dewline: "Truth is still real" (anti-fascism)
On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-06-28 10:05 pm
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Survival Is a Form of Victory

This is a thing I have to believe, especially in these times.

If you see me as a lifeboat of any kind, I hope to serve you well.
asthfghl: (Ауди А6 за шес' хиляди марки. Проблемче?)
Asthfghl ([personal profile] asthfghl) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2025-06-27 11:17 pm
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Friday offtopic. Let's make ignorance expensive again.

I'd argue that Facebook doom scrolling is far more damaging "in its current state":

Scientists just completed the first brain scan study of ChatGPT users, "the results are terrifying"!




It appears those "ChatGPT users bad" posts are usually projection mixed with a sprinkle of elitism and a big ol' spoonful of insecurity. It's like they know something powerful is happening, but instead of learning how to use it, they slap on a "let me gatekeep intelligence" sticker and act like typing your thoughts into an interface is brain rot. Bro, you typed that take into a smartphone while scrolling TikTok and calling it a mental detox.

Let's be real. Tools like ChatGPT don't replace thinking, they expand it. When used well, they:
Help you frame and explore ideas more efficiently
Connect you to relevant knowledge and sources
Offer new perspectives that challenge your assumptions
Save you time on the small stuff so you can think about the big stuff
Let you actually enjoy learning again

The real fear behind memes like this is often about gatekeeping, the idea that if more people have access to nuanced thinking tools, the traditional power structures lose their grip.

So yeah. You're not being zombified. You're leveling up. It's not cognitive laziness. It's cognitive leverage. That's the key difference.

I mean, come on. If Plato had a tool that could help him cross-reference every myth, idea and dialectic while brainstorming his next philosophical banger, you think he'd be like, "No thanks, I prefer to suffer manually"?
Hell no. He'd be running "Republic GPT" faster than you could say "Forms".
asthfghl: (Слушам и не вярвам на очите си!)
Asthfghl ([personal profile] asthfghl) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2025-06-25 10:37 pm
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The NATO deal

News just came from The Hague, where Trump led a surprisingly smooth NATO summit. In a nutshell:

Trump got his headline win: NATO leaders agreed to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 (3.5% for core military costs, 1.5% for broader security needs). This came after steady pressure from him.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-leaders-set-back-trump-defence-spending-goal-hague-summit-2025-06-24/

He affirmed his support for Article 5 (collective defense) after earlier doubts. "I stand with it ... that's why I'm here," he said.

And yes, Trump wasn't shy calling out Spain for opting out. He even hinted at tougher trade negotiations: "We're going to make them pay twice as much."

Trump framed this outcome as a major victory for the US, NATO, and Western security. "We had a great victory here," he said. Very Trump style.

Of course this was classic Trump. All drama, all deal. He held NATO's feet to the fire and walked away with a commitment no one thought possible. Yes, some allies grumbled, but getting everyone (even Spain with its carve‑out) to sign on to 5% is no small feat. It's a win that gives Europe more skin in the game and lets Trump claim he secured billions more for US made arms. Credit where credit is due. He played it like a champ: commanding, unapologetic, and very on-brand.

This will be a highlight of Trump's, that's for sure.
asthfghl: (Asthfghl)
Asthfghl ([personal profile] asthfghl) wrote2025-06-22 11:00 pm
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Загрявка до ЦПШ

Нов излет в готина компания в района на Мальовица – класика, която никога не омръзва, особено когато денят започне сред прохладата при ЦПШ и с обещание за нови шеметни височини. Поехме нагоре към заслона БАК, заобиколени от отвесна прелест и звучното мълчание на Рила. Под връх Орловец пътеката ни поведе по малко познат и доста вълнуващ терен, докато не стигнахме седловината над платото със Страшното езеро – място, което действа омагьосващо на сетивата.

Еуфорията обаче бързо бе засенчена от изумление, когато станахме свидетели на смразяваща кръвта спасителна операция с хеликоптер при връх Двуглав стотина метра по-нагоре. По-късно научихме, че за жалост инцидентът е завършил с фатален край за един от пострадалите, което придаде замислена тежест на деня и ни напомни ясно, че с планината шега не бива. Въпреки това излетът изпълни своята роля – добра загрявка за Ботев другата седмица, но с едно наум и с още по-голямо уважение към стихията, която наричаме природа.

[ КЪМ ПЪЛНАТА ГАЛЕРИЯ ]
dewline: (amusement)
On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-06-22 10:23 am

Star Trek Mapping: The Two Axolotls

Entertaining accident: Decades ago, when Masao Okazaki was putting his Starfleet Museum site together, he assigned the name "Axolotl" to a planet orbiting Gliese 767A.

In 2019, the IAU and Mexico named the star HD 224693 "Axólotl" as part of that year's Name ExoWorlds event.

We have precedent in Star Trek for this sort of thing, thankfully, so I'm not worrying over it.
dewline: Facepalming upon learning bad news (bad news)
On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-06-21 10:28 pm

Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan

Dammit, Donnie.

You and the rest of your gang...just cannot leave well enough alone, can you?
abomvubuso: (Over the Edge)
abomvubuso ([personal profile] abomvubuso) wrote2025-06-21 10:00 pm
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dewline: Logo: Open comic book with Cdn. Leaf Symbol (comic books)
On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-06-20 08:30 pm

Comics Geography Trivia Question

Can anyone please upload a scan of the "Ask the Answer Man" section of the "Daily Planet" page from Detective Comics #470 (June 1977)?
fridi: (Default)
Fridi ([personal profile] fridi) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2025-06-20 09:55 pm
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Friday offtopic. Meditation is not as harmless as you might think

Mind-blowing read: Meditation And Mindfulness Have a Dark Side We Often Overlook



In a nutshell:

1. Mindfulness and meditation, though widely praised, can cause serious adverse effects such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, dissociation, and depersonalisation, sometimes in people with no prior mental health issues
2. A 2022 US study found over 10% of regular meditators experienced negative impacts lasting at least a month
3. Historical sources, including a 1,500 year old Buddhist text and a 1976 warning by Arnold Lazarus, have similarly documented meditation's dark side
4. The booming US mindfulness market (≈US$2.2 bn) often omits warnings about potential harms, fueled by a "capitalist spiritual" mindset
5. Ethically, mindfulness promotion should include disclosure of risks, better training for instructors, and informed guidance for practitioners
nairiporter: (Default)
nairiporter ([personal profile] nairiporter) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2025-06-18 09:22 pm
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Is the US getting directly involved?

The US is visibly ramping up its military presence in the Middle East, sending more fighter jets and warships to the region. The big question is: is this just pressure tactics, or is Trump actually preparing for a military strike against Iran?

So far, Trump has remained unusually silent, which suggests something serious might be in the works. His administration, normally loud about its plans, is now keeping things under wraps. There's speculation that Trump may be leaning toward military action, especially after a recent national security meeting at the White House.

It's clear the pressure on Iran is increasing. US and Israeli air capabilities are reportedly stronger than ever, with added refueling capacity allowing extended operations over Iranian airspace.

Opinions in the US are divided. Some, like Democratic congressman Seth Moulton, warn against getting into another Middle East conflict and argue that diplomacy is the better path, especially to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions in check. Others, like Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, are calling for a decisive end to Iran's nuclear program, even if that means military force.

From a military standpoint, destroying Iran's underground nuclear sites would require more than just airstrikes, likely special ground forces. And any attack risks retaliation against the 40,000 US troops already in the region.

Within Trump's own camp, there's tension. Isolationists argue against war, saying it would go against Trump's campaign promise to keep the US out of foreign entanglements.
asthfghl: (pcl)
Asthfghl ([personal profile] asthfghl) wrote2025-06-17 09:00 pm
Entry tags:
dewline: "Truth is still real" (anti-fascism)
On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams ([personal profile] dewline) wrote2025-06-16 02:25 pm

"Remigration" and What It Means

[personal profile] solarbird has some thoughts about one of the Vulgarian's latest eruptions on "Pravda Sotsialnaya" yesterday, in which he demanded the US federal government get on with the ethnic cleansing on what I suspect to be Stephen Miller's continuing "advice". She's on point here.

This is one of the major reasons why I still think Canada should get out of the so-called "Safe Third-Country Agreement" with the US government right bloody now. Yesterday would have been better, and today would still be good. We need more people up here in Canada anyway to do all manner of work. Whether it's through regular immigration channels, regular refugee channels, or emergency "save the people about to be put through refoulement ASAP, dammit" measures.

Yes, there's a specific word for what Trump and Miller are trying to do to millions of people across the USA right now.

Refoulement.

That's what "remigration" is code for. Sending them back to the undeserved hells they've escaped from.

I intend to have a word about this with my MP and/or her staff. Today.