TIL

I’ll admit, I thought “I’m sure I’d have heard that before if it was true”, but it appears to be the case! It’s apparently based on a gesture Leonard Nimoy saw during a blessing as a boy.

I guess it’s like the ICXC hand shape that vicars and priests use in Christianity.

These religious leaders and their hand gestures…

Back to the Future’s “Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan” definitely threw one of these 🖖

True, but it’s happened twice in the last six presidential elections. The fact that the system allows it at all is problematic, but it’s unfortunately becoming more common, not less.

That’s exactly why so many countries around the world roll their eyes when America bangs on so much about democracy.

It’s a marketing thing. Look around the world. Find any country with the word “Democratic” in the name, and odds are you’ll find a poor excuse for a democracy.

The actual democracies in the world don’t feel compelled to keep repeating the fact.

The reality is that America is only really a democracy in the loosest sense of the world. All you need to do is look at how often the wealthiest candidate wins to see that it’s true. Or how often the person with the most votes loses. Or how unregulated lobbying actually is. Or the insane amount of power the President actually has. The power doesn’t lie with the people - it lies with the super-rich.

Sorry if that came off as really negative! America has a lot of good stuff going for it, but its implementation of democracy is not one.

If you’re thinking yoga retreats etc, I’d consider building an Earthship or two first. They’re totally eco-friendly, almost hobbit-like buildings. They fit the vibe and would give you a base of operations for future plans.

Love it, especially the alt text.

That’s my point - you can’t tell someone’s religion just by skin colour.

FWIW, there’s plenty of people with a similar colour skin who aren’t Muslim. India, for example, has a population of nearly 1.5 billion.

Unless someone tells you, or has some obvious sign, it’s bad form to assume someone’s religion from how they look.

Interesting addition here, we don’t even have an official national anthem. There isn’t even an “official” version of the lyrics for the song we use as the de-facto national anthem.

We just all kind of collectively agreed upon the first verse, and mentally update it whenever a monarch dies and a new gender is required.

I wouldn’t worry about it then. Sleeping babies are a lot floppier than you’d expect - it won’t be doing any harm :)

Maybe the baby’s just a bobble head.

Unless the baby looked malnourished or uncared for, I wouldn’t worry. Babies are far more resilient, bendy and adaptable than we give them credit for.

Also, unless there’s a developmental issue, a seven month old would easily be able to hold their head unassisted. Is it possible the baby was just trying to look at things?

No, you’re right, I stand corrected. Although I don’t know how much that had to do with McCarthy himself or the Un-American Activities Committee - it was an FBI investigation trail that had already begun before McCarthy kicked off with all his nonsense.

YMMV but in many places around the world it’s not uncommon for couples to sleep in the nip.

Tesla was a great company that, as Musk’s direct involvement grows, gets worse and worse by the moment. The Cybertruck is basically his version of “The Homer” - a car designed by someone who knows nothing about cars.

I have nothing against Tesla owners - people are allowed to like what they like :)

But that isn’t the same thing at all. These are not Stalin’s words.

If you buy into the McCarthyism “Red Scare” nonsense, then fine, but remember that the only lives McCarthy ruined were those of Americans, and with one possible exception*, all of whom were innocent of any actual wrongdoing.

*Alger Hiss maintained his innocence to his death, and the evidence against him is dubious at best.

On the other hand, could you also argue that dismissing something out of hand because the person who made it worked for a publication that aligned itself with a philosophy that was being used by a country that was being led by a bad man, well, kind of stupid too?

This.

I think it’s important to point out that porn is as representative of real sex as action scenes are of real fights.

Instead, it’s a stylised and codified version of things that specifically is designed to appeal to our lizard brains.

Also, get used to saying the word ‘sex’ around him. It’s weird at first, but the best way to make it clear that it’s all a normal part of growing up, is by acting like it’s a normal part of growing up.

I’m not entirely sure I read your comment correctly, but it sounds like you’ve never heard the word “whinging” before.

For the avoidance of doubt, it’s a real word. It rhymes with “hinging”.

Seconded. As soon as you hit 40, every other visit to the doctor involves talking about something going wrong below the waist.

Phew! It’s been nearly 30 years since my last German lesson, but I thought I should have been able to read more than I could.

It wasn’t until the last panel, where I noticed “Ich” spelled “Ick” that I wondered whether it was written with an accent.

Thanks for the translation!