Exactly. Star Trek takes place in utopia - and the creators’ version of utopia is one with equality, freedom, and respect for all. If someone’s version of utopia doesn’t align with this, I think that says a lot more about them than it does about how “woke” Star Trek is

All the more reason to make every community better. If quality of life is improved across the board, then everyone gets access to the benefits and you get rid of the risks of gentrification.

I think it is good that there are organizations tracking this sort of thing based on multiple criteria. As individuals, we are prone to bias, and our outlook can be overly optimistic or pessimistic based on what news we happen to read and how our lives are going.

Additionally, knowing the rate of change is important. Sure, “everyone” knows that the planet is getting hotter each year due to climate change. I still want scientists out there checking thermometers each day so that we have data to support better decision making. The attitude of ignoring legitimate research and relying on “common sense” is part of how so many people were swayed by MAGA bullshit in the first place (i.e., they dont want someone with a fancy medical degree telling them they should vaccinate their children). Maybe we can get off our high horses for a bit and look at what experts are saying from time to time.

I suppose that’s why they’re asking you to take the results based on the research data rather than faith. It’s important not to confuse pessimism with objectivity.

Well, if you read the article, there’s some good news for you: they haven’t taken this long.

If you would read to at least the second paragraph (and I know I’m asking a lot), you would see that this organization has been tracking the descent since 2017. The “new” bit here is that it seems to have stabilized, i.e., it isn’t currently getting worse than it already is. The bad news (which you have to read more of the article to get) is that it isn’t going to get better any time soon, either.

Doesn’t bombing civilians just make it more likely that the survivors will take up extremist stances, though? From a long term standpoint, attacking civilians is always a bad move if your goal is peace/stability. I feel like the last hundred years has been a lesson in this

Maybe I’m missing context, though, since the comment you replied to was removed by mod.

There is a significant overlap between people who believe in food stamps/free school lunch/etc. and people who are vegan or vegetarian.

Have you considered helping out with or starting a “food not bombs” in your area? From their site:

Our food is vegan or vegetarian and free to anyone without restriction, rich or poor, stoned or sober. First, the potential for problems with food spoilage are greatly reduced when dealing strictly with plant based foods. Second, we want our food to reflect our dedication to nonviolence and that included violence against all beings including animals. We only prepare food which is strictly from plant sources so people will always know and trust Food Not Bombs that our food is safe and nonviolent. At times, we do get donations of dairy and meat products which might and redirect it to soup kitchens that aren’t vegetarian because we believe eating is more important than being politically pure; however, we NEVER cook with animal products ourselves and only share breads that might have dairy when it is not possible to know for sure.

The article is 5 paragraphs long. Is it really that hard to read it and answer your question? Nevermind, I think I misread your comment. Sorry!

What Sony is specifically trying to do is see if any AI song can be traced to specific songs- e.g., if someone prompted “make me a song in the style of Lady Gaga”, would Sony be able to conclusively determine this based on the outputting song?

I am a bit skeptical of this working, but then again, there were some image generators spitting out gettysburg watermarks.

I think it’s true that folks increasingly want progressive candidates, but I’m not sure a focus group of 13 people is really a definitive look at public opinion. Focus groups are good at getting at underlying reasons for why people might prefer A over B, but they aren’t good for determining the number of people who prefer A over B.

But the headline did get me to click and read more, so there’s that.

The fact that the negligent discharges often involve experienced officers should be a wake up call that ICEs recent behavior isn’t new or just because of Trump - the incompetence is baked in.

I don’t really think it’s up to DinoCon to solve crimes. Obviously symbolic gestures aren’t justice, but I don’t really see what else DinoCon is supposed to do. Are you honestly asking DinoCon to spin up a crack team of legal experts to manage the epstein case? Maybe we should have GenCon start tracking down serial killers while we’re at it.

I think it’s fair to expect students to use computers in a programming class. I don’t know if there’s a need for students to be using computers for the entire school day

Yep - I’ve already been bugging my grandma to get a passport so that she will be able to vote if SAVE act passes (she changed her name when she married, but doesn’t have a passport since she’s never left the country). Gotta avoid doomerism and make the fascists fight for every inch we can.

I’m torn on this - Christianity (particularly evangelical christianity) has had an extremely negative effect on democracy in our country and has caused physical harm to others.

However, I think most people with a conscience subscribe to some form of philosophy or religion (even if atheists aren’t “loyal” to any particular perspective and may not even use titles/categories to describe their value system) and I think it’s fine for your morals/conscience to influence decision making. Even a purely scientific decision making process could be considered a form of philosophy.

That being said, most organized religion is about obedience to the tenets of said religion, not a method of asking questions about the world to try to find the most just way to proceed.

Did anyone in this thread read the article?

According to the Montana Standard, after his name surfaced in the released files, Horner posted, and later deleted, a social media statement calling his decision to pursue Epstein’s support an extremely poor judgment. He said that while he knew Epstein had been convicted of soliciting prostitution, he was unaware of Epstein’s broader sex trafficking operation until years later.

Horner wrote that his visit involved only Epstein, staff, and several women introduced as college students. He said Epstein donated $10,000 toward a 2012 DinoChicken conference but otherwise declined to fund his research. “There was nothing weird, inappropriate, or out of the ordinary,” Horner said in the statement.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology released a notice to members last week, cautioning that inclusion in the Epstein files does not alone imply misconduct.

Those are sketchy circumstances, I think a ban from events is more than fair under the circumstances. Normally I would expect a ban like this to be lifted once feds completed their investigation (assuming no wrongdoing occurred), but obviously the feds aren’t interested in investigating, so we may not get the chance to know whether or not there’s more to this.

I think it’s fair to expect the justice system to pursue “innocent before proven guilty”, but private organizations ban and/or suspend members all the time due to credible accusations, even if they haven’t been convicted in a court of law.

This is a fair take, and I greatly prefer an “innocent before proven guilty” justice system. I think it’s also fair for you to read the article before commenting.

The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology released a notice to members last week, cautioning that inclusion in the Epstein files does not alone imply misconduct.

Community gardens are fantastic! I’ve only just started getting into gardening. My parents have done it for a long time and use cold frames so that they can get food 10 months of the year.

Lettuce is super easy - some of its even made its way into my lawn from when I let it go to seed one year, lol.

My favorite trick is using an empty cat litter pail (the big ones with a lid, not the pour able ones), drill some holes in the bottom, put in a layer of rocks for drainage, and the rest with soil. It’s a great pot for growing sale greens, and the handle makes it fantastic for if I need to move it around. We can’t recycle the cat litter packs in my county so this is what I do with them

Normal answer is absentee voting, but that’s part of the reason MAGA has been going after it so hard.

This is a valid concern that folks need to take into consideration. It’s all well and good to say that long term liberty is more important than short term security, and I agree with that sentiment, but it’s better not to force people to choose.

This is why there are strike funds. In this case, I would recommend mutual aid - even a small group of 5-10 people can work together to save money by buying essentials in bulk. Larger groups can help each other cover rent, form daycare coops, and so on.

Best time to start a group was a year ago, next best time is today.

I find solace in doing things that will help others and maybe improve the world. Local food pantries and shelters need help now more than ever. Mutual aid groups can also be quite effective if nonprofits in your area are sparse or otherwise ineffectual.

Perhaps the actions of a few individuals won’t change much, but I prefer it to sitting around and waiting for the world to burn to a crisp.