Will likely be similar to this:

https://youtu.be/GlCFPo6YYbU#t=40s

Machined badge reading “Built Not Bought”.

My dad used to put them on the cars he built.

That’s actually a complicated story…

It goes back to a book called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” back in 1982.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail

Then you have Foucalt’s Pendulum (1988) - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault’s_Pendulum

The comic book series “Preacher” 66 monthly issues from 1995 to 2000. - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_(comics)

Da Vinci Code (2003) - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code

It’s the book that kicked the Davinci Code to death and left it bleeding in a gutter.

There is not a lot “light” about Umberto Eco, but How to Travel With a Salmon is one of them.

I highly suggest the Umberto Eco book “How to Travel With a Salmon”. It’s a collection of short essays on a variety of topics.

There is a border check entering CA but they only ask about fruits and vegetables.

You can also report PMs, that also goes straight to the Admins of the instance.

A sense of humor.

Collecting books for show was such a thing it was used as a literary device in the Great Gatsby.

See back then, books were mass produced via multiple stitched together folded booklets, much as they are now, but they didn’t have the cutting technology to trim the edges.

So readers would have their own “book knife” or “paper knife” and cut the folded pages apart to be able to read them (resulting in a “deckled edge” which is now simulated these days in some printings.)

So when Gatsby’s library is carefully inspected:

"A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot.

“What do you think?” he demanded impetuously.

"About what?’

He waved his hand toward the book-shelves.

"About that. As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.

“The books?”

He nodded.

“Absolutely real - have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard.  Matter of face, they’re absolutely real. Pages and - Here! Lemme show you.”

Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the book-cases and returned with Volume One of the Stoddard Lectures.

“See!” he cried triumphantly. “It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too - didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?”

He snatched the book from me and replaced it hastily on its shelf, muttering that if one brick was removed the whole library was liable to collapse."

Card is also a giant piece of shit in other ways, which is unfortunate because he is a good writer and his essays on the methodology of writing are excellent.

https://www.wired.com/2013/10/enders-game/

This is way worse than the J.K. Rowling turned TERF bit. These are actual crimes committed against women.

I legit really enjoyed many of his works, Good Omens, written with Terry Pratchett, is an all time classic, and I used to be proud of the fact that I actually met the man, as did one of my oldest friends as well as my brother in law.

Now it’s all like “What the fuck?”

Removed, Substack Blogs (or any blog) are not valid sources.

I would add, he made a big deal about loan forgiveness for people who would go on to work in underpriveleged communities, which was always a thing.

Really the only new program he implemented which wasn’t immediately overturned by the courts was forgiveness for people who a) borrowed $12,000 or less and b) hadn’t missed a loan payment for 10 years.

Which they CLAIM is a whole bunch of people, but nobody stops to ask “Hey, if you borrowed $12,000 or less and haven’t missed a payment in 10 years, how much is actually outstanding on that loan?” Or better “What degree costs $12,000 or less?”

What a lot of people do is sign the lease, take the biggest bedroom, then sublease the other two bedrooms for $5,000 each. Might not fly at $7,500 each.

I miss the Arby-Q. I think it’s been 20-30 years now?

I met him very briefly in 1995, same San Diego comic con trip when I met Stan Lee, James Robinson, Wade Von Grawbadger, Will Eisner, and Shannon Wheeler.

I didn’t get the creepy vibe from him then, but then again it would have been 25 years before these allegations, at a convention, and I’m not a vulnerable woman.

Saw this in c/latestagecalitalism:

Yup!

There wasn’t time to run a 50 state primary. It takes 6 months to do that and Joe stepped down with about 1/2 that time remaining before the election and a month before the Democratic convention.