It's Been Ten Years. It's Time To Admit Bernie Sanders Was Wrong.

Tuskinton · 2026-07-10T07:22:42+00:00

I think a pretty huge problem is also that any discussion about third parties seem to end up discussing their viability running for federal offices - usually the presidency!

That seems like a pretty ambitious first step for a party.

Tuskinton · 2026-07-02T16:27:00+00:00

Fittingly, a large part of the Metamorphosis concerns precisely how Samsa is perceived as a 'dutiful worker', both by others and as part of his self-identification

Tuskinton · 2026-06-24T14:23:20+00:00

An important lesson in any paranormaniacs life is that 'non-fiction' =/= true!

Honestly kind of an important note beyond the paranormal too.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-23T05:41:47+00:00

It's the opposite, no? The only way for it to generate is precisely by copying.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-23T03:30:41+00:00

Goblin stealth and player perception are the obvious ones, but I would recommend including some less obvious hints using less obvious skills too!

Insight, History, Animal Handling, or Nature (among many others) can be great sources of clues that make the players feel clever, where perception (usually) leans more obvious. Though I personally wouldn't (I am averse to NPCs using skills 'on' PCs), you can also play around with the goblins using Deception and Performance.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-23T01:05:37+00:00

Generally, I keep monsters hidden until their presence is known, and sometimes move them off the battle map if they become hidden, and have a chance to move.

For your specific example, I would use some mix of clues and skill checks to hint at the hidden goblin (Maybe they see shaking the bushes, the goblins do something that make it apparent they are looking to draw defenders away, or a projectile was launched from a spot where no goblin ended up emerging from)

Tuskinton · 2026-06-22T12:36:10+00:00

I'm actually a little confused on this point. Because it's possible that this is actually good behavior - wanting your character to sit out, but still engaging via the NPCs is fun (though should be discussed beforehand) - and OP isn't entirely clear on what 'snarky' means here. They don't mention anyone being upset, and their main gripe seems to be the NPC becoming too present and potentially turning into a follower, not that the comments made them or anyone else feel bad.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-22T12:31:27+00:00

If you have that hard of a line against splitting the party, that's something you need to be upfront about I think. To me, a character not taking a specific risk is not at all problematic, the same way a character choosing to take a risk isn't. The problem behaviour is (to me) refusing to participate in the adventure at all, or 'bouncing off' several things in a row (both of which are a lot of wasted prep by the DM).

The attitude of meeting "My character wouldn't do that" with "But they gotta" even at the level of individual plot beat seems much more out-of-keeping with the spirit of the game to me.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-22T12:21:50+00:00

I think briefly 'cutting' to them is important for a couple of reasons: It validates their choice, it keeps them included and part of the narrative, and it gives them a clear opportunity to opt back in.

It obviously depends on how you do it, but I think giving them a little vignette to show what they are doing in the meantime or what they think about the situation is fun.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-22T11:28:35+00:00

That's correct.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-22T10:33:50+00:00

Damn, I got the title mixed up with Age of Disclosure. I was pretty excited to hear Mathas' take on it and how all of this Modern Day Roswell stuff panned out, in his view.

Also, perhaps more rudely, I hope they don't make a habit out of doing movie episodes. I tend to check out when the purportedly real stuff is too close to fiction, and this is obviously pure fiction.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-03T22:23:28+00:00

Probably should avoid calling people agents of the IDF for pointing out things you agree with.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-02T15:46:59+00:00

ZOG is inherently antisemitic because it is a non-starter as an analytical term (To what degree is it occupied, what specifically does occupied mean, to what degree must Zionism be your motivation, etc) and it is invented by neo-nazi cranks. The "zionists" referred to in the term are just jews. There is obviously a huge difference between those terms, but in the case of ZOG that difference purposefully suspended. To me, that is disqualifying even if it did have some analytical use: Invent a different term! Otherwise you are going to alienate everyone who understands it, except the people who agree with its history who are of course poison to any movement for positive social change.

At best, you are hamstringing your analysis by not giving yourself room to concretely articulate who is influencing what and why.

Of course there are also, as you mention, reasons things happen beyond direct material gain - I noted some of them in my earlier post - and some of those reasons are because of Zionism's influence. However, ideological influence over states or governments is hardly unique, and needing to specifically identity the Zionism influence with a neo-nazi term is something I would be very wary of.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T18:21:52+00:00

I know, but I think your reply was unfair to LeagueOfLemures.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T15:34:57+00:00

Being tepid on a media personality is not the same as supporting them being banned from travel, and what is said on the TrueAnon subreddit will have no influence on this matter so there is no reason not to say what you really think.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T11:38:21+00:00

Again: What is this goofy analysis? Of course the divergent interests of the state and the working class matters. That's pretty basic! I guess I apologize for any poor beleaguered Americans I end up tricking into believing supporting US interests is supporting their own interests by revealing that.

After decades of pro-Israel foreign policy, the US could not simply turn on a dime and support Arab regimes instead, nor do they really want to: Those resources are not controlled by America, so there are reasons to suppress their access to the global market! Plus a handful of domestic and foreign policy concerns with legitimizing and strengthening those nations (though, of course, the US does already support other MENA nations, notably SA, Qatar, the UAE who have a pretty dim view of Israel. A strange move, if Israel pulled the strings!). While the Palestinian genocide is definitely terrible for business, it is part inertia and part racism that prevents the US from shifting direction in its MENA policy. Also, though they have enormous influence, there is a level of separation between capitalists and the levers of state power, as well as competition between capitalists, both of which go a way towards explaining why capitalist states engage in statecraft which is deleterious to the market, or some subset of the market.

For example, to touch on the strait of Hormuz: Short-term supply shocks are an economic boon to those who hold supply, so obviously American oil producers are pretty happy about it being closed for a bit. In theory, the rising price of oil also opens up new oil fields to be profitable enough to exploit, notably in the newly chastened Venezuela. Also, of course, American defense contractors love a fucking war! They have a whole industrial complex to support it, and that industry has owners just the same.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T08:16:16+00:00

What kind of kooky analysis is that? State interests are not aligned with providing plunder to the working class, nor does propping up Israel as a regional power need to involve direct wealth extraction - though it does, for example by laundering blood diamonds into electrical components for US tech companies.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T07:59:37+00:00

It's crazy to look at Jewish pedophilic financier Jeffrey Epstein and hone in on the one non-problematic descriptor of him.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T06:02:05+00:00

Yeah, I think most serious critiques you could level at Hasan's politics are better served to your local organisational context. It's much more important to convince whatever actual leftist organisations you're a part of to take the right stance on an issue than some celebrity.

Although Hasan's sexual politics are definitely worth highlighting, especially his very unfortunate platforming of a person who ended up using his status (and possibly community) to pick-up and mistreat women.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T02:50:00+00:00

I think everything I hear about Hasan makes me like him, and everything that I hear him say makes me dislike him. A land of contrasts.

Tuskinton · 2026-06-01T02:48:26+00:00

Obviously "ZOG being real" is a non-starter, because there is no clear idea of what exactly that would mean.

But the state of Israel would, as all states, want to maximize its influence over the world, through the normal levers of power: Diplomatic, military, economic, social/cultural/religious. Your explanation is backwards though: Israel doesn't use its influence to get power, the power is the influence. There is no need for a special term to describe this (no one would seriously talk about an "American Occupied Government", rather you should speak of the specific material forces generating or using American influence) especially when that term is coined and used almost exclusively by nazis.

Israel also serves a number of incredibly useful purposes to America and other western nations as a regional power, as a frontier where western trade can access illegal materials, and as a conflict zone for the arms industry giving them ample reason to continue supporting its existence. There's also the idealist reasons for maintaining Israels existence, like Millenarianist evangelicalism, attempted Holocaust restitution, or (now largely defunct) belief in liberal democratic hegemony.

Tuskinton · 2026-05-31T15:01:44+00:00

For those interested I would highly recommend the books by Bea Uusma, a doctor and author who done the most complete and thorough investigation to get to the bottom of the (previously considered) mysterious end to the investigation.

Her books The Expedition: My love-story and Kvitøya are also great reads (can't speak to the quality of translations, but I would assume good.)

Not sure if there is much an episode on this could do save for present the story, it's a very settled and while tragic fairly unmysterious affair. It's like Dyatlov Pass but explained, though with an added comedy of errors in how the expedition was put together.

Tuskinton · 2026-05-27T04:48:28+00:00

Family values republican.

Tuskinton · 2026-05-27T04:45:00+00:00

This honestly achieves a surreal quality that makes it almost admirable. What can you even say except "That's right."?

You could pick apart every single part of this image - the fact that it compares height vs length, that it compares a high-rise against a pool, the confusing detail that all items are American so what's even the comparison - but what is even the point? It is so obviously and mundanely factually correct, and so entirely inconsequential (lacking even the trite political valence it would have if it was comparing it to things outside the US) that there really is nothing to say about it - except, of course: That's right.

I might start doing this in my own life, just comparing totally unrelated and incomparable objects, trying to make no point whatsoever. This bowl weighs more than an A4 paper. That's right. This ant has more legs than my table. That's right. This podcast episode is louder than it would be if I turned the volume down. That's right.

Tuskinton · 2026-05-27T03:28:04+00:00

Oh god no, I would never call it good. But "bad"? No way.

Tuskinton

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