It becomes an argument at the moment you can't let go. In this politically divisive climate we all have our opinions and ideological stances. And that includes our loved ones.But what if we strongly disapprove of their political and social preferences and choices? Consider these possibilities (or ones like them), for example:What if you are for Trump, and she or he is for Clinton?What if you are for legalizing marijuana, and they aren’t?What if you are pro-life, and they are pro-choice?I think you get the point -- it’s a real dilemma when loved ones so strongly disagree with each other. One that could severely impair your love connection, if you’re not careful and thoughtful enough.We must remember that our loved ones are individuals with their own feelings and leanings and though we may not agree, we must try to accept them and love them for who they are and not who we want them to be. When we don’t accept their right to their own views and preferences -- even if they are repulsive to us -- are we not communicating to them that they are not good or wise or smart enough? That their values are suspect? And are we not sending signals to them in our controlling actions, our gestures and our words that are meant to reconfigure them into another person altogether? This behavior is both destructive and selfish, and is a powerfully hurtful approach to relationships -- particularly in matters of the heart.So what then can we do about this dilemma—short of having damaging arguments or parting ways, that is?It starts with an understanding of what acceptance means—and what it doesn’t--in such situations. Acceptance doesn’t mean that you condone or agree with your loved ones’ views and choices. Rather, it means that you accept their right to have them—without anger or resentment.Here are several suggestions that will make it easier for you to do that and which will also enhance the love flow:1. Focus on the Qualities You Admire and Appreciate in ThemRather than commiserating about the things that irritate or bother you about your loved ones, focus on their positive traits. Remember what originally attracted you to them. Think about all the nice things they do for you. The good times you enjoy together. Their sense of humor. The joy they bring to your life. In short, see the good in them and all the good they bring to your life.2. Moderate Your Expectations of Them.Learn to moderate the expectations you have for your loved ones and seek to find the points of pliability and flexibility, rather than trying to mold them to suit your needs. High expectations put undue pressure on them to be and act other than they are. How would you like it if that were done to you? Take heed of these wise words of Thomas Merton in No Man is an Island (1955):“The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”3. Let Go of Love Control.Recognize that it is beyond your power to change the aspects of your loved ones that you find disagreeable. You can try to reason with them, to persuade them, to cajole them—you may even threaten them--but know that they won't bend to your desires without anger and resentment, and the resultant loss of trust and intimacy. If this is a difficult truth to accept, put it on the list of indelible facts that you must accept.Any changes must come from them, and the more we try to change or control them, the less likely it is to occur organically. Indeed, it aggravates an already sensitive subject often causing them to dig in and hold to the self they are most comfortable and confident with.4. One Final Suggestion:Before you enter the voting booth this November, hug your loved one and tell them that you love--and accept--them as they are!Your Turn…It would be great to hear how you deal with the discordant political and social views of your loved ones. Are you accepting of them without getting angry? Do you try to persuade them to change their views? (and how does that work?) Are you able to have cordial discussions with them? What do you do when your loved ones try to change your views? In the meantime, remember to... Let It Go!Daniel A. Miller is the author of Losing Control, Finding Serenity: How the Need to Control Hurts Us and How to Let It Go, a ForeWord Reviews 2011 Book of the Year Award Finalist and Amazon Self-Help and Codependency Best Seller for five years in a row. He writes about control and acceptance issues at www.losingcontrolfindingserenity.com and at Danny’s Decontrol Yourself Blog.

The more we learn about the Chicago Police Department, the worse it gets -- there's the sabotage of dashcams, the widespread corruption, the investigators fired for refusing to cover up police crimes, off-the-books "black site" where the CPD kidnaps and tortures suspects, the Accountability Task Force Report that called the force racist, corrupt and broken. (more…)

After leading the Brexit campaign, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage walked away from the mess and left a leadership void in the party that MEP Steven Woolfe was tipped to fill. (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAoFc4Vmt4&feature=youtu.beIt's not a great idea to wear borrowed/inherited/ebayed biker vests. But it seems an even worse idea to film yourself threatening a kid in public for wearing a pleather Sons of Anarchy merch top from Hot Topic. [via Reddit]

This helpful video from Como Pronunciar tackles this surprisingly difficult word. You might think you're saying it right—prepare to be surprised! (more…)

Give that the Broadway sensation Hamilton is all about celebrating American democracy, it makes sense that the cast would be pretty dedicated to the idea of voting. And in a series of delightful PSAs called #Ham4Vote, they make the case (though song, of course) for why you should vote too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RVa5fFptpYhttps://youtu.be/XSi7PEDTt0Uhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnglHn_AnVwPlus here’s a bonus pro-voting video released by The Tonight Show, which features not only the Hamilton cast but also some pretty high profile political guests too.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOt-RfpIOos[via BroadwayWorld.com]

But they can't hurt! Pins Won't Save The World was just launched to let designers create pins for this year's crazy election. While most designs are anti-Trump, some are pro-Hillary or generally pro-America messages of progressivism. (more…)

If you grew up in certain areas of the country, you may have been subjected to a lot of education about the dangers of blasting caps, like this PSA by The Institute Of Makers Of Explosives. (more…)

In Louisville, KY today, a Southwest Airlines plane that had not yet left the ground was evacuated on the runway, after one passenger’s Samsung smartphone caught fire. No injuries were reported.(more…)

Todd writes, "We the Builders brings together 3D printer operators from all over the world to create sculptures that inspire makers. Our sculptures have toured maker-related events of all sizes around the northeastern United States, from local STEAM education events all the way to the White House. They are crowd-sourced, made up of hundreds of pieces 3D printed by people like you, and then mailed to Baltimore." (more…)

With so many recent reports of hacks, software theft, and cloud-based security breaches, this "physical world" espionage case seems all the more mysterious.(more…)

"Is this a real thing? Or, an early April Fools?" asks long time friend of Boing Boing, Kent K. Barnes of the Microbot Push.These Rube Goldberg-ian wireless button-pushers look amazingly handy for all sorts of applications! I imagine Dr. Emmett Brown could find a lot of uses for them.The MicroBot Push can be controlled via IOS or Android, and works pretty much any place you want to stick a button. At $49 a robot it is pretty expensive, especially as you'll need two for a rocker switch! Regardless, I'm ordering one to play with, it seems too much fun to be true!MicroBot Push - Platinum White via Amazon

These folks don't seem the least bit flustered with this guillotine train door.

Video of Mike Pence denying Trump sayid any of the horrible, racist, stupid, uninformed and generally embarrassing things he spouts all day long, matched with Trump saying the stuff. (more…)

On Sunday October 2, the Muppets arrived at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World to star in a new show, Great Moments in American History. As expressed by Samuel Johnson in another context in 1777, when a person is tired of the Muppets, he is tired of life.The show stars Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Sam Eagle, Fozzie Bear, and other bags of foam and fur.There are two different versions of the show, one 11 minutes and the other 8, both of which are repeated multiple times a day, and include a new musical number. The Muppets appear in windows above street level.In addition to the four or five puppeteers required, there is also a singing performer on the street who portrays the Town Crier. With so much labor involved, the notoriously tight-fisted folks who run Walt Disney World probably have already decided on a closing date for these shows because they are so labor intensive (I would love to be proved wrong. I’ve been waiting about 15 years for a decent attraction in the Imagination pavilion at Epcot with no news in sight).In the meantime, you can delight in the Muppets on your next visit to the Magic Kingdom. For those who can’t wait, or who won’t make the live show, Attractions Magazine posted videos of the new shows. Take it away, Sam Eagle!The Full Declaration Show:https://youtu.be/ua7DLmD01TYThe Paul Revere Show:https://youtu.be/KZxqgVLiSb0

This fellow has learned to write the word MINIMUM on a computer running a frequency application. Bonus: watch the video with closed captions enabled.

Here's U-Haul's video of a model car towing a trailer, and how too much weight in the back of the trailer can cause out-of-control wobbling.Here's a full-size trailer crash:https://youtu.be/klwaZrDkrpg[via]

Complaints against police dropped by 93% when they were wearing body cameras, according to a University of Cambridge study that examined 2,000 officers in the US and UK. (more…)

In 1978, California ballot initiative Proposition 13 capped property taxes at 1% of assessed value and increases at 2% per year, creating a massive hole in the ability of cities to fund their operations, which has only been partially plugged by hiking sales taxes and utility rates, regressive moves that disproportionately shift the burden of civic services to low-income households. (more…)

Boing Boing is sponsored in part by Meh.Our sponsor Meh is a daily deals site that deals in a wide range of gadgets, gizmos, geegaws, widgets, stuff, gear, goods, and, of course, things. Recently, they sent me a big box of items they've previously sold for me to "review." But before I even got a chance to open the package, my ten-year-old son had torn into it, tried out each item (for at least one minute), and formed strong opinions that I will now share with you. -dp

Twice, Sacramento police Randy Lozoya and John Tennis tried to run down Joseph Mann with their cruiser, saying "Fuck this guy. I’m going to hit him" and "OK, go for it. Go for it," before shooting him 14 times. (more…)

Though Wells Fargo had been pressuring its employees to commit fraud since 1998, firing those who couldn't make quota, as well as the whistleblowers who came forward to report the fraud, it wasn't until the Committee for Better Banks launched a unionization drive to organize retail banking workers against punitive sales quotas that the crimes came to light. (more…)

See sample pages from this book at Wink.Morbid Curiosities: Collections of the Uncommon and the Bizarre

Super hero junior college? Drew Hayes has another fantastic series in Super Powereds, adding his humor and irony to the genre!Landers is pretty much your average college, except they have a special course program for people with super powers. This year five new students are joining the special program, hoping to train up from "powered" to "super" without hurting themselves, or anyone else.Hayes' Fred the Vampire Accountant stories are some my favorites this year. He does a wonderful job playing around in this genre, and I'm eager to read the second book in the series.Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes via Amazon

Bright Sun Films' Abandoned series looks at Circuit City's steady rise and dizzying fall in the world of retail consumer electronics. (more…)

Science fiction writer/hacker/mathematician Rudy Rucker (previously, a Gold Star Happy Mutant if ever there was one, has reissued five of his classic titles with new forematter and his own paintings on the covers, priced to move at $12 for paperbacks and $2 for DRM-free ebooks: Saucer Wisdom ("brilliantly funny, prescient, and as fully engaging as a coffee-fueled late-night conversation with a slightly manic genius"); Spacetime Donuts ("A plugged-in rebel becomes the incredible shrinking man"); The Sex Sphere ("An alien named Babs and her crew take the form of disembodied sex organs that attach to human hosts"); The Secret of Life ("A coming-of-age science fiction novel, blending realism and the fantastic in a transreal style"); and White Light ("A hipster math prof's journey to Abosolute Infinity...and back"). (more…)

Here's the trailer for Louis Theroux's upcoming documentary, My Scientology Movie.

Meme factory/Anonymous birthplace/alt-right breeding ground 4chan is facing challenges similar to those plaguing all ad-supported sites, but as with all things channish, 4chan's problems have their own unique and grotesque wrinkles. (more…)

If it seems rough that the New York Times would publish an op-ed so plainly holding Twitter responsible for publishing hate speech, remember that it's 2016 and the gloves are off.

Take care when asking provocative questions at Kansas City's library events: you might end up in jail.The executive director of Kansas City Libraries says he's outraged by the charges against Jeremy Rothe-Kushel, a Jewish man grabbed by private security after asking the event's speaker, former diplomat Dennis Ross, uninvited follow-up questions. Off-duty cops moved in to arrest Rothe-Kushel when he objected to the hands-on treatment—as well as a library staffer who had moved to intervene.The Associated Press reports Kansas City police spokeswoman Capt. Stacey Graves as saying officers "acted properly in helping private security stop an audience member from asking follow-up questions."

Musician and comedian Mike Phirman performs “Trust In Me” from The Jungle Book using only his hands to create Kaa. Here’s the original for comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZY8jUuEzJQ[via Laughing Squid]

In a new video for Soul Pancake, YouTuber So Sonia reflects on the experience of growing up without losing her inner child.

"We are making the plot! Whatever we say is necessary is necessary."

As Boing Boing has written about before, tiny food is all the rage on the Internet. And the YouTube channel Walking With Giants lovingly crafts mini meals with a truly impressive level of detail. I can't explain why these are so addictive to watch, but they really are.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3pWZGd8ev0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZjaG88Ejfwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQVCasPSv-ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OY2-txbpeIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCaRK2FjeeA

Directed by David Dutton, music by Henry Dutton. (8-Bit Cinema)

This amazing cake was created by Kathy Knaus.(via Crazy Abalone) (more…)

Enter a URL into URLify.io and it will give a "shady" URL that takes you to the same place. Here's the URL for boingboing.net: http://6h2.xyz/necro_gxxcz_cheap-krokodil_glkz_isis-dark-net_downloadIt also has a "trumpify" option. Here's boingboing.net: http://6h2.xyz/america_xklz_two-curved-hollow-fangs_8o2la_SLAUGHTERED-BY-GOD-EMPEROR_live

Lufti al-Arabi, a Tunisian man who was arrested in Pakistan while studying at university, spent 13 years in the CIA's notorious "Salt Pit" prison (AKA "Detention Site COBALT") in Afghanistan, enduring incredible, crippling torture, before finally being released without charge, comment, or compensation in 2015; in his first interview since his release, he tells Human Rights Watch about the inhumane tortures of the Salt Pit, including some tortures that were apparently omitted from the CIA's suppressed torture report to the US Senate. (more…)

Tor will collect Jo Walton's excellent series of essays on the winners and nominees of the past Hugos in a book called An Informal History of the Hugos coming in July 2017. (more…)

Work, today's XKCD installment, hypothesizes the latent, invisible human effort that went into the everyday things around us, from the hours of meeting-time to decide upon the length of the stem of a goose-neck lamp to the career-ending engineering argument over where to put its switch. It's a kind of preview of what augmented reality could bring, the embodiment of the spime idea, where the full costs and histories of the things around us cluster around them in complicated, emotional clouds -- an idea that's been around since at least 2006, but that is feeling increasingly likely with the passage of time.

Novelist Norman Ohler became fascinated with the Third Reich's reliance on opiods and methamphetamines when DJ Alexander Kramer mentioned it to him in passing; he set out to write a novel, but in Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich he produced what historian and authority on the Third Reich Ian Kershaw called "a serious piece of scholarship." (more…)

"Glitch in matrix at my local coffee shop today," posted by oldmontgomeryflange at /r/pics.

MIT researchers developed a method to 3D print robots with soft, shock-absorbing materials that can be "programmed" to desired elasticity to protect bouncing bots, drones making hard landings, and eventually phones, shoes, helmets and other materials. From MIT News:

The pro-Brexit narrative insisted that the UK was one of Europe's greatest, most vibrant economies, and that, unshackled from European regulation, the country would be able to soar to the heights it deserves. (more…)

Craig Froehle tracks the odd convolutions of his famous illustration of how conservatives and liberals view the notion of equality. It's been simplified, expanded, twisted, tucked in and turned inside-out—and even redrawn by professional artists.Are the worst versions the ones that bury the simple point in condescending explanation?Or the ones that seek to subvert it entirely, in as much as stamping "THIS IS FUCKING STUPID" over it counts as subversion?The cannier mutations contextualize it for local audiences:

Curious British Telly has done the work, finally, to assemble the penultimate collection of 1980s fashion errors and exaltations: 22 of the Most Hideous Jumpers on British TV in the 80s. Noel Edmonds is the presumptive winner, of course, but there are many more in store for aficionados of the era after UK scientists learned the dark art of fluffy polyester. [via Metafilter, where Devonian notes the sad omission of legendary British yarnlord and former politician Gyles Brandreth, imaged below by a probe orbiting dangerously close to the cultural event horizon.] (more…)

This is apparently the work of writer David Gerrold, of "The Trouble With Tribbles" fame. Brilliant!

“I have just met you, and I love you.”[via DeviousBSTRD on Reddit]

KC Green of Gunshow Comics offers a heartbreaking crustacean love story: (more…)