Karl Zimmerman

Even if you look at the late Middle Ages, the merchant republics beat the pants off countries with more entrenched nobility.

Of course, what this is really about is the wealthy have extracted all the surplus value they can, and want to shift to wealth retention, rather than creation.

One of the downfalls of social media is it can turn wild, anecdotes into generalities which are stretched across the entire nation.

This is an impossible dynamic to counteract, so instead I think we should look at why the Republican version of these kooks somehow don't tarnish the entire party.

I feel the same way about Avatar 2 as the prequels. Do I think they're good movies? Absolutely not. But I do give both a certain degree of respect because the directors had enough pull to make them messy and flawed in (different) ways that you seldom see in modern blockbusters.

Way overdue for a haircut.

First time I realized you have something in common with Freddie DeBoer, who's written a ton on the poptimism/rockism wars.

That's a good chapter length. That said, until you work with an editor (or at least a critique group) you can't say how it can be tightened up (or not).

I tend towards underwriting in my rough drafts, but most people tend towards overwriting.

I'm sure you know all about start late/end early.

I think legacy media has crossed a rubicon. It cannot attract back the right wing, because they already have their desired outlets. However, it can alienate the hell out of what's left of its audience, destroying itself in the process.

No one wants "Trump has a few good points, but..." No one.

I actually think that Weiss is just a Zionist grifter using the right, and not truly MAGA, gives her the plausible deniability to walk away when Trumpism implodes.

I think that's also part of why David Ellison picked her. Look at his donations on OpenSecrets. Straight D. He isn't his father.

Saw these the other day. Edible puffballs?

They're by the side of a road, so I'm not sure I'd want to eat them due to the contamination, regardless.

Hate the goddamned combat, even on the lowest level, even though the story is great.

It might be because I've never played a JRPG. Not sure how that happened really. But my idea of how CRPG combat works is...not this.

My son is 12, and I've noticed on the brief occasions I've seen Youtube adds pop up for AI girlfriends between Minecraft stuff. Really worries me.

He's still using Youtube Kids, BTW!

I cannot get over the use of AI to generate a short regarding the far distant past of 2002.

If you're going cultivate nostalgia for the pre-social media era, maybe use some stock footage sitting around somewhere, not bleeding-edge slopware.

Trump will be defeated. You can't consolidate an autocracy with 40% approval and a bunch of morons.

But he's going to push until something breaks. That "something" could be the global economy, open revolt, consent from key players, etc. But when it ends, it will be messy, just like Jan 6th.

Oh, that's absolutely where they're going. Though of course linear TV is a dying format mostly watched by boomers, and it's unlikely to move a single percent in Trump's approval rating.

Most celebs won't show up to be interviewed by Ben Shapiro.

It will be a strange footnote in history if Donald Trump is credited with killing late-night talk in its entirety.

YouTube video by DΛNΛ JΛMΞS JONΞS Rich Evans Appears on The Ellen Show

youtu.be/x5EC71Mx8u4?...

The funniest part is it was reportedly Julia Roberts inside the suit.

While of course other things (like gun access) play a role, it does suggest there's real, hard evidence that even milquetoast social democracy really cuts down on the rate of spousal murder. Imagine what genuine socialism could do.

Femicide Rates by Country 2025 Discover population, economy, health, and more with the most comprehensive global statistics at your fingertips.

Great video, if horrible content, of course.

I was trying to find the rates of spousal murder globally, and found this map of "femicide" by country (this is inclusive of all familial murder, not just partners).

The U.S. stood at 2.9 per 100,000, while most European nations are about 0.4 to 1.

I dunno if you've seen the Brown settlement, but they have to give the race/national origin, GPA, and SAT scores of all of their students now. With the implicit threat that if black/brown students underperform at all, they'll face further legal action.

I know Trash also said this, but "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" is the best summary of the man.

If you work to normalize politics as war, up to condoning violence against your enemies, well, it's not surprising you meet a violent end, just as insurgents often do.

Word to wise, as I've been trying: publishing anything over 100,000 words as a debut author (even in a genre known for doorstoppers) is pretty much a no-go now.

How much leeway to MO Republicans have to either schedule a special election following the referendum before 2026 filing opens, or to push back filing (which starts February 24th?)

It doesn't seem he had any offline experience with the left. Some of the bullet casings had anti-fascist messages, but they also were references to Helldivers 2, so it could have just been largely apolitical internet brain rot.

Worth noting that groypers also called Kirk a fascist, though.

There is no such evidence.

He clearly comes from a very conservative background. His dad is a LEO from a very Republican part of Utah. He had firearms training. He went to a pretty conservative school in Utah. He posted conservative memes online in the past.

Too early to tell if he's a groyper, suffered from extremely online brain rot, or might have been drifting to the left. But he's a 22-year old white guy with a LEO dad from a deep-red part of Utah, who went to a pretty conservative college, and has posted right-wing memes online in the past.

BLITZER: Now we’re getting reports that one of the bullet casings was engraved with a message saying that if you are reading the casing, you are gay. We must warn our viewers we’re about to show the photo and don’t know at this time whether the engraving is what makes you gay or if it just tells you