know/care that JKR has been funding and promoting anti-trans bigotry for the past several years. It's not a "difference of opinion" - LOOK, she is now even trying to take down Amnesty, for fuck's sake. www.erininthemorning.com/p/terf-activ...
TERF Activist J.K. Rowling Threatens To Finance Wave Of Attacks On Amnesty International Over Report On Anti-Trans Groups
“They have sued organizations into the ground.”
erininthemorning.com
I just created www.lgbtqlegislation.com which builds on the work of the LegiAlerts team to provide an interactive data dashboard to look at 20+ years of anti-LGBTQ legislation and especially anti-trans legislation. It also includes an overview of pro-LGBTQ legislation. Check it out!
LGBTQ+ Legislation Tracking Project
Two decades of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, documented bill by bill — 10,000+ bills tracked across every state and Congress by the LegiAlerts team.
lgbtqlegislation.com
Sarah Woolley@sarahwoolley.bsky.social · 3mo agoDawn Foster died five years ago on this date. I really miss her and I think about her every day. If you’re new to her work or want to introduce it to someone, this was the best tribute written about her: tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/in-m... Dawn Foster Forever
instead of Whamageddon, see how long you can go before seeing a Halloween decoration. I have already lost #Hallogeddon by going into a Michaels in early July.
Delighted to be called upon to talk about my favorite topic: the definition of fanfiction. 🥰 Thanks so much to @helenzaltzman.bsky.social for having me!
The Allusionist@allusionistshow.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe fourth and final part of #Draculae is out. The whole series I’ve wondered whether the Powers of Darkness stories are fan fiction - if not, why not? @elizabethminkel.bsky.social of fansplaining.com discusses what makes fan fiction fan fiction. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/transformation
The fourth and final part of #Draculae is out. The whole series I’ve wondered whether the Powers of Darkness stories are fan fiction - if not, why not? @elizabethminkel.bsky.social of fansplaining.com discusses what makes fan fiction fan fiction. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/transformation
Allusionist 230. Draculae part 4: Transformation — The Allusionist
Throughout the Draculae miniseries , about the Swedish and Icelandic translations of Dracula that played fast and loose with the original text, I've been wondering a couple of questions: why are co...
theallusionist.org
When I can’t get to sleep, I count the number of Prime Ministers that Britain has had in the past decade
guy has a trillion dollars, 0 friends, and has never landed a joke. I know a pact with the devil when I see one.
This will be nice to check in with over the next few hours: a live stream showing the prep and process and removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Centre. www.youtube.com/live/aAhm880...
LIVE: See Donald Trump’s name come off the Kennedy Center as it happens
YouTube video by MS NOW
youtube.com
Ok episode 3 of #Draculae is now in your podfeed. I feel I should be hyping up mysteries rather than immediately dispelling them, but alas I lack the art of the tease. Or perhaps it is less stressful this way! In any case: this is a lot of fun. theallusionist.org/draculae3
In this long-awaited crossover bonus episode, we get enthusiastic about linguistics podcasting, career changes, and the importance of "failed" experiments with @helenzaltzman.bsky.social, host of @allusionistshow.bsky.social Listen to this episode for free on Patreon!
Bonus Episode 112: The Lingthusionist - Interview with Helen Zaltzman | Lingthusiasm
Bonus Episode 112: The Lingthusionist - Interview with Helen Zaltzman by Lingthusiasm on Patreon. Join Lingthusiasm's community for exclusive content and updates.
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New episode of the #Draculae miniseries has landed in your podfeed! Happy World Dracula Day to you. There’s a transcript at theallusionist.org/draculae2, along with ways to listen
theallusionist.org
Periodic reminder that 94% of US plastic does *not* get recycled, whether or not it goes into a recycling bin. And if it's not plastic 1 or 2, it's almost certainly going into an incinerator or landfill. Recycling is expensive & the market for recycled plastics is fragmented & small.
kottke.org@kottke.org · 5mo ago“A three-month national investigation by Beyond Plastics found that not a single tracked Starbucks cold-beverage cup ended up at a recycling facility — even when the cups were placed in clearly marked recycling bins inside Starbucks stores.” [beyondplastics.org]
They say “Regret the things you didn’t do, not the things you did”, but I turned down the paid job of recording the voice version of this article and feel 100% non-regret
Dr Alex Fitzpatrick@animalarchaeology.com · 5mo agoMissed that just last week, Americans were eagerly sharing the “feminist” work of a disgusting transphobe who has helped the UK get to its current state of anti-trans hostility. This is part of the problem, too - normalising bigots and - consciously or not - minimising the impact of their harm.
I’m sure many Americans who have been sharing her work may not know this about her, but now that you do - please be more cautious about who you read. It’s not “just” journalism - these transphobes have been crucial to the anti-trans movement in the UK, they have done tangible harm here.
‼️ *EMERGENCY TRANS DEMO* 🏳️⚧️ 📍Parliament Square 📆 Saturday 23 May 2026 ⏰ 11AM 🚝 Nearest tube Westminster (step free access) Join us tomorrow, Saturday 23 May at 11AM in Parliament Square. Bring sunscreen, water and your rage! *One struggle, one fight* ✊🏳️⚧️
“Songs and sequins must not be allowed to drown out or distract from Israel’s atrocities or Palestinian suffering" apnews.com/article/euro...
Alternative shows counter Eurovision amid protests over Israel's participation
Calls to boycott Eurovision over Israel's participation have led to alternative concerts across Europe.
apnews.com
Merry Dracula Month to you. The new episode in your podfeed is the first of a miniseries about a translation mystery surrounding the novel theallusionist.org/draculae1
#AnswerMeThis is back. And it's good! I understand now why people liked it before! Get your escapist infotainment: answermethispodcast.com/episode417
