Comments for

Comment on Remove ChatGPT from writing by Anu

Anu — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 20:44:35 +0000

I think you need to understand that AI is a tool. It’s not a replacement. It’s a tool to assist people and writers. Writers have been using co writers and assistants for years. Those who can afford it. If someone publishes just the damn AI and doesn’t try to use it as a tool to assist themselves, sure, but when it’s helpful and acts as a secondary writing assistant….it’s justified. Asking to remove it completely puts hundreds of thousands of writers who cannot afford the services of a writing assistant or ghost writer….

Comment on The benefit of emotional support animals by Maddy

Maddy — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 16:02:00 +0000

There are NO benefits in emotional support animals. They were just BS that celebrities created. Emotional support animals if anything cause great emotional stress to others, especially severe emotional stress on disabled people who are being assisted by a service dog. That is because the emotional support animal is untrained and 9 out of 10 emotional support animals are aggressively trying to attack the disabled person’s service dog. There have been many cases of emotional support animals. Attacking disabled people and their service dogs as well as children.

Comment on Izaak Walton League to name local chapter after former MSU student by Joseph Barisonzi

Joseph Barisonzi — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:17:17 +0000

We would love to have you join us in this great adventure! The Chapter will be launching a Green Crew. The Crew will be a youth-led enviromental leadership and conservation service program. They will do amazing work! The Chapter itself will additionally have opportunity to people to come together, roll up their sleeves and get involved in participatory science and direct service.

-Joseph Barisonzi
VP-MN Division of the IWLA
Green Crew Advisor

Comment on Rapidan dam failure opened up new research opportunities by Common Sense

Common Sense — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 20:15:04 +0000

The dam did not fail. The river’s course would not have changed had the county kept the dam’s spillways open as was pointed out to them several times. The bridge would not have to be rebuilt if the county had built it right the first time.
See the common denominator here?

Comment on Family of MSU student who died at Minneopa sues state by David Homolka

David Homolka — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:50:34 +0000

Going by the photo in this piece alone, what I see is a bridge/train over the top of the falls with railings, indicating that is where you are to be. There is nothing at the top of the falls nor the bottom of the falls indicating a walk way or railings indicating a person is free to or should be in those areas. When will common sense supersede lawsuits? Fine post warnings/notices, but they should not be awarded any $.

Comment on Mavericks hold rally for rights by Anthony

Anthony — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:20:44 +0000

The only fascists are the democrats. They are the ones trying to divide this country and silence their opposition.

Comment on Attention to Artists: Ruel by Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 15:59:15 +0000

Set Yourself on Fire is my favorite Ruel song at the moment!

Comment on Attention to Artists: Alan Walker by Edward Hyde

Edward Hyde — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:17:14 +0000

Comment on Transgender rights need to be protected by danielsebold

danielsebold — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 19:50:09 +0000

Bangkok is perhaps the most trans tolerant city in the world. Pat Pong Road is a funky transgender bar district in the Silom District of central Bangkok graced by easy sky train access through that skyscraper district. I used to go over there to shop for bootleg movie DVDs which now have become a dated technology, so I dont get over there much anymore. But it was amusing fun to walk into bar rooms filled with young males dancing in their fruit of the looms.

But famous Khaosan Road, a backpacker hang out in the old city, has very recently become much more accommodating to transgender (katuoi) males who have started since Covid to work in the bars as dancers, and will now dance in the street in microskirts or hot pants and are quite open to being photographed.

The biggest problems trans people have in Bangkok are western male hooligans from England or the USA looking to brawl. So the police used to shoo them away to “protect” the tourists–at least that is what it looked like was going on to me. So Khaosan can be depressing at times. It is not wise to mess with these people, because they do protect each other with gangs.

There are trans characters in situation comedies on television, and trans children go to school and seem to fit in, even on Thursdays when all students are required to wear scout uniforms (though that tradition seems also to be disappearing).

Pattaya, the largest beach/brothel town in the world, about sixty miles south of Bangkok has a large transgender scene. It seems that many trans people are relegated to hotel and barroom type work, I believe. I also believe that in Thailand there is an inheritance through the mother in which one of the boys may be raised as a girl, but I am no expert. I am sure there are gender experts who may know on campus.

I always thought that Japan was a very open culture for gender bending young males wearing Hanzubon hot pants and coloring their hair pink, perhaps, like Greece, due to it being a maritime culture where women were left alone to tend the family while the husband worked on a ship. Elementary and middle school boys used to sing and dance and march around in their hanzubon short shorts on children’s television shows and in movies, but no more. This tradition may be dying the more Japan is inspired by the Americans. Ask a Japanese student if boys still wear hanzubon in Japan. I believe in 1997 Japanese mothers went to the store in the spring and suddenly couldnt find them for their boys.

There was a Japanese movie about a high school boys synchronize swimming team on You Tube, Waterboys, but it has been removed, (probably because I recommended it. I am censured for mentioning the strangest things on You Tube blogs) Ironically, what looks effeminate in our culture, is actually quite macho in another. Latino machismo can be quite flamboyant. Macho Mexico City passed gay rights legislation long before Minneapolis, and gender bending on the Reforma or in Guadalajara goes unnoticed. I have lived in both these cities.

Daniel Sebold
English/Spanish alumnus retired in Cambodia.

Comment on Keep banned books in school by Daniel Sebold

Daniel Sebold — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 05:03:40 +0000

I guess they would never censor Morrison’s Song Of Solomon–too Biblical, at least in title. Loved the magical realism of Beloved. (I have to prove I read women and black writers and black women writers. That is what this is about) I am sure you can find it in the school libraries in Mankato.