Interesting Links for 20-08-2017

[andrewducker]

On decentralised communication, and being big in Japan for uncomfortable reasons

(tags: decentralisation communication japan )

Nasa reveals plan to prevent supervolcano eruption and generate electricity at the same time

(tags: volcano electricity )

Why "Liberalism" is not "Centrism"

(tags: liberal libdem politics )

Getting married because you want to be with your partner: Threat - or menace?

(tags: marriage immigration OhForFucksSake )

What's needed from actal Autism-friendly clothing (and clothing stores)

(tags: autism clothing )

Scientists are excited about the eclipse. Because they're people

(tags: science comic eclipse )

Outrage in Tunbridge Wells over sex festival in the woods

(tags: sex festival funny media )

I hadn't realised that lead leaches out of lead glass into alcohol

(tags: lead alcohol safety )

Comments

[redbird]

I've known about the lead glass thing for a very long time; apparently it's another of those things that I incorrectly thought everyone knew. On the other hand, I may have picked that up from a discussion of litharge: at least these days we don't deliberately add lead sugar to our wine. (My parents had some nice lead crystal flower vases, but no decanters.)

[dewline]

4. That's not a little bit disturbing.

5. Not sure that I qualify as autistic, but some of these complaints about clothing issues are ones that I empathize with.

8. Yikes.

[cyprinella]

Huh. I didn't know that about lead glass. My husband has a decanter he stores whiskey in and I have no idea how to tell if it's lead glass.

[cyprinella]

Youtube says to whack it with a spoon and see if it sounds like a thunk or a bell and they all solidly thunked. I guess we're fine.

[andrewducker]

Glad to hear it!

[skington]

Is Liberal person getting confused about people venting about neoliberalism? Basically the 1990s Clinton-Blair Third Way managerial "deliver incremental change via market-based competence"?

[theandrewhickey]

No, I'm not. As you can see from, for example, the Laurie Penny piece I linked to in that piece that was headlined "to my liberal friends"
Or these tweets:

"That's 'cos liberals are useless at fighting fascism, but Corbyn's not a liberal, & his brand of politics won us back voters we lost to UKIP"
https://twitter.com/_GayLabourLefty/status/899281057228496896

"In short the liberal, rightwing of the Labour Party, nostalgic for neoliberalism"
https://twitter.com/sz_duras/status/899288204809048064

Imperialism is evil. Prisons are evil. Policing is violence. Austerity is murder. sorry it stings to hear your flaws, liberals. fuck off."
https://twitter.com/umbyrella/status/898349379265773569

"Middle Class White Liberals blanket condemn "violence" because ultraviolent state-sanctioned racism and economic austerity don't affect them"
https://twitter.com/leducviolet/status/898063121608093696

And so on. There's *tons* of this stuff, mostly influenced by USian usage where "liberal" has a rather different meaning to British usage, and also not helped by the Lib Dems' positioning in the media as centrist. To *LARGE* swathes of the left, "liberaal", "neoliberal", "centrist", "moderate", and "Blairite" are all synonyms.