Nelle from Meanjin

@nelle

Pascals Wager: Covid edition. If I'm wrong, I've mildly disadvantaged myself by wearing a mask in public. If you're wrong, you have played a part in spreading disease, disability and death to millions, possibly including yourself and your loved ones.

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Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· 14d

With Alt Text

American Christianity has two distinct lineages, leaving those who encounter them with different impressions of what being a Christian is and what Christianity demands.

After the Civil War, most Christians followed the version that treated the Union victory as confirmation of their moral vision, while those in the South kept the ideologies of Christian slaveholders, interpreted their defeat as religious persecution, and carried that tradition forward until it shaped the Moral Majority, later becoming the political identity known as the MAGA movement.

These Christians, that we now know are Christian Nationalists, tend to switch between the soft moral language of the post-abolitionists and their own strict, punitive framework, and because Christians outside the Bible Belt underestimated or misunderstood the reach and intensity of that tradition, the public conversation defaults to the loudest voices, allowing Christian Nationalism to speak as if it represents all American Christianity

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· 21d

Classic Australian joke. Never gets old. He's a country member. Oh, we remember.

Middle of post explains that Barnaby's repeated bad behaviour is because it's a country thing.

Top of page, where it was shared, says "he's a country member"
Bottom of page is the response, "oh, I remember"

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· 25d

These two normally refuse to be in the same room, but it's cold today so compromises must be made. I'm not technically trapped, but the tortie rarely sits near me because of tortitude, so I'm staying here for a while. It's cold (for Queensland) and wet, but we're on the back deck.

Lower half selfie taken from above. Legs in jeans, lying on a couch. A fluffy grey cat is curled up on one side, a fluffy tortoiseshell cat is curled up between the knees.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jul 7

Another whistleblower book about Facebook. See alt text for blurb. The power of one. Frances Haugen

Book cover. Young blonde woman in blue looking at camera. Book contents:
In the spring of 2021, when news outlets feasted on "the Facebook Files," Frances Haugen went public as the former employee who blew the whistle on the company by copying tens of thousands of documents. She testified to Congress and spoke to the media. She was hailed at President Biden's first State of the Union Address. She made sure everyone understood exactly what the documents revealed: Facebook not only set its algorithm to reward extremism, it knew that its customers were using the platform to foment violence, to spread falsehoods, to diminish the self-esteem of young people, and more. But how was it that Frances was the only employee at the company who dared to step forward? The answer to that question is an inspiring tale of one young woman's life. She grew up in an unhappy home and threw herself into schoolwork and her high school debate team. She made the unusual decision to join the founding class of a new engineering school in Massachusetts, even though it wasn't yet accredited. Prior to attending Harvard Business School, she out-hustled a raft of candidates to win a coveted job at Google as a product manager in a department that was 88% male-and a huge challenge for a woman to survive. In business school, she again didn't fit in. But at each step of the way, including at Pinterest and Yelp, she focused on what mattered, and ignored her critics. She learned the hard way that you can't please everyone, and you have to fight the battles that matter. The Power of One is equally inspiring-the story of a woman who went against the grain, again and again, and changed the world-and horrifying, as the culture and practices of Facebook are brought to the bright light of day, for the first time.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jul 7

Just finished reading Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Goddamn, Facebook is as evil as Musk. #booksky

Red book cover, with a facebook- blue square and a pair of legs as if someone has just dived in.
Careless People. A story of where I used to work.
Power. Greed. Madness.
Sarah Wynn-Williams.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jul 7

Do Not Use. 🤣

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jul 7

Bingo downriver, Bluey home. It's my lucky day! The fact that I've just spent an hour printing stuff at the public library, only to find the printer is broken and all my work lost, well that's just an inconvenience

Photo of Brisbane City Dog ferry Bluey taken from the boarding queue.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jul 1

National test |

ausalert

www.ausalert.gov.au

AusAlert national test

AusAlerts contain important information and should be turned on to help keep you safe. As the AusAlert national test is a Critical Alert, you can't turn it off via your device settings.

The only way to not receive a Critical Alert is to turn your mobile device off or switch it to 'aeroplane mode' for the duration of the test.

If receiving an AusAlert test message will disrupt you or cause you or a family member to feel unsafe, turn off your mobile devices or switch them to aeroplane mode before the scheduled test time in your location and leave them off for at least one hour.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jun 28

He "feels bad" Dude, if you murdered this person, you're not just bad, you're evil.

Image of a man looking at camera.
Simon Peter Carman tells Tunchanok Donhomla's family he feels "bad".

In short:

A 45-year-old Australian man accused of murdering a 17-year-old girl in Thailand has told her family he feels "bad for what happened" to their daughter.

Simon Peter Carman was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok overnight

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jun 26

That's all OK. This is Tom Cox's advice about writing:

Tom Cox

@dj-acid-reflux.bsk... 4h

Note from my notebook (2017). Still true.

TRUTHS ABOUT WRITING:

MOST PEOPLE WILL IGNORE WHAT YOU WRITE.

SOMEONE DEAD DID IT BETTER THAN You.

YOU WILL BE MISUNDERSTOOD.

THAT'S ALL OK.

...

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jun 21

I like Heather Mitchell's vegemite to toast ratio.

Image of actress Sarah Snook painted on toast with Vegemite. Text says:

Sarah Snook, as painted by Heather Mitch using toast and Vegemite. Photograph: Heather Mitchell/Sydney Theatre Company

Are you still making toast art for your co-stars and is there a superior bread for your canvas?

Yes I am. I did 65 toasts of every crew member on a show called Dalliance, that I've just co-produced and will be coming out later in the year through Paramount. I stayed up all night for a week [to complete them].

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jun 10

Probably AI. Treat it as a cartoon. #GreatLeader

A great leader inspires his followers.
Image of an audience of older people in MAGA or TRUMP teeshirts, asleep in their chairs.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Jun 4

Reposting with alt text. And yes, I will donate.

It's official - I'll be taking part in a High Court challenge against the Queensland Government.

Over the coming months, I'll be one of several plaintiffs involved in a constitutional challenge to Qld's laws restricting political expression and Palestine solidarity activism, alongside an incredible group of organisers, advocates, fellow plaintiffs and lawyers who have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to this fight.

At its heart, this challenge is about defending our ability to speak out for Palestine -to push back against attempts to suppress dissent, chill political expression and intimidate people who are advocating for Palestinian human rights and an end to the ongoing devastation in Gaza.

Many of you know that I've already been contacted by police over my artwork and advocacy. No one should have to wonder whether a slogan, a poster, a social media post or an act of peaceful protest could result in police attention simply because they are expressing solidarity with Palestine.

This case is about much more than a handful of activists - it's about whether governments can restrict political communication on matters of profound public importance. If our ability to advocate for Palestine can be diminished today, that should concern everyone who values democratic freedoms tomorrow.

The challenge is being coordinated by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin and led by an exceptional legal team at Marque. Honoured to stand alongside everyone involved and grateful for the enormous amount of work that has already gone into bringing this challenge forward.

Legal action of this scale is expensive, and fundraising efforts are already underway to help support the plaintiffs and the challenge ahead. One of those is the River to the Sea Fun Run here in Brisbane on Saturday 6 June which many of you will have seen me promoting recently.

Palestinians deserve justice. Aussies deserve the freedom to advocate for that justice without fear. We're not going anywhere.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· May 31

All of the books I've read since the 2020 lockdown have come with this neat little personalised bookmark with my name, the book's name, and approximately when I obtained it.

Library reservation slip used as a bookmark. It's turned on its side for the photograph, to obscure my name but make headings clear - branch, date, item, expiry.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· May 29

This is the third day that this bird, a noisy miner, has woken me up like this.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· May 23

Yo, Vegans. I could get behind this.

Somebody asked me why I don't eat octopus. I told them that I do not eat any animals that are more intelligent than the current president.

Image of Donald Trump
Image of an octopus

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· May 17

Look who followed me!* Guess who got blocked without a second thought. * Answer: some anonymous dickhead who thinks I'm stupid.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· May 5

I constructed this catio. Basic, just a sunny spot and, most importantly, access to the ground to obviate the need for a litter tray. She accesses it via stepped platforms from an open window.

Side of a highset house. There's a 2 metre cube of chainlink fencing at ground level, a shadecloth screened box against the house itself, and a series of wooden platforms, staggered, to allow the cat to make access and egress via a window.
A small tuxedo cat sits on one platform, looking out.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Apr 27

Her profile indicates her AI is randomly posting for her. She might have her heart in the right place, but she's earned a block from me.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Apr 18

His reality:

Donald Trump in a prayer pose in the oval office, being blessed by the 1930s comedy team The Three Stooges

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 31

A Queensland creator, Matt Mawson, in reaction to the Crisafulli government's criminalisation of the phrase "from the river to the sea", created a tee-shirt with the message "I don't like Genocide But please don't arrest me Crisafulli" RedBubble have it under review.

Redbubble advertisement for tee shirt saying "I don't like genocide"

But he's received a message "your work is currently under review and temporarily unavailable for purchase"

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 26

My visitors saw the Eureka flag flying above the Australian flag on a construction crane. I had to explain: "The Eureka Flag is a historic Australian banner, designed in 1854 to represent democratic rights, unity, and defiance against unjust authority." 1/2

A dark blue flag, with a white cross that doesn't reach the edges. There are 5 eight-pointed stars, one at each end of the cross, and one in the middle.
The upper image is an illustration of the flag, the lower image is the original, with numerous souvenir patches removed, as displayed in a museum.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 21

Donald Trump has dedicated his life to proving the principle "every accusation is a confession" (or, in terms he understands, "I know you are, but what am I?") This is another perfect example.

Image from Truth Social

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

Robert Mueller just died. Good, I'm glad he's dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP

5.18k ReTruths

19k Likes

Mar 22, 2026, 3:26 AM

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 17

Reading this old novel and a character is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It occurs to me that I haven't heard this organisation mentioned in several years. Is it still active, or has it been subsumed into MAGA? (Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here)

But always, 1917 or 1936, she was a raging member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The D.A.R. (reflected the cynic, Doremus Jessup, that evening) is a somewhat confusing organization-as confusing as Theosophy, Relativity, or the Hindu Vanishing Boy Trick, all three of which it resembles. It is composed of females who spend one half their waking hours boasting of being descended from the seditious American colonists of 1776, and the other and more ardent half in attacking all contemporaries who believe in precisely the principles for which those ancestors struggled.

The D.A.R. (reflected Doremus) has become as sacrosanct, as beyond criticism, as even the Catholic Church or the Salvation Army.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 12

While the rest of Australia is moaning about fuel reaching A$2.20 per litre, I'll just mention it's $3.10 on Macleay Island, an outer Brisbane suburb.

Screenshot from Petrol Spy App, showing fuel prices in Brisbane's bayside suburbs, mainly $2.19, but $2.15 on Stradbroke Island, $3.10 on Macleay Island and $2.42 on Russell Island

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 8

According to Wikipedia, Great Saint James island was worth $3m when a woman owned it (citation needed) Too right. citation is needed! A name would help too. "A woman" indeed.

^ Ownership

Great Saint James was worth US$3 million at one point when a woman owned it. [citation needed] She later died in a Swiss chalet. The island was

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 5

Donald Trump in a still from the movie Home Alone 2. He is in a white marble and gold hotel lobby, giving directions to a young boy.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Mar 1

Predictive text/autocorrect is also hallucinating. This is why I forgive any and all typos. It wants to change "of course they" to "f cour, e th"

My screenshot, showing autocorrect wants to change "of course they" to "f cour, e th"

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Feb 25

This special clap. In unison, in a CLAP CLAP CLAP (pause) CLAP CLAP CLAP (pause) pattern.

Nelle from Meanjin @nelle· Feb 25

Watching Australian TV coverage of #SOTU and noticed a weird thing. When the Republicans gave him a standing ovation, they clapped in unison. Worse, it was three claps, then a pause. Repeated. CLAP CLAP CLAP (pause) CLAP CLAP CLAP (pause) What does that mean?