🩷💜💙
Also, avoid direct eye contact, and never ever stare into their eyes. This is the equivalent of an oath of blood and despair.
That’s something people who don’t own a cat don’t understand: the less you look at them, the more friendly they think you are (that’s why cats love allergic persons)
Firstly, the more students there are, the less time the teacher can devote to them individually. When there’s a comprehension problem, it’s really in the interaction that things can be sorted out: understanding why the person doesn’t understand, explaining from different angles, etc.
And all the time spent with one person leaves the rest of the group on its own, which can very quickly dissipate all the group’s attention, with a few whispered personal discussions turning into hubbub.
What’s more, the larger the group, the easier and more tempting it is for weak and shy students to hide in the crowd. In a small group, the teacher should regularly check that no one is left behind. With 100 people, this is strictly impossible.
Finally, I don’t believe in the argument that the more people you have, the more friends and studying partners you can find. Socially, we get together in small groups (between 2 and 6, roughly speaking) no matter what’s going on. I think that beyond this limit, there’s a diminishing return (unconsciously): a new person brings less than reinforcing the group’s cohesion. If the group gets any bigger, it’s going to reshape itself by affinity into smaller, tighter-knit groups.
Rating: I don’t believe in rating system. If I say 3/10, can you change 20% of your idea to reach 5/10? What’s 20% of an idea ? Would 5/10 be good enough? Can you change 70% of an idea to reach perfection? In this case, why don’t we live in a perfect world?
Get a PEP treatment as soon as possible
PEP ≠ PREP
I’m a vegetarian, and the answer is no. I find the idea of vat-grown meat disgusting, like something out of a bio-mechanical nightmare.
It wouldn’t be a problem. I’m bi, and when I’m in love, it’s not a question of gender expression or body.
There are many reasons for secrecy.
Showing that you know how to keep a secret shows that you’re trustworthy.
There are also certain rites of passage that are more striking if you don’t know what to expect (but it’s always benevolent).
Also, as it’s a place where speech is totally free, it makes it easier to open up. For example, if we’re having a discussion about LGBTQIA+ rights, I can share my experiences as a bi person to enrich the discussion, and I don’t have to worry about being outed.
Finally, in Europe, the memory of Nazi persecution is still vivid, and today’s far right hates us too. Secrecy, or at least discretion, is a protection.
But I have to admit that it raises suspicions and feeds conspiracy theories. So secrecy has its downside
To tell the truth, it’s a complex question, like “why are there no female Christian priests”. Christianity is a wide thing, with lots of subdivisions. So is freemasonry.
Why no woman ? There are historical reasons: a founding text (Anderson’s Constitution) states that to be a Freemason, you have to be a free man. There are also old initiation rituals (a bit like a Masonic baptism) where the person is bare-chested. For traditionalists, this forever excludes women. This is particularly the case in the Anglo-Saxon world. Traditinnalists also often exclude atheists, LGBTQIA+ people, etc.
But worldwide, there are also progressive lodges, mixed or even feminine (which accept male visitors, but do not initiate men). I live in Europe, and in my loge we are about 10 men and 20 women. Lots of us are social workers, teachers, nurses or public servants. Lots of us are atheists or agnostics. Some of us are gay, lesbian or bi.
About what we do, one more time: it depends. The main idea is to have philosophical questionings, based on ritual and symbolism (A bit like a religious person who uses a holy text to nourish their philosophical reflections). All lodges also have charities, because the aim of Freemasonry is to improve oneself in the hope of making the world a better place.
But some progressive lodges (like mine) go further and are places for reflection on society, in a place where everyone can share their point of view without being cut off (this is an absolute rule) and without judgment.
In these lodges, all kinds of issues of social progress are discussed, including feminist issues. But also topics like the defense of democracy, the right to a dignified end of life, the impact of AI on the job market, ecology, the rise of the far right, and so on.
In men’s lodges (I sometimes go as a visitor), even the progressive ones, there’s very little talk of women in my experience. Except at communal meals, where you can hear the same mysogynistic remarks as in any all-male group (ewww, imho)
I hate having several package managers coexisting on my computer, and the only advantage of snap is that it solves a problem I’ve never encountered in 25 years.
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The only use I have for AIs is to translate from my mother tongue into English, to chat online. I could write directly in English, but it hasn’t been worth it for a few years.
Sorry for the Valentine’s Day mood, but to be honest, I’ve had an affair with most of the distros, and sometimes with several of them at the same time.
As someone who likes male content as much as female content, I support this change.
In 1984, sexuality is emancipatory for Witson and Julian. It’s an act of resistance, because sex between consenting adults is a life drive (Eros) opposed to a dead society (Thanatos) that crushes individuals.
To link the defense of pedopornography (i.e. of children crushed by forced sexual relations), with 1984 is a complete contradiction in terms.
Already 419 upvotes, and counting. Glad to see that the instance, not only the mods but also the users, stand against that shit.
You’re right. The rules are not the same with your own cats. One of my cats likes long blinks (aka “eye kisses”), and for an other one it’s a call to play and cuddle on the rug.