Woah...

I would argue that categorizing those killed by the murderous heads of state of ~communist countries as “victims of communism” is lazy and deceptive. Besides, the US backed Pol Pot because the Khmer Rouge opposed communist Vietnam. One could argue that the victims of the Khmer Rouge were victims of America’s…

American conservatives are less inclined towards empathy than American liberals. Various studies have explored this. The question then becomes, what do we do with this information? Telling the GOP to be more empathic is unlikely to work.

The way this appears to be going, I expect that all forms of contraception will eventually be targeted. You might say “oh no.. the men in power aren’t willing to sacrifice their access to condoms”. Maybe. Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean they won’t take them away from everyone else. Besides, the people in power…

I assume that they’ll erode the filibuster with carve outs that suit their specific wants. You know, “issues surrounding fetal life can’t be filibustered” or somethong. 

Wow... that was something else. Fortunately it won’t linger in my mind for too long.

Was there even music in Avatar? Everything about that film was so forgettable. And there certainly is no universal rule one can apply here.

I know this might sound bizarre, but Fast and Furious: Stranger Danger was a very touching film. That night, sitting in the crowded theater, I felt something. 

Songs composed specifically for blockbuster films always have a strong corporate-commercial-product feeling that I find hard to ignore. Yeah... A lot of music is more about selling a product than honest artistic expression. But that sense of “music as a product” instead of “music as art” feels amplified when the song…

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

I agree with the sentiment, but it is worth point out that (according to the CNN story) the district’s policy on hair also bans mullets and probably most of what you’ve pictured here. It also bans boy’s hair that extends below the eyebrows. That being said, I assume there is some disproportionate enforcement of the…

I thought that becuase we screwed the last pandemic up so badly, the Earth wasn’t going to give us another one.

Maybe it’s the opposite?

“I really have no interest in seeing Dr. Strange 2, and even less interest in the Avatar teaser trailer. So it’s really convenient that studio bundled them together for me to ignore simultaneously.”

I mean, that is thoughtful of them.

I think the arguments for building underground on Mars are more about shielding individuals from radiation. Unlike Earth, Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field to protect it from cosmic and solar radiation. As a result, everything would have to be shielded or underground or we would need to develop some form of…

I always assumed kanar tasted like the combinarion of fermented fish juice and licorice.

Great... it’s getting ready to hatch.

An astronomical amount of ice?

Seriously though, I think the telescope primarily cooled passively. The sunshield keeps the sun light off it as the heat slowly radiates away. MIRI specifically has an active chiller system which... a quick Google search later...

From a semiotics perspective I would say that the meaning of symbols can change over time, but for the most part I agree with what you’re saying. And I definitely do not have any answers. I’ve just been thinking a lot about how progressive messages get weaponized by bad faith actors or misconstrued by low-engagement…

Shouldn’t effective symbols show what you’re for rather against? Nuance and even “if/then” messaging is often lost on the public in broad campaigns such as this. Look at how a slogan like “Defund the Police” was misconstrued and weaponized against police reform movements. “If abortion is outlawed, then...” is too…

Define “Mainstream media”. CNN, Washington Post, the Guardian, Financial Times, et al. have all reported on the Azov Battalion’s relationship with Nazism.

I completely agree that there is a conversation to be had about the presence of such militia groups in Ukraine, but 1) far-right militias are unfortunately not…