@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

PJ_Evans

@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social

retired map reader; amateur genealogist since 1974; knitter since 1969; SF fan since 1961.
Cactuses (but not opuntias) are fun!

Location: Los Angeles

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rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

2,571 books were banned or challenged in 2022, according to the American Library Association.

That’s up 40% from 2021.

Why the spike? Because nothing scares conservatives more than a multi-racial generation of young people who ask critical questions and speak truth to power.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
There's a system in Florida that's dealing with a karen who objects to books by Nora Roberts and Jodi Picoult, because they're labeled as "adult romances" and therefore are pr0n. (These are books sold in supermarkets, and are known for being generally reassuring and safe for all ages over about 14.)

lauren, to internet

Report: (BS) CEO concerned that platform is about to be overrun with Nazis: https://twitter.com/pookleblinky/status/1651783347759194112

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@lauren
It's a little late for that.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Nothing says the Supreme Court needs a code of ethics like a justice accepting free luxury travel from a GOP billionaire megadonor who also had business before the Court.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
And another selling property to someone from BigLawFirm that frequently has business before the court.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Remember: One of the biggest reasons the federal debt has exploded is that tax cuts for corporations and wealthier Americans have reduced government revenue.

If Republicans actually cared about controlling the debt, they’d repeal the Trump tax cuts or pass taxes on the rich.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
This should be obvious even to legislators, but they're well-paid for pretending it isn't happening.

froomkin, to random
@froomkin@journa.host avatar

Journalists could also use "As-you-know-Bob" paragraphs instead of just assuming readers have all the necessary context.... Thank you @henryfarrell

RT @doctorow
How science fiction's signature technique of "in-cluing" (c.f. @BluejoWalton) can help experts be better communicators (by @henryfarrell for @crookedtimber)

https://crookedtimber.org/2023/04/27/red-team-blues-and-the-as-you-know-bob-problem/
https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1651588472338251777

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@froomkin
Science fiction has had decades of practice with this. Infodumps are a nuisance. (Stephenson's "Anathem" put the big ones in appendices.)

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@gepandz @froomkin
I spent years working at a gas-distribution company, where missing something like pipe being in casing could kill someone. It does cause stress.

RobertMaguire, to random

RT @NormOrnstein
What I feared has begun. Politico Playbook today is all about Kevin McCarthy‘s victory on his debt ceiling bill and on the tactics. Nothing on the substance, on what happens if we breach the debt ceiling, the delivery push to economic catastrophe.. It’s a both sides frame.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@RobertMaguire
Nothing on the fact that the debt ceiling bill will blow up the budget and kill people.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

GOP strategy:

  1. Cut taxes for the rich & corporations, claiming they'll pay for themselves

  2. Explode the deficit

  3. Use the debt & deficit as an excuse to demand cuts to programs that millions rely on

  4. Repeat

They're trying to get away with it again. We can't let them.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
They've been doing this for 40 years. You would think the Dems would have learned to use this.

lauren, to random

New federal bipartisan bill would set age limits for social media and establish government run Internet-use ID system [like in China]. Both parties want the U.S. Internet to be like the Communist Chinese Internet. -
https://www.wired.com/story/protecting-kids-social-media-act/

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@lauren
I think that's a clear violation of 1A.

FeralRobots, to random
@FeralRobots@mastodon.social avatar

Dick Gregory, who last I knew was a committed , used to do a micro-bit in support of that went something like this: "Put one hand in a glass of icewater & one in a pot of boiling water, which is gonna feel better?"

My immediate reaction: "Put one hand in a glass of ice water & the other in a blender...."

(Fruitarians are the 'eat nothing but liquefied raw vegetable matter' folks. Disturbing but unsurprisingly large % of them think is real.)

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@futurebird @FeralRobots
My mother had a doctor that said that one day a week you eat whatever you want for breakfast, and a different day you eat whatever you want for lunch, and a third day you eat whatever you want for supper - I have to assume he meant "allowing for medical restrictions", but the idea is to not lock yourself into the same thing all the time.

rbreich, to random
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The Republicans in Congress want to repeal the estate tax, giving America's billionaires a $1.8 trillion tax break.

Don't believe for a second that they care about working people.

PJ_Evans,
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@rbreich
The only people it benefits can afford the taxes. Their stories about family farmers and small businesses are lies.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Gifts to Supreme Court justices shouldn’t just be “disclosed.” They should be banned, outright. How is that not painfully obvious?

PJ_Evans,
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@rbreich
I'll allow low-value gifts - not more than $20.

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

RT @rbreich
Do I have this right…the same Republicans in Congress who want a national abortion ban don't support paid maternity leave? Or universal childcare? Or universal healthcare?

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
Or real sex ed, or prenatal care, or living wages or affordable housing or...

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

RT @4TaxFairness
Kevin McCarthy's new plan makes huge budget cuts impacting the Social Security Administration, veterans care, housing, education, and more.

All while protecting tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. Really.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@rbreich
Protect the people who aren't impacted by budget cuts, and punish all the people who are.

froomkin, to random
@froomkin@journa.host avatar

There is a special place in hell for the child-labor lobby https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/23/child-labor-lobbying-fga/  

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@froomkin
If the parents think it's okay for kids to work under those conditions, they're not good parents. They DO NOT own the children.

futurebird, to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

How to Get to Know Your Neighbors

  1. Bring a house warming gift. If you live in the city new families will appreciate a freshly killed insect such as a fly or cricket. Country folk enjoy cake.

  2. Place the gift where it can be found, soon your neighbors will arrive.

  3. Take some photos, learn their names.

  4. Carefully follow someone from each family home to find out where they live.

  5. From time to time return with new gifts.

👩🏿‍🏭 🏙️ 🦗 🐜
👩🏿‍🌾 🌳 🍰 🐜

Ant colonies can live for 3-15 years!

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@futurebird
I've read that the Argentine ants in California are all members of one huge colony.

mastodonmigration, to random
@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online avatar

Been making fun today of the $8 blue check shenanigans, but the serious side is becoming very clear. For show business, sports and media celebrities, journalists, writers, artists, politicians and influencers, social media is instrumental to making their living. And like it or not, Twitter right now is the only game in town. By threatening their livelihoods Elon is extorting these people, and he will be successful unless and until a viable social media alternative exists.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@mastodonmigration
It matters to the government agencies who use the birdsite, too.

mastodonmigration, to random
@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online avatar

Update

According to Variety (https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/twitter-removes-legacy-blue-check-marks-celebrities-1235589174/), these celebrities lost their blue check: Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, Bill Gates, Justin Timberlake, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, and Donald Trump.

Still blue checked: Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Ellen DeGeneres, Miley Cyrus, LeBron James and Tim Cook. Unclear who's ponied up the $8 for this dubious honor.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@mastodonmigration
LeBron didn't.

Garwboy, to random
@Garwboy@ohai.social avatar

Was recently asked which scientific 'myth' I'd like to see banished forever

Obviously, given my field and output, I had to choose 'we only use 10% of our brains'

It's not just a silly thing that leads to shoddy movie plots. It's worse than that

For one thing, the origins of the 'we only use 10% of our brain' notion are unclear. But analysis suggests it came about at least a century ago. Believe it or not, our understanding of the brain has improved by orders of magnitude since then

/1

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@wasabi @csepp @Garwboy
Kobo has it.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@csepp @wasabi @Garwboy
It's mostly that if you know how to use search, it's very easy to find.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@csepp @wasabi
You ignored that search engines exist, and wanted others to tell you the answers.
What's wrong with you?

Sheril, to science
@Sheril@mastodon.social avatar

We often ignore agriculture in conversations about .

The carbon footprint of farming meat for human consumption is estimated to be over 7.1 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent - accounting for 14.5% of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions.

PJ_Evans,
@PJ_Evans@mastodon.social avatar

@Sheril
I eat little beef, and more chicken. Doing my small part, I hope!

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