videos with subject matter more suited to d&d than everything else. to be discussed and / or debated, with offshot threads if discussion on a particular video or subject warrants it.
Fascinating watch as a Belgian, as we envy how the Netherlands did zonal planning after WWII. In Belgium, everything was far more sprawled out along all national roads, making us far more car-dependent. I grew up in a social project, with plenty of kids to play with in our neighborhood, and wanted the same experience for my kids. So we bought a house at the edge of a smallish town, in a project with 40 similar houses, in a cul-de-sac.
It's such a different experience from friends/family who grew up in a house on a national road, mostly locked inside or their garden unless their parents could drive them somewhere.
And even if we're not as far ahead as our upstairs neighbors, around school opening/closing hours our streets are swarming with kids of all ages walking or biking to school. It's baffling that this is considered irresponsible in America.
She's so good at being bad.
Should you ever feel like you're not talented or capable enough to run for political office just check out this meeting of the minds for the head position of the 14th most populous state:
Polling at 1% but polls lie. Dear god.
Polling at 1% but polls lie. Dear god.
Running for office has become a grift.
As a corollary to my posting in the Biden thread, which I think does a good job of explaining my frustrations, with a brief pick into systemic thinking without really articulating that the purpose of a system is actually the outcomes it produces.
In particular, pay attention to the focus on process instead of policy.
I only have a Twitter link to it, but the hottest booth at CPAC is a fake jail cell featuring a dude wearing a MAGA hat and an orange prison jumpsuit wailing and gnashing his teeth (can you say crisis actor?) while onlookers get to wear headphones playing back recordings of J6 defendants detailing how they're being punished for their peaceful protest.
The chef's kiss for it all is that the 'actor' is Brandon Straka. He started the BS "WalkAway" campaign during the 2018 election that encouraged people to leave the Democratic Party.
Unsurprisingly, he was arrested for being at the Capitol on January 6th. It also turns out that he sang like jail bird so he only got probation, ratting out everyone from event organizers to a registered sex offender that lived near him that he saw on J6. But he can't let that stop him from playing the victim.
It may be funny to you, motherf*cker, but it isn’t to me.
Context: someone laughed while Beto was describing the Uvalde Shooting.
Source:
How this dude lost to Ted is beyond me.
A short video by second thought on why peaceful protest doesn't change anything. Also references the Princeton study that came to the conclusion that the bottom 90% of income earners have "a statistically negligible effect" on federal politics.
My favorite tiktoker, hank green, has a good video that gets into the American climate bill that just passed. I trust Hank green.
Debunking ‘Democracy Vs. Republic’: The Legal Theory Firing Up GOP State Legislators
Why Singapore Is Insanely Well Designed
Further Singapore goodness:
When William Gibson visited, he took amazed photos of clean sidewalks. He dubbed it "Disneyland with the death penalty."
A terrible guide to the terrible terminology of U.S. Health Insurance
Make it stop
Why There's No Such Thing as a Good Billionaire
President Hu?
He's not going to be seen again ever.
"The Biggest Hypocrite in Congress" Award
Young Generations Are Now Poorer Than Their Parents And It's Changing Our Economies
Explaining Three Potential Midterm Election Outcomes, And How Each One Shapes America's Future
Freedom for All
RE: Kanye, Kyrie, Chappelle, etc.
I've recently become a huge fan of Caleb Gamman. He's a very insightful Kiwi dude. Here's his latest video, which is on Elon Musk. Almost a wee bit outdated already thanks to the Trump-speed cycle that Musk is trying to do.
But Caleb's Cybergunk series is essential viewing. It's probably wrong to mention the final episode of the series as an entry point, but if it resonates with you as much as it did with me, then definitely dive into the rest. And if that works for you, definitely check out every video of his.
Thomas Frank is a historian and writer (What's the Matter With Kansas; Listen, Liberal) that I just learned about thanks to the Bad Faith podcast. He offers up some new (to me) takes on What Went Wrong (tm), how we got here and a lot of what is wrong with the Democrats, too. Enjoyable to watch, too. Unfortunately his optimism in his proposed solution is woefully misplaced.
Why Social Democracy Isn't Good Enough
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