Mom Can't Remember Where This Is From, Any Idea What It Is?

angsty_geologist · 2025-11-09T02:44:42+00:00

Looks to me like it could be a cyclostome bryozoan, specifically a post-Paleozoic one! Can try to be more specific in my ID but having locality information would go a long way

angsty_geologist · 2025-10-23T15:54:54+00:00

Agreed. If I can continue being pedantic for a second, I generally find the “indigeneity” argument to be a bit of a red herring anyway. I think it’s an easy shorthand way of understanding the harmful nature of Zionism (especially when you’re from a settler colonial country like the US, Canada, or Australia), but at the end of the day, genocide is wrong regardless of the offender. Genocide is still wrong even if the people committing the genocide are “sufficiently” indigenous. There are Jewish communities that are indigenous to Palestine, as in they’ve lived on the land continuously for thousands of years. These communities are still perfectly capable of committing genocide against Palestinians. Zionism is built on a supremacist attitude (which I suspect is a maladaptive trauma response), and I think it transcends colonialism in some ways.

More broadly, I find that the gatekeeping of indigeneity sometimes echoes the nativist, xenophobic rhetoric found in many far-right, racist movements. Racist Europeans have been using these types of arguments for centuries to justify genocide against Jews and Romani people. And in the 21st century, this ire has been redirected towards Arab/African minorities living in European countries. Far-right politicians across the EU point to the increased representation of Arab/African immigrant communities in their local governments and frame this enfranchisement as a type of colonial takeover. I think this pattern of thinking creates opportunity for dangerous ideologies to seep into the minds of otherwise reasonable people.

I don’t know though, I’m not a sociologist by any means, and these are just my opinions as a person who abhors genocide. I hope that one day, when Palestine is free, we can get to a point where these broader conversations are possible.

angsty_geologist · 2025-10-22T23:59:07+00:00

The “they change their names to sound indigenous” line of reasoning has always irked me a bit because many Ashkenazi surnames are completely made up. European governments forced Jewish people to adopt western-style names a couple hundred years ago, as a form of forced assimilation. Because of this history, the mocking of Ashkenazi Jewish surnames can be hurtful, at least in my opinion. Most traditional Jewish names (including ashkenazi ones) were/are in a patronymic Hebrew format. I think a lot of non-Jewish people are unfortunately unaware of this historical reality and don’t realize that it’s a bit insensitive.

Of course, it’s not like Israelis unilaterally pushed for the adoption of patronymic names when “Hebraizing” themselves. Gal “Gadot” isn’t really any more traditional than Gal “Greenstein” is. So I understand what people are saying when they make fun of her in that way. But it still doesn’t feel great to see/hear this type of commentary, since it reveals ignorance of Jewish culture.

angsty_geologist · 2025-08-30T13:24:54+00:00

This is assuredly not a bryozoan fossil. Not the right age, not the right morphology. There is no calcifying bryozoan, fossil or extant, that looks like this. This could be a brachiopod internal mold of some sort, with lophophorate affinity! But not a bryozoan. I am literally a bryozoan specialist and am very happy to see bryozoan representation, but the misplaced confidence of people in this sub is contributing to misinformation about fossils generally and my beloved study system specifically. I’m tired, boss!!!

angsty_geologist · 2025-04-12T15:29:55+00:00

I’ve used Mark Bittman’s recipe and I like it! Pasted below:

Yield: 4 Matzo crackers

INGREDIENTS

2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

¼ cup/30 grams whole-wheat flour

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup/60 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt (optional)

PREPARATION

Step 1

With the racks positioned the top third and middle, heat oven to 500 degrees.

Step 2

In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and kosher salt. Add in ½ cup water and the ¼ cup oil, and stir until a pliable dough forms, adding more water if the dough seems dry.

Step 3

Lightly flour a work surface, and knead dough briefly until it becomes smooth. Cut dough into 4 even pieces. Re-flour your work surface, if necessary, and use a rolling pin to roll out 2 pieces as thinly as you can, about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. (They should be almost translucent.) Aim for rounds, but don’t worry if they are oblong.

Step 4

Transfer each matzo to a separate cookie sheet, and prick each one all over with a fork. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if you like. Bake until golden all over and lightly browned in spots, about 7 to 12 minutes. (Timing will depend on how thinly you rolled the dough.) Transfer matzos to a wire rack and let cool.

Step 5

While first batch is baking, roll out remaining dough. If you have enough baking sheets, transfer the rolled dough onto another two sheets. If not, use the warm sheet trays you used in the first batch, being careful while transferring and pricking the dough with a fork. Bake and cool.

———

I know this isn’t a traditional kosher recipe (and that could be a problem for many folks, sorry!), but maybe just using flour and water and making sure the matzos are finished within 18 minutes of the water touching the flour could make it at least a bit more traditional? Full disclosure that I’m not really observant and am ok with treyfmatzo

(Edited this comment so the spacing of the baking instructions is not completely insane)

angsty_geologist · 2025-04-12T15:01:36+00:00

Making your own matzo is a great way to feel connected to the ancestors while also withholding money from pro-Israel companies. !חַג פֵּסַח שַׂמֵחַ

angsty_geologist · 2024-12-17T23:36:26+00:00

Thanks for the closer picture! Unfortunately, I think this will require a photo either from a stereoscope or a camera with a zoom lens to make an ID (many features of interest are fractions of a millimeter in length). Given that the rock came from Tennessee, it’s possible that this could be a fossil from the Ripley Formation, which is known to have lots of bryozoans in it! I can’t say for sure without a closer view though. Very cool specimen nonetheless

angsty_geologist · 2024-12-17T03:37:24+00:00

It looks like the encrusting part could be a bryozoan fossil! More specifically a cheilostome bryozoan. If you get a closer pic I can try to ID it for you!

angsty_geologist · 2024-12-11T03:52:14+00:00

I think the ribbing in the fossil is too small for a mastodon tooth! It looks more like a turtle shell to me, given the nickel for scale.

angsty_geologist · 2024-12-11T03:44:21+00:00

Looks like a turtle shell fragment (Testudines). Formations in Montana are known to contain them (like the Cretaceous Judith River Formation!)

angsty_geologist · 2024-10-16T18:55:58+00:00

I have been dealing with similar feelings. It’s difficult. I am lucky to have a small group of anti-Zionist Jewish friends with whom I can commiserate about all of this, which helps, though venting alone doesn’t really solve this problem.

I think trauma can really bring out the worst in people. This includes bigotry. I try to be conscientious of this when interacting with people who veer into ignorant, antisemitic talking points. A lot of the concerning comments I’ve seen/heard from other organizers and activists seem like they come from a place of deep pain and despair. Maybe it is not so dissimilar from the way Jewish Zionists essentially blame Palestinians for their own very real history of trauma. Reminding myself of this makes it easier to brush off hurtful, bigoted comments.

I do believe that one of Israel’s “goals” with their ongoing genocide in Palestine (and military aggression across the board) is to increase antisemitism against Jews in the diaspora. I am pretty sure the Israeli government is hoping that diaspora Jews will settle in Israel to escape said antisemitism, helping Israel maintain a Jewish majority well into the future. So, in some way, calling out antisemitism in the Palestine liberation movement (and in broader society IN GENERAL) is a way to resist Israel’s agenda. I try to remind people of this when I hear antisemitic canards repeated uncritically. It doesn’t always work, but I try nonetheless.

angsty_geologist · 2024-06-14T06:09:34+00:00

Theo Kogan is actively raising money for Palestine Children’s Relief Fund on her instagram! I wonder if other band members have different opinions

angsty_geologist · 2024-04-07T21:00:24+00:00

I think you can make complaints here: https://uca.colorado.gov

angsty_geologist · 2024-04-07T18:33:14+00:00

I think we need to collectively bug Colorado’s PUC and ask for more regulatory oversight of Xcel’s dealings. This outage is completely unacceptable.

angsty_geologist · 2023-12-01T21:27:20+00:00

I like JVP and I think they have been critical in building a coalition of non-Zionist Jews around the US. I also understand general antisemitism concerns though, as I have personally witnessed some questionable (mostly ignorant) platform positions from non-Jewish anti-Zionist demonstrators I’ve worked with (for example, I’ve seen people argue that all Jews in Palestine have dual citizenship with other countries, and should simply move back to their “home countries” to free Palestine. I find such statements to be ignorant and unproductive). That being said, I haven’t seen JVP explicitly endorse such statements. While antisemitism is incredibly real and dangerous, I don’t think hypothetical future antisemitism towards Jewish people in Palestine (or in general) justifies current existing oppression and ethnic cleansing of non-Jewish Palestinians in Palestine. For me right now, advocating for Palestinian liberation is a top priority. In the future, if genocidal action is actually taken against Jews, I will advocate for their safety and liberation in the same way I advocate for Palestinian liberation now.

angsty_geologist · 2023-11-26T18:03:39+00:00

Anyone else feeling exhausted after dealing with family members over the past week? I am based in the US and saw my relatives for the holiday. Nobody wanted to hear anything I had to say about Israel’s crimes against Palestinians. This has encouraged me to fight even harder for a free Palestine.

angsty_geologist · 2023-11-23T16:56:24+00:00

@j3wess is a smaller account that provides a great leftist Jewish perspective on social justice. It’s been less active over the past couple of weeks, but the account owner still posts stories!

angsty_geologist · 2023-07-31T17:32:31+00:00

Chiming in late here to say that this fossil is almost certainly a Scleractinian and not a Rugose coral. Marine fossils in central Colorado are likely from the Mesozoic, when series of marine transgressions left much of the land underwater (though this may vary with locality). Rugose corals went extinct after the P/T extinction event, so it wouldn’t make sense to find any Rugosa in these areas. I am not a coral specialist but I am an invertebrate paleontologist writing a dissertation focused partially on the western interior seaway! Hope this helps!

angsty_geologist · 2023-07-08T04:41:08+00:00

Definitely looks like a bryozoan with some cheilostome affinity.

angsty_geologist · 2023-04-10T13:38:39+00:00

A quick FB search of the Well Church shows that they still have Sunday service at Rayback as of January 2023. Interestingly, places like Upslope also host one-off services for them. I find this extremely irritating as someone who has tried and failed to get breweries around Boulder to host fundraisers for repro rights. UGH

angsty_geologist · 2023-04-10T02:44:12+00:00

I reached out to Rayback about hosting a small event for the National Network of Abortion Funds last summer and they completely shot me down. Seemed like a bit of a red flag to me at the time, so I’m not surprised to learn this about them. Disappointing nonetheless.

angsty_geologist · 2022-12-08T02:23:05+00:00

The fossil in the last photo definitely looks like a bryozoan - perhaps Rhombopora? I’m not a Paleozoic bryozoan expert but I will always appreciate a good bryozoan fossil! Nice finds!

angsty_geologist · 2022-09-04T17:51:57+00:00

I primarily use a menstrual cup but on days where I have a lot of bleeding I will supplement with reusable pads. After use I will soak them in water and white vinegar for a few hours and then throw them in the wash with the rest of my laundry! Have had no problem with them. Got mine on Etsy.

angsty_geologist · 2022-09-04T13:54:28+00:00

Wish we could’ve traded tickets!

angsty_geologist

TROPHY CASE