Latest Posts by benhartley - Page 2

feeling so many feelings about all of this

my dad sent me this tweet with zero likes or retweets so i can’t rt it without feeling weird but i sure can post it on my tumblr

I’ll say it again, please just grit your teeth and vote for Biden…

An archivist found a long forgotten 8mm film reel in an old metal box, marked "Philippines 1942". Thinking it was lost WWII footage, he sent it in to be restored/digitized. When he got the footage back, he found puppies instead (via)

the funny thing is that i don't think younger people - and i mean those under the age of 40 - really have a grasp on how many of today's issues can be tied back to a disastrous reagan policy:

war on drugs: reagan's aggressive escalation of the war on drugs was a catastrophic policy, primarily targeting minority communities and fueling mass incarceration. the crusade against drugs was more about controlling the Black, Latino and Native communities than addressing the actual problems of drug abuse, leading to a legacy of broken families and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.

deregulation and economic policies: reaganomics was an absolute disaster for the working class. reagan's policies of aggressive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and slashing social programs were nothing less than class warfare, deepening income inequality and entrenching corporate greed. these types of policies were a clear message that reagan's america was only for the wealthy elite and a loud "fuck you" to working americans.

environmental policies: despite his reputation being whitewashed thanks to the recovery of the ozone layer, reagan's environmental record was an unmitigated disaster. his administration gutted critical environmental protections and institutions like the EPA, turning a blind eye to pollution and corporate exploitation of natural resources. this blatant disregard for the planet was a clear sign of prioritizing short-term corporate profits over the future of the environment.

AIDS crisis: reagan's gross neglect of the aids crisis was nothing short of criminal and this doesn't even begin to touch on his wife's involvement. his administration's indifference to the plight of the lgbtq+ community during this devastating epidemic revealed a deep-seated bigotry and a complete failure of moral leadership.

mental health: reagan's dismantling of mental health institutions under the guise of 'reform' led directly to a surge in homelessness and a lack of support for those with mental health issues. his policies were cruel and inhumane and showed a personality-defining callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society.

labor and unions: reagan's attack on labor unions, exemplified by his handling of the patco strike, was a blatant assault on workers' rights. his actions emboldened corporations to suppress union activities, leading to a significant erosion of workers' power and rights in the workplace. he was colloquially known as "Ronnie the Union Buster Reagan"

foreign policy and military interventions: reagan's foreign policy, particularly in latin america, was imperialist and ruthless. his administration's support for dictatorships and right-wing death squads under the guise of fighting "communism" showed a complete disregard for human rights and self-determination of other nations.

public health: yes, reagan's agricultural policies actually facilitated the rise of high fructose corn syrup, once again prioritizing corporate profits over public health. this shift in the food industry has had lasting negative impacts on health, contributing to the obesity epidemic and other health issues.

privatization: reagan's push for privatization was a systematic dismantling of public services, transferring wealth and power to private corporations and further eroding the public's access to essential services.

education policies: his approach to education was more of an attack on public education than anything else, gutting funding and promoting policies that undermined equal access to quality education. this was, again, part of a broader agenda to maintain a status quo where the privileged remain in power.

this is just what i could come up with in a relatively short time and i did not even live under this man's presidency. the level at which ronald reagan has broken the united states truly can't be overstated.

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

trying to prove a point to the boys at school

reblog this if you believe trans men are real men like this if you dont

i wish we’d gotten more dialogue between the assassins cause this shit is hilarious. they all hate each other so much lmao

A couple weeks ago, I found out that my university’s library has a copy of the original Assassins script book (1990). Tomorrow’s my last class of the year, so before I have to turn it in, I thought I’d pick some things out to share with y’all.

This is in the intro. Someone describing a moment in the depository scene that isn’t in the 2004 revival.

The character descriptions are just the descriptions of their assassination attempts.

Sorry, but Booth reading Variety is incredibly funny to me.

Just this whole bit. I love the way it’s written. Booth is trying very hard to ignore the Balladeer. The soldier getting shot is not in the revival.

In the 2004 revival, the Proprietor is the one who interrupts the song. In the original, Byck introduced the other national anthem. And while I can’t deny that I think the Proprietor is probably better suited to this solo, I think Byck is an interesting choice. It’s probably just a continuation of his monologue from the scene before, but still…

Terrifying.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: By the end of the depository scene, Booth is in the Balladeer's position. He represents the new American Dream, the other national anthem. Oswald is now in Booth's previous position as the group's pioneer.

Hinckley admires Oswald; that’s in line with his character. Moore is the first to bring up family; she’s a mother. But Czolgosz respects Oswald. Guiteau and Booth envy him. Interesting choices for the only other successful assassins. Czolgosz I get. Guiteau I get. But Booth, envious? Interesting.

This one needs no explanation. But I do think it’s worth mentioning that after all the talk of family, when Oswald pulls the trigger, he’s still alone.

Also from the intro. Thoughts on the assassins and Sondheim’s motivations.

It’s just a really good show, y’all.

Say what you want about the 2023 Shakespeare in The Park production of Hamlet, but the choices made in that play WORKED. Having Hamlet wear a black hoodie and camo pants and him dramatically putting his hood up when he was pissed off was inspired. Having Horatio video tape Claudius on an iPhone camera from the side of the stage during the play within the play was hilarious. Having the play within the play be a hip hop dance number that represented the murder!?! Fantastic. Having Ophelia be a singer before she went mad and having a beautiful voice that everyone loved to listen to and then seeing her singing get worse and worse as she got nearer to death?!?! Hamlet pulling out his iphone after killing Polonius to show his mom a picture of his dad compared to a picture of Claudius and angrily swiping back and forth between the two as he said “What judgement would step from this… to this?” The crowd fucking lost it every time. Horatio singing to Hamlet as he died made me fully sob every time. The way they did the ghost on stage was so chilling and I can’t even accurately describe it, you just had to be there. Hamlet being deeply exasperated the entire time was just perfect. Hamlet and Horatio had a secret handshake. Laertes inexplicably carried an acoustic guitar case for much of the play which was very funny but also hit you with the heartbreaking implication that he had used to play while Ophelia sang and he stopped carrying it after she died. It was peak teenage-angst-hamlet and it was so dear to me. PLEASE if anyone has a recording, send it to me.

Found out my university library has the book for Sondheim’s Assassins (1990), and checked it out immediately. There’s a bit in the depository scene where, after Lee Harvey Oswald shoots JFK, Booth takes his suicide note and burns it. This directly parallels the Ballad of Booth, where the Balladeer burns Booth’s suicide note after he shoots himself.

And I’m fucking LOSING it over the implication that Booth has replaced the Balladeer and Oswald is now in Booth’s previous position as “our pioneer.”

It’s a new American Dream, where any kid can grow up to be president, and any kid can grow up to kill one.

wii sports dog appreciation post

when the body trots on

passed a memorial on my morning trot today. buckaroo about my age, lots of flowers. went to his instagram to learn his way and it was just packed full of photos with buds and good times. you strip away the body and all thats left is love. sad but also very beautiful and important

in light of recent news, and in fear of losing one of the only things that brings me joy in my stupid baka life, here's all episodes of puppet history.

pls rb :)

Tomska going hard on Twitter again.

Maybe this is the wrong platform to pose this question given the average tumblr user but

Is it just me or did our generation (those of is who are currently 20-30 ish) just not get the opportunity to be young in the 'standard' sense?

Like, everyone I talk to who's over 40 has all their wild stories about their teens and 20s, being young and dumb, and then I talk to my friends and coworkers and classmates, and we just... dont.

i cannot be the first person to post this here but i am going so fucking insane about the gaia music collective's one day choir singing wait for me. the opening harmonies are you KIDDING me

I love this so much, I’m gonna start saying “nuts” we need to bring it back

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

Source

Happy Leland Melvin Day!!!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL ASEXUALITY DAY!!

-April 6th

Sometimes I’m looking for something online - often “how to” articles - and I want to filter for - like - a website that was clearly built in 2010 at the latest, which may or may not have been updated since then, but contains a vast wealth of information on one topic, painstakingly organized by an unknown legend in the field with decades’ worth of experience. I don’t want a listicle with a nice stolen picture in a slideshow format written by a content aggregator that God forgot. I want hand-drawn diagrams by some genius professor who doesn’t understand SEO at all, but understands making stir-fries or raising stick insects better than anyone else on this earth. I don’t know what search settings to put into Google to get this.

happy PRIDE i’m here i’m queer and i believe the land should be given back to the proper indigenous stewards.

never let anyone tell you that trawling through mediocre victorian poetry isn't worth it. we just happened upon an absolute BANGER of a worm poem. go read it or else 🪱🪱🪱

I'm like super normal and not unhinged in the slightest (I spent 3 days formatting, printing, and binding a niche internet story about sci fi football into a 280 page physical book)