April 28, 2020

At the Arboretum Café...

P1190051

... you can talk all night.

P1190052

394 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   201 – 394 of 394
narciso said...


Or this piece

https://harpers.org/archive/2020/05/dream-state-hong-kong-protests/

Mark said...

Page Two.

Gahrie said...

How asinine is that. They don't experience "something akin to what we call "suffering," they experience suffering ... straight up.

Animals feel pain. They have emotions. They think. They even use tools and language.

What they don't do is meta cognate. They don't think about thinking. They're NPCs. They don't deserve the same rights and consideration of humans, if for no other reason they are incapable of considering the rights of others.

We owe it to ourselves to treat animals with as much respect, and as humanely as possible.

gilbar said...

We did win in Vietnam. When we left in 1973, the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese military were destroyed

yes, BUT; the same was true in '69, after Tet.
They hit us with EVERYTHING they had, and we held.
Of Course, Paid Communist Agents, like Walter Cronkite (and Roughcoat) worked hard to make people think that winning was losing
Fast forward the Christmas bombing to DURING the Tet Offensive... And the War would have been Over.

bagoh20 said...

“As of April 28, 2,274 people have died from the coronavirus in Sweden, making its per-capital death rate nearly six times higher than that of Norway and Finland.”

The usual total bullshit from the usual source.

Both those places are cherry picked for comparison precisely becuase they have had a good result and only for that reason.

As I've shown regularly, Sweden also has a death rate lower than many similar nations, 11 of them to be exact, and that's an improvement of two places from where they lined up just last month. I didn't compare just two nations picked in hindsight to support a predetermined narrative of choice. I started way back at the beginning before we knew what was going to work or not, and it's pretty clear that the lock down approach produces no significant difference. Can you you tell based on who locked down and who didn't how they ended up performing? No, you cannot.

Do you want me to show you an update on the Sweden / Michigan comparison? It's only gotten worse every day since I started back in March.

Sweden has had only about 200 deaths in the last 4 days including one day with only two. Michigan with a similar population had 160 just yesterday. How's that lock down working there? Many are dying faster and the rest are going broke faster: lose - lose.

Every single nation Sweden is out-performing has a lock down, but many that are doing better than Sweden do not.

Anybody can cherry pick examples to get whatever result they want, but looking at all cases, no clear case can be made for locking down as a reliably successful strategy, although the opposite argument could be supported from the data. One thing is sure: locking down cost jobs, and lives and guts a nation's basic ability to support itself. Most states typically have flu deaths much higher than what was used to support this catastrophe of a response.

Original Mike said...

"But don't be surprised when you get drago'd again and again. You bring it upon yourself."

Thank God for Drago.

Drago said...

Inga The 4+ Year Conspiracy Theorist: "I have better things to do with my precious time than to argue never ending conspiracy theories."

Inga is now claiming the official documents and testimony being released and what they show are conspiracy theories.

She is literally arguing just that.

And that is why she refuses to answer if she still believes in Trump/Russia collusion.....because she absolutely does.

Let that sink in.

narciso said...


A question they havent seriously considered


https://mobile.twitter.com/GordonGChang/status/1255251840167485442?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

J. Farmer said...

@Gahrie:

Our (Farmer and me) biggest disputes are always over foreign policy. You want to retreat and bunker up, while I want a Pax Americana.

His views on race were antiquated.


The arguments for Pax Americana were very closely related to the same ones that pushed "free trade." I think the Pax Britannica is overrated as historical explanation, and I think Pax Americana is even more overrated, especially considering that the second half of the 20th century was quite violent, with the difference being most of the violence occurred within borders as opposed to between them. I think the threat of nuclear annihilation has also probably played a big role in reducing the likelihood of direct military conflict between great powers.

Roughcoat said...

Oh, now I'm a paid communist agent because I take the view that we didn't win the Vietnam war.

You're an asshole. You don't know shit.

chickelit said...

You must have missed the numerous times I've referred to Russian collusion as a hoax and declared I was paying no attention to any of the coverage. The whole thing has been a desperate, pathetic attempt to blame everyone but Hillary for the 2016 loss.

I did miss it! Thank you for pointing out my error. I would delete your name from that comment if I could, but I want the rest to stay.

Drago said...

Remember way back when Ken B kept insisting he wasnt another Inga-like lefty?

Good times good times.

Ken B now fully onboard the Trump/Russia collusion train.

Unexpectedly.

gilbar said...

here's an interesting thing, in a previous thread, someone mentioned...
Recall also that Inga did not hesitate to call this 33 year Marine Corps General a traitor.
And she has never retracted that accusation.


And, you know what Igna replied? NOTHING, she was gone with the wind
Now, she's back!

So, let's Ask her? Any comment about General Flynn?

Mark said...

Even more boring than Ritmo, ARM, Chuck, the Canadian, Inga, et al., is incessantly talking about Ritmo, ARM, Chuck, the Canadian, Inga, et al.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

I'm about 40 minutes in to the new Michael Moore movie - which is really a Jeff Gibbs movie.

I think it's good. Freaking what? I cannot believe I am going to recommend a MM movie.
But so far - yes.

J. Farmer said...

@Roughcoat:

How asinine is that. They don't experience "something akin to what we call "suffering," they experience suffering ... straight up.

You've managed to write a sentence that produces a strong urge in me to bitch slap you to your knees.


Put my comment in the context of what and who I was responding to. Also, I consider it morally obvious that we prioritize human suffering above non-human suffering. In other words, I did not stand with Harambe.

chickelit said...

And that is why she refuses to answer if she still believes in Trump/Russia collusion.....because she absolutely does.

I also think she sees changing her opinion as being seen as a weakness. She probably gets that from Althouse.

J. Farmer said...

I did miss it! Thank you for pointing out my error. I would delete your name from that comment if I could, but I want the rest to stay.

No problem ;)

Mark said...

In fact, talking about other commenters generally is a boring and tedious topic.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Bagoh - your work on the Sweden-Michigan comp is impressive. Thank U.

Guildofcannonballs said...

https://babylonbee.com/news/inspiring-celebrities-spell-out-were-all-in-this-together-with-their-yachts?utm_content=buffer1f800&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Drago said...

chickelit: "I also think she sees changing her opinion as being seen as a weakness. She probably gets that from Althouse."

Well, she has to be feeling pretty good now that she got Ken B to go all in with her.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

How long until Ken B joins Inga in accusing Kavanaugh of leading a rape gang for several decades?

Cant be long now.

narciso said...

Its more a question of will, a little more than 20 years after his bold move in ahanghai, chiang was out of options. Similarly the nva new the nixon administration couldnt repeat the strategy of 1972.

Inga said...

So tomorrow I’m going to make a bechemel sauce and toss in some smoked Gouda and pour it over layered finely onions and sliced potatoes with some of the off the bone ham I won’t eat uncooked and bake it until the potatoes are soft and the cheesy bubbly sauce is ready to overflow the pan.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Russia Russia Inga! She knows. Poor Hillary lost because of some lame facebook ads.

While Hillary was running the State Dept with her private server, The Clinton Foundation pocketed millions from Russia.

Inga Snopes = she finds that false.

Russians wanted Hillary. They own her.

Drago said...

Mark: "In fact, talking about other commenters generally is a boring and tedious topic."

You know, that Mark fellow strikes me as quite erudite, handsome and rugged.

Thoughts?

Jon Ericson said...

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Ken B said...

Inga
Apologies. It could have been worse. I could have suggested Birkel naked and a book by Drago!

narciso said...

Moore is allowed one heretical every four years the last was trump could get elected president this next is the mitigation strategies for agw are bunkum, not the theory is

Original Mike said...

Which Mark, Drago?

Anne-I-Am said...

Mark,

Just so. And that cohort loves to be talked about--so let's move on.

Roughcoat said...

I don't prioritize one over the other. The suffering of all living things is a sad fact of our fallen world and I feel pity and sorrow equally for all living things that suffer. The reference to Harambe is a non-sequitur.

Drago said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
narciso said...

Its rare but occasionally wvem harpers has an interesting piece, this issue has three the third is about taiwans rebellion

Drago said...

Inga now in full rhetorical and cowardly retreat from her 4+ years of serial lies and slander.

The worst though was when Inga called all Trump voters traitors and russian stooges before using her navy daughter as a smear shield when she was called on it.

And Ken B has hitched his wagon to her.

Maillard Reactionary said...

Nice tree. I'm not familiar with the species.

I photographed an oak tree yesterday. It was growing in a spung.

https://inajerseyswamp.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/cedars-and-spungs-huber-prairie-warbler-preserve/

Life goes on.

Drago said...

Mike: "Which Mark, Drago?"

The conservative legal guy from VA Mark, not the far left Mark that Ken B adores.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Are you scared? Because son, you ain't nearly frightened enough.

We have come tk take control of your culture. We will never quit Sir.

https://www.thelasttradition.com/2020/04/watch-residents-throw-parade-for.html

Original Mike said...

Anne-I-Am: You didn't live through years worth of "Nobody knows what Mueller knows!"

Original Mike said...

We're still waiting for Inga to "rub our faces in it." Looks like we'll be waiting awhile longer.

J. Farmer said...

@roughcoat:

The reference to Harambe is a non-sequitur.

Only that human suffering is not equivalent to non-human suffering in terms of moral weight. Thus, "akin to" was entirely appropriate.

walter said...

We must return to economic intercourse.

Inga said...

“Apologies. It could have been worse. I could have suggested Birkel naked and a book by Drago!”

Saints preserve us!

Drago said...

Original Mike: "Anne-I-Am: You didn't live through years worth of "Nobody knows what Mueller knows!"

Every single day.
Thread after thread.
Putin owns Trump.
Trump voters are traitors.
Trump staffers are traitors.
Moscow hookers.
The dossier has been verified.
Nunes lied!
Schiff is a truth teller.
And on and on and on.

A coup against a sitting President.

Worth mentioning I think.

Inga said...

“The worst though was when Inga called all Trump voters traitors and russian stooges before using her navy daughter as a smear shield when she was called on it.”

Drago, such a mighty effort! Are you mad because no lefties commented on the Flynn thread?

Laughing and shaking my head.

Anne-I-Am said...

Original Mike,

I lurked here for much of the time. Remember, bad press is better than no press. Nothing cuts like being ignored.

I am more than chagrined that Mueller, Comey, Clapper and Brennan are going to skate on this. Rosenstein, too, the little weasel.

Inga said...

They had a Flynn Party and no one came, lol.

Drago said...

Original Mike: "We're still waiting for Inga to "rub our faces in it." Looks like we'll be waiting awhile longer."

Inga cackling like a lunatic about what wrath Mueller would rain down on Trump...when in reality he's just another Sleepy Joe.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Your revolution is over Mr. Ken B.

Dolances. The Canadian bumpkins Wil! Always Lose.I

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2020/04/stunning-charts-swedens-minimalistic.html

Inga said...

“We must return to economic intercourse.”

Ah Walter, you can be a sexy guy when you want to be...

J. Farmer said...

Putin owns Trump.

It's incredible the amount of people who believe that claptrap. Within four years we went from the GOP defending Romney's ridiculous "Russia is our number one geopolitical foe" to the DNC asserting the insane idea that Putin put Trump in the White House and is controlling America. I guess it just demonstrates that 30 years after the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia remains an effective bogeyman.

narciso said...

The ventriloquists (the rizzotto trey, fusion circle echo chamber) block out the facts.

Drago said...

Inga: "They had a Flynn Party and no one came, lol."

And there it is.

A highly decorated 33 year Marine Corps general set up and framed by the dems with a crowd of idiots calling him a traitor while he bankrupts himself defending himself under threats to his family...

....and Inga just laughs and laughs.

And Ken B has decided thats what he wants to be all about too.

Anne-I-Am said...

It is personal for me because I went to high school with one of Biden's minions (he was actually his chief-of-staff, I think), Ron Klain. He was all over TV and fb spouting nonsense about the impending doom of Trump and the GOP. More recently, he was immodestly touting his expertise as "Ebola Czar" and criticizing Pence. I don't engage with him, but I am laughing as everything he latches on to turns out to be a nothing-burger.

Clark said...

Cryptonomicon is a great book. I liked it so much, I'm afraid to read anything else of his—afraid it will be a let down.

narciso said...

Its business and its personal when one comes to the two minute hate, which has become the never ending story

narciso said...

This is a problem i read some of his earlier work interface under a pseudonym parts of snow crash, interesting but cryptomicon and the baroque cycle gave him the cred to do anything

J. Farmer said...

Just another day in Florida

This is about five minutes from my parents' home.

Anne-I-Am said...

Clark,

Snow Crash is equally good. More cryptic, if possible. I had to really pay attention.

Another author not talked about much now, but whose books made a huge impression: William Gibson. The Peripheral was good.

Jon Ericson said...

Elijah warned this guy

Nice hair, hankey and buckle.

William said...

When you lift the restrictions, you might very well get a rise in new coronavirus cases. However, that rise,if handled properly, might better be described as a thumbtack as opposed to a spike....I don't know if it's possible to raise and slaughter animals in a completely humane way. However, I do think it is possible to employ meatpackers in a humane way. I guess the easiest way to attract employees to the plants is to make the pay commensurate with the risk. Perhaps they can supply dormitories for them to live in so they won't take the infection back to their families and offer testing every day. I think this is a solvable problem.

Original Mike said...

"They had a Flynn Party and no one came, lol."

You're either embarrassed or a coward. After all these years, I still don't know which.

narciso said...

It was an interesting twist on a genre which had gone somewhat stale. Yes gibson was the pioneer some of his work holds promise

Wince said...

ARM said...
- yes there has been an excess of deaths, as has been described in multiple other countries.

We’re a month and a half in. If COVID-19 simply accelerated deaths that would happen anyway over the next 12 months, wouldn’t you expect higher deaths at the outset even if there were no net new deaths over the 12 month period?

Inga said...

“Two people in Georgia drank liquid cleaning products over the weekend in misguided attempts to ward off COVID-19, according to the Georgia Poison Center. Both men had histories of psychiatric problems and are expected to recover.”

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional/men-drink-disinfectants-attempts-stop-coronavirus/uRsz2zLLhpqqOX2SjpEfjL/

Well, that it’s the weak minded that fall prey to reckless comments by those in power, is not surprising.

Anne-I-Am said...

JF,

Those suckers are speedy. "Self-propelling Man-o-War, with the armor-plated upper deck," to quote Kipling (although he was referring to a crocodile).

narciso said...


Its very hard to effectively adapt cyberpunk lets pretend johnny mneumonic never happened,



https://babylonbee.com/news/cnn-report-on-tara-reade-a-respectful-minute-of-silence

Jon Ericson said...

I think she's gonna splatter the walls due to centrifugal force.

walter said...

"Economic intercourse" belongs to Biden.
But I agree with the sentiment.

Anne,
Does that guy actually refer to himself as "Ebola Czar".
Sounds more like an insult.

narciso said...

I guess freejack had some elements of that.

narciso said...

He was a staffer, a clerk like referenced in apocalypse now.

Clark said...

Anne,

Thanks. I will give both books a read.

I have heard the name Moldbug in passing in Slate Star Codex open threads. I thought maybe his name was a banned term, but I just checked and it is not so. (I haven't yet read the article you posted.)

Inga said...

Farmer,

I’ve read that more wildlife has been seen in populated areas, since the social distancing. Poor critters are going to go have to go back to the swamps and forests soon.

J. Farmer said...

@Anne:

Those suckers are speedy. "Self-propelling Man-o-War, with the armor-plated upper deck," to quote Kipling (although he was referring to a crocodile).

We have those, too, but they prefer the brackish waters to the south of where I grew up. I still have the copy of Just So Stories my grandmother bought for my mother when I was a little kid. I hope one day to pass it on to my future child.

walter said...

Hil endorsing Biden.
Hmm.
Bill..Harvey...Joe.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
J. Farmer said...

I’ve read that more wildlife has been seen in populated areas, since the social distancing. Poor critters are going to go have to go back to the swamps and forests soon.

I have seen some of that coverage, too. But this has remained a pretty busy intersection. Even in normal times, alligator sightings like this are pretty common. They usually get lighthearted coverage on the local news.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...
Inga said...
“Two people in Georgia drank liquid cleaning products over the weekend in misguided attempts to ward off COVID-19, according to the Georgia Poison Center. Both men had histories of psychiatric problems and are expected to recover.”

Ha! Like the Democrat donor who fed her husband fish tank cleaner and then screamed that Trump made him do it? That bitch (like you, a vocal Trump hater) is now being investigated. It appears she put fish tank cleaner in a drink she gave him and then thought she could cover it up by blaming Trump.

The media, and suckers like you, believed her lies.

I wouldn't be surprised if other Democrats copied her.

William said...

I saw the war movie 1917. Pretty good. It had all the war movie cliches, but it told them in fresh new ways. If you want to dramatize the futility of war, there no better war to dramatize this than WWI....The glory to squalor ratio was extremely low. Most of of the casualties were from artillery or machine gun fire.... They gave the protagonists in the movie a heroic quest, but that wasn't the experience of most soldiers in WWI.....Their heroic quest came to nothing in the end, but the fact that they went off on a heroic quest altered the nature of their war. Their sacrifice had purpose.... I'd like to see a WWI movie where two soldiers discuss whether trenchfoot or dysentery is worse for about an hour and then both get blown up by an artillery shell before the discussion is resolved.

narciso said...

Thats an uninteresting story dog bites man. Keep in mind he hired akippy o'rourkes campaign manager.

Anne-I-Am said...

walter,

The press called him the Ebola Czar. In his most recent self-referential/self-reverential post on fb, I think he referred to himself as "Ebola Crisis Coordinator" or something. He belittled Pence for lack of expertise. I almost spit out my coffee. A guy who has spent his entire adult life either sucking off the government tit or lobbying (but those are almost the same, no?) mocking Mike Pence.

Inga said...

“I have seen some of that coverage, too. But this has remained a pretty busy intersection. Even in normal times, alligator sightings like this are pretty common. They usually get lighthearted coverage on the local news.”

We only have killer geese around my neighborhood, they hang around my mailbox and I have to fight them off to get my mail.

narayanan said...

By 2020 Australia will reach a population of 26 million, in 2030 a population of 30 million,

Designated International Airports in Australia >>> 7
Adelaide
Brisbane
Cairns
Darwin
Melbourne
Perth
Sydney

USA : 328.2 million (2019)

there are 149 airports in the US that have the word “International” or something comparable (e.g. “intercontinental”) in their name. But a lot of these are obviously minor airports that don’t have many flights of any kind and likely don’t have international flights with any frequency.

iowan2 said...

The intel report claiming the Russians were interfering in the US elections? It was all a lie. Newly released documents show there was NO intelligence, supporting the conclusion, and the only source, was the Steele dossier. The same steele dossier that documents now show was Russian disinformation, because they had make Steele. The only documented interference was a very low $six figured ad buy with facebook. We are left with a $2billion Presidential campaign, that was influenced by a couple hundred grand spent with facebook, that never favored either candidate. All documented by the Intelligence Community, but lied about by Brennen, and Clapper, supported by the Crooked Senate intel committee.

But never forget. Nobody knows what Mueller knows...as it turns out, that included Mueller.

J. Farmer said...

@narciso:

Its very hard to effectively adapt cyberpunk lets pretend johnny mneumonic never happened,

Ha. Johnny Mnemonic wasn't that bad. But I liked Strange Days, released the same year, a lot more. Also released that year was Hackers, which I loved as a kid and was the first time I ever saw Angelina Jolie. And 1995 was also the year that the Ghost In the Shell anime film was released. Not a bad year for the genre.

steve uhr said...

Just wasted another ten minutes of my life reading comments on this blog.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Drago said...
Inga: "They had a Flynn Party and no one came, lol."

And there it is.

A highly decorated 33 year Marine Corps general set up and framed by the dems with a crowd of idiots calling him a traitor while he bankrupts himself defending himself under threats to his family...

....and Inga just laughs and laughs."

Inga loves lies like flies love dungheaps.

narciso said...

I hated strange days, hackers was ok ghost in the shell (except for the talking robot tanks was ok)

Drago said...

Fanatic Russia Collusionist Inga: "Well, that it’s the weak minded that fall prey to reckless comments by those in power, is not surprising."

Already debunked!

Again!

Tell us more about Trump Tower servers communicating with Alpha bank.

J. Farmer said...

@Inga:

We only have killer geese around my neighborhood, they hang around my mailbox and I have to fight them off to get my mail.

My mother and uncle were once chased by a steer in a cow field. She has never admitted it, but I suspect they were looking for mushrooms.

In my experience in Florida, the mosquitoes tend to be more frightening than the gators. I always joked that my ancestors had to be insane to move to west Florida in the 19th century, before the advent of A/C or mosquito repellent. That's a cracker for you.

Jon Ericson said...

Two movies

Drago said...

steve uhr: "Just wasted another ten minutes of my life reading comments on this blog."

Uhr was another big russian collusionist, Kavanaugh rape hoax, ukraine phone call hoax moron.

I can only imagine his inner pain now that its all blown up in his face.

Gahrie said...

I think Pax Americana is even more overrated, especially considering that the second half of the 20th century was quite violent,

Well I would argue that the reason is that we never did impose a Pax Americana, and instead deferred to the U.N..

However we could still impose a Pax Americana, and it would be quick and relatively cheap.

Step 1: Buy a Falcon 9 booster.
Step 2: Equip the X-37 with a kinetic energy weapon (easily adapted from a bomblet dispersal module) Also give it a rail gun.
Step 3: launch the X-37 into space. We instantly control the planet, because we control the orbitals. We can destroy anything and anywhere on the planet using cheap, clean KEWs. We can shoot down anything being launched into space, or any satellites already in space with the rail gun.
Step 4: Buy some SierraNevada Dreamchasers, a couple more Falcon 9s, equip the Dreamchasers with KEWs and railguns.

Right now we are the only country that could do this, and Steps 1-3 could be done within months. Step 4 a couple of years.

Someone eventually is going to seize control of the orbitals. I would prefer it to be us.

narciso said...

Was very good, was rupert samders did with it ay dios mio, leave aside scarlets casting.

J. Farmer said...

I hated strange days, hackers was ok ghost in the shell (except for the talking robot tanks was ok)

Maybe seeing all of these films when I was 13 prejudices my judgment. But I understand Strange Days was quite polarizing at the time. I also loved Dark City, which came out a few years later, and I never thought it got the attention it deserved. It was somehow overshadowed by The Matrix, even though it came out a year earlier.

J. Farmer said...

Was very good, was rupert samders did with it ay dios mio, leave aside scarlets casting.

I never saw the live action version. Friends of mine who have hated it.

Gahrie said...

In my experience in Florida, the mosquitoes tend to be more frightening than the gators

I lived in Florida for 18 months as a teenager, and in my experience you get pretty blasé about the gators pretty quickly. At least I did.

narciso said...

Dark city is stylistically rich and dense, i couldnt tell what it was about

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Stay out of the arboretum. It’s already had two covid-related deaths, with a population of zero — worse than NYC, per capita.

narciso said...

Segments ive seen, it major is the viewpoint she cant be ignorant of who she is. Narrative choices doomed it.

Original Mike said...

"I can only imagine his inner pain now that its all blown up in his face."

:-)

iowan2 said...

Out govt is terrible...Terrible...did you see Pence today? Terrible.

The FBI lying to prosecute a decorated General, No ignore that.

The DoJ, spending years on the Mueller scam, when Mueller knew in two weeks, there never was any evidence of Trump/ Russia communication. Nothing to see, move on.

The DoJ, and FBI lying to FISA judges? Repeatedly? Nope, just some small details slipped by.

Adam Schiff has hundreds of pages of telephone records of private citizens. Citizens that are not under investigation, But Schiff is spying on them, and making their names and communications public. The 5th amendment is for schmucks. Shhh, crazy conspiracy talk. Ignore that.

But, DID YOU SEE WHAT PENCE DID? It's the collapse of our Republic.

J. Farmer said...

@Gahrie:

Right now we are the only country that could do this, and Steps 1-3 could be done within months. Step 4 a couple of years.

Someone eventually is going to seize control of the orbitals. I would prefer it to be us.


Sounds a bit like science fiction to me, but I'll happily defer that opinion. If we've learned anything over the last 25 years I thought it would be that the application of overwhelming military force isn't quite the game changer we thought it would be. From the Balkans to North Africa to the Middle East to Central Asia, our over reliance on air power hasn't really helped us achieve our stated objectives.

FullMoon said...

Wash. State Came One Vote Away From Releasing Green River Serial Killer So He Wouldn’t Get Wuhan Virus

J. Farmer said...

I lived in Florida for 18 months as a teenager, and in my experience you get pretty blasé about the gators pretty quickly. At least I did.

That tends to be how locals react. I have an aunt who lives on a lake and would occasionally find one sunbathing on her driveway. When I was kid, my cousins and I wouldn't give a secod thought to swimming in gator-infested lakes. My father used to do the annual hunt when they would choose people through the lottery system.

narciso said...

Well asymetrical warfare i mentioned a agw influenced cyber punk series called mirrored skies, its a tripartite arrangement of militarized states a us russian asian bloc they hold territory over libration points between here and the moon there are energy weapon equipped shuttles there are insurgents on the grounds there is a space elevator whose fall triggers the current crisis.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Almost forgotten now, but perhaps the first cyberpunk book was The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.

Brunner was part of the first wave of Brits to break into the US SF market. He wrote a lot of potboilers, then started getting better (Polymath), then got gloomy like a lot of 70s writers, especially Brits. Big gloomy books like Stand On Zanzibar & The Sheep Look Up.

Then something happened, and he started getting optimistic again, and The Shockwave Rider, which easily could have been another dystopia ends up a very hopeful book.

Drago said...

JOE BIDEN (asked about Hunters ChiCom business shenanigans): "My son's business dealings [in China] were not anything what everybody that he's talking about, not even remotely, number one."

Narr said...

A good place to start understanding the US defeat in SEA is Harry Sommers's On Strategy.

Many other VN vets such as Bacevich and Ullman have sensible critiques of the (mis)conduct on many levels of the US leadership.

I've read Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, Cryptonomicon, and Anathem. Gibson's Snow Crash also.
But they have sated my appetite for a long time.

Narr
If we won in Vietnam, the USSR won in Afghanistan

walter said...

So..boat based protest on Lake Mendota this Saturday, destination Governor's mansion.
Gonna spoil the view for Tony.

FullMoon said...

“Joe Biden, I want you to release all the personnel records from 1973 to 2009 and be transparent about your office practices,” Reade told the Daily Caller. “I would like to hold you accountable for what happened to me, to how your staff protected you and enabled you, bullied me multiple times into silence.”

“You ended my career. You ended my job after you assaulted me. You claim to be the champion of women’s rights, but your public persona does not match your personal actions," she said. "I want this brought to light and I want you to admit it in public. I want a public apology for calling me a Russian agent and having other people try to smear my character in order to cover your crimes.”


https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2020/04/28/tara-reade-reveals-how-joe-biden-can-be-transparent-about-her-sexual-assault-allegation-against-him-n2567818

walter said...

Drago,
You can't argue with that.

narciso said...

For similar reasons, the war itself was the visible part of the iceberg, the soviet and chinese supply chains the propaganda effort is the largest piece

J. Farmer said...

@Narr:

Many other VN vets such as Bacevich and Ullman have sensible critiques of the (mis)conduct on many levels of the US leadership.

I like Bacevich. He has a habit of writing a lot and saying a little, but I'm generally inclined to agree with his critiques of US militarism.

Jon Ericson said...

Authentic

bagoh20 said...

Bleach Bit & Hammers,

You are welcome, and thank you. I have always appreciated your values and passion, and the comments produced by them.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

Oh Lordy. I see that steve uhr is back. To me he will always be infamous for enthusiastically promoting the Covington Catholic - Nathan Phillips hoax here on an Althouse thread back in the day. Nicholas Sandmann’s attorneys should sue him into permanent penury. Eat shit and die, steve.

dreams said...

Well, enjoy this all you liberal democrat flunkies.

"Remember what [US Attorney John Durham] is doing is, he is deconstructing the Mueller – Weissman inquiry. This investigation by Durham will show conclusively that the Mueller – Weissman investigation was a fraud. That it was never intended to find a crime. That it was intended to entrap the President to get an impeachment for a false statement if he gave an interview. Which of course his lawyers and lawyers like us, told him never to do, never to give that information.

So that’s why it’s taking time, Mary. It’s taking time because he’s destroying Mueller as he makes the case against Clapper, Brennan, Comey, and Sally Yates and others. This is a big deal. He’s actually investigating the greatest crime in American history!"

https://www.teaparty.org/this-is-a-big-deal-hes-actually-investigating-the-greatest-crime-in-american-history-former-us-attorney-joe-digenova-on-durham-investigation-437407/

Yancey Ward said...

What the economy is now up against. A sobering graphic.

narciso said...

That toads the wet sprocket.

Sebastian said...

"What the economy is now up against. A sobering graphic."

Well, we've been told by economic experts on this very blog that it won't even get as bad as the Great Recession, so not to worry. Plus we needed to get rid of "marginal businesses" anyway. Creative destruction, don't you know.

So first the alarmists outrageously overstate the WuFlu danger, and then they outrageously underestimate the economic damage the panic will cause. Is there anything in all of American history even remotely as insane as what they have done these past two months?

Drago said...

Big Mike: "Oh Lordy. I see that steve uhr is back. To me he will always be infamous for enthusiastically promoting the Covington Catholic - Nathan Phillips hoax"

The Very Best Steve Uhr ploy after the hoax was exposed was Li'l Stevie DEMANDING that everyone just admit both parties were at fault.

You know, Full Black Knight: Lets just call it a draw.

Lol

Kathryn51 said...

dreams said. . .

It’s taking time because he’s destroying Mueller as he makes the case against Clapper, Brennan, Comey, and Sally Yates and others.

I have long recognized that none will see jail time or orange jumpsuits. but please, Holy Father, may Sally Yates at least get disbarred for her sanctimonious viciousness.

J. Farmer said...

I'm going to try not staying up until 4am tonight, so I'll leave with a book recommendation. Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen. It provides a critique of conservatism's reflexive attachment to free market economics. It's a position I've held for a while but had trouble articulating.

J. Farmer said...

p.s. The "liberalism" of the title is the 19th century use of the word.

Jon Ericson said...

Zzzzz.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"Hey, Tori..."
"It's Tara"
"Well there, Tara-- Mmmm-- you hair smells nice!
What do you say we engage in a little "Economic Intercourse"?
"Senator-- please...dont..."
"C'mon, man!! Dont be a dog-faced pony-soldier! I know you want me!"

Ewww. Makes you want to bathe in bleach.
Maybe Mrs. Fredo isnt so crazy after all.

And maybe the Demented Digitizer shouldnt be touting "intercourse"
during a burgeoning rape scandal.
On second thought-- go for it. But how 'bout some "Economic Foreplay"?
Try "Economic Finger-Fucking" next time first.

Anne-I-Am said...

Night, Farmer.

J. Farmer said...

Night, Farmer.

Goodnight. One last reading recommendation.

This piece by Charlie Peters is a helpful counterpoint to "The Nude Selfie Is Now High Art" op-ed Ann commented on a few days ago.

narciso said...

The problem is what was the alternative to fclassical liberalism not the mossback conservatism

narciso said...

So in latin america you had benito juarez vs santa ana, rosas vs sarmiento etc

narciso said...

The closest thing to a liberal party in 19th century america was the southern democrats around 1850

Yancey Ward said...

Dark City was a great movie, and definitely underrated. I also was a big fan of The 13th Floor.

narciso said...

Thats a good one, it had a conceit similar ro inception 15 years later

narciso said...


Why they are shadow banning her


https://mobile.twitter.com/SidneyPowell1/status/1255291028359315457

narciso said...



In other news

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN2292RQ

Original Mike said...

Anyone remember a TV miniseries called The Lost Room?

narciso said...

This is about general hafter taking comtrol of libya almost 8 years after the fall of ghaddafi

Kyzer SoSay said...

Got home from my friend's house and learned there is a manhunt underway in my town in Illinois. Wife greeted me with loaded guns, handed me my favorite, said "Loaded mags, empty chambers", and I felt very proud to be her husband. I know that she can rack the slide of either of our primary home defense pistols before the sound of breaking glass fades, and be on target in milliseconds.

Couples that shoot together, stay together.

Anyone looking for a quality home defense pistol that is easy for beginners to use look no further than my personal fave, the Walther PPQ M2 chambered in 9mm Parabellum. A little pricey unless you find a sale or buy private, but well worth every penny. Comes standard with 15 round mags, and I've got two of those as well as two 17-round mags. Sleek gun with the best off-the-shelf, no-mods-needed trigger on any striker-fired pistol sold today - and it's been that way since it came out in 2011. Some say the H&K VP9 is better, and while it's close and has other nice features, it's not as good and certainly not better.

Hopefully the perps (4 black male teens involved in suspected gang shooting in Will County) don't come knocking. Nobody entering my house uninvited is leaving alive. My wife and I will see to that.

narciso said...

Vaguely

StephenFearby said...


MedCram

Live Webinar: Key COVID-19 Clinical Updates and Lessons Learned So Far
This free live webcast will take place from 4:00 to 5:30 PM EST (1 to 2:30 PM PST) on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

Includes 1.5 CME Credits/MOC Points.

This free live webcast will take place from 4:00 to 5:30 PM EST (1 to 2:30 PM PST) on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

This event is free, and no pre-registration or login is needed (trying to keep this hassle-free for you!), so please share with friends and colleagues - all they'll need is the link to this page to watch: https://www.medcram.com/pages/covid-19-webinar

We also plan to stream this event on the MedCram YouTube channel in case of technical difficulties.

The event will feature pulmonologist and critical care specialist Roger Seheult, MD who will present key COVID-19 updates, prevention strategies, treatments, and some lessons learned so far.

We will select some of your incoming questions and share them with Dr. Seheult.

https://www.medcram.com/pages/covid-19-webinar


Big Mike said...

Big Mike takes us to task for not wanting to save lives. But they are both full of shit, venting their rage at being contradicted

Not completely true, Ken B. It's that you obviously lied to me about having training as a mathematician. The numbers, what some people call the cold, hard equations, do not care about my politics and they don't care about yours. When you deny the numbers and the logic because of your politics then you are no mathematician.

Yancey Ward said...

Wow, ARM, that comment about Australian airports was as stupid as it could be. It is easier to control entry at 7 airports than it is to control 92. The population differences between the US and Australia simply don't matter in this regard.

Kyzer SoSay said...

I think the Will County and Grundy County sheriffs Facebook pages are tracking updates to the situation. Wifey showed me the mugshots on a facebook post by our town's newspaper, the Coal City Courant.

https://www.facebook.com/Coal-City-Courant-139488217061/

Scroll down a bit to see the story, it's under the photo.

I can jog to Peach Tree lane, the last known location of one perp, in less than 5 minutes. Could run it in 2 if I were in top form and refrained from smoking for an hour before.

walter said...

Kyzer,
Post some nicely completed silhouette targets at end of driveway.

Kyzer SoSay said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kyzer SoSay said...

"Post some nicely completed silhouette targets at end of driveway."

LOL I wish I could, but I never keep them. I could print 11x17 range pictures that I've taken though. Maybe the next time I go I'll keep my best, and my wife's best, just in case.

Either one would be quite sufficient deterrent.

Kyzer SoSay said...

"Alexa, Alarm Mode."

- Activate all downstairs lights, 100% brightness with "sunset hue"
- Activate all outside lights, 100% brightness, "vivid white hue"
- Turn off all room air filters
- Begin 60 minute auto-archive/upload of all cameras
- Kitchen Alexa says, "Welcome to the jungle, beeyotch"
- Kitchen Alexa starts playing "Fortunate Son" by CCR, volume 85% (don't wanna stress the speaker inside)

Yes, I programmed that, many months ago - I got the idea from a similar routine someone else posted a screenshot of on Instagram. Yes, I plan to implement if necessary. And if these millenial thugs are too young to know why they're bleeding out while "Fortunate Son" (or "old white cracka music", probably) plays in the background, not my problem.

PluralThumb said...

My pet duck just called me a quack.

narciso said...

Some background


http://thecasualobserver.co.za/sidney-reilly-greatest-spy-annuals-espionage/

Yancey Ward said...

My pet sheep started to call me a bastard, but then thought better of it.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Sheep lie!

Kyzer SoSay said...

Follow the manhunt live:

https://m.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/28965

Original Mike said...

"Wow, ARM, that comment about Australian airports was as stupid as it could be. It is easier to control entry at 7 airports than it is to control 92. The population differences between the US and Australia simply don't matter in this regard."

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the only airport accepting international flights was Sydney. It was the only airport you could get to from Christchurch. The only other Australian destination listed on the flight board those days was Melbourne and those flights had been cancelled.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period."
--Warren Wilhelm Jr.

NYC Mayor Bill Di Bozo gonna round up the Jews
Blue is the new brown?

buwaya said...

Stephenson also wrote Snow Crash, his first bestseller.

He has been extremely popular in spite of having a very idiosyncratic style, more apparent in some works than others. He also deals in inventive connections between concepts and historical circumstances, as he is something of a history pack-rat, which I like.

He is also one of the very few science fiction writers to have initiated (or popularized a nerdish bull-session fancy anyway) an idea that actually was implemented in the real world. One was Arthur C. Clarke's geosynchronous satellites. Stephenson's was encryption based cybercurrencies, that emerged eventually as bitcoin and etc. The concept received a fairly extensive treatment in "Cryptonomicon".

buwaya said...

South Vietnam by 1972 was in horrible shape. The economy and agriculture was crippled by security controls, lockdown and concentration of the rural population in fortified villages, dependence on US spending.

Without extensive US military and economic support it could not maintain its military, its own resources being insufficient. It certainly wasn't a democracy, it was a military dictatorship on a war footing. But thats what it had to be, under the circumstances.

Given all that, it was still enormously better off than South Korea in 1953. Its basic infrastructure was still in place and generally good. Its human assets were much better on the whole, in terms of education and skills.

If US financial and strategic assistance (not ground troops) had continued at the necessary high level through the 1970s, South Vietnam could easily have turned into another SE Asian "Tiger".

Big Mike said...

Post some nicely completed silhouette targets at end of driveway.

I would guess that this would increase your risk of being broken into since guns are a favorite target for thieves.

It you make me think of one buxom young admin we had whose favorite attire on casual Friday’s was a tight sweater and tighter slacks. She once confided to me that in her high school days, when dates came to pick her up her father always made sure they saw his gun cases and shooting trophies. Most of the people in our small organization had Ph. D. degrees, but she was surely looking for her MRS.

buwaya said...

My favorite of Stephensons is "Diamond Age" the only one for which he won a Hugo.
He deserved other Hugo's IMHO, but there we are.

His stuff after "Anathem" is much weaker. I never even finished "Fall" (2019).

narciso said...

Its a real handful (of what i have no idea)

Kyzer SoSay said...

"I would guess that this would increase your risk of being broken into since guns are a favorite target for thieves."

Agreed, but not with all three cars in the driveway and plenty of lights on. Would take a foolish person indeed to chance that. Perhaps if the targets were outlined with bullet holes, Yosemite Sam style, it would be worth the risk, but I flunked out of the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy on account of groups that friends have described as "supernatural". Wifey mostly ain't far behind. In several years, hopefully daughter follows suit - got a cute little SR22 for her to start with someday.

Kyzer SoSay said...

PS - that live audio link I posted is now a bust. According to a Facebook comment I read, the cops all switched to an emergency channel a few minutes ago because they realized it might be possible for the perps to be listening in on the normal one.

Big Mike said...

Hopefully the perps (4 black male teens involved in suspected gang shooting in Will County) don't come knocking. Nobody entering my house uninvited is leaving alive. My wife and I will see to that.

And if the families of the deceased intruders sue you afterwards, any good attorney would have a field day using this to paint you as having a depraved mind. If I might be so bold, I recommend you and your wife get a good class on the laws in your state regarding self defense with lethal force. Also get a good lawyer and don’t say a damned thing to anyone — especially police! — except how frightened you were, without the lawyer fight by your side. And if you’re human, don’t expect to feel good about yourself after you’ve killed a fellow human being, even if the guy was stupid enough to make it a choice between you killing him or him killing you or someone you love. It doesn’t work that way.

Kyzer SoSay said...

PPS - nevermind, now there's chatter about 2 black males on foot seen near the Coal City Lions Club. Units en route. If so, and if other reports are true, they very well may have passed thru my neighborhood to get there. And there are still 2 more unaccounted for.

buwaya said...

In these matters (killing people for instance) it is best to have nothing to lose, and no obligations. An angry old man with no wealth and no family should be extremely dangerous one would think. But yet it isn't so.

Kyzer SoSay said...

"And if the families of the deceased intruders sue you afterwards, any good attorney would have a field day using this to paint you as having a depraved mind"

Bring. It. On.

"And if you’re human, don’t expect to feel good about yourself after you’ve killed a fellow human being"

Assholes like me don't have that problem. When it comes to protecting my family, I am the most ruthless fucker I know. I expect to feel just fine. Hell, these guys are already wanted for murder. I put them down, saving my family in the process, and possibly other lives down the road, then I've done more good than "social distancing".

Big Mike said...

@Kyzer, good luck

Kyzer SoSay said...

KyzerSoSay sez: "Assholes like me don't have that problem. When it comes to protecting my family, I am the most ruthless fucker I know. I expect to feel just fine."

Posting it again to show BM that I ain't skurrrred of no attorney. These cats bust in my door, they earn every bullet I deliver and maybe a post-facto loogie to boot. It's okay though, I already had the WuhuFlu so I'm just donating antibodies.

Assholes can be humanitarian too.

Kyzer SoSay said...

"@Kyzer, good luck"

Fortune favors the bold.

Kyzer SoSay said...

Pursiot of 2 subjects, dark hoodies, north of Coal City Lions Club. Second report of a black male attempting to break into a house in the Carbon Hill neighborhood. This would mean that possibly 3 of 4 suspects broke through the police cordon.

It's raining lightly here so that's probably not helping the search. This means they traveled about 4 miles, between where I saw the cordon form, past my development, and are heading towards either Goose Lake or Mazon.

C'mon po-po, catch these fucks. I's like to go to sleep at some point tonight, and that ain't happening till they're in cuffs or bags.

Kyzer SoSay said...

Literally just mentioned my cross street. A report about one male behind the Dollar General, which is 2 minute walk from me, and then someone mentioned a report in my subdiv.

Rifle's coming out.

walter said...

Big Mike said...Post some nicely completed silhouette targets at end of driveway.
I would guess that this would increase your risk of being broken into since guns are a favorite target for thieves.
--
Ha Ha ha!
Keep 'em coming.

Jon Ericson said...

Social distancing in Chicagoland

Kyzer SoSay said...

Total of 4 in custody. Scanner saying 2-3 more still at large, still considered armed. Cops patrolling 113, Berta Rd, Will Rd, and the Diamond Estates subdivision. If the calls and reports are true, these cats have doubled back at least once and are blazing trails across a good portion of the east side of town. Knocking on windows, setting off a car alarm (possibly), and seen in the parking lot of a bank and the neighboring small retirement community.

All within a 10 minute walk of my house.

I've also heard reports of at least 2 ODs in Joliet area, one domestic disturbance involving an angry spouse, a cancelled Silver Alert for an elderly man who went for a walk and returned, and gunfire reported in Crest Hill. None of which concern me, but I'm both bored and wired - hence why my chambers are staying cold until IT happens.

Fuck sleep, amirite?

Kyzer SoSay said...

One of these guys has warrants for car theft, so maybe the car alarm was an attempted break-in for getaway use. According to Facebook cops are stopping cars at checkpoints along 113 and Rt 47 too.

Crazy World said...

Love the beautiful flowers and the sunrise and sunset and your lovely Local Wisconsin pictures today wonderful Ann

Crazy World said...

Missing Auntie Trump, hope all is well

stevew said...

"I guess it just demonstrates that 30 years after the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia remains an effective bogeyman."


Late to this discussion but want to say how true this statement by Farmer is, especially as it relates to the electoral tactics of our major political parties.

As for nude selfies as art: please remember that most of us, nearly all, look best in clothes.

We are on track for a glorious New England spring day today, sandwiched between cool, gray, and wet days. No creatures capable of seriously damaging or eating me rumbling around, which is nice.

Kyzer SoSay said...

Possible attempted break-in at Reeves funeral home in Coal City. Wonder if the perps phones are dead, maybe looking for a charger or something, or trying to steal a hearse maybe? Two suspects called in walking north on Broadway near the BP, and then five minutes later the burglar alarm at the funeral home went off.

Fuck it. Once it's decently light out, I'm going to bed. Gun stays by my side with a cold chamber. Our other ready pistol is cocked and locked by wifey's side with the safety on (No manual safety on my Walther). Purists will say that a cold chamber equals a cold corpse, but they don't know about me.

They also don't know about the trip wire on the stairs.

Browndog said...

Anne-I-Am said...

Here we go, something to read that is relevant, unconnected to the Chinese Lung AIDS, and a fruitful area for discussion:

Take the Clear Pill

From the guy who popularized the phrase "red-pilled." A very intriguing read


I appreciate things worth reading, worth thinking about, worth my time.

Thank-you.

narciso said...

https://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2020/04/29/todays-americans-and-yesteryears-americans-n2567704

narciso said...

https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/04/28/our-dress-rehearsal-for-a-police-state/

narciso said...



Interesting

https://mobile.twitter.com/frontlinepbs/status/1255149925085532163

Mr. Forward said...

Looking for buds on the trees I planted last year, hope on a stick.

BUMBLE BEE said...

“Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic. When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus,” wrote de Blasio.

De Blasio added, “My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.”

Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic. When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Inga:
They had a Flynn Party and no one came, lol.

Wow you're a vile corruption excusing bitch.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Original Mike said...
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the only airport accepting international flights was Sydney.


You wouldn't be surprised simply because you are too lazy to do basic fact checking.

Original Mike said...

Have at it, ARM.

Original Mike said...

Meaning, you're free to check yourself.

Drago said...

Beijing Boy: "You wouldn't be surprised simply because you are too lazy to do basic fact checking."

Yes.

That was written by the biggest ChiCom propagandist on Althouseblog....even as the entire free world's governments were pushing back on ChiCom lies.

h said...

@narciso at 6:36. What a sad story. I heard a radio report that said 50% of all Covid deaths in the state of Maryland occurred in Nursing Homes. It's such a widespread problem it makes me doubt that it is due to mismanagement of a few nursing homes. (Though, I recognize, why did some avoid the problem?) I don't think anyone had a contingency plan to implement.

RobinGoodfellow said...

Blogger Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
A lot of skepticism has been expressed here regarding the efforts to get an accurate measure of the number of people who died due to coronavirus. This skepticism is not really justified. The PCR assay used for detection of the virus is perfectly adequate for the task.


I don’t think the skepticism is due to questions about the accuracy of the test. As with all statistics there is the matter if interpretation.

If a man gets hit by a bus, and during the post mortem he tests positive for the virus, people might want to know if that man’s death is included in the Covid-19 death count.

Secondarily, the public is interested in whether the same criteria are used to make this determination among various countries or various states.

gpm said...

>>Anne-I-Am: I want to re-read Cryptonomicon

Late to the party as always, but ugh. Tried to read Anathem. Got about a hundred pages in and *NOTHING HAD HAPPENED*. Page after page of endlessly detailed descriptions of things I didn't care about in the least (and couldn't see why I should). Not nearly as depressing, but it reminded me of my attempt to read Atlas Shrugged, where I gave up after about two hundred pages.

I did like The Diamond Age, which a friend gave me to read while flying to Europe about fifteen years ago, but it ended rather abruptly. At least it did end!

--gpm

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