Month: September 2021

A heartwarming Friday open thread

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by liberal japonicus

I’m pretty cynical, I think by nature, but I also believe that we are bathed in it, so even if I were the most optimistic on the planet (which I am not), getting pickled in it has the expected effect. But a bit of cheer below the fold.

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Testing UBI in the Real World

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by wj It seems that there are several places around the country which are actually trying out variations on the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI), to see how it works in the real world. https://usbig.net/state-level-ubi-and-guaranteed-income-initiatives-in-the-u-s/ We may, in the not too distant future, have something besides theory on which to evaluate the idea. (Actual … Read more

FFS

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by liberal japonicus From The Guardian Pinker’s progress: the celebrity scientist at the centre of the culture wars He has twice been a guest at Bohemian Grove, which has been described as an off-the-record summer camp for male members of the American establishment. Discuss.

Variations on a theme

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by liberal japonicus We’ve talked about this a bit here, so a discussion on where things are moving in Minneapolis https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/22/minneapolis-reckoning-defund-the-police-513568 This, from this link is interesting. The amendment went through the city’s Charter Commission, who are appointed by the chief judge in Hennepin County. At the Minneapolis City Council, city staff tried to attach … Read more

interesting juxtaposition

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by liberal japonicus This article https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/25/california-latino-voters-democrats-gavin-newsom-recall About 30% of California’s registered voters are Latino, and it appears they voted largely Democrat – but some say it was ‘about ensuring this state didn’t move backward’ and this one https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-pushes-racist-great-replacement-theory-yet-again-adl-renews-call-for-fox-to-fire-him The Fox News host has repeatedly fear-mongered about Democrats allegedly bringing in dark-skinned immigrants with the express … Read more

COVID’s greatest hits

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by liberal japonicus I feel like posting this in the open thread would be a bit of a U-turn, and I wanted a ever-so slightly more focussed thread. And I had forgotten all about this. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/09/22/chaos-and-drama-new-report-sheds-light-what-went-wrong-aboard-navys-covid-stricken-carrier.html There was a comment about how, with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the US military should be pivoting to a … Read more

Frames and framing

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by liberal japonicus An interesting piece about the various frames in the decision to shelve the military’s DADT policy. https://inkstickmedia.com/transcending-a-readiness-frame-for-lgbtq-rights-in-the-military/ Driving the repeal forward with a readiness frame was a huge success. The day the repeal was implemented there was an enormous lifting of weight off the shoulders of LGB military personnel. However, downplaying the … Read more

Friday, again?

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by liberal japonicus Hope I don’t insult everyone by suggesting that there may be a lot of people here who are bibliophiles. So, an article. https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2021/09/why-are-ebooks-so-terrible/620068/ I’ve got some thoughts, but the lamp is lit.