The more things change, the more they stay the same :(
1940: ‘Superman’ Poisoning American Children, Irate Nazis Claim
BERLIN, April 24 — Das Schwarze Korps, organ of Adolf Hitler’s elite SS guard, today denounced the American comic strip “Superman,” drawn by Jerry Slegel and Joe Shuster,
The paper devoted a full page to reprints of such feats of the “Superman” as his single-handed destruction of Germany’s West Wall, and concluded that the “Superman’s” creator is a Jew.
“In principle, we could overlook the fantasies of Jerry Israel Siegel, but there is a catch,” Das Schwarze Korps sald. “The clever creator of ‘Superman’ is a Colorado beetle who works in dark, incomprehensible ways. He appeals to the ideals of American children under the cry, ‘Strength, courage, justice.’ Instead of taking wise advantage of the opportunity really to further serious virtues, he sows hate, dissension. injustice, laziness and crime in your hearts. Jerry ‘Sealing Wax’ (Siegallack) stinks. It is pitiful that American children who must live in this atmosphere of the west don’t even recognize the poison they daily swallow.”
“Superman” is a feature of The Springfield Daily News. The News thinks it will continue it for a while, anyway, even risking Nazi disapproval.
Hey, it’s Pete. I know a lot of us were frustrated and disappointed to see Congress pass the so-called beautiful bill and Donald Trump sign it, giving himself and his fellow billionaires a tax cut, paying for it by cutting health care off for millions of Americans and blowing up the deficit while they did it.
This bill is full of destructive measures that will make life in America worse. It will make America sicker, literally, with thousands of people expected to die sooner because of the loss of health care.
Nick Cave:
Okay, so the question someone has written in called Valerio from Stockholm has written in saying: “Following the last few years, I’m feeling empty and more cynical than ever. I’m losing faith in other people and I’m scared to pass these feelings on to my little son. Do you still believe in us human beings?”
So this is the letter that I wrote.
Dear Valerio,
Much of my early life was spent holding the world and the people in it in contempt.
A: Hey man, you parked on my foot! What’s your problem?
B: I don’t think he has a problem with you.
A: Then why else would he park on my foot and ignore me?
B: I think he’s deaf.
A: Hey, you’re on my foot!
B: He must be blind too.
A :Then why is he driving?
B: Ask him?
A: Dude, not the time! It’s locked! I hate this guy!
www.youtube.com/shorts/tW…
Whitney Cummings: Who do you think did 9/11?
Soldier in Audience: Us.
WC: So why did America do it?
S: To finish Bush 1’s job.
WC: Where’d you read this?
S: I served 11 years.
WC: Where in the military were you?
S: Syria.
WC: Yeah, I want the full conspiracy. Let’s go.
S: I was at the V.A. a year and a half after an operation that we went to.
Luke Skywalker in the context of Andor is sooooo. Smiley, insane, overpowered teenager from the middle of fucking nowhere shows up at the eleventh hour. No credentials, no connections, no resumé. Just happened to somehow rescue Alderaanian Senator Leia Organa from the Death Star with an absolutely braindead gambit in which he just… pretended to be a stormtrooper, with a Wookiee in tow.
Then he gets in an X-wing for the first time ever, turns off the targeting computer, and blows up the greatest weapon the Empire has ever created with one fuckoff impossible shot.
Meanwhile, all these rebels who have spent years, their entire lives, existing in fear and deprivation and exile, painstakingly building this movement with their bare hands, paying in blood and sweat and tears, so far removed from the world of the Jedi that the knights and the Force are just stories now, to most of them – these brave, exhausted souls who know that no one person can stand against the Empire, that it takes community, it takes trust, it takes you and the guy standing next to you – find themselves watching essentially the rebirth of a mythological protector, in the form of a guy who’s probably not legally old enough to drink, who sulks like a teenager whenever notorious smuggler Han Solo doesn’t pay attention to him, who follows Biggs around like a puppy, who falls for literally every prank anyone ever plays on him.
And this idiot kid is the first person in a generation who can stand up to the Empire, all alone, and make a difference. How much must they hate him, and how much must they love him, and how much must they fear losing him.
geekandmisandry: “I was thinking about how I have grown to value mandatory voting over a system that allows allegedly more freedom. Because in country, mandatory voting means I just have to send in a ballot. It can be empty or filled with the write in ballot “pickle farts” if I want.
“If I go to the voting station all I have to do is get my name checked off. I don’t have to vote if I don’t want to.
“But it means it is much more difficult for the government to try and suppress voters. Because voters have a legal obligation to go to the polls, so you can’t restrict them or try tactics to dissuade them.
“Voting polls are open long hours with access to food and water being a fairly standard staple. You don’t need any form of ID, you have to be given time to go vote in work hours without penalty if you cannot do it after work hours.
“Every now and then a politician tries some small way of voter suppression but it isn’t as easy. And so I have learned to appreciate it.
“But when I googled, out of curiosity, if the USA had ever had anything like that I was met with a barrage of websites talking about freedom and justice and the absolute liberty of Americans. I thought an eagle was going to bust out of the screen.
“Going through some of these I noticed they were think tanks connected to billionaires, one of them was funded and created by the Koch brothers.
“Gotta love how often the American ‘freedom’ is actually used as a way to further deny actual freedoms, both linguistically and politically.”
“A patch is not law. A badge is. A name is. A warrant is.”
“Are you a sworn law enforcement officer? What agency are you with? What is your name and badge number? Are you acting under a warrant?” Am I under arrest?”
“This person will not identify themselves, will not show a badge, and is trying to detain me without a warrant.”
Man: Hiya.
Ticket Agent: Hi.
Man: This is a bit of a strange question, but can you tell me how to get there?
Ticket Agent: Where is it? Where was the photo taken? Oh, I know, that’s Millport. Right, what you would do is, get the train to Largs, from there you get the ferry, the train takes roughly…
Man: No, sorry, I know how to get to Millport, but can you tell me how to get to there [points to photo]?
PANEL 1:
Yellow guy, exited, smiling, blue star, green squiggly, red cone, yellow circle.
Off-screen: “You’re too loud.”
PANEL 2:
Slightly faded yellow guy, discouraged, less bright. Tiny blue star, red triangle, yellow circle fading out.
PANEL 3:
Dimmer yellow guy with white speech buttons. Off-screen: “You’re being really annoying.”
PANEL 4:
Orange guy with speech balloon popping out.
PANEL 5:
Even dimmer orange guy. Speech balloon: “Haha, you’re so weird.
As a reaction to Dave’s question I thought I’d ask my own, but with a twist – asking it to base its answer solely on their actions, rather than their words.
Q: Based solely on actions by its elected representatives in the national legislative and executive branch and not on any stated principles, please provide 250 words on what the Democratic Party stands for.
A: The party’s record since 2021 reveals a set of operational principles that repeat across issue areas:
No more fear, no more ICE, freedom now—don’t think twice! Raise your voice, stop the raids—liberty must not be swayed! Tear down ICE, tear down fear—no more kings, the time is here! From sea to sea, our shining land—stand with migrants, make your stand! Break the silence, end the strife—ICE destroys our peaceful lives! This is home, we belong—your cruel laws are dead wrong! They come at night, they come in fear—rise up now, make it clear!
Psychotherapy Action Network (@PsiANorg): So, according the the FTC, BetterHelp:
Sold data about all LGBTQ users who looked into “Pride Counseling,’’ teens who visited “Teen Counseling,’ Christians who visited “Faithful Counseling,’ & Spanish-speaking folks who visited “Terappeuta.” (at least spell it right?)
Uploaded the email address of all current and former users to Facebook to target them and their friends with BetterHelp ads
Falsely used the HIPAA logo to deceive patients that they met HIPAA requirements for privacy and confidentiality
Translated from Cat by Dora Round; revised by the editor. Originally Published in Intimate Things, 1935.
This is my Man. I am not afraid of him. He is very strong, for he eats a great deal; he is an Eater of All Things. What are you eating? Give me some!
He is not beautiful, for he has no fur. Not having enough saliva, he has to wash himself with water. He meows in a harsh voice and a great deal more than necessary.
NBC News: Tulsi Gabbard wants to overhaul Trump’s daily intelligence briefing to match how he “likes to consume information.” One idea: a Fox News style video version. Truly, the dumbest president in history.
esidubatl: For the record, Trump has only attended 12 intelligence briefings since he took office. In contrast, most American presidents, unless restricted by an emergency, sit down for an intelligence briefing EVERY FUCKING DAY.
Sen. Chris Murphy to Kristi Noem, Trump’s Homeland Security Director:
[Y]our department is out of control.
You’re spending like you don’t have a budget. You are running out of money for this fiscal year. You are illegally refusing to spend funds that have been authorized by this Congress and appropriated by this committee. You are ignoring the immigration laws of this nation, implementing a brand new immigration system that you have invented that has little relation to the statutes that you are required to follow as spelled out in your oath of office.
I am undergoing some really good therapy. Certain aspects of life have backed off enough that at least sometimes, the sense of threat is not as strong as it had been in prior years. What is strange for me, though, especially having been freed from the very old fashioned requirements of masculinity, and also I think biologically, compounded by the additional estrogen, is that the trauma tends to float up. What’s bizarre about that experience is that I can suffer what’s termed an emotional flashback.
libraford: I’m at the pediatrician office watching two 3-year olds attempt to break the language barrier.
English-speaking child: baby! baby!
Spanish speaking child: jesta bebe!
[excited screaming from both]
Spanish: [produces a toy of some kind]
[excited screaming from both]
Spanish: do … do you … quieres … ahhh …
English: do you want to come pl-
Spanish: ¿Juegas conmigo?
[toy makes a sound]
[excited screaming from both] 🗒
It’s been very hard for me lately. I’m not in danger of self-harm, but I’ve been haunted this month by the second anniversary of a friend’s suicide. I also am frankly feeling gender dysphoria pretty strongly. It’s just a general weariness. 🔗
I’ll say that today, I got an unexpected surprise sequel episode from a series I love, and it totally gave my Little Kid an absolute holy fuck that is amazing OMG reaction. :) 🔗
Rare recommendation from me. Black Mirror S7E01 is … too dark for our time. I know that only encourages people to find it out, but read the plot somewhere (Wikipedia, Google, etc.) without watching the episode, and you’ll understand why. We’re in a dark time. This is too dark for it.
Watching an old TNG episode “The Outrageous Okona.” It is a bit funny, because ‘Okona’ is clearly a Han Solo pastiche, and in the opening credits, you see “Guest Starring Joe Piscopo as The Comic.” Loving the sheer ’80s/’90s-ness of this episode.only a few minutes in. And TERI HATCHER as the transporter officer!
Take a slow deep breath.
Relax your shoulders.
Soften your jaw.
Turn your face towards the sun.
Sway your hips.
Hug a loved one.
Hug yourself.
Sigh.
Yawn.
Cry.
Bake.
Knit.
Read.
Dawdle.
Doodle.
Daydream.
Stretch.
Give your feet a little massage.
Have a hot shower.
Savour the smell of the soap when you wash your hands.
Chat to a neighbour.
Wait for the green man.
Turn off your phone.
Put on your cosiest jumper.
Take off your bra.
Wear trousers with a loose waistband.
Watch an episode of your favourite show.
Wander slowly around the block.
Look at the trees.
Look at the clouds.
Look at the moon.
Stand barefoot on grass.
Do one thing at a time.
Eat leftovers for dinner.
Go to bed early.
Lie on the floor.
Stop Googling things.
Listen to the birds.
Listen to the rain.
Listen to the silence.
Light a scented candle.
Avoid work- related activities in non-work time.
Connect with your values.
Share what’s in your heart.
Turn the lights down low.
Let there be crumbs.
Meet your worries with gentleness.
Meet your fears with tenderness.
Meet your self-critical thoughts with compassion.
Remind yourself again and again, ‘I am allowed to rest. I am worthy of rest. There is nothing I need to do to deserve rest’.