Usual rule of thumb is that you don’t need to attribute evil when some actions can be explained by stupidity.

Here it’s the other way around.

Heraskevych’s choice to forfeit the medal chance instead of give up the memorial helmet is the biggest story in Ukraine today. Everyone is heartbroken but there is a unanimous consensus that this was what had to happen rather than to give up.

Mindscape Holiday Message, 2025 | The Romance of the University YouTube video by Sean Carroll

@seanmcarroll.bsky.social's podcast acts as an awareness bulwark for me on the merit of a liberal education. Before I started listening to it, a liberal education was simply the way of things. Now it holds real value for me because he speaks directly to it. Check it out, folks.
youtu.be/ZK_vK7yjEKk

Best reason to never be famous - or say anything in public ever, really - is that the modern world won’t let you say the most anodyne stuff without willfully misconstruing it into a scandal.

I know. I was hoping you’d judge it as better late than never.

I was always a very intermittent Twitter user, and I haven’t yet managed to establish a solid Bluesky habit instead.

Gosh, just like the Republicans, you accuse others of what you’ve done yourself. In this case, “…nothing thoughtful about your replies.” describes yours perfectly.

You’ve chosen vitriol over colloquy, which is a shame. You might have learned that I agree that stealing IP is reprehensible.

Thanks, Emily!

True.

The history of science provides multiple examples of when lone-wolf outliers were right — the classic example being Wegener and continental drift — and even more — too many to count — when they wrong. So trying to judge anything based on the scientist’s status in the community is hopeless.

Love that you included those panels. Did you just happen to have them handy, or is there somewhere online one can pluck them when needed?

Unfortunately, now you’ve advocated for the Hamas project, which means you support genocide. That’s a shame.

The world is full of “ethno states” especially the Muslim part of it. Ever heard of “Islamabad”?

The Palestinians are NOT natives, as genetic research has demonstrated. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be treated fairly, but the surrounding Arab states made that difficult from day one.

Probably.

I’ve since given up fencing with her. She always has an answer, and it’s very tiring and tiresome.

Liar!

Terrible, and sadly typical of the thugs DHS likes to hire.

For reasons unclear to me, Jeff VanderMeer, whom I don’t know except as a good writer, thinks I’m his enemy because we disagree about AI. He’s started attacking, insulting, and lying about me here and on Facebook. Please ignore his BS if you can and alert me to anything really egregious. Thanks.

I’m a “disgrace to editors” because we disagree about AI? I’ve always supported payments to artists & authors whose work was used without permission. You’re a disgrace to SF for attacking me Trump-style, and having a mundane’s closed mind about how AI might help us survive. You disappoint me.

“Cavalier and thoughtless”? Did you read more than a few lines of what I posted and my lengthy replies to comments? I thought you were an editor. Shame on you. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I guess that makes you “human slop.”

Jeffy, insult me if you must, but don’t lie about me, OK? Tor hasn’t paid me a dime in years, and I don’t generally use generative AI. The Kamala Harris meme I recently shared was Photoshopped.

The Freedom to Read Act protects students’ right to learn and librarians’ right to provide diverse, inclusive books without political pressure. It’s already passed the Legislature, it just needs Governor Hochul's signature. @governor.ny.gov
#FreedomToRead #BannedBooksWeek

diplo.act on Instagram: "Watch Coleman Hughes brilliantly dismantle the “genocide” lie—clearly, calmly, and with facts. Watch. Think. Share.View all 927 com…" Watch Coleman Hughes brilliantly dismantle the “genocide” lie—clearly, calmly, and with facts. Watch. Think. Share.

Coleman Hughes is a very smart conservative with whom I frequently disagree, but I’ve chosen his video to share with you for his cogent and concise explanation of why accusing Israel of genocide is just plain wrong.

www.instagram.com/reel/DNLXRXi...

Jimmy Kimmel will return to TV after highly criticized suspension Late-night host reinstated after brief suspension related to comments on Maga and Charlie Kirk that Disney called ‘insensitive’

Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and to all the Americans who swiftly used their spending power to let Disney know what we thought of their cowardice. That furious response was the most hopeful thing we’ve seen in our politics since Trump’s reelection.

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

"Measles and Polio Down in the Schoolyard" - Marsh Family parody of Paul Simon "Me and Julio" on RFK YouTube video by Marsh Family

Grass-roots protest at its best, making great use of a Paul Simon classic.

youtu.be/FDiXrd-R68U?...

I hate to think of either future, but both look more likely as the insane voluntary self-destruction continues. It's incomprehensible and tragically sad and all the conceivable long-term consequences are bad. Our grandchildren will be living in the ruins. There is no life insurance for nations.

We will be a degraded, poorer nation when Trump is done, a sad second- or third-rate power with all its glories behind it. Perhaps then the Union will crumble at last, trashing Lincoln's legacy and bringing the grand American Experiment to a close.

Inside science labs trying to survive in the Trump era Anastasia Khvorova’s lab at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School shows how quickly the administration is dismantling an 80-year partnership that made the U.S. a scientific superpower.

The longer Trump is in office, the more he looks like an agent for Russia and China. I'm not saying he actually is one, but that his policies have the same effect, weakening us and strengthening them. Here’s an article describing what I mean.

wapo.st/3HaZ3Um

Can Iran Stop U.S. Bunker Buster Bombs? YouTube video by Curious Droid

This is the best video I’ve seen explaining what bunker-buster bombs can and maybe can’t do.

youtu.be/33IfCt-fAOk

Hegseth orders US navy to strip Harvey Milk name from ship amid Pride month Timing of announcement on ship named after prominent gay rights activist and veteran is intentional, reports say

It seems that every week or two the awful people who report to Trump feel a need to prove again that they are just as divisive and hateful as he is. They give fresh relevance to the term “Un-American,” which I never thought I’d use.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Rep. Nadler Responds to DHS Raid on His Office: 'It Can Happen to Anyone' Trump's DHS entered a congressional office and detained a staffer without a warrant

Yes, we *are* becoming a police state. This should chill you to your bones.

meidasnews.com/news/rep-nad...

American Government: Constitutional Foundations | Harvard University Learn how early American politics informed the U.S. Constitution and why its promise of liberty and equality has yet to be fully realized.

In response to Trump’s trashing of democratic norms, Harvard University is offering a FREE online course titled American Government: Constitutional Foundations, taught by Prof. Thomas Patterson, the Bradlee Professor of Government at the Kennedy School.

pll.harvard.edu/course/ameri...