I find it astonishing. He has been running for president for longer than I have been walking. And that is what he came up with?

Some random Twitter reactions I can't be bothered to quote properly:

"The audacity of grope"

and

"Grope we can believe in"

Will be interesting to see if the his poll numbers start diving now that he has declared (probably after an initial bounce).

I think it has the same font as Obama had. So Obama nostalgia it is.

And, as generic implies, it's an ad for an old folks' home.

You'd expect a smooth and experienced political operator to know better than to run a campaign slogan with the word "lie" in it.

But this is Joe Biden, so maybe it's not such a surprise.

For France, here are the figures claimed by the very right-wing Observatoire de la Christianophobie:

January 2019 : 66 antichristian acts
February 2019 : 48 antichristian acts

Projected over one year, that points a very signicant fall in 2019.

But don't let that bother you, since you're done here.

I thought Sheela na gigs were weird, but your linked story on the Yap economy is weirder. However I doubt your  population control thesis holds water. The population of Ireland wasn't particularly high during the period in question, and Ireland was never as isolated from the rest of Europe as Yap islanders were. There is also no evidence that Sheelas had any particular monetary, scarcity or status value.

This page wants to sell me blue pills I think.

The point is a significant rise of vandalism of Christian churches in France and Germany this year

Not enough finger pointing to prickle your (non-)focus, but I am done here.

For?

Island nations are weird. Their customs, gender relations can be plausibly related to testing or acknowledging ecological limitations. There is less to discover or peacock for males.

It is tricky to criticize critical theories.

Peterson will switch to rapping.

This year (2019) is already memorable.

Florida Man arms
"a proposed expansion of a 'guardian program'"
Florida Man bans
"fervid opposition from Democrats and hours of emotional debate"

The Legislature
House: 71 (R), 46 (D), 3 (VACANT); Fun Fact: $18,000/year salary
Senate: 23 (R), 17 (D)

48 chamber slaves of the patriarchy: 29 (D), 19 (R)
wut: Of the 43 women who won seats in the state legislature in November, only 16 were Republican"

Is Baltimore City's Strong Mayor System Corrupting? Residents Weigh In" A/V (EN), no transcript
Local media quick to catalyze "the narrative": The Real News Network hosts an informal Q&A session with about two dozen area residents about city charter functions, council hackery, and desirable alterations. Cues political education for run up to 2020.

AP | Acting Baltimore mayor settles in as Pugh slithers out of sight
"Only a conviction can trigger a Baltimore mayor's removal from office, according to City Solicitor Andre Davis* and the state constitution. Baltimore's mayor-friendly City Charter currently provides no options for ousting its executive."
--
*compromised Pugh staffer on Board of Estimates, covering no-bid awards

archived politics
Behind The Scenes Of A Baltimore Corruption Scandal
should the charter be changed so we have a recall provision?

Constitutional crisis just last year in Sri Lanka ....
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-president-maithripala-sirisena-sacks-prime-mi nister-ranil-wickremesinghe

Canned tomatoes
"During a televised speech to the nation Tuesday night, President Maithripala Sirisena said he would change the head of the defense forces within 24 hours, and on Wednesday he asked for the resignations of the defense secretary and national police chief in a dramatic internal shake-up. He did not say who would replace them."
President gives firm assurance of curtailing terrorism and bring back normalcy swiftly

Tesla's $700M Q1 net loss much larger than expected
"But if Musk can deliver on a promise that he made Monday to deploy self-exploding vehicles and start the ride service next year, the business model might just work. And that could help Tesla finally put its long history of losses in its rear-view mirror."

Saudi Arabia won't hike oil output after US cancels Iran waivers
"[KSA energy minister Khalid al-Falih] said the kingdom's May output has already been set without varying much from recent months and production for June will be decided next month."
Turkey slams US for ending waivers on Iranian oil imports
"#Turkey rejects unilateral sanctions and impositions on how to conduct relations with neighbors."
China complains to U.S. over end to Iran oil sanction waivers
"China is resolutely opposed to the United States enforcing unilateral sanctions or 'long armed jurisdiction', Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesman, told a daily news briefing."
Europe Doubles Down on Iran Support as Trump Targets Oil Exports

"We regret yesterday's announcement by the U.S. not to renew oil waivers," European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters in Brussels. ...Work on the INSTEX mechanism to facilitate financial transactions for European companies trading with Iran is "progressing positively with a view to a near completion," the French ministry said.

Iran should continue work on its mirror mechanism, the ministry said. Exchanges between the two sides are underway to ensure that both structures "operate in a manner consistent with international financial standards," it said.

US ends waiver but India may continue to buy Iran oil
"Government officials, who asked not to be named, said Indian companies are unlikely to completely halt imports from Iran. ...The waiver from sanctions for Iran's Chabahar port, which is being developed by India for trading with Afghanistan and Central Asia, will remain in place."

How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?

The Black Death (1347-1350) was a pandemic that devastated the populations of Europe and Asia. The plague was an unprecedented human tragedy in Italy. It not only shook Italian society but transformed it. The Black Death marked an end of an era in Italy, its impact was profound, and it resulted in wide-ranging social, economic, cultural and religious changes. These changes, directly and indirectly, led to the emergence of the Renaissance, one of the greatest epochs for art, architecture, and literature in human history.

The Impact of the Plague of Italy

To Black Death spread to Italy from modern-day Russia. Genoese merchants spread the plague while fleeing a Mongol attack on their trading post in Crimea. The plague was carried and spread by the fleas that lived on the Black Rat and brought to Italy on the Genoese ships. The population of Italy was ill prepared for the spread of the disease. There had been a series of famine and food shortages in the region, and the population was weak and vulnerable to disease, and furthermore, the population did not have any natural resistance to the disease. Italy was the most urbanized society in Europe, Milan, Rome, Florence, and other Italian centers among the largest on the continent.

Social Mobility

The plague disrupted society to an unprecedented state. It overturned the existing social structure. Previous, to the outbreak of the plague, Italy was a rigid and stratified society. The Black Death changed everything. Increasingly, because of the demographic disaster caused by the plague were able to take advantage of the opportunities caused by the high death rate. In the period after the Black Death, an unprecedented amount of social mobility took place. Laborers became merchants and merchants become members of the nobility. No longer was a person's destiny to be fixed by their birth.

[...]

However, as social mobility became more widespread because of the Black Death, many people, came to believe that a person's merits or abilities were what mattered and not one's birth. This led to a growing individualism in Italian society. This, in turn, encouraged people to strive and to develop their talents and achieve excellence or virtue. The belief in the individual was central to the Renaissance and it inspired many of the greatest artists, architects, sculptures and writers, the world have ever seen to create peerless works.

Michelangelo's sculpture of David in Florence

○ Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights

India votes in Phase III of general elections, 23 April

About 66 percent of those eligible had voted by the end of the day's voting, according to the interim figures from the election commission.
[...]
So far, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has aggressively pushed Modi's national security record as it seeks to offset the opposition's charges of economic mishandling, inadequate jobs creation and widespread farm distress.
[...]
[Centre for Policy Research fellow Rahul] Verma said Modi's repeated references to the Sri Lankan attacks were a sign that the BJP would double down on the security issue for the remainder of the election campaign, which the prime minister began as a front-runner amid escalated tensions with neighbouring Pakistan.

India Today interactive Map scroll page, hover constituency area to reveal MP, party, electoral district Phase date; "swing states", "strong states"
Why is BJP continuously targeting AMU?, issue-voters, candidates, and caste

The BJP and its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) drag the name of AMU every now and then generating unwanted controversies and public attention.

The most recent remark was that of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath on 11 April while addressing a public rally in favour of Satish Gautam, who is re-contesting Lok Sabha election from Aligarh. Raking up the issue of the minority status of AMU he said that the institution is not a minority one and, hence, it should provide reservation to Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes and backward candidates in admissions and jobs. He asked the people to vote him so that he can raise the issue of reservation again and again till he succeeds

archived Phase I Lok Sabha
India elections: Can Narendra Modi repeat his 2014 success?. 12 April
schedule, graphics

The Renaissance Factor | DW documentary |

Beginning at the end of the 14th Century, the Renaissance created a new type of man, triggering economic, scientific, technical, religious, social and cultural developments that are unique in history.

Fourth Crusade - Sack of Constantnople in 1204

With the fall of the city, many of its religious icons, relics, and artworks were spirited away and the Byzantine Empire was divided up between Venice and its allies. The empire would rise again from the ashes but never again could Constantinople claim to be the greatest, richest, and most artistically vibrant city in the world.

The Transfer of Culture and Knowledge

The Italian trade routes that covered the Mediterranean and beyond were also major conduits of culture and knowledge. The recovery of lost Greek texts, which had been preserved by Arab scholars, following the Crusader conquest of the Byzantine heartlands revitalized medieval philosophy in the Renaissance of the 12th century. Additionally, Byzantine scholars migrated to Italy during and following the Ottoman conquest of the Byzantines between the 12th and 15th centuries, and were important in sparking the new linguistic studies of the Renaissance, in newly created academies in Florence and Venice. Humanist scholars searched monastic libraries for ancient manuscripts and recovered Tacitus and other Latin authors. The rediscovery of Vitruvius meant that the architectural principles of Antiquity could be observed once more, and Renaissance artists were encouraged, in the atmosphere of humanist optimism, to excel the achievements of the Ancients, like Apelles, of whom they read.

○ Renaissance of the Militant Democracy?

Umbrella Movement Leaders In Hong Kong Convicted For Civil Disobedience Movement

The movement was led in 2014 by top class intellectuals as Professors Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, and influential pastor Chu Yiu-ming, these were supported by large section of the youth who all wanted to carry on the democratic reforms in Hong Kong which exist under the One Country Two Systems, where China has been able to contain the spread of democratic values and forces thinking that these may cause harm to its own existence of suppressive regime.
[...]
After the conviction and the HRW report the moot question is-in which direction the Hong Kong Umbrella movement will move? The movement being civil disobedience in nature in is destined to continue at surface and at the undercurrent level. As the historical evidences show the civil disobedience movements in whole of the world finally got the success. Umbrella movement can assure itself for the same in near future.

With a little help from our friends

Why does the Hungarian electorate put up with this? The answer is threefold. In economic terms the country is enjoying a relatively good decade, and many families are feeling the benefits despite the record-shattering income gap, and mind-boggling stories like the one of Orbán's childhood friend, the village gas fitter Lőrincz Mészáros, who since 2010 has risen from complete nobody to the 2057th richest person on the planet. Wages are up, unemployment is down, and about half a million mostly young and educated people have moved to other EU countries. Brussels is spending over 4 billion euros a year on Hungary, adding 3 to 4 percent to the county's Gross National Income.
[...]
But there is one more way Europe could help: By sending election observers. The guy is a cheater.

Second Change UK candidate quits EU election over past tweets

Users call it getting 'Zucked,' say talking about racism is censored as hate speech
The Golden Age of American mass media will rise again.

reference
Exposing Russia's Effort to Sow Discord Online: The Internet Research Agency and Advertisements
cracker townhall

archived trolls
LQD: Censorship
what is "legitimate" and protected "black" speech

Good point. Also note dislocated hands and pairs of arms. Water | spout | pain | miracle double entendres [Jokes: 1655]. Ima go with symbolic parturition. The message is consistent with dogmatic exhortations and um universal um vestigial neolithic um mystification of birth.

"Isn't the truth that you don't want a general election because all of you lot would lose your seats?"

That's the question Paul McNamara put to Change UK's interim leader Heidi Allen. pic.twitter.com/OS2rJO0kwB

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) April 24, 2019

So you are Change UK, yet faced with the chance to change the Prime Minister you wouldn't take it?

That was quick.
Tech firm VMware faces DACA discrimination lawsuit

On Tuesday, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund sued VMware in federal court in California, saying the software company violated the Civil Rights Act [Title VII] when it denied Sandy Vasquez a job.
[...]
VMware, according to the lawsuit, refuses to hire people authorized to work in the U.S. unless they are citizens, permanent residents or have a "transferrable visa" such as one given to highly skilled workers. Vasquez and others enrolled in DACA, as well as other immigrants such as those with temporary protected status, do not fall into these categories.
[...]
Palo Alto, California-based VMware said that while it does not comment on active lawsuits, it "hires and continues to employ DACA recipients."

partly pregnant

Vasquez, according to court documents, was told by a recruiter for VMware last January that she would be a "great fit" for a technical support engineer position at the company. A few days later, the lawsuit says the recruiter "abruptly terminated" the interview after Vasquez disclosed that she is not a U.S. citizen, though she has work authorization in the U.S. through DACA. According to the lawsuit, she was told all applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
[...]
The [DACA] program was enacted under President Barack Obama in 2012, allowed qualifying immigrants who came illegally to the U.S. as children to apply for renewable, two-year permits that would protect them from deportation and allow them to work.

Deadline to Submit DACA Renewal Requests Approaching On Oct. 5, 2017
"Based on legal guidance issued by the Attorney General, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke issued a memorandum on Sept. 5, 2017, initiating an orderly wind-down of DACA."
Post Office Fails to Deliver on Time, and DACA Applications Get Rejected

Migrants fearful after hundreds arrested in Mexico raid
"Mexican officials said last month they would try to contain migrants in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico's narrowest stretch and the easiest to control. Pijijiapan is not far from the isthmus' narrowest point, in neighboring Oaxaca [!] state." uh oh.

2006 - present: Oaxaca state of emergency
2006 | The new attack
2015 | U.S. Issues "Emergency Message" As Protests Escalate In Mexico's Oaxaca State
2018 | Mexico Declares State of Emergency in 33 Oaxaca Municipalities