Comments

  1. says

    Woo Hoo! I got my first christian defender on my blog in a response to a post on why I am an atheist.

    Modern science has been around for less than a century not “throughout the whole of human civilization.”

    Further, the foundation for the scientific revolution that began during the Italian Renaissance, was laid down in Europe during the Christian Middle Ages.

    Yet another obvious, but often overlooked fact is that all the great civilizations grew up around religion.

    In fact, civilization is impossible without religion.

    And modern science was impossible without Christianity.

    Has the atheist ever asked himself why after the thousands of years of ancient civilizations like those of the Fertile Cresent, Egypt, China, Rome, the Middle East, India, and China, the Americas (Inca, Maya, Aztec), man did not progress past the slave and horse drawn cart?

    Man only progressed past slavery and the horse drawn cart because Christianity powered the rise of a whole new and incredible civilization.

  2. says

    I’m curious to know peoples’ thoughts on this:

    http://wheelr.tumblr.com/post/82506100534/theartofanimation-sakimichan-tumblr-stop

    I’ve seen these images going around a lot the past couple of days. The Disney remix obsession is wearying, but it produces a lot of great art. Sakimichan is terrific and there is something wonderful and compelling about how these pieces blur male and female sexuality. I’d love to see more male characters that embody the vixen-like appeal that’s apparent in some of these reinterpretations. Male femme fatales, male sex kittens; I am on board.

  3. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    I’m curious to know peoples’ thoughts on this:

    I notice none of them even passingly resembles me except, marginally, the reworked…Ursulo? Ursul?

    I don’t know if this is an improvement. I wonder if maybe it could be on someone else’s “dime” for once. >.>

  4. says

    Ursul Drinked the Grammar Too :)
    It has a certain ring to it :)

    ****

    http://wheelr.tumblr.com/post/81485645153/i-dont-know-what-asshole-invented-the-idea-that

    (excerpt)

    I don’t know what asshole invented the idea that teenage girls are the cause for all evil, but I really hope that person never has to raise one. I don’t want him to see her dissolve in his fingers as society tells her to eat less, be thinner, be the damsel in distress, be something for a man to fix, be different but not too different, be special but never ever a special snowflake – I don’t want him to watch as she realizes that no matter what she loves, she’ll be made fun of for it. She can simply like her coffee from Starbucks and suddenly she’s vapid and thinks herself poetic. She’ll want to play video games but be called a fake nerd, particularly if she poses in any remotely flirtatious way because for some reason despite the entire community playing games with poorly dressed women they still hate it when a real girl wears less clothing, she will be seen as trespassing in a specifically male space – but when she falls in love with a female-based television show for children, she’ll watch as men step on themselves to sexualize it. If she wants old-fashion romance she’s seen as being naive but at the same time is told to keep herself ‘pure’ for some dude that might not hurt her. If she admits to being anything, she makes herself a target. She will be told her worth is based on how much a man values her. She might love to cook but she’ll hate being asked to stay in the kitchen, she might love to read but get told she’s too introverted by half the population and ‘not that special’ by the other. If she loves to go out and party, she’s ‘just another college co-ed,’ if she loves to spend her friday nights watching anime, she’s a shut-in. God forbid she be proud of something: the words “I’m different from other girls” are a death sentence because we live in a society that doesn’t want to see women like that, a society that doesn’t like the idea maybe we all are actually different and not carbon copies of each other, maybe we all would like to feel unique and loved and worth knowing – maybe the real problem is that she will be raised to believe being a girl means silicone and photoshop and dying as a way to move forwards a plot – and she doesn’t want to be seen as that.

  5. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    God forbid she be proud of something: the words “I’m different from other girls” are a death sentence because we live in a society that doesn’t want to see women like that

    And if she does manage to dodge that, saying something like this will be labeled as “internalized misogyny.” >.>

    Ugh.

  6. rq says

    Gorogh
    Best wishes for your applications and in meeting all your deadlines!

    +++

    Had weird dream about electrocution last night. No idea where that came from, but apparently there was a wiring issue with one of the viewing cages at the… I forget where, and people would lean in to look through the window, touch the grating, and get electrocuted and stuck to the window grating. Like insects. By the end of the dream, there were about 8 people stuck to it. :/

  7. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Ack, Giliell!

    Now I have to read what’s been happening. Not as blog-rupt as I was for 3 weeks there, but still not fully keeping up with things at the moment. I hope I’ve not contributed, but if I have, I’ll find it and work on getting better.

    We’ll see you when we see you, and miss you until then.

  8. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Tony!:

    Yes, I’d seen your 460, but didn’t have anything earth-shattering to say.

    I tend to avoid Young …” and “Kid …” because they have in the past tended to be baby stories, really aimed at giving the pre-pubescents their own characters with which to identify, but not bothering with things like plot or motivations that make sense, etc.

    I realize that as a trend this has had its interruptions for decades now. Power Pack (in the 80s? 90s? probably 80s) was the first I remember that was dealing with “young” heroes (as if peter parker is “old”) that seemed to have a reasonably interesting depth in its story lines and characterizations. Nonetheless, I’ve shied away.

    Perhaps I should check out of TPB of YA and see what was going on. Do you know the trade that covers these issues (or just the relevant issues’ numbers)?

  9. blf says

    An “interesting” lunch today…
    Went to a favored restaurant where I am a know “accomplice” ot the mildly deranged one, albeit she is not a known “visitor” this orbit…

    At the same time the waiter was pouring a glass of the vin for me to taste, a flying wannabe ex-dinosaur pooped on me. Missed, only got my arm and shoulder, not the glass of vin or my head. Lousy aim.

    And then I sent the vin back… That bottle was spoiled. (The replacement bottle was Ok.)

    Lunch itself was excellent. Braised lamb shank, no peas… So was the replacement bottle of vin. Don’t know about the bird poop, it was cleaned off and flushed down the toilet.

    Ordered cheese. Some of which had mold. I was a bit put-off by that initially, and couldn’t make up my mind to complain or not… Eventually decided it wasn’t a big deal and cut the mold away away… (Which is what typically happens to cheese hidden in the lair that the mildly deranged one has not found.)

    I’ve been pooped on by birds before, and sent back vin before, but most admit that moldy cheese — where the mold was not mentioned at all (previously, always in the context of being safe to eat) — is a new one.

    (The restaurant is actually quote good, and I shall lunch again. The bird and the vin weren’t their fault, albeit the mold on some of the cheese was, and out-of-character…)

  10. rq says

    opposablethumbs
    Hmm… Not quite the right feel.
    There’s a collective word for general species of cow and cow-like animals (incl. buffalo, bison, etc.) but I can’t seem to find it. ‘Bovid’ is closer, but still not it. Isn’t there a term…?

  11. opposablethumbs says

    I think bovid is the most inclusive. On the technical side, though, isn’t it? So it depends what context you want to use it in.

  12. rq says

    Thanks, all, for the assistance.
    It’s a crappy context, Estonia is coming out with a new stamp that shows a local, native boviform. I went with bovid. ‘Kine’ would be too obscure for Estonian English. Just a weird concept to try to get across… I didn’t see the stamp, so I have no idea if it was a breed of cattle or a water buffalo or what. We’ll see, I guess.

    Tony
    I’m not entirely sure how to take that comment. Sorry?
    Just commenting on the quietness of the Lounge?
    :/

  13. says

    rq:

    I’m not entirely sure how to take that comment. Sorry?
    Just commenting on the quietness of the Lounge?

    Sorry. Just feeling down. Y’know, with my whole situation. I don’t really get the chance to interact with people given the no car and job thing, so I get lonely.

  14. rq says

    Tony
    *hugs*
    Wish I could help you out somehow. With more than just random *hugs*, that is.
    Your blog so far has been really awesome, though, you know that? I’ve been reading it in bits and pieces, and I really enjoy it. I’m glad you’ve gone ahead with the idea. ♥ Hopefully, eventually, FtB will pick you up as a regular blogger, and then you’ll be filthy rich, just like the rest of ’em.

  15. A. Noyd says

    I can’t tell if my cat likes when I kiss her on the top of the head or if she’s presenting it for me to lick clean (like the other cat does) and thinks I’m demented when I fail every time.

  16. says

    rq:
    Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.
    Though I must say, I don’t have any aspirations for blogging. I just wanted to have a place where I could write about or post whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without fear of taking up too much space, or drowning out others’ voices. I appreciate this space (and the Dome) that PZ provides, and I will obviously continue commenting here, but there are times I have to remind myself that this isn’t my space so I need to be considerate of others.

  17. says

    A. Noyd:
    Speaking of cats-I noticed something for the first time a few days ago. I’ve had Kayta for 14 years, and somehow I never picked up on the fact that when I crouch down to pet her, she walks over, lets me pet her and keeps walking, rather than sit still and be pet. She usually rubs the wall for a bit and returns for more petting. She rarely sits there and lets me pet her for a while. I think she expect me to follow her around the room.
    Cats! It’s like they think they’re royalty.

  18. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Tony,

    Yeah, I get lonely too, although for different reasons. It’s good to have Pharyngula.

  19. rq says

    I was about to complain about shit, but I guess I won’t. Good night all, instead.

  20. opposablethumbs says

    Tony! I for one really enjoy your comments. And I wish I could actually do something that would make a difference to your job situation too. I’m waiting with fingers crossed for the next bit of work to come my way just now (I’m freelance, and it’s inevitable – either there are two or three jobs at once and I can’t do them all and have to turn stuff down (I hate that) or there’s the awful feeling that nothing’s turned up for ages and I hate that too :-\ . I like being able to work from home, though, so there’s that I guess …).

    All the hugs to you. And all the crossed fingers.

  21. A. Noyd says

    @Tony (#530)
    Neither of mine do that, but they definitely expect me to cater to their petting preferences. One of them even grabs at me when I walk by the table between the bedroom and bathroom. (Not with claws, at least.) It’s like the route is now a toll road that charges cuddles.

  22. says

    rq:

    I was about to complain about shit, but I guess I won’t. Good night all, instead.

    You know you can always complain about something here. No matter what I’m going through I’ll always care about what you have to say. I hope you have a good night.

    ****
    Beatrice:

    It’s good to have Pharyngula.

    Yeah. It really is.

    ****
    opposablethumbs:
    Thank you :D

    I’m waiting with fingers crossed for the next bit of work to come my way just now (I’m freelance, and it’s inevitable – either there are two or three jobs at once and I can’t do them all and have to turn stuff down (I hate that) or there’s the awful feeling that nothing’s turned up for ages and I hate that too :-\ . I like being able to work from home, though, so there’s that I guess …).

    I can only imagine how frustrating the wait must be. Hopefully something turns up soon.

    ****
    A. Noyd:

    One of them even grabs at me when I walk by the table between the bedroom and bathroom. (Not with claws, at least.)

    I get that too. Only, Kayta likes to do it *with* her claws. If I often pet her when I’m in the kitchen microwaving food. If I stop to check my food and I haven’t pet her sufficiently, she’ll reach up and paw at my leg, with claws extended. She’s unintentionally scratched me before, and I’m sure you know what it’s like when a cat scratches–you reflexively pull away…which is not always a good thing.

  23. Hekuni Cat, MQG says

    Two weeks of migraines have left me mostly threadrupt, but:

    rq – You have email. I’m very happy that you are all home and recovering from your Canadian

    adventures. *many pouncehugs and lots of chocolate*

    Giliell [from a long time ago]:

    If two people do a pouncehug at the same time, do they collide in mid-air?

    I think it is more of a mutual grapple sort of thing. :D

    I’m sorry things have been so rough for you of late. Please come back soon. *many pouncehugs and chocolate*

    Tony! – This is a comment that is several weeks late, but thank you for introducing me to Strong Female Protagonist. I loved it and contributed to the Kickstarter.

    I ♥ your new gravitar. *many hugs and lots of chocolate*

    bassmike – Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you and your daughter are both feeling much better.

    Portia – *pouncehugs and chocolate* You are an awesome lawyer and hostess.

    cicely – I hope your son gets better soon. *many pouncehugs and much chocolate*

    I remember being quite happy to watch Dean Cain as Superman.

    Me too. :D

    opposablethumbs – *pouncehugs and chocolate* – I hope life is treating you well.

    Gorogh – Good luck!

    A. Noyd:

    I can’t tell if my cat likes when I kiss her on the top of the head or if she’s presenting it for me to lick clean (like the other cat does) and thinks I’m demented when I fail every time.

    She likes it, but she probably does wonder why you don’t lick her instead like a proper person. My cat Miriya would try to kiss me, but since she didn’t have lips, she wasn’t sure what to do. That didn’t stop her from trying–nearly 18 years of trying. =^_^=

    I’ll leave this pile of *hugs and chocolate* for anyone who needs them.

  24. opposablethumbs says

    Thank you, Hekuni Cat! And to you too – many pouncehugs, and a large helping of chocolate!

    Thank you Tony! I hugely enormously hope that something really good comes your way soon. Apart from anything else, it’s a net good for you to be working somewhere where you can talk to loads of people coming through, because you have a lot of things worth saying and that people could do with hearing. It’s unlikely to happen, I suppose (with that nuisance ocean and the little matter of the thousands of kilometers (or even miles) in the way and all) but I would so love to hang out in a bar that was Tony’s bar.

  25. says

    I hate websites built in javascript. I hate them with a fiery passion.
    Tony!
    *hugs* I wish I could do something more for you. Like move you the hell out of Florida to someplace where you could walk places, or catch a bus or something… and find work, of course.

    She’s unintentionally scratched me before,

    I doubt that it was unintentional.
    Beatrice, rq
    *hugs*
    opposablethumbs

    I’m waiting with fingers crossed for the next bit of work to come my way just now (I’m freelance, and it’s inevitable – either there are two or three jobs at once and I can’t do them all and have to turn stuff down (I hate that) or there’s the awful feeling that nothing’s turned up for ages and I hate that too :-\

    yeah, L is in the same boat, currently in the latter phase. I just don’t have enough hours at my job :(.

  26. A. Noyd says

    Tony (#535)

    Only, Kayta likes to do it *with* her claws.

    Mine would either learn not to do that or they’d get their claws clipped down way more regularly. I do have a scratch scar on the back of my hand from when I thought it would be funny to startle the cat as she walked by my chair. Couldn’t really fault her for that one.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    Henuki Cat (#536)

    My cat Miriya would try to kiss me, but since she didn’t have lips, she wasn’t sure what to do. That didn’t stop her from trying–nearly 18 years of trying.

    Aww.

  27. cicely says

    *hugs* for Tony!.
    It’s so frustrating, not to be able to help.
    :( :( :(

    Hekuni Cat!
    *pouncehugs*
    Son has discovered that he is allergic to amoxicillin (sp???).
    This is an unpleasant and uncalled-for surprise; I’m almost positive he’s had it before this, without incident. The Husband wonders whether the ulcerative colitis might be a factor.

  28. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I just noticed PZ changed his picture in the sidebar. Still looks like a mild-mannered professor instead of Snidely Whiplash evil villain…

  29. opposablethumbs says

    Argh, cicely, I’m very sorry for Son – not a good discovery to make :-( Hope you have an alternative available?

  30. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Son has discovered that he is allergic to amoxicillin (sp???).

    I hear you, the Redhead is allergic to the penicillins. She turned into a splotchy red alligator skin with ampicillin, and even the people in the emergency room wanted her treated stat ahead of them.

  31. says

    Nerd:
    Thanks for pointing out that PZ changed his profile pic. I don’t know how long it would have been before I noticed. You’re right, he doesn’t look menacing enough.

    ****

    Just read an interesting article by Andrew Wheeler, a blogger and writer for Comics Alliance. Last year he wrote an article at that site for the movie Man of Steel. Over the course of the article, Wheeler discusses the history of Henry Cavill, the British actor who played Superman in the aforementioned movie. During the article, Wheeler discusses the quality of Cavill’s acting ability, where he’s from, what he’s starred, in and more. He also talks about how attractive he finds Cavill (and I have to say, the scenes of shirtless Cavill when he’s saving the workers on the oil rig…yum yum):

    How handsome is he, actually?
    If you can’t see for yourself, let me make it plain; Henry Cavill is absurdly handsome. Implausibly handsome. He’s probably in contention for the title of “most handsome man that ever lived.” He’s so handsome that the entire entertainment industry has been secretly colluding to try to make him famous so they can put his face on things and sell them. He’s handsome.
    Now, sure, some people will say, “Pfft, I prefer Benedict Cumberbatch”, and that’s OK. Weird, but OK. Henry Cavill is not the universal ideal; just the closest thing we have to it. If it weren’t for his very slightly bumpy nose he might actually be impossible to look at, but like a Persian rug he has one minor imperfection so as not to offend god.
    Actually, he has two imperfections. He dresses terribly. Giant ties, ugly shoes, suits that fit like a balloon. Unless he gets a stylist post-Superman, watching Henry Cavill make fashion faux pas is going to become a new sport for supermarket tabloids.

    One reader of Wheeler’s article took issue with how he talked about Cavill’s attractiveness:

    Reblogging to point out how revolting this article is. After an overly-long introductory geography lesson, the author goes on to talk about Cavill the way most writers discuss actresses—by valuing only his looks. It’s gross. It isn’t okay to talk about women that way, and it isn’t okay to talk about Superman that way either.

    Wheeler’s response was perfect:

    Hi. I’m the author of this article. As you reblogged with my comment in-line, I assume you wanted to make sure that I saw your response, and I think you raised an important point, so I hope you won’t mind if I reply.

    First, I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy the article, and I appreciate your point of view.

    However, I don’t agree with you, and I stand by my piece.

    Before I explain why I don’t agree, I want to acknowledge that this is an important debate. Our culture talks about women in limiting ways. They are too often reduced to their looks – their hair, their clothes, their weight, their make-up. Hillary Clinton is asked questions that no-one would ever ask her husband. Whether a woman is a scientist, an executive, a writer, an intellectual, she will too often be judged for her attractiveness, and if she’s thought too pretty, she’ll be demeaned, and if she’s thought not pretty enough, she’ll be ridiculed. It is awful and unacceptable.

    This happens in acting as well. Men are asked about their performance; women are asked about their appearance. A female actress experiencing a bad hair day, undergoing weight loss, weight gain, plastic surgery, or wearing sweatpants to pick up the kids from daycare, is considered a matter for public scrutiny.

    I don’t like the magazines that run those pictures. I don’t like those websites. I don’t like those TV shows.

    But that doesn’t mean we can never talk about looks. Acting is both a performance and an appearance business. An actor’s look is part of the package they sell, both to the industry and to the audience. How a person looks – or how a person can look – is part of the job, by design and for a reason. It’s part of creating a character. Sometimes an actor gets work because he or she looks quirky, intense, unusual, intelligent, ordinary, familiar.

    The rest can be read here.

  32. cicely says

    opposablethumbs, they prescribed him something else instead; I don’t know what. He’s been mostly sleeping, so not very communicative.
    I do know that they’ve got him taking Benedryl as well as whatever, because of the mouth/tongue swelling. And his mouth was already full of canker sores.
    :(

  33. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Cicely, keep an eye out for certain cheeses, and don’t feed them to your son. Blue cheese in particular, where the blue is from an penicillin mold. The Redhead can tell how good or authentic a Blue Cheese is due to her reaction just being around or tasting a small piece.

  34. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Tonight I’m making a beef roast for the Redhead and her parents, with corn on the cob and baked potatoes. With chives (from the herb garden) so fresh, they s*ap you.

  35. cicely says

    Nerd, I will be sure to pass that warning on. It hadn’t occurred to me as a possible problem…and he reallyreallyreally likes cheese.

  36. says

    Nerd:

    The Redhead can tell how good or authentic a Blue Cheese is due to her reaction just being around or tasting a small piece.

    I don’t know much about cheese–what do you mean by ‘authentic’?

    ****

    This might interest people who are into words:
    http://kierongillen.tumblr.com/page/391

    Top 10 Relationship Words Not Translatable into English

    Compiled by Pamela Haag at BigThink:

    Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start.
    Oh yes, this is an exquisite word, compressing a thrilling and scary relationship moment. It’s that delicious, cusp-y moment of imminent seduction. Neither of you has mustered the courage to make a move, yet. Hands haven’t been placed on knees; you’ve not kissed. But you’ve both conveyed enough to know that it will happen soon… very soon.
    Yuanfen(Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. This is a complex concept. It draws on principles of predetermination in Chinese culture, which dictate relationships, encounters and affinities, mostly among lovers and friends.From what I glean, in common usage yuanfen means the “binding force” that links two people together in any relationship.
    But interestingly, “fate” isn’t the same thing as “destiny.” Even if lovers are fated to find each other they may not end up together. The proverb, “have fate without destiny,” describes couples who meet, but who don’t stay together, for whatever reason. It’s interesting, to distinguish in love between the fated and the destined. Romantic comedies, of course, confound the two.
    Cafuné (Brazilian Portuguese): The act of tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair.
    Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time. This is such a basic concept, and so familiar to the growing ranks of commuter relationships, or to a relationship of lovers, who see each other only periodically for intense bursts of pleasure. I’m surprised we don’t have any equivalent word for this subset of relationship bliss. It’s a handy one for modern life.
    Ilunga (Bantu): A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.
    Apparently, in 2004, this word won the award as the world’s most difficult to translate. Although at first, I thought it did have a clear phrase equivalent in English: It’s the “three strikes and you’re out” policy. But ilunga conveys a subtler concept, because the feelings are different with each “strike.” The word elegantly conveys the progression toward intolerance, and the different shades of emotion that we feel at each stop along the way.
    Ilunga captures what I’ve described as the shade of gray complexity in marriages—Not abusive marriages, but marriages that involve infidelity, for example. We’ve got tolerance, within reason, and we’ve got gradations of tolerance, and for different reasons. And then, we have our limit. The English language to describe this state of limits and tolerance flattens out the complexity into black and white, or binary code. You put up with it, or you don’t. You “stick it out,” or not.
    Ilunga restores the gray scale, where many of us at least occasionally find ourselves in relationships, trying to love imperfect people who’ve failed us and whom we ourselves have failed.

  37. says

    cicely – I seem to have developed an itchy rash on fingers and toes-type allergy to the penicillins after taking them on almost a yearly basis for a good chunk of my over 5 to the late teens years of my life. I hope they can find a workable substitute.

    Tony – Add me to the list of folks who wishes they could give you a bit of help.

    Had a nice weekend camping. The weather was fantastic. My wife’s brother stopped by on his way back to Tennessee from selling his house in Connecticut. Visited several local spots that make food (and drink) out of local foodstuffs. Deee-lish.

    Looks like heat and humidity followed by storms are moving through this week, though. Which is normal for this time of year, but keeps me inside.

  38. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    I don’t know much about cheese–what do you mean by ‘authentic’?

    Blue secondary penicillin mold versus blue food dye in the veins. The Redhead doesn’t respond to the “blue cheese” food dye, just the authentic blue cheese with penicillin mold.

  39. chigau (違う) says

    cicely
    I once had a hives breakout due to a combination of penicillin and shrimp.

  40. says

    Hi everyone. I haven’t been hanging around FTB as much as I normally do. It’s been a very emotional time in my personal life and I haven’t had the head space to keep up with comments so I was quite shocked this weekend peeking over at Butterflies & Wheels. I don’t mean to stir things up but I figure I should voice that I was disgusted at Ophelia Benson’s and some other commentators’ responses and behavior since CaitieCat’s polite suggestion a number of days ago meant to prevent erasure of many individuals when it comes to using the term woman in relation to reproductive health. (I’d link but I’ll bow my head in shame and admit I can’t seem to figure out how to make a link work in the comments).

    I won’t be reading her blog anymore and sadly, I have a feeling that this incident and it’s aftermath probably has flown under the radar of FTB in general. I was also astonished not completely at the ignorance shown but more by the hostility of the responses that seems to have continued on other posts and comments since.

    In full disclosure I am a transwoman. I am one of those types that the hostility was being directed towards. I’ll also mention that I don’t demand that anyone be ideologically pure but I just like it when others like me don’t get treated like shit when the politely ask not to be erased. If I’m out of line in the lounge please someone delete my comment and I’m sorry. I’m also really sorry that CaitieCat and others defending her position and dealing with the fallout had it deal with what happened. I found it all extremely upsetting and hurtful and I was just catching up after the fact.

  41. says

    Alice Wild:

    In full disclosure I am a transwoman. I am one of those types that the hostility was being directed towards. I’ll also mention that I don’t demand that anyone be ideologically pure but I just like it when others like me don’t get treated like shit when the politely ask not to be erased. If I’m out of line in the lounge please someone delete my comment and I’m sorry. I’m also really sorry that CaitieCat and others defending her position and dealing with the fallout had it deal with what happened. I found it all extremely upsetting and hurtful and I was just catching up after the fact.

    Thank you for sharing that with us.
    I understand how upsetting her words were, and I tried to engage her for a short time, but found that she wasn’t going to budge. Portia informed me that Ophelia doubled down even further, which was it for me. I had just started following B&W, but after that, I deleted her blog off my subscription list, defriended her on FB, and have not been back to her blog. If she’s going to have that attitude toward issues facing transpeople, then I’m done reading her. I initially thought to continue reading her, as I do find a lot of what she has to say of value, but I felt that her actions necessitated not following her anymore.
    I’m sorry she upset you and I genuinely wish she’d have listened to reason. I also agree that it flew under the radar here at FtB, and I also wish that the people stepping up to defend her had tried to empathize more with transmen and transwomen before they made apologies for Ophelia.

  42. says

    Alice Wilde, I totally get how you feel, and just wanted to offer *hugs* and grokking. Disappointment was the biggest chunk of my reaction too, honestly. Less shock than I’d have wanted, because I’d sort of suspected she leaned toward the cissexist, but deeply disappointed, particularly when they got to the point of lauding themselves as brave heroes for having survived my viciously polite request. :/

    She just goes into the small list of FTB writers whose work I pass by, now. In the end, I’d rather know who’s not on my side than have them lurking.

  43. says

    Alice Wilde
    *hugs* or other desired gestures of support. I’ve also been avoiding B&W since then.

    rq

    It’s a crappy context, Estonia is coming out with a new stamp that shows a local, native boviform.

    Probably a wisent or European Bison in that case, which usually wouldn’t be called cattle. Might be an aurochs, for which the term wild kine or wild cattle would be appropriate if there were any around any more.

  44. The Mellow Monkey says

    Alice Wilde: I am so sorry. Between my sporadic interest in B&W and spotty internet, I’d missed it entirely. I wish I could have been there for some kind of support.

    It’s an easy fuckup to make when discussing reproductive rights, having been born into and entrenched all our lives in a cissexist culture, but it’s also an easy fuckup to fix when it’s pointed out.

  45. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    It’s an easy fuckup to make when discussing reproductive rights, having been born into and entrenched all our lives in a cissexist culture, but it’s also an easy fuckup to fix when it’s pointed out.

    There’s another aspect of it, too, in that while access to abortion generally affect people with uteruses, anti-choice rhetoric is mostly implicitly, but deeply and intensely, anti-woman (granted, in large part because the sort of people who are anti-choice don’t tend to recognize trans men or female-bodied non-binary people as not being women).

    Greta Christina had a post where she’d discussed this, tangentially but explicitly; it seemed to me like she’d handled the distinction well (and proactively) and elucidated both facets; I couldn’t find it when I searched for it, though…

  46. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    *pops in, very threadrupt*

    I was feeling a little romantically discouraged, but then while working in the back of the ambo tonight the patient strained his eyes upwards and said “Yer cyoot.” So, y’know, I’ve got that going for me.

    ^_^

    *pops back out, leaving Minion umbrellas and hugs in a haphazard stack for the taking*

  47. says

    Tony! no worries about the misspelling. CaitieCat,Dalillama *hugs* accepted and offered back. Mellow MonkeyI couldn’t help but think of that Richard Dawkins anecdote about the scientist who was happy to be proven wrong and my subsequent spit-takes. If I could line up the people in the world who take being corrected well I might get halfway to my ass.

    As I said I was only catching up so I do feel a certain detachment from the conversations that occurred but yeah, it was certainly still hurtful to see. I don’t want to come across as making a grab for sympathy since there are people here that were directly involved but yeah, the post-game high-fiving that went on? That was gross. Brave heroes indeed.

    For me, I think this kind of thing is the most disappointing when I expect better and I did in this case. I’ve been called lots of horrible things in my life but when people you want to respect do this sort of thing it’s a real let down. I hold FTB in general in fairly high regard but this isn’t the first time something like this happened (*cough* *cough* Eberhard) so maybe I shouldn’t be shocked anymore.

  48. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    Alice Wilde:

    Eberhardt was exactly what I was thinking of the whole time that was going down. Of course, once banned, I couldn’t chip in any more.

    (insert FREEZE PEACH joke here.)

  49. says

    Alice Wilde:

    I don’t want to come across as making a grab for sympathy since there are people here that were directly involved but yeah, the post-game high-fiving that went on? That was gross. Brave heroes indeed.

    The thread where Ophelia dismissed CaitieCats request was under FtB’s active threads for a while longer than I’d anticipated. Your comment gives me some idea of what was going on in there.

  50. blf says

    One [cat] even grabs at me when I walk by the table between the bedroom and bathroom.

    It doesn’t want petting. It’s been waiting patiently for some mice to run by so it can play with them and have its very own cute furry four-paw-drive yo-yo, and then you come stomp Stomp! STOMPING! along and scare all the mices away…

  51. opposablethumbs says

    The skill and ingenuity of some cosplayers is really outstanding – it’s a fabulous dress! And ::ptui (spits):: on all those who would rain on her parade.

    cicely,
    that’s awful. Bloody hell, poor Son – I do pretty badly with any pain in the mouth, I can barely imagine what this could be like. How long has this been going on, and what are the prospects of getting rid of it?

  52. says

    Thanks, Tony!
    This is not happy reading, especially since CaitieCat’s original comment was so innocuous. Ophelia could definitely have handled that better.

  53. birgerjohansson says

    Study shows state legislators in favor of voter ID laws are motivated by racial bias http://phys.org/news/2014-07-state-legislators-favor-voter-id.html No, really? (sarcasm)

    Researchers develop ‘envy-free’ algorithm for settling disputes http://phys.org/news/2014-02-envy-free-algorithm-disputes.html -Similar math was used to work out a power-sharing method for Northern Ireland, so this is something politicians should embrace.

    St. Bernard Is Simultaneously Baffled By, And In Love With, Her New Kitten Friend http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/st-bernard-loves-kitten_n_5585807.html?cps=gravity

    Lunar pits could shelter astronauts, reveal details of how ‘man in the moon’ formed http://phys.org/news/2014-07-lunar-pits-astronauts-reveal-moon.html

  54. birgerjohansson says

    “Watching Welcome to Sweden With My Sweden-Born Wife” http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/07/17/welcome_to_sweden_nbc_show_with_guest_star_will_ferrell_is_pretty_accurate.html?wpisrc=obnetwork

    Actually, if the protagonist had met Swedish teenagers, they would have greeted him with *a lot* of American slang. And been swearing like people in a Spike Lee film. “This is fucking great, motherfucker!”

    And being of the pharyngulate persuation, I think marine arthropods are too cool to be eaten, whatever other Swedes think.

  55. Derek Vandivere says

    All I can think reading that thread is ‘with friends like these…’

    The amount of willful misinterpretaion and passive aggression in that thread is ridiculous.

  56. Derek Vandivere says

    @Birger – the f word’s also been imported into Dutch, and I hear it in public a LOT more often that I would in the States. I think that, at least with the kids, they assume that people cuss in real life as much as they do on TV.

    What’s really annoying is that they usually don’t pronounce it correctly – the u sound is about halfway to an ‘ooh’ sound, which to my ears totally sucks the power out of the word. It comes out sounding like a sadly deflating baloon.

  57. Rob Grigjanis says

    Derek Vandivere @577:

    the u sound is about halfway to an ‘ooh’ sound

    That description would put it close to the Yorkshire pronunciation, which is in fact the correct one :)

  58. birgerjohansson says

    Derek Vandivere @577:
    -Back when Holland was a world power, a lot of dutch words -mostly related to ships- found their way into other languages.

    “Fokken” (originally “to beat”) thus entered colloquial English.*
    In Swedish, fock remains a naval term for sailing ships because booms and ropes are thrown about in the wind.
    .
    I suppose we can surmise the dutch version is the most primitive form of pronounciation.

    *Ian Drury’s “Hit Me With Your Rythm Stick” appears to be relatively of close to both the original and the new meaning.
    — — —

    Criticising schools ‘vital’ to shit parenting http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/criticising-schools-vital-to-shit-parenting-2014071088471

  59. birgerjohansson says

    Tpyo strikes again

    — — —
    Citizen Koch: Public TV Snubbed This Film to Avoid Offending a Billionaire Donor http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/carl-deal-tia-lessin-directors-citizen-koch I like this comment: “Way too early to even contemplate what the Koch equivalent of “Rosebud” is.
    (I’m guessing porn site sign-on password.) “

    — — —

    Researchers develop ‘envy-free’ algorithm for settling disputes http://phys.org/news/2014-02-envy-free-algorithm-disputes.html -Similar math was used to work out a power-sharing method for Northern Ireland, so this is something politicians should embrace.
    — — — —

    One injection stops type 2 diabetes in its tracks in mice without side effects http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-diabetes-tracks-mice-side-effects.html

  60. Derek Vandivere says

    Biger: my favorite English word of Dutch / Frisian origin is window – wind oog – wind eye. At least in modern Dutch, fokken is ‘to raise’ as in livestock. There’s a golden oldie joke about the Dutch farmer who meets the American President, and very proudly tells him “I fok horses.”

    I was amazed when I went to Stockholm years ago how easy it was to figure out at least billboard Swedish by cross-referencing Dutch and English. Had the same experience in Norway a few months ago.

    Rob: now I’m trying to imagine my Yorkie friends saying the word. If my ears are remembering right, it’s got a bit of an upwards inflection, which gives the k a bit of a punch. When Dutch kids say it, it’s got a downwards inflection. Maybe that’s what denatures it.

    Whatever, it’s still fun to shock 13 year old by teaching them how to pronounce it correctly. I’ve got a whole sermon…

  61. birgerjohansson says

    Maybe “to raise” is the meaning of the naval equipment called fock -it helps raising sails?
    I hope the East Frisian language is still alive. Living on islands may help the inhabitants preserve it

    Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Caen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caen
    -After the war, people in Sweden helped collect money to rebuild parts of Caen with the most modern Scandinavian-style architecture of the era, resulting in residential
    houses that remain to this day.

  62. Derek Vandivere says

    Oh, is that why Caen looks so different than the other towns in Normandy? That would explain all the concrete boxes – that was definitely the style back then.

    Well, Friesland is a big (though thinly populated) province on the Dutch mainland – all of the waddeneilanden (the barrier islands) are part of Friesland except for Texel, which is part of North Holland. The Fries language is alive and well – there’s even a few TV channels exclusively in Frisian.

    As far as the ‘final solution’ goes – I get the feeling these Israeli ultra-right wingers really have no sense of irony (or justice (or humanity)) whatsoever…

  63. Esteleth, [an error occurred while processing this directive] says

    Shh!
    You’ll resurrect the zombie thread!

  64. Esteleth, [an error occurred while processing this directive] says

    In other news, I have acquired a new knitting project!

    There’s going to be an EstelethNiece or EstelethNephew! :D :D

    So my job is to welcome the little tyke in style by producing blankets, hats, etc.

    *knitting needles clack away*

  65. says

    Esteleth

    I don’t know if you can hear me over the clacking, but congrats.

    I took my kids to a state park not far from here for a walk in The Nature. My plan for tomorrow is to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (it’s not open on Mondays — what’s up with that? Does the Art need a rest?). These things are my attempt to keep us from sitting in front of computers/video games/TV for the whole summer. We’ve already been to the Phila. Zoo, the Franklin Institute, the Camden Adventure Aquarium since they got out of school. Also a place called Peddler’s Village which has a bunch of unique little shops.

  66. Esteleth, [an error occurred while processing this directive] says

    Tony!
    Well, I’m starting with a large (~54 in or so) round blanket with a sunburst pattern. Then I’ll make a hat.

    I may – time permitting, the baby is due in January – look and see if I can find a onesie or swaddle-suit pattern.

  67. ibyea says

    Tony
    So Ilunga is pretty much The Boy Who Cried Wolf conveyed in a single word.

  68. says

    ibyea:
    I don’t know if I’d agree with that. ‘Boy who cried wolf’ is someone falsely raising an alarm. In the case of Ilunga there is cause for alarm, it’s just that the person voicing their concern is forgiving the abuse the first time, tolerating it the second time, but not giving them a third chance.

    A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.

  69. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    …am I the only one wondering about the timing of PZ being emailed a falsely attributed TAA quote that’s consistent with his published opinion elsewhere, and a self-professed MRA immediately being on hand to skepticize about its provenance?

  70. says

    Azkyroth:
    No, you absolutely are not the only one.
    I wondered the exact same thing after I started searching for that image. There’s no proof, of course, but damn, that was reeeeeeeeeeeeeally coincidental.

  71. cicely says

    Tree Lobsters!

    Ctrl+Alt+Del, on diversity in comics (the meat of it is in the text under the comic).

    opposablethumbs:

    Bloody hell, poor Son – I do pretty badly with any pain in the mouth, I can barely imagine what this could be like. How long has this been going on, and what are the prospects of getting rid of it?

    I think the first symptoms were Wednesday night, when he apparently had a sore throat, but thought it was just an on-coming cold. Thursday night, he had a fever over 11 degrees, sore throat, and the first canker sore; his fiancee tried to get him to go to the doctor, but he thought he could tough it out. Friday afternoon he called me at work, light-headed, 2 sores in his mouth, with a 103+ fever, and we took him straightaway to the clinic. (Though there is much Suck attached to my place of employment, in this respect it is solidly Awesome—that in case of emergency, we can go, no argument.
     
    Yesterday is when they concluded that he’s allergic to the amoxicillin, and prescribed something else instead. I’m waiting to hear back how he’s doing today.
    Anxiously.
     
    (Later)
    He says his temp is under control, and he thinks the allergic reactions are improving, but he can’t sleep because of his mouth pain, which neither Chloraseptic nor Orajel can touch; and ice chips don’t help, either. Any suggestions?

    birgerjohansson:

    Israeli Lawmaker Outlines Final Solution For Gaza: ‘Elimination

    What kind of self-delusion must it take, for him—and his “fellow travelers”—not to see the parallels with a very plot-relevant ethnic cleansing? To say nothing of every other ethnic cleansing in recent history?
    Oh, wait.
    This is another one of those religiously-based dissociations, isn’t it.

    Esteleth, congrats to you and all persons involved on the impending familial addition!

  72. says

    re: Ilunga

    A person who is willing to forgive abuse the first time; tolerate it the second time, but never a third time.

    The thing is, it never actually works that way.

    I forgave him the first time he hit me.

    I tolerated it the second time, and had Words, lots of Words.

    By the third time it happened, I was too scared to say or do anything about it. By the third time, it’s too late. You’re locked in to the pattern, the abuse dynamic, and there’s no (visible) way out.

    That, I think, is the danger that Tony and others are concerned about.

  73. says

    re: Ilunga
    I think Pamela Haag is misapplying the word in her example. The definition of Ilunga references abuse, but she uses infidelity as an example of the word. Yes, there are problems with infidelity, but I don’t think they rise to the same level as abuse (whether physical, emotion, or sexual). It’s very different. So different that I think that Ilunga does not fit. But then this may be my Western thinking at work. Ilunga is a Bantu word, and perhaps for that culture, infidelity might be an appropriate example of the word.

    Also, WMDKitty:

    The thing is, it never actually works that way.

    I forgave him the first time he hit me.

    I tolerated it the second time, and had Words, lots of Words.

    By the third time it happened, I was too scared to say or do anything about it. By the third time, it’s too late. You’re locked in to the pattern, the abuse dynamic, and there’s no (visible) way out.

    That, I think, is the danger that Tony and others are concerned about.

    I’m so sorry for what you went through.

    Though I wish otherwise, I wasn’t referring to patterns of domestic violence. In fact, to be honest, I don’t have any personal knowledge of domestic abuse (whether from experiencing it personally or knowing someone who has been victimized). What I do know of domestic abuse is limited to statistics.

  74. says

    cicely @600:
    from your ctrl alt del link:

    But no, my issue, and the reason I decided to make fun of Marvel today, is the company’s general handling of this thing from the business side. First of all, it’s comics, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that these changes are temporary. That makes it feel gimmicky to start with. Then they announce them with these big press releases and announcements on talk shows that just scream “Hey, look at us! Look at how modern and progressive we are!” making it seem even more disingenuous.

    I feel like all of the forced fanfare and attention they give it does the opposite of the intended effect. Rather than simply having a woman take up Thor’s hammer and rock it out as if it’s business as usual like they should, they have to say “Look! Look! A woman!” That’s not equality, that’s a sideshow. If Steve Rogers picks up the shield again in a few months, do you imagine they’ll issue a big press release to say “Attention! Captain America is a white guy again!”

    We know they’re trying to sell issues… and that’s fine, they’re in business. And there isn’t a huge profit margin in comic books, so it makes sense for them to appeal to as many different people as possible. It’s time to move outside the “young white males” demographic.

    But gimmicky, temporary roster changes aren’t good enough. Forcing a new character into the guise of an iconic hero isn’t even fair to that character; they’re forced to contend with tons of history and pre-conceived notions, and they have a slim chance of getting out from under that shadow before they’re inevitably shelved in the return to the status quo.

    This is only a guess on my part (but it is informed by an understanding of comic book history)–
    I think the changes to Captain America and Thor are intended to reach a wider audience than simply launching a solo Falcon or new god empowered female (I do hate that she doesn’t have her own name) book. Books from the Big 2 featuring black or female characters don’t historically do very well and sales would probably necessitate cancellation within a year or so. I *think* what the plan is is to have these characters in the role of Cap and Thor long enough to build up a substantial fanbase, and then spin them off into their own books with the hope that they’ll have enough readers to support ongoing series. There are likely more people reading Captain America month to month and I doubt those numbers would be the same for a Falcon book launching tomorrow. It may be a gimmick, but it’s one designed to bring in a larger audience in the long run. I hope it works. I also hope that at some point in the not too distant future, comics companies can launch a book with a black or female character to good sales figures without having to have them take over for more popular characters first.

  75. cicely says

    Tony!, I think they figure they can jump either way; if the new Cap and Thor don’t go over, they revert them, been done hundreds of times, Peter and Mary Jane were never married, yada yada; and if they do go over well, they can both revert them—under the old titles—and spin the new versions off in their own titles…somewhat like their Ultimates titles. Ultimate X-Men, for instance, with its divergences, didn’t put the kibosh on the main-line continuity titles; they’re still there, still proliferating like bacteria.
     
    In other words, they figure that they can have their cake—throwing away any “uneaten” portion—and eat it, too. Win-win, from their viewpoint, except for the “acceptable losses”—those customers who are so angered by the change, as to drop the titles altogether.

  76. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Eureka, finally tried on the sandals I bought for the Redhead. The swollen foot is still too swollen for the base shoe straps to work, but making extension velcro pieces by tacking the back of the felt to the back of the barb, and cutting to size, worked beautifully. Her foot sits in the sandal, and feels comfortable.
    Now comes the “stand test”.

  77. says

    Tony @591

    My kids have liked them all so far. I remember going to most of these places at least a few times while in school, and they seem to have far fewer class trips than I did. I may be remembering it slightly incorrectly (it’s been 40 years, after all), but I’m pretty sure I went to the Zoo and the Franklin Institute and even Historic Philadelphia (Independence Hall and Liberty Bell) more than once.

    My son was excited to go to the Aquarium as soon as I told my kids that I wanted to take them places over the summer. Both really liked the Franklin Institute, with its many hands on exhibits. My son rode a pony at the zoo, and both had really great time feeding Lorikeets there. Touching sharks and stingrays at the Aquarium — well, I should upload the pictures I took of that so you can see their faces.

    I wasn’t sure they would like just going to a National or State Park and walking along a trail for a bit, but they seem to enjoy that, too. When the weather settles again, I hope to take them to Washington’s Crossing State Park in PA (New Jersey’s version is not really that good) along with Bowman’s Hill Tower and the Wildflower Preserve.

    It’s going much better than I expected so far. They still argue when I need to take them to the supermarket with me because we are running out of food in the house, but these extra trips are OK. I still have plans for the US Mint in Philadelphia, another trip to the Zoo, since we only saw half of it the first time, the Museum of Natural History, Pennsbury Manor (which both kids have been to on class trips) which is sort of a local Colonial Williamsburg in William Penn’s home, and Historic Philadelphia (which will require decent weather). Possibly the Constitution Center, but that may be part of the Historic Philly trip since it’s right across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

  78. says

    Something for the kids (and the adults, really):

    Ever since it first started, Mike Maihack’s Batgirl/Supergirl has been ComicsAlliance’s favorite take on those two characters, probably ever. The strips are unfailingly charming and delightful, and the clash between Batgirl’s understandable grumpiness and Supergirl’s relentless cheer makes for some classic comedy. Now, though, we’re all getting pretty excited about the official version of Batgirl, with the announcement of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr’s impending takeover of the book with an amazing new costume, it looks like there might be a rival for our Batgirl-related affections coming up soon.
    But, as Maihack has proven in his latest strip, there’s nobody more excited about Batgirl’s new costume than her best friend Kara.

    The mini comic is adorable. Supergirl’s Batgirl-inspired costume is nifty too.

  79. opposablethumbs says

    Congratulations on impending aunt-hood and happy knitting, Esteleth!

    Only wish I had knowledge and information to offer, cicely :-( I don’t know what I’d do other than ice, and it doesn’t sound like that’s any help. Ugh, all my sympathies to Son and I hope the treatment he’s getting proves effective quickly.

  80. bassmike says

    Congrats Esteleth may you have many happy hours of knitting for the new arrival.

    Cicely what’s happening to your Son sounds horrible. I hope it is sorted out soon with the minimum of pain.

  81. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Kevin:

    It’s functional and probably very comfortable to fight crime in

    Meh. So is every costume that says it is. Fiction, y’know?

  82. says

    @Crip Dyke:

    It’s a leather jacket (removable) and a likely stretchy material for the pants and whatever’s underneath the jacket and a swiftly removable cape. It’s certainly much more believable than some of the other outfits superheroines have been thrown into in the past.

  83. Pteryxx says

    *restocks the hug truck with cakes and fuzzy things* (cakes may contain fuzz) (fuzzy things may contain cake)

    Women penalized for promoting women

    Researchers at the University of Colorado found that women and non-whites executives who push for women and non-whites to be hired and promoted suffer when it comes to their own performance reviews. A woman who shepherds women up the ranks, for example, is perceived as less warm, while a non-white who promotes diversity is perceived as less competent. Both end up being rated less highly by their bosses, according to the paper, which is set to be presented at an Academy of Management conference next month.

  84. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Bad day at work. I think clients were fucking with my head instead of genuinly misunderstanding me, since colleague repeated the same thing with nearly the same words and got a “Thank you! We’ve been wasting time on this for the last hour.”

    I felt so humiliated I nearly cried. I can deal with rude people, but I can’t deal with someone I feel is deliberately humiliating me, or in this case, sensing that I’m a small fish and abusing me until a bigger fish comes so that they could talk “at their level”.

  85. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Also, there is a big spider above my bed.

  86. says

    Beatrice, you could take your feelings about the client’s crappy attitude out on the spider. Isn’t that what spiders are for? (Sorry you had to deal with a crappy attitude.)

    It seems the new Player’s Handbook has added a section on sexuality and gender identity.

    Part of the character creation section states: “Think about how your character does or does not conform to the broader culture’s expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behaviour.

    “For example, a male drow cleric defies the traditional gender divisions of drow society, which could be a reason for your character to have to leave that society.”

  87. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    But if I miss the spider, it could end up on my bed or get mad and take revenge on me while I sleep.

    Two more days and then I’m going home. I miss my mum. :(

  88. Hekuni Cat, MQG says

    Esteleth – Congratulations! And good luck with your knitting.

    cicely – I’m sorry your son is in so much pain. I wish I had something I could suggest to help. *hugs*

    Nerd – Good luck with the Redhead’s new sandals.

    rq – I want to go to Tristan da Cunha too.

    Pteryxx – I’ll have some cake and some fuzz.

    Beatrice – *hugs and chocolate* I’m so sorry about the clients. I don’t like big spiders above my bed either.

  89. Rob Grigjanis says

    Beatrice @623: I’ve met the type, and seen them in action. They deserve your pity, not your tears, because their worldview is, at bottom, horribly sad.

    Also; spiders and praying mantises are our friends. This is just libelous anti-spider propaganda.

  90. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    The Redhead was able to easily stand up with her sandals, but was unable to “spin”. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the sandals, as she has been having trouble with that lately. But I should be able to put on some strips of elastic cloth around the ball of the foot area of the sandals to give a less firm grip. This was done earlier when she was in rehab, so it’s nothing new, and I’m using the same box of elastic cloth as was used in rehab. So we are closer to getting her out for her periodontist appointment Thursday. I also needed another package of velcro for the third strap. Got that on the way home from work. Now to attach the felt and barb blocks, and cut them lengthways down the middle.

  91. says

    Beatrice:
    Much love and ::hugs::

    ****

    A mildly entertaining video, if a trifle too repetitive, from Ryan English:

    “Scully Likes Science” isn’t your average supercut. Anyone could cut together a bunch of X-Files clips where Scully talks about science, but Ryan English put it to music and created something that I will put up against any other track as the song of the summer. At least, for science geeks

  92. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @abj47:

    Awesome. And just 23 years after I had a pair of antagonist characters in a group of baddies appear to be lesbian…though later it was revealed that one was a male gnome illusionist. Then the people at my table had a very long discussion about whether the two were still lesbians and this was a transsexual gnome or whether the gnome was just a magic cross dresser who nonetheless identified as a man. And then they noticed that, hey, the (D&D) “race” of the gnome was different in illusionary disguise, too. Was this a gnome-bodied individual that ID’d as a half-elf? Or a gnome that “cross dressed” as a half-elf? What would it mean to treat a lover as a half-elf if the lover was gnome-bodied?

    Well, they found out. When the illusionist died the half-elf fighter-evoker went on a rampage and nearly single-handedly kicked their asses.

    They always wondered why individuals that are of similar levels seem so relatively easy to defeat. It was only after that they figured out that, oh, when you spend all your time planning to defeat a particular enemy rather than being all hangy-outy at home while planning world conquest generally, you can target your info gathering and your weaponry in a way that the person who wants to take on the whole world can’t.

    it turns out that when NPCs actively hunt PCs, the NPCs always have the right spell on hand, and have purchased just the right potions, etc.

    That whole sequence was eye-opening for them in many ways.

  93. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    ‘rupt, as per usual.

    *hugs* to Beatrice. I’m really sorry.

    My boss often gives me research projects that he knows the answer to. It’s…humiliating.
    It’s moderately mitigated when he at least tells me it’s a test. Sometimes he just acts like he doesn’t know a fairly basic thing because he’s testing me.

    Ugh.

    This guy gets points for making me laugh out loud:
    “All my books, paintings, and klutzy knittings burnt down when my apartment caught fire after smoking a cigarette indoors in violation of my lease. Please help.”
    You can guess how I described myself in my profile on match. I think he hit all the highlights.

  94. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @portia

    Now that’s someone who deserves a message back.

  95. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    CD:

    *hi hi hi*
    *pouncehug*
    I agree. Now to agonize over an equally clever response.

  96. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    Congratulations to Esteleth!!!

    I went with: “Wow, where to begin. So many of my talents are called for in this dire situation. Most important things first: replacing your books. What do you like to read?”

  97. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    I’ve gotten bloody noses from too little moisture in the air, but never when it was at its most humid.

    Did I type this ok?
    I can’t see the keyboard, only the ceiling, from this postition.

  98. morgan ?! epitheting a metaphor says

    Yes, you typed this okay! Sterling, perfect reply. And bloody noses are the gods getting playful. Snotty beasts. I get ’em all the time.

  99. ChasCPeterson says

    great googly-moogly, you people are nerds.

    Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    Do carry on.

  100. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    It’s certainly much more believable than some of the other outfits superheroines have been thrown into in the past.

    My point was that “believability” is a contextual term, and there’s a hell of a lot of context when dealing with a publisher who makes its money on an alien who looks exactly like a human (to the point where “impossibly good looking” might as well be one of his super powers), flies without support, transcends space and time at will, fights (and wins!) against gods, but hasn’t yet bothered to design a lead-lined costume or even just a rocket belt for protecting against or getting away from every two-bit hood with a lump of kryptonite.

    Buying into superman takes suspension of disbelief to Damocles’ level. An artificial fiber that wicks moisture and breathes well well containing nano-particles to neutralize contact toxins and maybe add a little shimmer in the right light? Not quite so much. Hell you can make it slimming and bullet proof and you still haven’t appreciably changed the chance of that thread snapping.

    I get that there are some that are excited because thought into details like costumes are (hopefully) indicative of a creative team that will give thought to the character as a whole, a team that will think about “what is it like to live life as Batgirl”?

    And that’s fine. If it foreshadows a good book, yay. But whether it’s leather or made-up super-fabric doesn’t, in itself, make the costume

    “functional and probably very comfortable”

    It’s fiction. It’s functional if they say it is in the same way that it’s true if they say it is that Superman’s eyes emit lasers that cause matter touched to explode but can also slice through an asteroid with surgical precision when required.

    Arguing over which is more “functional”, Supermans “heat vision” or Cyclops eye-beams is no more rational than having an opinion on the functionality of a fictional leather jacket vs a fictional super-fiber with no earthly equivalent.

  101. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    great googly-moogly, you people are nerds.

    Why, that’s just the nicest thing to say.

    morgan:
    Thank you for the proofreading. Pesky gods.
    And thank you for the validation on the reply :D

  102. says

    Buddy of mine threw out this weird hypothetical today. To paraphrase, “Let’s say you have a fully functional hermaphrodite. Has ALL the parts, and they all work. If this person were to self-impregnate, would the pregnancy be viable, and would the fetus (and subsequent baby) have genetic issues?”

    (I know, WTF, right?)

    I was like, “Assuming this were possible, it would probably take a few generations of self-fertilization to see any negative effects. But really, I don’t know.”

    I mean, even slugs and snails — which ARE fully functioning hermaphroditic creatures — partner up when it’s time to reproduce.

  103. thunk: turmite city says

    hello!

    I did so much stuff today! It was awesome being productive, even if it’s hard to get myself to do it.

    Also, it’s really nice when I have those rare moments when I can just be myself–and block off all the self-loathing I’ve picked up from those around me. I can’t believe how bubbly I am right now.

  104. thunk: turmite city says

    Thanks Chigau!

    Now if I can just be myself in the mornings, half my problems would be solved.

  105. says

    Hugs for everybody! I finished another felt birdie today, and went for a walk and did all the laundry. I did a creative thing and slayed usefuls. Does wonders to improve one’s mood, getting things done.

  106. Hekuni Cat, MQG says

    thunk – *hugs* I’m glad your day was happily productive.

    Congrats, Anne. It sounds like you had a good day. Getting things done always improves my mood too. (It’s not always an option, but getting something done would improve my mood even on those occasions.)

  107. says

    Crip Dyke:

    Arguing over which is more “functional”, Supermans “heat vision” or Cyclops eye-beams is no more rational than having an opinion on the functionality of a fictional leather jacket vs a fictional super-fiber with no earthly equivalent.

    I’m leaning towards Batgirl’s new costume being functional (and stylish). Only thing I don’t like are the boots.

    ****
    http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/breaking_federal_judge_set_to_strike_down_colorado_same_sex_marriage_ban

    Raymond P. Moore, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Colorado Tuesday indcated, as expected, he will rule that Colorado’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Delaying his decision today was whether or not he will stay his ruling, as every other opposed ruling in the past year has been by a federal court.

    The ruling will come three weeks to the day that a state judge in a separate case also found Colorado’s eight-year old same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

    ****

    thunk, Anne:
    Productive days are definitely nice. Kudos to both of you on yours.

    ****

    Of late, I’ve taken to leash-walking my dog Krystal (I use a harness instead of collar–it seems more humane not to choke the dog). In the 6 years I’ve had her, I haven’t walked her much, in part bc I was working so much, and in part bc she didn’t seem to like being on a leash. I would usually just play with her (and my roomies dog) in the back yard. For all that she’s not that accustomed to leash-walking, she is amazingly well behaved. She doesn’t run. If I stop, she almost always stops, without any command from me. She walks just as casually as I do. It’s a really pleasant way to get in a walk and spend time with my dog (in the evening or at least at night anyways; Florida summer times are muggy and hot).

  108. cicely says

    *reciprocating all hugs*, and appreciating all sympathy.

    We had to take Son back to the clinic today, because the mouth sores were so severe that he couldn’t drink—even water—without excruciating pain. The doctor has decided that these are a separate problem from the strep (I think she called it “stomatitis”, and from the description, it looks as if this may be it; and also, that it may not have anything to do with an allergy to amoxicillin. New meds, and three bags of saline IV, and a corticosteroid added in, together with a topical “mouthwash” to numb the sores so he can eat/drink/take the pills.
     
    He has successfully consumed a vanilla milk shake.
     
    Damn, I hope this is soon over!
    I hurt for him.
    :(

    Beatrice:

    Bad day at work. I think clients were fucking with my head instead of genuinely misunderstanding me, since colleague repeated the same thing with nearly the same words and got a “Thank you! We’ve been wasting time on this for the last hour.”

    *hugs*
    I recall reading an article fairly recently that suggests that this sorta crap frequently takes place where the information is initially given by a woman, and the subsequently-repeating colleague is a man. (It’s our fluffy pink ladybrains, don’chaknow; our opinions and knowledge are just naturally not worth crap.)
    Is that what’s happening, here?

    Portia:

    I went with: “Wow, where to begin. So many of my talents are called for in this dire situation. Most important things first: replacing your books. What do you like to read?”

    Well, you made me snortle!
    :D

    thunk, hurray for productivity, and for getting to be yourself!
    :)

  109. says

    Anyone looking for wearable cities and stars?

    In a novel intersection of fashion and science, New York-based Slow Factory is utilizing imagery from NASA to create lines of translucent scarves. Their most recent collection, Cities by Night, is a series scarves imprinted with imagery of London, New York, and Paris captured at night from satellites and aboard the International Space Station. A second collection, Floating in Space, includes several breathtaking photographs of various nebulae captured by the Hubble. Slow Factory was founded by designer Celine Semaan Vernon, a native of Beirut who now lives and works in New York City. Several of their pieces are now available in the Colossal Shop.

    No idea what I’d wear it with, but I kinda want one. Just bc.

  110. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Client-induced headache is gone, I expect today’s group to be ok since there are no high-level big heads.

    I don’t know where the spider is. I don’t care where the spider is. It’s alive and out of my sight. I count that as a happy ending. (“eating like kings” gave me a good morning laugh)

    —–
    Portia,

    That was a funny message from the guy, and I think your response fit. Good luck with the whole thing!

    —–
    cicely,

    Much sympathy for your Son.

    Colleague is a woman too, she’s just more authoritative than me… and everyone there knew she’s the project manager and I’m helping.
    Everyone was super nice (no arguments, no question), and the moment she left – chaos (like, almost literally the moment she left the room a guy started lecturing me). The same, only in the other direction, when she came back.

    —–
    *hugs*

  111. says

    Crip Dyke @512:

    I tend to avoid Young …” and “Kid …” because they have in the past tended to be baby stories, really aimed at giving the pre-pubescents their own characters with which to identify, but not bothering with things like plot or motivations that make sense, etc.

    I realize that as a trend this has had its interruptions for decades now. Power Pack (in the 80s? 90s? probably 80s) was the first I remember that was dealing with “young” heroes (as if peter parker is “old”) that seemed to have a reasonably interesting depth in its story lines and characterizations. Nonetheless, I’ve shied away.

    Perhaps I should check out of TPB of YA and see what was going on. Do you know the trade that covers these issues (or just the relevant issues’ numbers)?

    Sorry, I meant to respond to this sooner.
    Young Avengers is aimed at teen demographic, but it’s got a sophisticated, adult sensibility to it. As I mentioned in my prior comment, the team is comprised of lesbian, bisexual, or gay people. The art is by Jamie McKelvie, who’s blog you can find here. Kieron Gillen is the writer. Both of them are socially conscious, feminists, supporters of LGBT people, and-IMO-extremely good at their individuals crafts.

    The original series won the 2006 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book and the 2006 Harvey Award for Best New Series. The second volume by Kieron Gillen also received the award for Outstanding Comic Book at the 25th GLAAD Media Awards in 2014.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Avengers

    The original series was ok. It was written by Allen Heinberg with art by Jim Cheung. The sequel by Gillen and McKelvie is quite a bit superior.

    Here’s a sample of another book Gillen and McKelvie work on, a creator owned project called The Wicked and The Divine:

    Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have just completed a successful year-long 15-issue run on Young Avengers. The widespread expectation was that their next collaboration would be “The Immaterial Girl,” the already announced third volume of their music-is-magic series Phonogram. It turns out they had a surprise up their sleeve.
    Live on stage at Image Expo in San Francisco, publisher Eric Stephenson just announced a new ongoing Image series from Gillen and McKelvie titled The Wicked & The Divine. This is a story about gods, teenagers, life, death, and David Bowie. We spoke exclusively to Kieron Gillen to find out more.
    ComicsAlliance: Hi Kieron. Congratulations on the new series! What’s The Wicked & The Divine about?
    Kieron Gillen: Every 90 years or so, twelve gods incarnate in the bodies of the young. They are charismatic and brilliant. They stand before crowds, speak in tongues, and send them into rapture. They’re rumoured to perform secretive miracles. They save people’s lives, either metaphorically or literally.
    They are loved. They are hated. They are brilliant.
    Within two years, they’re dead.
    That’s our cast. People with enormous gifts who only get to be on this Earth for a scant few years. The story joins with the majority of the gods returned to Earth – from Baal to Sekhmet, from Minerva to The Morrigan. Our lead, Laura, is a devotee. She loves them. She loves all of them. They make her feel alive like nothing else.
    Laura wants more. She’s not happy with being a fan. She wants to be one of them, even if it comes with that cost.
    And then she meets Lucifer.
    Lucifer has a certain problem.
    They help each other out.
    Basically, it’s a superhero comic for anyone who loves Bowie as much as Batman.
    CA: Tell me about the mythology. It sounds like you’re drawing on a mix of sources, from Christian to Celtic to Egyptian.
    KG: That’s been a good chunk of work – going through all the mythologies to see who fits the cast. At the same time, I was going through the pop-star archetypes, picking them. Sometimes I got a god I liked and worked out which pop-stars they would be like. Baal would be a good example of that. Sometimes I got a pop-star archetype and worked out what god suited them best. Having a character heavily informed by Prince and those who love Prince would be an example of that, which had me moving through about twelve gods before finally settling on one at once. Sometimes I got them both at once. Lucifer would be a good example of that. She’s very much cocaine-abuse megalomaniac ’70s Bowie.
    When I started pulling together the cast, there was a time when I thought the whole cast would be women. I got to seven characters, and there was a bloke in there. I was thinking perhaps I’d end up doing that… at which point I got one that inspired me. It’s a 7/5 split, in terms of gender. In terms of the pantheons, the further I got into my research, I realized I was basically doing a god per pantheon, and should lean into that. In the end, certain areas have more representation – I’ve treated different periods of Greek religion as different pantheons.

  112. A. Noyd says

    WMDKitty (#650)

    Well, this is good news. Weird Al apologized for his use of “spastic”.

    That’s good. I was already feeling nauseated by the tune when I watched that. I was trying to at least enjoy the cleverness of the lyrics when that slur thudded out like a failed fledgeling.

  113. birgerjohansson says

    This should be a Gary Larson cartoon: “Swedish police warn of rogue pregnant cow” http://www.thelocal.se/20140723/swedes-to-hospital-after-pregnant-cow-attack
    .

    This Is What Happens When You Denounce Pro-Israel Bias Live On Mainstream Media (VIDEO) http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/07/22/this-is-what-happens-when-you-denounce-pro-israel-bias-live-on-mainstream-media/?utm_source=crowdignite.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crowdignite.com
    .

    Ted Cruz bares fangs at ‘misogynist’ True Blood episode mocking him http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/22/ted-cruz-bares-fangs-at-misogynist-true-blood-episode-mocking-him/ Boo-hoo! Vampires don’t like Ted Cruz.

  114. rq says

    *hugs* and *sympathies* and *congratulations* for all the folks here, ‘specially Beatrice, cicely, thunk, Anne, Dalillama and… well, here, I’m going to leave a stack of everything here, just help yourselves as you see fit! :)

    +++

    Combining robotics and ballet? I think so.
    And then I realized I didn’t know the story of Francesca da Rimini, so I went looking to satisfy my curiosity, and came upon this painting. And the description notes that the couple on the right is burning in the eternal flames of hell for their adultery, but from the expressions and the pose of the two figures, I would think the artist had a different message in mind. But maybe that’s just me.

    Also, this trailer for Dear White People is making the rounds on my Facebook. I can’t tell if it’s a good idea or not… Anyone else?

    Musical Interlude: some fusion classical-80s rock music from four Latvian composers. A matter of taste, I suppose.

  115. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    cicely
    *biggentlehugs* :(
    Hope it passes quickly

    Beatrice:
    Ugh. I hate hate hate that. *hugs*
    and thanks:)

    *hugs* for Dalillama

  116. Pteryxx says

    random links:

    First a pre-emptive sloth chaser: Disney princesses as sloths

    Salon interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson

    So I have an unorthodox definition of science literacy, and I’m trying to get more people to think about it in this way. I think typically when we think of science literacy, it’s “do you know what causes the seasons?” or what the DNA molecule is, or how our internal combustion engine works or what the Big Bang is or “what is evolution?” And this is chalked up as evidence of whether you’re scientifically literate or not. And while that’s an aspect of it, I think what’s more important than even that is how is your brain wired for thought, for inquiry and for curiosity. If you are curious, and you want to learn more about something, and you question what it is you see in search of answers that would support or deny what you see, that to me is science literacy. And so it’s, how do you approach someone who makes a statement to you? Do you say “Oh, that’s great, that’s gotta be true! Tell me more” or is it “Well, why is that true? How did you come to arrive at that conclusion? What are the consequences of it? How does it affect others, how does it affect me, how does it affect civilization or culture?” To me, the capacity to even know to ask those questions is at the center of what it is to be scientifically literate.

    You too can watch Congress and the private sector edit Wikipedia

    But there are also some more worrying edits. A couple of days ago someone at Boeing made an edit on the page about the Israeli Iron Dome defense system, which Boeing has helped manufacture. The change isn’t drastic, but it does have to do with the substance of the article, and seems particularly brazen given its origin and timing. It’s exactly the sort of change that shouldn’t be made to Wikipedia, and I’m glad @oiledits was there to catch it.

    (warning for graphic descriptions of worker injury) (have that sloth chaser ready to roll)

    And I thought I’d heard enough horrific stories involving sugar this week:

    Sugar plant removed safety device 13 days before temp worker’s death

    Part of a ProPublica series on perma-temps – temp workers hired through staffing agencies for years or decades on end – who are at increased risk of crushings, amputations, and death on the job.

    http://www.propublica.org/series/temp-land

  117. Pteryxx says

    and one more – Race swapping online podcast episode with a transcript here. Mikki Kendall, an Internet writer, talks about respondents behaving completely differently when she switched her Twitter avatar to the face of a white man.

    MK: It was essentially. When I tried it I was talking about abortion, and this guy who came to tell me that abortion clinics where only in black neighborhoods and this and that and the other, like he and I have had interactions before. He was reasonable. He was calm, he was curious. You should remember my name, since you’ve been in my mentions to troll me three times before now, but now you are looking at the stats from the Guttmacher Institute about where abortion clinics are and all of these things. And you just, “I had no idea, I’d always been told, and blah blah blah.” I have shown him that same information in the past, with my real face.

  118. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    Part of a ProPublica series on perma-temps – temp workers hired through staffing agencies for years or decades on end – who are at increased risk of crushings, amputations, and death on the job.

    I guess to the companies,that’s what makes them “temporary” *throws up in mouth*

  119. A. Noyd says

    rq (#662)

    Also, this trailer for Dear White People is making the rounds on my Facebook. I can’t tell if it’s a good idea or not… Anyone else?

    I saw it and I loved it. I really enjoyed how Simien, the writer/director, examines oppressed people’s witting and unwitting complicity in systems of oppression even if they’re all-too aware of their disadvantages and want better. It made me remember stupid things I did as a young woman that were very supportive of patriarchy, even though I was a feminist. Simien also did a good job of having the characters grow by the end of the film but still kept them young people.

    There’s only one flattering portrayal of a white person, but nearly everything the other white people in the film said or did are things I’ve seen my fellow white people saying/doing first or secondhand. In my opinion, Simien toned them down a bit, probably to better focus on the four students whose stories make up the film.

  120. rq says

    A. Noyd
    That’s actually good to hear! I was starting to feel guilty about laughing at the trailer. :/ Mostly due to things I’ve learned here on Pharyngula; can’t say I’d have understood most of the jokes otherwise (sadly). And still I know they’re laughing (a little?) at me, too, and you know, I don’t mind that at all. :)

    +++

    So, mental illness symptoms (interpretation thereof) are culture-dependent? Doesn’t seem all that surprising, but now there’s Science to back it up.

    A note on MH17 and war and things becoming personal. Yeah, it doesn’t touch me directly. It’s not even a neighbouring country. But young people here are scared because they’ve never seen war before, and old people are scared because they have seen war before, and the news is all about Russian fighter jets observed on that border, Russian warships hanging around that port, and suddenly my background thoughts are all terrified… Not scene-of-destruction terrified, of course. But war has a way of reaching out beyond its otherwise-narrowly-defined territory. If not physically, then psychologically. (And most of all I just want to tell them all to just STAAAAHHHP but who would listen to me?)

    Bathing in Binchester, Roman-style. Pretty cool discovery!

    Anyone have any cute animals?

  121. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    OMGOMG Joan Baez in Zagreb in October!

  122. rq says

    Beatrice
    *major squeeeeeeeeeeeeees* for both your previous posts (plus an extra *jealous* for Joan Baez). :)

  123. says

    rq:

    I give you…. a baby grashopper

    How cute!

    I found an itty bitty grasshopper in my kitchen a few nights ago. Critter was sitting on a heating element (long since cool to the touch, obviously). I was rather entranced and bent over to look at it. I couldn’t make out much since it was so small. I thought back to my younger years when I’d have casually-and cruelly-killed an animal in this situation. Instead, I grabbed a cup and a paper plate, covered the grasshopper, slid the plate underneath and took the little critter outside.

    ****

    I found nice digitally painted octopus picture and this really creepy image of some kind of monster from artist Frazer Irving. His work is phenomenal.

  124. says

    Thanks to SallyStrange, I have been introduced to http://critiquemydickpic.tumblr.com/ .
    It’s an interesting blog. The author is critiquing dick pictures. Not just the dick, but the entire pic. Xe is concerned with lighting, angles, ancillary background crap, camera focus, the use of hands, stuff like that. Xe says it is 100% anonymous with no body or dick shaming and includes the tagline:

    i welcome submissions from POC, trans people, and anyone else who will promote diversity at critique my dick pic. please send only your absolute best work to critiquemydickpic@gmail.com — lazy efforts will be discarded.

  125. says

    Crip Dyke @633

    Sounds like you run great games. I’m pretty good at modules, but my own creations feel flat to me, though my players seem to like them. And I really like that you got them to question assumptions.

    Obviously the rules after 1st edition (with its range of stats for women vs. men) have defaulted to, “Who cares rules-wise what gender or sexuality you want to play?”, but I think it’s great that they now have a section explicitly stating this.

    cicely Really hoping for better things for son soonly.

  126. cicely says

    Son seems to be doing better today; his temp is under control, and most of yesterday’s mouth sores are on the mend—though now he’s got a whole new crop lurking under his tongue….

    Jesus Loves the Legal Little Children

    Tony!:
    *sniffle*
     
    (A Little Later)
    I just watched Jon Stewart’s bits about evil civil forfeiture, and the Kickstarter to buy CNN. Both awesome, and I only wish the Kickstarter could/would work out.

  127. rq says

    Good morning!
    Well, here’s a hint: don’t get raped in Latvia! Just found out what some of our prosecutors – and the prosecutor general himself – think of women who have been raped, and their level of responsibility in the crime. Uneducated assholes. Because “everyone has a right to an opinion” is an excuse for victim-blaming. *spits*

  128. opposablethumbs says

    cicley, tenative thumbs-up for Son’s improvement and much holding of thumbs (or, as I am more accustomed to doing, crossing of fingers) for getting what sounds like a horrible condition under control and gone asap.

  129. bassmike says

    Cicely I hope your son continues to improve.

    rq I sympathize about the MH17 incident. If Ukraine is taken by Russia, who knows which country would be next? As I’ve mentioned before, my wife is of Ukrainian descent. She took my daughter to a Ukrainian camp to see the dancing and generally connect with her heritage a few weeks ago. She bought a couple of Ukrainian flags and took one to work. She’s now had to take it down as a work colleague is Dutch and there are Malaysian students around too. We’re both acutely aware of the situation and the gross hypocrisy of the Western governments.

    On a lighter note: I liked the music @662

    Tony good little story!

  130. jste says

    I like Tony‘s story.

    Tonight, I learned that the book of mormon made it to Broadway. What the.

  131. opposablethumbs says

    I haven’t seen it, but I gather that Book of Mormon is a musical and a piss-take.