https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/03/the-scott-adams-scandal-in-reverse-proves-our-racial-double-standard/ =-=-=-=-=-= So, now we know exactly “what would happen if some liberal said what Scott Adams did.” Nothing at all. As is now almost universally known, on a February 22 episode of his Coffee with Scott Adams podcast, the creator of Dilbert and Dogbert drew fire for engaging in what was widely labeled a racist rant... At the same time, however, several cynical and socially maladjusted right-wingers and centrists — in fact, including moi — could not resist asking: Would there be any penalty at all if a black dude, or purple-haired white “ally,” said the same things with the races reversed? Well, someone did. During a March 1 webinar that seems to have gone viral only recently, “anti-racist educator” Robin DiAngelo advised a Zoom room of minority professionals to “get away from white people and have some community with each other.”... While this has been less widely commented on, the White Fragility author also advocated for the removal of those who do not accept contemporary “woke” ideology from the workforce. “In 2023,” she contended, “we have to see the ability to engage in these conversations . . . as a basic qualification.” Any employees refusing or reluctant to do so are “just simply not qualified [for] today’s workplace.” Unlike Adams, who lost his cartoon empire in two MMMbops and half a Scaramucci, DiAngelo received zero penalty for any of her comments. There was not proportionately less backlash, but rather almost none at all — with the exception of a few online darts from conservative wits such as Chris Rufo. A sober discussion of the seminar in question, from Yahoo News, describes a panel of “diversity, equity, and inclusion consultants” solemnly “[nodding] in agreement” as DiAngelo spoke.

The last couple of years I have been eating sumo oranges. They look like mandarin oranges on steroids. They are supposedly bred for sweetness, and boy do you pay for it. I think 3 of them can run you $10. I justify it by saying 'it's only around for a short while'. 2 months or so. If your grocery has them, you should give them a try. Much sweeter than Cara Cara.

@Jolly said in Aqua Bait: @Aqua-Letifer said in Aqua Bait: Somewhere in the middle. A lot of deceased authors have working trusts whose lawyers have ensured the work they claim to protect will die. This is stupid. On the other hand, we need to get away from the idea that internet = free. In this case, it'd depend for me on how these digital editions were loaned out. I don't see any problem with Adobe Digital Editions, for example. If they were using that or similar to fix the number of copies, that would change things. Can't you set a time limit on ADE? Say, two weeks or so? You can indeed; there's even an option to allow and limit the number of renewals.

OTOH...I've got $3k in a 12x14 built on 4x6 skids, 2x8 floor joists, 2x4 roof trusses, 4/12 architectural shingles and T-111 siding (unfinished inside, except for shelving) we just built last fall, and lumber prices are a bit lower since then.

@Mik said in The Resident's Defense: They're already using the PR arm, CBS, to float alternatives like Widmer. It’s like Michigan wants to be a hellhole… Frankly, I think the Republicans lost Michigan because of Trump.

@Jolly said in Punchlines.AI: Whaddya expect fer nuthin'? A rubber biscuit? Just wait.

She did, too...

@xenon said in The NFT Tax: Aren’t NFTs already on the garbage heap of crypto ideas? I assume this came up because people would like to be able to use their capital losses from NFTs to offset gains.

I find Wick 4 very entertaining. Some of the gun battle scenes are very video game-like, but still very exciting and very entertaining. One criticism: The casting of Donnie Yen seems contrived to me. Donnie Yen did a good job with the material given acting wise, but he just doesn't quite "look" the part. He's probably cast with an eye to capture more Asian audiences rather than as a "best fit" for the role.

After a few years on the men's side, he probably does identify as a woman. A toothless one maybe, but still.

@Mik said in Staggered: Ok, so this is just a schedule change. We get ours on the second and third Wednesday of each month. Apparently now we’ll just get it on the 12th. No biggie. Don't know if it affects anybody already receiving benefits....

The Grand Redistribution, after most jobs are taken by AI, will be accomplished through inflation.

Listen up, class... The coffee cup AL is fond of, is most likely a copy of a Victor mug. And therein lies a story... Navy guys being Navy guys, they like their coffee. In WW2, the U.S. Navy put out a contract for a heavy ceramic insulating coffee mug. The Victor company in New York, being in the electrical insulator business, knew how to make and fire insulating ceramic, so they bid on the contract. They got it. The mugs were heavy with an unglazed bottom that didn't easily slide around on a ship's table. After the war, Victor decided to attach a handle to the mug and the iconic diner coffee mug was born. And the Navy still used them. Victor probably made those mugs 40 years or more. A sidenote on a tradition with the mugs...If you were far enough up the feeding chain in the Navy where you could hang on to your own mug, the tradition became to never wash it. Rinse it out with water, but never wash with anything that would mess with the stain. You could tell how long a CPO or officer had been in, by how dark his mug was on the inside A 15-year guy might have a mug with a bronze interior. But back to our story...As with all things, the DamnChinese (one word, like DamnYankee) got into the business with cheap knock-offs. They could make, ship and sell at wholesale a mug for less than what the Victor company could fire the mug in the plant. Victor took the machinery out of use and it probably still sits in a warehouse, somewhere. So now, Victor mugs have become a bit collectible. There are even some colored ones and a few different designs that the company made up looking to increase sales. Look on the bottom for the word "Victor" stamped into the mug before firing. Since each worker had his own stamp, some employees would modify their stamps a bit, maybe taking off a leg off of the R or an arm off of the Y. That way they knew who made the mug. Now, the DamnChinese, being the clever Orientals they are, tended to stamp the word "Victory" on the bottoms of their knock-offs. Kinda hard to tell if you've got a Victor or a Victory (with a smudged Y) with just a glance. Which brings us to Etsey, Ebay and the local bric-a-brac shop...Because of the WW2 connection and because of the numerous Chinese mugs, people started to refer to the mugs as WW2 Victory Mugs, somehow fusing the American and Chinese mugs into a single style of mug. If you decide to buy one, do your research and make sure you are getting what you pay for. And enjoy your coffee...