Just heard people of Hispanic origin say on TV that they don’t learn Spanish because American schools teach “the Castilian version of Spanish.”

Of all the ridiculous excuses in existence, this is the silliest.

The most potent (in their opinion) argument that Putinoids advance to convince Ukrainians to stop resisting the Russian invasion is, “You think you’ll get handouts from Europe? No, you won’t! They won’t give you any money!”

The sheer desperation with which the Russians advance this argument shows that they really believe that handouts are the only thing worth fighting for. 

And while I’m on sharing links, here is a very sad update on James Robertson, the Detroiter who had to walk 21 miles to work every day because he had no car.

A short resume: charity doesn’t help address poverty. It often makes things worse because a poor person doesn’t live in a vacuum. There is a whole reality around him.

In an endless flow of pearl-clutchers who still can’t get over the existence of porn, here us a refreshingly good article about 50 Shades of Grey:

Most grownups know that fantasy doesn’t equal desire and that it doesn’t predict behavior. One of the ways we cope with the pressures and complicated decision-making of adulthood is fantasy.

Fantasy, and especially erotic fantasy, is the absolutely best way to recharge oneself with energy and, as the linked piece points out, to deal with the problems one encounters in daily life.

Good article, and the last paragraph is really strong. A good response to the puritanical paranoia that has so many people wriggling and foaming at the mouth.

“Why is the Ukrainian anthem so depressing?” the Russian asked. “It starts with ‘Ukraine isn’t dead yet.’ What’s that if not defeatist?”

“Defeatist? Depressing?” I vociferated scaring the restaurant’s patrons. “If you people would just fuck the fuck off already, we’d get a chance to come up with a more optimistic anthem! With you around, it’s already a huge achievement for Ukrainians not to be dead yet!”