Just let the A.I. enhance your doodles.   

Consider this an open thread, in which to share links and bicker.

“A lacquer fixative sees that it doesn’t sag.” || He does this at least as well as you would. || I struggle to understand modern music. || At last, amplified squirrels. (h/t, Damian) || Meanwhile, in Essex. || Practically flirtatious with a criminal mastermind. || Merry old London town. (h/t, Holborn) || London’s alleys and passages. (h/t, Things) || The dance they do. || Nicely done, but good question. || Aqueduct of note. || The thrill of Icelandic quiz shows. || Um. || Things you’ll find on a lesbian dating app. || For big earrings. || A little build-up. || Place your bets. || His beef wellingtons are fancier than yours. || Coffee foam. || Fifteen seconds of art. || And finally, festively, it seemed such a good idea at the time.

Or, His Neck Finally Buckled Under The Weight Of His Hair.

Let us share links and bicker. I’ll set the ball rolling, via Noah Carl, with an ingenious solution. 

As some of you may be shopping from home a little more than usual, please bear in mind that any Amazon UK shopping done via this link or the search widget top right, or for Amazon US via this link, results in a small fee for your host at no extra cost to you.

It does help to keep this place here.

Update: Today’s saucy topics include crime and punishment.

For those in need of further diversion, the Reheated series is there to be poked at. 

One sudden move and I would be shot.

A student at the University of Minnesota shares his first-hand experience of racial profiling and police brutality:

After multiple questions, they turned off their lights and left me alone: no apology, no explanation, nothing. Just me: mentally and emotionally tormented with an experience that will last a lifetime.

You see,

It was brutal.

Not only brutal, but,  

the most traumatic thing I have ever experienced.  

And so,

Defund these bastards.

But before you start signing petitions and making placards, you may wish to watch video of the actual interaction:

I paraphrase, of course. Though not by much: 

The hired facilitators asked each member of the department to respond to various personal questions about race and racial identity. When it was my turn to respond, I said “I don’t feel comfortable talking about that.” I was the only person in the room to abstain. Later, the facilitators told everyone present that a white person’s discomfort at discussing their race is a symptom of “white fragility.” They said that the white person may seem like they are in distress, but that it is actually a “power play.” In other words, because I am white, my genuine discomfort was framed as an act of aggression. I was shamed and humiliated in front of all of my colleagues.

I filed an internal complaint about the hostile environment, but throughout that process, over the course of almost six months, I felt like my complaint was taken less seriously because of my race. I was told that the civil rights law protections were not created to help people like me. And after I filed my complaint, I started to experience retaliatory behaviour, like having important aspects of my job taken away without explanation…

What passes for “progressive” today at Smith [College] and at so many other institutions is regressive… and I fear this is rapidly leading us to a very twisted place. It terrifies me that others don’t seem to see that racial segregation and demonisation are wrong and dangerous no matter what its victims look like. Being told that any disagreement or feelings of discomfort somehow upholds “white supremacy” is not just morally wrong. It is psychologically abusive.

Of the people being degraded and stupefied by “critical race theory” – and there are a lot of them – some, a few, are daring to object, albeit belatedly. Those who do, however – like Ms Jodi Shaw, quoted above – may find themselves being told that they are “in need of further training,” which is to say, more of the aforementioned psychological abuse. Iterations of which can be found here. By politely questioning the assumptions of “critical race theory,” and by drawing attention to its non-reciprocal premise, Ms Shaw is apparently a danger of some kind and requires yet more indoctrination, and more bullying, “before she can safely interact with students and fellow staff.” 

Update: