Sunday, July 21, 2024

Time ago it was desertification, 'turning the Earth barren,' and 'leaving entire countries facing famine'; now the worry is that in the receding drylands 'vegetation may soak up scarce water supplies'

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Although by then it was well-known that it was a better theory that the deserts were receding and the earth was greening, than the opposite...
Tuesday, July 16, 2024

It is reassuring to read these sycophants explaining that shooting down Nancy Pelosi was discarded as an idea; it also certifies that the tyrant won't go to war over Taiwan

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China ramps ups military education for younger ages to help sow ‘seeds’ of patriotism. Amber Wang in Beijing. Southern China Morning Post, J...
Thursday, July 11, 2024

Gen. Wei, a senior party and PLA leader, had “a collapse of faith and a loss of loyalty” and “seriously polluted the political ecosystem of the PLA”; Gen. Li had “abandoned the original mission and lost the principles of the party” & seriously contaminated the PLA’s military equipment industry

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China’s military commits to full ‘rectification’ in corruption investigations’ wake. Xinlu Liang in Beijing. South China Morning Post, Jul 1...
Monday, July 1, 2024

The disasters of excessive patriotic zeal, or of dotardness, I can't tell... Corrupt running dog, bootlicker, (p)sycophant and mafioso Shih-ts'un Wu urges to construct narratives defending Chinese maritime claims exploting Western archives/libraries

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South China Sea: Chinese academics urged to ‘construct narratives’ to defend maritime claims. Laura Zhou. South China Morning Post, Jun 30 2...
Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Check Rolf Degen's Twitter page to get great summaries of Psychology papers

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 Check Rolf Degen's takes!  @DegenRolf
Saturday, June 8, 2024

Today’s suggested packing lists for 7-week camps can include, inter alia, 2 sets of sheets, 6 towels, 3 pairs of sneakers, 25 pairs of underwear, 25 pairs of socks, sports equipment, toiletries, more than 20 tops and shorts, and 10 pairs of pajamas—split between lightweight and heavy

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These Parents Are Shelling Out to Have Someone Else Pack Their Kids for Camp. By Tara Weiss https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/elite-summer-camp-...
Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Yamada Kurumi, a client, works at a brothel to earn enough money to visit the clubs, which she does about once a week. She had boyfriends in the past but finds hosts more exciting. She is unsure whether to seek an office job after graduating from college or to carry on with sex work, which pays better.

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The controversial cult of the host club in Japan. The Economist. May 21st 2024 https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/05/21/the-controversia...
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

I have one partner now with three kids. He is transmasc, and he’s radical about the way he raises them. They’re radically home-schooled. They’re 17 and nonbinary, 6 and 5. They know everything in age-appropriate ways. They’ve seen their mommy undergo the transmasc experience

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Lessons From a 20-Person Polycule . Interviews by Daniel Bergner, photographs by Anne Vetter. The New York Times, Apr 2024.  https://www.nyt...
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

'Soberising' the enemy with a nuke or two, avoiding escalation — Leaked Russian military files reveal criteria for nuclear tactical strikes

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Leaked Russian military files reveal criteria for nuclear strike. Max Seddon and Chris Cook in London https://www.ft.com/content/f18e6e1f-5c...
Friday, February 2, 2024

Unelected elites such as lobbyists, civil servants, journalists, and the like overestimate a lot how much the general population agrees with their own political views

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The people think what I think: False consensus and unelected elite misperception of public opinion. Alexander C. Furnas, Timothy M. LaPira. ...
Monday, January 15, 2024

Treatment of the Taiwanese in Chinese Communist Documents and Statements: 1928-1943

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The Chinese Communist Party and the Status of Taiwan, 1928-1943. Frank S. T. Hsiao and Lawrence R. Sullivan. Pacific Affairs, Vol. 52, No. 3...