"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
Liberal Japonicus Take your pick.
by liberal japonicus My previous thread is turning into a poetry thread, so a bespoke thread. Unfortunately, I can’t really get away from what’s been happening, but if you can, please feel free to share This essay from the Poetry Foundation, worth reading itself, begins by discussing Anna Marie Sewell’s Washing the World. An excerpt: … Read more
by liberal japonicus Seems like we need some comic relief, and it is Banksy to the rescue! That he titled the video on instagram as ‘Going, going, gone!’ only adds to my admiration.
by liberal japonicus It’s probably a sign of my liberal optimism, but when I think of what has just gone down, I’m thinking of Pyrrus quote of ‘another victory like this and we are undone’. Or maybe Robert Duvall’s speech in Apocalypse Now. Smell that? You smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world … Read more
by liberal japonicus While we watch the shitstorm that is the Kavanaugh nomination wind down, the tag-team of the Count, cleek and nous (if I missed anyone, let me know) share the next. The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies the title comes from this Nested on the servers’ … Read more
by liberal japonicus Something a little closer to home. You may have read about Yuka Ogata, who was elected as a city councillor in Kumamoto, Japan and, after numerous attempts to arrange for child care, brought her infant into a city council meeting. After I discovered I was pregnant, I asked the assembly to support … Read more
by liberal japonicus This post is a ‘fresh sheet of paper’ for Kavanaugh discussions. My original title was Kavanaugh: where we stand, but I didn’t want someone to interpret that as making a claim that the post represents an opinion about Kavanaugh. As it stands, there will be an investigation by the FBI. This CNN … Read more
by liberal japonicus
Like a military history buff who spends an inordinate amount of time looking at some skirmish down the road from Waterloo or Gettysburg, I’m pretty fascinated by not so much the main event, but the little wins and losses on the periphery. At for this post, Amy Chua. Background below the fold.
by liberal japonicus Like the salt and meat diet, only the truly strong can subsist on a reading diet of only he said, we aren’t going to believe what she said, and wimps like me need our swiss chard and salads. So for us wimps, an interesting article about China’s new social credit system. Leave … Read more
by liberal japonicus This seems interesting Sheldon Whitehouse Asks Brett Kavanaugh If He Has A Gambling Problem I usually don’t post breaking stuff (I think this is) but Whitehouse was a US attorney and a State Attorney General and the last political thread is quite full. Interesting times…
The recent posts have underlined to me that we don’t have enough non political posts. So here is the start (he says optimistically) of a series. TWA stands for Time Wasting Activity, and I define a TWA as some hobby or pursuit that, well, wastes a lot of time. If regulars have a TWA they want to talk about, feel free to contact me at the kitty’s address.
And below the fold, billiards!
by liberal japonicus
I had, I suppose a bit morbidly, had an idea of posting this before the fact, but I waited and then it was (perhaps fortunately) too late. More below
by liberal japonicus
As the last post goes merrily off the rails, I thought I’d post this, which functions as my observation on where that thread went. Placed below the fold so as to soften the blow a bit…
With this post, I am breaking three of my personal rules I have for this blog. The first is that I do not call out commenters in the post as I think it is unfair to use the larger megaphone of the front page to make a point. The second rule is that in dealing … Read more
Bailey Holt and Preston Cope The 11th school shooting since 1 Jan, and the 50th this academic year.
by liberal japonicus Scrolling thru facebook, was reminded that it has been 9 years.
by liberal japonicus New Year's is a big holiday in Japan, but it snuck up on me (if that is possible) and I wasn't prepared for so many things to be closed. Still, it is a lot better than my first New Year's in Japan, when there were no convenience stores and everything was closed … Read more