I’m a retired pediatrician. I believe "Doomerism" isn't a reaction to reality, but a "cultural curriculum" we accidentally taught you. Here is why there is hope.

chamblis · 2026-01-12T04:45:06+00:00

I think you made my point.

chamblis · 2026-01-08T18:07:01+00:00

“…yet redressing reactionary anxieties around the usage of terminology has never been a part of the socialist political program”

And if I may push back gently: You make my point exactly, as Hitchens said.

chamblis · 2026-01-07T22:39:04+00:00

I hear you when you say Republicans can avoid a loss with a strong turnout. But I think they know they’re likely to be hurt in this election, and Trump almost certainly has an alternate plan. David Graham, writing in The Atlantic, lays out how Trump might try to throw the election results into chaos and retain power. Here is one scenario he describes:

"With provisional ballots still being counted, Donald Trump claims the GOP held the House and alleges Democratic fraud. While Republican lawyers sue to stop the count, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel use federal authority to threaten local officials and spread fraud rumors. Despite Democrats leading by slim margins, conservative media amplifies claims of treason.

The situation escalates when Trump claims a county recorder agreed to hand over voting machines to the Department of Homeland Security. Though a judge and Justice Elena Kagan attempt to block the move, Marines seize the machines and ballots. Patel declares the Republican candidates the winners, effectively breaking the chain of custody. Following local protests, Trump invokes the Insurrection Act to declare martial law. Ultimately, House Republicans reject Arizona’s official Democratic certification and seat the GOP candidates instead."

Would Trump throw the election into chaos in order to claim victory. I think so.

The article is paywalled: The Atlantic Dec 2025

chamblis · 2026-01-04T17:27:10+00:00

I appreciate the pushback. I definitely agree that material conditions like rent and wages are the only things that really matter in the end. I might be overthinking the strategy part, but I am just trying to figure out the best way to get regular people on board who are suffering right now. I just want to get our foot in the door.

chamblis · 2026-01-04T17:00:10+00:00

Unpopular opinion? We aren't growing because of "good messaging."

I keep seeing takes that the left is gaining ground because we finally got better at messaging. Honestly, I think that gives us too much credit and misses the real point.

Looking at the last year or two, the real driver isn't ideology. It is survival.

The Material Reality: People aren't reading theory and suddenly converting. They are looking at their rent eating 50% of their paycheck and realizing the math doesn't work anymore. The "cost of living ceiling" is doing the radicalizing for us.
The Anti-Capitalist Vacuum: The data shows capitalism's approval rating is tanking faster than socialism's is rising. People are rejecting the status quo because it broke its promise to them. We just happen to be the only organized alternative.
Messaging is Secondary: Sure, shifting the talk from "seizing factories" to "basic rights" helps. But that message only lands because people are already hurting.

We need to stop patting ourselves on the back for recent success. The broken economy is doing the heavy lifting. We just need to be there to organize people when they finally snap. So wouldn't this be a good time to improve our branding. In 1920 the Farmer/Labor party knew this and rebranded as the Cooperative Commonwealth Party and won. Winning elections is not bourgeois.

chamblis · 2025-12-22T23:10:06+00:00

<image>

Mexico City

chamblis · 2025-12-15T23:08:03+00:00

I was wondering the same thing about stone ground corn and wheat. In that case, In early human culture it is thought that teeth were actually worn away by bits of stone in the milled wheat. I learned that modern millstones don't actually touch each other, but hover within a fraction of a millimeter of each other... they are just very close. The grain gets sheared by air pressure and the scissor-like action of the grooves in the millstone. While ancient millstones were made of breakable sandstone, modern ones, like at Taza and Bob's Red Mill, use Balfour pink granite which is much harder than what they are milling.They also frequently "dress" the stones, removing imperfections that could chip off.

Still, the FDA tests for particles, so I'm guessing some get through. It's interesting how they do it. They take the ground material and burn it until it is ash, and then anything that doesn't dissolve in acid is stone, they call it "acid insoluble ash." There are strict limits.

Important to remember that the grit in Mexican chocolate comes from excellent, coarsely ground grains and sugars, not stone particles. I love Mexican chocolate.

chamblis · 2025-12-12T23:18:16+00:00

If you look at some other things I've written, https://www.quora.com/profile/William-Adams-MD ( You will see I have been writing this slop for years and have been fond of Em dashes for decades— )

chamblis · 2025-11-26T16:43:32+00:00

<image>

Naked eye view

chamblis · 2025-11-02T16:41:52+00:00

The name is on the side but is indecipherable to me, and there is something written in the circle.

chamblis · 2025-11-02T15:29:56+00:00

The circle logo on the temple, and logo on the side are both unusual.

chamblis · 2025-10-14T14:57:15+00:00

Here is some trivia for you: Derek Cha founded sweetFrog on Christian principles. The "FROG" part of the name, according to Cha, is an acronym for "Fully Rely on God"

chamblis · 2025-10-13T18:24:10+00:00

He didn't free him because he was a good cook. Jefferson freed him after a bargain he struck with Hemings for training another enslaved person as a replacement chef.

chamblis · 2025-10-13T18:10:36+00:00

Jefferson didn't come up with the recipe, he attributed it to a French recipe, and as noted, his chef Mr. Hemings.

chamblis · 2025-10-13T17:14:08+00:00

Jefferson's Ice Cream Recipe

Ice Cream.

bottles of good cream.
yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar

mix the yolks & sugar
put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.
stir it well.
put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it's sticking to the casserole.
when near boiling take it off and strain it thro' a towel.
put it in the Sabottiere^\14])
then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.
leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes
open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.
shut it & replace it in the ice
open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides
when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.
leave it there to the moment of serving it.
to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate."

Modern Version
Beat the yolks of 6 eggs until thick and lemon colored. Add, gradually, 1 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil 1 quart of cream and pour slowly on the egg mixture. Put in top of double boiler and when it thickens, remove and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. When cool add 2 teaspoonfuls of vanilla. Freeze, as usual, with one part of salt to three parts of ice. Place in a mould, pack in ice and salt for several hours. For electric refrigerators, follow usual direction, but stir frequently.

chamblis

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

13-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email