What do you think is the most misunderstood thing in your country's history?
"If anybody wants to know what political democracy is, the answer is simple; it is a desperate and partly hopeless attempt to get at the opinion of the best people- that is, of the people who do not trust themselves. A man can rise to any rank in an oligarchy. But an oligarchy is simply a prize for impudence. An oligarchy says that the victor may be any kind of man, so long as he is not a humble man." -G. K. Chesterton, "Lunacy and Letters"
No, I did not invent Star Wars Day.
At least you're not Elon Musk!
In stories, there is a difference between monsters and the corrupted person: the monster is irredeemable and evil; the corrupted one is redeemable and human (flawed, fallen, broken). For example, there is no conceivable path for Emperor Palpatine's redemption; Darth Vader is redeemed.
I need to stop stress eating and start stress exercising.
I hate it when I sneeze in an online meeting and my headset falls off.
If heavy water is water with additional neutrons, what is heavy cream?
"Supplement your neutron intake with heavy cream today, and support your local dairy farmers!"
What people need, want, and are willing to pay for are all different things. Human foolishness and venality are what we need to mitigate for capitalism's (or most -isms, for that matter) full value to be achieved.
Conspiracy theory: if Donald Trump was actually the shadow president elected in 2020, then the 22nd amendment to the US constitution prohibits him from running in 2024.
dclr42
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Good morning to readers. Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
Some career news: I’m leaving NPR as part of the layoffs that dramatically reduced the company’s workforce.
I’ve decided to go back into Ukraine to keep reporting.
But this time, alone.
Last night I dreamt about a secret Confederate university hidden in a forest in Pennsylvania. It was started as a joke, but people were interested, so it kept going. Now, they're just teaching out the programs and then it'll close.
Wouldn't it be fun if we could have a potluck with our internet friends?
If you are a good person, by what standard (religious ethics, philosophy, law, etc.) are you good? Is being "a good person" important to you?
Ah, spring allergy season, when even my ear canals itch.
On Good Friday, we can take comfort in the knowledge that all evil ever done will be made right. The restitution has been made, moral responsibility has been satisfied, justice has been carried out. There can be peace between humanity and deity. You can have it if you want it.
If justice is desirable, then we also desire moral responsibility, as well as restitution. When someone does something evil, we hold that person responsible for their actions, and we want (often, we demand!) them to make it right in some way.
Because we know that evil is real, we also have an idea that justice is desirable. Although we quibble about the details, we know that when "something wrong" happens, we want it to be fixed.
We know that evil is real. Some will argue that evil is simply "things happening that we don't like," which I think most people consider a shady dodge.
I played my first SWCCG game with my daughter this morning. My wife said it was a dream come true for me.
Joined Nov 2022
