We should stop confusing what someone was doing when we became aware of them with all they are capable of, interested in, or ever hope to be

Let folks have their many talents, interests and gifts. Life is far more fun with variety, loves.

Remember: Just because an idea is old doesn't mean it's good.

Knowing whether old ideas are more likely to be good requires understanding whether conditions have changed in important ways.

Horse archery was an amazing method of warfare for over a thousand years...then people invented guns, and suddenly this great idea that had stood the test of time became obsolete.

Then again, when underlying conditions don't change much, tried-and-true approaches are probably better.

"Learning the lessons of history" usually just means assuming ergodicity and stationarity in an informal time-series model...

(end)

Nearly every day I take a walk, grab a coffee, and sit for a while in front of Baltimore’s Camden Station. This is where Abraham Lincoln was nearly assassinated on the eve of his 1861 inauguration. Thinking about that little known story a lot lately, so today, I’m sharing it. 1/

Short bit of context: prior to Lincoln’s election, the was a goddamn disaster. Ideologically divided, hateful, and violent. The President, James Buchanan, has long been considered the worst in American history. I wrote this about him a few years

If you spent even 15 minutes learning about the Buchanan presidency, you could have predicted nearly everything that’s happened in the past few years. As you may have heard, history has a way of repeating itself. But now, to Lincoln! 3/

So after Lincoln won the election, half this country was PISSED. He was going to abolish slavery and whatever whatever ‘MURICA! (Change the policy details, and it’s the same hysteria, generated by the wealthy classes to get the poor to do their bidding) 4/

Try to remember how different the world was back then. News came from the paper; not everyone was literate. Opinions were decided for many by those who controlled information. Some said Lincoln was going to destroy their way of life, and needed to die. 5/

NEW info about vaccines in #Arizona. Please keep in mind when you hear about new sites opening it doesn't mean they have enough vaccines to meet demand. I'm copying news release almost in its entirety in this thread but first highlighting a key supply point:

"The biggest limiting factor on appointments is the limited supply of vaccine doses. Arizona receives weekly allocations from the federal government, which determines how many vaccine doses the state has and how many appointments can be offered.
Now, the full info from @AZDHS:

"In a major step forward as the state increases the pace of COVID-19 vaccination, prioritized Arizonans will be able to register starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, for February appointments at two state-run sites.

Initial appointments are limited based on vaccine supply, with appointments opening up depending on distribution of the vaccine by the federal government.

More than 281,000 doses of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far to 243,593 Arizonans, including 32,269 who have received both doses.