If you look at the dietary laws, the injunctions to monotheism, and the laws concerning sexuality and marriage it suggests that the prime concern was with providing the numbers to outcompete other nations, and I am using the word in its original meaning of an alliance of closely related tribes or clans. Israelite Nation, who are the people we have to thank for the Abrahamic religions, could see that it was a pure numbers game. If you could prevent food poisoning and other biological hazards and could also provide an extensive system of laws to adjudicate disputes without the need for violence within the tribes, then you could get everyone faced the same way. You had a growing population so that once the warriors killed the neighbours you could then quickly settle and colonise with the civilian contingent who could then produce more supplies for ever bigger military campaigns.

“I’d like to give them some fucking stimulus.”

If you want to insure yourself against capital flight go for a Land Value Tax. Let 'em shove a hectare of land in their luggage.

OK so it’s time to say the quiet part out loud: the reason that governments have so far held off on taxing billionaires at 1% or 2% is the fear that they might spend 2% or 3% against those governments in revenge.

What ever happened to him?

Well, he pulled it on Rorschach, and Rorschach dropped him down an elevator shaft.

If you’re browsing Lemmy, on your phone, in work then really you should be curating your feed a bit better.

Well, I agree that everybody is different in certain ways but one of the main lessons of being in group was the revelation that broadly speaking we all want the same things and a lot of the mis-aimed strategies we’d adopted was stopping us from getting that stuff. A lot of people came through that community throughout the course of a year and while some of the stories were absolutely horrific, the problems were much the same, person to person.

Yes, the therapy was less effective for some than others and drugs absolutely should be available as a first-aid but I think that people should be moved on to other therapy as soon as they can use it.

I’m particularly hopeful about the results we are now seeing from psychedelic research into treatment resistant depression as I think that there are people for whom talk therapy won’t work but if you look at recent research into SSRIs it seems that some are barely improving on the placebo effect.

So yes I’m in favour of multiple approaches but it seems that SSRIs are outcompeting other treatments because the decisions are being made on the basis of cost and that means that those other treatments simply will not exist in the future.

Worked for me.

The last decade has seen a particularly significant increase in depression in the United States, with prevalence rates increasing by 33% between 2013 and 2016, with the largest increase among youth and young adults

Back in the day we used to try to address depression with various talk therapies and group therapies. This wasn’t perfect and was also relatively expensive but at least it offered a sense of connection and tried to tie people back into society.

Now it’s all about pills, which are a huge money-spinner and are cheaper than talk therapy. When things make money you tend to see an increase in them.

It’s a funny thing, I used to a werewolf but I’m alright noo^oooooow.

Fuckin’ A.

Indeed.

Classic British liberal. A liberal is the only one of those things that he is.

Oh boy…

Can I interest you in a moist owlette?

I do use it as a thought terminating statement usually when friends have asked me to help. I ask for them to tell me what has happened and then I suggest a forward plan of action. It is very common for people at this point to feel guilty about having to ask for help and also to go down a spiral of putting all the blame on themselves. Neither of these things are useful as I need their active help and participation in putting the problem right and that’s where their energy needs to be focussed.

So it this point I will very often say to them something like, “Well, it is what it is and we are where we are and there’s no sense in blaming yourself, let’s see what we can do about getting into a better position.”

I did encounter a proper thought terminating cliche in the form of, “I hear what you’re saying…” from bosses in various places. Means “I hear what you’re saying but I couldn’t give less of a shit about it even if I were prepared to put in the slightest effort, which I am not.”

Is there a supercut of Lucifer which is just Tricia Helfer and Lesley-Ann Brandt about to commit mayhem?

Surely his sidekick would be Guacamole Mole.

could get a bit rough in the backseat.

I sure hope so.