finding the fire to carry

Rainbow leaf beetles get their vivid metallic colors from microscopic structures in their shells, not pigments.

These layered surfaces bend and reflect light to produce shifting greens, golds, and blues that can change depending on the angle. It is structural coloration, similar to what gives soap bubbles or oil slicks their rainbow effect.

These beetles prove that sometimes beauty is all in having the light attitude!

This is not foolproof, but it's how I killed SJP on my campus.

See, the thing everyone on campus fucking forgets is that "Israeli" is a NATIONAL ORIGIN, and that's a protected category under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which like... is wildly in danger in this day and age but that's not the point. The point is that anything that receives federal funds is vulnerable to a Title VI complaint, and you know who receives federal funds?

COLLEGES. UNIVERSITIES. EVEN PRIVATE ONES. Because you know what counts as federal funding?

STUDENT.

LOANS.

That's right: if your institution offers federal student loans, YOU CAN MAKE A TITLE VI COMPLAINT.

And because a Title VI complaint threatens a school's federal funding? They do NOT fuck around with them. They won't always be able to tell you the exact action they take (in fact, they'll hardly ever be able to tell you), but they WILL have to take action if your local band of antisemites is posting anti-Israel crap.

And how do you MAKE one? Why, through this extremely handy portal! But your school should also have a process for making one, and if you have a diversity office or something akin to that, you can also have fun freaking them out by walking in and saying, "Hi, I'm here to make a Title VI complaint." Usually this will cause people to get managers. Federal discrimination complaints are a big deal.

Kohal Beth Israel, New York, 1958, by James Van Der Zee (1886-1983).

Smiling Bats

*