Open Thread 185

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This is the weekly visible open thread. Odd-numbered open threads will be no-politics, even-numbered threads will be politics-allowed. This one is odd-numbered, so be careful. Otherwise, post about anything else you want. Also:

1: Thanks to everyone who volunteered to organize a local meetup. You have about one more day to sign up if you haven’t already.

2: Comment of the Week probably has to be Richard Hanania’s response to my critique of his theory, though I’m not convinced for the reasons explored in the thread underneath.