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A nudge is as good as a wink…

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by liberal japonicus This Guardian piece is quite interesting. With an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 coronavirus cases now present in the UK, the government has eschewed social distancing measures such as closing schools and banning large sporting events. Instead, it has opted for behavioural “nudges”: wash your hands, don’t touch your face, don’t shake hands … Read more

electability and all that jazz

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by liberal japonicus Thought I’d post something, the wuhan thread is creaking at the seams. A couple of grafs from here Sanders promised to show up at the debate on Sunday in Arizona to face Biden one-on-one, and basically offered him a cheat sheet: “Let me be very frank as to the questions that I … Read more

We write letters

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by liberal japonicus I wrote to Josh Marshall, editor of Talking Points Memo (and he immediately wrote back with a gracious response. I should also add that they are keeping all their COVID reporting outside their paywall, but they are hoping to get more subscribers, so you may want to consider it) about this statement … Read more

Tech and Korea part 1 of 3: transport

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by liberal japonicus

TLDR:I started writing a post about tech in Korea, but realised it’s going to take multiple posts, which will probably be warped by my relative isolation in Japan. Right now, I’m thinking three parts, transport & cashless society, internet and national id. And for those of you hoping to read this to forget about COVID-19, well, sorry about that.

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Christianity and Korea

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by liberal japonicus

TLDR: While Christianity in Korea may look familiar, it got there in a pretty unique way and who knows where it is going. Supported by tons of random observations that may or may not be related, leading to a conclusion that is pretty weak. More below.

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Wuhan’s first?

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by liberal japonicus

I’m back with an Abbott and Costello pun to start things off.

Obligatory exposition. I was an exchange professor in the city of Daejeon, an hour south of Seoul for one year. While there are lots of things that I hope I will write about, I thought that I would start with some discussion of the coronavirus and what I’ve seen in Korea and Japan. As I’m sure all of you are aware, the Chinese efforts to contain the virus have been pretty intensive/harsh/draconian (adjectives to adjust depending on your opinion of China and the danger of the virus). I’m not sure how much coverage you’ve gotten where you are, but here is an interesting story, and the twitter video can give all your Chinese learners some stuff to practice listening to. (不客气!) However, because I wasn’t in China and I wanted to talk about my personal experiences, I won’t talk anymore about that. I’ll also leave Ugh’s post up so folks can talk about what is happening elsewhere especially in the US. I realize that may be a bit chaotic, but I feel like the situation in Asia is quite different than the US, though reading the Guardian suggests that there are some similarities with the UK and Europe. Anyway, more below.

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We are all the Corvid-19 Now

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by Ugh The U.S. border is like a hermetically sealed emergency room with full body hand purifiers, UV rays, flame throwers, exposure to the vacuum of space and Trump's hair regimen, which kills off Corvid-19.  Thank you, Mr. President. And yet, VP and Dr. Mike Pence is in charge of the U.S. response, so, we're … Read more

Jeepers Jiminy Cricket on a Dad Gum Popsicle Stick!

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by Ugh The number of Ivy League educated representatives of the "common man*" in the FoxNews-esque-extended-Marvel-universe-social-media-ecosphere bothers me.  I mean, really? They aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but hey! If I've got an "R" after my name I must therefore speak for Midwestern farmers while sipping (drinking?) a 1945 bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti … Read more

Spinning

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by wj It’s well after midnight in Iowa (and getting late here on the West Coast) and the results, even preliminary results, still aren’t in from the Iowa caucuses**. In fact, they’re saying it may be “late Tuesday” before we know anything. Not only after the Tuesday morning papers have got to press, but probably … Read more

We are all John Boltons now…

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by Ugh To quote Jon Lovitz as Michael Dukakis in a spoof of a 1988 Presidential debate, "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy."  These days I kind of wander around in a general state of "WTF", trying to stay off the twitterati.  63 million people voted for this guy in 2016.  It's a … Read more

Paper Trails

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by wj I was tempted to title this The Best People. But it’s what the “best people” have been doing that boggles my mind. The blanket refusal to respond to subpoenas has been in start contrast to how previous administrations, all previous administrations, have dealt with Congress. Let’s face it, no matter what one’s opinion … Read more

let’s talk about something else

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by russell Donald J Who?  I'm tired of that human trainwreck sucking all the air out of the room.  Let's take a short break from the clown show and talk about something else. Stumbled across this and thought it was a combination of interesting, accurate, and dire.  What is it like to be a young … Read more

It’s 2,000 & 20: do u know where ur democracy is?

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by Ugh It's interesting times.  The slow motion movement to (soon) U.S. minority white nationalism rule continues apace, aided and abetted by SCOTUS.  Donald the Dove is getting his WAR! on.  For some reason I can't get it through my head that it's all about the 9 rings for some people, thus asking "why" or … Read more

2020 2020 2020 2020 y’all

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By Ugh I weep for the future.  Rocky, rooaad? I’m your huckleberry. My car just hit a water buffalo.  That’s a big Twinkie.  I am your son mom?!! TK421 why aren’t you at your post? You make me want to be a better man   ‘I strenuously object,’ is that how it works? No, that … Read more

Is Parliament Burning?

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by Doctor Science This is a thread for our UK friends. It’s going up later than I hoped because I’ve been watching live-blogs of our own Constitutional crisis. Perhaps the most distressing part is that Republican members of the Judiciary Committee are laughing during the markup hearing. I suppose this is tactical, to convey that … Read more

We don’t need no thought control

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by Ugh So… Trump is digging in, not gonna give up without a fight, pulling out all the stops, etc. etc. etc. (he has perfected Calvinball in this process, I might add). Meanwhile, GOPers will excuse anything he does.  The 5th Avenue murder thing was a joke, and yet it was set forth as a … Read more

an interesting person

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by russell Stumbled across this interview with Barbara Liskov in the news feed.  Liskov is an important presence in the history of computing for her contributions in areas like type theory, but mostly for her very pragmatic insights into how to structure a code base so that working with it doesn't lead to insanity and … Read more

Sodom and Sarcasm

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by Doctor Science

I don’t seem to have talked about it here before, but last year (5779) I leveled up significantly in my Jewish practice by reading the Torah portion (Parsha) every week, and discussing it on Twitter under the #ParshaChat hashtag (usually on Wednesday evenings, though it was on Thursday last week).

Last week’s parsha was Vayeira (Genesis 18:1 – 22:24) , which includes the destruction of Sodom. In thinking about Vayeira last year, I realized that there’s an interpretation in which everyone’s behavior makes a lot more sense and is more relatable than in the interpretations that have been standard for, um, well, thousands of years. Despite the incredible weight of tradition that’s against me, I kind of think I’m right:

The men of Sodom are asking for ID, and Lot replies with a sarcastic pun. Nothing in this is actually about sex, it’s about immigration, about how you treat outsiders.

Note: the following includes discussions of rape, abuse, and homophobia. Take care of yourself.

521px-Henry_Ossawa_Tanner_-_Sodom_and_Gomorrha

Sodom and Gomorrah (1920) by Henry Ossawa Tanner, the first African-American artist to achieve international fame. (image source)

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Starlight and Gravity

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by JanieM Surely it’s time for something completely different. I went to an event tonight featuring the authors of the recently published book Proving Einstein Right: The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe. The book was written by S. James Gates, professor of physics and math at Brown (among various other … Read more

On the view from under the bus

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by liberal japonicus First of all, a couple of people have said hi to me in the comments, so hey back and apologies for not being in the flow to answer. The title refers to the following Johnson throwing the DUP under the bus Bolton throwing Rudy under the bus followed by Sondland doing the … Read more

Professor (!) John effing Yoo

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by Ugh My former law Professor (!) John Yoo* appeared on Fox News to espouse certain views on what the "framers" (or "founders") would want w/r/t impeachment within one year of an election (shocking conclusion: they wouldn't approve!!!).  I'd say this is blatant nonsense, even for an "originalist." (though judges/justices/lawyers say certain subjects are beyond … Read more

A Profile in Courage. Not.

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by wj “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” – Donald Trump on John McCain It appears that our Leader has found a way to avoid having people captured: run away. In keeping with his own approach to military service, I suppose. … Read more

Constitutional Calvinball

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by Ugh So Congress, you didn't put the croquet basketball malleting to the uprights and now the Trump Administration can neener neener your impeachment kangaroo court thingy. This is not the Constitutional Crisis you're looking for.   Nearly 63 million effing people voted for this sh1tshow.   I give up.

all of the BS aside, there actually is a problem here

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by russell Don't usually read CNBC but this  popped up on my news feed.  The headline is "Here's why Trump's poll numbers are defying the impeachment mess".  AKA, "WTF is going on with Trump supporters?". A topic of perennial interest. It doesn't discuss racism, homophobia, misogyny, toxic nationalism, economic insecurity, gun mania, concerns about the … Read more

Cyber warfare article on NPR

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by liberal japonicus I’m alive. Not really following things closely, but this NPR article on how the US hacked ISIS caught my attention. There are some interesting points related to my encounters with the internet here in Korea that I’ll try and discuss, but just wanted to put this up there for now.

Chimpeach!

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by Ugh Someone said something about impeachment? My only thought is that if the House makes this solely about Ukraine then it's a huge mistake.   (I guess my other thought is that this should have been done w/r/t W, but alas)

Bomb bomb bomb… Act of war?

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by Ugh I really don't understand Pompeo's view that somehow the attack on Saudi oil facilities is an "act of war."  Or rather, how it could possibly constitute an act of war against the United States.  Or, even if not, how it is the United States would respond to an attack on the Saudis by … Read more

Papers

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by JanieM From an article about the new head of the border patrol in Maine: New border patrol chief explains why he uses #BuildTheWall and what his plans are for Maine Jason Owens wants to increase transportation checks and the U.S. Border Patrol’s visibility in Maine and takes over amid a national debate on immigration. … Read more