She also mentioned that America doesn't have a leg to stand on in regards to Ukraine. Pretty rare to see this type of guest on Democracy Now, especially this close to the election.

I was never really a big fan of GITS for its action sequences, but they are a nice touch. I think you're right in your second point. The only anime that comes to mind in that milieu would be Kaiba (Kino's Journey too, but that's a totally different premise).

What would you recommend instead of GITS? I've always had a soft spot for it considering it was my first "adult" anime.

This month:

Last Exile: WW1 aesthetics, but taking place entirely in flying ships. Tons of passable CGI with very ok dogfights. It's pretty average, but you do get one of the leads as Haruko from FLCL. I've had this one on my to watch list for over a decade, so I'm pretty disappointed that it turned out to be passable at best.

Oshi No Ko S2: I'm also disappointed with this one, but for a different reason. The first episode (movie?) of the first season was absolutely stellar. Psychological thriller par excellance. It seems to just be a harem with pretty animation now, I guess? I feel like it has all the potential to be something great, but it misses so many layups that I might just drop it considering what is supposed to be coming in the manga. I'm particularly irked with Kana being written to fawn over the main character, when she has the depth to be more than that.

I'm looking forward to starting Dan Da Dan sometime soon considering the studio behind it.

This was in a place that I had been before and had experienced the same treatment, which us why I brought the recorder. I left my backpack in the spot I was sitting to get up for a few minutes and they rifled through it. They found it about an hour and a half in to the recording.

The talking shows up on Audacity. One would think a decibel rise would be enough.

For context, I have no idea why they didn't delete the recording outright. One of them came back to turn the recorder off after about 2 hours and fifty minutes, seemingly to taunt me.

deleted by creator

For your reading pleasure: https://archive.org/details/aberrationinhear0000pain

The movie covers a third of the actual story. It was made while the Manga was being published, so it left a ton out out of necessity. The biker gangs are more fleshed out, and there's a good amount of post apocalypse story telling. It is long as hell (2000+ pages), but there's still nothing like it.

Obligatory "Goodnight Punpun" recommendation. Also, the original Akira manga is a masterpiece, the movie doesn't do it justice (even though it's still pretty good).

Putting up posters is cheaper and less legally dubious.

Is running the Native American caucus again this year?

Did they honor it? That's an expensive fuck up on their part.

I don't know, I bought an ayahuasca kit on the dark net once, not knowing you could get it cheaper through less sketchy means.

Have to disagree. "Rock Band" killed that one for me.

I think the act of "quitting" is probably the hardest, but the "maintenance" phase of being sober is probably the trickiest (speaking as someone who can't seem to finally get cigarettes out of my life). I wish you the best of luck, and know that there's people here and in these groups that want you to succeed and will help you if asked.

Everyone's experience with alcoholism is a bit different, so I'll give you a timeline of different things I tried and what I think of their effectiveness. I was never a hard liquor guy, but I would pound beers until I passed out nearly every day at my worst. YMMV depending on what personal red lines you've crossed at this point. Some people may need to check themselves into rehab, some people can "white knuckle" it. There's no shame in doing what works. Whatever you choose, please try to do it with purpose, and have someone you're accountable to.

First attempt: AA (length of attempt: 2 months maybe?)

I tried this after I was put on a 3 day psychiatric hold (unrelated). It was pretty much forced on me or I would lose my living situation. I didn't want to do it at the time, but I had no other options. This might be effective if you're gung ho about it, but it very much felt like a "you get what you put in" kind of approach. It will probably not be for you (or work) if you resent it. Groups will vary, and some will feel like they have to use it as a crutch that sometimes fails them. This is usually the first and last thing people try because it is the most numerous in terms of chapters. It's worth a shot at least once, but its effectiveness is probably right around 5%.

2nd attempt: Moderation Management

I do not recommend this if you are experiencing physical (not mental) addiction. MM involves continuing to drink, but regulating the amount to be just below the SAMSHA definition of alcoholism. It is something that every alcoholic wishes they could do, but it usually involves just having constant cravings for liquor. I found myself lying on their "drink tracker" after about three weeks.

3rd attempt: State enforced probation

This is not a road you want to go down. I had to do this for a year after I got a DWI. You have no other option but to not drink, or you will go to jail. This lasted for about a year until my formal probation ended. This will work temporarily if you want to self impose a type of crisis on yourself (EG: Checking yourself into rehab for a month), but you will have to maintain your sobriety in some other way when you're not being checked on every day. As a side note, I found myself seeking out "legal and grey area" highs during this period. You may find yourself doing the same.

4th attempt: Reading: ‘This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life,’ by Annie Grace

This book is written in the style of psychoanalysis. It was very effective in helping me stop drinking, but it does not give a ton of maintenance advice. It covers a ton of the medical goings on of alcoholism, as well as how it's presented in the media. It very much presents itself as "This book will do the heavy lifting for you, you will want to not drink instead of feeling compelled to do so". Solid book, but it can't be the only thing you try.

-A few years of relapse pass-

5th (and current) attempt: SMART Recovery

This has been effective for me over the last two years. I haven't touched a drink since trying this method. SMART is basically applied Cognitive Behavior Therapy. You will find yourself doing a ton of paperwork identifying root causes for your drinking as well as coping strategies for how to combat them. Ultimately it sounds a bit boring and labor intensive, but it gives you tools to combat urges when they arise. I found myself carrying around a little cheat card in my wallet during stressful situations, and that helped a ton when it got really bad. Their manual is on LibGen if you don't want to pay for it (although I think you should if you find that it worked for you, AA seems to be the only org with a budget).

They also have a group component similar to AA without some of the shaming that you might find in that organization. DM me and I can point you in the direction of the online group that I used when I was first starting (meets on Sundays). The discussion leader is an extremely gentle guy who's been through it. It's very low stakes if you just want to observe on Zoom or whatever. SMART is supposed to be applicable to all addictions, so you might find yourself in a group with people addicted to other substances. I found that having a group that you're accountable to helps a lot. There is a friends and family group session available if you feel that you need someone close to you for assistance as well.

Ultimately, most people who stay dry find success through "white knuckling" through the pain without help. You won't like doing this method, but is by the numbers the most successful method.

Request it at your library if you enjoy it! It's an easy way to get someone to grab a copy.

Death to "Low Fantasy", Long live "Magical Realism".