Random Thread

[Raphael]

There's also the fact that while newer doctors have less hands on experience, they also have been taught the most up-to-date info about health and the newest techniques. While doctors and other health care workers are supposed to keep up with the newest info in their field, after a point they aren't going to be mentally flexible to integrate that info into their practice. So experience comes with the trade off of outdated information.

That's a great point! I didn't think of that.

[Linguoboy]

Turkey's main opposition leader is jailed and there are hundreds of thousands on the streets for days despite a ban on demonstrations. I can only look on with envy.

(Of course, the US news media is hardly reporting on this, but that's another rant.)

[malloc]

Turkey's main opposition leader is jailed and there are hundreds of thousands on the streets for days despite a ban on demonstrations. I can only look on with envy.

(Of course, the US news media is hardly reporting on this, but that's another rant.)

Quite. We need that energy here. Unfortunately it seems like resistance here is dead in the water.

[alice]

Does anyone know what the character limit for ZBB posts is?

60,000 characters, according to the admin pages.

Why that and not a nice even 65536?

Weird - I very nearly posted the exact same thing nearly 24 hours ago. Do you have the super-power of long-distance clairvoyance?

[zompist]

Turkey's main opposition leader is jailed and there are hundreds of thousands on the streets for days despite a ban on demonstrations. I can only look on with envy.

(Of course, the US news media is hardly reporting on this, but that's another rant.)

Quite. We need that energy here. Unfortunately it seems like resistance here is dead in the water.

As it should be, according to you. What resistance are you doing, or even asking other people to do for you?

34,000 people came to see Sanders and AOC in Denver— the biggest crowd of Sanders's career, including his two runs for President. 23,000 in Arizona. In February there were over 2,000 protests (not people, entire protests) against the Repubs. (Compare to under 1000 in Feb. 2017.). Also, just in case you were about to complain that 34,000 is a small demo: if Denver were the same size as Istanbul, the proportionate size of the rally would be 680,000.

Sorry, does this all go against your Russian handler's disinfo guide?

[keenir]

Quite. We need that energy here. Unfortunately it seems like resistance here is dead in the water.

You have water?!?

If resistance is dead in the water, then either most of us either don't have water, or as Lovecraft (or Derleth) said, even death may die.

As it should be, according to you. What resistance are you doing, or even asking other people to do for you?

going to guess "Fight The Anti-Establishments!"

...but that would still require going out and being aware of anything not approved of by the Lamentations Council Of Woes.

Sorry, does this all go against your Russian handler's disinfo guide?

shouldn't Malloc be getting paid, if there was a handler, Russian or otherwise?

as it is, it seems more like Malloc is engaging in volunteer or charity actions...or is pro bono more accurate a term? not sure what fits best.

[zompist]

as it is, it seems more like Malloc is engaging in volunteer or charity actions...or is pro bono more accurate a term? not sure what fits best.

pro malō would be more accurate

[malloc]

Counterpoint: the Democratic party is suffering from an all-time low in popularity. Unless it finds some way to improve its image or some other party comes along to replace it, the Republicans will win the mid-term election. You can call this shilling for Russia or sowing defeatism, but I consider it simply acknowledging the reality of the situation. If you got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, would you call it defeatism for your physician to give you a terrible prognosis?

[keenir]

Counterpoint: the Democratic party is suffering from an all-time low in popularity. Unless it finds some way to improve its image or some other party comes along to replace it, the Republicans will win the mid-term election.

no, they won't - they're burning bridges faster than Chinvat could turn needle-thin. whether that means Democrats or some other party gets voted for, remains to be seen.

You can call this shilling for Russia or sowing defeatism, but I consider it simply acknowledging the reality of the situation. If you got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, would you call it defeatism for your physician to give you a terrible prognosis?

For your doctor to give you the diagnosis? No, because unless your doctor also tells you "you've got cancer, don't bother treating it or fighting it - that would be too easy to do & i just want you to suffer a long slow death" its not defeatism.

...when all you have are gallstones.

(note: both gallstones and pancreatic cancer have methods of removal and treatment, no matter how severe)...also, why are you the doctor? you've got the gallstones and are self-diaagnosing? yeah, that never turns out badly.

[malloc]

no, they won't - they're burning bridges faster than Chinvat could turn needle-thin. whether that means Democrats or some other party gets voted for, remains to be seen.

Except that they still have much higher approval than the Democrats and that will suffice to win them elections. If twenty percent of voters support one party while only ten percent support the other party, the one with twenty percent approval will win elections. The last time I checked the polls, Trump still enjoyed historically high approval ratings. Regardless of what you suggest, he has not alienate all that many people.

For your doctor to give you the diagnosis? No, because unless your doctor also tells you "you've got cancer, don't bother treating it or fighting it - that would be too easy to do & i just want you to suffer a long slow death" its not defeatism.

From what I can tell, we are facing the same situation as Germany in the 1930s except that nobody has both the military might to defeat the US and the ideological goal of restoring democracy. If there were no allies willing to fight the Nazis, then the Nazi regime would have persisted indefinitely.

[keenir]

no, they won't - they're burning bridges faster than Chinvat could turn needle-thin. whether that means Democrats or some other party gets voted for, remains to be seen.

Except that they still have much higher approval than the Democrats and that will suffice to win them elections. If twenty percent of voters support one party while only ten percent support the other party, the one with twenty percent approval will win elections.

assuming only two parties, yes. there are more than 2 in the USA...there are/were only two major parties, which the Republicans are trying to stop being one of.

The last time I checked the polls, Trump still enjoyed historically high approval ratings.

have you checked it since his election? i'm suspecting you haven't, because your lines haven't changed since then either.

Regardless of what you suggest, he has not alienate all that many people.

except he already has.

For your doctor to give you the diagnosis? No, because unless your doctor also tells you "you've got cancer, don't bother treating it or fighting it - that would be too easy to do & i just want you to suffer a long slow death" its not defeatism.

From what I can tell, we are facing the same situation as Germany in the 1930s

you reallly like talking about Nazis. is there something you want to tell us?

except that nobody has both the military might to defeat the US and the ideological goal of restoring democracy.

I'll ask again, because you don't seem to have been able to answer before: WHY DOES ANY ONE ARMY NEED TO DO BOTH?

If there were no allies willing to fight the Nazis, then the Nazi regime would have persisted indefinitely.

no, just until they collapsed from autocannibalization and internal resistance efforts.

[linguistcat]

Malloc, I live in a red state, and I promise you, even people who were diehard Trump supporters election day now hate the guy, or at least aren't as open about their support. They might STILL hate the Dems, but they aren't going to be voting Rep again if they can help it. This is a perfect time for third party or independent candidates to shake things up.

Also, laying down and waiting for death tends to be a self fulfilling prophesy.

[Travis B.]

The proper thing to do at this point is to point out that all the supposedly "good" things about Trump were blatant lies and to try to turn people against him even if they voted for him (despite what I have said about Trump voters myself, I still see them as redeemable), not to lie down and go "woe is us, there is nothing we can do about Trump, so why even bother fighting" as you suggest.

[Travis B.]

One thing that was "smart" on the part of Trump, though, was to have Musk be his attack dog -- because now many erstwhile Trump supporters who actually hate what his administration is doing are blaming Musk for it all rather than blaming the proper person, Trump himself.

[Man in Space]

At the Norman Music Festival this year, there’s a band on the bill called Mary Shelley. I note, with considerable amusement, that they are quite appropriately set to perform on the Monster Alley stage.

[malloc]

assuming only two parties, yes. there are more than 2 in the USA...there are/were only two major parties, which the Republicans are trying to stop being one of.

No third party in the US has anywhere close to the kind of infrastructure or name recognition necessary to win federal elections. They rarely even win local elections. Like it or not, the US runs on two parties. Certainly no other parties have taken advantage of this situation to jump to the forefront.

have you checked it since his election? i'm suspecting you haven't, because your lines haven't changed since then either.

Even the most optimistic polls I have seen place his approval rating at a steady 45% over the past two months. None suggests the massive collapse in support that people here keep claiming.

[keenir]

oh, and also, remind us, please, what human rights- loving nation full of democracy, was the one that marched into WW2 Berlin and planted their flags? its on the tip of my tongue, but i can\t think of it offhand...

assuming only two parties, yes. there are more than 2 in the USA...there are/were only two major parties, which the Republicans are trying to stop being one of.

No third party in the US has anywhere close to the kind of infrastructure or name recognition necessary to win federal elections.

HAD

They rarely even win local elections. Like it or not, the US runs on two parties. Certainly no other parties have taken advantage of this situation to jump to the forefront.

in two months?

first you don't believe that Trump will ever break his stranglehold over the voting system and global media...now you don't believe that in the span of two months, Independents and other 3rd Parties haven\t taken over the electoral system over a year and a half early.

have you checked it since his election? i'm suspecting you haven't, because your lines haven't changed since then either.

Even the most optimistic polls I have seen

...which begs the question of what you have seen

[Raphael]

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space exploration.

[bradrn]

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space exploration.

How can it be science fiction if it isn't fiction?

[Raphael]

How can it be science fiction if it isn't fiction?

Fair point.