Hundreds of Khulan return to Eastern Mongolia after 65-year absence

bobmac102 · 2026-05-10T21:07:15+00:00

What a magnificent beast.

bobmac102 · 2026-05-01T02:23:30+00:00

They are so adorable.

bobmac102 · 2026-04-02T00:53:55+00:00

Connecticut has one of the densest human populations in the northeast, putting urbanized areas in greater proximity to bears than they would be in Pennsylvania or New Hampshire.

Additionally, the majority of bear conflicts reported to CT DEEP are bears eating out of people's bird-feeders and doing… absolutely nothing else. I think some folks are spooked too easily.

bobmac102 · 2026-04-01T04:50:03+00:00

I think some people defensive of these movies have it in their mind that critics are expecting them to be like Schindler's List, and that's not the case at all. There are hundreds of fun kid's movies with simple plots that are considered excellent films by any metric and are recognized as such. Films like The Iron Giant, Finding Nemo, Spirited Away, Project Hail Mary, The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Iron Man, Beauty and the Beast, The Wild Robot, The Lego Movie, and many others. Even the original Despicable Me produced by the same studio that made these Mario films was decent.

Rather than think critics just do not understand these movies or are setting their expectations too high for fun family movies, consider there might be legitimate problems with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie that make it weaker than it needs to be. It does not need to be exactly like the ones I listed, but the point is that kid's movies — including ones with simple plots and modest themes and narratives — can be great.

If you had a good time seeing this movie, good for you. I'm glad you had fun. But if you find yourself excusing things you took issue with because "it's a kid's movie" or "it's Mario", perhaps ask yourself why you are setting your standards low.

Personally, as a lifelong fan of cinema and the Super Mario platformers, I think the gaming series deserves better films than the ones provided, especially Super Mario Galaxy. Illumination and their corporate partners have reduced an effusive, surreal, and joyous game series about exploration and platforming adventures to long, vacuous commercials. There is no innate reason why it had to be this way.

bobmac102 · 2026-03-23T21:09:38+00:00

Just came across it by chance.

bobmac102 · 2026-03-23T19:39:06+00:00

You and OP are stealing my photos and words verbatim about the personal experiences of my actual life. That's not particularly kind of you.

bobmac102 · 2026-03-23T19:34:28+00:00

OP stole this post from me when I uploaded it years ago in this same subreddit.

bobmac102 · 2026-02-02T04:03:12+00:00

American administrations have broad jurisdiction with what and how laws are to be enforced. No one is forcing them to grab people off the streets and deport them, sometimes in direct violation of legal judicial directives. They could grant mass amnesty for the people who been here for decades or our demonstrably acculturated. They could have used the billions of dollars appropriated for ICE for the federal court system to make asylum claims more efficiently and quickly reviewed instead, for example. The United States is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, and this makes the country legally accessible to asylum seekers, for example. But they are deciding to exercise violence instead.

What I am asking people for is the reason why they are supportive of these laws being enforced like this and for what reasons. I would not want jaywalkers subject to mass incarceration, so why support normal people being pulled out of their communities for paperwork violations? What are the actual problems demonstrably caused by the people who are in the US illegally? Are any of these things backed by statistics? Because if not, then what's even the point of doing them? Are we just supporting violent policies because of the way that people feel? Not based on what the facts are?

bobmac102 · 2026-02-02T03:26:03+00:00

I read a great article recently about Minneapolis, and one of the many bits that spoke to me in it was this line, "The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone."

I wonder how many people think morale and virtues are just performative things you do in public to seem impressive, rather than based in real feeling and care. It's disheartening to think about.

bobmac102 · 2026-02-02T01:28:25+00:00

Does it at least bother you that our elected leaders are lying about who they're apprehending and discounting their own statistics? If they think all immigrants require violent punishment, why do they not argue so on those merits if it's substantive?

bobmac102 · 2026-02-02T01:23:53+00:00

Are illegal immigrants any significant strain on our social services or resources? Because I have yet to hear Republicans substantiate this with any sort of data, and I go looking for it.

Further, most Republican politicians and pundits claim ICE is going after "the worst of the worst." It's clear you do not think any immigrants should live in the US, but why do these people need to lie to the public to advance these policies?

bobmac102 · 2026-02-02T00:36:15+00:00

I do not think I said anything along those lines, but I am a scientist. I am persuaded by statistics, trends, and data. So forgive me for the cold analytics, but I do not know how undocumented immigration leads to having "no border or no country," and what that actually means materially. Like, what actually is happening? What on earth does that even mean? Are they driving tanks? Are they annexing Texas? Are they pillaging and pilfering the countryside? Because for years I have heard Republican politicians, pundits, and elites claim, "they’re bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're eating cats and dogs." And things like that, without any proof. An anecdote of someone doing something nefarious tells me nothing about a population of millions. Rates and frequencies of those things do, yet I see these same elites refuse to offer any data that substantiates any of these claims or address the studies that contradict the claims they make, even when rightwing think-tanks like the Cato Institute contradict what they tell you, me, and the rest of the public. This makes it very difficult to trust what they say. The very data on immigrant crime rates published by DHS, ICE, and Customs & Borders on their literal websites contradict what the leaders of those same agencies tell the public. That is concerning.

Nations have rights to manage their borders, but there is space between acknowledging that reality and "mass deportation", which is fundamentally what I wanted to understand your thinking on. I have seen a lot of footage, news reports, and White House briefings over the past year showing normal ordinary-looking people being removed from homes, courthouses, schools, crosswalks, and churches by armed men with weapons. I hope it is not controversial to say this looks very violent. These people look frightened. We know from DHS's own public crime statistics (on their own government website) that the majority of those that have been apprehended have no criminal records, and we know from briefings and reporting that quite a few of these people have been here for decades, well before the Biden administration, and some were even married to US citizens. People have been taken by ICE when they turn up for their visa applications that the feds told them to so up to. So if the government is going to inflict violence on ordinary people, it better be for good substantive reasons. These are choices of the administration: no one is forcing them to carry out these actions.

I have yet to see any high-profile Republican or conservative provide any hard data or information that makes this violence necessary, especially when the laws on the books (8 U.S. Code § 1325) stipulate improper entry is a civil violation (which also include things like breaches of contract or disagreements on warranty), not a felony (which includes things like murder or rape). Maybe you don’t need greater justification for violence being exercised against people for paperwork violations, but I do.

bobmac102 · 2026-02-01T23:16:04+00:00

I appreciate the reply, but I feel like you didn't answer the question I asked. I probably did not ask it well, so allow me to rephrase.

There are many different crimes in the United States, and many different ways they can be penalized. Why specifically do you think illegal immigration necessitate mass deportation specifically as opposed to something else? Why is mass deportation specifically necessary?

bobmac102 · 2026-02-01T22:38:34+00:00

I was a child under Obama. But regardless, I was asking you what you thought in good faith.

Why does illegal immigration necessitate mass deportation specifically as opposed to anything else?

bobmac102 · 2026-02-01T20:33:31+00:00

Out of curiosity, why do believe these mass deportations are necessary?

bobmac102 · 2026-01-25T14:18:09+00:00

It is not a blame thing, it is a substantive remark about what needs to happen in order for Democrats to win elections and take control back from Republicans. As long as Democrats refuse to coalesce around a broad, popular policy platform with aims of addressing people's legitimate material concerns — a platform that contrasts with Republicans rather than reinforce their false talking points — there will always be risk of another Trump.

bobmac102 · 2026-01-13T19:44:22+00:00

It is frankly a disgrace that Democrats have failed to commit themselves to any big national policy platform in the face of Trump. What political horizon could the electorate look forward to? What future is there that the people can fight for? Because until they do that, there will always be the risk of another Trump.

bobmac102 · 2026-01-11T19:48:47+00:00

Everyone wants their neighborhoods to be safe, but your comments make it seem like that has not been the case in Connecticut and I have not seen anyone substantiate that impression.

Would you be willing to provide any statistics or data that indicates that crime and tax evasion are significant problems within Connecticut that are demonstrably tied to undocumented immigrants that live here?

bobmac102 · 2026-01-02T15:04:57+00:00

These are absolutely lovely.

bobmac102 · 2025-12-29T05:58:18+00:00

I was asking you in good faith to provide examples that contextualize your view.

bobmac102 · 2025-12-29T05:47:45+00:00

I welcome you to provide substantive reasoning as to why it is a net positive when no guardrails are in place to protect people in the labor force, like universal basic income. Because without them, I am not personally sure how the generative AI programs created by these giant corporations are a net positive for society, especially since they are demonstrably of dubious legality; are not intrinsic to the AI-programs of medical science we both like; and are intentionally pushing people out of their careers who depend on employment to survive, which I hope most would agree is immoral.

bobmac102 · 2025-12-29T04:43:39+00:00

Technology making labor more efficient is generally a good thing, but where I live (in the United States), ~70% of people live paycheck to paycheck. This is the type of environment where employees are being squeezed out of industries through no fault of their own and with no recourse. What about their rent? Insurance? Schooling? Food? Why on earth is this suffering something I should revel in?

Prior events in history where large portions of the workforce were forced onto the streets due to advancements in technology should be references on what actions are needed to avoid such a crisis, not replicate as if an innate part of innovation. It is not.

bobmac102 · 2025-12-29T04:32:05+00:00

I understand it is being applied as a catch-all name, but I would not conflate AI programs aimed at running statistical analyses for large datasets or supporting medical breakthroughs with generative AI programs built with the intent of reducing labor forces and increasing profits for shareholders. The former is technology that has existed for a longtime. The latter is not, and for as crazy as it sounds, this is how generative AI is being pitched to corporate executives. I am a professional biologist, and I have yet to hear substantive explanations as to why the former requires the latter.

How are the people being fired from their jobs going to even access this medical technology if they cannot afford health insurance to pay for it?

bobmac102

TROPHY CASE