liminal_luke

Oh, I had no idea that Brian had passed. I loved his presence here and missed him greatly when he left.

Kindness need not always be kind and gentle; often enough it´s a swift kick in the pants. The Mr. Nice Guy approach -- being kind to others at one´s own expense -- is actually not kindness at all. True kindness does not discriminate between self and other but shines equally on all beings.

Thanks. I like to think so, though that assessment, alas, is not universally shared. I´d say smart but not "nuke smart."

I sure hope the ban doesn´t apply to jokes. I think people of all political persuasions can agree that these are times that call for a sense of humor.

What old3bob has done here is start an undercover political thread, subverting the desire of the mods to put the kibosh on current event discussion. When he refers to "a certain depth of evil" I know exactly what -- and whom -- he is talking about. He likely thinks that by talking in code he can escape official censure. And he´s probably right. Smart fella.

Of course, of course. As a fan of the show So You Think You Can Dance?, I could research many more examples of white guys who can most definitely dance. But "white guys can´t dance" is a phrase from popular culture (or at least I think it is), and I thought it would be funny. Back to the comedic drawing board!

Fortunately for me, one need not know too much about the science or pseudoscience of race and culture, the migrations of large groups in 19th century Europe, or the karmic mechanics of reincarnation (which soul goes where) to express the fervent hope that we all get along. It´s probably a rosy oversimplication, but I like to believe that people from all backgrounds are equal, that we´re all capable of doing everything, although it might be true (Steve´s brother notwithstanding) that white guys can´t dance.

By definition, slop is uniform. Simple proper food is rustic and varied. Simple proper food resembles the people who eat it -- multifaceted, soulful, individual; slop resembles AI. Corporations have to make things uniform to return a profit and thus produce slop. Cooks who care about cooking as an art produce food with chi, food that holds the subtle but powerful imprint of the creative process. Such cooks may make money but you generally can´t buy their creations at 7-11.

Bernie Bayard, my old naturopath/acupuncturist, used to say that dirt thrown in a dirty pond isn´t noticed. But throw dirt in a clean pond -- that´s another story. It was a metaphor for diet. Another day of slop on top of a slop food diet doesn´t make much of a subjective difference. But eat "clean" for a few weeks and then go to Burger King? Opps!

This table from Ted Gioia´s substack (The State of the Culture, 2024 - by Ted Gioia) comes to mind.

this is Brilliance (and that last line -- Hilarity) thanks!

feels like old times

Venus in the Western Sky My companion in its brightest month A diamond cool radiance Lingers above the horizon Reminding me (in the words of the poet) To care And not to care As all the earth-bound madness Engulfs our lives. Steady, faithful A light in the darkness As the day Morphs into night -- Joseph Goldstein

I´ll give it a go. People buy solar panels thinking that they´re doing their part to "save the planet" by "going green." Of course it´s not true because a lot of oil was used in the manufacture and transport of those solar panels. Customers think they are getting one thing -- an opportunity to connect with nature and do good for the climate -- but they are being deceived. It´s a fake do-gooder purchase. Just like a rubber duck isn´t really a duck. We buy them to get some sort of three-steps removed connection with nature but they don´t work; we´re deceived. We live in a world where real environmental action is replaced by confusing fake actions and real ducks are replaced by rubber ones. It´s sad but also oddly reassuring. If people are wrong about solar panels and rubber duckies maybe they´re also wrong about the imminent demise of our duckmocracy. I hope so.

This topic is so fraught with emotion, especially these days, that conversation is difficult. I respect doc benway´s blunt and honest Fuck-Sports approach. I also believe that Tommy is sincere and doesn´t wish to offend. As for myself, I think that my positions on this and other "current events" topics have shocked and dismayed Bums who I care about and whose opinions I value. It´s something of an unfortunate mess. While I enjoy thinking about and debating controversial topics, I try to hold my views lightly, acknowledging the limitations of my knowledge and the shortfalls of my virtue. I hope that those who disagree with things I´ve said will extend me a little grace.

Like so many others, I´m sorry to see Maddie go and wish her well. I hope she feels supported and safe. Still, I´m not sure we should accept Maddie´s view of what counts as transphobic wholesale, without applying a critical lens. Is it transphobic, for instance, to question whether transwomen should play in women´s sports? (This was one of the main areas of controversy in the thread.) California governor Gavin Newsom, who is not known for his fascist right-wing views, recently said that transwomen´s participation in women´s sports is "deeply unfair" -- and, as you might imagine, he´s getting hell for that comment in some progressive quarters. So Gavin´s a transphobe. Along with Tommy in the thread. Me too, although I think the question of participation should be decided by individual sporting organizations and not the federal government. The point is there´s not much wiggle-room to step outside the boundaries of progressive consensus and still be considered a good person. There´s a meme going around with a picture of an angry man saying "there are 600 genders, but only 2 political positions -- mine and Nazi." It´s funny because it´s true. We´re not living in a time when diversity of political views is amply tolerated.

double post...

...

https://youtu.be/KUPSTQSGb50?si=0WvPHS6kloeJJuQ5 Great SNL skit called "Couplabeers"

How are people feeling going without Current Events? I´m noticing the forum is a lot less "exciting" now that I´m less likely to read opinions that stimulate the nerves. It´s been nice, too, not to write things that incite controversy and drama; I don´t actually want to allienate lefty friends. On the other hand, if people find that Current Events was bringing community and perspective-expanding information into their lives, far be it from me to stand in the way.

As a former mod, I know how much thought and debate goes into the decision making process. It can seem to the members that reports aren´t being considered when the mod area is abuzz with conversation. Maddie -- I don´t know if the final policy decisions will be in line with what you want, but I do know this: although it might not always be apparent, there´s a lot of support for you on the board.

Maddie -- I know we haven´t always seen eye to eye but silent thunder is right: you will be missed.

I´m reminded of a Chi Nei Tsang technique taught by Gilles Marin. A bodyworker puts fingers just lightly in contact with either side of an individual vertebrae and "listens" for any movement, passively allowing the hands to follow the subtle movement of the bone. After a minute or so, the bodyworker moves on to the next vertebrae down the line. The effect is profoundly relaxing.

I would love a place to share insights and information about current events from a non-msm point of view. Perhaps this could happen in a group current events private message thread. Another possibility would be to start a thread in Current Events for discussion among those of us open to outside-the-mainstream views and jointly agree to ignore the inevitable avalanche of outrage from the usual suspects. It´s also possible, of course, that TDB isn´t the right place for such an exchange, that such thoughts are better shared in person among close friends, but I figured I´d throw out some ideas.

I believe it. Another story. My brother is paid big bucks by pharmaceutical companies to travel the country giving talks to other doctors about the benefits of different drugs, SSRI antidepressents in the past and now ketamine. He recently went to Houston to attend a refresher workshop on how to give the ketamine presentations. I asked him if he composed the content of the talks himself and was free to expound about his own experience as a clinician. He said mostly no. All the slides and handouts were mandated by the pharmaceutical companies and the scope of what he was allowed to say strictly restricted. Interesting.