Comments

  1. says

    Exercises in irony: Gallup seems to be blaming Nate Silver for ruining the art and science of conducting polls. That’s Gallup, the most inaccurate pollster of the 2012 campaign.

    … Silver was hardly alone in wondering why Gallup regularly reported numbers much more favorable to Romney than anyone else in 2012. We deserve an explanation a little less lame than Newport’s: what’s the big fuss? Gallup wasn’t really off by that much….

    http://www.salon.com/2012/11/13/gallup_is_very_upset_at_nate_silver/

  2. says

    Pat Robertson absolves David Petraeus:

    Looking to cheat on your spouse but worried about damning your immortal soul to swim in a lake of fire for all eternity by breaking the commandment that expressly prohibits committing adultery? Good news!

    According to latter-day oracle Pat Robertson, as long as you’re “off in a foreign land” and “lonely,” and the object of your affection is an “extremely good-looking woman” who is also a “marathon runner,” you’re automatically absolved!

    Because, hey, it wasn’t your fault to begin with — she was “throwing herself” at you. What could you do? You’re only a man.

    Video here.

  3. says

    Boom! Go Audley!

    Jadehawk… yeah, I sort of figured that. It is a little MASSIVELY sickening to hear millionaire “job creators” claiming that their companies can’t afford relatively minor expenses for the sake of their employees because it would affect the bottom line, when their own salaries are a major drain on company resources in the first place.

    Apropos of absolutely nothing, I finally remembered that my vacuum cleaner has filters that can and should be cleaned occasionally. Since I’m planning on actually cleaning the carpets before I leave, maybe cleaning the filters is a necessary step? Yeah, probably a useful thing to do. I’m not going to wax poetic about my vacuum cleaner, but it is one of my favorite gadgets ever.

  4. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    any recommendations on bathing a dog in not-so-warm-weather? I don’t think the tub is a good idea, and I don’t have anything big enough to hold sufficient water (such as a kiddie pool).

  5. Nutmeg says

    Tony: We fill buckets or large bowls with warm water (and whatever soap is necessary) and take the dog outside. Pour the water over the dog, wash, rinse, and towel them dry before letting them back inside. They won’t be happy, but it’s better than the garden hose.

  6. says

    Jadehawk et al
    I recall in Econ class being told that return to the shareholders wasn’t counted as ‘profit’ either, but I don’t know how universal that is; it boggled my mind when the Prof said that. Profit is divided among shareholders; if you wanted a guaranteed % return that’s what bonds/CDs/etc are for. When you invest, you’re risking the possibility that you might get less than a CD or bond would give you, because you might get more, that’s why investors are entititled to massive salaries, according to the rightwingers, isn’t it, the risk?

  7. Esteleth, Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo says

    Tony:

    Is there an old school style of decorating or music that you’re more fond of?

    Yes, actually. Musically, I’m a huge classical music fan. This extends to Christmas music. So when it comes to Christmas music, I’d much rather listen to a song written the classical style (e.g. “Adeste Fidelis”) than something more pop-y/modern (e.g. “Frosty the Snowman”). This does, of course, have the side effect of me preferring the old, explicitly Christian (yay Babby Jebus!) songs to the modern secular (yay Santa, presents, and snow!) ones. This has nothing to do with my religious beliefs, but everything to do with my musical tastes. In any case, except in few circumstances (mostly related to the singer), I prefer music that is either purely instrumental.

    With regards to decorations, I like the old-style moving mannequins (or still figures) that are humanoid without being cartoonish to the modern style of cartoonish figures. I’m also a sucker for the “still life with lit-up tree and presents, fireplace with stockings, rug, and adorable children” pastiche.

  8. says

    Apparently we can’t find a place to live because every place wants to do a ridiculous background check that includes bank statements for the past few months where we’ve had no income and were regularly in the red, plus up-to-date shot records for the pets that we don’t have and can’t afford. I’m not sure what the answer is besides lying and crossing our fingers and who knows.

  9. Pteryxx says

    Tony – re bathing a dog, some dog grooming/wash places will let you rent one of their big pro sinks and wash your dog there yourself. Vets and shelters might know who to ask.

  10. says

    Shitfire…

    My wife isn’t going to get her relocation money until the 30th of this month at the earliest, so we might not even be able to move into a place by the 1st. Which is bad, since I’m leaving here two weeks from today.

  11. says

    I can’t open the long threads for some reason. Has anyone posted about this yet?

    I have a theory of my own and its based on every day experience in the trenches of dating: the Horny General succumbed to thinking with the little head and he happened to pick a crazy possessive bitch to do it with. Happens to the best of us, trust me. Said crazy bitch went postal when Petraeus broke it off, and then she started sending crazy bitch emails from a creepy anonymous email address to another flirty little socialite tart she suspected of taking her place. What exactly was going on with flirty little tart isn’t clear, tart may have been completely innocent, she may not even be a tart at all, but that’s the basic shape of this deal so far.

    – A Simplistic Sexist Summary, brought to you by Stephen “Darksyde” Andrew

  12. FossilFishy (Νεοπτόλεμος's spellchecker) says

    Sorry to bring up the nasty insects again, but for those seeking mosquito bite relief you could try one of these devices. I only have anecdotal evidence, my own, to offer but they do have a plausible mechanism for reducing itching. The anesthetic that causes the itching is heat sensitive, meaning that it breaks down into non-irritating compounds when heated. The arc from these things is really, really hot but is so short in duration that it doesn’t burn the skin. Feels like a pinch most times though it can cause a little muscle jump.

    When I’ve used it I’ve had to click quite a few times, more than they suggest, to get relief. But I have found that where bites would be itchy for a couple of days without treatment, with it the itching would fade after an hour or two. This is consistent with the alleged mechanism insomuch as the irritation gained prior to treatment would have to subside once the irritant had been broken down.

    Before this product came out I used to borrow a cigarette and hold it over the bite as close to the skin as I could stand, that worked too at the cost of some singed hair and much incredulity from the donating smoker.

    All that said, this could be a case of an active placebo response.

  13. cm's changeable moniker says

    I recall in Econ class being told that return to the shareholders wasn’t counted as ‘profit’ either, but I don’t know how universal that is; it boggled my mind when the Prof said that.

    If a joint-stock company makes a profit and returns it to its stock-holders by paying a dividend (or more usually, these days, by buying back its stock) then the company is net flat, and the stock-holders (or former stock-holders) are up. The company doesn’t profit, but the (maybe former) stock-holders do.

    Profit is divided among shareholders; if you wanted a guaranteed % return that’s what bonds/CDs/etc are for.

    Now, actually, that should have boggled your mind. ;-)

    There’s a gazillion ways to lose money in bonds: default risk, interest rate risk, and inflation risk, just to start with.

    profit is what you have left over after paying all employees, and CEOs etc. are employees. So most likely the ridiculously huge executive pay is WHY it’s “only” 12%

    I’m not sure that’s right. XOM’s top five execs took home $93mln out of revenues of $127bln (or 0.07%). More likely, it’s that drilling for oil is incredibly expensive. (Have you seen the price of seamless steel pipe lately?)

  14. FossilFishy (Νεοπτόλεμος's spellchecker) says

    Pudding is one of those words that I can’t say without smiling. Enjoy Audley, justified satisfaction for doing all the things is the best spice of all.

  15. says

    Who wants to be a male porn star?

    Not me. Well… in theory, sure. In practice, not so much. Even assuming I met the physical requirements, I don’t think it would be very much fun. On the other hand, I would choose “male porn star” over some of the jobs I’ve had in the past. “Potential STD” sounds better than “potential amputation” if you know what I mean.

  16. says

    “Are you in the market for a Chinese sperm extractor?” in my head automatically got linked in my head to the last question “Who wants to be a male porn star?” which made me wonder if you’re pimping out some Chinese porn star to be in a movie with one of us.

  17. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Something George Pell said really irks me (wrt to the launch of a commission to investigate the responses to child sexual abuse in Australia)
    “Ongoing and at times one-sided media coverage has deepened this uncertainty.”
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-12/gillard-launches-royal-commission-into-child-abuse/4367364

    –One sided? I didn’t know there was *another* side to this.
    Is there a fallacy of argumentation where someone tries-unsuccessfully-to paint an argument as having two equivalent sides? I’m reminded of those people who have bullied Ophelia, Greta, PZ, Jen, and Rebecca. So many of them say “both sides have done blah blah blah”. My response was the same: the two “sides” are not equivalent. The detractors don’t have a reasonable position.

  18. John Morales says

    Are you in the market for a Chinese sperm extractor?

    Nah; I don’t have any Chinese spermatozoa.

  19. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Fuck you George Pell:

    Archbishop of Sydney George Pell has accused the press of a “persistent campaign” against the Catholic Church in the wake of Julia Gillard’s decision to call a nationwide inquiry into institutionalised child abuse.
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-13/pell-accuses-press-of-exaggerating-catholic-abuse/4369214

    -A persistent campaign? Does this guy even question what such a persistent campaign would consist of? Does he think for a split second that such a campaign (as if the Catholic Church needs a media smear campaign to look bad) negates the harm done by Catholic priests? Or does he think it’s not really a big problem at all? Just a few cases?

    As at August 2011, according to Broken Rites, a support and advocacy group for church-related sex abuse victims, there have been over one hundred cases where Catholic priests have been charged for child sex offences in Australia, as well as others involving non custodial sentences and inconclusive proceedings
    […]
    The diocese [Matiland-Newcastle] has been referred to as the “epicentre of Catholic clerical sexual abuse in Australia” due to a number of paedophile priests with extensive abuse records being jailed since 1997, a dedicated clergy abuse police strikeforce (Strike Force Lantle) having laid more than 170 abuse charges.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sexual_abuse_scandal_in_Australia

    Even if was just ONE child, that would still be one too many.
    Taking a look at the Wikipedia page shows diocese after diocese with blood on their hands. It makes me sick. At least in some of those cases, the priests involved have been put behind bars. Yeah Pell, this is a smear campaign. Perhaps he’s just accustomed to the privilege that religious institutions have had for far too long that prevented information like this from coming to light.

  20. says

    Fuck George Pell… his “defense: seems to be “Yes, we rape children and cover it up for decades, but we’re not the ONLY ONES who rape children. So stop making it seem like we rape children by telling the truth about how we rape children!”

    This is one of those times where you almost wish there were some sort of divine justice.

  21. John Morales says

    Tony, not to minimise the issue of child sex abuse, but it’s only one facet of their hypocrisy.

    Priests are in a position of authority and trust in relation to their religion’s adherents, and I’m pretty sure they abuse it with adults too.

    And it happens within the organisation, too — e.g. A nun’s story: sex, affairs and priests you can’t refuse.

    And, finally, in my estimation the hypocrisy of the priesthood is hardly limited to sexual activities.

    I am of the opinion that religiosity is a problem — rather than an advantage — when it comes to morality.

  22. broboxley OT says

    #8 Dalillama, Schmott Guy
    10 people put in $10 each to run a bake sale called Fred Company
    they use $100 to buy all the ingredients, electricity to bake and buy pans
    The bake sale makes $200 so Fred Company gives each of the 10 people $20 each. Fred Company has made no money of it’s own but each of the 10 people owe taxes on their profit of $10 each.

    Now instead of the ten people cashing in and going onto other things they would like to repeat the event but get their $10 back first, so Fred Company gives the 10 people $10 each, pays $35 dollars in Corporate tax (that percentage differs depending on filings) buys $65 dollars in supplies and has $130 left after buying supplies and holding the bake sale.

    Now the 10 people want to grow the business so they don’t take out any money and Fred Company pays the taxes on $130 and continues to grow.

    Does that help?

  23. says

    And now he’s pathetically trying to match wits with consciousness razor. cr suggests that he, in cowardly fashion, wants to shift responsibility onto others rather than deciding on an ethical stance for himself. His reply:

    Ahh, but it’s not the n word, is it my sloppy thinking friend? Starting off with a flawed premise won’t get you very far in debate.

    Like I say if a consensus develops where bitch or tart are put in that same vault, I’ll follow suit. Today is not that day, and it is not you who gets to decide. [emphasis added]

    Yes, you sure told cr.

  24. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Trump Free tv?
    SignOn.org has a petition from almost 500,000 people to get Macy’s to ditch Trump

    Macy’s Inc. (M), the second-largest U.S. department-store chain, is under pressure to ditch Donald Trump- branded apparel after the billionaire mounted political attacks on President Barack Obama in the election campaign.

    Almost 500,000 people have added their names to an online petition urging Macy’s to end its partnership with Trump, SignOn.org, the hosting site, said in an e-mailed statement today.
    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-13/macy-s-urged-to-dump-trump-goods-after-anti-obama-statements

  25. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    John @32:
    Absolutely no argument from me.
    I agree completely with you.

  26. says

    And I’m not thrilled with the argument some people are making that it’s simply about sexist word choice and not underlying attitudes. The “tart” section plainly goes beyond lazy word choice, and his responses are also evidence that this runs deeper.

  27. consciousness razor says

    Yes, you sure told cr.

    Well, I am his sloppy thinking friend. I probably just need a bitch or a tart to help me out sometimes. You know how it is.

  28. John Morales says

    broboxley:

    [1] 10 people put in $10 each to run a bake sale called Fred Company
    they use $100 to buy all the ingredients, electricity to bake and buy pans
    The bake sale makes $200 so Fred Company gives each of the 10 people $20 each. Fred Company has made no money of it’s own but each of the 10 people owe taxes on their profit of $10 each.

    [2] Now instead of the ten people cashing in and going onto other things they would like to repeat the event but get their $10 back first, so Fred Company gives the 10 people $10 each, pays $35 dollars in Corporate tax (that percentage differs depending on filings) buys $65 dollars in supplies and has $130 left after buying supplies and holding the bake sale.

    Yes, but [2] is only better than [1] when the company tax is less than the aggregatee marginal personal tax.

    (Also, that should read “holding the second bake sale”, since you’re running two iterations rather than one)

  29. Socio-gen, something something... says

    Thanks for all the well-wishes, everyone! My first day back was mostly good. All my professors offered extensions on the major papers as well as extra time to complete smaller assignments I missed. Without my having to ask!

    It was pretty tiring though. I ended up taking a nap in the office between classes and then another when I got home at 4.

    broboxley
    Happy birthday!

    Ogvorbis
    Sorry about the car! I don’t know if it’s the approach of hunting season or what, but it seems like everyone I know in PA is hitting them this month.

    I’ve never hit a deer, but I was hit by one, a month after getting my license. I’d stopped to wait for a herd to cross and at the end of the line came Bambi’s mother, running hell-bent for leather straight at my car. Being a new driver and unfamiliar with the ways of the white-tail, I expected her to swerve or jump over my Chevette.

    It turns out that Bambi’s mom don’t jump. She ran headfirst into the front-left quarter panel.

    Re: spiders
    My daughter is absolutely terrified of spiders, and her reaction, until fairly recently, was mindless panic, flailing, and occasional levitation, combined with the sort of screaming you’d hear if someone was run over with a lawn mower…repeatedly.

    About three years ago, I had to deal with my beloved 5’10” varsity football player screaming bloody murder while she balanced, stark naked, on the side of a clawfoot tub, clinging to the shower curtain rail because there was a spider near the drain. About 1/4 cm in diameter. It took ten minutes to talk her down after I sent the itsy-bitsy spider down the spout. For about 6 months after that, I had to check the tub and give the all-clear so she could use the shower.

    Working at a convenience store, her reaction these days is more of a panicky mumble which amuses her coworkers. “Don’t scream don’t scream….stay calm…it can’t eat you….it’s coming toward me!!! Kill it kill it kill it!!!”

  30. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    SC:
    Is bitch widely treated as a gendered insult here at FtB?

  31. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    I’m listening to Rachel Maddow now. She’s talking about the strange rules Utah has about its citizens buying alcohol.

  32. Nutmeg says

    Socio-gen:

    I don’t know if it’s the approach of hunting season or what, but it seems like everyone I know in PA is hitting them this month.

    In a lot of places, November is the rutting season for deer. Accidents peak at this time of year.

  33. Portia says

    Earlier this evening, I started a new painting. Then the phone rang with an after-hours new client call. The paint on my brush went dry. I squirted out new paint. The fire tones went off for a medical call. The paint went dry. I’m now discovering why I don’t get much painting done. This one shouldn’t take long to finish though, then it’ll be off to the shop for sale. Yay!

    Audley: mmmm pudding : ) Glad you have a reward for tasks well done.

    Socio-gen: Yay for extensions! And naps. Naps are awesome.

    Re: Spiders. I’m lucky my mom is as understanding as your daughter’s. She has vanquished many a spider for me. Last time she was here she washed one down the tub drain, too. Moms are great like that : )

  34. John Morales says

    Hm. Further to #42.

    Given this is FTB, and given recent issues, then assuming some nous by the blogger in question I am bemused by the comments from the blogger within its thread.

    (Good blogger, but)

  35. Nutmeg says

    My mom is in charge of catching any moths that get into the house and releasing them outside. Thank goodness, because that’s one job I could not do. *shudders*

  36. says

    Salty & everyone else re: Stephen “Darksyde” Andrew,

    What’s bothering me is that there’s an in-between position that he could take, and refuses to, but he’s sure to see himself as an enlightened progressive person. I’m way more enlightened than I was a year or two ago, and probably less so than some people would prefer, but even I have figured out a work-around.

    It is simple: I don’t have to win, and usually I can’t really lose, and I know enough words that if someone says “no” to some words it actually makes what I write better. Most importantly, I don’t need to hurt people to get my point across. If you tell me a word hurts you or someone else, I don’t need to argue the point. I CAN argue, and I might even be right… and I still can drop the word, because I don’t need it. And if the policing of language is too strong for me, I can always leave, which saves me and other people a lot of pain. Me policing my own language doesn’t hurt me AT ALL, so preventing even potential pain, even pain I might not take seriously? Still costs me nothing.

    Plus I’ve got lots of words, I don’t need to say “bitch” or “cunt” or “nigger” or “kike” or “spic” or whatever… and by using those words, I’m being lazy and unintelligent. I’m using bigoted shortcuts instead of working a little harder and expressing myself more explicitly and specifically.

  37. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Nutmeg:
    chocolate/caramel covered moths are quite tasty :)

  38. broboxley OT says

    John,
    thanks for clarifying the second run for me. The reason for posting was to simplify what is profit and who pays the taxes and why. Shame an economic prof left a student with befuddlement on a very simple transaction.

  39. dianne says

    “Potential STD” sounds better than “potential amputation” if you know what I mean.

    Data point you didn’t want to gain: Some STDs come with the risk of “potential auto-amputation”. Yes, of the part you’re thinking.

    Stay safe, guys. Use a condom.

  40. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    dianne:
    no need to use a condom if you’re going on a year without sex, right?

  41. says

    dianne,

    I get what you’re saying, and it makes sense intellectually, but “vagina” is always going to be less scary that “150-ton press”… I can wear three condoms and feel like I can prevent an STD, but a suit of armor lined with Kevlar won’t prevent a huge press from pulping my arms at the elbow.

  42. Socio-gen, something something... says

    Nutmeg:
    Part of it is confirmation bias on my part. Because I know several people who’ve hit deer in the last couple weeks, it only seems like there are more deer strikes happening.

    Portia: Naps are teh awesomest. I think college could only be improved by regularly scheduled nap times. :)

    Vanquishing spiders for her was the least I could do, since she dealt with the mouse traps once she was in her teens, instead of my having to call my brother. :)

  43. broboxley OT says

    My dottor when 3 would happily befriend every bug reptile moth bee hornet she would come in contact with. At 5ft 10 healthily built dad has to become the cockroach spider killer. I explain that spider cobwebs trap bugs and mosquito hawks eat mosquitos she will have none of it.

  44. says

    Broboxley #33

    10 people put in $10 each to run a bake sale called Fred Company
    they use $100 to buy all the ingredients, electricity to bake and buy pans
    The bake sale makes $200 so Fred Company gives each of the 10 people $20 each. Fred Company has made no money of it’s own but each of the 10 people owe taxes on their profit of $10 each.

    This right here is where I have the problem. I’m going to modify your analogy slightly because one-off events are really organized very differently. And I would also like to clarify that I understand how things are arranged, it simply seems like a nonsensical arrangement given the situation.
    So, 10 people put in $10 each to start Fredco Baking Inc. This $100 pays for raw materials, a year’s lease on a storefront, etc. At the end of the year, Fredco has brought in $200. Now, when these 10 people formed the Fredco Baking Inc, they formed a separate legal entity from themselves, which they each own part of. So, as I see it, Fredco has made $100 in profit. Now, if whoever is charge of Fredco’s operations (usually a hired executive) elects to roll that money back into the company and makes Fredco bigger, that is tax exempt, no one pays any taxes, and the shareholders get no money. Conversely, if the $100 is not invested back into the business, it is $100 profit for Fredco, on which Fredco should pay $35 in tax and then distribute $6.50 each to the shareholders, who are in turn taxed on that income when they receive it.

  45. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    although admittedly that was for a heterosexual porn star. I’ve no idea what gay (or gay for pay) porn stars make. I remember reading that gay porn stars make more on average than straight male porn stars (with some exceptions).

  46. broboxley OT says

    66# Dalillama, Schmott Guy
    Ah, I see the confusion

    Now, when these 10 people formed the Fredco Baking Inc, they formed a separate legal entity from themselves, which they each own part of. So, as I see it, Fredco has made $100 in profit. Now, if whoever is charge of Fredco’s operations (usually a hired executive) elects to roll that money back into the company and makes Fredco bigger, that is tax exempt, no one pays any taxes, and the shareholders get no money.

    doesnt work that way at least here in the US. They must pay taxes before rolling the money into the company
    its called a balance sheet.
    they could buy more shit before the end of the year with the profit, and grow exponentially but then the new shit becomes assets which accrue value which must be taxed

    Conversely, if the $100 is not invested back into the business, it is $100 profit for Fredco, on which Fredco should pay $35 in tax and then distribute $6.50 each to the shareholders, who are in turn taxed on that income when they receive it.

    no, it’s not
    you may tax once on one transaction. Not twice
    you don’t pay sales tax on a loaf of bread and expect to pay another sales tax when you use two of the slices to make a sandwich
    If Fredco does not profit as an entity by paying back what was BORROWED from the 10 investors on a basis that ALL profits are owed as cost of BORROWING then no taxes accrue to Fredco.

  47. broboxley OT says

    dunno Tony, as a porn star you are required to penetrate what is put in front of you, a different point of view from penetrating what you want put in front of you and the taste may put you off.

    A well presented plate does not always make a meal worth eating.

  48. says

    Tony,

    Your link describes that guy as special, and so it is unreasonable to suggest that anyone else could join the “male porn star” ranks and assume that they would make nearly as much.

  49. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    *holds quiet candlelight vigil for the completely harmless subset of feared arthropods* >.>

  50. says

    Tony
    Joe is correct, most male porn actors do not make nearly that much money. I’ve know a few personally, and they weren’t doing much better than I was.

    broboxley

    If Fredco does not profit as an entity by paying back what was BORROWED from the 10 investors on a basis that ALL profits are owed as cost of BORROWING then no taxes accrue to Fredco.

    Not at all: borrowing is another matter entirely, and goes as follows: I want $100, so I agree with someone to loan it to me, and that I’ll pay it back with a set, defined interest, and I have to pay that interest no matter hoe much or little money I make. If they had loaned that money to Fredco, then they would expect a set payment. A share, however, is supposed to represent a part ownership of the company in question, which has a different set of upsides and downsides. Nor is it being ‘double taxed.’ If I get paid $100, and pay tax on it, then use some of what’s left to pay someone else they get taxed on it. Every time the money changes hands, it becomes income for whoever’s hands it’s in, and taxable accordingly. Money goes from customer to Fredco= 1 transaction Money goes from fredco to shareholder:New transaction. Tax is assessed each time.

  51. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    More info on rates of porn stars (incidentally, I’m not remotely serious about any of this. I think it’s just fluff. Interesting in some regards, but still fluff.):

    Most male performers in heterosexual porn are paid less than their female counterparts. Ron Jeremy has commented on the pay scale of women and men in the sex film industry: in 2003 “Girls can easily make 100K-250K per year, plus stuff on the side like strip shows and appearances. The average male makes $40,000 a year.” and in 2008, “The average guy gets $300 to $400 a scene, or $100 to $200 if he’s new. A woman makes $100,000 to $250,000 at the end of the year.”
    In 2011, the manager of Capri Anderson said, “A contract girl will only shoot for one company, she won’t shoot for anyone else. Most actresses in the adult industry are free agents – they’ll shoot for anyone. Most contract girls make $60,000 a year. In one year, a contract girl will shoot, on average, four movies and each movie takes about two or three weeks to shoot.”
    The Los Angeles Times reported that the pay rates for a female actress performing male and female scenes were $700 to $1,000.

    […]

    It was also noted in an interview conducted by Local10 news of Florida that individuals were offered $700 for sexual intercourse while shooting a scene of the popular series Bang Bus in 2004. According to Videobox, a porn website, actresses make these rates: Blowjobs: $200–$400; Straight sex: $400–$1,200; Anal sex: $900–$1,500; Double Penetration: $1,200–$1,600; Double anal: $2,000. For more unusual fetishes, women generally get 15% extra.
    In 2001, actress Chloe said of pay-rates; “In Gonzo, you’re paid not by the picture, but by the scene. So it’s girl-girl: $700, plus $100 for an anal toy. Boy-girl: $900. Anal: $1,100. Solo: $500. DP: $1,500.”
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornographic_film_actor#Pay_rates

  52. John Morales says

    chigau,

    …seen ‘em all.

    Nope, I’ve seen more than one exemplar of its category, but in nowise have I seen ‘em all.

  53. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    John @78:
    Without even clicking on your link, I think I know what it’s about. As I hit submit, I thought about how the term fluffer is used in porn…

  54. FossilFishy (Νεοπτόλεμος's spellchecker) says

    Took my binoculars and a sheet of white cardboard to my daughter’s kindergarten. Showed all the little sprogs the sun with the moon taking a bite out of it. (Not a total eclipse this far south) Fun, but not as much as the transit of Venus.

    For that one I demonstrated what was happening by being the sun. I had my daughter and one of her friends walk around me until they lined up. Then we went outside to see the dot on the sun. I’m not sure how well they got it but giggly fun was had.

  55. John Morales says

    [meta]

    Tony, seems you checked the hover-text in the link.

    (Least I can do for vision-impaired people, not that you’re one)

  56. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    …okay, my “frittata ALL the things” impulse may replace my “let’s throw every kind of onion we can find in a pot and see what happens” period as the to-be-dealt-with potential objection to the generalization that “all my culinary ideas are good ones.”

    I seem to have created some sort of tomato-mushroom custard. If one’s adventurousness survives first contact with that description, it’s not that bad. O.o

  57. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    My speakers are broken and I find it really difficult to sit still through videos. Gist? :/

  58. says

    ‘Morning
    Yay, I had a good night’s sleep with the kids staying at their grandma’s (the sane one, of course)

    Well, I’ll put Stephen the dark side Andrews in the folder of “evidence for the pervasive sexism and misogyny in society”

  59. rq says

    Good morning!

    Giliell – I envy your kid-free evening.

    Azkyroth – But all my culinary ideas are good ones. Aren’t everyone’s?

    +++

    So, when I’m feverish and can’t go outside with the children, the sun shines. When I’m well and feel like getting some fresh air, it’s wind and rain…
    I don’t get it.

  60. says

    Edmonton Journal: “Federal scientists have uncovered evidence that contaminants wafting out Alberta’s oilsands operations are collecting on the bottom of remote lakes up to 100 kilometres away.”

    You know, for all the people I saw defending the tar sands (oh noes, I called them tar sands, someone call Ethical Oil!!!) in the thread we had about them, not one of them seemed to have a substantive criticism about what PZ wrote. All I saw was hand-wringing over undefined “noise” (without any real attempts to inject actual insight) and a few people in consternation over the label “tar sands”.

    I’d like to see one of those people tell me that this is just a bunch of noise and the tar sands really aren’t all that bad. ‘Cause, y’know, contaminants traveling a hundred kilometres is nothing to worry about when we’re trying to pipe that shit through a major chunk of the continental US, or a bunch of old growth forests, or anything like that.

  61. says

    rq
    Well, to put it into perspective, I came home at half past nine, started my skype talk with my Bulgarian counterpart at 10, finished at half eleven and then went to bed. But I simply sleep better when my brain can shut down the “be aware of kids wrecking the flat” part.

    +++
    Oh, and I found out that my mum in law doesn’t object to the leopard print dress because of the leopard print, she more curiously objects to the idea of wearing summer dresses on top of jeans and long-sleeved shirt as such because “that’s not appropriate”.
    I have no idea why that is so. For me it’s a wonderful compromise between her wanting to wear that stuff in November and me wanting her to be warm…

  62. Beatrice says

    good morning.

    I read the bitch/tart post. I agree with SC in

    And I’m not thrilled with the argument some people are making that it’s simply about sexist word choice and not underlying attitudes. The “tart” section plainly goes beyond lazy word choice, and his responses are also evidence that this runs deeper.

    Even without using those two words, the post would still reek of sexism.
    (flirty little socialite woman with all the implications ain’t exactly sexism-free)


    Giliell,

    I’m 26 and my mother can’t grasp why I would wear a dress over skinny jeans and a long sleeve shirt.
    … Or maybe that’s because 5-year-olds wear that kind of thing. Hmmm.

  63. Beatrice says

    My reasoning is: this way I’m able to wear my favorite summer dress in winter.

    Aaaand I should really be off to the book fair if I mean to come back at a reasonable time to put some food on the table when my parents come home.

    Hold your thumbs or cross fingers or just wish that I find some good used books (and stay the hell away from the new ones, because money).

  64. opposablethumbs says

    My DaughterSpawn really went for that dress-or-skirt over jeans look for a while – looked really nice, I thought. Someone told me it originated with the Indian tunic-over-trousers style of dress (???).

    I’m distracted and/or not seeing: would someone mind saying which is the bitch/tart post?

  65. rq says

    Beatrice
    Would she rather you wear the skinny jeans/leggings + long-sleeved t-shirt without the summer dress? Because, if I was of a conservative bent, I would consider the skinny jeans on their own quite lewd (being so tight-fitting and skinny and showing off *gasp* bodily curves!!!), and the dress on top does hide this and that (depending, of course, on the dress)…
    I had a lot of Muslim friends wear similar things in uni, because that way they could get away with the cute little dress and/or tighter clothing underneath – having it all on at once made it ok, because a lot more was covered up.
    (So maybe it is the Turkish angle…?)

    +++

    I also just finished that particular post, and I have to say, language is language (I do not condone the use of gendered slurs), but it’s the tone that makes it so poisonous.
    The gendered words only add to the viciousness of his tone, but using others (like, say, as Beatrice @94 points out, ‘socialite woman’) would still maintain the overall tone of blaming-the-woman, because obviously, jilted women do crazy shit. Right? Right? Funny how it’s her fault for sending all those emails and whatnot, and not a mention (besides calling him ‘horny’) of the general’s actions in the scenario… No overall condemnation of stalker-like behaviour, just a ‘look at the crazy bitch’ summary of events.
    In my mind, he (Stephen DarkSyde Andrew) has chosen to portray the general as being wronged, simply due to the fact that he ‘broke it off’ at some point – without knowing (or at least, explaining) how or why it may have happened. The main point is, the woman took it badly, but that’s reality, because women obviously take these things badly (because you’re not allowed to take anything badly (even if justified) without looking emotional, and being emotional – well, that’s just baaaaaad because woman).
    Also, while I don’t find ‘tart’ to be as heavily laden with negative baggage, it isn’t a single-meaningly positive term, and in this context, it is definitely on a par with bitch. Simply due to the tone of the entire ‘critique’ of the Petraeus situation.
    This is my opinion. I’m rather sad, because that blog had this and that else from time to time that I found quite captivating and interesting. :(

    +++

    Also, babies with fever (the bug is getting to us all). Anxious.

  66. John Morales says

    Meanwhile, in Australia: Attrition rate of slow horses shocks welfare groups

    Animal activists have secretly filmed horses being shot at a knackery, a fate shared by an estimated 10,000 racehorses around the country each year.

    The majority are used for pet food, and horse sales around the country are attended by meat buyers.

    […]

    While it is difficult enough to re-home a racehorse, about a third never even reach the track.

    Mr Wirth says about 8,500 are excluded from the racing industry at an early age.

    “[It’s] usually due to injury, mostly due to injury, due to the fact they are prepared for racing when they were juveniles and not mature in bone and limb,” he said.

  67. says

    So, back from the dentist. Last chance for tooth. I have been very patient but I don’t tolerate that kind of insurrection much.

    re: dress over trousers: I’m pretty sure #1 came up with it all by herself, trusting mummy’s judgement on “it’s too cold to wear that dress” and then finding a solution to do it anyway.

    +++
    Also, i just got asked by the roofers why I wasn’t at home when they needed to take a look at the wet spot when they never told me they’d come anyway…
    NOt that I would have been at home if they’d told me…

  68. ednaz says

    BitchTart is really starting to grow on me.

    A kick-ass attitude.

    Pop Tarts for badass women.

    A Band name.

  69. opposablethumbs says

    Goodness me but Stephen “DarkSyde” Andrew is a sorry case so far. Sounds oddly like some of our greyer, rockier visitors who live under bridges.

    Still, I’m sure he will turn out to be an intelligent and perceptive person capable of grasping new-to-him ideas …

    I am a starry-eyed optimist sometimes.

  70. ednaz says

    I meant to say ‘Hello All” *with a cheery wave* before that post.

    I’m not usually up at this hour. Hoodlum’s (bad word of your choice) boss changed his shift for one week. Aaarrgghh

  71. rq says

    It’s odd, though, because in other posts he doesn’t come across quite as badly – for instance, yesterday’s post .
    Meh.
    It’s the language thing, I suppose. Needs some work.

    ednaz
    :D BitchTarts – a specialty dessert cooked by all those uppity women who just don’t want to be in the kitchen. No, you don’t want to know what’s in them.

  72. says

    :D BitchTarts – a specialty dessert cooked by all those uppity women who just don’t want to be in the kitchen.

    Funny enough, my favourite expression that contains the word “bitch” is “I’m bitchin’ in the kitchen”
    But I suppose that for Dear Stephen it would be further proof that it’s totally OK for him to call the evil woman who ensnared poor Petraeus a bitch. ‘Cause, you know, same word. Evidence based!

  73. rq says

    Anecdotal evidence. Which makes it even better because anecdotes of women using the word ‘bitch’.

  74. birgerjohansson says

    “Astronomers find ‘homeless’ planet wandering through space” http://phys.org/news/2012-11-astronomers-homeless-planet-space.html
    It is in the AB Doradus moving group* of stars ca 20 parsec (60 light years) away. It has a mass 7 times that of Jupiter.
    It was discovered in the infra-red because 1; it is quite young and warm and 2; it is big.
    Orphaned terrestrial and even Neptune-class planets would be too faint.
    During the chaotic early phase of star formation it is quite possible that most planetary systems eject one or more planets, but detecting small planets would require a microlensing event observed with *very* sensitive instruments.
    .
    *All stars are born in clumps of stars born from the same gas cloud. Such an example visible to the naked eye is the Ursa Major moving group, it contains most of the strongest stas in the constellation and is 80 light years distant.

  75. birgerjohansson says

    I quite like eating tarts*. It makes no sense using the word as an insult.
    Anglo-saxons now use the word “cake” to include both tarts and the smaller stuff Swedes would call “kaka”. And we make the distinction between a soft cake (bulle) and a hard one (kaka). Our language was created by people who liked their coffe breaks.

  76. rq says

    birgerjohansson
    I’m sorry for the juvenility, but your mention of eating tarts makes me think of a less-than-polite, alternative euphemism (using our previous newly discovered compound word) for unattractive ladybits.
    Also, the word ‘kaka’ in Latvian means ‘poo’, so your image of hard cakes… well, like I said, sorry. Toilet humour appears to be the going thing in my family at the moment.

    As for tart referring to women, see some etymology here, where the word used to refer to prostitutes. I think there may be a connection to ‘tart’ as a pie with no lid (just a guess).

  77. Beatrice says

    rq,

    I was just writing a post about how “kakati” means “to poo” in Croatian!
    (usually used with children or by adults who find the equivalent of shit in Croatian too nasty, but don’t mind sounding like a five-year-old)

    Ah, bonding over toilet humor ;)

  78. rq says

    Beatrice
    I prefer to see it as bonding over similarity of language. ;) Because learning to swear like a 5-year-old in a different language is awesome.

    Giliell
    Uh there should be an ‘Add footnote’ option somewhere. I’ve been off OpenOffice for a few months now, so I don’t remember where, but I know it should be… I’ve used it before… Sorry can’t help out more than that.
    Or I may have done it as an extra smaller-text textbox at the bottom (with appropriate footnote number superscript in the actual text).
    Hmm… I don’t remember.

  79. broboxley OT says

    #74 Dalillama, Schmott Guy
    So you propose that there should be a transaction tax. That is reasonable so now the poor who are buying the baked goods now pay $270 for less baked goods that the original $100 for ingredients could buy because of the 35% transaction tax on the ingredients.

    Not sure that is entirely a good idea

  80. broboxley OT says

    #74 Dalillama, Schmott Guy there is this guy called Boortz who promotes the same idea, he calls it the fair tax

  81. broboxley OT says

    Rev BDC well it is Times Square, I would expect the food to be no better than a sitdown restaurant in Disney World. Was a very well written piece tho

  82. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    Rev BDC well it is Times Square, I would expect the food to be no better than a sitdown restaurant in Disney World.

    I think part of the point of the way the review was styled was to highlight hos shitty the experience was, but how it sort of lives up to Guy Fieri’s persona.

    Time Square is a fitting place for it.

  83. birgerjohansson says

    broboxley
    It was built in the 1970s.
    When it was time to drill in the deeper parts of the Mexican Gulf, such precautions were probably regarded as communism.

  84. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    Hi, all.

    I hate dreams.

    I hate smells (well, certain smells).

    I hate suicidal deer.

    Other than that, things is kewl.

    During the chaotic early phase of star formation it is quite possible that most planetary systems eject one or more planets

    Actual evidence for the Truth of the LSD Church! The polygamous sects of the LDS find ways to eject many of the boys and young men (keep the wimmenz for the select few menz, right?) and, obviously, some of the planets upon which the men can be gods have to get kicked out, too. Right?

  85. broboxley OT says

    #127 birgerjohansson considering the Alaska Pipeline was built by drunken rednecks keeping alert by doing massive amounts of cocaine I’m surprised that it has lasted as long as it has.

  86. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    Cary Grant liked him some LSD

    “The Curious Story Behind the New Cary Grant” headlined the September 1, 1959, issue of Look magazine, and inside was a glowing account of how, because of LSD therapy, “at last, I am close to happiness.” He later explained that “I wanted to rid myself of all my hypocrisies. I wanted to work through the events of my childhood, my relationship with my parents and my former wives. I did not want to spend years in analysis.” More articles followed, and LSD even received a variation of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval when that magazine declared in its September 1960 issue that it was one of the secrets of Grant’s “second youth.” The magazine went on to praise him for “courageously permitting himself to be one of the subjects of a psychiatric experiment with a drug that eventually may become an important tool in psychotherapy.”

  87. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    Rev:

    I read that quoted paragraph wondering where the Mormons were involved. My mind was switching LSD and LDS. And it made no sense. Actually, it made less than no sense.

  88. says

    TV Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is a gigantic tool.

    And the NYT thinks his new restaurant sucks as well.

    Best thing I’ve read today.

    I won’t comment on the food (I admit that “…did your mind touch the void for a minute?” and “Why did the toasted marshmallow taste like fish?” made me laugh). But the cocktails! Truly retchworthy. And they’re $12-16. $12-16!

    Well, Fieri certainly has captured the essence of the American Way of Eating. Visiting the restaurant – hell, just reading the menu – is like anthropological research.

    (By the way, I made my first vegan risotto, with asparagus, the other day, and, if I do say so myself, it was fantastic.)

  89. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    (By the way, I made my first vegan risotto, with asparagus, the other day, and, if I do say so myself, it was fantastic.)

    Nice!

    I make a couple vegan risottos myself, but never really thought about the fact they are vegan.

    I make a big batch of veg stock every once in a while and freeze it for things like this. Perfect for risotto and replaces chicken stock nicely.

  90. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    there must be a good story there?

    Ayup. The short version is here which is followed by other stories about animals and cars (and bicycles).

  91. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    I got to spend much of yesterday replacing the column and flush handle on the toilet.

    You know that things are not going well when you have to use a Dremel Tool with a cut-off wheel to remove the old handle (the plastic nut was on backwards so the ‘washer’ part of it made it impossible to get a wrench on it). Two hours of my life spent crouched over a toilet. bleah.

  92. Esteleth, Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo says

    Co-worker came in today with croissants with chocolate filling, and pumpkin spice sprinkled on top. ♥

  93. Portia says

    Esteleth,

    I think you just broke down whatever resolve I had not to walk down to the coffee shop for a pastry. Sincere thanks :)

  94. rq says

    Ogvorbis
    I’m pretty sure I’ve spent two hours crouched over a toilet at some point in my life, but I’m pretty sure the context was a bit different.

  95. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    rq:

    The night before, I had four shots of Jack Daniels (far better than I remember from high school) and a Harpoon Winter Warmer Ale. Didn’t feel at all sick. But yeah, I know what you mean.

  96. says

    TV Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is a gigantic tool. [/thread]

    No, really. A guy in his mid-40s with frosted hair who wears his sunglasses on the back of his neck is a tool by definition, and it is little surprise that his restaurant sucks.

  97. broboxley OT says

    trying to get a toilet to crouch over around here is difficult. More than once contemplated pinching a loaf in a sink or urinal. 8 floors in the building with a total of 16 stalls for men.

  98. says

    Also, shouldn’t have drank so much last night… or, rather, I shouldn’t have drank what I did so very fast. I went to bed at 12-ish, woke up at 3, was up until 7, and then slept two more hours.

  99. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    pinching a loaf

    What is that? I don’t recognize the . . . .

    Oh.

    Nevermind.

    I may be slow, but sometimes I am not real quick.

  100. says

    The worst thing about Guy Fieri’s restaurant sucking so bad is that I’m a big fan of most everything on the menu at least in some form. Sort of diner/bar food is right in my wheelhouse, but sort of the point of it is that it isn’t fucking $18 for a plate of pulled-pork sliders, and a side of onion rings isn’t 10 goddamned dollars! And then at those prices, there’s no margin of error: they are either perfect, or shit. I’m forgiving towards a family-owned joint that charges me $7 for a burger and fries, put a 1 in front of the 7 and my tolerance is already more or less exhausted.

    This is fun too: http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/guy-fieri-2012-9/

  101. rq says

    ‘pinching a loaf’, I think, is one of the bestest lines ever. I’m not sure why. But it’s just so funny. *giggle*

  102. rq says

    Audley
    Eat it all.
    ALL.
    Helps the whole recovery process.
    Besides, if you have time to eat it all, you probably won’t have time to eat anything later.

  103. Ogvorbis: resident of Threadruptia (and broken) says

    Audley:

    Definitely the pea soup. Pea soup is good. Pea soup is healthy. Pea soup is warm. Pea soup will cause all manner of keyboard gnashing. Pea soup will cause comparison to horses. All is good.

  104. Rev. BigDumbChimp says

    Planned Parenthood slams the Right

    he Sunlight Foundation released a report Thursday calculating return on investment for outside spending groups in the 2012 election based on what percentage of their spending went to races that ended up with the desired results. Planned Parenthood’s super PAC got the best return.

  105. Thomathy, Holy Trinity of Conflation: Atheist-Secularist-Darwinist says

    I’m back with a slightly longer tongue and a well-lubricated jaw. Hi, everyone.

    A belated congratulations to the USAnians on, for the most part, maintaining the staus-quo.

    (Cross-posted because I can’t remember where I said I was going away.)

  106. ChasCPeterson says

    sort of the point of it is that it isn’t fucking $18 for a plate of pulled-pork sliders, and a side of onion rings isn’t 10 goddamned dollars!

    You don’t visit Manhattan much, do you?
    (have any idea what the rent is on a Times Square storefront?)

  107. Beatrice says

    Thomathy,

    Hello. I’m glad the operation went well. Any lingering pain, or can you already enjoy all the foods that caused problems before?

  108. broboxley OT says

    #161 Portia from your link

    cousin-fingering has to be a no-no.

    well if she was sober and gave consent I don’t see an issue with it

  109. Portia says

    broboxley:

    You’re right; I suppose the bigger problem should be the potential sexual assault, based on the fact that “she” said she was drunk at the time of the sexual contact.

    Nonetheless…it’s a little personal for the first minute of conversation, no?

  110. says

    ChasCPeterson,

    Lived there for 11 years. :)

    The problem with your version of The Way Things Are is that according to Google there’s a couple of other places walking distance from Guy’s American Shithole, and the burgers are all sort of normal priced. Guy is charging a premium for his name more than for the location, but apparently the quality just isn’t there.

  111. broboxley OT says

    #174 Portia,
    not necessarily I have had complete strangers tell me all kinds of TMI shit in the first minutes of meeting.

  112. Portia says

    Personally, that sort of oversharing would put me off of further conversation. I think I can safely say many people would feel the same way.

  113. Beatrice says

    I’m proud of my own restraint. I only bought two books at the fair, both second hand and extremely cheap.
    One is L’Etranger, a German edition with nice little annotations at the bottom of every page, apparently meant for learning French. Since I need it for the same thing – yay!
    The other is Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée by Simone de Beauvoir. I’m probably getting a bit ahead of myself with that one, but I just can’t make myself read some crap romance novel, even though that would probably be better for learning everyday vocabulary. Meh, I occasionally read the papers for that.

  114. rq says

    Beatrice
    L’Etranger should be a treat. I liked that book a lot, in 3 languages. :) (The other books translating well for me have been The Hobbit and Solaris. Each language gives the story a certain new… something.)
    And congrats on the self-restraint. I’m usually all or nothing, especially at book fairs and festivals. If I can’t buy them all, I don’t buy any. So there! (Yes, I know, not a great solution…)
    Simone de Beauvoir might be a challenge. Never tried her myself, though, so I don’t know.

  115. Portia says

    *sigh* Mom asked Brother about holiday plans. He was not nice and gave severely limited options. Mom is crying. Portia picks up the pieces. Why does he always do this? I don’t understand why I’m the only one that affirmatively likes my mom. Well, the grandkids like her pretty well but their parents…I don’t get it. It’s emotionally exhausting to repeat this cycle all the time.

  116. ChasCPeterson says

    Lived there for 11 years.

    My commiserations.

    And just to be clear, in my version of The Way Things Are, ‘walking distance of Times Square’ ≠ Time Square. Seventeen bucks for a cheeseburger is by no means unusual for a sit-down midtown restaurant. I bet they get 15 bucks for a hamburger at the Times Square Applebees.
    Manhattan is a place where people pay $5 for a Pabst longneck and think they’re being hip thereby.

    (btw, depending on exactly when your 11 years were, Times Square may be very, very different from how you remember it. Nobody is ever going to open a mom-&-pop burger joint there, because a) mom & pop couldn’t afford it and b) tourists wouldn’t be interested.)

  117. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Giliell @89:

    Well, I’ll put Stephen the dark side Andrews in the folder of “evidence for the pervasive sexism and misogyny in society”

    err, exactly how thick is that folder?

    ****

    ednaz @104:

    BitchTart is really starting to grow on me.

    A kick-ass attitude.

    Pop Tarts for badass women.

    A Band name.

    An all woman band.
    The American equivalent of Pussy Riot?

    ****

    rq:

    I’m sorry for the juvenility, but your mention of eating tarts makes me think of a less-than-polite, alternative euphemism (using our previous newly discovered compound word) for unattractive ladybits.

    “juvenility”?
    Have you read some of the stuff we talk about here? We can get juvenile quite easily. Matter o pride!

    ****

    RevBDC @122:
    That review of Guy Fieri’s restaurant was quite entertaining.
    What makes him a tool though?

    ****

    I like risotto as well, but I’m tired of how so many places need to add chunks of *stuff* into the risotto. Mushrooms or tomatoes in risotto? Ugh. Not for me. And of course, they’re chopped up just finely enough that it take me forever to fish them all out.

    ****

    Esteleth @146:

    *pelts Portia with pastries*

    OOOh, if we use the trampoline dodgeball game I mentioned upthread, this could be fun.
    Pelting pastries at Portia on a trampoline. Of course you’re not supposed to dodge them. The object is to consume them.

  118. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Ogvorbis:

    Definitely [not] the pea soup. Pea soup is [never] good. Pea soup is [quite un-] healthy. Pea soup is warm [as it comes back out]. Pea soup will cause all manner of keyboard gnashing [as you attempt to bring the spoon to your mouth, trembling in fear and cursing Oggie’s name]. Pea soup will cause [unfair] comparison to horses. All is good [if you don’t eat the soup].

    There.
    That’s much better.

  119. Tony–Queer Duck Overlord of The Bronze– says

    Audley:

    Pea soup and grilled cheese it is, then!

    Come back to us Carol Ann.
    Come back from The Light.

  120. Esteleth, Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo says

    *pushes in tea and coffee cart laden with baked goods and quantum tomatoes*