religious exemptions are messy. Vietnam for instance and the CO status.... If you were a member of the Quakers which prohibited killing people you could legitimately claim religious exemption and serve in ways other than the military. If you were not, it was much more difficult to claim moral values, even if you were, say, a Catholic, even though the Bible said thou shall not kill. I had a friend who was drafted, didn't want to kill others, went AWOL, was caught, and shipped off to Nam despite claiming CO status.
@silvermouse said:
religious exemptions are messy. Vietnam for instance and the CO status.... If you were a member of the Quakers which prohibited killing people you could legitimately claim religious exemption and serve in ways other than the military. If you were not, it was much more difficult to claim moral values, even if you were, say, a Catholic, even though the Bible said thou shall not kill. I had a friend who was drafted, didn't want to kill others, went AWOL, was caught, and shipped off to Nam despite claiming CO status.
My guess is that it will become more than what it is. On one hand she is claiming religious exemption for the conviction and fines to be overturned. On the other they are claiming that the ruling which caused the turmoil should be overturned. My guess is that the original ruling will be reversed and then left up to the states like with the Hobbs ruling.
Summary: Researchers have uncovered a critical connection between the gut microbiota, the immune system, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a germ-free genetic mouse model, removal of gut microbes reduced autism-like behaviors and lowered brain inflammation, showing that microbes may play a dominant role in driving symptoms.
The study also found that gut microbes influence the balance of glutamate and GABA, two neurotransmitters that regulate brain activity. A probiotic strain, L. reuteri IMB015, was able to restore this balance, ease inflammation, and improve behaviors, pointing to probiotics as a potential therapeutic strategy for ASD.
Key Facts
Microbial Role: Germ-free ASD mice showed fewer symptoms, implicating gut microbes.
Immune Link: T cells and neuroinflammation were key drivers of ASD-like behaviors.
Probiotic Therapy: L. reuteri IMB015 restored neurotransmitter balance and improved symptoms in mice.
Chinese ‘Virtual Human’ Salespeople Are Outperforming Their Real Human Counterparts
BY JASON KOEBLER AND ZEYI YANG | 5-MINUTE READ
Built using AI technology from Baidu and DeepSeek, the virtual livestreamers sell everything from wet wipes to printers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
...
But in the United States, AI-generated influencers have already become wildly popular, AI-generated videos regularly go viral across the internet, and deepfaked and AI-generated ads are all over YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. It’s not hard to imagine a future where social media becomes an endless stream of AI-generated content interspersed with always-on, AI-generated avatars selling us stuff. Over the last few years, the technology required to make “virtual humans” like this has become far better, more accessible, and cheaper.
"All that is wrong might be put to rights, we think, if only we could find a way to live within the purely creative and inherently benevolent order of existence.
Unfortunately, these long-held assumptions and aspirations are no longer tenable. In fact, our most excessive actions as a species – destroying rainforests, causing widespread extinction, altering the ocean’s chemistry, ‘time-bombing the future’ with forever chemicals and more – are perfectly in keeping with the ultimate aims of the Universe.
Reality, as we now understand, does not tend towards existential flourishing and eternal becoming. Instead, systems collapse, things break down, and time tends irreversibly towards disorder and eventual annihilation. Rather than something to align with, the Universe appears to be fundamentally hostile to our wellbeing.
According to the laws of thermodynamics, all that exists does so solely to consume, destroy and extinguish, and in this way to accelerate the slide toward cosmic obliteration. "
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Members of the Department of Government Efficiency uploaded a copy of a crucial Social Security database in June to a vulnerable cloud server, putting the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk of being leaked or hacked, according to a whistle-blower complaint filed by the Social Security Administration’s chief data officer.
The database contains records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal government. It includes individuals’ full names, addresses and birth dates, among other details that could be used to steal their identities, making it one of the nation’s most sensitive repositories of personal information.
I watched a PBS show the other night, hosted by Rick Steves I think, on. the rise of fascism in Europe in the 20th century. It was interesting watching Mussolini strut around like a little Banty rooster, especially the facial expressions. I used to wonder how people ever thought it was a good idea to elect him as a leader.
hmm
Seems a little close to home these days. Our last few elections have left me feeling somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Comments
religious exemptions are messy. Vietnam for instance and the CO status.... If you were a member of the Quakers which prohibited killing people you could legitimately claim religious exemption and serve in ways other than the military. If you were not, it was much more difficult to claim moral values, even if you were, say, a Catholic, even though the Bible said thou shall not kill. I had a friend who was drafted, didn't want to kill others, went AWOL, was caught, and shipped off to Nam despite claiming CO status.
My guess is that it will become more than what it is. On one hand she is claiming religious exemption for the conviction and fines to be overturned. On the other they are claiming that the ruling which caused the turmoil should be overturned. My guess is that the original ruling will be reversed and then left up to the states like with the Hobbs ruling.
Atabey review by the amusing Katman
https://kohnhed.com/2025/08/15/atabey-cigars-ritos-cigar-reviews-by-the-katman/
>
Short book. More like a short story or novella
Two takes on the economy
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-is-deporting-so-many-immigrants-that-it-could-cause-inflation-to-hit-4-next-year-top-economist-says/ar-AA1KD8Gh?ocid=nl_article_link
"Lethal Prey" John Sandford. Davenport and the fuc ing Flowers at **** again. Great read from our local library.
Gut Bacteria and Immune Cells May Drive Autism
Summary: Researchers have uncovered a critical connection between the gut microbiota, the immune system, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a germ-free genetic mouse model, removal of gut microbes reduced autism-like behaviors and lowered brain inflammation, showing that microbes may play a dominant role in driving symptoms.
The study also found that gut microbes influence the balance of glutamate and GABA, two neurotransmitters that regulate brain activity. A probiotic strain, L. reuteri IMB015, was able to restore this balance, ease inflammation, and improve behaviors, pointing to probiotics as a potential therapeutic strategy for ASD.
Key Facts
Microbial Role: Germ-free ASD mice showed fewer symptoms, implicating gut microbes.
Immune Link: T cells and neuroinflammation were key drivers of ASD-like behaviors.
Probiotic Therapy: L. reuteri IMB015 restored neurotransmitter balance and improved symptoms in mice.
More:
https://neurosciencenews.com/microbiome-asd-immune-cells-29592/
Thats potentially great news!
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Problem is ( as far as I understand) the processed food, fast food, seed oils and more are what weakens the gut microbiota
That's why I drink homemade kombucha every day. Lots of good little microbes in there.
So is gut microbiota good? I got enough gut to go around but might have to put these microbes under the microscope.
another entry-level occupation bites the dust:
Chinese ‘Virtual Human’ Salespeople Are Outperforming Their Real Human Counterparts
BY JASON KOEBLER AND ZEYI YANG | 5-MINUTE READ
Built using AI technology from Baidu and DeepSeek, the virtual livestreamers sell everything from wet wipes to printers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
...
But in the United States, AI-generated influencers have already become wildly popular, AI-generated videos regularly go viral across the internet, and deepfaked and AI-generated ads are all over YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. It’s not hard to imagine a future where social media becomes an endless stream of AI-generated content interspersed with always-on, AI-generated avatars selling us stuff. Over the last few years, the technology required to make “virtual humans” like this has become far better, more accessible, and cheaper.
https://www.wired.com/story/artificial-intelligence-tiktok-shop-ecommerce-china/
"Throughout history, societies facing existential threats have not responded with conservation but with spectacular abandon."
https://psyche.co/ideas/asteroid-economics-why-were-shopping-our-way-through-armageddon
Electrical Stimulation to Enhance Wound Healing
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8293212/
An uplifting essay:
https://aeon.co/essays/philosophers-must-reckon-with-the-meaning-of-thermodynamics
"All that is wrong might be put to rights, we think, if only we could find a way to live within the purely creative and inherently benevolent order of existence.
Unfortunately, these long-held assumptions and aspirations are no longer tenable. In fact, our most excessive actions as a species – destroying rainforests, causing widespread extinction, altering the ocean’s chemistry, ‘time-bombing the future’ with forever chemicals and more – are perfectly in keeping with the ultimate aims of the Universe.
Reality, as we now understand, does not tend towards existential flourishing and eternal becoming. Instead, systems collapse, things break down, and time tends irreversibly towards disorder and eventual annihilation. Rather than something to align with, the Universe appears to be fundamentally hostile to our wellbeing.
According to the laws of thermodynamics, all that exists does so solely to consume, destroy and extinguish, and in this way to accelerate the slide toward cosmic obliteration. "
Entropy
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
No comment.
.........
Members of the Department of Government Efficiency uploaded a copy of a crucial Social Security database in June to a vulnerable cloud server, putting the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk of being leaked or hacked, according to a whistle-blower complaint filed by the Social Security Administration’s chief data officer.
The database contains records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal government. It includes individuals’ full names, addresses and birth dates, among other details that could be used to steal their identities, making it one of the nation’s most sensitive repositories of personal information.
More here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/us/politics/doge-social-security-data.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hE8.ADmV.8IyTCdztCNTx&smid=url-share
Oops. Sorry.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Reading a long wiki article about the history of fascism.since the term 'fascism" gets thrown around a lot these days.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
I watched a PBS show the other night, hosted by Rick Steves I think, on. the rise of fascism in Europe in the 20th century. It was interesting watching Mussolini strut around like a little Banty rooster, especially the facial expressions. I used to wonder how people ever thought it was a good idea to elect him as a leader.
hmm
Seems a little close to home these days. Our last few elections have left me feeling somewhere between the devil and the deep blue sea.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain