Year: 2023

  • Jane Notz is Fibbing

    Yesterday, Illinois Solicitor General Jane Elinor Notz filed a brief with the Supreme Court, defending the Illinois assault weapons ban. Much of the brief is about law and procedure, which I’m not knowledgeable enough to address. But think I can shed some light on one tiny piece of Notz’s brief: The instruments regulated by the… Read more

  • Smarter Gun Control?

    A recent Tweet pointed me to an opinion piece that Nicholas Kristof wrote a few months ago for the New York Times on the subject of reducing gun deaths through what he calls a “harm reduction” approach, similar to what we’ve done with alcohol, tobacco, and cars. It’s a few weeks old, but it sparked… Read more

  • Putting the Trump Indictment Into Perspective

    On the one hand, indicting Donald Trump for paying hush money to Stormy Daniels seems like small change. On the other hand, I sure do enjoy when bad things happen to Donald Trump. On yet another hand, however, it bothered me that this indictment seemed like a real stretch, which lends credence to the claims… Read more

  • ChatGPT the Hobbyist?

    I’ve been following sex workers on social media for many years[1], and I’ve noticed a lot of escorts griping about strange first contacts from prospective clients. I wonder if Chat-GPT[2] can help? Write a first contact email to a young escort to set up a date. You can leave placeholders for personal information. Subject: [Your… Read more

  • Ivy R.I.P.

    Ivy came into our lives in 2013. We adopted her as an adult. The breeder had originally purchased her to be a queen at the cattery, but she never got pregnant, so at the age of four they spayed her and offered her for sale. When we visited her, we loved how friendly and cuddly… Read more