"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by liberal japonicus
In his book Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud writes (and illustrates) how humans always can see ourselves in other things
I’d argue that this is what makes it so easy to anthropomorphize things. However, I’m wondering if there is a word for assuming that things are occurring at the same time. Speculation and youtube videos below the fold
by JanieM How about a different topic to argue about? Gender is nice and juicy, but in case that doesn’t suit, let’s just say that if we can start with Turkey Day and get to an unhappy debate about the Civil War, it would be superfluous to declare this an open thread. ***** In March … Read more
by Doctor Science This video of wild turkeys circling a dead cat went viral in March, but I feel it summarizes Thanksgiving 2017 perfectly. We’re up at my parents’ house in northeastern Connecticut, preparing to go out to dinner at a restaurant. I think I’m going to have the salmon, because I *know* the … Read more
by liberal japonicus [ed. the first two names which were left off and have been added] With the Count's comment here, all of the people killed in the Las Vegas shooting have been listed. I have found no lists of all the wounded, just stories like this Caster, 41, plans to leave Sunrise Hospital and … Read more
by liberal japonicus
For the briefest of milliseconds, I thought of making the title of this post ‘Sexual Harassment is NOT the problem’. There must be some sort of ‘clickbait anon’ group that can deal with this. However, that title is related to the topic, which is below the fold and which I hope doesn’t step on Doc Science’s post.
by Doctor Science
American society can’t yet treat rape, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment as crimes, because they are too common. We have to make them rare first: only then will going through the legal system be anything other than selective enforcement.
The past month or more has been horrific for many of my friends, who are being constantly reminded of their traumatic experiences with rape, abuse, and the dismissive way they’re treated. This is what “trigger warnings” are for: to give survivors a chance to control what they have to deal with. And that’s why I’m cutting here, with a plea to my friends to take care of yourselves in this very stressful time.
by liberal japonicus A bit of a frivolous post, but there was a Month Python sketch about the killer joke, a joke that was so funny that when people heard it, they would die. While this didn’t reach those heights, it seems that Kiwi AI researchers have inherited that outlook. I look forward to the … Read more
by russell today I remember my uncle Cecil, who died somewhere in France in WWII. I remember my father, who spent 4+ years below decks in the Caribbean and Pacific. I remember my step-father, who was instantly made a sergeant in a tank division when the war broke out, because he knew how to operate … Read more
by Doctor Science I’ve always loved maps for real or unreal places: there was one Christmas back in the 80s where my mother and I gave each other assortments of atlases, because we like looking at maps so much. Two books I recently read made me realize that I don’t just like maps, they’re part … Read more
by Doctor Science The first Ballot Question NJ will vote on tomorrow[1] is the NJ Library Construction Bond Act, authorizing $125M for public library construction projects (including ADA compliance) and technology upgrades. I urge my fellow NJans to vote YES on this question. I would probably be saying this anyway, because I’ve always loved libraries. … Read more
by Doctor Science The rest of New Jersey is going to the polls on Tuesday for state and local elections: Governor (& Lieutenant Gov. running mate), legislature (one state Senator and two Assemblypeople per district), county Board of Chosen Freeholders and Sheriff, and township Committee. There are also School Board elections, which are explicitly non-partisan, … Read more
by liberal japonicus Something new that doesn't have math in it. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book, We were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy is reviewed here by Kevin Young, the Poetry editor of the New Yorker and a poet of great power himself. Young makes an observation that I find interesting, which is If there’s anything to … Read more
by liberal japonicus From this link The young Trump campaign aide has been described as a “proactive cooperator” by investigators, a sign he’s being used by Mueller’s team to form a case against other aides — including former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was indicted on Monday. Don't know why, but 'proactive cooperator' struck … Read more