In class we were talking about how cats teach themselves to hunt around their collar bells, and this dude followed that up with “well you know how Santa has those reindeer covered in those bells, right?”
and what he going for was “the bells on cat collars are the same that reindeer are pictured wearing”
But what *I* heard was “Santa’s Reindeer are predator animals that are covered in bells for our protection” and let me tell you I did not appreciate that.
I need Ameritumblr to understand that we’re all freaking out about some Cabinet resignations because the British system has a thing with no confidence votes having a direct and immediate effect and, well, in summary, we may literally not have a government this time tomorrow. no prime minister, no line of succession, nothing.
it wouldn’t be healthy to care about it as much as we do but a little freaking out in solidarity would be comforting. we do the same for you.
so in fact what I’ve learned from this is that in America, “the government” means “the whole civil service”, and in Britain, “the Government” means “the Government”.
Good news! The Government has been found in contempt of Parliament! That should clear up any remaining confusion!
HE MOVED THE MACE
THEY RECEIVED 48 LETTERS
The Government has reached its Post Limit of drama for the day
It sounds like “government” gets used about the same as “[current] administration” does in the U.S.?
In any case best of luck.
yes, “government” is the specific coalition currently agreed to be in charge. this sounds really weird if you’re used to “government” to refer to “the institution as a whole”.
If I understand correctly (and I might not), in practical terms, a Brit saying “there is no Government” is roughly analogous to an American saying “There is no President [but his ceremonial roles are still performed by the same unelected figurehead that they always are], Vice President, Cabinet, or Speaker of the House, and all of these positions can be filled when — and only when — the House manages to elect a new Speaker.” With the House electing a new Speaker being potentially made more complicated by the fact that there are more than two parties with non-trivial representation.
Yes? (Or is there something I’m missing?)
If the above is roughly correct, then what the Brits call “no government” is more like the Federal Government (specifically; lower-level governments being unaffected) being on autopilot than it is like the government not existing at all.
If it goes through (as a VONC on the Government as a whole) it triggers the Dissolution of Parliament, which happens every time there is a General Election and means that for 25 days, there is no Parliament – all the MPs get fired, basically.
Ministers (although possibly not the PM? gov.uk is unclear on this) actually stay in their jobs (otherwise we’d also have no equivalent to Secretary of State etc), but there are some formal and informal limits on what they can do – no big changes or anything. So there is still a line of succession.
All the civil servants also stick around and keep things running. The result of the VONC would not, as far as I can tell, be any different from what happens every time there’s an election.
hi! i’m multiply disabled and my total income is roughly half minimum wage – difficult to survive on at the best of times, but almost impossible when medical expenses start to mount. my monthly premiums have gone way up, my monthly prescription costs have spiked dramatically, and i have also been sick literally nonstop for over two months on top of my usual chronic illnesses and disabilities.
i am struggling with basic necessities like food and medicine. there are also some small children whose christmas is entirely dependent on what i am able to provide them, which currently isn’t much.
if you would like to help me, i have a paypal and a necessities wishlist
if you would like to make a poor family’s christmas a bit merrier, i also have this christmas wishlist that’s mostly kid gifts
please don’t feel pressured to help, i’m just throwing this out there in case anyone with the resources feels like lending a hand.
♥
hey i REALLY appreciate the help i have received so far!! thank you!!
i still need to pick up my most expensive medication on friday and i could still really use some help if anyone feels like/is in a position to offer it!
So somebody tagged “2 GENDERS” on the graffiti wall. And like…that was it. I can’t even be mad it was so lazy.
Anyways spraypaint is a dollar so now it says “OVER 9000 GENDERS” and has an antifa tag underneath it. You’re welcome.
Now I’m just trying to wrap my head around the inscrutible mind of the absolute fucking nerd who thinks “2 GENDERS” is edgy or subversive. Like I’m gonna come back to the wall tomorrow and this fool is gonna have tagged “GO TO CHURCH” or “I SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT.”
Like I said, I’m not offended as a queer. I am offended, as a punk, on behalf of taggers everywhere.
I know you were joking, but I literally saw graffiti right after the election that said “give Trump a chance”
That’s the sad part is that I’m not even joking. It probably will happen.
Right after the election the 34th st wall was absolutely ruined with Trump bullshit (some of these no-goodniks even put them *over the memorial panel for the victims of the Gainesville Ripper* because these folks was NOT raised) so what we did was we left them alone except we covered all the Ts so they all said “RUMP” something.
We’re brushing up on our arctic fauna in case this weekend’s snowpocalypse actually comes to pass. Apparently Seamorce = walrus with mullet? From our 4th edition of Purchas his Pilgrimes (1625). #zsrspecial #zsrlibrary #walrus #SamuelPurchas — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2E47H41
ID: A Twitter thread by Dr. Jonathan Wilson, an adjunct professor at Marywood University and the University of Scranton. It reads:
I’ll chime in with so many others today: In my decade or so teaching college, I’ve never had a student ask for a “trigger warning” or “safe space.”
You know what I *have* had students say?
I’ve had a combat veteran make sure I understood he needed a seat in a far corner – where he could see the doorway at all times
I’ve taught the history of the Holocaust in a class where a student had just disclosed that her father was murdered a week before the semester started.
I’ve had a military veteran apologize for missing class due to a court date related to anger management problems.
I’ve had excellent students suddenly struggle just to get to class after experiencing sexual violence or the suicide of a friend during the semester.
I’ve had a student call me in tears after she forgot to complete an exam – a side effect of her cancer treatment. She was trying to finish her college degree in the time she had left as an example to the granddaughter she was raising.
These kinds of stories are *typical* for instructors at America’s colleges – that is, the ones most students attend. Indeed, I’ve mostly taught in relatively privileged circumstances.
So when the question of “sensitivity” and “political correctness” on campus come up… maybe don’t take the claims of reactionaries working at (for example) NYU’s business school at face value.
And – speaking as someone who takes a lot of pride in delivering vivid lectures – if any professor claims that so-called trigger warnings will spoil the dramatic effect of his teaching… you can safely disregard anything he has to say about pedagogy.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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