Philosophical Questions: Censorship
Nov. 15th, 2025 12:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Is some degree of censorship necessary?
( Read more... )
Is some degree of censorship necessary?
( Read more... )
Politics
Nov. 14th, 2025 09:31 pmysabetwordsmithWhy I Am Resigning from the Heritage Foundation (Guest-Post by Adam Mossoff)
[DB: This is a guest post from my Scalia Law colleague Professor Adam Mossoff, reprinting his letter to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts resigning his position as a visiting fellow at the Foundation. As Adam says, this is a time for choosing on the political right: you either abandon conservatism and stand with Tucker Carlson and nihilism, collectivism, Nazism, and Jew hatred, or you stick up for (conserve, if you will) the American traditions of individual rights, religious and ethnic pluralism, and the rule of law.]
An interesting feature of modern politics is how often it highlights where people draw the line, that they are comfortable or tolerant of A-Y but not Z.
[DB: This is a guest post from my Scalia Law colleague Professor Adam Mossoff, reprinting his letter to Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts resigning his position as a visiting fellow at the Foundation. As Adam says, this is a time for choosing on the political right: you either abandon conservatism and stand with Tucker Carlson and nihilism, collectivism, Nazism, and Jew hatred, or you stick up for (conserve, if you will) the American traditions of individual rights, religious and ethnic pluralism, and the rule of law.]
An interesting feature of modern politics is how often it highlights where people draw the line, that they are comfortable or tolerant of A-Y but not Z.
Communities
Nov. 14th, 2025 07:41 pmysabetwordsmithWant to build a deeper, richer community? Learning how to handle conflict is key, the Gottmans say
As Julie told Good Good Good, in the decades they have spent doing this work they have observed time and time again: “Conflict can really lead to greater understanding between people.”
The trick is approaching conflict with a goal to understand; not to conquer.
“Speak in such a way that you don't sabotage yourself getting listened to,” Julie said. “That means avoiding criticism, contempt, defensiveness, totally shutting down, or stonewalling.”
( Read more... )
As Julie told Good Good Good, in the decades they have spent doing this work they have observed time and time again: “Conflict can really lead to greater understanding between people.”
The trick is approaching conflict with a goal to understand; not to conquer.
“Speak in such a way that you don't sabotage yourself getting listened to,” Julie said. “That means avoiding criticism, contempt, defensiveness, totally shutting down, or stonewalling.”
( Read more... )
Education
Nov. 14th, 2025 07:35 pmysabetwordsmithVirtual 'University Of The People' provides a free college education to anyone in the world
The university offers accredited certificates, associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science, and master’s degree programs in business administration, information technology, and education.
There is no tuition involved in obtaining a degree, but a variety of fees are required that add up to about $5,000 for a bachelor’s degree.
( Read more... )
The university offers accredited certificates, associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science, and master’s degree programs in business administration, information technology, and education.
There is no tuition involved in obtaining a degree, but a variety of fees are required that add up to about $5,000 for a bachelor’s degree.
( Read more... )
第四年第三百十天
Nov. 15th, 2025 06:22 amnnozomi posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
guardian_learning部首
尸 part 5
屏, screen; 展, to exhibit; 属, to belong ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
语法
1.5 Basic sentence structure
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-grammar
词汇
阿姨, aunt (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
未来是属于年轻人的, the future belongs to the young
我在哪, where am I?
阿姨啊，我想问一下团圆夜那天晚上这儿有没有发生什么事啊, auntie, I want to ask you if anything happened here on Reunion Night
Me:
把你的手机屏幕关灯。
可以叫我阿姨。
尸 part 5
屏, screen; 展, to exhibit; 属, to belong ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
语法
1.5 Basic sentence structure
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-grammar
词汇
阿姨, aunt (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-4-word-list/
Guardian:
未来是属于年轻人的, the future belongs to the young
我在哪, where am I?
阿姨啊，我想问一下团圆夜那天晚上这儿有没有发生什么事啊, auntie, I want to ask you if anything happened here on Reunion Night
Me:
把你的手机屏幕关灯。
可以叫我阿姨。
Birdfeeding
Nov. 14th, 2025 01:26 pmysabetwordsmithToday is mostly sunny and quite warm -- it's 75F outside.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
Magpie Monday
Nov. 14th, 2025 12:43 pmysabetwordsmithWell, it's not Monday, but dialecticdreamer is running a Magpie prompt call that will stay open until Friday night. Leave prompts, get ficlets!
The theme for this month is Disruption and Opportunity.
Life throws disruptions at us all the time, but sometimes, those disruptions are opportunities. Genna Saint Croix, driving halfway across the country at the invitation of a lazy detective to check a John Doe body, has a major disruption amid a life-altering crisis already going on. That she stopped to help a teenager who convinced his pals not to rob her was an opportunity… for both of them.
dialecticdreamer is running a Magpie prompt call that will stay open until Friday night. Leave prompts, get ficlets!The theme for this month is Disruption and Opportunity.
Life throws disruptions at us all the time, but sometimes, those disruptions are opportunities. Genna Saint Croix, driving halfway across the country at the invitation of a lazy detective to check a John Doe body, has a major disruption amid a life-altering crisis already going on. That she stopped to help a teenager who convinced his pals not to rob her was an opportunity… for both of them.
Food
Nov. 13th, 2025 05:12 pmysabetwordsmith5 'foods of the future' that could help save the planet
Fortunately, regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and eco-friendly approaches are changing the way we farm, fish, and feast. From grain that’s been cultivated since 5000 BC to newly engineered “climate blend” bread, these five foods may have different histories, but they all have a part to play in future food menus.
I am increasingly interested in lesser-known, indigenous, and climate-resistant foods.
( Read more... )
Fortunately, regenerative agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and eco-friendly approaches are changing the way we farm, fish, and feast. From grain that’s been cultivated since 5000 BC to newly engineered “climate blend” bread, these five foods may have different histories, but they all have a part to play in future food menus.
I am increasingly interested in lesser-known, indigenous, and climate-resistant foods.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Nov. 13th, 2025 05:09 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and mild.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.
I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.
I did a lot of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I watered the Egyptian walking onions.
I gathered seeds from the 'Shirley' landrace zinnias that I'm developing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I emptied the two spigot jugs of comfrey tea. The pure one had so little liquid that I just dumped it out, and it didn't have much of a smell, just kind of moldy. The one with a handful of leaves decanted 2 gallons of tea-colored liquid fertilizer, and not much noticable smell. That's the one I'm more likely to repeat. I never did get around to testing it because the weather was so sweltering most of the time. But I have it to try out in spring.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- I rinsed out the two spigot jugs and brought them in.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard looking at places in the prairie garden that need to be mowed, trimmed and carried away a few branches, and now my partner Doug is out mowing.
EDIT 11/13/25 -- We walked around the yard again and got another strip mowed.
I did a lot of work around the patio.
I've seen a fox squirrel running through the trees.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
第四年第三百零九天
Nov. 14th, 2025 07:58 amnnozomi posting in guardian_learning部首
尸 part 4
届, counter for events; 屋, house/room; 屎, excrement ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
词汇
做客, to be a guest (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/
And that completes the HSK3 vocabulary list! 辛苦！ On to HSK4 next time.
Guardian:
屋里没人啊, there's nobody in the room
[no 做客]
Me:
欢迎来到第一届比赛。
我什么责任都不负，我是作客的。
尸 part 4
届, counter for events; 屋, house/room; 屎, excrement ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
词汇
做客, to be a guest (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/
And that completes the HSK3 vocabulary list! 辛苦！ On to HSK4 next time.
Guardian:
屋里没人啊, there's nobody in the room
[no 做客]
Me:
欢迎来到第一届比赛。
我什么责任都不负，我是作客的。
Ludford village and church
Nov. 13th, 2025 08:46 pmcmcmckThe monument to the judge, MP and speaker of parliament, Sir Job Charlton (1614-1697). He was a royalist in the civil wars:
( See more pics! )
( See more pics! )
Vocabulary: Carcinization
Nov. 12th, 2025 10:12 pmysabetwordsmithCarcinization is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile, who described it in 1916 as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab".
Crabs have evolved five separate times – why do the same forms keep appearing in nature?
... including at least one sexbot whose lower body is a mechanical battle crab. :D
Crabs have evolved five separate times – why do the same forms keep appearing in nature?
... including at least one sexbot whose lower body is a mechanical battle crab. :D
Half-Price Sale in Polychrome Heroics
Nov. 12th, 2025 08:04 pmysabetwordsmithThe November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl made its $300 goal, so there will be a half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics from Monday 17-Sunday 23. Mark the dates on your calendar, and I hope to see you then!
New Crowdfunding Project: "Monsterotica"
Nov. 12th, 2025 05:40 pmysabetwordsmithHappy Monsterotica Launch Day!
The crowdfunding campaign to fund publishing of our next erotic anthology, Monsterotica: Tales of Unusual Courtship and Coupling, is now live on Kickstarter!
Now through December 2nd, 2025, we seek to raise $10,500 to cover publishing of the anthology and creation of the related merchandise. This awesome book contains 16 queer stories by 16 awesome authors, each story up to 7,500 words long. We encouraged authors to pitch us stories featuring unusual creatures and unconventional genitals; you won’t find any vampires or weres here, but you will find insectoid aliens, mountain cryptids, scales and feathers, tentacles, detachable anatomy, interspecies shenanigans, courtship confusion, and much more. And of course, in addition to featuring monster x monster and monster x human relationships, every single story also includes queer characters and queer relationships!
The crowdfunding campaign to fund publishing of our next erotic anthology, Monsterotica: Tales of Unusual Courtship and Coupling, is now live on Kickstarter!
Now through December 2nd, 2025, we seek to raise $10,500 to cover publishing of the anthology and creation of the related merchandise. This awesome book contains 16 queer stories by 16 awesome authors, each story up to 7,500 words long. We encouraged authors to pitch us stories featuring unusual creatures and unconventional genitals; you won’t find any vampires or weres here, but you will find insectoid aliens, mountain cryptids, scales and feathers, tentacles, detachable anatomy, interspecies shenanigans, courtship confusion, and much more. And of course, in addition to featuring monster x monster and monster x human relationships, every single story also includes queer characters and queer relationships!
Read "GAMING"
Nov. 12th, 2025 05:29 pmysabetwordsmithMy poem "GAMING" is up on computerworld. beavertech has been commissioning poems to be posted in The Freaks Club family of communities.
computerworld. beavertech has been commissioning poems to be posted in The Freaks Club family of communities.Cyberspace Theory
Nov. 12th, 2025 05:22 pmysabetwordsmithIn praise of the small things in life: DDG Bangs!
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-respecting search engine launched in 2008 that has been slowly expanding into something else truly. (I mean, come on, Identity Theft Restoration?). Well, nevertheless, I still use DuckDuckGo because it's easy, their search results aren't polluted with all sorts of nonsense, they did introduce an AI summarize feature but I don't use it and it's easy to opt out thankfully. But all of that pales in comparison to the best DDG feature, Bangs!
Bangs are… well it's kinda hard to describe them, it's basically a shortcut from your search engine to wherever else, so if you have DuckDuckGo set as your search engine, you can basically search using other search engines quite easily!
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-respecting search engine launched in 2008 that has been slowly expanding into something else truly. (I mean, come on, Identity Theft Restoration?). Well, nevertheless, I still use DuckDuckGo because it's easy, their search results aren't polluted with all sorts of nonsense, they did introduce an AI summarize feature but I don't use it and it's easy to opt out thankfully. But all of that pales in comparison to the best DDG feature, Bangs!
Bangs are… well it's kinda hard to describe them, it's basically a shortcut from your search engine to wherever else, so if you have DuckDuckGo set as your search engine, you can basically search using other search engines quite easily!
第四年第三百零八天
Nov. 13th, 2025 07:57 amnnozomi posting in guardian_learning部首
尸 part 3
居, to reside; 屈, to feel wronged; 屉, drawer ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
语法
1.3: Dates
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-grammar
词汇
作品, works; 作者, author; 创作, creative work; 合作, collaboration; 写作, written work; 制作, to make ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/
Guardian:
不邀请一下邻居给你暖暖房, you didn't even invite your neighbors for a housewarming?
五月十日生, born May tenth
作者是网文界的一个新人, the writer is a new webnovel author
Me:
把那个抽屉拉开。
不要等一月一号做约定。
我不是喜欢他所有的作品的。
尸 part 3
居, to reside; 屈, to feel wronged; 屉, drawer ( pinyin )
https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?cdqrad=44
语法
1.3: Dates
https://www.digmandarin.com/hsk-1-grammar
词汇
作品, works; 作者, author; 创作, creative work; 合作, collaboration; 写作, written work; 制作, to make ( pinyin )
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-3-word-list/
Guardian:
不邀请一下邻居给你暖暖房, you didn't even invite your neighbors for a housewarming?
五月十日生, born May tenth
作者是网文界的一个新人, the writer is a new webnovel author
Me:
把那个抽屉拉开。
不要等一月一号做约定。
我不是喜欢他所有的作品的。