1. The problem with the Ben Shapiro Playbook isn't primarily the author. It's that the *content* of the piece is bad, in a way that was eminently predictable given the author.

I'm going to go through the entire piece and explain why.

2. Shapiro's core argument is that House Republicans opposed impeachment because they saw it as a Democratic plot to undermine them — and, moreover, that they were right (or at least justified) in thinking that.

3. This logic has a glaring logical flaw: as @jonathanchait points out, Democrats couldn't use impeachment to tie Republicans to Trump *if they voted for it*

4. The problem goes deeper than that. The evidence that Shapiro uses to argue that Republicans are justified is that Democrats and liberal commentators have argued that the Capitol Hill riot vindicates their positions on *issues other than impeachment*

5. Of course they'd say that — they're Democrats! You can debate the validity of these claims, but that says nothing about the purpose of pursuing impeachment. There's just no real connection between Shapiro's argument and the evidence offered for it.

Interesting to see lots of talk about grammar lately. Here's a thread from me on why I think explicit grammar instruction is important, but not all explicit grammar instruction is created equal!

I think explicit grammar instruction is important because it helps pupils to write better sentences. Pupils often write run-on sentences, and they aren't sure where they should put a full stop. This makes their writing much harder to understand.

For me, grammar instruction is about sentence structure. It's not about pedantic 'gotchas' designed to show how clever you are or how stupid everyone else is. It's about helping students to marshal their thoughts into coherent, logical sentences.

(On that note, I am sure there will be errors in this tweet thread, because I am writing it pretty quickly. I apologise for them in advance and hope it doesn't impede your understanding too much!)

To write good sentences, I think you have to know what a verb is and what a subject is. So what's the best way to teach those? You can teach definitions - a verb is a doing word, a noun is a person, place or thing, a subject is the person or thing that is doing the verb.

It’s time to post my top 20 films of 2020 and top 20 tv shows of 2020!
As usual, I need to have seen it, it was released in 2020 in the UK and it is just my opinion. If you disagree, please tell me about your choices, I’d love to know!
#FilmsOf2020 #TVShowsOf2020

One thing to note, that is different this year, due to Tier 4 restrictions in London, I am going to make #WonderWoman1984 eligible for next year’s list (2021). I am classing it’s release date as 13 January 2021.

#TVShowsOf2020
10. Ted Lasso
A real surprise and a gem of a comedy.

9. The Stranger
A bizarre Netflix mystery drama. Captivating watch.

8. The Twilight Zone
A brilliant reprisal of the old series. Such great, mysterious stories and incredibly entertaining.

#TVShowsOf2020
7. Manhunt: Deadly Games
Little known in the UK, but this series was fantastic. Thrilling.

6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
This sitcom keeps going from strength to strength, so funny.

#TVShowsOf2020
5. The Boys
Action? Thriller? Drama? I’m not sure what to call this show. It’s bizarre, dark, controversial and well worth a watch!

4. The Mandalorian
Mando has brought peak Star Wars back. This series is just pure joy, and so much fun to watch. Plus, BABY YODA!

My new book, Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women’s Rights, addresses a problem that few Europeans are willing to discuss: the undermining of women’s rights in multiple countries in the wake of mass migration.

In recent years, Europe has experienced a large influx of migrants. Approximately 3 million have arrived illegally since 2009, the majority of whom have applied for asylum. Two-thirds of the newcomers were male. Eighty percent of asylum applicants are under the age of 35.

The increase in numbers of young men, mostly from Muslim-majority countries, has brought to the surface a problem: their regressive attitudes to women. At their worst, these attitudes have caused a spike in sexual violence and harassment.

The arrival of a vaccine means that Europe will eventually return to normal. Unfortunately, for many women across Europe, normal means fending off sexual harassment and assault which has significantly increased in recent years.

Even COVID lockdowns have not managed to put an end to these assaults. In May 2020, a 48-year-old Naples woman was raped while waiting for a bus. With the city in lockdown and few people about, a Senegalese man allegedly sexually abused her for 45 minutes.

I read things, you see?
I read a lot of things. I know how rapidly everything can change. When I see you try to declare "they're just not regularly around women and don't know them" I mock you and will continue to do so. Because you have no idea what's happened.

Kant never really got around to being near women.

Did he hate them?

Yet there are contradictions and I've noticed that where they are seemingly present, rumination is a normal behavior.

That'll drive you insane. I would know.

While I've learned to see it and let go of nearly all of it after the fact I don't think most people understand that almost none of it is real.

Rumination is like a miniature psychosis that normal people can suffer and induce. That's what it's like.

1. Thread about Cross-over services.

Some have asked is December 31st really a special day and what about cross-over services? This they say is a Nigerian thing. There is nothing sacred about it some have said
This may be true however let's read from the words of Apostle Paul.

2. Paul in his day must have faced a similar challenge as some must have still observed days in the Jewish calendar. When he was asked about some people who were still observing certain days as being more important than others and they criticized those individuals Paul's response

3. Romans 14:4-6King James Version

4 "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."

4. Romans 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."

5. Romans 14:6 "He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."

ASSANGE thread
1/ Introducing ICELAND
home of ORIGINAL TURNCOAT Sigurdur_Thordarson (see2/belo)
WATCH: 2 min film by
a/STRATFOR #lookitUp
b/no mention of CHINA
c/no GEOTHERM, GAMING or ELECTRONICS inf
d/no ASIANS pictured

Iceland's Geographic Challenge

MCU RANKED BY EXCITEMENT!
Spider-Man 3
Captain Marvel 2
Loki
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
WandaVision
Secret Invasion
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Ms Marvel
Thor: Love and Thunder
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Moon Knight

Fantastic Four
Black Widow
She-Hulk
Hawkeye
Black Panther II
Deadpool 3
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania
Iron Heart
Armour Wars
What If
Blade
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Eternals
I Am Groot

I’ll reply with reasoning!

Spider-Man 3 - I fucking love Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and that cliffhanger! Zendaya could also step on me so I need more MJ!

Captain Marvel 2 - We stan Carol and also Kamala! Also, lesbian Carol maybe? I hope! MONICA MONICA MONICA MONICA MONICA YES!

Loki - Just Loki himself.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - I love the dynamic these two have and I’d love to see where the Zemo storyline goes!

WandaVision - Monica. Wanda. Vision. Multiverse. Must I say more?

Secret Invasion - I adore this storyline in the comics from what I’ve heard about it! Also Aussie rep is a YES for me!

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - I adore Wanda and Strange so much. I can’t wait to see their dynamic!

Ms Marvel - Kamala Khan rights!

I'm now going to ad-lib my long-threatened thread about Mission: Impossible and my single favourite sequence in motion pictures (take that, Red Shoes ballet sequence). Here's the film on the iPlayer right now. The sequence in question is the one in the thumbnail. Of course!

The sequence really begins with a choreographed bit of sitting-on-a-train, wherein Ethan Hunt gives a broad sketch of his plan. Essentially he says "We all have jobs to do" but what those jobs are is basically secret. Heist movies can go both ways. This one hangs on surprise.

The heist target is an IMF mainframe - they're going rogue and infiltrating their own agency. It's crucial to what the scene, and film, means at the most basic level. The institution is corrupt, our 'heroes' are pitted against it. Lots of the film is foggy but *this* is clear.

The remainder of the early train scene has one major purpose: to tell us the mission is impossible. This sequence delivers on the basic promise of the film (the whole series, arguably). The impossibility of the mission is exciting for the crew, compounding audience excitement.

Though this scene doesn't tell us what Hunt's solution is, it's crucial that it lays out the problem in a very clearly readable way. The vault's high security is hammered home. We're shown *and* told at the same time.

Figuring out who to listen to and what's right/wrong in the world of social media, podcasters, and experts of everything is difficult.

As a scientist and writer here's1 trick & 6 lessons on figuring out if a writer, podcaster, or expert should be listened to or not. 👇👇👇

First, the quick way:
See what an expert says about something in an area you have expertise in.

For example, I search for where they talk about exercise or athletic performance.

If they are wrong but confident in it. It tells you that something is wrong in their thinking

They overindex on superficial understanding and don't do the deep work.

It doesn't mean they'll be wrong on everything, but it should make you question whenever the person ventures away from an area where they've had 'skin in the game' success in.

Let's review the ambitious labyrinthian design of Mothership's Gradient Descent, a 64-page mega-dungeon with a half-letter (5.5 × 8.5'') format.

This is gonna be a long one, so I'll experiment and break this review into multiple threads. This one will be about graphic design.

Mothership is a lived-in universe. No matter the particular brand of sci-fi you bring to your table, the books imply a grimy, sweat-soaked space made of pig iron and leaky hoses.

Of all the Mothership products, Gradient Descent is the truest expression of that.

Exhibit A: Textures

For example, the pages look like Sean McCoy didn't design the book so much as found it wedged behind IBM terminals tasked with MKUltra—and then faxed it to himself.

Every page has this weathered look deliberately placed where it would exist in real life.

Before I was a copywriter, I crawled inside furnaces in manufacturing, and strung from the catwalks over centrifuges and die toolings were books like this.

Cobbled together, photocopied, faxed, stomped out, squeegeed dry, and faxed-again manuals.

This design speaks to my soul.

If Gradient Descent were a handout, the graphic design would be perfect. Atmospheric. It feels more discovered than constructed.

But as a gm article, it fights itself on usability, economy, and storytelling, which I'll explain further in parts.

More ?s I'm asking when looking at curricula, policies, practices, etc. 1) "Cultural diversity" "Respect Diversity" ... how are you defining culture? Diversity? 2) Where are you asking for reflection & naming of positionality? Beyond right/wrong narratives that avoid complexity.

3) What group(s) and culture(s) are you framing as default and normal? Who are you othering and dismissing? 4) In your clinical evaluations, how are you asking students to demonstrate "respect for diversity"? 5) Are you lumping together caring, altruism, and social justice?

6) Where are you asking students and providing guidance about honoring patient leadership and autonomy, not merely supporting patients voicing concerns?

7) Safety in clinical evaluations: How are you defining safety beyond medication errors, falls, etc. Where are you asking students to consider cultural safety and demonstrate trauma-informed healing-centered care?

8) Where do you give students the space to PRACTICE inclusion and antiracism and genuine apologies with guidance & a clear theoretical stance? 9) How do you de-center niceness and deservingness and normalize dialogue through conflict?

As #FarmersProtest continues through the cold North Indian winter, we look back at the steps taken by Christian missionaries to improve #agriculture in India. Exactly 200 years ago, in 1820, #WilliamCarey founded the Agriculture Society of India. #AHSI #Bicentenary #Thread 1/37

In its 200 years of existence the Agricultural & Horticultural Society of India played a key role in scientific education in India. It devoted itself to introducing new types of crops, flowers, fruits and vegetables — now used by us everyday. Some key milestones... 2/37

Sept. 14, 1820: Agricultural Society of India formed by Rev. William Carey in a meeting at the Calcutta Town Hall. Carey was the first secretary. By Oct. 23, 1820, over 50 persons had joined. This pioneering society had both Indian and European members, which was unusual. 3/37

In March 1822 Carey suggested rewarding gardeners who helped develop agriculture and horticulture. Members accepted the proposal and made categories and norms for rewarding gardeners. 4/37

1824: Introduced cash crop seeds brought from America and Mauritius. Under Carey's guidance, investigations had been started on cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, coffee and cereals, etc., which proved to be of immense importance in the development of agriculture in India. 5/37

"This fearless book [by @abigailshrier] shows how girls’ bodies have become collateral damage in adult culture wars," says @VictoriaPeckham. In 2021 we must explore what drives gender identity theorists to put their ideology above the health & welfare

of children & young people. Gender identity ideologues promote a “progressive” new world where "trans children" skip an essential stage of every human being's physical, psychological & sexual development - puberty. /2

Then these “trans children” move on from puberty blockers to cross sex hormones whose effects are immediate and visible. 98% do @TaviAndPort. More experimentation and no measurable improvement to mental health. /3

And then we see some surgeons who have forgotten their oath to “First, do no harm” or who simply cannot resist the temptation of £/$. They remove healthy organs whose functionality can never be restored. /4

Most children play, dress up, put on make-up & cowboy hats. They use their imagination to try out all sorts of things. We think they're just growing up normally. We believe they deserve protection from a global movement that seeks to force outdated gender stereotypes on all /5

A Drazverse Tale: A Bedtime Story For Little Devils

"What's that, little one? A bedtime story? You can't sleep until you hear a tale? Oh, my little devil-child, you're adorable. Listen then to your mother.

Many millennia before our time, before our time's time, Satan decided to be God.

But of course, you know that, little one. You know as well as I do that Satan warred against the Most High and failed, falling to Hell. But do you know what really happened, my child?

Many facts and truths in the stories have been lost to the ages, however. Some "facts" are very over-exaggerated, or downright changed. Some "facts", my little one, are outright lies.

Listen to me, my child. Listen to your bedtime story, just as I listened to it when I was your age."

Many, many millennia ago, in times before times, God sat with all of his angels, his angels of wrath and peace and justice and hope, and said "I will make a world, and on that world, yea, I will place mankind." And so he did, and by his will and word, it was done.

Download before they order web archive to zoink it

https://t.co/30WMwU2r4B https://t.co/aGgROUz7n6

Yesterday an old family friend came to visit for a few hours from NY. She was absolutely destroyed about the voter fraud that took place, but she exclaimed “Why isn’t anyone doing anything?!” She isn’t on social media at all. She just gets what the TV and paper tells her.

She wanted to know why so few people went to the first march in DC. She wanted to know why everyone was complacent and what she could do - she had no idea what she could do. She was depressed over it.

I took some time to explain to her and show her all of YOU. I showed her my pictures from the first event and also described just how many people were there. I tried to explain there was a lot going on and gave her a few numbers she could call.

The point of this is, again - she is not the minority but she FEELS like she is. She said “we have no country without fair elections. That means I can’t even get rid of the people I don’t feel are doing a good job! What’s the point!” What’s the point indeed. The only

way we are going to break through this is for those of us who are involved in this to keep spreading the word and keep fighting for those who know they have been wronged here but aren’t connected enough to know something is being done about it.