[Lounge #384]


This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. Tweet.

Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread

Comments

  1. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Ogvorbis:
    Were they outlawed for health reasons?

  2. Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor says

    Tony, I heard they were outlawed because some people were working under a railroad bridge.

  3. says

    opposablethumbs @104 noted a petition to protest corporations who may be supporting anti-gay politicians in Uganda.

    The kill-the-gays bill has recently resurfaced, and anti-gay campaigns are once again, (or still), being supported by evangelical doofuses from the USA.

    “American Liberals are upset,” tweeted Perkins [Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council] on Monday, “that Ugandan Pres is leading his nation in repentance – afraid of a modern example of a nation prospered by God?”

    Now, it just so happens that Yoweri Museveni and the Ugandan parliament are again mulling a draconian law that would brutally punish gay people. The measure, which has been under consideration since 2009, originally included the death penalty for certain offenses, although some reports say that provision has been dropped.

    Does Perkins’ tweet mean he supports the death penalty and long prison sentences for gay people? Oh, heavens, no!

    When critics noted his exaltation of Museveni, Perkins indignantly said his comment had nothing to do with the gay-bashing law. He was merely praising Museveni for a prayerful speech repenting of the nation’s sins and dedicating Uganda to God. (Museveni renounced “satanic influence” and “all the evil foundations and covenants that were laid in idolatry and witchcraft,” and told God, “I hereby covenant Uganda to you, to walk in your ways and experience all your blessings forever.”)

    But if Perkins wasn’t slyly endorsing the anti-gay bill, why did he issue his tweet now? The Museveni repentance took place in October. Why was Perkins just getting around to praising the Ugandan leader this week when the anti-gay hysteria has erupted again?…

    Religious Right extremist Scott Lively believes Museveni is a model for other national leaders.
    …Not for nothing has the Southern Poverty Law Center designated the Family Research Council a hate group. …

    Americans United link. Why can’t America be more like Uganda?

  4. says

    We may have dispatch Janine to Mali. Someone needs to do battle with the anti-music forces.
    Washington Post link.

    Excerpt:

    Northern Mali, one of the richest reservoirs of music on the continent, is now an artistic wasteland. Hundreds of musicians have fled south to Bamako, the capital, and to other towns and neighboring countries, driven out by hard-liners who have decreed any form of music — save for the tunes set to Koranic verses — as being against their religion.

  5. rq says

    Portia
    Sounds like fun!
    What kinds of things do you paint/what medium do you use? Do you share your work online anywhere?
    And yes, troll battles are a lot of fun to watch!

  6. Josh, Official SpokesGay says

    Mirabile dictu—I Googled and I am, apparently, the only person in the world who calls NYC’s Mosholu Parkway the Moo Shu Porkway. How can this be?

  7. says

    Please, please, I’ll be a good girl*. Don’t make me go to the city centre before Christmas.
    But we got almost all the important christmas presents (OK, I’ll have to pick up #1’s bike), the rest shall be done via Amazon.

    Aaaaand we made it to the christmas market and celebrated a little. We’ll celebrate a little more tomorrow, but today is Mr.’s and my first kiss under the mistletoe, 13 years ago.

    *to a certain, unspecified value of good

  8. rq says

    Giliell
    Congratulations, and to many more kisses under the mistletoes in the many more years to come! :)

    I hope you can put off going to the city centre as long as possible.

    Me, I’m avoiding the Great Big Largest Shopping Mall in the Country for as long as possible, even though I know most things will be bought there, last minute, because the Husband won’t be able to decide on anything for his family/friends in advance, so he’ll do the mad rush he hates so much. :( Thank goodness there’s a bookstore nearby and the toystore is online, and I’ve been trying to buy this and that well in advance (as in, summer-time :P I swear I don’t usually!), which means the kids and the Husband will be taken care of.

  9. Beatrice says

    We’ll celebrate a little more tomorrow, but today is Mr.’s and my first kiss under the mistletoe, 13 years ago.

    That’s really sweet.

  10. Beatrice says

    rq,

    I haven’t bought a single present, and will probably do it after the 20th. As usually, even thought I hate the crowds and curse all the idiots* who buy presents at the last minute.

    It’s ridiculous, since I have so much spare time and could have already done the shopping. Luckily, I don’t have a lot of people to buy presents for, only three.

    *including myself

  11. says

    Even after a resounding defeat, the right-wing bubble remains impenetrable. Republican-dominated state legislatures are still voting on anti-abortion measures, and they are still trying to defund Planned Parenthood in their states.

    Okay, so no money for Planned Parenthood, that den of iniquity that offers breast cancer screenings, contraception, etc. Where will the Republicans put their money? Why into so-called “Pregnancy Centers” that are really religious holding facilities where pregnant women are forced to contemplate God and, of course, their sins.

    Crisis Pregnancy Centers are problematic on many levels: they often engage in deceptive practices, setting up shop near abortion providers to confuse women, handing out medically inaccurate information and sometimes even coercing patients….

    One such “Christ-centered ministry” in Vermont, part of a national umbrella network of Christian CPCs, got rejected for a federal loan for a variety. Now they are suing … programming.

    Care Net’s most troubling offering, as far as USDA officials were concerned, was a rewards-based learning program called “Learn to Earn,” wherein expectant parents had to take a certain number of parenting and Bible study classes in order to receive free baby supplies. [Mormons take this same approach in Utah] … The center also offers, according to a brochure, a “bible centered program” called “Post Abortive Teaching and Healing” that “enables women to process their abortion-related experiences and emotions with the goal of healing and recovery.” In addition, Care Net conducts an abstinence-only sex-education class called “Why Am I Tempted?” or WAIT….

    In a May 2011 memo, USDA Office of the General Counsel attorney adviser Virginia Henning wrote that though Care Net’s non-religious activities were eligible for financial assistance under the federal agency’s program rules, it would be difficult for the USDA to “accurately prorate the amount of time and space used in this facility for religious education” and would thus require “extensive monitoring” from the USDA to make sure the center was not engaging in too much religious activity.

    The case is going back to court to see if ‘he loan denial on the basis of the group’s religious activities violated Care Net’s constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection” but as Resnick notes, this is a case that the group hopes will very much open the door for more federal funding for religious groups.

    Salon link. Bible-pushing pregnancy centers are after taxpayer dollars.

  12. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I have a question for the Horde. I’ve been seriously considering getting an iPad for the household. While theoretically, it would be for the Redhead’s use, with voice recognition software, I would also use it for web browsing downstairs. The iPad would use Wifi from the iMac upstairs which is connected to Comcast.

    Beginners questions:
    1) With a dock or stand, can it be used one-handed easily?
    2) How secure can the Wifi connection be (say for purchases)?
    3) Does the voice recognition software work well? Siri is built in to the iOS, and Dragon is available for text input from what little I’ve read.

  13. Portia, sporty and glam, pelted with pastries says

    What kinds of things do you paint/what medium do you use? Do you share your work online anywhere?

    I typically stick to acrylics on canvas or wood. I’m not very savvy with posting my work or selling my work, it’s mostly been a hobby up til now. But, I can link to a picture of a couple pieces I’ve done:

    Flight Among the Concords (Geddit?)

    Untitled

    Sweet Home Colorado

    There’s a theme, I know. I’m going to branch out with the next one. (Heh, I just saw what I did there.)The next one will probably be in a modified version of this style:

    Ser Valiente

    The beginning of one that would have a saying in the center

    Giliell

    Cheers! :)

  14. rq says

    Beatrice
    I used to be one of those, but I hate the shopping more and more, plus it gets more and more difficult to do because it means either (a) one of us stays home with the kids, which means one of us shops, and that means consultations and etc. are more difficult; or (b) we both go shopping, which means the kids come with, and chidren+shopping malls+crowds=/=a very festive spirit for me…
    Lucky you, only 3 people to shop for. :)

    Portia
    I think your links are down.
    Now I’m on tenterhooks, wondering, wondering…

  15. Portia, sporty and glam, pelted with pastries says

    Ok, after a bit of effort, here’s a smaller sampling that overlaps with what I was trying share above. Here you go, rq :)

  16. rq says

    Portia
    I love the bird ones at the end, especially the purple one. Fine work, young lady! :)

    +++

    I know we’ve had the vegetable discussion already, but I was still amazed tonight, when the two eldest actually had an argument about who was going to get the last piece of broccoli (half-and-half).

    +++

    There’s this one thing I keep meaning to write, but I’ve forgotten again, even though I know I thought of it this morning. It’s getting annoying.

  17. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Giliell:

    Aw, that is incredibly sweet. 13 years. Sniff. Sniff.

    ****

    For the benefit of anyone out there who doesn’t want to shop at the big malls, if you give me money, I will shop for you. ;)
    I would love to spend a day or two in a ginormous mall. I have been so utterly broke for so long, I don’t remember the last time I spent a day shopping.

  18. rq says

    Tony
    If I knew what stuff cost on your side, and I knew it would all make it back here in time, I would definitely send you the money to do the shopping for me. Definitely. With some extra for you (slave labour is so last century).

  19. says

    Thanks for the cheers!

    What kinds of things do you paint/what medium do you use? Do you share your work online anywhere?

    I haz sewing and machine embroidery. I sometimes put the stuff on my blog and almost always on my flickr.

    Portia
    I like the Treeptychon

    gifts
    So, most people are getting calendars with pictures from the kids.
    The kids are getting bikes.
    We went to look for one for #1, and I manged to steer her towards a moderately girly one.
    And we were worried a lot about what to get the little one who could inherit her sister’s running bike. Well, she solved that problem herself….
    Now I’ll get some more books and then I’m done.

  20. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Nerd:
    My roomie, E has an iPad, which he frequently uses without a dock or stand and he finds it easy to use one handed, so it shouldn’t be a problem with a dock or stand.

  21. says

    Oh, talking about kids, sometimes #1 would make a good prosecuted creationist christian.
    Today she complained loudly about the fact that:
    -Her sister was always getting new stuff and she never.
    -Her sister was always getting prettier stuff than her.
    Ehm, yes, we’re talking about the kid who actually gets the new stuff and whose sister is wearing her hand me downs….

  22. Ogvorbis says

    Were they outlawed for health reasons?

    Yes.

    Tony, I heard they were outlawed because some people were working under a railroad bridge.

    Cases like that (multiple) are why the railroad’s lobbyists were overridden and the new regulation put in place.

    1) With a dock or stand, can it be used one-handed easily?

    If you will do it with a goat, get the stand. If you will do it on a boat, get the dock.

  23. Ogvorbis says

    And I ain’t touching the ‘can it be used one-handed easily’ part of the question. Even I have standards.

  24. carlie says

    Congrats, Giliell!

    Nerd – is the Redhead a touch typist? I’ve heard that people who touch type have the most trouble adapting to using an ipad, because there is no tactile input as to where the keys are. I can attest to that the couple of minutes I tried playing with an ipad, I was all “OMGWTF flat surface typing FUCK”, so there may be something to that. I think someone has made a touch overlay with outlines where the keys are.

    I like shopping malls once a year or so. I get to the point of thinking hm, haven’t been to the mall in a really long time, then I go and remember all the reasons I hate going to the mall. I used to love to go as a teenager, though.

  25. Nakkustoppeli says

    Portia,

    I just started thinking, that if a motorist can see a train going above, the bridge has to be an open structure and thought that ok, it may not have been built that way if U.S. trains used toilets that dump everything on the track, at least not in a just world.

    To move to another level, your paintings are beatiful, especially those with birds.

  26. Ogvorbis says

    Nerd:

    Sorry. Rereading my attempt at humour, that really sounded insensitive. Sorry.

    I just started thinking, that if a motorist can see a train going above, the bridge has to be an open structure and thought that ok, it may not have been built that way if U.S. trains used toilets that dump everything on the track, at least not in a just world.

    Doubtful. If a bridge has a closed deck, that introduces all kinds of problems regarding drainage (inadequate drainage is really really bad for wooden railroad ties (stringers) no matter how much creosote you dump on them) and necessitates ballast to stop water pooling around the ties which means having to clean the ballast to ensure proper drainage and clean out the drainage pipes which stop the water pooling on the deck of the bridge. I would have to actually see the bridge in question, but I’d bet dollars to donuts that it was built with an open construction (and to hell with the autos underneath).

  27. Nakkustoppeli says

    Ogvorbis, the simple toilets here (in Ein, Eit and Eip cars) are considered the proverbial thing that works because it’s not overly complicated (Finnish: Toimii kuin junan vessa, English Works like a toilet in a train).
    Of course that true’s if one’s happy with “dumps crap all over the network” = “works”

  28. broboxley OT says

    #500 Tony I would bet on a chemtank lobbyist was involved somewhere

    Dumass that has an new SUV parked across 2 spaces in front of the mall shouldn’t leave his vehicle so dusty that random juggalos could leave comments about his presumed personality. Nice to see a fat red parking violation sticker on it when I came out.

    Looks like I wont be able to afford that roast, dang acu were $120 and the perfumes ran $240 so it looks like irradiated lumpenmeaten will have to stand in again this year for xmas dinner.

  29. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    Hey everybody! Totally threadrupt. You’d think since I have nothing to do but find a place I could keep up, but nope!

    We’re all good here. It’s just Dec. 1st and still haven’t found a place to go. So. Fucking. Frustrating. Seriously.

    Oh, and has anyone seen the commercials for the American Giving Awards Presented by Chase.

    They are really irritating. I mean it’s all “We’re so great for giving money, let’s wast money on a big fancy event and pass out awards!” How self-centered is that? It comes off so fucking badly to me. Makes me want to smack whoever though of it.

    Of course, I’m irritating with just about everything lately.

  30. says

    I’m pretty ‘rupt as well. Also exhausted from running errands all over town. So, today’s drama about the apartment: Roommate (This is new roommate, who’s been with us since a mental health emergency lost her her job and her last apartment), has been asking her mother for help with things like paying for a therapist. Her mother, in response, told her that she was a grownup, and that she(mother) was sick of dealing with her children’s problems since they’re all grown up now. (Roommate is 23, her youngest brother is 19). Mother then went on to tell roommate that she is worthless and ‘lower than dirt’ because her mental health issues preclude seeking/holding a job at this time. She further said that she(mother) will be giving the contents of the storage at her second! home to Goodwill on Monday. Said contents contain the remaining belongings of Roommate’s late father, which are important mementos to her, but apparently not her mother. I was able to get a starter to jump her battery, so hopefully we can bring it here tomorrow until we can find someplace else to store it.

  31. broboxley OT says

    Dalillama, Schmott Guy
    that is her natural mother? Great, disposable people now. If someone has a really bad drug habit and is robbing all the relatives you use a firm hand but welcome them back if they try to cleanup. from your description that isn’t the case.

  32. Portia, sporty and glam, pelted with pastries says

    rq

    I love the bird ones at the end, especially the purple one. Fine work, young lady! :)

    Thank you! I appreciate that because that’s the most recent one and I was unsure of it.

    Beatrice

    Lovely works. I wanted to choose a favorite, but I can’t.

    You are too kind :D

    Giliell

    I like the Treeptychon

    I googled on my phone earlier and deduced from the German-language Wikipedia page which one you meant. I didn’t know it before, but now I know that I like painting triptychons quite a bit! I added my favorite, partly because it was the last work I did in my grandmother’s studio with her before she passed away. (It’s last in the album now).

    Nakkustoppeli

    I just started thinking, that if a motorist can see a train going above, the bridge has to be an open structure and thought that ok, it may not have been built that way if U.S. trains used toilets that dump everything on the track, at least not in a just world.
    To move to another level, your paintings are beatiful, especially those with birds.

    *shudder* I’m glad Ogvorbis is here to assure me such a thing would not happen!
    And thank you! :D

    You all are making me feel much more confident about displaying my stuff.

    JAL

    Of course, I’m irritating with just about everything lately.

    I’m particularly irritable today, too, for some reason. Let’s be grouchy together : ) (Though you have more cause for frustration, and *hugs* for that).

    Dalillama

    That’s terrible! I’m glad Roommate has you to help her out getting her father’s belongings. And for general moral support, it sounds like. What an awful position to be in for her. Hope things start going better for all involved.

    ===

    Littlest (age 6) had a lot of fun using my cookie press today to make yummy cream cheese cookies. Then I made a sweet potato corn chowder that was really satisfying. This was after we made a goodwill trip and got some really cheap greeting cards. Fun.

  33. says

    Broboxley
    Yes, this is her biological mother.

    Portia
    Yes, L and I have been helping her as best we can since she moved in. One of her friends who visited a while back said that this is the happiest she’d seen her ever, and said we should keep up whatever we were doing, so there’s that.

    I went and got bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes at the store for comfort food, and I go now to make us BLTs with homemade bread.

  34. carlie says

    kristinc – on…purpose, I assume? My allergies are too bad to even think of such a proposition.

  35. says

    Well, let’s see: I gave two talks today, one on science education, another on genetic drift, and then I was on a panel with Eugenie Scott and Larry Moran. I’m finally back in my hotel room, and tomorrow I have another long day (I’m on another panel on gender issues as the token male).

    Now Heina has just put out a call for us to go drink.

    Should I go or should I relax and unwind for a bit?

    Possibly significant datum: I had poutine for dinner. Before my talk. That alone may demand a long lie-down.

  36. broboxley OT says

    PZ poutine requires a lot of alcohol to cut the grease. You will have to step up to avoid health complications

  37. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    PZ:
    I say go for a few drinks. You work hard ; enjoy some social relax time.
    Remember, drink respinsibly and tip your bartender.

  38. Ichthyic says

    didn’t u have a freakkin’ heart attack last year?

    now your wolfing down poutine?

    what would your mother say?

    sorry, sometimes it’s just too easy to play the guilt angle.

    ;)

  39. says

    Nerd @514,

    The iPad would use Wifi from the iMac upstairs which is connected to Comcast.

    How is that supposed to work? Is that an Apple thing I don’t know about?

    1) With a dock or stand, can it be used one-handed easily?

    Pretty sure it can.

    2) How secure can the Wifi connection be (say for purchases)?

    Not an issue. Very safe with WPA2 if set up properly. Just don’t use WEP.

    3) Does the voice recognition software work well? Siri is built in to the iOS, and Dragon is available for text input from what little I’ve read.

    I tried this on my Macbook for writing some text, and found the freeware programs very lacking. Dragon can be bought for 100 bucks or so, and apparently it’s good.

  40. says

    Also, the built-in voice recognition on the Mac bizarrely sends what you say to Apple’s servers for translation into text. And I refuse to do that on principle, privacy and all.

  41. says

    How is that supposed to work? Is that an Apple thing I don’t know about?

    Nah, any wireless router or computer with a wireless card can be set up as a wifi hotspot. Pretty much all tablets and smartphones can use any local hotspot that you have the passwords for.

  42. ednaz says

    Akira MacKenzie

    I’ve read your posts on different threads, most recently ‘Christianity is not religion? It’s a philosophy?’

    I like the way you kick ass.

    *thumbsup*

  43. John Morales says

    Akira,

    Would bringing up a Kickstarter campaign be considered spamming?

    Bringing it up, no.

    Repeatedly bringing it up, yes.

    (No, I haven’t bothered to Google what a “Kickstarter campaign” is)

  44. Ichthyic says

    (No, I haven’t bothered to Google what a “Kickstarter campaign” is)

    you should. the concept is actually pretty cool.

    like investment was always supposed to be.

  45. says

    White chocolate is not a cruel lie. It is honest: it is not chocolate. See, here is is, plainly and openly all white, very obviously being not-chocolate. Now, MILK chocolate is a cruel lie. It tricks you into expecting chocolatey goodness and then delivers only faint hints.

  46. rq says

    I agree with Alethea. Milk chocolate is the worst kind of lie, because it gets hopes up to all kinds of heights, only to disappoint. I like my chocolate between 42 and 70%.
    White chocolate probably should be renamed something else, but at least I know what to expect when I eat it.

  47. Beatrice says

    Warner slogging in the third over with 624 runs to get and 2 days to play.

    Red coffee driving across the rainbow with 459 flowers to fly and a cockroach.

    (kidding, but I honestly have no idea what you wrote there)

  48. rq says

    rorschach
    I used to understand cricket. For about a day.

    Beatrice
    You must have better milk chocolate than I have access to.
    But you have to admit, dark chocolate is so much better for cooking (cookies, cakes, brownies, the lot…).

  49. Beatrice says

    rq,

    There is exactly one cake I know that I would use milk chocolate in, and it’s a layer cake white/milk/dark chocolate.

  50. rq says

    Beatrice
    If you’re going to say provocative things like that, then I demand RECIPE!!! PROOF of this milk chocolate used in the culinary arts!!!

  51. Beatrice says

    rq,

    It’s one of mum’s, which means the recipe is buried somewhere in the recipe drawer.
    Will type it when I find it.

  52. rq says

    Beatrice
    Well, when I feel the unstoppable urge coming on (currently out of butter, an essential ingredient in all my cooking, so I have to restrain myself), I’ll ask you for the translation, just in case Google Translate tells me to use three chickens and shove the end result in hot irons. Or something. But the picture is very tempting. Good thing it’s not Lent! hahaha…
    It must be Sunday.

  53. rq says

    If you read “Various food services in an authentic Soviet atmosphere.” in a tour guide, would you want to eat in such a place?

  54. rq says

    Beatrice

    What about a place called “At Madam Salmon’s”, or would it be better to say “Chez Madam Salmon’s”? That first one has the distinct ring of a marine bordello about it… Not that the second is any better.

  55. Beatrice says

    rq,

    That sounds fun ;)

    (I’m imagining skimpily dressed salmons doing a fish version of can-can)

  56. rq says

    Beatrice

    I’ll leave it, then.
    (In case you’re wondering, it’s a tourism translation, currently working through the food section. The bit about Madam Salmon makes sense in Latvian because it references a popular song about the Eel marrying Madam Salmon. Wasn’t sure how it would come across in English, but salmon(s?) in can-can skirts works just fine! :) )

  57. Beatrice says

    rq,

    Take into consideration that I’m weird and I’m no guarantee that other people would react well to Chez Madame Salmon.

  58. rq says

    Good enough for me.
    We’re going for ‘fun’ and ‘inviting’ here, to attract tourists, not oh-look-another-hick-restaurant. :) ‘Quirky’ works well.

  59. Ogvorbis says

    Ahhhhhhhh! Friday.

    I get to pick up my car from the shoppe tomorrow ($500 deductible thanks to one white-tail buck).

    And I am taking two additional days off so I won’t have to be back to work until rq’s Friday. Which is normally my Wednesday but my days off are changing for the winter and I will have Friday and Saturday off (making Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday) so I am working an 8-day week which, I guess, makes rq’s Friday into my, what? double Monday?

    Anyway, happy Friday to all, and to all a good Sunday!

  60. rq says

    Well, it certainly feels like an rq-Friday, seeing as the work week for the Husband appears to be never-ending, and yet I know that tomorrow it will only continue.
    I prefer to remember that it is Sunday. That way I know time is moving forwards and I’m not stuck on the same day again and again.

    What you’re going to do on your double-Monday, Ogvorbis, I don’t know, but it sounds terrible.

  61. rq says

    Well, I couldn’t find Madam Salmon in that lot, plus it slowed down the internet, so I had to turn it off.
    I did, however, forward that address to my sister, as a form of pre-emptive revenge. I’m sure she’ll deserve it eventually.

  62. Ogvorbis says

    What you’re going to do on your double-Monday,

    Why, I plan to work.

    Whether it be salmon or salmons, there is only one Madam Salmon.

    When I was in high school, one of my classmates did a term paper on sexism in children’s cartoons. Which was cool. She actually set it up so that she was watching Saturday morning cartoons (as well as daily during the early morning and after school) as part of her school work. The Smurfs (the US incarnation of them — it may be different in other, more advanced, countries) came for especially hard condemnation. There is only one Smurfette (which did lead to a footnote in the paper wondering about her chiropractor and/or ob/gyn (at which the teacher noted that this was the first term paper ever that had caused her to laugh out loud for something well done)). Smurfette was evil until the boy Smurfs turned her to good. Fun paper.

    So, if there is only one Madam Salmon, how many eggs does she produce? And is the fact that there is only one Madam Salmon responsible for the disappearance of salmon from so many rivers? Or am I over-analyzing the hell out of this?

  63. Ogvorbis says

    My eyes!!!!

    Sorry.

    I did, however, forward that address to my sister, as a form of pre-emptive revenge. I’m sure she’ll deserve it eventually.

    I like that.

  64. rq says

    Ogvorbis
    You are over-analyzing.
    Because Madam Salmon is happily married to Mister Eel, and all the other fishes of the sea came to their wedding, and no, she isn’t responsible for all the salmon, ever to swim in the sea. She is breaking the rules, even though all the other fish laugh at her for it. True Love, don’t you know.
    I don’t know about children; someone else will have to delve into the cross-speciation of salmon and eels, because I have moved past the food section of this translation.

    But I’m glad the Smurfs get condemned so soundly; I never liked them anyway, French or English.
    Someone should also look at Tintin and Asterix and Obelix, because those are the last remaining bastions of my childhood entertainment not yet officially debunked by skepticism.

  65. rq says

    Ogvorbis
    She gets a lot of crap delightfully amusing tidbits originally originating from here. It’s great. I can finally not only get her back for all the stupidity amusement she has sent my way over the years, but, indeed, get some things in in advance.
    It sets her back a bit, and also, the resulting confusion and astonishment are funny.

    For instance, she did not know what to make of Beatrice‘s Fishmen Christmas song.

    (To be fair, she did respond to that by emailing me a .pdf attachment named ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’, which turned out to be ’50 Shades of Grey’ in disguise.)

  66. Ogvorbis says

    Someone should also look at Tintin and Asterix and Obelix,

    I love Tintin. It is definitely racist and sexist but, considering the time it was written, not excessively so. And I always liked the fact that everyone in Tintin screws up — the detectives, Dr. Calculus, Captain Haddock, Tintin, Snowy. They come across as real people (or dog as the case may be) with strengths, weaknesses, and glaring blind spots. I like stories, especially children’s stories, in which the protagonist is not a paragon of virtue, purity and perfection but is, instead, human.

    The other two are stories with which I am unfamiliar and will, thus, not comment.

  67. Beatrice says

    rq,

    To be fair, she did respond to that by emailing me a .pdf attachment named ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’, which turned out to be ’50 Shades of Grey’ in disguise.

    Huh. Ok, that will be a movie I won’t watch then.

    I saw ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ condemned somewhere on Patheos, for having a gay character and an older girl/younger boy relationship (nothing illegal, if I remember correctly, just icky to a religionist) so I thought it would be worth watching.

  68. Ogvorbis says

    We got a Flat Stanley in the mail! Part of today will have to be adventures.

    We get a Flat Stanley about once a week, either in the mail or in person. And I’m sure that there are other Flat Stanleys here in person that we don’t even be aware of.

  69. Ogvorbis says

    And isn’t it sad when bad things happen to good sentences? Is there a Grammatica in the Tpyos pantheon?

  70. Akira MacKenzie says

    OK, since there are no objections:

    As many of you might know, Jeff Dee of the Atheist Experience/The Non-Prophets/Atheist Community of Austin fame, is also a tabletop RPG designer and artist going back to the beginning of the hobby. Lately, Jeff has been trying to recreate much of the artwork he did for TSR in the 70s and early 80s, the original pieces having been destroyed when Wizards Of The Coast took over the Dungeons & Dragons brand. To help fund these projects, he’s been running a series of successful Kickstarters.

    His current project is to recreate his very first pieces of published artwork: Illustrations for an article by late Empire of the Petal Throne author Prof. M.A.R. Barker that appeared in The Dragon No. 6. The campaign is it’s final hours, so if you like Jeff’s artwork and/or Prof. Barker’s fantasy world of Tekumel, then please contribute.

  71. says

    HI there
    We had the most woooonderful lunch today at what I’d call the town’s best restaurant.
    And as the town’s best restaurant they also have a nice lady who watches the kids while mum and dad get to have a damn quiet meal :)
    Different iterations of salmon, other seafood for starters, then veal and beef for main and about 10 different desserts.

    +++

    There is only one Smurfette

    The smurfette principle: most series only have one token female character, whose character is, well, female. (Smurfs, Winnie the Pooh, etc..)

    rq
    Asterix, the truth”>Asterix, the truth. A very funny book about Asterix and the historical truth

  72. Ogvorbis says

    The smurfette principle: most series only have one token female character, whose character is, well, female. (Smurfs, Winnie the Pooh, etc..)

    No question. That was the focus of her paper. And those female characters tend to be one-dimensional cheerleaders/victims whose only role is to watch as the boys do things or get herself into a horrible situation from which she must be rescued.

  73. Beatrice says

    Context: Filling out an open application for a bank here

    Question: In [insert your country], it’s illegal to ask about potential employee’s housing, marital status and/or number of kids, right?

    It should be (right?), if it isn’t.

  74. rq says

    Beatrice
    I don’t know about the movie. I mean she sent me a text titled ‘Perks of…’ and it actually was 50 Shades, not like 50 Shades. So I don’t know what the book is actually like.

    Ogvorbis
    Asterix is only the most indomitable Gaul ever to stand against Caesar. Duh. Hissidekick Obelix can’t keep his hands off a good boar when he sees one. Gets them lots of adventures.

  75. rq says

    Giliell
    I’d love that book. I have all his pdfs on the computer (Asterix’, that is). Love that guy, even though he’s prone to anti-Roman violence. And it does have women characters of various actual characteristics, and I think it was the Olympics one where the women take care of the town (including a Roman invasion) while the menfolk are away at the Games (where they nearly get disqualified for doping, courtesy of their druid).
    Also, I think that book contains the best justification of a situation to make it work for one’s own purposes. (“Only Romans can participate in the Games.” *everyone sad* “Hey, technically we’re occupied by the Romans, that makes us Romans, too!” *everybody happy*)

    Beatrice
    It is illegal, here. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal in the EU as a whole, but I also know that my friend in the UK routinely meets with these questions, if not on applications, then in interviews.
    Even if they ask them (already illegal), they’re not supposed to discriminate against you, whatever your answers.
    But yes. It should be illegal.

  76. Beatrice says

    I can’t find it now, but I’m almost sure it’s illegal here too (as part of the law ensuring gender equality).

    Of course, I came across two places today where applications ask for marital status and number of kids. Bastards.

  77. Ogvorbis says

    rq:

    Sounds like they are good books. Do they come in English, or only the barbarian languages?

  78. rq says

    Ogvorbis
    How can I drop you a large file? I can give them to you, in English, should you want them… .pdf.
    And yes, they do come in languages other than English. Oh wait…

  79. Beatrice says

    You don’t know Asterix?

    I missed that.

    Ogvorbis, you should watch the animated movies. I used to love watching them as a kid.

  80. Beatrice says

    rq,

    If you don’t mind dropping those pdfs to someone other than Ogvorbis, my mail is beatrice(dot)anin at the googli thing.

    I would be most grateful. :)

    I’ve never read the comics, just watched the cartoons.

  81. Ogvorbis says

    How can I drop you a large file? I can give them to you, in English, should you want them… .pdf.
    And yes, they do come in languages other than English. Oh wait…

    my ‘nym (at) yahoodotcom

  82. Ogvorbis says

    Ogvorbis, you should watch the animated movies. I used to love watching them as a kid.

    When Wife and I can get netfix, I’ll do htat.

  83. Beatrice says

    Ogvorbis,

    If you suddenly started spelling everything perfectly, you’d give the rest of a complex.

    Also, you’d make Tpyos sad. Or mad. And we don’t want that.

  84. Ogvorbis says

    If you suddenly started spelling everything perfectly, you’d give the rest of a complex.

    You mean there are people here who don’t have a complex? There are shudder normal people here?

  85. Beatrice says

    And I see now that I lost an entire word there.

    The complex about spelling. I don’t know about others, but I’ve got plenty of other complexes.

  86. Beatrice says

    the complex -> a complex

    I should worry about my grammar much more than just about spelling.

  87. Ogvorbis says

    I don’t know about others, but I’ve got plenty of other complexes.

    As I have demonstrated before, even my complexes have complexes.

  88. rq says

    Giliell
    It isn’t good but it’s better than a lot of other stuff. Then again, I’ll have to take a look at it again; it’s been a while.

    And for Ogvorbis, I hope you like puns.

    Also, the file’s too big to email, but I’ll have a link in a few minutes where you can all get the books. Just soyez patients.

  89. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    And, while I’m at it, I’ll learn to spel.

    Poor Tpyos.

    Trying to take the planned over turkey from T-day and make a tetrazini with it. The recipe says 5 cups broken up spaghetti. Two boxes of noodles give 6 cups. Close enough…

  90. Ogvorbis says

    And, at the risk of sounding redundant, I’m out to lunch.

    I should worry about my grammar much more than just about spelling.

    Worshiping Grammatika is as just valid as worshiping Tpyos.

  91. says

    Ogvorbis

    So, if there is only one Madam Salmon, how many eggs does she produce? …Or am I over-analyzing the hell out of this?

    This is one of those mythic things; There’s loads of female salmon, but only one Madame Salmon. Just like there’s loads of ravens around, but there’s only one Raven.

    Also, I add my voice to those who recommend Asterix and Obelix. There’s definitely some old-fashioned sexism there, but not as much as you’d expect, and there’s a lot of subtle humor. I, too, read them (and Tintin)* over and over as a child, although I never saw any of the movies. (Thanks for the link Gilliell I’ll have to watch it. rq I actually wouldn’t mind those pdfs myself, I haven’t got copies of them anymore.

    *Speaking of which, am I the only one here who considers that 3D movie they made last year to be an abomination?

  92. rq says

    Complexes? What complexes? Oh, those.
    Yeah.
    I put them away, for now.

    +++

    Asterix link. I also emailed the link in case it’s weird here. Clickety-click on the blue Asterix.rar text beside the green arrow to download; there’s no password, it’s just a .rar file with all the .pdfs inside.
    Shouldn’t come with any additives. If it does, I won’t be too pleased, myself.

  93. rq says

    Dalillama
    I’m out on the movie. I liked it, but I didn’t love it, and I didn’t think it did justice to the phenomenon that is Tintin. Because, you know, Tintin.
    But.
    To become more accessible to a wider audience, yes. Did an ok job.
    Would I have done it differently? For sure.
    Oh well.

    See Asterix link above. If anyone else would prefer it by email, let me know.

  94. rq says

    PS The animated A&Os are good, but I also didn’t mind the real-live-people-actors ones they’ve done. The Olympics, and Cleopatra, I think.

    Mostly I just love the books because they make history fun; now every time I read historical texts, I try to imagine the people as characters in Asterix comics. Helps.

  95. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Salmons, ravens, asterix’s, double mondays…don’t you folks talk about normal MERCUN (fuck yeah!) Topics?

    I had a profound experience last night. I’m stiil trying to wrap my head around it. I hope to write a teal deer later today (which I intend to crosspost to the dome, bc it is relevant to the discussion with joe4060). In a nutshell: religion fucked my sex life.

  96. Ogvorbis says

    In a nutshell: religion fucked my sex life.

    Isn’t that the purpose of Augustinian Christianity?

  97. carlie says

    We get a Flat Stanley about once a week, either in the mail or in person. And I’m sure that there are other Flat Stanleys here in person that we don’t even be aware of.

    I guess it’s not too surprising that what we did was go to a National Park site, then. :) But the kind Ranger at the desk gave us a Junior Ranger badge, and we bought a couple of things to send the nephew who sent the Stanley (and for his sister). Now I get to do the fun part, make it into a story and touch up the pictures. Part of the outdoor stuff was closed due to weather, so we have a couple pics of Stanley trying to sneak in through the bars of the gate (due to his flatness) and we have to tell him no.

  98. says

    rq
    Downloading now, and thank you. I think my three biggest beefs with the movie are 1)There was no reason to try to shoehorn The Crab With the Golden Claws into there, especially the way they mangled it, 2)They cut out most of the good bits of Red Rackham’s Treasure and Secret of the Unicorn to do so, along with all the stupid extraneous crap they added, and 3) It was in 3D, and I hate that.

  99. Ogvorbis says

    I guess it’s not too surprising that what we did was go to a National Park site, then.

    Which park?

    3) It was in 3D, and I hate that.

    I went to a non-3D showing. There were one or two places where there was some oddness, but it worked well on the flat screen. For me, at least.

  100. rq says

    Dalillama
    I didn’t see it in 3D; I make a point to avoid those movies. The only one I went to see was Avatar, and that only for the scenery, after we’d already watched it at home in 2D.

    Tony
    I’m pretty sure that’s religion’s point. Especially if you’re not a Real Man (TM). :P
    Oh, and what’s MERCUN?
    (You mean you don’t like Asterix?)

  101. says

    You remember all the incredibly stupid stuff we heard from Romney about the 47%, and that we heard from various Republicans about the supposed immorality of welfare for the poor? Well, that economic ignorance goes way back.

    As most of us have already heard, there’s a libertarian “gold bug” wing that backs Glenn Beck’s view of a precious metals-based society, and there are alarmingly large groups of people who believe that welfare for disadvantaged populations brings about moral decay. But what we don’t know is how deeply involved the CIA was in all this dogmatic sludge.

    Recent coverage by Salon and others has exposed the back story of money laundering, CIA-connected support for questionable economic policies, etc.

    “I don’t see why the recipient of welfare should be able to vote, because obviously he can vote for more welfare.” — Deak-Perera

    There’s Columbian cartel cash being laundered to finance bad ideas, there’s an Ayn fucking Rand connection. There are Macau Triad connections, as well as connections to Ronald Reagan and his appointed CIA chief. There’s the Lockheed bribe money and war-monger connections. At the end of the story, there’s a possible CIA hit on their old friend Deak.

    The economically stupid dogma the CIA helped to establish survives.

  102. rq says

    Ogvorbis
    Ok, but let me know if I need to figure out another way to get them to you.

    Dalillama
    Also, what you said about the stories – yes. They left out some of my favourite parts from the actual stories, and The Crab aspect was a bit too stilted, like it was in there to get as much of Tintin-verse into the movie as possible. I had the feeling that they left out a lot of Tintin’s detective work for the action scenes, too.
    But, as I said, I didn’t hate it. I liked it, but probably not enough to see it twice. (Apparently Belgium approved.)

    And Tintin is why I am extremely apprehensive about The Hobbit.

  103. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    rq:
    Mercun=american
    Also, I used the comic sans to make fun of myself in that comment. I know squat about Asterix.
    Wallace & Gromit 2016!
    __
    Does anyone have a handy link to the most popular creationist arguments?

  104. says

    rq
    I really feel that since they’re making another one anyway, they could have just done Crab the first time to introduce all the characters then merged Rackham and Unicorn for the second.
    I’ve heard that there were several good animated Tintin movies from a while back, but I can’t get my hands on any. I found a copy of one called Tintin and the Blue Oranges, which appears to be a live action film with an original script, but I’ve not got around to watching it yet.
    RE:The Hobbit, I have a good feeling about it because it’s mostly the same production team that did LOTR, and those were well done despite a bit of adaptation decay.

  105. carlie says

    Og – I’d rather not reveal that much publicly about my location, but I could email it to you if you’re interested. It’s a local place we frequent.

    Just made chocolate-topped shortbread cookies. Yum.

  106. Ogvorbis says

    Tony:

    Try creation.com.

    Barf bags are not, repeat NOT, included.

    According to one creobot, that one web site demolishes and refutes every paper ever published about evolution.

  107. carlie says

    Oh, not even a problem! It’s not like I’ve been tight-lipped about my general location, I just still have a touch of paranoia.

  108. jefrir says

    I’ve heard that there were several good animated Tintin movies from a while back, but I can’t get my hands on any.

    There was a TV series about 20 years ago that was pretty faithful to the books.

  109. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Hmmm, I wonder if PZ is still trembling in his booties from jencare/drastikmesurez threat to pursue legal action for spam deletion…

  110. Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor says

    Dalillama, I saw the Tintin movie, in 2D, as I’d heard it wasn’t good enough to waste 3D money on. It was not good, in my opinion. I recognized parts, but there were some long bits that went off into surreal impossibilities that Tintin never does. As for the animation itself, I had no complaints. Well, there was the fact that when they showed the map with the Latitude and Longitude, I noticed it, noticed it was partially hidden, knew it was important and recognized the location as England, ruining a surprise (but that’s one of my personal problems).

    By the way, I don’t own many of the Tintin books, but I do have “Ekspedisi Ke Bulan” here at hand, which is Indonesian for Expedition to Moon. I’ve a few others, and read them to try to keep my language skills up—it isn’t working, really.

  111. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Menyambal:
    My own personal, unbiased scientific study confirms that AVATAR is the only 3-D movie worth seeing. Ever. Going back to JAWS 3-D.
    And that was a study of movies I have seen. And I have not seen the vast majority of 3-D films. But none of that affects my conclusion.

  112. rq says

    Giliell
    *hugs* and good luck.
    Actually, I love how the Asterix names get adapted to each language, because it keeps all the jokes in the story, rather than having them lost in translation. Confusing, a bit – but so much better!

    +++

    If anyone wants the Tintin books, let me know and I can do the same thing as with the Asterix comics.

    +++

    Good night, all, enjoy the reading!!

  113. Ichthyic says

    Romney got a lot of his investment cash for Bain Capital from rich families based in Latin America, including Argentinian families linked to death squads.

    hey, at least he mentioned he was at one point concerned about it.

    Romney’s really a humanitarian!

    *rolleyes*

  114. Ichthyic says

    My own personal, unbiased scientific study confirms that AVATAR is the only 3-D movie worth seeing.

    I haven’t seen it yet, but our local mayor says the Hobbit in 3d is fun.

    I have to wonder why they decided to make a 3d version of it myself, but hey, whatever.

  115. Ichthyic says

    I wonder if PZ is still trembling in his booties from jencare/drastikmesurez threat to pursue legal action for spam deletion…

    damn, sorry I missed that.

  116. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Ichthyic:
    To bleed money from gullible consumers who do not realize that the added”value” of 3-D movies does not justify the increased ticket prices.
    One of the many things I miss from my little buddy (my nickname for M) were his insights into Hollywood. He told me that theaters do not make much money off ticket prices. Concession stand sales is where the bulk of their profits come from. So where did most of the $$ from tickets go to? Movie studios, more than likely.
    I loathe 3-D movies. I see them as-by and large-an excuse to get audiences to pay more for movies that are just as enjoyable in traditional 2-D (which is not an accurate description of conventional movies but I digress). Take a horror movie like MY BLOODY VALENTINE, where the 3-D was used as an excuse to throw blood, guts, and murder tools at the audience. The very fucking definition of shock value.
    I did watch The Amazing Spider-Man in 3-D, and though I enjoyed it, I have a feeling it was more due to my being a comic book geek rather than any value the 3-D added. I cite AVATAR as a great 3-D movie bc it was an immersive experience. It wasn’t just objects thrown at the screen it was using the technology to bring an entire alien world to life. In vivid color. In multiple dimensions. It suffused the entire film. Without it, the movie can still be enjoyed, but with it, the experience is quite a bit different. I realize much of this is sujective opinions of value, so I am not blind to that.
    3-D still sux.

  117. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Janine or Caine:
    Either of you have a link handy for ICHTHYIC to see jencare’s threats?

  118. Beatrice says

    Tony,

    To bleed money from gullible consumers who do not realize that the added”value” of 3-D movies does not justify the increased ticket prices.

    That’s my opinion too.

    I usually opt for 2D, but more and more often, if there is a 3D version the 2D isn’t even available in theaters.

    I agree, 3D sucks.

  119. Pteryxx says

    Joe, Oklahoma City’s not that far from Dallas where I am, should it come to that. (Moral support, groceries, getting from shop to hotel, w’ev…)

  120. Beatrice says

    Joe,

    Good luck and stay safe. Yeah, at least it wasn’t an accident. It’s still a shitty thing to happen.

    How are your companions holding up?

  121. says

    Thanks Pteryxx… For once, I actually have enough money to deal with a situation!! My dog, OTOH, has managed to tie herself into an actual knot in the passenger seat.

  122. Pteryxx says

    Sweet Joe, it’s awesome to be dealing-capable eh? Still, let me know if I can save you a couple hundred in taxi or rental fees or some such.

  123. says

    It is times like these that you really have to stop and think about religion vs science. Science lets me call roadside assistance, that not only finds me a tow, but also lets the RA guy find me a pet- friendly hotel. Then i get to chat online until the tow truck shows up. Prayer would leave me here stranded until who knows when.

    Also, this is STILL better than one more minute back in Virginia.

  124. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    And we can add Pteryxx to the AWESOME people list. That is a wonderfully kind and generous offer of assistance.
    ****
    Joe:
    Egads, that is awful. I hope you can get it resolved quicly with a minimum of expense.
    Did your dog get twisted in the seat belt?

  125. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Joe:
    Be careful. It is Sunday and that sounds an awful lot like you are worshipping science.
    /this snark’s for you!

  126. Pteryxx says

    sheesh, it’d just be a sign of awesome if I actually have to *do* it. I’ve got a hybrid and few obligations; this is what I can offer instead of cash.

  127. says

    Tony, you called it! She’s smart enough to decide to sleep through the rest of this,but not smart enough to realize she was belted in before she did her little spin into a sleeping position.

  128. opposablethumbs says

    rq, thank you so much for the asterix files!!! – just about to have a go at them now – and I would absolutely love it if you feel like doing the tintin ones too. I learned French* from these series! Wow, that really takes me back.

    * full disclosure – they were of course preceded by something simpler; the language in asterix is not simple. In fact a lot of it is probably a translator’s dream/nightmare. Asterix and Tintin were preceded by the Hultrasson series (Hultrasson perd le nord was one of them – can’t remember all the titles) and before that, when we were tiny, it was the rather revoltingly twee Sylvain et Sylvette (shudders. Ghastly children. The simple language was the only redeeming feature).

  129. opposablethumbs says

    Oh, I missed your posts there Joe – argh, I’m sorry you have the two-hour wait, but I’m glad you have the wherewithal to deal. And I wholeheartedly agree with the science/prayer assessment there!

    Hope you get the RA turn up really soon, and that you and the family are OK.

  130. says

    opposablethumbs

    when we were tiny, it was the rather revoltingly twee Sylvain et Sylvette

    I had those too. I really preferred Quick et Flupke; there wasn’t a lot of text in them though. I recall one episode where one of the boys, Quick I think, was knocked down by an older boy. He’s getting ready to hit back when his guardian angel appears and tells him “No, no, the Good Book says whan someone hits you, you should turn the other cheek.” Quick goes back to the bully and says “Here, it me on this side now.” After the bully does, he goes back to the angel, who is weeping with joy, and asks if the Good Book says anything else. “No, no, that was wonderful.” “Great.” Quick replies, then goes back and kicks seven kinds of shit out of the bully as the angel stares in consternation.

    I had most of my Asterix and tintin comics in English, but there were a few that weren’t in translation yet, so I had them in French so I could get the whole collection: Tintin En le Congo, Asterix Chez Razade, Le Fils D’Asterix, and one other Asterix i can’t recall. I also had Le Devin in French and English.
    Anyone else read Lucky Luke?

  131. Ogvorbis says

    It is either water pump or head gasket, I’ll find out tomorrow

    I hope it’s the water pump.

  132. says

    I don’t suppose there are any Portland, Oregon area Pharylungulites with a vehicle and a few hours to spare? Roommate’s car won’t start, leaving us without a way to get her belongings back from her mother, which will be thrown out no later than Tuesday. We think (hope) it’s the battery, but none of the neighbors have jump cables, and our extension cord isn’t long enough to get the starter box I borrowed down to the car.

  133. Ichthyic says

    The last comments on the first side of the Chritiantiy/Philosophy thread

    sounds like good midmorning drama reading.

    *runs off for more coffee*

  134. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I think I see how the Redhead plans to survive the holidays. Sit around looking like an elf in sweats, swilling eggnog, and testing out various Kninja Knitter devices. I think the last was an around the corner taser. She’s downstairs, I’m upstairs. I should be GGGAAAHHHHH…….*thud*

  135. Ichthyic says

    meh, looks like the fun has been gutted from that thread.

    still, there was this to hint at the insanity…

    carlie
    30 November 2012 at 7:50 pm

    Janine laminated jencare.
    Laminated jencare real good.

    I sense another term entering the Pharyngula lexicon.

    While it looks as though the lamination was excised, I can just imagine it…

    and also agree this should be yet another addition to the Pharyngula Lexicon.

    ah well, at least I have more coffee to drink now.

  136. Janine: Hallucinating Liar says

    Tony, I cannot link to drastikmesurz making threats of legal charges against PZ for deleting jencare’s ravings because they have been deleted.

  137. Janine: Hallucinating Liar says

    Ichthyic, jencare repeatedly used laminate in the place of illuminate.

    Much teasing ensued.

  138. says

    LOL Pteryxx! You don’t need to earn points just yet… I’m at a bar having a drink away from the fucking pets!!! I’ll deal with the car tomorrow, tonight is going to be a good night. I’m in a giant suite, and I expect to sleep very very well…

  139. says

    White chocolate:

    I think the trick with white chocolate is to understand it doesn’t do solos.

    As in: you could eat it on its own. But there’s not much point. It’s a bit like eating sugary butter. A lot like eating sugary butter, even. Which people don’t generally do. Even when they sweeten butter, they add cinnamon or similar, and put it on something else again–frequently something salty or starchy or even tangy.

    White chocolate is the same deal. It needs other, contrasting flavours, to set off the sweetness. Add to fruit, shave onto a lighter (more creamy, less sweet) icing, maybe you’ve got something. By itself, well, you almost might as well stir some white sugar into some lard, eat that.

    (No, I’ve never tried, and, okay, that’s probably a little unfair. But anyway. Not far from that.)

    The other funny thing about white chocolate: there’s a lot of dishes that put it with dark chocolate, and while you might think this would make sense, since dark chocolate has that bitterness, I’d say it actually doesn’t work that well. I’ve been playing at using it to decorate dark chocolate truffles, for instance, and honestly, while it looks pretty, that’s just about the only point. The white chocolate is just lost in those, and if you taste it at all, it’s this sugary distraction from the dark chocolate. It’s like a flavour minor second, putting those two things together: the two tones are close enough together to interfere, but don’t really complement each other. You don’t really want them sounding at the same time. Also, the thing is: dark chocolate already has cocoa butter and sugar, and that’s mostly what white chocolate is. So all you’re really doing is watering down the bitterness of the dark chocolate, not so much adding contrast to something sweet and buttery. You wind up with overly sweet, oily dark chocolate.

    I’d say white chocolate goes also with less overwhelming contrasting flavours, because it’s a very subtle flavour, beyond the sweetness. While reduced raspberry juice makes perfect sense with dark chocolate, white chocolate gets along better with less assertive stuff, like strawberries. Citrus can work–think lemon cake and white chocolate–but it has to be relatively dilute. And things that dust like espresso onto white chocolate, they add a fairly simple bitterness without sweetness, and that, too, can work.

    (/Poseur gastonome mode off.)

  140. Menyambal --- son of a son of a bachelor says

    Improbable Joe, sorry to hear you are broke down, glad to hear you are not broke.

    RQ, I have the Asterix .rar downloading. Thank you ever so. I love the series, but have never seen it all. (There’s an Egyptian ship named the Nastiupset that I still recall. Yes, please do the Tintin series, please. (Any recommends for a program for opening the .rar, BTW?)

    We all went to the town Christmas parade, as a pseudo-family, and caught some candy. Now it’s back to drama from the kids, although they seem to be doing better.

  141. Tony ∞2012 recipient of the coronal mass erection∞ says

    Janine:
    I didn’t realize PZ deleted those too. Poor, poor jencare. I have a tear drpping down my face for hir. :: eyeroll::

  142. Ichthyic says

    hmm, I feel a bit uncomfortable asking, but is anyone here from WA, specifically anywhere near Port Townsend?

    I have a friend that was a coworker when I used to work Silicon Valley, before the bottom dropped out of the internet boom.

    I only survived by reinventing myself, yet again. A lot of us didn’t.

    She’s one of the ones that didn’t.

    After struggling for work for over 4 years, she finally just ran out of money and has been homeless since.

    She just wrote to me from where she has been squatting in a friend’s house in Port Townsend, that has now been foreclosed. She’s very afraid to spend another winter living in her car.

    Man, she was a fantastic artist and used to work with us on our big rock-star websites back before 2000.

    if there is anyone around that might have some ideas where she could plug in up there, I would greatly appreciate it. She has access to internet and email, so i can forward her contact info on.

    *sigh*

  143. says

    Morning, everyone. I had a great weekend but am feeling pretty wiped out today. So much lovely local art and music in a dozen genres. Plus circus, film, sculpture, dance, participatory art, and more. And I want a ufonium!

    Sorry to hear about your problems, Joe – but at least you are out of the old slum, and on the way to better things. You’ll make it!

  144. strange gods before me ॐ says

    still, there was this to hint at the insanity…

    There was good evidence of trolling, and nothing regarding mental health, so slurs about mental health are not appropriate.

  145. Ichthyic says

    , so slurs about mental health are not appropriate.

    good thing it wasn’t a slur about mental health then, shitstirrer.

  146. Ichthyic says

    No? It did appear to be unjustifiably ascribing undesired behavior to “insanity”.

    to you, because you’re a shitstirrer, Honeydipper Dan.

    “You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.”

    I AM being kind.

    surely you’ve seen how well I think of you in other threads?

  147. Ichthyic says

    …nice bit of bait though.

    I felt comfortable nibbling on it, because the hook is so obvious.

    done now.

  148. strange gods before me ॐ says

    to you

    The referent is mental illness. If you did not intend to invoke mental illness, then another choice of words would be preferable. I would offer “nonsense” as a handy alternative.

    you’re a shitstirrer, Honeydipper Dan.

    Again, please do not personally attack people in the Lounge. This applies to everyone, including people you do not like.

    I AM being kind.

    You are not; nevertheless, the specific meaning of the injunction has been spelled out clearly:

    “TET will become [Lounge]. It is still the same: an open thread, talk about what you want, but I’m going to be specific: it is a safe space. Discussion and polite disagreement are allowed, but you will respect all the commenters, damn you. No personal attacks allowed at all. If you’re feeling angry at someone in the thread, back off and leave: there is no shortage of rage threads on Pharyngula, but this one isn’t it.”

    I.e., please do not personally attack people here in the Lounge. Not even if you are much more unkind to them in other threads.

  149. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Jebus, looks like the safest thing is to let the Redhead chide me for too much onion in the turkey tetrazini. I just didn’t want any left over, as they were sprouting…

  150. cicely (fair-to-partly-cloudy) says

    Giliell, happy mistletoe day!

    Portia: Lovely work!

    *waves at JAL*

    Dalillama, all I can say is
    O,o

    Josh, I haven’t “seen” you lately to pouncehug you, sooo…
    *pouncehug*

    If white chocolate does not want to be (mis)taken for a cruel lie, then it needs to find itself another name. One where it doesn’t need to qualify it.

    Worse by far than white “chocolate” is what I think of as “wax lips “chocolate””—the exceedingly cheap stuff that’s like biting into a crayon, and leaves a waxy streak on your teeth.
    *shudder*

    You mean there are people here who don’t have a complex? There are shudder normal people here?

    “Normal” is such a relative term….

    3-D movies tend to make me queasy. Since I can make myself sick to my stomach for much less than the price of admission, I see no point in going to them, any more.

    Mind you, I don’t consider watching Avatar in 3-D to be a wasted experience (in spite of the nausea)…but I enjoyed it more when we went back and saw it again in 2-D.

    Broke down on the side of the road… Woooo!!

    Oh, no!

    […]but I’m near enough to Oklahoma City. It is either water pump or head gasket, I’ll find out tomorrow

    “Near OKC” on a Sunday with vehicular trouble is a no-good place to be. Been there, done that…with a fretful 2 year old and two panicky cats. Did Not Like.

    And we can add Pteryxx to the AWESOME people list. That is a wonderfully kind and generous offer of assistance.

    Indeed!

  151. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    Do rules of conduct ever have a purpose other than being used as weapons against the forthright?

  152. strange gods before me ॐ says

    Yes: the purpose of this rule is to reduce the number of personal attacks in the Lounge (as compared with TET, and with an ultimate goal of zero). It is my sense that it has been largely successful at doing so compared with TET; I imagine that most others who remember the difference will agree.

  153. consciousness razor says

    Do rules of conduct ever have a purpose other than being used as weapons against the forthright?

    I don’t know. Has “be polite” ever been weaponized?

    That honestly sounds like it would be pretty fucking scary.

  154. chigau (無) says

    Ing
    I don’t think “Bless your heart.” has been used on Pharyngula as anything except an insult.
    But you kinda hafta have spent a lot of time here to know that.
    Is it still an insult if the recipient doesn’t know it’s an insult?

  155. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    I don’t know. Has “be polite” ever been weaponized?

    …you’re kidding, right?

  156. Azkyroth, Former Growing Toaster Oven says

    It seems odd to complain that someone breaking those after they’re spelt out means that the rules are ‘weapons’ against someone.

    By “weapons” I refer to the baleful effect of “letter-of-the-rule” being exploited by those adept and comfortable with dancing back and forth at the edge of the rule, to grant them an entirely undeserved advantage in conflicts with those to whom the idea of dancing back and forth at the edge of the letter is counter-intuitive or distasteful. I’m frankly uncertain how that wasn’t clear.

  157. Ichthyic says

    You are not; nevertheless, the specific meaning of the injunction has been spelled out clearly:

    shit.

    stirrer.

  158. chigau (無) says

    Ing
    But the unknowing slave is still harmed by being enslaved.
    An uncomprehended insult hurts no one.
    (I think…)

  159. chigau (無) says

    Ing

    So saying really really horrible things about deaf people behind their backs is ok because they don’t know?

    It doesn’t harm them as badly as signing the insult to their face.
    Probably.
    —-
    Never mind.
    I don’t think I actually agree with the side of the argument I’ve taken.

  160. chigau (無) says

    Ing #222
    Yes. That’s where I finally arrived.
    It’s not the quick pain of an insult but the contribution to a toxic atmosphere.

  161. says

    Don’t click if you plan on X-mas shopping as it will depress you

    Capitalism is barbarism. I am very very depressed over reading that. You could boycotte, but so many places use it and so many businesses rely on it that you may find you CAN’T avoid using their services (where I work now relies on shipments probably from one of these places) and frankly I’m sort of insulting and angry that that’s seemingly the only suggestion that’s allowed in our shit society. Work standards and regulations should prevent assholes from exploiting the poor into Mudokon slave forces.

    I did work for a warehouse and found the conditions dehumanizing, insulting, dangerous, unthinking and debilitating (I got carpel Tunnel that apparently can’t be fixed from it) and apparently mine was not nearly as bad as it could have been.

  162. says

    Also, it is pretty clear to many/most atheists that Christians can and do use phrases like “I’ll pray for you” and “God bless you” and “Merry Christmas” as attacks on non-Christians.

  163. strange gods before me ॐ says

    Ing,

    To be fair there are instances of people doing passive aggressive Minnesota Nice versions of personal attacks.

    Oh, probably, but I’m only saying I think there’s still been a reduction overall, and not a 1-for-1 shift to Minnesota Nice.

    I haven’t quantified it, it’s just an impression.

    +++++
    Azkyroth,

    I’m frankly uncertain how that wasn’t clear.

    I think what wasn’t clear is why you brought it up.

    Simply, I would like to be able to remind people not to make insults about mental health, without being personally attacked in the Lounge for doing so. And if someone didn’t believe themself to be making such an insult, it is entirely possible for them to dispute the substantive point without resorting to personal attacks.

    I would like that, and I am allowed to ask people to treat me fairly, i.e. the same treatment every commenter at Pharyngula is entitled to: to not be personally attacked in the Lounge.

    +++++
    Ichthyic,

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shit%20stirrer

    for those unfamiliar with the term.

    azky knows exactly what I’m talking about.

    I think everyone’s familiar with the term. It wouldn’t matter if everyone agreed with the substance of your personal attack — in any and all cases, please do not make personal attacks in the Lounge.

    I am asking you again, please do not make personal attacks against me here. It is not fair to me, and it is not fair to the other commenters who prefer that this thread be free from personal attacks.

  164. strange gods before me ॐ says

    Oh Inshallah, if we are going to discuss me again, let’s not do it in the Lounge.

  165. Ichthyic says

    Don’t bring your feud here

    right, I started it.

    Simply, I would like to be able to remind people not to make insults about mental health, without being personally attacked in the Lounge for doing so.

    bullshit.

  166. Ichthyic says

    Oh Inshallah, if we are going to discuss me again, let’s not do it in the Lounge.

    methinks thou dost protest too much.

    you’re more than welcome to drop this act any time you like and say no more about it.

  167. Ichthyic says

    I still find it a bit strange that people seem to doubt that SGBM actually cares about issues and seems to think he’s just using them as an excuse to hammer people.

    you either have a short memory, or haven’t been around long enough to recall sgbm having been booted before.

    but hey, I’ll back off, since really the only reason I came in here in the first place was to see if anyone lived in WA.

  168. Ichthyic says

    At this point I am asking a monitor to please email PZ.

    LOL

    knew it.

    go right on ahead.

  169. carlie says

    Fuuuuuck.
    My second cousin was pregnant. She had the baby a few days ago. 26 weeks, a pound and a quarter. Chances aren’t bad, but they aren’t that great either. How fast do preemies gain weight? I don’t want to get a 2.5 pound outfit if she’ll have outgrown it in the 2-3 weeks it takes to get it to her.

  170. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I don’t want to get a 2.5 pound outfit if she’ll have outgrown it in the 2-3 weeks it takes to get it to her.

    Dang, one of the Redhead’s cousin had something similar happen. IIRC, the baby won’t go home until it is above 5 lb. Meanwhile, hospital clothes. Check with the parents to see if an outfit is feasible prior to going home.

  171. carlie says

    Nerd – I was looking at NICU outfits, with the snaps/velcro everywhere for access etc. I assume they usually wear nothing in the incubators, but that the outfits are more for morale-building dressup and pics.

  172. says

    STOP NOW. I’m on the road trying to get home, and if bickering continues I will just close the thread and not open a new one until I get home. In three hours. Scratch that, I’m tired, I’ll go to bed when I get home and open a new thread sometime tomorrow.

  173. Portia, sporty and glam, pelted with pastries says

    Cicely

    Thanks!

    Joe

    There is a bar walking distance and delivered Chinese food. If the nightly rates were cheaper, I might stay an extra day for kicks!

    Glad it’s less than totally terrible : )

    carlie

    She had the baby a few days ago. 26 weeks, a pound and a quarter. Chances aren’t bad, but they aren’t that great either.

    Oh, wow. I hope baby and mama are ok.

  174. says

    We were able to get Roommate’s stuff moved, although I eventually had to hire a u-haul van to get it in. A carsharing service seemed promising, but then the first respondent was being very dodgy, and after that there was a long delay, so I got the uhaul. As we were en route, I got a couple more response, but in the event those cars wouldn’t have had room, so it’s just as well. On wouldn’t have had room, the other was a pickup with an open bed, contraindicated on a night as rainy as tonight.

  175. Portia, sporty and glam, pelted with pastries says

    We were able to get Roommate’s stuff moved,

    Oh good.

    although I eventually had to hire a u-haul van to get it in.

    Oh darn.

    Well, at least it’s over with for now.

  176. says

    Good morning

    Dalillama
    Good you can get her stuff. Her mother, otoh…
    Let’s just hope there#s never going to be a grandchild in need of a home…

    ++
    JOe
    Good to hear that you’re in a nice hotel, probably fast asleep while I’m typing.

    carlie
    Were you among the knitters?
    AFAIK colourful hats in pure cotton are always welcome.

  177. rq says

    Good morning!

    Menyambal, opposablethumbs, all others who wanted Tintin – will have it up later, so stay tuned!

    +++

    carlie
    I hope mother and baby are doing as well as can be expected, and gaining weight appropriately!

    Improbable Joe
    Glad to hear the breakdown is going well. I hope it gets resolved quickly, to have you on your way again!

    Dalillama
    Glad you got all the stuff (more or less, kind of) sorted out, but I second Giliell – I hope there are never any grandchildren in need of a home. :/

    +++

    I’m hoping there’s a full night’s sleep in the stars for me sometime soon, because this is getting ridiculous.

  178. says

    I’m depressed already now and watching TNG and I have to ask FFS how many times is this show going to literally or metaphorically have Troi raped!?

    What on earth are you talking about? (Incidentally, I can’t believe it’s been 20 years that the show was on TV)

  179. says

    Good morning ednaz

    +++

    What on earth are you talking about?

    For example the episode where she becomes pregnant with that mystical child, that ages rapidly and so on. The poor woman is impregnanted against her will in her sleep, has to make it through pregnancy and childbirth in a few hours, when she wakes up the thing is already pretty grown, then dies and by the next episode all those traumatizing things have been forgotten, when we spend hours and hours exploring Picard’s suffering after he’s been kidnapped by the Borg.
    See: Feminist Frequency: The Mystical Pregnancy

  180. says

    @ Nerd

    (way up thread)

    2) How secure can the Wifi connection be (say for purchases)?

    Your modem/router should allow you to set up MAC-address security access. That means that only devices that you have pre-approved can gain access to your router. Secondly, add password access. That should be pretty robust.

    3) Does the voice recognition software work well? Siri is built in to the iOS, and Dragon is available for text input from what little I’ve read.

    I have heard excellent reports wrt Dragon. It is important to use a good quality microphone though.

  181. rq says

    Good morning, ednaz. :)

    Giliell @257
    Thanks for that link! Which reminds me, there was a heck of a lot of Mystical Pregnancy in Battlestar Galactica, too. Why do men never get their semen forcibly harvested, or their penises placed in permanent erection for the pleasure of some strange alien being? And why do they never have (sudden, unexpected) children appear? (I should qualify: by never, I actually mean rarely. If anyone has any examples, I’m interested.)

    +++

    So, here’s some Tintin, and also I’m adding Calvin and Hobbes.
    To download, click on the green arrows beside the names of the files. For extraction (since someone asked), I don’t think a special program is required (correct me if I’m wrong). I usually Right Click -> Extract Here, seems to work fine. There are no passwords.
    In case anyone has issues with the links, please let me know and I’ll either repost them or email them, whatever’s better.
    For those who missed it but are interested, here’s the comment with the link to all the Asterix books. (Should go straight to #123, this thread.)
    Happy reading!

  182. says

    I should qualify: by never, I actually mean rarely. If anyone has any examples, I’m interested.)

    Dave Lister’s pregnancy in Red Dwarf leaps to mind. Arguably also the efforts to harvest Fry’s ‘Human horn’ in Futurama. There’s at least one case from literature that’s tickling at the back of my mind too, but you’re right that it’s rare.

  183. rq says

    Dalillama
    Years ago I read two short stories dealing with male pregnancy, but you know what? Those are still cases of males being frightened and terrified by a female type of child-bearing/bodily intrusion.
    I’m looking examples of the Futurama sort, where they don’t resort to making males the bearers of a pregnancy, but simply have their sperm/genitals used to make children (of various hybridization) against their will. And then be stuck dealing with/taking care of them, instead of having a handy female show up for the job.
    Otherwise, you’re just going around scaring men with the same old fear-of-the-feminine stuff.

  184. says

    Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
    And why do I alsways remember my cortisol nose-spray whenever I enter the library but never at home where I could take it?

    rq
    It happens to Chakotay in Star Trek Voyager: The traitor-traitor Seska steals his sperm and impregnates herself, only it turns out later that the father is her Kazon lover (remember, if they’re humanoid they’re genetically compatible. Not only that, the hybrids are still totally fertile. And here on earth in the meantime people of the same species often have problems spawning, would you believe that? And would you imagine the huge number of actual sheeple that would have been born throughout history…)

  185. carlie says

    rorschach – yeah, that’s been in heavy discussion for the last year or so; I’m cautiously optimistic that it won’t be that bad.

    PZ – sorry for bothering you while traveling.

  186. Beatrice says

    carlie, Aww, thanks for the cute.

    rq,

    Thunderdome is upsetting, but it would be a temporary upset. I’m generally having a bad… time. At least I’m not dragging myself around lethargically when I’m raging at StevoR.

  187. opposablethumbs says

    rq, a big thankyou for posting Tintin. Food for some good discussions there!

    Woozy on painkillers today, but will be lurking. Good afternoon Horde, and good wishes for all your travels and endeavours.