It does start to look like another step on the journey to the land of "you won't need to vote"

Weed out politic nay-sayers directly... we're already seeing some of that going on.

Then make being a member of the armed-forces ideologically untenable for those who aren't worshipping orange. Trump's actions must be impacting the national-pride aspect of serving for some (and changing the political disposition at the recruiting office).

If this is effective, in three years, maybe you'll have a military significantly dominated by active supporters (or at least fence-sitters)... Now that opens up some options.

Are they kidding.

This is slavery, not even indentured servitude, let alone a fair exchange of labour for compensation... There is no point at which the slave is released to make use of those skills.

Any and all skills gained are either used as tools by the owner, or as coping/survival mechanisms by the slave.

Slavery is, in all ways, an abhorrent exploitation and degradation of a human being.

That there is even the slightest tolerance for this curriculum change is appalling. Is Florida really so filled with the morally bankrupt and apathetic that this can pass without ending the careers of the contributors?

How can we ever expect greater progress on stamping out the ongoing modern forms of slavery, when things like this can make its way into the classroom.

I really hope this change is crushed before it reaches the ears of impressionable children. But the fact that it got this far means that this is the kind of thinking that too many already get at home.

So all of you living-rough, dumpster-diving, skipping medications, holding down three jobs, etc - what do your therapist say?

Oh wait, how much does this therapy cost again... But I'm sure there's no selection bias.

And of course they'll stop at abortion right...

Well not this one obviously. I just don't want to give the impression that pylons aren't safe.

If we're very quiet precious, my love, maybe he won't notice us down here near the bottom of the table.

Personally, I don't believe in bunnies made of marshmallow living on the moon.

Ahh it's good to see the US has regained its 'punchline of the internet' title after a short four-year return to merely being an embarrassing anecdote.

Amongst a smattering of largely ineffectual feel-good changes, there is a lot of horror from this government - in laws as well as words shaping our social landscape.

It boggles my mind that in two short years we seem to have stepped back into the 80's for race relations, social policy, opinions on law and order, and on matters of the environment.

It's a disgrace.

I do hope, come November, that enough victorious voters of this round are shamed enough to recognise their error - and that enough of those that didn't vote because "it wouldn't count" get up and make a damned difference.

Now if the phoenix had a link to someone named Jones we'd really have something here.

Had I not been to the US this would have made little sense to me. US toilets and ours (NZ) are very different (the scrotal sag would have to be pretty epic to reach the water here).

Dutch toilets with their poo-presentation shelf are different too. And then there's squat toilets.

So many ways to excrete, so little time...

Except the endangered pedestrians aren't the buyers... The rules are to protect the pedestrians from buyers that value their purchase above the safety of others

Look. If there's anything damaging the environment, we'll just tow it out of the environment...

More seriously. Given our current NZ government's attitudes, I fear a similar pattern to emerge here.

And 'boss Nox' in SG-1

(Yes the character probably had a name. No I don't remember it)

Especially in Wellington NZ where we currently have an ongoing problem with people dropping tacks in the cycle-lanes.

Trump's peace promises...

You can't have conflict if only one side survives...

I'd like to think Trump & Co don't think that way.

I'd like to.

"I accepted all of the bytes you gave me. I didn't do anything with them, but I accept you gave them to me".

Yes, unfortunately so. And it's been going on a long time...

• October 2023
• December 2023
• January 2025
• May 2025

Drivers didn't want to share the road with cyclists. But they also don't want to lose road-space to cycle-lanes.

Sabotaging the lanes has been going on a long time, is quite regular, and seems to span a wide area - I expect there are several culprits. I hope someone gets caught... given the levels of frustration I also hope things don't get ugly when they are caught.

And all I can think of is...

I'm doing my Part!

[Would you like to know more?]

Thought that does make it seem like we're part of some kind of movement, rather than just people sick of too many privacy invading ads.

Hysterical laughter is excusable. Something has to give or you'll pop a blood vessel.

It gets crazier by the day.