David Erik Nelson's Blog, page 20

This box looks like a shocked and appalled Elvis, right?

So, I guess the book at the end was written by the coyotes?

Helluva twist, really.

Something Deeply American About This Dreamboat GI Drinking Choco Milk, Yeah? 🇺🇸🧨🚀

(context, for those who just need the world to make sense right now; dude is drinking dental rations)

“At what point shall we expect the approach of danger?”

All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth …, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide.

Abraham Lincoln, Lyceum Address, January 27, 1838

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: I know it’s just a joke, but this actually looks like a really good indie movie

Urologist reporting up to 400% increase in vasectomies since Roe decision

Washington Post: Men rush to get vasectomies after Roe ruling

Urologist are reporting up to a 400% increase in vasectomy inquiries and scheduling since the repeal of Roe last week. Some young men—a group not known for its forwarding planning—are specifically citing concerns that Justice Thomas will seek to use this repeal as a jumping off point to limit access to birth control (based on Thomas’ concurring opinion). Absolutely astounding. 

Incidentally, if you’re considering a vasectomy: I got one after our second kid (about 9 years ago). Have never had any issues or complications since. It’s ambulatory surgery, they don’t put you under, and in my case they had one matronly middle-aged nurse there who’s entire job was, apparently, to hold my hand and be fucking hilarious. It was literally less unpleasant than any single dental cleaning I’ve gotten in the last ten years. I spent the weekend icing my nuts, and was fine.

Recommended; would snip again.

I LOVE this web comic! 👨🏾‍🦲

“Your Black Friend” by Ben Passmore

This is a situation where I want to grab frame or two to put here, to entice you to click through and read the whole thing. But at the same time, I don’t wanna grab a full frame, b/c every frame of it—and the way the entire thing locks together—is So. Damn. Perfect, and such a perfect presentation of the thing it’s trying to talk about.

I love it. There’s nothing left to say. It’s 100% perfect for me. It is MAUS for this moment.

Conjoined Twins AMA (“Ask Me Anything”)

Extremely interesting from start to finish, but the bit at 7:30 where they are talking to another set of identical (non-conjoined) twins about sexuality and fetishization (though only one minute long) is fascinating.

Can’t precisely say why, but this was extremely pleasant

“A Short Trip,” a game (of sorts) by Alexander Perrin

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s claim that “the leading cause of death among children is a firearm” is actually MUCH MORE upsetting than you think

Yes, “the leading cause of death among children is a firearm” is an extremely upsetting sentence—and also, a sadly accurate one (given that you define children as “humans between the ages of 1 and 19”; infants in their first year die from lots of stuff that doesn’t kill you after your first year; if you include them in this number, then it skews toward premature birth, birth defects, and SIDS).

But, the truly upsetting part is buried in this chart (shown below with a big dumb pink circle to emphasis the “Mechanisms” section), which was an addendum to the original source Schumer’s staff cited. 

Population wide, gun deaths are usually ~66% suicide and ~33% homicide. Among children, that’s now basically flipped.

In other words, in America today most gun deaths are suicide, and most adults will die of something else (probably disease). But for kids in America, the leading cause of death is guns, and most of those gun deaths are murders.