But if it’s a fraud, why would anyone need to fight it? Or anyway, so the moron creationists say on the Creation Museum entry on Budget Travel’s poll of sites.
It’s just vile for anyone to expose the scam, because kids need to learn alternatives to science and sound empirical reasoning.
carlie: “kristinc – whaaa?? It’s based on The Borrowers”
Damn! Beat me to it. I could *maybe* see a gender/class-normative angle, but it’s a bit of a Marxian stretch.
Also don’t worry about spoilers. I’m spoiler-proof.
The last paragraph of the book is the *ultimate* spoiler. ;)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Crocuses are starting to bloom in my untended garden.
In my experience the crocuses only start to bloom when spring is definitely on its way in. The greenness will start coming back next. I’ll be sure to go listen to the frogs this year.
Rabbits will of course start getting horny and stupid too.
But it all seems to start with the little crocuses.
Mmmmmm. For those who like to wear the hippydippy perfume oils, I can wholeheartedly recommend Kuumba Made Amber paste. Very nice. (Skip their Egyptian musk though, pretty faint.)
M Groesbecksays
I like the gist of Adam Savage’s line early in the vid — things like stage magic are, really, more exciting when you know that the people up there aren’t really any different from you, and are taking advantage of your perceptions in a way that you’re perfectly capable of figuring out if you challenge your own assumptions about what you’re seeing. It’s not just a show, then — it’s a puzzle.
changeable monikersays
Oh! Borrowers:
Looking back, the idea seems to be part of an early fantasy in the life of a very short-sighted child, before it was known that she needed glasses. The detailed panorama of lake and mountain, the just-glimpsed boat on a vague horizon, the scattered constellations of a winter sky, the daylight owl–carven and motionless against the matching tree trunk–the sight of romping hares in a distant field, the swift recognition of a bird on the wing, were not for her […]
On the other hand, for her brothers country walks with her must have been something of a trial: she was an inveterate lingerer, a gazer into banks and hedgerows, a rapt investigator of shallow pools, a lier-down by stream-like teeming ditches.
M Groesbeck — as much as I loathe Penn Jillette, I can’t resist watching Fool Us for exactly that reason. I love being swindled, conned and bamboozled in good fun.
It’s actually part of my love for perfume, too: the chemical trickery involved in making me believe I smell something that isn’t there. Similar manipulation of the senses and preconceptions.
DLCsays
I have always been something of an amateur magician myself.
Randi is one of the things that drew me toward skepticism and away from God. The other one was Carl Sagan. Between the two of them, I got a big healthy shot of skepticism right when I needed something to replace Jesus-ism.
Pteryxxsays
Stephanie put out a call for someone in Minnesota to record a play about American Indians stripped of their cultures in boarding schools, ‘The Great Hurt’, on March 9:
[meta] It’s really getting hard for me to follow all the FTB’ers and topics of interest around here. I’m actually starting to miss ScienceBlogs’ organization of posts by general topic regardless of author. What are the odds of getting some sort of FTB-wide post tagging system? Or even an opt-in commenter-following system, “Last posts visited/Last comments made” such as some forums have?
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
So…
… Anyone want to see this weekend’s Jell-O atrocity?
Gannersays
PZ, is the Sunday sacrilege feature ever going to return? That used to be my favorite part of your blog.
Finally, fresh thread! I don’t really have anything to say though, I’m in a lot of pain* and cranky.
*The standard, every day pain, it’s just been ramped up crazy bad lately.
diannesays
I’ve been reading Libby on what her thought process was when she was a “pro-life” advocate. She’s done something I thought was nearly impossible: she’s made me MORE afraid of the “pro-life” movement than I already was. They don’t want to kill women. They want to kill everyone. Or at least let us all die. Unless god says “kill”. Then they’ll go for the straight up murder rather than the passive aggressive allow us all to die as “god intended”.
Excuse me, I’m off to hide under the bed now.
Pteryxxsays
that whole “moral IN SPITE OF religion, not BECAUSE OF religion” is making more and more sense.
*shudder*
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
that whole “moral IN SPITE OF religion, not BECAUSE OF religion” is making more and more sense.
Definitely. It’s been my personal motto for my few progressive thinking christian friends for a while now. They’re still my friends because they don’t disagree.
joedsays
Randi is the best debunker
Carl Sagan’s book, The Demon-Haunted World, Sagan describes Randi’s creation of “Carlos”.
Pteryxxsays
TLC: *whispers loudly* I’m watching Princess Mononoke and you’re nooooot!
honestly, anything by Miyazaki is a great way to deal with the horrors revealed by Libby Anne’s blog. *clings to pillow*
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Pteryxx: I’m watching a TWGTG.Com review of this Arrietty thing.
As I expected, no complaints about ‘offensive’ or child unfriendly content, infact, the opposite: It’s really ‘safe’ apparently.
The few complaints I’m seeing here are all about too many ‘pretty’ visuals and not enough story or character interaction. Style over substance, and apparently one mild boob joke, but otherwise pretty harmless.
“While I have had professional experience in the area of human sexuality BDSM has not been an area of focus for me. However, I am not judgemental about sexual orientation and preferences. As to being a feminist, I was there when the fight began.”
A. Rsays
Saw a creobot in town today handing out fliers. Proceeded to use newly snined fangs. Found out that the local creobots are even stupider than the ones here.
The maple tree in my yard is budding. There is a bit of pollen in my driveway.
This is New England, and it’s February. Several Februarys ago I saw robins and goldfinches in the same tree.
We are so fucked.
Other than that, my weekend has sucked. I got sick, my weekend guest left a few days early to let me get some rest, and I have a goddamn squirrel in my house. It lives in a crawlspace in the kitchen ceiling to which I can’t get easily, and it’s been in my pantry, eating cornmeal and leaving droppings.
The wildlife control guy who blocked off my attic last year can’t make it over here until Wednesday afternoon, and my fucking cat isn’t interested in helping out. In the meantime, I’ve put all my starchy foods into metal, glass, or heavy plastic containers and cleaned up the droppings.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I’m drinking some of my apple mead. It’s delicious. I figure that a roasted deer leg was a perfect reason to drink a bunch of it.
I can’t wait till the honey supply is replenished and I can make more.
Pteryxxsays
Over at Daniel Fincke’s – two-minute video of George Takei talking about being sent to a Japanese internment camp.
“I could see the barbed wire fences and the sentry towers and the machine gun, right outside my schoolhouse window as I recited the words: With Liberty and Justice for All.”
*The standard, every day pain, it’s just been ramped up crazy bad lately.
Don’t worry – I ground up a homeopath *real* fine, diluted to C1000000000 for *real* potency and applied to you via aetheric transubstancialismisticalish quantum. You should be feeling better *real* soon. And if not, hey, I ground up a homeopath. We all win.
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
Ms. Daisy — so sorry your weekend went pear-shaped:((( Told you ya shoulda come up here. The party was rockin’. And Audley’s Jell-O mold? The perverse hit of the party.
Thanks, Josh. I’m glad your party went well, but I’d have been too ill to enjoy it anyway, and I’d have spread germs. Not good guest etiquette.
However, yes, I would love to come up there soon. Meanwhile, would you like to come down here and harvest a very healthy-looking adult grey squirrel for your crockpot?
/only partly kidding. Jesus Cleveland Steamer Christ, does the idea of a wild rodent in my house, leaving potentially disease-bearing droppings hither and yon and maybe chewing on my electrical wires, freak me right the fuck out.
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
*gentle hugs* for Caine.
–
Woot! I may have found my therapist!
Hurrah!
–
‘Night, all.
–
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
Ms. Daisy-
I get it about the feral animals. I’m not really afraid of mice, rats and squirrels, but when they get in the walls and attic it’s unnerving. Nearly lost my shit a few months ago when some Biggish Animal darted down the cellar stairs when I opened the door to get the laundry. . .never did find the fucking thing and couldn’t tell what it was.
On the other hand, it’s exceedingly unlikely you’re going to get a disease from the droppings, and they’re not wont to just come and bite you in the night. Have you figured out where the buggers are getting in? Is it something you can stop up?
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
Oh, and my house still smells faintly of cigarettes which (yes, I know, all y’all think this is perverse, you don’t need to tell me) is sort of a nostalgic comfort. I insisted that Audley, Mr. Darkheart, and Sally smoke comfortably in the living room (shit, I needed to get out my art deco ashtrays). I also insisted on smoking . . hmmm, I think three of theirs. No chance that I’ll go back to being a Professional Smoker, but good times once in a while. :)
Kylie Sturgesssays
There’s a podcast interview with the directors of the James Randi documentary, here:
Nearly lost my shit a few months ago when some Biggish Animal darted down the cellar stairs when I opened the door to get the laundry. . .never did find the fucking thing and couldn’t tell what it was.
Eep. I’m going to assume you’re sure it wasn’t one of the cats.
I’m not worried about it coming upstairs to my bedroom, because it’s more likely to find food in the kitchen. I do know that “they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” But frightened animals can be vicious. The droppings, I realize, are unlikely to carry disease, but they’re still shit, which is a biohazard. The squirrel might have fleas as well.
Also, I’ll admit that I take this personally because I’m pretty territorial. It’s totally irrational, I realize, to treat a wild animal as a malicious intruder rather than one just trying to survive. However, when I unrolled a couple of nice pieces of officewear that I’ve been meaning to handwash and a couple of droppings fell out… I was furious. I actually said out loud in the kitchen with no other person to hear me, “I will fucking kill you and eat you.” Which is unlikely to actually happen, but it felt good to say.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Josh:
The perverse hit of the party.
Ha! Love it!
Check your email machine. I sent you a picture of the unholy shrimp beast.
Ms Daisy Cutter:
Jesus Cleveland Steamer Christ, does the idea of a wild rodent in my house, leaving potentially disease-bearing droppings hither and yon and maybe chewing on my electrical wires, freak me right the fuck out.
Until recently, we had a whole shitload of squirrels in our attic. I learned something new from that experience: squirrels scream.
We’ve had raccoons up there, too, but thankfully, they didn’t make our attic their home. Just banged around for a night or two and got the fuck out.
I’ve never been in the attic of our building, but I’m willing to bet that it’s chock full of dead animal carcasses. :-/
David Beachsays
Unlike most of the material on his blog, Dawg misses the mark here on his discussion on atheism. I thought some people here might like to add their opinion.
I’ve never been in the attic of our building, but I’m willing to bet that it’s chock full of dead animal carcasses. :-/
Did your landlord have the squirrels removed? Hopefully the wildlife control people cleaned up any carcasses or droppings, because those are health hazards.
I had squirrels removed from my attic last winter. They tore up a lot of insulation in there, including around the trap door, so that bits of insulation and shit were falling into my upstairs hallway. And then, after the attic was sealed, the little brown bats woke up from hibernation… poor things. I like them much better than I like squirrels.
Wild old rancid cavemansays
#13 seconded, more sacrilege please.
Tim, can I have some of that ground-up homeopath too? I’m feeling rather dehydrated.
TLC: Sorry, I’ve got neither the hunting nor the field-dressing skills for it, and I understand that squirrel not prepared right is nasty-gamy.
I’d settle for sticking its beady-eyed little head on a pike outside my house as a warning to the others.
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
Audley- great pic! You should upload it to imageshack or something so all the horde can experience the true horror.
Ms. Daisy- Yeah, territorialism—it’s totally understandable. Doesn’t have to be rational. Damn it, the inside of the house is your space and it needs to be inviolate. I get it.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Ms Daisy Cutter:
Did your landlord have the squirrels removed?
No, he put up these wire one-way door things so the squirrels could get out, but couldn’t get back in.
No one has been in the attic since my landlord bought the house five years ago and the only access is through my apartment. I’m not too concerned since there’s no evidence that the squirrels were ever in the building proper.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Josh:
How about I post a picture of the Jell-O mold on the blog I never use?
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Adding to what Josh said, I think there’s such a thing as ‘territoriality’ for a damn good reason.
Rey Foxsays
Just post a trigger warning on the jello. One of my great aunts way back when made some kind of jello-like casserole-ish thing with green beans that traumatized me for years.
So…what became of the jello? I mean, it wasn’t created to be consumed, so did it get a decent burial or something? I’m kind of opposed to the idea of wasting food or foodlike matter.
(Surprised to find everyone spelling “jello” with a hyphen. Although I’m one of the few people left on Earth who habitually spells “e-mail” with a hyphen.)
As to being a feminist, I was there when the fight began.
Susan B. Anthony?
Kristin: I hope you can press your friend about why that movie was so inappropriate for kids, ’cause we’re all dying to know now.
Rey Foxsays
I think there’s such a thing as ‘territoriality’ for a damn good reason.
The gelatin mold salad was surprisingly palatable. Indeed, by the end of the evening, it was about 3/4 gone, mostly because, like me, everyone was intensely curious as to how it tasted. There was even a little girl there who seemed to actively like it. Go figure.
Hairheadsays
One late spring I found a mother skunk and THREE skunklings in my foundation. Aargh! I had two cats and a four-year-old and I had to get rid of them. After a bit of thought I came up with a plan.
I observed the skunks. Mama would go out in the late afternoon, leaving the skunklings, and come back in the early evening, while it was still light, then take her children out to perambulate in the dark.
So I waited until she had left, then quickly put some heavy loose bricks over the entrance to their home (my foundation). Mama comes back. Stops. Scratches. Kits call from inside. Mama upset. Kits call. I let this go on for a full hour. Mama retreated for a while to think. I remove the loose bricks. Kits stay inside. Mama comes back, calls the kits, who come bundling out. Mama glares at treacherous hole. Mama and kits leave. I put the bricks back again, blocking the entrance.
Neither mother nor kits came back to the foundation, no, not even to the yard.
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
I admit to feeling grateful that the bizarre weather has allowed me to avoid buying new snow tires for my truck. Then I feel guilty for feeling grateful, because I do know what it means.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I know what the unusually early spring weather means. I also agree that we are indeed fucked, but I’m honestly tired of trying to convince people. It’s just too depressing. At this point I just want to adapt as it comes.
As a human animal and only one guy, there’s literally nothing else I can do about it.
Ariaflame, BSc, BF, PhDsays
Actually the early spring weather isn’t directly attributable to climate warming (though that is happening too) but due to the whole arctic oscillation having a positive phase. So the oscillation makes it warmer than normal. And climate warming makes normal warmer than it otherwise would be.
I’m not a climate change denier at all, but just as they don’t get to point at a cold winter and claim it as evidence that the earth is not warming, so do we not get to point at a single warm winter as evidence that it is. A single data point is not evidence. The continuing trend however is.
ladyh42says
Hi all,
I have been pretty choked up the last week, mainly to do with my psychiatrist. I suffer from severe depression, so much that I haven’t been able to work the last 5 years. In that time we have tried almost (but not quite)all the available drugs out there, including some anti psycotics and mood stabilizers. It’s gotten to the point where she actually suggested that I try homeopathy. When I told her that it wasn’t an option for me, she then suggested ECT (electro shock therapy). I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not sure I want to try anymore drugs (the last one made me freak out when in the car) but I know that homeopathy won’t help. I don’t know what I’m wanting, other than maybe to vent, but does anyone know of a reliable site that could give me some better advice, or am I really at the end of my rope and there is nowhere else to go?
Hekuni Catsays
cicely – I’m glad to hear you have beaten back the dark forces, even if you can still see them on the horizon (or, rather, “just south of the abdomen”). I have to admit they sound less dangerous on the horizon than “south of the abdomen”. But I’m sure that’s just a proximity issue. :D
Caine – I’m sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. Even the everyday pain can overwhelm us. It’s always around, nagging in the background and wearing you down. Here’s hoping things will improve soon. (I have been having the same hope for myself of late, but my pain has been merely persistently annoying rather than significant.)
What if Salon encouraged people to mirror articles like the one against Frank van der Sloot? (Or would this just push up their liability in the event of a court case?)
@ carlie last vTET
enjoyment isn’t affected by knowing the outcome. In fact, it’s enhanced when they do.
The early Greek tragedies, such as those by Euripides, went out of their way to ensure that the audience new what was going to happen in advance of the play proper. They could then just settle in for the ride.
Oh damn, sending my best get-well-soon wishes to all our invalids. E-hugs for all who want them – now fully as effective as homeopathy!
ladyh42, I don’t know what to say. I assume you’ve been trying assorted talk therapies along with the drugs? And exercise and sunlight? Where are you, and do you have finance problems?
we not get to point at a single warm winter as evidence that it is. A single data point is not evidence. The continuing trend however is.
“What it means” in my case was “another data point in the trend.” But thanks anyway for the nice linky. Very pretty pictures.
Pteryxxsays
ladyh42: not sure how much knowledge I can offer, but I at least wanted to respond and say you’re not alone. Personally I’ve had no luck with antidepressant meds, though in my case it turned out to be an underlying food allergy. I’ve actually heard some good things about ECT though, and also about this strange thing where they have you focus your eyes on certain spots of light. There’s other folks here, on TET and FTB, that know more than I do – especially JT of WWJTD? has done some blog posts and discussions on dealing with mental illness and all it involves.
Also, venting’s encouraged here. You’re among friends… I hope that helps a teeny bit.
Aaaand I’m slow – thanks for the link to moodgym, Alethea.
ladyh42says
Alethea, thanks for the sites, I will check them out. I’m Canadian actually, which is why my illness hasn’t killed me (social safety nets are wonderful things) however finances are always tight these days (whos isn’t :P) I’d love to say I got exercise and sun, but that would be lying, as I have no internal motivation to get outside, and in fact often find myself scared to do so without accompanyment with my husband or trusted friend. And sun. . . well, this is vancouver after all. I’ve done enough talk therapy to know that I’m not beyond being rational in my thinking. . . it just doesn’t seem to help things very much. It’s like I’m watching myself deteriorate and I can’t do anything about it. When I’m well it’s as if I never felt bad and I can function normally without drugs. It’s very frustrating knowing that I can be neurotypical except when I’m not. The people who’ve told me I should just get over it are not helping of course, as if I’ve not quite thought of that before :P
John Moralessays
The Amazing Randi.
He might be a greybeard, but what a hell of a beard!
In my experience the crocuses only start to bloom when spring is definitely on its way in. The greenness will start coming back next. I’ll be sure to go listen to the frogs this year.
Tell that to the ones here. The started blooming and then were hit with -20°C
kristinc
Yay for therapist
Hairhead
I had two cats and a four-year-old and I had to get rid of them.
LOL
I understand what you mean but I couldn’t help laughing.
animals in houses
The marten on my parents’ attic was annoying (there was only a thin wooden ceiling between me and said attic so it was fucking loud). But it seems like it found me annoying, too. Obviously didn’t like Nirvana and Pearl Jam much.
The only thing we ever had here was a bat. Since it was in the middle of winter I’m afraid it was its last mistake.
Caine
Soft hugs and chocolates comming
ladyh42
I can’t offer any help, only my sympathies
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Tell that to the ones here. The started blooming and then were hit with -20°C
Hey… Hey… You stupid Crocuses. What the fuck are you doing? Do you WANT to freeze to death?
Fuckin crocuses ain’t got no sense.
Pteryxxsays
ladyh42, I dug up some of JT’s posts on what it’s like to have a mental illness. This is one of my favorites:
Oh yeah, have you read Allie Brosch on depression: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html … sample – “trying to use willpower to overcome the apathetic sort of sadness that accompanies depression is like a person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their hands grow back. A fundamental component of the plan is missing and it isn’t going to work.”
In my personal case, the talk therapies helped me to get practice in observing and setting aside the destructive thought patterns (what I like to call “brain spam”). The drugs help make them go away – not SSRIs, though, they did nothing for me. So does exercise and sunshine. But everyone’s different. Perhaps you could try light therapy – get one of those full spectrum daylight bulbs, and use it especially in the morning. Or even a light box; they’re not dreadfully pricy.
Watching the video, I’m always amazed at how tiny James Randi is.
If you see him alone he’s just such a presence that h seems too stand 2m tall.
And yes, reading Libby Ann’s posts on pro-life are scary. It’s very interesting and informative but also very, very scary.
KGsays
I’m not a climate change denier at all, but just as they don’t get to point at a cold winter and claim it as evidence that the earth is not warming, so do we not get to point at a single warm winter as evidence that it is. – Ariaflame
Just to reinforce this point, much of Europe has had an unusually cold winter, although here in NE Scotland it’s been mild. All that arctic air has come slopping down through eastern Europe as far as Romania, where there have been a couple of hundred deaths from cold.
Just to reinforce this point, much of Europe has had an unusually cold winter, although here in NE Scotland it’s been mild.
No, we haven’t.
We had an exceptionally cold February, which made people all forget about the very warm December and January Map for Germany
You can click on the months for each year and get the data from the different stations AND the deviation from average.
For the last 12 months, the trend is warmer than usually… (as to be expected), but even for the winter before that 2010/11 people will remember a cold winter because we had snow.
KG
I think our monkey-brains are seriously fucking with us in those aspects: we remember extremes more than slight deviations, negative extremes more than positive extremes and so on.
And the media follow and strengthen those patterns
All totally usefull when living in the savanna (who cares about 0.9 less leaves on a tree?), but absolutely not usefull when talking about statistics.
That’s why nowadays parents are mortally afraid that their children will be abducted, raped and murdered (probably the worst that can happen, but also something very, very rare), which they claim never happened “in the olden days”. Only, of course, that it happened as well, we know from criminal records, but you didn’t hear about it over long distances.
And that’s why, despite all data, nurses, doctors, midwives and mothers insist on “full moon” doing X. I have no clue how the moon was when my kids were born, but I’m very sure it wasn’t full or somebody would have reminded me of it.
Caine – gentle huggles, dear. My consistent pains seem to be on the down swing for the nonce. Hope your pains take the hint and also decrease.
ladyh42 – It might be obvious, but have you had a full checkup recently? Some physical problems can mask and/or exacerbate depression or other mental issues. My thyroid was a culprit for me many years ago and I responded better to both anti-depressants and therapy after it was removed and my hormone levels regularized. Also, again with the obvious, sometimes it helps to change the therapist.
Tonysays
Bill @50:
Besides, I like winter!
-Really? Take this winter weather in NW Florida then, please. I’ll take my ‘I live in Florida for a reason’ spring weather.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Crocuses are starting to bloom in my untended garden.
When I was in DC this last Friday (yours, not mine), daffodils were in bloom.
So…
… Anyone want to see this weekend’s Jell-O atrocity?
Orange Jell-o salad with peas?
Saw a creobot in town today handing out fliers. Proceeded to use newly snined fangs. Found out that the local creobots are even stupider than the ones here.
Kinda like baseball. Little League. Pony League. Pittsburg Pirates. High School. College. Rookie league. Minor League. Major League.
I wonder where Pharyngula is on the league scale?
(Surprised to find everyone spelling “jello” with a hyphen. Although I’m one of the few people left on Earth who habitually spells “e-mail” with a hyphen.)
That is the brand name. For a generic name, I would write gelatin dessert. Which takes more letters. So I take the lazy way.
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
^This^!!!
And I freely admit that I like the fact that my last budgetted gas bill (I have natural gas heat), which is normally $112 a month, was-$38 and they would not let me make a payment. And I am so fucking worried about what this is going to do in the spring (can you say record pollen counts? thought you could), summer, and fall. If any of you live off in the woods, I strongly recommend doing some brush and tree clearing around your house. This years fire season could be really bad in the eastern US.
RABBITS!
{runs off chuckling}
LAGOMORPHS!!!
Fuckin crocuses ain’t got no sense.
Yeah. They’re as good at planning ahead as, say, a GOP or Teabagger politician.
-Really? Take this winter weather in NW Florida then, please. I’ll take my ‘I live in Florida for a reason’ spring weather.
When we visited my inlaws down in Florida (between Daytona and Orlando) in December, 2010, we had one morning with a low of 21F and an afternoon high of 38F. My parents, in Maine, had, on the same day, a low of 30F and a high of 42F.
I have no way to prove this, but I suspect (and this is a pure laymen’s suspicion, no science behind it (so ignore)) that we will see much wider swings of weather — hotter and longer heat waves, colder and longer cold snaps, longer and drier droughts, longer and bigger floods. My reasoning is that, with more energy in the atmosphere, won’t that energy be available to influence weather?
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
weather ≠ climate
La Niña likely has more to do with this warmer than normal winter in the US than climate change. That’s not saying climate change isn’t affecting things but this abnormal winter is probably more attributed to La Niña than AGW.
It’s cramming the jet stream north which is keeping artic chillyness up in weird bacon and curling land and not here in the states.
ChasCPetersonsays
Little League. Pony League. Pittsburg Pirates. High School. College. Rookie league. Minor League. Major League.
That’s like insulting PZ and spelling it ‘Meyers’.
Plus the mere fact that Clemente once existed makes your quip foolishly short-sighted.
(Yes I am sensitive about teh Bucs.)
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Plus the mere fact that Clemente once existed makes your quip foolishly short-sighted.
(Yes I am sensitive about teh Bucs.)
I couldn’t resist. Sorry. Maybe Pittsburg will someday have a major league team again.
I remember the whole “We Are Family” time with fond memories.
ChasCPetersonsays
On another subject, I’m using somebody else’s computer and I can’t believe the ads that are displayed here if you don’t do AdBlock. I know it’s a longstanding problem–Coyne occasionally posts disparaging screenshots–but that just makes me wonder why nobody’s done anything about it. Christian T-shirts and pastor-by-mail schemes are one thing but now it’s ‘Protect the Unborn: sign the petition to bypass Roe v. Wade’. Gratuitous pic of a baby clearly born a couple months ago.
This is a fucking insult to the people that read these blogs. It’s unconscionable. Seriously.
ChasCPetersonsays
‘burgh
Silisays
Crocuses are starting to bloom in my untended garden.
The goose crows at Midnight.
Leeesten werry carefully. I zhall zay zis only wunce.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
This evening, I get to do something I loathe.
I recieved my refurbished copmuter (a Dell with a 2ghz dual-core). And now I need to set it up for what I need. And transfer files.
Jeremy Lin, who was born in the U.S. and is of Taiwanese heritage, is off to one of the best starts in NBA history. But much of the talk surrounding the New York Knicks breakout point guard has revolved around race.
After his first loss as a starter, ESPN analysts wondered aloud if Lin had any weakness using the worst possible phrasing: asking if there was “a chink in the armor.” [my emphasis] Since then, the network has fired the person responsible for publishing the headline on ESPN.com and suspended a broadcaster for 30 days, as well.
Despite the controversial nature of using this phrase to describe this player, the most socially damaging things ESPN could have done were issue a public apology and reprimand its employees.
Imagine a young Knicks fan who loves Lin and sees ESPN apologize for using “chink in the armor.” He then asks: “Dad, what does chink in the armor mean?”
Dad answers saying that it’s a phrase used for when someone has only one weakness. Then the young fan asks why it’s bad to say, and dad is forced to explain to him the derogatory use of the word “chink.” Thus, a meaningless racial slur is preserved because of the hyper-sensitive political correctness of modern media.
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
(Yes I am sensitive about teh Bucs.)
But Chas you guys just signed AJ Burn. ..heh heh
Sorry
Burn.. hhahahahha
Hold on. Really this is inappropriate. I apologize.
They just signed AJ Burn.. bwwwwwwwahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
@ brogg (2% intellectually curious)
Doubtful. That would imply that I had 100% intellectual curiousity prior to annoying that nettlesome asshat.
crocodocsays
Just when I started picking my nose James Randi held up that lens to the camera (1:11). I felt observed and stopped immediatly. How did he know when I was going to do that? Do we finally have a promising candidate for the JREF million dollar price?
crocodocsays
@82 a copmuter?
I´m sure certain people will be very intersted that things like muting cops are discussed in this terrible forum.
It looks like the Boy Scouts of America organization is finally going to be forced to air its dirty laundry when it comes to sexual abuse cases.
A judge overseeing a lawsuit brought by the family of a California boy molested by his troop leader in 2007 has ordered the Boy Scouts of America to hand over confidential files detailing allegations of sexual abuse by Scout leaders around the nation.
The Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge said last month that the Irving, Texas-based organization must turn over the last 20 years’ worth of records by Feb. 24, with victims’ names removed, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday (http://lat.ms/xG2ojb ). The files will not be made public….
The Santa Barbara case is significant because it seeks to unlock files that have never been turned over by the Scouts, including all since 2005. It also alleges wrongdoing that took place relatively recently, even as the Scouts have stepped up protective efforts…..
The victim’s name has not been released. His mother claims that David Tate, then the Los Padres Council Scout executive, asked her not to call police after she reported her son’s claim of abuse.
“He said that wasn’t necessary, because the Scouts do their own internal investigation,” said the woman, whose name the Times withheld to protect her son’s identity. “I thought that was really weird… I thought it was really important to call the sheriff right away.”…
Sandra’s emailed back. Once again, I need help. Here’s her intro:
I don’t know how you can say its not about the law when the whole story is about the law and the court. Check the title.
Re: “I feel no need to go into the technical jargon here. As I mentioned before, if it is not bible babble that you are going to hide behind, it will be the minutia of obscure legalistic points. Take a pragmatic view: Are gay people going to be treated in exactly the same way as hetero’s? If “no”, then we still have a fucked up situation. You are still stigmatising gay people by not allowing exactly the same social standing (in this case marriage, not just a supposedly equivalent “domestic partnership”).
Are gay people going to be treated in exactly the same way as hetero’s? Under California state law? Yes. It’s the same rulebook. It is the exact same. same-sex couples have all the rights of heterosexual couples. Assembly Bill (AB) 205, known as the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003 States : and I quote “Effective January 1, 2005, the Act extends the rights and duties of spouses to couples registered as domestic partners with the California Secretary of State” . So, In California Under The STATE Law Are gay people going to be treated in exactly the same way as hetero’s? YES. In fact, unlike Jim Crow laws, the laws of California have worked to make things more equal.
Will revoking Prop 8 make things more equal in California? No. Would revoking Prop 8 change DOMA? no. To pretend it would do either is disingenuous.
Re: “To get a grip about how truly messed up your thinking is, reread everything you have said both in your last post and in this thread after substituting every mention of “gay people” with the word “black people” and/or other discriminated groups.”
That’s a great way to do it.
Assembly Bill (AB) 205, known as the California Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003 States : and I quote “Effective January 1, 2005, the Act extends the rights and duties of spouses to Black couples registered as domestic partners with the California Secretary of State.
Yeah … that looks like it makes things equal to me. Not separate rights, just equal rights.
Re: “Homosexuals always had these rights. It is not a matter of law, but common human decency. Are our morals or basic human rights to be determined by the vagaries of law? The law in Apartheid for South Africa, for example, said that black and white people could not marry either. Would you still be so damn flippant if you were prevented from full social recognition of your relationship to the (other race) love of your life?”
Right, Apartheid for South Africa is a perfect example which is why I support the leader of the ANC armed wing Nelson Mandela. He fought for his rights and took down a state that refused to issue him his rights. He masterminded a “terror” campaign and served time in prison for his crimes. What happened to actual state that had apartheid ? it was dissolved and they had a new Constitution in 1994. A new social contract.
Firstly, what evidence do you have of the right of homosexuals to marry?
This is not a right they already have but they should which is why we are fighting for it using the tools at our disposal. They should have the right. They do not and it should be guaranteed under the common law.
Secondly, what is your origin of rights?
Thirdly, What happened to those old rights?
For example, for the majority of modern history a husband had the RIGHT to physically discipline his wife. What is the difference between this right and the right of homosexual marriage? It was also the right of a ruler to be able to confiscate any property without due process of law. Is this still a right?
Re: “And yet that is strange: because you appear to be obstinately or intolerantly devoted to your anti-gay prejudices. Perhaps you have overcome your racist prejudice. If this is the case, then you will see that the substitution exercise I gave above teases out your bigotry with regards to gay people.”
I did it. I showed it. My stance is not bigotry. I believe the state does not have the power to force religions to marry homosexuals if doing so is against the dogma they have always held. This does not mean that they cannot get married. That does not mean I don’t support full legal rights for homosexuals. That doesn’t mean I think homosexuals should be denied communion. Its not homophobia or intolerance of ANY stripe to support the free exercise of religion. Are you one of the people who thinks its racist that certain tribes refuse to teach the ghost dance or allow it to be photographed by people without Indian blood? Or is that religion.
Now, I believe that if (and only if) civil unions give full and equal rights to homosexual couples then they should be issued. If that is the best way to give homosexuals those rights then DO it. You want the perfect to be the enemy of the good. Its extremist thinking like that which puts our entire congress in the state its in.
Re: “Most people hate to be called out on their bigotry, as they understand it to be an antisocial thing. But instead of self-criticism they pretend it does not apply to them. You should be offended that I call your bigotry. Better that, than that you continue your denial. Does your religion help you in that endeavor?”
See, it’s a common rhetorical move of the weak minded to resort to name calling and false accusations when getting killed in an argument. (see the Republicans on Planned parenthood) The problem with making false accusations is that effects your whole argument. It makes every point you make in the future far more likely to be disbelieved when it comes to the people reading the thread.
So lets do this. Quote the EXACT part of my augment that makes me a bigot. Ill have the argument but I NEED you to post it in specific. Cuz if you are calling me a bigot because I don’t see legal harm in having the name of something be anything if the rights and privileges are protected. James do you think its discrimination because most singular pronoun in the law that refers to both men and women is He? I mean are you implying that Women are not equal under the American constitution because it says He and Him when referring to the President?
Are you telling me that im bigoted against women because I don’t wanna put S/he in the Constitution?
It’s a word, its not the rights protected by law. Those rights are the important things. Its like how ridiculous the feminists are who want to spell women as womyn.
Re: “Screw Prop 8. What is your position? Don’t hide behind iniquitous legality to hide your own bigotry. Either 100% equality or just back the hell off out of this argument.”
I am all for marriage rights for homosexuals. I am all for them having the same rights of other American Homosexual couples, no more no less.
This means those rights are under the Constitution and restricted as such, just like regular Americans.
So does by saying screw prop 8 (you know, despite it being the title of the thread) mean you agree with me about prop 8 and that the real fight is DOMA and not Prop 8,
Re: “And you don’t recognise this as a form of institutionalized discrimination? If your constitution is endorsing this, then it needs to be amended. It is waaay past its sell-by-date. (Have you wondered why the US constitution is no longer being used as an example by other countries? The whole world is getting tired of entrenched bigotry. Civilised countries are turning to constitutions like Canada’s or South Africa’s for inspiration and guidance. I strongly recommend you do the same.)”
Ya see, its not institutionalized because the INSTITUTIONS treat homosexual couples the exact same way as heterosexual couples under the law. So, the institutions do not discriminate thus it cannot be institutional discrimination. I mean by definition. It might be culturally insensitive and negative, but Prop 8 is not institutional discrimination.
Both of those Constitutions are less then 30 years old. Canada has had a Constitution since 1982. South Africa since 1994. It was IN MY LIFETIME. How many Constitutions has France had? The reason the US Constitution is still here because it provides multiple ways to effect change. It does the political will of the majority while having institutions built to protect the minority. Our Constitution has the ability for internal change. If you have popular vote and the government isn’t doing what you want then you do it via Constitutional Convention. If you have a right being infringed and you have the government you do it by legislation and government. If both of those fail and there is logic and usually a judicial will, then you turn to the Supreme Court which holds the power to declare that the right is one of the 9th amendment.
I don’t know how you can have this argument with a straight face though because the UK has no Constitution and thusly no guaranteed freedoms. The Parliament can do whatever it wants and is bound by no previous parliament.
Re: calling her out on her “privilage”:
So its privilege to believe that people should have to follow a law that you find personally unjust. Could you explain that to me? I don’t get it. I mean my family fled The United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) before I was born due to hazing, threats and being treated as second class citizens by the State of the United Kingdom and my Uncle still bears scars he earned while staying at the Queen’s pleasure. At the end of the day though, even in that country his solicitor came through. And even in Northern Ireland where the state can collude with loyal terrorist elements to kill a solicitor. They couldn’t keep him locked up without a charge and after he did his time he was able to walk free because of his solicitor and working within the system. In the end the system can work. I believe that is even more true of American Law because there is more freedoms guaranteed.
I believe in the system which gave the bodyguard and chauffeur for Osama bin Laden his day before the supreme court.
Re: “Again, using the example of Apartheid, would you still “support the system”? The law classed certain citizens as less equal. (If you are not prepared to answer the hypothetical, can you at least try and see that treating certain citizens as second class (such as gays in the USA) is a repugnant situation?) Stop hiding behind the system. At least open your eyes, then speak out against iniquity where you see it.”
Lets talk about the hypothetical as a legitimate hypothetical. In Aparthied South Africa you have 3 legitimate options. 1. Leave 2. Fight the system from the inside. 3. Use violence to take it down.
Option 1. You are a voluntary member of the society. You can always pack your shit and leave. When the Irish were treated as second class citizens they left the country in droves. The Irish Diaspora is the count of Irish immigrants and their descendants who left Ireland. It might be as high as some current 80 million people (Irish expats and their decedents). That is 13 times the population of Ireland.
Option 2. Reform the system from within using a combination of external and internal pressures to effect change via laws and society. It involves things like organizing a boycott, organizing appeals to the ICC the United Nations and other countries. It is creating a voting class of sympathizers and it involves using the tools of government and burracuracy to effect change. In South Africa it was a method like a long trade embargo against the regime and pressure by the big other countries. You had groups of whites like the the Progressive Federal Party. Which worked within the system. You had groups like trade unions who were instrumental in resisting apartheid on a legal level. Reforms to apartheid in the 1980s were instrumental in the collapse.
Option 3. The Mandela option. The Pearse option. Turn the whole system upside down. Make it ungovernable with violence and protests.
The most effective by far was the second option and working within the system. If you don’t think so then you don’t know your history.
I wont write any less because you clearly just skimmed the rest of the post and did not read it. The quotes that you struck out were actually part of a larger argument. The state fact was used to prove that a Constitutional convention wouldn’t work and would probably end up worse for the Homosexuals because there wouldn’t be the limited protections already in place (because a Constitution would have to be passed by the states which would probably have a vote and we would have something like DOMA in the actual constitution) and the religious argument came from where I gave you a parallel argument with similar flaws so you could better see the flaws in your original argument.
But it actually does pose an interesting thing ive noticed.
Re: the unfairness of the system:
You say the American Checks and Balances and the Constitution is unfair. You also say that The laws of the state should in no way be dictated by religious bigots but remember the majority of the country believes in god. So if the majority of the country believes in god and voting is just causing more discrimination then Democracy must be out for America. Jon are you saying a minority group of intellectual atheists should rule the country to prevent the abuses of the majority on the oppressed?
Sounds like Stalinism to me.
So yes, I really REALLY need help tackling this. Please PLEASE provide me the help I need in taking this down. :)
Wherever they can, however they can, Utah’s mostly mormon and mostly Republican legislators control the culture of the state.
Their latest bid for Most Inane Rules affects the stat-controlled liquor stores. Journalist Paul Rolly put it this way:
Utah liquor stores received a last-minute edict from the Governor’s Office that their “closed” signs at the stores on Monday specify the closure is for Washington and Lincoln Day, and not Presidents Day. The official name for that national holiday was changed by the Utah Legislature, and officials don’t want the mistaken impression that we Utahns are honoring just any old president.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
@82 a copmuter?
No. Just another homage to Tpyos.
=====
Scouts.
Not only is this sickening, but I actually feel sick now. Shit.
Silisays
echidna says:
19 February 2012 at 6:10 pm
Pelamun,
The bastardisation of the H. C. Andersen oeuvre was done by the Victorians who could not accept his social criticism, nor imagine ‘fairytales’ to be anything but cutesy. So the happy endings to several stories are far older than Disney.
Citation please. Not that I disbelieve you, it’s just that I’d really like to know more.
he sum total of Andersen’s creation of the Andersen myth and the subsequent exploitation of it by others is that Andersen is now irrevocably the writer of fairy tales in the popular mind – I really want to say the writer of children’s fairy tales, because, despite the literary fairy tales of the nineteenth century, the fairy tale is still in Britain thought of almost exclusively as a genre for children. The tradition of the “Kunstmärchen” which made the fairy tale an accepted adult art form in nineteenth-century Germany, was never really part of the British literary scene, even if Oscar Wilde did play around with it. In Britain, the fairy tale was, and has remained, for children. The Danes are inclined to have a rather different perspective. Thanks to the close links with German Romanticism, the “kunsteventyr” is accepted as an adult literary genre, thus providing a firmer foundation for Andersen’s acceptance as a “serious” writer. The combination of the myth and the general status of the fairy tale provide part of the reason for his not being seen as such in Britain. Andersen and his later myth-makers have boxed him in. He is, and remains, as one English “study” of Andersen has it: “The Mermaid Man”. He is the originator of the ugly duckling, the fir tree, the staunch tin soldier and a few more – but it is difficult in England to find anyone who has read “Dyndkongens Datter”, “Vinden fortæller om Valdemar Daae og hans Døttre”, “Det gamle Egetræes sidste Drøm”, or others of the late, less immediately accessible stories. More the pity, for if this barrier could be broken through, a different perception of Andersen might be created.
hat changed in 1846, with the publication of the first tales. Andersen’s own title of Eventyr, whether fortalte for Børn or not, was transformed and given a series of far more sentimental, sugary titles which put him firmly in the category of Victorian children’s writing: Wonderful Stories for Children, A Danish Story Book, Danish Fairy Tales and Legends, Tales for the Young – all these titles were hung on to Andersen’s stories within a period af about eighteen month. What has come since is often little better: Fairy Tales from Andersen and Grimm. Retold in words chiefly of one syllable, or The Best Stories of Hans Andersen. Translated from the Italian. One might well ask why the original divergence of titles arose. One of the reasons seems to be the very translation of the Danish word “eventyr” – by the English “fairy tale”, which has a totally different resonance. ODS gives the following definition: “fortælling om mærkelige eller vidunderlige begivenheder; (kortere) mere fantasifuld fortælling, hvis emne ligger uden for det dagligdags eller virkelige”. This can clearly be applied to Andersen’s work. But what does the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary say of “fairy tales”?: “A tale about fairies”! And how does it define “fairies”? As: “The inhabitants of fairy-land collectively” and “One of a class of supernatural beings of diminutive size, popularly supposed to have magical powers, and to meddle for good or evil in the affairs of man”. There are few creatures in Andersen’s stories corresponding to this description, but the stories have inevitably been incorporated in England into this broad genre. And it is the wrong place for them! It seems that the myth Andersen created about himself, and which was perpetuated by others, has, in England at least, locked him affectionately but firmly in the nursery.
The Victorians, of course, removed offending passages, or twisted them until they became vehicles for their own ideology. It has, nevertheless, been one thing to doctor Andersen in translation, but quite another to doctor him in the original, and to a large extent Denmark has happily been able to retain the genuine texts, even in children’s editions. (Though nowadays there are exceptions to this rule!) The possible moral implications are less likely to concern a twentieth-century parent – but in many respects the damage has been done, and cannot now easily be undone. The garbled translations exist, and they have continued to be used either for financial reasons or from petty convenience.
The problem of translating Andersen is, of course, far more complex than keeping an eye on possible moral implications, and the question remains as to why the job was originally done so badly – and why, in many instances, it still is. Notoriously, if incorrectly, uninterested in style, children could be presented with tales in which all stylistic pretension had been eschewed. And in any case, many of the translators knew no Danish and had to make do with earlier German versions (the quality of which might also have been in doubt). This is how Bo Grønbech (in a book containing a frontispiece spelling the author’s name Anderson!) comments on this:
I believe the state does not have the power to force religions to marry homosexuals if doing so is against the dogma they have always held.
Micheal, I cannot make myself read all of that bilge that she pumps out. But I saw this line and had to comment.
This is complete and utter bullshit. In the US, no one needs a church to get married. Marriage is not dictated by any religions. To make this point and to run with it is intellectually dishonest. If a church will not marry a couple, fine. They can still get married without their blessing. To treat this like an issue is a mask to what she really thinks of the rights of LGBT people.
“Despite the controversial nature of using this phrase to describe this player, the most socially damaging things ESPN could have done were issue a public apology and reprimand its employees.”
You’re not kidding about the “idiot” part. That article is downright disgusting.
I was actually really impressed by ESPN’s handling of the situation. There was no “We apologize if people were offended” or “We’re taking taking this seriously.” It was clear and unambiguous: these statements were offensive; we apologize; one person has been dismissed and another is on suspension.
David Beach: “Dr. Dawg” sounds entirely uninteresting, going by just that one post. He states in comments that he’s agnostic because “militant atheism” is “spiritually” “sterile,” and his OP is full of sniveling pox-on-both-houses moral equivalence. I mostly skimmed the whole thing, especially the copious sewer-load of jeezus talk.
Audley:
How about I post a picture of the Jell-O mold on the blog I never use?
0_o
Bill: Agreed entirely, even though I don’t like winter myself. The price for this mild weather is far too high, but we’re going to be paying it.
Ariaflame: Agreed also. It’s not just this winter, it’s all sorts of weather-related weirdness over the last however-many years.
Rev. BDC: A white male college senior pontificating about what people of color should and should not find offensive. I’m shocked.
The idiot is majoring in “mass communications,” yet he doesn’t understand how language works.
What if Salon encouraged people to mirror articles like the one against Frank van der Sloot? (Or would this just push up their liability in the event of a court case?)
james re Sandra, I can’t make myself read another bucket of her crap either. All I flashed on was “Point out EXACTLY where I’m bigoted” which is bullshit. She knows she’s bigoted, that’s why she’s obfuscating the jeebiebers out of every single point she supposedly makes, and then using the obfuscation as proof. I remember pointing out a couple of her contradictions, and then she goes “You’re wrong, those aren’t contradictions because [paragraphs of bullshit] you’re wrong and I’m right, neener neener YOU CAN’T PROVE ANYTHING.” She’s making this an endurance contest, and James Michael, you’re falling into her trap by trying to chase every drop she spews. She’s not arguing in good faith, she never HAS been arguing in good faith, and right now she’s just dancing in her own muck.
I suggest telling her she’s blowing smoke and it’s not YOUR job to clarify her bullshit for her. The ONLY clear statements she’s made in a week are “I’m not bigoted”, “You’re wrong” and “You can’t prove I’m wrong.”
The Daily Mail is also covering the story of sexual abuse coverups by the Boy Scouts of America.
Al Steven Stein, who is accused of having abused more than one Boy Scout, weighed 450 pounds at the time. There’s a photo of him in the Daily Mail article.
Pteryxxsays
Lynna… what in tarnation does this guy’s weight have to do with abuse?
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
Well I take it as what an imposing and scary person he must be to a 13 year old boy
PLEASE provide me the help I need in taking this down. :)
James, I have great respect for your boundless energy. On the other hand, I can see that she is fighting a war of attrition with you. That woman is a bigot, plain and simple. That I can shoot upon, but I am not qualified to help you with the fine points of either Prop 8 or DOMA. Unfortunately the real boffins wrt these issues are not here right now. {theophontes nods at Walton and Strange Gods}
Though I do not mind helping you where I can, I do not know all the back issues to Sandra, and so can not argue as effectively as I would like. Don’t get upset if you fail to “win” your arguments, especially when engaging dishonest people. We can hope some sense settles in there and that it delivers its cerebral payload at some stage in the future. At least we have engaged.
By the way, I am in China (you where in UK?), so this will not happen in realtime. It is very late here and I need to snooze.
Lynna… what in tarnation does this guy’s weight have to do with abuse?
Someone that large can use that to his advantage. Especially against kids. Bulk does help if you want to (physically) bully people. (Not necessarily much help in a street fight though.)
Pteryxxsays
Sorry you guys, no way am I buying that “big therefore scary” excuse. This is a MENTOR with a position of authority over kids within an organization that most likely ignores any signs of victimization. He doesn’t NEED physical intimidation over a child. Most serial molesters don’t use physical force at all, but charm and social pressure, remember? They can be old and frail *coughSanduskycough* or even disabled. There’s no reason to talk about an institutional child-rapist cover-up and then say “Here’s a picture and he’s 450 pounds.” None.
*sings*
To-niiiight, to-niiiight it’s chicken broth tonight, with fresh and tasty ve-ge-tables…
Also, current exchange rate for 60 min of sunlight and fresh air is 1 load of laundry.
Spring must be around the corner since the rabbits are changing fur. Or it better be lest I have to make them little coats ;)
just let it go. She’s not interested in having a fair discussion.
If you really want to pursue this further, you’d need to tell those of us still willing to help more about your relationship to her, because if it was an acquaintance, most of us probably would have de-friended her a long time ago…
Richard Austinsays
James,
No real desire to wade through the wall of text, sorry.
Something I caught early, though, about civil unions being equal in California: Prop 8 was challenged under federal law, not state, and the determination by the court was that what we call something is important. Ergo, if you aren’t calling it marriage, even if everything else is the same, it’s not equal.
And that’s something Sandra herself is supporting by fighting giving the name to gay unions: if it’s important enough for her to try and deny someone the name, the name obviously means something. Therefore, it’s not equal, and she’s wrong by her own actions.
Sheldon and Anderson want to get a better idea of the rates of Delta 32 mutations within different racial and ethnic groups. Their current poster is basically a proof-of-concept, showing that they are capable of doing the research necessary to reach this goal. For their first study, the teenagers took blood samples from 50 students and teachers at a local high school. The data was completely anonymized. Although they want to study demographics of the mutation in the future, Sheldon and Anderson don’t know anything about the people the current samples came from.
What they do know: Out of that 50 people, five were heterozygous for Delta 32. If any of those five contract HIV, they would be long-term non-progressors, going far longer without symptoms than other infected people.
Also linked to your Guest ID is demographic information like your age, whether you are married and have kids, which part of town you live in, how long it takes you to drive to the store, your estimated salary, whether you’ve moved recently, what credit cards you carry in your wallet and what Web sites you visit. Target can buy data about your ethnicity, job history, the magazines you read, if you’ve ever declared bankruptcy or got divorced, the year you bought (or lost) your house, where you went to college, what kinds of topics you talk about online, whether you prefer certain brands of coffee, paper towels, cereal or applesauce, your political leanings, reading habits, charitable giving and the number of cars you own. (In a statement, Target declined to identify what demographic information it collects or purchases.) All that information is meaningless, however, without someone to analyze and make sense of it. That’s where Andrew Pole and the dozens of other members of Target’s Guest Marketing Analytics department come in.
Mostly I’m furious because their spamming to pregnant women doesn’t stop with miscarriage or death of the child. Several commenters complained of being traumatized by continued marketing for baby stuff.
ladyh42says
Heh, Alethea, good quote, that’s exactly how it feels. Jeffrey, I did have a physical. Other than being badly out of shape my bloodwork was ok, but my doc did give me thyroid meds to see if that helped with the lethargy. I guess we’ll see. They took yours out tho? Crazy!
Dhorvath, OMsays
Oh shit Lynna, that’s wretched. I didn’t see that in the article linked and thought weight an unnecessary aspect of the case.
I think I should apologize some more. In no way did I intend to equate being overweight with being a pedophile. Nor did I mean to equate being overweight with being a somehow worse pedophile than a skinny pedophile.
I was just lazy and stupid when I posted the link to the story.
From the LA Times version of the Boy Scout abuse case:
“Stein used his 450 pounds to pin the boy with sufficient force to cause bruising, ripped the boy’s pants down to the point the boy suffered a laceration at his belt line, and then fondled the boy’s genitals while commenting on them,” the lawsuit states.
Pteryxxsays
Ah, thanks Lynna. That’s a much better reason (though, ewww.)
Pteryxxsays
About that Target data-mining article… Yeah, I have some major, MAJOR privacy concerns here.
From the NYT:
“If we send someone a catalog and say, ‘Congratulations on your first child!’ and they’ve never told us they’re pregnant, that’s going to make some people uncomfortable,” Pole told me. “We are very conservative about compliance with all privacy laws. But even if you’re following the law, you can do things where people get queasy.”
About a year after Pole created his pregnancy-prediction model, a man walked into a Target outside Minneapolis and demanded to see the manager. He was clutching coupons that had been sent to his daughter, and he was angry, according to an employee who participated in the conversation.
“My daughter got this in the mail!” he said. “She’s still in high school, and you’re sending her coupons for baby clothes and cribs? Are you trying to encourage her to get pregnant?”
The manager didn’t have any idea what the man was talking about. He looked at the mailer. Sure enough, it was addressed to the man’s daughter and contained advertisements for maternity clothing, nursery furniture and pictures of smiling infants. The manager apologized and then called a few days later to apologize again.
On the phone, though, the father was somewhat abashed. “I had a talk with my daughter,” he said. “It turns out there’s been some activities in my house I haven’t been completely aware of. She’s due in August. I owe you an apology.”
Stress is funny stuff, I put on twenty five pounds over two years while trying to make things work and have dropped fifteen of that since I realized in November that I couldn’t. I wonder what that says?
I don’t know my Scienceblogs credentials anymore, so let me just note
2 years ago that match Germany-Spain was in South Africa.
The one in Vienna must have been four years ago during the Euro.
And I saw both matches in the middle of the night, in Indonesia.
I originally wanted to log in to say that during the Nazi era the majority of Germans weren’t Catholics, but Lutherans, but you already mentioned it.
dontpanicsays
Re: Boy Scouts
2007? Wow, then there must be something wrong with the local unit. ’cause I was a (Cub Scout) leader at the time and the national organization definitely had rules that should have prevented this. I don’t think at the time they were instituting the background checks, but they were definitely stressing the “two deep leadership” rule where boys were never to be left alone with a single adult. Damn. Whether regional or National chose afterwards to cover it up (ala Watergate or the RCC) or how far up the hierarchy people knew might have the same implications as those other cases.
Re: targetted [yes, in both senses] adverts
I’m always amazed at how bad these are in the sense that we continued to get diaper and other baby product ads for long after spawn would have outgrown them. 5-7 years past. Yeah, we possibly could have had more children (well, in principle) but then they should have correlated continued purchases which themselves should have triggered the targetting… but there weren’t, so cut it out!
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
they were definitely stressing the “two deep leadership” rule where boys were never to be left alone with a single adult.
I don’t know if it was an official rule, an informal rule, or just a suggested way of doing things, but back in the mid-1970s that was a policy with Cub Scouts (at least, it was in Arizona). Didn’t do a whole hell of a lot as the two adults were husband and wife, and the wife knew when she should take a long, long walk on camping trips (some of you are aware of my history, consider this anecdata). The point is, even when rules are in place, it does not mean they are followed.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
This ‘two deep’ leadership rule, while a sound practice in theory, kinda seems inadequate. Like Ogvorbis said, just because it’s a rule it doesn’t mean it’s always followed.
Sometimes all a guy has to say is ‘Come on man, you know I wouldn’t do that shit!’… and then suddenly the other guy feels like a big asshole who’s subtly implying he’s a pedophile, as opposed to just being cautious and following the rules.
Even if my example sucks, I do know that people are ALWAYS willing to bend the rules for a ‘buddy’.
Two deep is a very very unfortunate name for a sex crime prevention strategy
Classical Cipher, Murmur Muris, OMsays
Didn’t do a whole hell of a lot as the two adults were husband and wife, and the wife knew when she should take a long, long walk on camping trips (some of you are aware of my history, consider this anecdata).
Jesus fucking Christ.
:(
I always seem to assume until told otherwise that it’s just the one person, that no one around is directly complicit because no one else knows. I really ought to know better by now.
I know you weren’t probably looking for them, Og, but *hugs* anyway if you want them.
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
Two deep is a very very unfortunate name for a sex crime prevention strategy
I was thinking the same thing
Julessays
Already I’m quite behind again.
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
It means that I don’t have to turn on my heater, thus cutting down my carbon footprint :-P
Off to procrastinate on work by catching up work on my copyediting.
The PayPal co-founder donated $1 million on January 3, and followed that up 10 days later with an additional $700,000 gift.
The donations, disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings, account for almost 75% of the $2.3 million collected by the Endorse Liberty super PAC last month.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Ogvorbis: Rereading your post, I totally, completely, and insensitively zoned right out on what you were saying, while still ‘getting the point’.
Why would Pay-Pal which relies on fiat currency to function support Goldar?
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
I always seem to assume until told otherwise that it’s just the one person, that no one around is directly complicit because no one else knows. I really ought to know better by now.
Oh, she would probably have claimed she didn’t know. She just liked taking all but one kid (not always the same kid) on two or three hour walks.
I totally, completely, and insensitively zoned right out on what you were saying, while still ‘getting the point’.
No, you got exactly what I was talking about. Rules such as this tend to be honoured in the breach.
I’m sorry.
No need to be.
======
(And yes, Google Chrome, ‘honoured’ is a word so remove the damned underline!)
Natalie, you are ignorant. I have never heard of a single person who railed against an education except people who don’t have one, and I have never heard of a single person who railed against a critical thinking class except people who have never taken one.
You continue spouting ignorances and you don’t even realize it.
Sheesh, and to think you’re here at FtB’s. I guess it doesn’t matter what one’s credentials are to be here, now does it? After all diversity is much more important.
dontpanicsays
In 2007 (date of the incident in the story) it was definitely official policy; I don’t know when it became such prior to ~2002. And we were told during training that husband/wife teams were not acceptable. I too was a scout in the ’70’s, but my memory (of everything) is too poor to remember the exact policy of the time (in MA or CA). Not that I would have experienced any issues at the time as my father was a leader and would have brooked no such nonsense of even a hint of any wrongdoing.
Yes, I understand how this rule can be bent/broken in actual life — I’m sure it is. I’m a little at odds to see what (realistic) alternatives can be done to prevent such breakage. Especially in an organization heavily staffed by volunteers. Alas, even when National says the right thing it comes down to the local units to enforce the rules and that’s where things go wrong … or right. The flip side of this is how they treat homosexuals and atheists; officially the national organization is on the wrong side of the fence, but individual local units will sometimes overlook such transgressions. [Sigh] How does one get a group to strictly enforce the right rules and break the wrong ones?
The scenario TLC lays out was explicitly talked about in training and we were instructed to treat it (from both sides of the fence) as “rules are rules” and neither “go there” (i.e. don’t even try to use that line) nor let it slide. How strongly that is beaten into trainees probably varies wildly; how strongly it is held by those trainees also is going to vary. I think the more problematic failure for the organization is the same one as the RCC: trying to internalize the investigation and deal with the problem outside the law.
onion girl, OM; imaginary lesbiansays
Just popping in for some organizational wrangling:
REASON RALLY!
If you’re planning to attend the Reason Rally in March here in DC and would like to hang out with the local Horde, please go here to fill out a poll with the salient details.
We’re planning to meet for breakfast early and stake a good spot on the mall (Location TBA, based on where the stage is), and then go out for dinner afterwards to celebrate.
Email me with questions at oniongirlsays at googlemail dot com, because I will most likely not be back on TET until my life settles down a little! :) (I’m thinking around mid-March, possibly…)
That my friends is the link to a forum for Latter Day Saints Skinny Dippers. Yep, nudist mormons. Part of their schtick is that they will be better prepared for the End Times if they practice recreational nudity now.
Although the forum is “primarily for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” everyone is welcome to participate … as long as you restrict your recreational nudity to chaste and wholesome activities.
Threadrupt but I have the answer to the Arrietty mystery!
My friend says one of the minor characters is a gratuitous caricature of a Native American: “Warpaint, crazy clothes, uncivilized minors, the inability to count, and unable to speak in complete sentences.”
Her daughter is Native so it was especially offensive and hurtful for her to see. She said the rest of the movie was absolutely beautiful but there was no reason at all to have a stereotyped character.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Kristinc: I think they mentioned that character in the review I was watching. THEIR complaint, however, was that he didn’t get much screentime or much of a backstory.
The way they described the character though, it sounded more like just a generalized primitive/feral person than explicitly native american.
Pteryxxsays
[Sigh] How does one get a group to strictly enforce the right rules and break the wrong ones?
Have accessible, trustworthy contacts for victims or witnesses to report their concerns, is the best I can think of. Honestly, a two-person rule would be all but unnecessary if people weren’t so devoted to denial in the first place, IMHO.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I agree, Pteryxx.
I couldn’t find an elegant way to say this, but stuff like the ‘two deep’ rule is well and good, but how unnecessary would it be if the standard response to kids telling people about abuse wasn’t something like “Mr Randomname is a NICE MAN. How dare you make up nasty lies like that about him! I want you to apologize to him! Come now, it’s the right thing to do.”
Pteryxxsays
also gang – the Baltimore county council is supposed to vote on that trans rights bill tomorrow at 6 pm, so if anyone else wants to contact them, now’s the time:
Absolutely. The sad truth is that we just don’t have numbers or power on our own. We’re completely dependent on allies.
I just called the Baltimore County Council to register my support for their pending trans protection bill, and they were very nice. The measure will be discussed on Feb 14, goes for a vote on Feb 21 and it’s on their page here, bill 3-12 Human Relations:
Arrrggggh, you have to Google “Google Scholar” to get to Google Scholar!
Dumb move, Google!
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
I couldn’t find an elegant way to say this, but stuff like the ‘two deep’ rule is well and good, but how unnecessary would it be if the standard response to kids telling people about abuse wasn’t something like “Mr Randomname is a NICE MAN. How dare you make up nasty lies like that about him! I want you to apologize to him! Come now, it’s the right thing to do.”
You have no idea how right on the money you are. Or, at least, I hope you have no reason to know how right on the money you are.
Gonna have to check out for a while.
Sorry.
My fault.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
My fault.
No.
I know you agree with me, and I even know that I’m saying things that ‘need to be said’, but I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to have this kind of impact. :(
Rey Foxsays
Google Scholar can also be found from the rest of Google by clicking “More” and then “Even More”. And then finding it way at the bottom.
(And then clicking “OK” on the box that pops up and says “Are you sure? They use very big words there!”)
Pteryxxsays
Sorry Og. Take care of yourself, and thank you.
If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s the people that hurt us. Not us when we get triggery, nor us when we talk openly about these horrible problems and how to mitigate them. It’s not OUR fault that someone abused us.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Daisy:
0_o
:D
It hasn’t occurred to me before now, but it looks like the Jell-O mold is pretty much the same color as the wood table.
And people still ate it!
theopontes:
[[[Did the RL hugs get delivered as planned?]]]
[whisper]
Yes! In a timely fashion, even!
[/whisper]
opposablethumbs, que le pouce enragé mette les poucessays
Fuck, bro Og, I’m sorry. I’d like to send over a whole lot of internet hugs if that’s OK.
Og, *hugs*. NOT your fault. Take care of yourself and come back when you feel up to it.
@Dhorvath – Chronic stress is well known to induce abdominal fat. Look up “cortisol response”. Yes, this is another part of the vicious cycle of obesity, and reason #613278012 why shaming people out of being fat does not work.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, part of the problem with the jello mold is that it does nothing to hide the peas. Nothing.
In other news, The Daily Beast has posted a convenient list of the ten most outrageous things Rick Santorum has said. There’s the usual man-on-dog stuff, etc. But there were a few I hadn’t heard before.
Santorum said, “I think the Democrats are actually worried he [Obama] may go to Indonesia and bow to more Muslims.”
Spartanburg, S.C., in February 2011. “The idea that the Crusades and the fight of Christendom against Islam is somehow an aggression on our part is absolutely anti-historical,” Santorum said. “And that is what the perception is by the American left, who hates Christendom.”
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Still catching up:
Rey:
So…what became of the jello? I mean, it wasn’t created to be consumed, so did it get a decent burial or something? I’m kind of opposed to the idea of wasting food or foodlike matter.
It got ate.
And it most certainly was created to be consumed– there may have been a little bit of sadistic intent when I settled on the recipe, but the cook in me wanted someone to like it.
;)
Oggie:
Orange Jell-o salad with peas?
Close. Lemon Jell-O with shrimp, ketchup, and peas.
But never fear! I also made a period appropriate cake as well*. It’s funny, I liked the Jell-O “salad” more than I thought I would (not to say that I actually liked it, just that I could stand to swallow a couple of bites), but I wasn’t too enthused with how the cake turned out. I mean, it definitely wasn’t bad (and the filling and frosting were tasty), but I found it a bit too dry. Ah well.
*Not that cakes have changed all that much over the years.
And here’s another mind boggling anti-fact spouted by Rick Santorum:
A new day, a new Santorum controversy. A day after calling the president’s beliefs a “phony theology,” the former Pennsylvania senator got into a heated exchange with Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer over whether or not prenatal testing leads to increased abortions. “Prenatal testing—amniocentesis—does in fact result more often than not in this country in abortion,” Santorum said.
The quote is from a Daily Beast article about Santorum, Bachmann, and other culture warriors having appeared on Sunday talk shows yesterday.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Lynna:
… part of the problem with the jello mold is that it does nothing to hide the peas. Nothing.
Bleagh! I forgot until about 15 minutes ago that I volunteered to bring dessert for dinner at MIL’s tonight.
So: currently in the oven, a chocolate cake mix from a box doctored up with butter, orange peel, cardamom and finely ground almond meal. Batter was very lumpy going in, we’ll see. I baked it in my vintage Bundt pan, for pretty, and I’ll smother it in orange-juice-and-powedered-sugar glaze.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
It’s 1:50 PM. I’m already into the mead.
I fucking hate the last two-three days before my check comes.
On the upside, I’ve discovered that as long as I have yeast, honey, and other crap to throw in like raisins, apples, blueberries, and sich, I pretty much never HAVE to go to the liquor store again, do I?
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
Until recently, we had a whole shitload of squirrels in our attic.
*sits up attentively*
How did you get them out?
– *non-intrusive Interwebz hugs* for Ogvorbis.
–
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, part of the problem with the jello mold is that it does nothing to hide the peas. Nothing.
But that’s a good thing! It means that they can’t lurk in there, poised to attack the unwary diner like a rake in the grass.
–
We’ve recently discussed mormon reeducation camps for “troubled teens.” Scientologists have always been big on reeducating both teens and adults. Journalist Bryan Seymour put together an exposé of Scientology’s terrible treatment of children and teens in Sydney, Australia.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
cicely:
*sits up attentively*
How did you get them out?
As far as I know, my landlord found where they were getting in (a hole in the chimney, I think) and he put a “one-way exclusion door”* over the hole. Basically, it let the squirrels out of the attic, but they couldn’t get back in.
It was a contraption along these lines. Bonus: it’s totally humane AND there’s no traps to check!
*Think along the same lines as the “have a heart” pest traps.
Classical Cipher, Murmur Muris, OMsays
I was watching Being Human and I realized that I still have at least a pretty big chunk of the Catholic Mass memorized.
Interesting.
A. Rsays
CC: Same with me, I can still remember most of the Anglican services.
Nutmegsays
CC: I would be willing to bet that I would have no trouble following an Anglican service even now.
And I could probably sing most of the hymns without even looking at a songbook.
Memory is weird.
Nutmegsays
Hey, A.R., did you recover from the ether exposure? I hope so.
A. Rsays
Nutmeg: Yeah, I went to the E.R. Saturday night. They prescribed antinauseals and some painkillers, and had me on supplemental oxygen for awhile. I’m feeling much better.
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
It was a contraption along these lines. Bonus: it’s totally humane AND there’s no traps to check!
Bookmarked; it sounds ideal for my purposes (I just want ’em gone, I don’t want ’em dead)(provided that it can be fitted for very irregular accesses), but a bit of a stretch for us price-wise, for what would almost certainly need to be multiple traps.
–
Nutmegsays
AR: Glad you’re doing better!
Rey Foxsays
I went to Christmast mass (as a present to Mom), and I had lost my memorization of it over the eight or so years that I hadn’t been to a non-funeral mass.
ladyh42 – GLad you have gotten a medical exam. Thyroid meds may help overall.
They took yours out tho? Crazy!
My thyroid had gone totally haywire, putting out about 15 times of … thyroid stuff than it should – too lazy to look that up. Anyway, I was on the edge of a stroke until the thyroid was killed by radiation. My overall health improved dramatically once that was fixed.
Luck to you.
ibyeasays
It would be nice to attend the reason rally with the Horde, but transportation is very problematic for me. Grr. I curse my undocumented status (since driving license aren’t issued to those with the status).
Moggiesays
TLC, last thread (I’m very behind):
I have to admit, much of my first exposure to the anime fandom was the creepy shit you read about on ED. It did kind of cloud my judgement.
I’m an occasional anime viewer. The first show I watched, years ago, was Neon Genesis Evangelion. After I’d finished it, I checked online for fan reactions to it, since I had some questions and doubts.
This was probably a mistake.
Among the main characters in the show were several teenagers. I’d read that the majority of the audience for most TV anime in Japan was teenage boys, so this was to be expected. What I didn’t expect was to find guys, who from other comments appeared to be adults, posting rape fantasies about 14-year-old animated girls. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. Of the two girls in NGE, one, Asuka, is fiery, self-confident and opinionated, while the other, Rei, is passive, quiet, and almost emotionless. The creeps mostly ignored the girl with personality, and focussed their fantasies on the one who would meekly endure everything without complaint.
So, yeah. Fandom. Hate it. It’s not all like that, of course, but I’ve seen enough creepy comments to make me wary of even mentioning anime.
Tonysays
Dr. Audley Z Darkheart:
It was a contraption along these lines. Bonus: it’s totally humane AND there’s no traps to check!
-I need to look into that. Whatever is crawling around my attic-which, in the 9 years I’ve been renting this house, I’ve never peeked into-is darned annoying when I’m trying to sleep. All that skittering drives me up the wall (so do crickets and frogs when they decide to do their chorus at night).
Humanely getting rid of pests is, unfortunately, not accepted by enough people. I bartend (why am I getting red squiggly marks under ‘bartend’? That’s not a word??) and one of the restaurants I used to work at had an on-again/off-again problem with mice. The solution implemented by our then-General Manager was to strategically place sticky traps around the restaurant. One time he showed me a mouse stuck on the pad. When I asked him how he was going to get the little critter off, he said he couldn’t. Apparently those traps are *so* sticky that trying to pry an animal off will rip body parts off. I was rather disgusted by it. Then he proceeded to take the pad-still with the mouse (alive and twitching, but not moving)-and go stomp the mouse outside, saying it was a quick way to die. In my head, I’m thinking how awful it would be for a living creature to go through all that. Ick.
I’m glad more humane methods have been devised.
carliesays
Didn’t do a whole hell of a lot as the two adults were husband and wife,
At the least, best practice guidelines now state that the two deep cannot be a related couple. That’s how it was described to us when I was still working in a church with kids and they were rolling in all the more strict guidelines.
And hugs if you want them, Og. There’s nothing I can say but how much I feel for you and despise who hurt you.
Seriously two deep? can’t we just call it a buddy system like mature adults?
Pteryxxsays
Re mice and sticky traps: ARGH.
However it is NOT TRUE that there’s no way to get them off. The trick is to squirt them with some kind of vegetable oil. Eventually the oil works between the mouse’s paws and the sticky trap so the mouse can squiggle free. (This will also help get a sticky trap off your arm or cat. >_> )
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Sticky traps sound disturbing. Do it properly, use a typical goddamn snappy-trap like people have been using for years. True, sometimes even those fail to kill rodents immediately, but it’s gotta be better than the sticky trap.
Plus, snap-traps are reusable.
Tonysays
Moggie:
So, yeah. Fandom. Hate it. It’s not all like that, of course, but I’ve seen enough creepy comments to make me wary of even mentioning anime.
-For all that I’ve been a lifelong comic book fan (to this day, though financial stress has prevented me from making any purchases in a while…sniff…sniff), I’ve never been to any of the conventions. I know Atlanta has Dragon-Con every year, and Orlando has one as well (Mega-Con, I think), but I’ve never been one to do travelling alone, and I’m a bit shy in social situations where I know absolutely *no one* (which is odd given my occupation; IMO, bartenders should try or should be somewhat gregarious, which I am, but mostly in the context of a work environment). I really should go to a big one someday, as I could probably enjoy the hell out of a convention (aside from comics, I’m a massive Joss Whedon fan, and between Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, the bigger cons around the US typically have some of my favorite actors attending). Thus I don’t have much experience with fandom in the way you have. However, I have lurked around message boards and some of the comments I’ve read before are creepy, so I have some clue what you’re talking about.
Tonysays
Pteryxx: “However it is NOT TRUE that there’s no way to get them off. The trick is to squirt them with some kind of vegetable oil. “
-Thanks for the info. I hope to never see those damn things again, but if I do I’ll know what to grab (after proper protection for myself) to try and save a captured animal (however, I’m not going to save a roach. I draw my line there. Frogs, mice, rats, spiders, snakes, beetles…I don’t mind any of them. Roaches, well, I’m an animal lover to a point)
Tonysays
Laughing Coyote: Sticky traps sound disturbing.
-they are. I hope you never have to see an animal stuck to one of them.
It’s funny (rather, it would be if it weren’t so damn frustrating) to be accused of lacking morals for being an atheist, yet it disturbs me to think of a mouse stuck on a sticky trap, essentially waiting to die.
Years ago, on the late, lamented SF Roundtable on the long-defunct GEnie network, I was informed that I wasn’t an SF because I didn’t go to cons. Hey, can I help it if I’m anti-social?
We had a squirrel in our cellar a few years ago. Bought a Hav-a-hart or however they’re spelled. It took me a week or so of tweaking and modifying it before we caught the damn thing, but I was finally able to give it a new home in an area forest.
Just spent about 2 hours fighting to replace, of all things, a toilet seat. I can tell my blood pressure is way up now. Hopefully the “hard lemonade” I mooched from my wife’s stock will help me calm down.
Please understand that my #145 post was when I was threadrupt. I had no idea what was going on before me, I was at work on a 15 minute break, and after getting caught up at home it was insensitive.
+++++++++++++++
(p.s. Rey, ‘Scholar’ used to be an option where Google transferred your search term over. Now, it’s 2 screens away. It’s like if I had to put 911 on speed dial.)
+++++++++++++++
Julessays
Do it properly, use a typical goddamn snappy-trap like people have been using for years.
I have a fairly serious mouse phobia. I set up 9 snap-traps in a 900 sq ft apartment when I had one once.
And then I left and stayed somewhere else for a week.
Because as scared as I was of the mouse, I couldn’t stand the thought of killing it.
When I finally went back home, the traps were all intact, but I never saw the mouse again. I think I must have driven it to go mooch off of my neighbors.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
There’s a trick to safely cornering and catching live mice (safely for you AND the mouse, FTR)
I corner them and then put my hand down flat on top… NOT crushing, just restraining, though remember a mouse has a very flexible skeleton and is a lot tougher than it looks, and then grab by the base of the tail.
Depending on how smart the mouse is, you have to move fairly quick from here. Some mice just flail around trying to bite the air, but others are smart enough to ‘climb up’ their own tails. I’ve bagged a few mice this way without injury to either mammal involved.
changeable monikersays
Argh. Bancrupt!
Dr. AZD:
How about I post a picture of the Jell-O mold
I’d have preferred that to the photo of its former contents. :)
[Yes, that was a cunning pun on the word “former”.]
—
If anyone flamed me upthread, sorry, haven’t read it, and not gonna tonight.
I’ve been trying to smack down stupidity in the comments over here:
Are they really, though? I always thought that it would smell of stressed dead mouse, and none of the others would go near it. Plus there’s the problem of, um, cleaning it out. For the cheap wood ones, I’ve just thrown it all away. We did get some of the fancy plastic clothespin-type reusables, but they seemed to only work once so I thought they smelled bad to the other mice.
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
weather ≠ climate
Right, I get that… but, as SallyStrange has already said, this winter is just one more data point. I don’t pretend to have the hard data at my fingertips, but it certainly appears to me that the trend over the 11 winters since I moved from FL to New England has been for ever warmer and less snowy winters. Even last year, when we had devastating snow loads that caused buildings to collapse, it was the result of a few intense storms embedded in an otherwise relatively warm, dry winter. This year, we had a snowstorm that knocked out ~90% of the power grid in the whole state of CT (and similar around New England, AFAIK)… in October… and we’ve had hardly any snow since, and extraordinarily warm temps.
I know full well that “weather ≠ climate”… but for how many consecutive winters must I not go sledding before I’m allowed to see a trend?
My real problem is that most folks don’t even seem to bother to argue about what the warm winter means; they just say, “isn’t it nice how warm it is?”
carliesays
My worry when we have a mild winter is how much drought we’re in for later in the year. It’s hard for me to gauge how much rainfall we’ve had and how much it does or doesn’t make up for the lack of snowfall. I’d say where I am we’ve had just under a foot altogether when we should easily have had over three feet by now.
Therrinsays
but for how many consecutive winters must I not go sledding before I’m allowed to see a trend?
from the last thread regarding the Binnen-I. While I think myself it is not the ideal solution, some people hate it with such passion that I’ve come to suspect it’s the linguistic version of MRAs.
Moggie,
that’s the reason I’ve been keeping away from Japanese learner forums. Too many anime fans there. I’ve seen Americans running around with a T-shirt saying “Now accepting applications for the position of Japanese girlfriend” (日本人彼女募集中) Disgusting.
..the Punjab and Haryana High Court last week ruled that the right to abort a pregnancy in a marriage rests with the wife and not husband.
As far as I know, abortion with the mother’s consent is legal in India (unless it is being done after a pre-natal gender determination for the foetus, in which case it is a punishable offense, for all parties involved, including the doctor). The case here seems to have been if the husband has any say in the matter.
That is what the redundant department of redundancies tells me!
I’ve never met a libertarian who did not pound on and on and on and on and on about how consistent their favorite libertarian was. I felt I ought to convey their repetitiveness.
**************************************************************** Tony:
(why am I getting red squiggly marks under ‘bartend’? That’s not a word??)
Your browser is delivered to you with the vocabulary of a child. It is your solemn duty to teach it as many new words as you are able. Whenever it fails to recognize a word, first, google the word to ensure that you have it correct, and then, right click on it, select [Add to Dictionary] from the popup menu, and lo, it will learn the new word, and be ever silently grateful to you.
No hear back from last big interview (as expected I was told 6 weeks due to vacation) but got another interview in the same place for a night shift opening. Only downside is obviously the nightshift.
Pay-Pal co-founder donates millions to Ron Paul super pac
Imagine my relief when I clicked on your link and discovered the Pay-Pay co-founder in question was not Elon Musk (llewelly [@171], take note… and if you have some other reason to think Musk is a wingnut, I don’t want to know!).
***
Ogvorbis… shit, I don’t know what to say… except that I’m thinking of you, and hope you’re well.
***
Re mice, and the trapping of same: We had very good luck with the Hav A Heart trap. Not cheap, especially if you need a bunch of ’em, but effective, and completely harmless to the wee beasties.
TLC, I once had a mouse run across my keyboard when I was typing. I still couldn’t catch that fucker. When they got that bold? Yeah, that motherfucker and the family are going down.
You can’t make peace with them, they want the fucking house. One mouse, I’m OK but not happy, a family of mouses? I hate and will kill you twice. They want to take over the world my house.
And the goddam squirrel (or rat) is back/still here. I feel like the Wiley Coyote in that this fucker has evaded all my traps. Rabbit snares et al.
If I don’t get enough sleep I will turn on humans.
The American Mustache Institute (AMI) is planning a “Million Mustache March” on the nation’s capital, part of an ongoing campaign to convince lawmakers to create government incentives to grow facial hair.
Pteryxxsays
first rabbits, now mice…
TLC: Yeah, it’s not that hard to catch mice by hand and not hurt them, but the learning curve is steep. Folks have to learn what holding a mouse without hurting it is like before they can *grab* one without hurting it – or, far more often in my experience, they’re too gentle and get bitten or let the mouse get away. For rookies I suggest herding the mouse into a dark container, like a cereal box, rather than try grabbing it by hand.
I don’t have much experience with snap traps (we don’t really use them much in labs…) but I’ve heard that unlike rats, mice aren’t very careful around traps that smell of killed mouse; supposedly they’re more wary of human hand smell than whether the trap’s new or used. Mice are pretty stupid as mammals go.
Of course, YMMV (your mouse may vary).
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Tony:
-I need to look into that. Whatever is crawling around my attic-which, in the 9 years I’ve been renting this house, I’ve never peeked into-is darned annoying when I’m trying to sleep.
Yeah, I’ve been in the apartment for over 3 years now and haven’t peeked up there yet. Part of the problem being that it’s a pain in the fucking ass to even get to the trapdoor (it’s in a closet, over a shelf) and, well, my building is old. Like whoa old. It’s structurally sound, but who knows what kind of creepy shit* I’d find up there?
As for the “one-way repeater door”, I only saw them mentioned on exterminator/pest control websites**, so you might have to order what you need online.
“Your Mouse May Very”
Oh, dammit, get it out of my head! From now on that is stuck!
YMMV ymmv ymmv … Oh, wait, now it’s YMCA! (Why, yes, I can transpose earwigs. Why do you ask?)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Adding to what Pteryxx said, I notice that the presence of rotting mouse corpses doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent to them. I strongly doubt a bit of dead mouse smell on a trap will make much of a difference.
I’ve had good luck several times cornering a mouse and catching it in a washcloth/dish towel. Seems to keep it from being crushed *and* me from getting bitten.
Pteryxxsays
re beasties: Hang on, y’all have to BUY one-way excluder doors? I thought you just make them out of hardware mesh. Sort of like the ports on a crab trap.
Damn! Sorry, Og. As everyone has said it’s not your fault.
The reason we can’t have nice things: fuckers who can look someone in the eye and convincingly tell the baldest of lies.
At least the Boy Scouts seemed to be mouthing the right words:
Mandatory Report of Child Abuse
All persons involved in Scouting shall report to local authorities any good faith suspicion or belief that any child is or has been physically or sexually abused, physically or emotionally neglected, exposed to any form of violence or threat, exposed to any form of sexual exploitation including the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child pornography, online solicitation, enticement, or showing of obscene material. No person may abdicate this reporting responsibility to any other person. [my emphasis]
That sounds better than Penn State or the RCC’s policies. But the devil is in the implementation … and I’m sure that varies locale to locale.
—
Rodents (and birds): We feed them on a platform on the front porch (amuses the cats who sit on the back of the couch at the same level with only 12 inches and a pane of glass between them) and out back from the tree (amuses the dog who goes out the door like a streak of lightning and tries to climb the tree). Last night the cat growled at the window. Sometimes he does that when there’s stray cat in the yard; but no, when I went to look it was a little racoon face staring up at me. At least it wasn’t the skunk I once saw paired with the racoon raiding our garbage can.
We occasionally had the scampering of little feet in the attic, but it’s not been generally a problem. Mice we’ve had once and a while; the cats seem to keep that under control (though they tend to leave a mess to clean up). And a chipmunk chewed a hole in the siding to get into the garage — we can’t keep the bird seed in there any more.
Pteryxxsays
re dead mouse smell (ICK WARNING)
TLC: That reminds me, not only does dead mouse smell not bother mice too much, most of ’em do like to eat other dead mice. Especially the brains… they always seem to go there first, and they have the teeth for it.
Re: sticky traps – I think my empathy line for land animals is drawn at vertebrates, with some charismatic insects and arachnids as special cases. Mice or lizards would bother me very much. But I have absolutely no problem with using them for pantry moth and cockroaches. For cockroaches, the dead cockroaches are an attractor. Filthy cannibals. DIE FUCKERS DIE!!! *ahem*, sorry, I don’t live in Sydney any more so it’s mostly moot now.
Also if I caught cephalopods that would bother me, but for another reason. I live a long way inland. Is the end nigh? Pray to be eaten first! Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn!
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Pteryxx: That kind of jibes with my observations of natural mortality in my mouse colony.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Also if I caught cephalopods that would bother me, but for another reason. I live a long way inland. Is the end nigh? Pray to be eaten first! Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn!
It will always be a bitter disappointment for me that we have no freshwater (and aquarium sized) cephalopods. :(
dontpanicsays
Pantry moths: gawd, I hate those things. Sticky traps w/ pheromones, tossing out cabinets of foodstuffs, scrubbing down said cabinets and they’re still with us. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Cats will sometimes chase and, ugh, eat them. But I think we’ve “naturally selected” out the family lines that come close enough to the ground (or counters, platforms, etc) for them to catch.
Pteryxxsays
Re traps: being in Texas, I do use the sticky traps for cockroaches. It’s easier than lassooing each roach individually and trying to hog-tie it. <_<
What Richard Austin said at #109. We can’t fight this by proxy (very likely she is doing the same. Notice how she suddenly became all aware of legal details.)
Ask yourself why Sandra is so fixated on holding on to the term “marriage”. Gay people have been denied this right for a very long time. That has always been wrong. Why should anyone even have to ask for something that is rightfully theirs in the first place? We have given several examples where gay marriage is recognised by the state and referred to it as such.
Why does she so badly support the stigmatisation of gay people by denying the full recognition of marriage rights and the term marriage? And further not recognising that current American laws in this regard are iniquitous and held in place by bigots like herself?
You must also be aware that even in the case of South Africa, there is a weasel clause included for the fucking religious bigots:
Marriage officer not compelled to solemnise civil union 6. A marriage officer, other than a marriage officer referred to in section 5. may in writing inform the Minister that he or she objects on the grounds of conscience. religion and belief to solemnising a civil union between persons of the same sex. whereupon that marriage officer shall not he compelled to solemnise such civil union.
re: traps
I remember that I once had a BIG fight with my grandpa about a mole trap. But that was one of those things: He grew up in a society where humans were cheap, so there was hardly a moment to spare to think about animals. And whatever you told him about moles actually being a bit messy but ultimatively good for your garden, he would just file them under “pest” and try to kill them.
One night, a very clever mole stole his trap…
Ogvorbis
Hugs are coming if you want them
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Giliell, was it a clever mole, or was it a clever predator/scavenger making off with a trapped mole?
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Miracle of Miracles, I finally got Smyrgol the fucking picky dragon to try a new food.
Apparently, though, blueberries only count as blueberries if they come from my hand… placing them on the ground before him produced an extremely bored stare.
I want to go to sleep, but I also want to check the Santorum science thread, but I know if I do I will read what the trollish josh has written and will delay sleeping for too long. Oh well. Someone on the internet will remain uncorrected for a while.
John Moralessays
TLC, Gordon Dickson’s Dragon Knight series?
(Had a dragon called Smrgol)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
John Morales: Close. I think.
ambleburysays
Interesting article, relevant to discussion re. global warming.
Sister-in-law gave my little girl a bag of those gold foil wrapped chocolates that look like coins, or ‘chocolate moneys’ as they soon were known to be called. I opened the bag and handed them out to the kids and said ‘don’t eat them all in one place.’ Didn’t get a peep. Never try out the new material on pre-schoolers.
John Moralessays
I have a friend whose often used expression for expressing incredulity is “What is this, bunny week?“.
(Another favourite for those who wax excitable: “Carrying on like a pork chop”)
Bonus: To seek to eat food is to “appease the tapey*”.
Also if I caught cephalopods that would bother me, but for another reason. I live a long way inland. Is the end nigh? Pray to be eaten first! Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn!
At least if that day comes I can be sure that I’ve eaten more of them than they’ll eat of me
There are two great advantages of eating them:
-they are tasty
-I don’t have to share with Mr.
“What is this, bunny week?“.
A week that consists only of fucking, eating and being incredibly cute?
Where do I sign up?
Yeah, a bearded dragon I have. He tends to be a bit picky about plant foods that vary from the typical salads we feed him.
I have a rule about pets that are picky:
Eat it or starve.
When I hear pet-owners talk about the woes of finally finding some 4-bucks-a-day-stuff their cat dignifies to eat, I shake my head.
In my experience, those are also the same people who are very unforgiving on a kid who dislikes salad*
*or any other food. I’m not talking about kids who have a positive list of one dozen things they eat but normal kids, i.e. people who just dislike certain foods.
Ehm, same rule applies to pets: It’s totally OK to dislike something, but don’t try bossing me around.
John Moralessays
Giliell,
A week that consists only of fucking, eating and being incredibly cute?
Oh, I’m happy to eat cephalopods. Thai salt & pepper squid, nomnomnom! I would just be very disturbed if one turned up in my pantry moth sticky-trap. I live 150km from the sea.
And I’m sad to say my cat *does* get the expensive $3 per small can food. He’s not a well cat, and I think it would be wrong of me to let him starve. He’s so thin, I doubt he’ll last another year :(
Alethea
Well, exceptions apply as usually, I was not talking about elderly and sick. I wouldn’t place a steak in front of grandma with no teeth as I wouldn’t place it in front of a toothless baby. And if my children had a serious food allergy or intolerance that would, of course, dictate our cooking, too. Their whims don’t.
If your animal is old/sick you should care for them as well as you can, of course. I was talking about the well and healthy animals that are used to getting their way just because. If our rabbits decided to turn their nose on the home-made meadow hay, I wouldn’t go out and buy fucking expensive super-duper-special-hay. I would especially not throw away 90% of each load until I found one they liked.
Oh, i should add that, unless they’re harming the animal with their “love”, people can spoil their pets as much as they like, that’s none of my business because unlike children, those pets aren’t supposed to integrate into society (I’m usually sorry for the kids. It must be hard growing up as a princess to find out that the world treats you as a commoner).
I just think they don’t get to complain about how “difficult” their pets are and “how hard” it is to find the right food and how expensive the only food their pet eats is.
Our sick cat has, for some time, had a habit of eating his kidney diet (expensive) crunchies only when we’re not watching. He clearly doesn’t want us to get the wrong idea that he likes them. It has made feeding him quite difficult – we’re not always sure if he’s eaten the food or if one of the youngsters has stolen it. But he will at least eat the (very expensive) wet food straight away.
Sili,
I’ve been reading the lecture you pointed to, and am now desperate to read a decent translation of Andersen (unfortunately, I know no Danish). A quick google led me to “The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen”, translated by Jeffrey Frank and Diana Crone Frank? (2004). What would you recommend?
carliesays
llewelly! *hugs*
I know, but google wouldn’t find it for me. Stupid google.
I actually tried to find it before I posted it and failed. I hang my head in shame.
My children are on break this week, but I am not. I am very jealous.
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
Pat Puchannan keeping his reputation as an isolationist, racist, wing-nut alive during an appearance on CBS this morning.
His new book looks like a disgusting piece of trash.
KGsays
not only does dead mouse smell not bother mice too much, most of ‘em do like to eat other dead mice. Especially the brains… – Pteryxx
Well, you wouldn’t want a zombie mice plague in your home, so just be grateful!
Rev – I received a copy of his new book as a potential reviewer. The pages are not very absorbent and are too rough on the anus. So, its only potential use was a failure.
Shorter Buchanan “THE WHITE CHRISTIANS ARE DYING OUT, FEAR THE FOREIGNERS”
ChasCPetersonsays
(why am I getting red squiggly marks under ‘bartend’? That’s not a word??)
No, as a matter of fact it’s not. Bartenders do not ‘bartend’, they tend bar. Fundraisers do not ‘fundraise’, they raise funds. etc. All these compound verbs are lazy back-formations from the nouns. It’s gratingly subliterate, and it’s bugged me for years. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to coffeedrink.
[/peeve]
not only does dead mouse smell not bother mice too much, most of ‘em do like to eat other dead mice. Especially the brains
Damn it that actually reminded me of the Eddy Murphy Doctor Dolittle
Rat 1 “I don’t know what I’d do if you died!”
Sick Rat ‘You’d take me out back and eat me”
Rat 1 “OUT OF RESPECT!”
jamesmichaels1says
Sandra is someone who used to attend my Methodist Church a few years ago back when I was a Christian. She was only really visiting for about a month in between leaving Northern Ireland (as she alludes to) and then going to the US. Since then we’ve conversed via email and through some forums. Since I deconverted, our emails and conversations have become more frequent, especially as a result of the Prop 8 discussion, and about the 9th circuit court ruling. She’s a Catholic, and unfortunately has been prone to many of the blind mistakes I was capable of, as was Simon for that matter. Thats about the extent of my relationship with her.
By the way, would it be harsh to say that the defence in Perry vs Schwarzenegger made the defence in Kitzmiller vs Dover look competent? I mean, I’ve read the P vs S judge’s decision, and the amount of epic fail by the defence in that case is just ASTOUNDING.
But yes, I appreciate the advice, but I’d just really like to tear ALL of it apart, lest she starts crowing about achieving “victory” because the hypocritical evil atheist (me, apparently) can’t disprove the points of the well read and articulate religious figure (her, of course). Another on the forum has said “Dear gays, lesbians, and activists: Stop comparing your struggle to the civil rights movement, sincerely, black folk.”
Sandra has also followed up with this:
About Prop 8 having been challenged at a Federal level in a federal court:
FALSE. . On May 26, 2009, the California Supreme Court held, in Strauss v. Horton, that Proposition 8 was a lawful enactment. So, it had already been judged as Constitutional in the State legal system. After the California Supreme Court upheld the voter initiative, a suit, Perry v. Schwarzenegger was filed in a Federal District Court in San Francisco on the basis that the legal Constitution of California violated the U.S. Constitution. It is a State and not a federal issue. Its under Constitutional law and not federal law, it’s a different area of law. Judge Vaughn Walker judged it was unconstitutional but The court stayed the ruling; the voter initiative was to remain in effect pending appeal. When Judge Walker attempted to remove the stay, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit indefinitely extended the District Court’s stay. On the Appeal, the thing above that just happened, a 3 judge panel supported the district court’s ruling but there was a dissent. So, within the court’s ruling there is the opinion of , Judge N. Randy Smith which will be reviewed on appeal to the Supreme Court. That is why there is a court Ordered Stay. Its kinda a big deal. It is still currently unsettled law. Which is significantly more important.
(I bolded the important point)
About how if you aren’t calling it marriage, even if everything else is the same, it’s not equal:
Ergo, The dissent states that “gays and lesbians are not a suspect or quasi-suspect class” and are thus not entitled to the courts’ increased scrutiny of laws that affect them. Thusly, unless there is substantive discrimination then everything is equal because they are not granted such scrutiny. Just like its not discrimination when a Law or Constitution uses the pronoun He to mean people.
About how if she’s fighting giving the name of marriage to gay unions then the word means something and so she’s wrong by her own actions:
No, this happens in the law all the time. It is the nature of Law and how it develops. For example a male who is in charge of the estate of a dead person is an executor a female is an executrix. Is it unequal because the names are different? Or what about the use of Gender Specific Personal Pronouns when the gender is unknown or unimportant?
So. You will agree that the only thing unequal in marriage is the name? Are you stipulating to that?
Because you said we are talking about just the law. So how is it discrimination, in practice under the law?
About me calling her out on being obfuscating and unclear with her points:
I feel that
“No, their actual rights are not impinged so the substantive effect of calling it a marriage over what is already legal in law is redundant at best and just expression at worst.”
is pretty clear, and
“Nothing can be done to the elimination of Prop 8 where it would ALONE give them anymore rights.”
is also pretty clear.
Look, my points are complicated and nuanced. I understand if they take some thought. I know it can
be hard to break down points when you do not have pre made answers for them and you have to consult them logically.
I spend most of my time correcting your erroneous statements. I have to do this because so much of what you say is wrong. Many of your statements are not factual. It must just be nice to say stuff you feel is right and not be bound by troublesome things like facts. I mean you say stuff like Homosexuals do not have the ability to change government and law. I mean shit Rep. Jared Polis has a child with his domestic partner (yeah you read that right) and other gay members include Barney Frank and David Cicilline and that’s just in my area. This doesn’t even include the supposed plethora of Gay staffers in Congress and the shear amount are supposedly in the closet. The longest serving woman currently in the US Senate is Barbara Mikulski (an outed closeted Lesbian) who voted for the defense of Marriage act. You make these patently false statements to support your points and then accuse me of smoke screening when it undermines your entire argument.
About how “In the US, no one needs a church to get married. Marriage is not dictated by any religions. To make this point and to run with it is intellectually dishonest. If a church will not marry a couple, fine. They can still get married without their blessing. To treat this like an issue is a mask to what she really thinks of the rights of LGBT people.”
Really? So Religions have never been at risk for losing their state exempt status over discrimination? Yeshiva University was court ordered to allow same-sex couples in its married dormitory. How about in New Jersey ,a religious organization that rented out its gazebo for weddings refused to rent it for a same-sex marriage and as a result had its property tax exemption suspended. I’ve got more. The thing is your augment is so all or nothing so “100 percent against discrimination” that you neglect that there must be a balance between homosexuals and the rights of things like religious institutions and other individuals. I believe personally that the Supreme court would uphold most of the rights of religions over the rights of individuals. But I believe that churches (and all of its institutions) should be able to discriminate. Catholic Charities and their adoption services should be able to discriminate against homosexual parents, as long as there are comparable secular adoption agencies. Yeshiva University should be allowed to bar same-sex couples from its married dormitory (but not from its university) and a Church should be able to discriminate what kind of ceremonies are held on their property (but not who attends them). There has to be balance.
So now that you know a fuller story, as much help as possible with this and the previous would be awesome. :)
Much thanks,
James :)
janinesays
Nothing new about Pat Buchanan being a racist. Try looking up The Death Of The West.
Sandra is someone who used to attend my Methodist Church a few years ago back when I was a Christian.
OH! A fellow former Methodist! We have so much to talk about. It always seems like to me the Methodist culture is one of the least examined christian blends.
Now my impression of it was that it was outwardly a very liberal spiritual touchy feely church…but with HUGE streaks of crypto conservatism and bigotry mingling in it that people are uncomfortable with but don’t seem to think they can actually excise from the Church?
janinesays
But yes, I appreciate the advice, but I’d just really like to tear ALL of it apart, lest she starts crowing about achieving “victory” because the hypocritical evil atheist (me, apparently) can’t disprove the points of the well read and articulate religious figure (her, of course). Another on the forum has said “Dear gays, lesbians, and activists: Stop comparing your struggle to the civil rights movement, sincerely, black folk.”
Here is some news for you, she will declare victory no matter what you do. Find out what a Gish Gallop.
The Gish Gallop is an informal name for a debating technique that involves drowning the opponent in such a torrent of half-truths, lies, and straw-man arguments that the opponent cannot possibly answer every falsehood that has been raised. Usually this results in many involuntary twitches in frustration as the opponent struggles just to decide where to start. It is named after creationism activist and professional debater Duane Gish.
You time is better spent actually working towards a goal as opposed to debating an intellectually dishonest person. And Sandra is very dishonest.
Really? So Religions have never been at risk for losing their state exempt status over discrimination? Yeshiva University was court ordered to allow same-sex couples in its married dormitory. How about in New Jersey ,a religious organization that rented out its gazebo for weddings refused to rent it for a same-sex marriage and as a result had its property tax exemption suspended. I’ve got more.
*snicker* all of which are fair. These were all places of public accommodation. The tax exempt status isn’t a fucking gift it’s a contract. Why does she want to force her definition of tax exempt onto everyone else?
Note that the same institutions had trouble with INTERRACIAL discrimination. Does she want to defend that? Oh please do, that’ll just show exactly why the ‘stop comparing yourself to us good proper oppressed people’ is so bankrupt.
janinesays
What a Gish Gallop is.
Pteryxxsays
james re Sandra: this is an EMAIL exchange?? After all this trouble, NOBODY is an audience except us in TET and whoever is in Sandra’s posse on the other side? Sheesh, give it up already. She’s given plenty of tells to her bigotry and fractal wrongness, and she will never EVER EVER admit she’s wrong.
Besides, she’s having fun with you. You can’t let anything go, can you?
For future reference, the next time someone goes all “you can’t prooooove me wrong” on you, try asking THEM to say exactly what their proposal for a just situation is. Often these types fold when they’re expected to present a position of their own instead of endlessly attacking everything an *opponent* says. But first YOU need to recognize when you’re being played.
TLC @212: You and me both. We use a transgenic model of heart failure and we have to be very careful about the pups that are positive for both of the genes- the dams seem to be quicker at detecting it than genotyping, and they cull their litters accordingly. The result is that sometimes I go a few weeks without any hearts for experiments.
I find myself agreeing with Pteryxx. Again. The SIWOTI does seem to run deep with you. I would give it a break perhaps. She is not going to come to the party.
@ All newish Pharyngulites.
The regulars probably know this video, but it is new to me so I’d like to share: Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor (SFW, but be warned: It contains someone very Ebil and Oberlawdy.)
jamesmichaels1says
Pteryxx: No no no its on a forum.
janinesays
What is this, theophontes? I said the same thing as Pteryxx before Pteryxx said it and I get ignored?
Rey Foxsays
and as a result had its property tax exemption suspended.
You mean they have to render unto Caesar? Like everyone else? Oh, boo hoo!
This segment details the actions of Frank Vandersloot, a mormon billionaire who is also a big player in Mitt Romney’s campaign for president.
Pteryxxsays
re VanderSloot: MADDOW picked it up? AWESOME… finally, players big enough that even this billionaire’s wallet can’t squash them.
—
Janine, err sorry about that. <_< You'd already covered the Gish gallop and all I did was rant. (maybe it's that I have more X's?)
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
Rev – I received a copy of his new book as a potential reviewer. The pages are not very absorbent and are too rough on the anus. So, its only potential use was a failure.
Nonono; I’m sure it has many uses. Firestarters, table-leveller, bug-squasher, catapult-load, leaf-press….and more, I’m sure.
:^
–
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Hi all.
I apologize for yesterday afternoon. Even as I moved the discussion about child abuse in the direction I did, I was feeling queasy. I should not have continued and, well, basically I self-triggered. And I am sorry. That was out of line. There is no need to drag you into it. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
A. Rsays
I’m going to try that Grignard again, replacing the diethyl with MTBE this time.
Richard Austinsays
jamesmichael:
Sandra’s lying to you.
Plaintiffs challenge a November 2008 voter-enacted amendment to the California Constitution (“Proposition 8” or “Prop 8”). Cal Const Art I, § 7.5. In its entirety, Proposition 8
provides: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Plaintiffs allege that Proposition 8
deprives them of due process and of equal protection of the laws contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment and that its enforcement by state officials violates 42 USC § 1983.
That’s the case heard by the 9th district. Notice where it points out “contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment” and violating “42 USC”.
Those are federal laws. Once the state constitution was amended with Prop 8 and the amendment was found consistent with the rest of the state constitution (which is the prior case), it could no longer be challenged under state law. Ergo, the challenge was under federal law (indeed, the US Constitution in part).
From the trial evidence:
Social epidemiologist Ilan Meyer testified about the harm gays and lesbians have experienced because of Proposition 8. Meyer testified about the hard that gays and lesbians have experienced because of Proposition 8. Meyer
explained that Proposition 8 stigmatizes gays and lesbians because it informs gays and lesbians that the State of California rejects their relationships as less valuable than opposite-sex relationships. Proposition 8 also provides state endorsement of private discrimination.
Further, in the findings of facts:
Domestic partners are not married under California law. California domestic partnerships may not be recognized in other states and are not recognized by the federal government.
These are just samples; it’s more than “just a word”. Again, this was challenged under federal law, and so interstate effects have to be considered.
Finally, the conclusion of the court (FF stands for Finding of Fact):
The evidence at trial shows that domestic partnerships exist solely to differentiate same-sex unions from marriages. FF 53-54. A domestic partnership is not a marriage; while domestic partnerships offer same-sex couples almost all of the rights and responsibilities associated with marriage, the evidence shows that the withholding of the designation “marriage” significantly disadvantages plaintiffs. FF 52-54. The record reflects that marriage is a culturally superior status compared to a domestic partnership. FF 52. California does not meet its due process obligation to allow plaintiffs to marry by offering them a substitute and inferior institution that denies marriage to same sex couples.
The regulars probably know this video, but it is new to me so I’d like to share: Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor (SFW, but be warned: It contains someone very Ebil and Oberlawdy.)
Just jumping in for a moment to say thank you for the link! I had no idea PZ tried to put some actual intelligence into intelligent design was a guest to Mr Deity.
Richard Austinsays
Sorry, should be “jamesmichaels1“. I was typing too fast. Blockquote formatting issues are due to the way the decision is formatted.
Pteryxxsays
Ogvorbis: firstly *hugs*
but why should you apologize at all? To the extent that you were responsible for the discussion (and lots of us were discussing), then you merely triggered yourself; and isn’t that going to be an inevitable cost of any of us discussing rape or abuse at all, as well as a risk that all of us survivors run? (Heck knows I trigger myself frequently…)
I’m sorry that you suffered, but again, it wasn’t any of our faults except those who abused us in the first place and made such discussions necessary.
Silisays
echidna says:
I’ve been reading the lecture you pointed to, and am now desperate to read a decent translation of Andersen (unfortunately, I know no Danish). A quick google led me to “The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen”, translated by Jeffrey Frank and Diana Crone Frank? (2004). What would you recommend?
I have no clue. It’s not my area of expertise. I just happen to live in the right city for having HCA scholars.
I can only suggest having a look round the institute’s webpage or just send an email to the author of the lecture. Scholars usually love sharing their knowledge with the public.
Sorry.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
but why should you apologize at all?
Because I knew, as I was typing, where it would go and still went there.
One bad point about having federal holidays, it takes you a long time to catch up with the thread…
So I won’t! I see Sandra’s still egging on James. I’ll offer *hugs* to those who want / need them. I haven’t really done much this weekend except play Skyrim.
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
Dammit, stomach, hungry or queasy. Pick one.
How the hell does that even work, anyway? “Feed me, quick! I wanna throw up!”
:( :( :(
–
Did you know that George Washington punished homosexuals to that the big sky daddy would let the revolutionary forces beat the British? I guess being a queer atheists keeps me away from such magical thinking.
cicely (Insert Clever Appellation Here)says
Richard Austin: I am (still) ever-so-cautiously eating breakfast, which consists of two unadorned, thin bagels. This “meal” began at 7:45. It’s now half-past lunch time. My damned stomach hasn’t got any reason to get its acids all in an uproar.
Prognosis for not hurling my meds is grim.
I disapprove (the reason for) this message.
–
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Bro Og, no, you absolutely have nothing to apologise for and I can’t believe anyone would think for one nanosecond that you did.
I guess that, if I can see what is coming, but still go there, it must be my fault. Why else would I have stayed in scouts for two years? Why else would I keep typing when I know what’s going to happen?
Anyway.
Had fun arguing with a refurbished computer last night. Damn thing is fast.
I need to decide, though. I don’t want to keep using Explorer. So should I go with Chrome or Firefox?
Ogvorbis, your reaction to what I said yesterday brought home the fact that these are PEOPLE, not just ideological concepts, being hurt and abused.
I think it’s very easy for an ‘ally’ like me, a guy who’s never suffered the abuse himself but is still committed to fighting it, to forget that subconciously, to act all clinical and detached-like.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Also, if it helps, your reaction solidified my commitment all the more.
And go with Chrome. ;)
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
TLC (and all):
I appreciate your support. Really. I just wish that I, too, could be clinical and detached and discuss important concerns without letting my past, or my emotions, take over. Is that wrong?
====
Okay. Firefox. What are plugins, how do they work, how are they plugged in?
Opera. I will check it out from home (no video here).
Og: it’s been awhile since I used Firefox, but plugins are things like AdBlock that provide some customization options for the browser. As far as I know you just find a place to download and there should be instructions.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I appreciate your support. Really. I just wish that I, too, could be clinical and detached and discuss important concerns without letting my past, or my emotions, take over. Is that wrong?
Yes and no? I dunno. With being all clinical and detached and treating these things like ideas to be ‘debated’, you risk accidentally hurting people like I hurt you (Yes, I did. By accident, but still, that hurt you). OTOH, it does help one think clearly.
I know she’s a TERRIBLE example, but just look at this Sandra character James is dealing with. She treats human rights like something to be ‘debated’, with rules and stuff, as if it’s all a game to her. She doesn’t give a shit about the actual people who are hurt by the shit she supports, she just wants to win debates and feel so all-fucking clever about it.
And if you get emotional and pissed at her, she’ll just declare victory, like they always do.
I know, terrible and clumsy example. But it was the best I could think of on such short notice.
Good evening!
Does anybody want a sweetie?
We went to one of the traditional carnival parades and traditionally they throw candy at the spectators.
Since the people next to us handed all their share to us “because our kids have all grown up”, we have about 7-8 lbs now.
Bad: “black” is still considered a costume
Good: Traditionally each city or large carnival group in the region has a “royal couple”, prince and princess” The oldest carnival group in the state had a royal couple of princess and princess.
Interesting: I met an old friend with her preschooler son and her husband: white German mum plus Afro-Caribean dad resulted in a boy I would have placed on the Indian subcontinent if I knew nothing about him
Ogvorbis
Please, don’t apologize.
You hurt or wronged none of us.
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
In need of advice:
I would like to try and find work out of country. Just claiming that I speak English is hardly going to be accepted by any prospective employer, so I have to pass some tests. So… any idea about which one would be the best? I was thinking about TOEFL or IELTS.
janinesays
Remember Zerple? He has shown up at Libby Anne’s blog. I left a warning about that lovely example of humanity.
Predator Handshakesays
Giliell:
Good evening!
Does anybody want a sweetie?
Was Stephen Fry popping up in my head to read this line to me something you did intentionally?
Pteryxxsays
“does anybody want a sweetie?” Gah, I was having District 9 flashbacks.
Who isthis “je_proteste” idiot, claiming to be an atheist but calling Jessica Ahlquist a “churlish, self-involved little girl”? Their beef seems to be that Jessica decided she was an atheist at age 10 because she was “in a snit at God” over her mother’s illness, which supposedly lends credence to the theistic “angry at God” argument about atheists. What the fuck. And this creep continues to call her a “little girl” throughout comments.
Beatrice
For Europe TOEFL is at least better known
Predator Handshake
You overestimate me :)
opposablethumbs, que le pouce enragé mette les poucessays
When a crime has been committed against someone, and they have reactions to this – that don’t hurt anyone else – there is no fault on their part. There are a number of people here who have been attacked by criminals and whose integrity and compassion and strength of character in spite of this I am in awe of.
I don’t know how to put that as I would like to, but I hope it bears some resemblance to what I mean. Even though I ended with a preposition and Firefox.
it’s time to just point out that every one of her arguments could be, and was, used against blacks and interracial marriages, that she’s admittedly pro-bully and doesn’t give a shit about human rights and that you’re done dignifying her with your response. Make it clear that this isn’t a fucking game and that she is repulsive, then stick the flounce.
janinesays
Ms. Daisy Cutter, your SIWOTI Syndrome is showing.
(Please keep in mind, I am not disagreeing with your assessment of that commentator. But I am afraid that there are thousands of these people floating around in internet space.)
Nonono; I’m sure it has many uses. Firestarters, table-leveller, bug-squasher, catapult-load, leaf-press….and more, I’m sure.
:^
Hmm, most of those sound good, but I would not burn it. The smoke from such a collection of oralis fecalis transferred to paper must be very, very toxic.
Ogvorbis – I see no reason to apologize. Not like I have not dropped what I feel is TMI here before. You have to play the hands you are dealt.
cicely – gentle hugs and hops that innards behave.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
When a crime has been committed against someone, and they have reactions to this – that don’t hurt anyone else – there is no fault on their part.
I guess I’m not writing what I am thinking. It is still my decision to engage in a conversation that I know will go somewhere I don’t want to go. Which means that you spend some of your valuable time dealing with my shit because I am like the proverbial dog. So dumping my shit on you is, in my view, not fair to you. And this is still not as clear as I wish to make it.
Anyway.
How ’bout those Mets?
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
Thanks, Giliell.
carliesays
James – I would say to stop altogether, and force her into a single statement of the way she thinks things ought to be with regard to the law as per gay marriage. Then put her on the defensive and start attacking her position instead.
Og – nothing to apologize for, not at all. You stayed in scouts because you were a kid and didn’t know what else to do and didn’t have any framework of learning how to even understand that what was being done to you was wrong, much less how to get help. You jump in sometimes when it’s emotionally dangerous to see if you can handle it yet, to correct errors in other people’s detached opinions, to get it off your chest, for whatever reason you darn well want to.
cicely – hope you feel better soon.
I have been feeling oddly full of energy the last couple of days. I’ve been cooking and everything. Last night I tried to make dashi. It smelled like a dirty aquarium and didn’t taste much better, so somehow I messed up a recipe that has three ingredients, one of which is water.
Pity about all that pixelly stuff, though.
–
Jeffrey –
Or, if you have a strong stomach, use it as a prop to dress up a Halloween costume: Republitard, Raging Asshole, Teabagger—something along those lines.
It’s the accessories that really sell a costume.
and
cicely – gentle hugs and hops that innards behave.
Adding live rabbits to my innards is not gonna help!
I’ll gladly take the hugs, though. *hug-back*
–
Ogvorbis
If you want my take as somebody who thankfully doesn’t have a history of abuse:
You’re not dumping your shit on me.
For me it is a great privilege to be part of a group where people feel safe enough to be able to engage in these topics.
I am moved by your (all of you) stories (that sounds shallow), I feel compassion. I feel outrage at a world that did permit it. But that is not your problem.
I’m really not good at putting this into words either.
janinesays
Janine – yeah, I know. Also, “thousands” is an optimistic estimate.
Remember that is a wide ranging figure, it could be a four digit number, it could be a six digit number.
janinesays
Ogvorbis, a lot of people put a lot of time and effort into making this a safe place. Do not apologize for telling your story. I hope that it did you some good.
I’m glad that now people with actual science degrees have come onto the Keep Santorum from science thread to set this josh guy straight. At the beginning, he ALMOST had me with his LFTR spiel, I must say…
future German president
So I mentioned that he has been living with a woman since 2000, even though he never got a divorce from his wife, from whom he separated in 1991? Of course some people care:
– Norbert Geis of the CSU, the German conservative version of Michelle Bachmann.
– the Taiwanese press WTF? Apparently, in East Asia that would be unproper (in Japan too, there politicians have lost their ministerial jobs over extramarital affairs).
And here I thought it might only be a problem on a state visit to Egypt or something…
Beatrice,
both these tests should be fine. While Commonwealth countries tend to accept the IELTS more, and the US is of course where the TOEFL is from, it’s been my experience that at least universities accept both. I’d think international corporations would too.
I’ve taken the TOEFL before, if you want some advice on taking the test, send me an email when the time is ripe.
Also, some of the reasoning of Sandra re Prop 8 reminds me of a rant by Rick Santorum I saw on Meet the Press, where he was going on and on how dare the federal judiciary would overrule the people of California, and how unconstitutional that would be. Sounds like someone missed the Fourteenth Amendment in law school…
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
pelamun,
It might take quite some time until I feel ready to take the test. I haven’t actually spoken more than a couple of words of English in years and I think I’ve forgotten a lot of grammar. At least Pharyngula and books keep my vocabulary from deteriorating.
Yeah, ask me whenever. When I took the test, speaking was not part of the test, only listening, reading and writing, as well as lots of grammar questions.
Silisays
Yay! Set greasemonkey script still works in Opera.
Boo! I suck at Set.
opposablethumbs, que le pouce enragé mette les poucessays
What Gilliel and Janine said. It’s a significant part of why I love Pharyngula.
have you seen Denmark’s answer to “West Wing” and “In The Thick of It”, “Borgen”?
Is it good? I have it in a German dub. I’d like to see it in Danish with subtitles, but if it’s really good, I’ll just watch it in German.
Silisays
Sorry, I haven’t watched television in ages. But the Danish Radio (and television) have been on a roll with long form drama series for the last decade, and I believe Borgen has received the same kind of accolades as, say, Forbrydelsen and before that Rejseholdet (sorta like CSI Light). There’s a co-produktion with Swedish television called Broen (The Bridge), that’s also well viewed, I think.
The only thing I can say about Borgen is that the Brits love it, too, according to BBC (who of course have no reason to claim otherwise).
A. Rsays
Success! Grignard reaction successful and I didn’t get ether poisoning!
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
God damn it! Now I want Girl Scout cookies.
changeable monikersays
[meta: drive-by]
@David Marjanović, I had a (belated) realisation. The “Pearson” in Benson & Pearson, 2001, tutored me at university!
And re. the Telegraph article I linked upthread, turns out it was most-likely written by someone who lived down the hall from me during Finals year.
It has been a “small world, eh?” day. *shakeshead*
Hey Og Bro, loving your new career direction in the Loftus thread!!
Also, I use multiple browsers. Facebook is only ever in one of them, and my main one is locked down pretty tight with AdBlock and NoScript and RequestPolicy.
I use Firefox for most browsing, and Chrome for FB. There’s IE and FF at work; I choose FF but a couple of webapps that I need only work right in IE *spit* At home, I play some FB flash games and Chrome seems to have fewer performance problems if you have several flash tabs open. Safari used to freeze up on me too often. I haven’t tried Opera since way back when it was new; I suppose I should look at it again one day.
[via Giliell]You’re not dumping your shit on me.
For me it is a great privilege to be part of a group where people feel safe enough to be able to engage in these topics.
^^THIS^^ I’m humbled by the challenges you and others here have faced with such courage and resilience.
Like Giliell, I have no history of abuse (my father was a mean SOB, but within the realm of “normal,” and all the other adults I interacted with as a child were wonderful); if I can contribute to an environment that’s helpful for you, it’s the least I can do. I’m sorry I frequently don’t have much insight into what you’re feeling, but I will always at least provide a sympathetic ear.
I grok that’s the way of this place, generally.
opposablethumbs, que le pouce enragé mette les poucessays
(sorry Giliell)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Regarding Dragons:
Theophontes: Yeah, Smyrgol is really pretty. He has a nice orange, copper, and brown color scheme (like his namesake), and for some reason his eyes appear to be ice blue. I got him from the ‘discount’ bin at a reptile show, 50-75 bucks (can’t remember which it was) and expected him to turn muddy brown as he grew, but instead he turned redder and redder. Put him in the summer sun and he starts showing some really nice color.
Giliell: Luckily, Smyrgol is not picky about the animal components of his diet. Though he especially seems to like pinky mice, which unfortunately resemble my fingertips from certain angles.
It’s just getting him to try new fruits and vegetables when his salad isn’t currently available that’s hard. I’m told bearded dragons do best with LOTS of variety in the vegetable half of their diet.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Holy fuck, what is up with this Loftus Unleashed thing?
ChasCPetersonsays
How ’bout those Mets?
2012 baby. Believe it.
ChasCPetersonsays
Loftus is turning his guns on atheists as threatened, metaphorically. Out of earshot of xtians, it sez. He’s unclear on the whole internet thing? *shrug*
I spose he’ll be posting criticism of *whispers* the ECO.
Tonysays
Pteryxx @215:
Re traps: being in Texas, I do use the sticky traps for cockroaches. It’s easier than lassooing each roach individually and trying to hog-tie it.
Ah, but can you find a sticky trap in Texas that’s large enough for Rick Perry? Probably not, so we’re going to have to stick (oooh, bad pun) with lassoing him and tie him to a chair and force him to listen to an audio version of Origin of the Species.
(yeah, I know it’s a bit of stretch to equate Rick Perry with cockroaches…)
Theophontes @217:
Gay people have been denied this right for a very long time. That has always been wrong
this may sound strange coming from a gay man who wants to get married one day, but is marriage a ‘right’ for anyone? Freedom of speech, yes. Freedom of the press, yes. The right to life. The right to liberty. The right to be able to pursue happiness. Those are all rights. The only way I can see marriage being a right would be under ‘pursuit of happiness’. Is that how others see it? Or is there another argument for why marriage is a right?
Alethea @234:
And I’m sad to say my cat *does* get the expensive $3 per small can food. He’s not a well cat, and I think it would be wrong of me to let him starve. He’s so thin, I doubt he’ll last another year :(
My sympathies. I hope you and he get as much time and enjoyment together as you can.
One of the hardest things I’ve had to do was put down my cat Kara, for kidney failure. She wouldn’t even eat tuna. You know something is wrong when a cat doesn’t eat canned tuna. After a few trips to the emergency vet and our regular vet, it turned out that her kidney had almost completely failed. The only option for keeping her alive was intravenous feeding. What made the matter worse was that despite her lack of appetite, she was still so lovable, and cuddly and affectionate. I chose to put her down, because I felt that it was more humane than keeping her around just because I couldn’t let her go. I still wonder if it was a mistake to stay in the room when she was injected. 10 seconds later, she was gone and I was in tears (hell, I am right now, just thinking about it) for about a half hour. I still have her ashes.
JeffreyD @244:
The pages are not very absorbent and are too rough on the anus. So, its only potential use was a failure.
You can rip it to shreds and use it as cat litter. You could dip it into a bag of catnip and watch kitties rip it to shreds. You could re-gift it to Pat B. I’m sure it would make a nifty paperweight. Kindling for the fireplace. There are many great uses for some kinds of trash.
ChasCPeterson @246:
No, as a matter of fact it’s not. Bartenders do not ‘bartend’, they tend bar. Fundraisers do not ‘fundraise’, they raise funds. etc.
Tragic Auto Bumper Messaging of the Day™: On my way home from work this evening, I saw a car with a Ron Paul ’12 sticker… right next to a magnetic peace sign!
<headdesk>
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Paul opposed the Iraq war; do any of these yutzes actually believe that has anything to do with him being pro-peace? Do they really not realize it’s just a side effect of his libertarian-driven isolationism? Does anyone really think a world led by Paul and his ilk would be more peaceful (assuming “more peaceful” refers to a net reduction in human suffering)?
Auuugh!
Moggiesays
Does anyone really think a world led by Paul and his ilk would be more peaceful (assuming “more peaceful” refers to a net reduction in human suffering)?
It’s almost as if you think that the suffering of poor people matters as much as the suffering of rich white guys!
Tonysays
Predator @281:
Ms. Daisy Cutter: thanks for planting that earbug. I’ve had an awful time getting the overworld song from the NES TMNT game out of my head today.
I need something more to stick. I’ve had the Beach Boys’ ‘California Girls’ stuck in my head for a few days now (and I don’t know much of the song except the chorus, which makes it maddening; at least when I know an entire song, I can sing along with the other voices in my head).
Ogvorbis @284:
I need to decide, though. I don’t want to keep using Explorer. So should I go with Chrome or Firefox?
I’m not the most computer literate person (still trying to get the hang of how all the tags work when posting here), but at the recommendation of a friend, I switched from Explorer to Firefox and then later to Chrome. I don’t have nearly the amount of problems with the latter 2 than Explorer. FWIW.
Dr. Audley @331:
God damn it! Now I want Girl Scout cookies.
Me too! I’m rather picky in that I only like the peanut butter ones (Do-si-dos; had to google Girl Scout Cookies to spell that right). The first bartending job I had I work with a really sweet woman named Lynn. I remember the look of shock on her face when I agreed to order some cookies for her daughter. She was shocked because I ordered 20+ boxes of Do-si-dos. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone with kids who are in the Girl Scouts.
(as an aside, I LOVE this open thread)
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Bill:
do any of these yutzes actually believe that has anything to do with him being pro-peace?
They don’t care.
I mean, look at it this way: as a pacifist, you can either support a Democrat who will probably maybe might wage less war or you can support Paul who doesn’t want to go to war for racist, xenophobic, isolationist reasons. If that’s your “single issue”, what the hell are you supposed to do?
On the other hand, it could’ve been a car that somebody bought used and never bothered to pull the Paul (or peace) sticker off. ;)
Though doesn’t Paul’s stance mean that any corporation can just hire their own mercenaries and he wouldn’t do shit about it?
carliesays
Ogvorbis – what Giliell said, too.
[bragging] I had TWO Girl Scout cookies today! Samoas/Caramel DeLites, too, the best ones. And my boxes should be delivered late this week; one samoas, one shortbread, and one peanut butter patty. Mmm. [/bragging]
I swear I have SAD. It’s been sunny for two days and I can’t remember the last time I had so much energy. This morning when I got to work I sat in the car with my head on the window for a few minutes just soaking up sunlight with my face and thinking I could almost feel the neurons in my brain relaxing, all going “Oh, the sun still exists. Ok, then. Everything’s going to be all right.” It’s a feeling I never get from fire, even though it’s also a warm orangey-red radiant light source. Stupid primitive brain.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Carlie: This is just anecdata, but weed works better in sunlight. I am so not kidding either. The buzz I get while having the sun on my face is way more powerful than normal.
carliesays
I need something more to stick. I’ve had the Beach Boys’ ‘California Girls’ stuck in my head for a few days now
To my child’s chagrin, I eliminated an earworm he was complaining about with this. He has not requested my assistance in such matters since.
John Moralessays
[silly]
It amuses me to read ‘cookies’ as ‘cooties’.
carliesays
John – “C” is for cootie, that’s good enough for me?
I had TWO Girl Scout cookies today! Samoas/Caramel DeLites, too, the best ones. And my boxes should be delivered late this week; one samoas, one shortbread, and one peanut butter patty. Mmm.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Ing:
Though doesn’t Paul’s stance mean that any corporation can just hire their own mercenaries and he wouldn’t do shit about it?
I wasn’t saying that I agree with pacifists who support Paul– Bill’s absolutely right in that it’s an incredibly stupid position.
But, then again, pacifists aren’t necessary smart.
But, yeah. I think you’re probably right about the mercenaries. I mean, Paulians may pay lip-service to non-violence, but a) they have a really fucked up view of what constitutes as “non-violent” and b) you can’t have a peaceful society if a person (or entity) can afford to hire their own army without restriction.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Me:
But, then again, pacifists aren’t necessary smart.
Okay, poor phrasing there. What I’m trying to say is that a pacifist is just as smart (or dumb) as anybody else. I wasn’t calling pacifists as a group dumb (which is what it kind of sounds like).
(For the record, I am a pacifist and I am definitely not calling myself stupid! :p)
I mean, look at it this way: as a pacifist, you can either support a Democrat who will probably maybe might wage less war or you can support Paul who doesn’t want to go to war for racist, xenophobic, isolationist reasons. If that’s your “single issue”, what the hell are you supposed to do?
Maybe it’s naive of me, but I tend to assume pacifists also hold other humanistic values. The libertarian “paradise” Paul and his like would foster would, I’m quite sure, destroy far more in the way of human flourishing than foreign wars would over the same stretch of time, and I don’t have much patience with anyone who’s such a committed single-issue pacifist that they don’t care about that.
That’s the problem with single-issue purists in general, really: Whether it’s a value I agree with, like peace, or one I despise, like patriarchal sex-negativity, the purist is always willing to let everything else go straight to hell.
On the other hand, it could’ve been a car that somebody bought used and never bothered to pull the Paul (or peace) sticker off. ;)
Would ’twere… but the sticker looked brand new, and the peace sign was a magnet: No reason for either to be there without the owner’s intent.
carliesays
Audley – one of my friends is selling boxes of Girl Scout Cookies on Thursday, if you don’t yet have a supplier I could get you some to pick up the next time you have to drive through this way for work. :)
John Moralessays
Bill,
That’s the problem with single-issue purists in general, really
I put it to you that “single-issue” is redundant.
Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher), OMsays
Lookit my nym! Isn’t it sniny? I still am Cipher, and I’ll probably go back to it after a while, but I read this phrase in class today and decided I liked it so much it was going in the nym. (Especially since it has CC as initials!) It basically translates to “Cassandra in combat boots.”
—
Dammit, stomach, hungry or queasy. Pick one.
How the hell does that even work, anyway? “Feed me, quick! I wanna throw up!”
Ugh! I’m sorry, cicely, it’s dreadful. I’ve been there for the past two days. It’s really frustrating. Plus I’ve been… I don’t know, lethargic? Depressed? Something’s been up with me that makes eating seem like too much of an effort. I had delicious pizza sitting in front of me today and instead of eating it I just stared at it and then stared into space. Then I got really agitated for no reason and couldn’t focus or calm down. I’m not winning.
—
*hugs to Ogvorbis* I’m sorry about the triggering. If it helps, as several people pointed out above, it’s really important and good that we have a space where people feel safe sharing stories like yours. It’s why I’m here. And every time somebody does share, I feel like it reinforces that sense of safety and community for me. I know it’s not that much consolation when you’re hurting, though. I’m sorry.
—
I saw some white guys for Ron Paul today when I was trying to get to class. I also was invited to a Bible study. I always smile to imagine, but I’d never actually go, even to troll.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I left a clever comment on Loftus Unleashed but it appears to be held up in moderation.
In case it ever does show up, it’s the one where I diagnose him as ‘not funny’.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Bill:
Maybe it’s naive of me, but I tend to assume pacifists also hold other humanistic values.
Well, yeah. Most pacifists are like most other voters– there’s a whole host of issues/values that are taken into the voting booth on election day.
But, as I said, there’s no guaranteeing that a particular pacifist isn’t dumber than a box of rocks. They may very well be hearing what they want to hear, which boils down to “No war! Legalized weed!”, without taking into account that Paul’s economic positions alone would very likely cause more violence.
… the purist is always willing to let everything else go straight to hell.
Bingo. That’s what I was getting at.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Ooooh, and nice new nym, Cipher!
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
carlie:
one of my friends is selling boxes of Girl Scout Cookies on Thursday, if you don’t yet have a supplier I could get you some to pick up the next time you have to drive through this way for work. :)
I fucking love you. :D
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
John Morales:
I put it to you that “single-issue” is redundant.
So? It’s actually, you know, a term that people use. As in “single-issue voters” (usually applied to anti-abortion nuts).
Nutmegsays
carlie:
Oh, the sun still exists. Ok, then. Everything’s going to be all right.
That’s exactly how I feel when the sun comes out after a few days of clouds. I don’t have full-blown SAD, but I find that I’m very sensitive to the amount of sunlight I get. One cloudy day can sometimes be enough to make me feel pretty blue, and when the sun comes out again I often feel kind of high.
In the summer, I’m the annoyingly energetic and cheerful person you don’t want to go camping with, because I will get up at 5:30 and go birding. In the winter, I’d sleep till 10 every day if I could get away with it.
bad case of SIWOTI for me. Looking up Dean Koontz stuff to share with friend for lulz fround the TV tropes page for hermaphrodite has a transsexual counted as an example *head desk*. The definition of hermaphrodite is right there! How do you get that wrong. Fail forever!
Hmmm… I know the comments reported here are nearly 4 years old, but if Santorum was that powerfully driven by his fear of human sexuality in 2008, can he really be much different now?
“This is who the Democratic Party has become. They have become the party of Woodstock. The[y] prey upon our most basic primal lusts, and that’s sex. And the whole abortion culture, it’s not about life. It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom.”
SRSLY?!?!1!!
These days I oscillate between hoping he gets the nomination because I can’t imagine my fellow USAnians are crazy enough to elect him, on the one hand, and burning with shame, on the other hand, because I can’t imagine I live in a country that could take him seriously for as long as we have.
Algernonsays
The[y] prey upon our most basic primal lusts, and that’s sex
I’m pretty sure it’s eating, actually. Or breathing. Yeah, I’m going to go with breathing.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom.”
WELL NO SHIT MISTER FUCKING SANTORUM.
This makes me fucking rage. Of COURSE it’s about sexual fucking freedom. Why does he talk about the concept of ‘sexual freedom’ like it’s so goddamn horrible?
I wish I was a fucking bear. I could eat this fucker’s face off without any cannibalism-associated guilt.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
The[y] prey upon our most basic primal lusts, and that’s sex.
Sounds like somebody’s jealous!
These days I oscillate between hoping he gets the nomination because I can’t imagine my fellow USAnians are crazy enough to elect him, on the one hand, and burning with shame, on the other hand, because I can’t imagine I live in a country that could take him seriously for as long as we have.
Maybe I should care about who gets the Republican nomination, but I really don’t. I’m just so sick of all the bullshit and they all fucking suck.
changeable monikersays
[notes Sili:]
“I was just pissing by the door and I thought I heard a gunshit.”
—
[LDS Skinny Dippers:]
“in my mind it’s more like a multi-dementional region”
Why does [Santorum] talk about the concept of ‘sexual freedom’ like it’s so goddamn horrible?
Because, I’m gradually becoming convinced, he’s fucking terrified of sex. I think Ricky may be one of those people for whom homophobic (not to mention erotophobic) is completely apt, not only in the common-usage sense, but even in the most pedantically root-literal sense: He’s just skerred of all that icky squishy heavy-breathing stuff.
Algernonsays
If I had to guess Santorum has some deeply tragic paraphilia. Honestly, his obsession with sex is so extreme I’m surprised he hasn’t whacked his penis off or assaulted some one with a waffle iron. Personally I think he’s turned on by fertilization in factory farms and would just like to see us move in that direction.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart: mad, but sadistic geniussays
Oh look, this sums up how I feel about the Republican contenders perfectly:
Trying to pick my favorite Republican candidate is exactly like deciding which STD would be just right for me.
ecause, I’m gradually becoming convinced, he’s fucking terrified of sex. I think Ricky may be one of those people for whom homophobic (not to mention erotophobic) is completely apt, not only in the common-usage sense, but even in the most pedantically root-literal sense: He’s just skerred of all that icky squishy heavy-breathing stuff.
Hmm, makes me wonder how he could stand to have sex with his wife then. I’ve heard of “lie back and think of Iceland” but never “Lean over her and think of Iceland.” The hell happened to Santorum to leave him so stunted?
Also, the French Prime Minister’s Office demands the abolition of “Mademoiselle” in official forms. I’m glad this day has finally come. And it’s a right-wing government no less!
Also, now the Mormons have managed to anger Catholics as well as Holocaust survivors at the same time as they necrodunked a Catholic witness to the Holocaust:
I wonder if I’m in a little over my head with the mead making. I don’t have airlocks. So I’m reduced to just twisting the caps a little to let off the excess CO2 whenever my containers feel a bit swollen.
I think I underestimated the CO2 production capabilities of Bread Yeast. No explosions yet at least.
“All the paganism, Tantra, meditation, sacred sex, and BDSM sex magic(k) books and workshops represent a step backward. They are very convenient ways of rationalizing sexual pleasure by letting people claim that it’s about ‘something more’ than just making your body feel good.”
***
TLC:
I don’t have airlocks. So I’m reduced to just twisting the caps a little to let off the excess CO2 whenever my containers feel a bit swollen.
If you’re anywhere near a homebrew store, airlocks are simple and cheap. If not, you can probably hack one together with a length of tubing, a knife, a glass of water, and your wits: Just Macgyver it!
Nutmeg and Carlie: I’ve been feeling a lot better since around the beginning of February. I’ve read that a lot of SAD sufferers start getting symptomatic as early as August, and for some it persists into May. I can’t imagine. I get symptoms in warm months if the sun disappears for days on end, as it’s wont to do in New England.
Pelamun, #388: Good. Given that the front-runners are two Catholics and a Mormon, the more that happens between now and early November to set the two religions at one another’s throats, the better.
Ogvorbis: Like everyone else said, you had nothing to apologize for. I hope you’re feeling well this evening.
carliesays
Nutmeg –
In the summer, I’m the annoyingly energetic and cheerful person you don’t want to go camping with, because I will get up at 5:30 and go birding. In the winter, I’d sleep till 10 every day if I could get away with it.
You are me!
Sailor – This is my favorite commercial ever, because I love those yellow morning ray people SO MUCH. But only in summer. In winter I want to strangle them.
Ha-cha-cha-cha!
Audley – I sent you an email for cookie info. :)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Bill Dauphin: But how will I MacGuyver one for a milk jug, one for a 2 liter pop bottle, one for a 3 liter pitcher, and one for the little 710 ml bottle I’m brewing specifically as my ‘sacrificial lamb’ for when the temptation to taste it becomes too strong?
(background info I forgot to mention: I started all these batches yesterday)
Maybe I’ll have to buy some airlocks. But will they fit the variety of containers I’m using?
John Moralessays
pelamun,
“to Molly the thread”, what’s that supposed to mean?
I’ve had several comments held up for moderation today on FtB. So I’m testing here. Anyone else experience same?
Pteryxxsays
…I haven’t read much of anything, been gnawing my appendages over the Baltimore council’s decision. But! GOOD NEWS EVERYONE – the transgender human rights bill passed 5-2.
The vote followed a series of heated public meetings that started last month, when Catonsville Democrat Tom Quirk introduced the legislation. The bill will add both gender identity and sexual orientation to the county’s existing anti-discrimination laws, which protect people in the workplace, housing, finance and public accommodations.
“Everyone deserves to be treated fairly,” Quirk said before he and is colleagues voted. “This bill is a human rights bill, and I’m proud of Baltimore County tonight.”
The council’s approval comes nearly a year after the high-profile attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, a transgender woman who was viciously beaten last April when she tried to use the restroom at a Rosedale McDonald’s.
Sorry pelamun, it was obscure. Molly Ivins once remarked about a Newt Gingrich speech at the 1992 Republican convention: ‘it probably read better in the original German’.
++++++++++++++++++++
I had a science teacher in HS who, when we were discussing biological imperatives, said ‘girls, the next time a guy tells you the sex drive is the most important one, cover his mouth and nose.’
John Moralessays
[meta]
Ack! I fucked up the plurality @403.
(I am booziferated)
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
John Morales: Once I’ve mastered Mead to my own satisfaction, apple cider is next.
And I do plan on using secondary fermentation in mine. Luckily I’m covered there… I got a bunch of 710 ml coke bottles. They should withstand the pressure, and I liked my fizzy booze.
Talking of sex . . . no wait, if I don’t mention anything maybe I’ll be able to get to sleep earlier tonight.
In other news, gah, Ash Wednesday, and blergh, no meat, and aaagh, must do the charade again this year complete with ashes. And Mom just made a big batch of beef barley soup last night. Bloody hell.
Thinking about school, and wondering if I should give up my intention to finish my original degree, and try for a degree in Library Science, or some other field that would let me be around books all day and get paid for it.
——————————————
Hooray for Baltimore! I love how Allison Baird remarks, “I think the people should have a say, because obviously the councilmen are not listening to what the people want.” She ever stop to think that maybe she doesn’t speak for the majority of those who live in Baltimore? Wait, maybe she’s another one of those goons who only considers the ones who agree with her as being “the people.”
—————————————-
james, I’ve been trying to keep up with your exchange with Sandra and to tell you the truth, I agree with those who say you’re fighting a losing battle. You can try forcing her to make the first attack, so to speak, and defend her position; if that doesn’t work, give up, maybe tell her this whole circus has made you decide you can’t be friends anymore, and walk away. Life’s too damned short to waste on someone who acts as she does.
TLC, et al brewers, can’t you just punch a nail hole in the top and put a balloon on it?
Oh, that’s your solution to everything.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
james, I’ve been trying to keep up with your exchange with Sandra and to tell you the truth, I agree with those who say you’re fighting a losing battle. You can try forcing her to make the first attack, so to speak, and defend her position; if that doesn’t work, give up, maybe tell her this whole circus has made you decide you can’t be friends anymore, and walk away. Life’s too damned short to waste on someone who acts as she does.
Good advice.
James, I know you don’t want her to smugly declare victory… I hate to tell you this, but she’s gonna do it no matter what you do.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
The Sailor: As soon as I come across some balloons, I’ll probably try it.
All right, DDo apparently decided to go bonkers while I was away and now won’t even launch. Whines about making sure Directx ( or higher is installed…well I’ve been using Directx 11 since I started playing, you fucking piece of crap and you didn’t complain then! I doubt disabling 11 and running 9 instead would even help.
I don’t want to reinstall, but if that’s the only way you’ll work again, fine! Just don’t expect me to be happy about it. *insert more choice words here*
On the one hand, this really pisses me off; on the other hand, if it drives Girl Scouting toward more secular sponsors and venues, that’s hardly a bad thing, eh?
The regional Girl Scouts council said it will make sure the troops affected can find a new home.
“We are committed to ensuring that Girl Scouting is available to all girls from St. Timothy’s Catholic School, in Chantilly, VA,” read a statement from the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital. “This location change presents us with an opportunity to serve not only the girls from St. Timothy’s, but to invite more girls from the area to join Girl Scouts. After all, this is our 100th anniversary year and a great time to be part of Girl Scouting.”
What is this, theophontes? I said the same thing as Pteryxx before Pteryxx said it and I get ignored?
No. That was not intended, just that Pteryxx comment was the most recent and I .. err …I …
{theophontes looks down at shovel. gets out of hole and offers janine hugs and chocolate.)
@ Ogg
If you ever feel like sharing things online, I could not think of a better place than here. Even if it is painful, it might help in the long run.
Re: Opera, Firefox, Chrome. I have all of these, but tend to use Firefox almost exclusively. Opera is an amazing little browser and easy to use, but the features on Firefox have pushed me across.
On Firefox you definitely want to get a text formatter to help you with your blogging. Go to “getting started” in the toolbar in Firefox. (or Link) This page will link you to thousands of extensions and add-ons. You can type in the search box for whatever it is you want to add. Example, typing “text format” will get you here (link- Text Formatting). Just click on “Add to Firefox”.
Text Formatting is a really easy way to make comments… by using the script (it appears in the toolbar.)
Also try advert and script blocking if these things irritate you.
@ TLC
If you ever have chance to post pics of your dragon …
Re: Booze. It all revolves around sterilisation and cleaning of everything that comes into contact with what you are brewing. And keeping the CO2 in and the O2 out.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Theophontes: That’s a hard one. I don’t have a good enough webcam or lighting, except in his cage. I guess I can try something out here, if he’ll consent.
llewellysays
Important features for your browser:
https most places will keep as much of your internet use as feasible encrypted, reducing the opportunities for criminals to skim your data and empty your bank account or impersonate you on social networking sites, or through email. (Again, not unique to firefox.) https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Every ad you see eats mental processing power, no matter how quickly you dismiss it. You have finite mental power, and cannot afford to waste it.
Every ad your browser runs eats computing power. This too is finite.
Every ad has the potential to carry a bug that crashes or otherwise detrimentally affects your browser.
Every ad has the potential to carry a security exploit that damages your privacy or your bank account, or takes over your email or your facebook account. There is no justification for taking chances with these things.
You want adblock. (Note: I really, really doubt firefox is the only browser to provide adblock.) http://adblockplus.org
All of the above applies to javascript, and to flash, and you should run NoScript and probably flashblock as well. Unfortunately, there are some things that don’t work (facebook, preview on some blogs, commenting on others, disqus comments) unless you enable a few scripts. However, it’s easy to selectively enable scripts temporarily, and if your browsing is dominated by reading, you won’t need to do it a lot. (It is also unlikely that firefox is the only browser to provide control overscripts.) http://noscript.net
dontpanicsays
Thanks go to the brewers for bringing back childhood memories. My parents, in the late ’60s, would bottle small batches of root beer. Crimped bottle caps in brown bottles and all. There was a reason that we kept them in the dark, in the basement, in the back room, enclosed. Every once and a while you’d go downstairs and the place would smell of root beer as one bottle would blow up and often take two or three neighbors with it.
How is it that whatever yeast or what have you that generated the CO2 to give it fizz didn’t make it alcoholic? Or were we not using yeast? I was a bit young at the time. But this talk does bring back nice olfactory memories.
—
Og. Hope I wasn’t coming across as too clinical. Your hinted at story moved me, making me both sad and pissed off. I really want to work towards making sure such things don’t happen. I’m not a huggy kind’a guy (having my own issues with being touched due to being bullied in my past), but I’m up for a fist bump if that’s okay with you.
llewellysays
carlie, thank you for the hugs, glad you appreciated the link.
I recommend http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html for learning a lot about weather. Jeff and the commenters provide many links to sites that are excellent resources (unfortunately many of the commenters turn into robo-denialists every time Jeff blogs about global warming).
When googling for weather or climate related information, it’s important to try adding ‘site:noaa.gov’ or ‘site:skepticalscience.com’ to your google, just as you would add ‘site:http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula‘ to your google if you wanted to find something on pharyngula.
It’s also important to keep in mind that many otherwise good goverment websites were designed 5, 10, 15, or even 19 years ago, and haven’t been re-thought since then. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean you need to think differently about how you navigate and search.
w00t! I am going to Perth for a conference in May! Are any pharyngulites from Perth?
I’m not presenting, but my supervisor is, based on some work that I should have finished Real Soon Now. S’pose I’d better get back to my data crunching…
llewellysays
Last but not least, I want to ask an important favor of everyone here.
Please, please, please, whenever you see the Gleick leak of HI documents mentioned, bring up the independent investigation which John Mashey has done;
These very important investigations, previously conducted by John Mashey without any fake names or other dodgy tactics, confirm almost every important detail found in the HI documents Gleick leaked. They also reveal a great deal of other damaging information about HI, and about many other denialist think tanks.
Mashey has been doing amazing investigatory work for years, (his investigations into the Wegeman report showed that document, a centerpiece of denialist presentations before the US Senate, was extensively plagiarized, and contained much other dodgy work) but most of the press has failed to recognize his findings. Ironically, if widely recognized, they have far more potential to damage the denialist machine than the recently leaked HI documents.
Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher), OMsays
Okay.
Now that I’ve failed blockquotes twice in two attempts, I’m beginning to suspect that I’ve forgotten how to do blockquotes.
So is this working?
How about now?
TomeWyrmsays
@Part-Time Insomniac
You can switch the DirectX flag in the userspreferences.ini… in… um *checks google* your My Documents folder… judging by the DX11, you’re using 7, so it should be Start->Documents->Dungeons and Dragons Online
Might help without re-install next time… it’ll also help if you’ve got the issue I mention in the next paragraph. I’d go check mine, but I uninstalled DDO like two weeks ago.
I *JUST* had to fix a stupid DirectX graphics bug for a friend of mine, she couldn’t see any of the pretty pictures on the character selection screen. UI was all there, but everything else was solid pitch black. Sometimes I hate integrated intel graphics cards.
———-
@llewelly
https Anywhere is something I haven’t looked into strenuously (for other browsers than firefox), but any addon not run by the EFF and TOR is probably going to be behind on the updates
I’m fairly certain that no other browser does adblock in as granular and effective a manner as firefox. Most of them us CSS blocking, which still loads the content, just doesn’t display it. Which still leaves you open to many attack vectors and uses up your bandwidth, RAM, and CPU cycles.
As for NoScript? Nope. It’s JUST firefox. Sure other browsers have kinda similar functionality plugins, and something’s better than nothing. But NoScript is the gold standard, and everyone else barely manages to hit bronze. They lack VERY important security and usability functionality
———–
@dontpanic if it was fermented by yeast, it had alcohol in it. You’re just not usually going to notice at like 2-5%, where a lot of home-fermented soft drinks end up.
ambleburysays
I’m listening to The Hunger Games on audiobook.
The actor, Carolyn McCormick – I think she’s awful.
The bad PR earned by the mormon church when they proxy baptize Jews just never seems to end. Today we learned that mormons had necrodunked Anne Frank … again.
Mormons have already done the temple dunking by proxy thing nine times for Anne Frank. One wonders if it just doesn’t take, or if mormons are really less careful about their record keeping than they claim.
The LDS Church responded Tuesday [February 21, 2012] to news that Anne Frank, one of the most renowned Jewish victims of the Holocaust, was recently baptized — again — in a Mormon temple. The proxy ritual, known as “baptism for the dead,” was performed in the Santo Domingo LDS temple in the Dominican Republic.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also learned that Jan Karski, a Roman Catholic who witnessed the emerging Holocaust in Poland and risked his life to bring that news to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, had been similarly baptized.
Karski biographer E. Thomas Wood “called on the Utah-based church to remove Karski’s name from its database of the baptized dead,” Wood said in a release….
That is by far one of the sveeviest things about the LDS church… baptism after death. How does that WORK anyway? Oh right… judgement isn’t until the apocalypse… but wasn’t baptism supposed to wash away the sins of the flesh? With no… and… Wait why in the hell am I trying to RATIONALIZE religion?
Excuse the crazy dragon while he concusses himself repeatedly with a large rock.
Still dislike Scientology and the Jehovah’s Witnesses more than Mormons though.
Santorum the catholic
You should add “American”.
I mean, catholic politician much less extreme than him are considered a bit whacko by other catholic/christian politicians around here.
And what’s more important, people would probably laugh him off the stage (unless he’s th pope who’s allowed to say all sorts of shit).
I know I said SIWOTI is a bad idea (hell, I should know, I spent two weeks in the Slime Pit), so my comments here should be seen as a postmortem and not as much suggestions to continue putting up with her lies.
[interchanging “gay people” with “black people”]
Generally she does not pass this test. She has merely snuffled around to find a more anodyne (weasel) example and posits this as some kind of endorsement of her point of view. She does not fool anyone.
Also, just sticking with her example still leaves open her ideas that (keeping with the exercise) black people can not ever call their partnerships “marriage”. (The argument also extends well beyond just California anyway.)
[South Africa]
Why the hell should people have to fight for their rights in the first place? Why can bigots like her not just try and be more humane and equitous in their dealings with others? Oh wait… because they are bigots.
Firstly, what evidence do you have of the right of homosexuals to marry?
Her alternative is “might makes right”? It took violence in South Africa to suppress black peoples’ rights (or expressed otherwise maintain white privilege (not a “right” in spite of her obvious privilege)). It took violence to finally instate those rights. They are now in the constitution. It is the mark of civilisation that we can institute an equitous constitution without resorting to violence. Can the bigot not understand that it is only bigotry that stands in the way (whether or not expressed violently).
I did it. I showed it. My stance is not bigotry.
Fucking liar. She tried a weasel move. Why can gay people get full and equal recognition before the law in the entire USA (let aside the whole fucking planet)? We must respect bigots’ “dogma”?
I believe the state does not have the power to force religions to marry homosexuals if doing so is against the dogma they have always held.
It is for the state to acknowledge marriages. If the church cannot hack the wishes of the state they must fuck off and not pretend they are entitled to represent it at wedding ceremonies. They have that right only if they uphold a non-discriminatory law. Otherwise it is called “privilege”. (And is something that must be ended. If you cannot provide the service equally, on behalf of the state, then you lose the license to marry all people.)
Its not homophobia or intolerance of ANY stripe to support the free exercise of religion.
Compare: “It is not anti-semitic to support the frikkin’ neonazis in their “right” to discriminate against jews. Especially if they believe in jeebus or wotan or something.” Intolerant of intolerance? You betcha! (Sandra, substitute some other group in the context of the anti-gay shit you spew to see that you really are an insufferable bigot.)
Why can gay people get full and equal recognition before the law in the entire USA (let aside the whole fucking planet)? We must respect bigots’ “dogma”?
Should (obviously) read:
Why can gay people NOT get full and equal recognition before the law in the entire USA (let aside the whole fucking planet)? We must respect bigots’ “dogma”?
….
Ok, I shall try to stop hogging this thread.
TomeWyrmsays
@ theophontes
“Multus lacrimai puela pulchrum” Beautiful crying girl? Or is my Latin as horrid as I think it is?
Like it did in South Africa? Interestingly, when the bigots stopped being bigots (it essentially came down to exhaustion in a war of attrition) they discovered they could move far more easily from non-racialism to respecting gay rights as well. There was not a big fight at every step towards a constitution respectful of everyones rights. Once you stop being an insufferable bigot in one area, it becomes easier to treating everyone equally.
I believe that is even more true of American Law because there is more freedoms guaranteed.
She can only say this from a position of relative privilege. If she tried to arrange a gay marriage for herself and a girlfriend (oh, OK …just as an experimental exercise then), would she open her eyes?. Notice how curtailed her “more freedoms” feel when suddenly she is the person putting up with the bigotry.
(If this ever happened, she would jump through the hoops and deny them rather than give up her position. This is why you can not “win” the argument.)
Lets talk about the hypothetical as a legitimate hypothetical. In Apartheid South Africa you have 3 legitimate options. 1. Leave 2. Fight the system from the inside. 3. Use violence to take it down.
I was in this exact situation. She makes it sound so fucking easy. Oppression is more like a disease than a one-to-one chit chat on the internet. And it cuts both ways. Both oppressor and oppressed are deprived and held bound by the ghastly situation. And it is not just about the individual (she is a real “me,me,me” thinker). Everything is interwoven. What happened in the end is none of her crappy examples:
Everyone had had enough. So they sat down and talked. And talked and talked. And realised that the only way to fix the problem was to fix it properly. Remove all discrimination from the constitution. Rewrite it from top to bottom. And not treat anyone as second rate (or in America’s case 3/5ths of a person as was once proposed there.)
A good deal is set up using terms like “party A” and “party B”. Without knowing before hand which “party” you will be in. That certainly cuts out priviledged thinking in a hurry!
The most effective by far was the second option and working within the system. If you don’t think so then you don’t know your history.
Fuck that, I know my history only too well. And this aspect of contemporary American history too. The “reform from within” has been an abysmal failure in delivering people their rights. The system has failed time and time again to deliver in the case of gay peoples rights. The history of the system is the history of failure as a means to deliver effectively. We do note however that ,in spite of itself, it cannot hold of the inevitable indefinitely.
Jon are you saying a minority group of intellectual atheists should rule the country to prevent the abuses of the majority on the oppressed?
I call strawman here. How can a call to respect basic human rights get tared with a Stalinist accusation? (“Oppressing” her rampant privilege maybe?)
Oh the joys of parenthood
After the usual morning-fight (yeah, I know, requiering that she gets dressed herself is bordering on child abuse), I asked her what we could change in the future.
Note: cooperative approach, don’t just bully them into obedience, respect their ideas, opinions and skills and so on.
The reply I got?
We can just get up in the evening!
Yeah, sweetie, I don’t like mornings either.
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
I asked her what we could change in the future.
Um, why? It’s not as if she has the option of not getting dressed in the morning. And it’s not as if she’s going to say something reasonable like, “Mummy, we could change it just a little bit if you’d lay out both my cotton and my wool sweaters.”
Seriously, what is this about? Is it also child abuse to tell them to get dressed and that, no, they don’t have a choice? Do we really think she’s going to be more cooperative if you ask her what she’d like to do more?
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
I’m sorry to sound harsh, Gileill, especially since I don’t have kids of my own. Really.
But for good god’s sake, messing around “respecting” children’s opinions and “skills” about whether they want to put on the clothes one has laid out for the day strikes me as (brace for it) self-defeating-liberal-parenting-gone mad.
They don’t have to like you every day. It’s totes fine if they think you’re the biggest bitch in the world for making them get dressed. Really.
TomeWyrmsays
@ Josh
Mostly because it shows you give a damn about their opinion. It really helps if you can explain why you can’t implement their idea. Also because it opens up a conversation between people. It’s not a directive from All Powerful Parent to Subservient Child anymore. Also, doing that actually CAN come up with good ideas. I’ve seen some real doozies come from the mouth of the young.
In that particular instance, assuming I was up to it. I’d probably explain why waking up in the evening wasn’t an option, then ask for another idea.
Josh, Official SpokesGaysays
Mostly because it shows you give a damn about their opinion. It really helps if you can explain why you can’t implement their idea. Also because it opens up a conversation between people.
I’m all for that. The more candid and direct conversation between parent and child (within limits) the better.
But there is a limit. Children have a finite capacity to absorb and deal with more complex subjects, and it seems pointless (and no, not cruel) to spend time negotiating with them every damned time they want to fuss over what they wear. And yes, I do remember those fights with my own parents, and no, I wasn’t able to accept anything but my own way no matter whether they were right or wrong, and no, you can’t always reason it out with a child.
I’m not advocating a parental dictatorship, Jeezis. But children can’t always be reasoned with.
Josh
Well, you don’t want to raise a kid who respects authority, but one who makes competent decisions for themselves.
You try to get them to figure things out on their own.
I don’t know what exactly is her problem.
She could have suggested that we pick her clothes together the evening before, because in the morning she just can’t decide.
This approach works surprisingly often: You tell them what we need to do, or what bothers you and then try to find a solution together.
Often there’s a little thing that they just can’t stand, that bothers them a lot and which you never thought about.
As a parent you only see the “big picture” of the end result being fucked up and another fight, but not that they’d just like to have a reasonable little detail changed.
For example, our usual evening-routine was that we would brush teeth first and then change clothes. It was just the way we did it. And we ran into difficulties with the little one who threw a tantrum every night. If you just look at “teeth need to be brushed”, you’re running into fight after fight after fight until you finally break their will.
Well, turned out that she just likes it to be the other way round: change clothes first, brush teeth later.
If there’s something better about this or if she just wanted to have her agency respected, I don’t know, but by asking her opinion we found a routine that has the same result minus the big fight.
It’s just that sometimes their ideas can’t be implemented.
And yes, I do remember those fights with my own parents, and no, I wasn’t able to accept anything but my own way no matter whether they were right or wrong, and no, you can’t always reason it out with a child.
I’m not advocating a parental dictatorship, Jeezis. But children can’t always be reasoned with.
Oh, I totally agree with that, but you don’t know how far their ability to reason is developed until you try (and you train it that way, too).
As I said, quite often, we find a way that respects all sides: the needs of the child, those of the parent and those of the situation.
So, just saying “you can’t wear that dress today, it’s too cold” may be totally right from an adult point of view, but not from a child’s POV. But maybe you can find a workable solution, like putting on a long-sleeved shirt and thick tights underneath, and if they figure that solution out themselves they are much more willing to go for that way than if you just plain tell them.
Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher), OMsays
Warning: self-centered complaintfest ahead
So, actually, I’m pretty obviously depressed. I recognize it. It’s kind of like when I used to have the arthritis pain everywhere – I don’t want to do anything because I know it will hurt. Except that it won’t actually hurt. I don’t know how else to describe it though. I don’t want to do anything. Most of the time I don’t feel like I care about anything. I don’t think there’s a reason for it at all. I am hoping it passes soon on its own. I don’t know why it is happening, and I have been doing carefully the things that are supposed to keep me stable and make me not be depressed, and I don’t have time for this, either to have it or to fix it, right now. And it’s always times like these when meatspace-type people decide they want to see me or talk to me, when I truly can’t cope with being around them. The only meatspace-type person I still do regularly talk to, I recently started just… not having the impulse to respond to him. I’m sitting here getting texts or messages, not responding, not wanting to respond, yet intensely missing him. It’s not quite right to say that I’m sad, exactly. I just feel lost and emptied out and un-, again, with no apparent precipitating factors. And while I keep defaulting to “in bed” and then falling asleep, I keep being unjustifiably terrified to go to bed for the night, which is why I’m still here whining about this to you all.
:/
TomeWyrmsays
That’s how my depressions have manifested themselves. Inability to motivate to do much of anything. I withdraw and withdraw until either I get suicidal thoughts and snap out of it, or something/someone snaps me out of it. Unfortunately, I know my method only works for me.
Talking about your problems seems to be a really common method for feeling better though, so there’s that little ray of hope. We humans are also amazingly resilient creatures. Just knowing that you can get past a problem can be amazingly healing in its own right.
I’m arguing Kalam with someone on Rawstory who immediately comes across as much more intellectually dishonest than the people who work with Kalam. He made up his own twist to Kalam that states basically “it doesn’t matter if science figures out there’s 100, 1000, or infinite numbers of Big Bangs before our own, there still was an initial beginning, therefore God.”
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
I wanted to complain about having to write a motivation letter, but now I will just offer to share chocolate with Cassandra Caligaria.
I also have come cookies with coconut if you prefer those.
CC
*hugs and chocolate*
I think I know that feeling.
Well, actually I can get up and do many things, only not those that relate to myself.
And each time I feel so stupid.
So for the last three Wednesdays I tried to go to the open office hour of a professor I need to see.
No appointment-no disappointing somebody else-not going there.
So last weekend I told Mr. that I would go there this week.
Guess who’s getting dressed now?
Maybe you could ask your friend to contact you in ways you can’t ignore that easily?
@beatrice
Have fun with the chewtoy in the Perspectives thread.
Moggiesays
CC:
The only meatspace-type person I still do regularly talk to, I recently started just… not having the impulse to respond to him. I’m sitting here getting texts or messages, not responding, not wanting to respond, yet intensely missing him.
How do you want him to react to this? You can obviously imagine various things he can do in response to your ignoring him: how do you feel about each of them?
Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher), OMsays
I would be sad if he were to go away. :/ That’s the only one I can think of.
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
I barely commented for days, but now that I have something better to do (as in, something I should finish today), I suddenly become interested in a chew toy. It figures.
But it certainly is fun.
Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher), OMsays
Thanks to everyone for the support. I’m going to go try to go to bed now. I think it should be okay. I don’t know what it is that’s making me so upset about it – it’s like, if I just stay here and stay still, nothing bad can happen? I don’t know.
And also thanks for the compliments and suggestions on my new nym :) I have a long explanation for it and I’ll probably keep it the way it is til I change it back to Cipher… but that’s for another day when I’m not depriving myself of sleep for no reason.
Moggiesays
CC:
I would be sad if he were to go away. :/ That’s the only one I can think of.
Well, two possibilities spring to mind:
1. He goes away. You’ll be sad, but you’ll feel you deserve it. You feel worthless and want to punish yourself.
2. He understands that something is really wrong and steps up to help you more fully. Would you like that?
jamesmichaels1says
Okay, this is help with Sandra again, only what I’d like help with is feedback on some potential arguments I’d like to use against her in the homosexual marriage debate.
Okay, first there’s what I’d like to write in response to her requests for evidence that homosexuals have always had the right to marry:
“The reason why gay people have always had the right to marry is simple: because possessing a modern understanding of how civil rights work has been shown to be the best and most reliable way of pursuing civil rights cases. It’s how we can look at some of the worst atrocities of discrimination committed against certain groups and then say “That sort of shit was completely fucked up, those groups shouldn’t have been subjected to that and deserved better”.
Using a modern-day secular mindset on what civil rights should be has been shown to be consistently the best way of looking at things. You have an awful habit of either referring to the traditions of law (http://tongodeon.livejournal.com/804182.html) or to your precious Bible (http://tongodeon.livejournal.com/803778.html) but as both links quite effectively illustrate, neither are as reliable as the other, because depending on the interpretations you have they amount to little more than Rorschach tests where you see whatever the fuck you want to see.
In the end, all we have left is the moral arguments in the debate on gay marriage, and right now there’s nothing to demonstrate that the “FOR” side in the gay marriage debate isn’t doing anything other than kicking the “AGAINST” side’s arse all over the park in the debate. The “FOR” side is the only one that actually possesses the rational arguments, and since the “AGAINST” side conveniently seems unable to get God to appear as an actual public speaker to specify why the hell he hates “TEH GHEY” so much, all the “Yes On 8” side have is attempting to stick to secular arguments, and frankly their arguments SUCK. Since you apparently claim to be someone who supports gay marriage rights, this is clearly a stance you don’t disagree with.
I know you’ll continue to retreat right behind the claim that this issue is all about the law, but as one of the links so adequately explains:
“Secular marriage contracts are not a fact like gravity, they are personal legal instruments like trusts, wills, contracts, or self-incorporation. Both customs and laws have been modified continuously throughout human history as societal needs changed. Our society has needed this change for a long time, because the alternative to same-sex marriage is same-sex families raising either their biological or adoptive children without the legal protection that a civil marriage contract provides. Or the long tradition of sham and lavender marriage; gay men and women lying to their friends and partners while living secret lives in marriages of shame and convenience. Best case. When they avoid being exposed, resist cracking under internal pressure pressure, and don’t take their oblivious wife and children down with them. Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, Bob Allen, Rich Curtis, Don Fleischman, dozens of high-profile trainwrecks and thousands or millions of private ones. You’re fond of this part of your “tradition” as well? There is no support whatsoever for the view that either civilization or viable social orders depend upon marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution. It is time now, as it has been so many times before, break with yet another arbitrary and outdated tradition.”
Now the other argument I’d like to use is against her whole insistence on clinging on to the “law” for protection, especially one particularly ludicrous law:
I don’t know where the hell you get off on trying to use “Strauss vs Horton” as a legitimate means of trying to defend your case. I mean, seriously? I mean, Perry vs Schwarzenegger FLAT OUT DISAGREED WITH THAT CASE’S DECISON. The defence’s case in Perry vs Schwarzenegger was so fucking godawful that it made the defence in Kitzmiller vs Dover actually look COMPETENT, that’s how bad their defence was. I mean, shit, look at the amount of epic fail that the defence was guilty of according to Judge Walker:
Proposition 8 FAILS to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite- sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
Proponents presented two expert witnesses and conducted lengthy and thorough cross-examinations of plaintiffs’ expert witnesses but FAILED to build a credible factual record to support their claim that Proposition 8 served a legitimate government interest.” (P11 L14)
“Proponents elected not to call the majority of their designated witnesses to testify at trial and called not a single official proponent of Proposition 8 to explain the discrepancies between the arguments in favor of Proposition 8 presented to voters and the arguments presented in court. … Proponents’ counsel stated in court on Friday, January 15, 2010, that their witnesses because they “were extremely concerned about their personal safety, and did not want to appear with any recording of any sort, whatsoever. The timeline shows, however, that proponents FAILED to make any effort to call their witnesses after the potential for public broadcast in the case had been eliminated.” (P35 L20 – P36 L6)
“…the ban on gay marriage induces FAILURES in insurance and financial markets. Because spousal benefits do not transfer (in most cases) to domestic partners, there are large portions of the population that should be insured, but instead receive inequitable treatment and are not insured properly.” (P94 L4)
“Blankenhorn [founder and president of the Institute for American Values] lacks the qualifications to offer opinion testimony and, in any event, FAILED to provide cogent testimony in support of proponents’ factual assertions.” (P37 L20)
“[Blankenhorn’s] group FAILED to consider that recognizing the marriage of same-sex couples might lead only to minimal, if any, social consequences.” (P48 L26)
“Blankenhorn’s opinions are not supported by reliable evidence or methodology and Blankenhorn FAILED to consider evidence contrary to his view in presenting his testimony. The court therefore finds the opinions of Blankenhorn to be unreliable and entitled to essentially no weight.” (P49 L8)
“Although Proposition 8 FAILS to possess even a rational basis, the evidence presented at trial shows that gays and lesbians are the type of minority strict scrutiny was designed to protect.” (P123 L14)
“…strict scrutiny is the appropriate standard of review to apply to legislative classifications based on sexual orientation. All classifications based on sexual orientation appear suspect, as the evidence shows that California would rarely, if ever, have a reason to categorize individuals based on their sexual orientation. FF 47. Here, however, strict scrutiny is unnecessary. Proposition 8 FAILS to survive even rational basis review.” (p124 L19)
“Proponents FAILED to put forth any credible evidence that married opposite-sex households are made more stable through Proposition 8.” (P131 L1)
“proponents, amici and the court, despite ample opportunity and a full trial, have FAILED to identify any rational basis Proposition 8 could conceivably advance.” (P131 L26)
And the thing is, you’re absolutely right, the ruling DID get stayed, but that’s only because the defence in Perry vs Schwarzenegger were such fucking morons that they didn’t recognise an ass-kicking when they received one. They were completely unable throughout the entire court case to provide a single iota of evidence that legalising gay marriage in California would at all prove harmful to marriage as an institution, or that there would be anything wrong with treating gays as overall equal citizens in California. What precisely was the “Yes On 8” side’s basis for appeal? Y’know, aside from clinging to arguments that had been ripped apart in P v S and the “OMG HORROR!” of Judge Walker being a gay man himself? I mean, if that’s THEIR definition of “bias” I dread to think what they’d think of a Judge who’s a parent ruling on a Catholic paedophilia case.
Judge Randy Smith may have dissented in the court ruling, but all we’ve heard about why is because of some vague “constitutionality” basis, and besides which everyone with a rational mind knows that it’s only a matter of time before gay marriage becomes legal in California again, either when the “Yes On 8” crowd let go of their insanity and recognises defeat (not likely, unfortunately) or when the SCOTUS goes ahead and bangs the final nail into the coffin of what is a doomed case on the “Yes On 8” crowd’s part.
Seriously, if this is honestly your best argument for not having gay marriage be federally constitutional, I’d quit now.
So yes, feedback on these potential responses of mine, what I could do to change them, even playing Devi’s Advocate if necessary, would be absolutely fantastic help. :)
Cheers,
James :)
jamesmichaels1says
Ahem, Devil’s Advocate, that should be. I don’t know who “Devi” is, or why he’d have advocates, but he sounds like a hip kinda guy. :)
Kalam is the Kalam Cosmological Argument. It states:
1) Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
2) The universe began to exist.
3) Therefore the universe has a cause.
4) This cause is God.
It’s intellectually dishonest. It’s easily refutable, but this person on Rawstory is even worse than the regular Kalam, even more intellectually dishonest. He states the argument similar, but he adds infinite regression to the argument, stating that even if a natural cause is found for the Big Bang – even if said natural cause is a chain of previous Big Bang-Big Crunch models, there was an ultimate beginning therefore God.
TomeWyrmsays
Judging by only the examples you just gave (I REALLY don’t want to catch myself up on whatever this is about) I think you’re arguing with someone who is strongly entrenched in their prejudices. I wonder if the argument is worth it? Because you’re going to have to find a very compelling point of argument in order to make any headway at all if you’ve gotten to stuff like that. Or it could just be a hot button for you, because I’ve started arguments like that on a few occasions.
The arguments seem sound to me, if heavily biased against Prop 8 proponents (which might be a strike against you, or might not)
TomeWyrmsays
@Katherine
It’s TomeWyrm. Common typo, though at least you have the pronunciation correct :)
In other words it’s creationism which like all creationism is predicated upon the assumption that there has to be both cause-and-effect AND a beginning.
I avoid arguments involving “the beginning” whenever possible. Nobody has anything more than “I believe” and those arguments are nigh impossible to win, or even make headway with… Unless I feel like pissing off a religious f***wit, at which point I’m being a confrontational ass that’s arguing for the trolling jollies.
Sorry sorry. I saw your name when I was on my phone and answered here about a half hour later forgetting how to spell it.
I don’t care about winning the argument. I just told him he’s intellectually dishonest. If he tries to push the matter I’ll just state I don’t argue with people who change their arguments at will. If he takes it as a concession, whatever, no big deal to me.
He didn’t even look at the main bed of my argument, that even if the universe had a cause, he still has yet to show that the cause is a) supernatural, and b) God. There is no argument that can be made to those points, and yet it is the ultimate conclusion of the thoroughly badly designed Kalam.
McCthulhu, now with Techroline and Retsynsays
Katherine Lorraine @451: If the person actually said that, they have a horrible grasp of the definition of infinite. If there have been an infinite number, there is no need for god(s). Kind of like Carl Sagan said, the Multiverse would be all that is, or was or would ever be.
The alternative kind of makes you feel a sense of mental vertigo for a moment as you try troubling out what the hell there was before there were any universes. This deity people keep rambling on about sat there for n number of countless aeons and only after it became quite insane decided there should be some sort of company? That certainly ‘splains the psychotic behaviour of said entity in the Odd* Testament.
*not a typo
carliesays
Ok, seriously.
I got up an hour early today because I set my clock wrong. Realized it fairly quickly, but instead of swearing and going back to bed, I went “Eh, I can stop by the store before I go to work!”
I then proceeded to make udon noodle and soybean soup for breakfast, went shopping, and am now in my office early enough that sunrise is coming in the windows. What the hell is wrong with me?
He actually said something along the lines of “it doesn’t matter how many Big Bangs there were, there was an initial beginning, therefore God.”
McCthulhu, now with Techroline and Retsynsays
@ Katherine Lorraine: If I understood from your description of what Kalam is I assumed that’s something he would say. I take it his thickness isn’t allowing in the possibility that there were no beginnings because then he can’t say ‘∴ God.’
I have never understood why there has to be a supernatural beginning even if the history of universe(s) did have a start somewhere. He’s never heard the expression ‘nature abhors a vacuum’? Maybe even to a complete absence of anything it’s just so boring that it has to pop something into existence. It doesn’t have to be intelligent, nor even benevolent.
And if he was really serious about finding the truth of the matter he would be enrolled in cosmogeny courses, not arguing the esoterics of Kanned-ham.
TomeWyrmsays
@465 Katherine
No problem on the typo, I deal with them all the time. I just correct the mistake and move on.
So you’re coming here to complain about an annoying person in a more receptive environment? Awesome, I like bashing bigots and religious f***wits!
———-
@McCthulhu
See it’s the lack of God in there that they’re moaning and bitching about. That can’t possibly be all there ever was, is, or will be. That’s what GOD is for, duh!
*Applies head to desk. Repeatedly, with great vigor*
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
How did you get jobs? I can’t for the life of me manage to write a decent motivation letter.
All the samples I found are along the lines of “Do you want to find someone brilliant, someone to improve your company standing by gazillion percent? Someone who can lick your ass while cooking your coffee and finishing seven different reports? Due to my extensive experience of exactly four months of shuffling papers, infinite patience with morons and ambition to get a better job as soon as I can, I am surely the best for the job”.
Ok, a bit of my frustration leaked in at the end.
I’m terrible at making myself look good.
TomeWyrmsays
@Beatrice
I too have that problem where I am concerned. The state of the job market is atrocious. It’s a big BS contest to see who can get away with the most outlandish lies the longest or most often. No attention is paid to honest achievements or skills. I can’t get hired at a computer repair shop because I don’t have a college degree, despite being able to talk about computers over the heads of at least half the employees in the shop.
That being said, it’s what we’re stuck with, and my advice is get a friend who is good with words to spruce up your initial attempt, and even suggest additions. Or pay a professional. They are out there, if you look hard enough. I worked as a resume reviser for a summer. Fun job, but can’t do it for myself to save my hide.
More like I came here for the collective face-desk / “I’ve been there before” type responses that will come from people on TET. Kalam is such a ridiculously easy argument to refute – and yet it’s the one used by the big-wigs like WLC.
@McCthulhu:
I dunno if that’s it or not, but it’s a particularly dishonest position to argue from, that’s for sure. It immediately says “I don’t care about science, nyeeeeh.”
@Beatrice:
I work for the government… they don’t need motivation letters.
McCthulhu, now with Techroline and Retsynsays
Beatrice @471: Have I been that long out of the work force? I have no idea WTF a ‘motivation’ letter is.
@TomeWyrm re #431: Still dislike Scientology and the Jehovah’s Witnesses more than Mormons though.
It really depends on whose stupid shit is redlining at the moment. According to The Endless Thread at least, it’s gotta be the LSD LDS church.
My biggest peeve against them is just the language you read on the links to the Salt Lake City paper from the comments of readers. Even the basic argument they use that marriage is supposed to be between one woman and man (unless you’re the Mormon prophet Jo’ Smith, who can have as many wives as he wants) but the gays can have their civil unions is garbage. When one group has to use what in essence is discriminatory language to describe what their union is, it is just bald-faced bigotry and very equal to the civil rights movement black America had to go through. You had your white and black drinking fountains, you have your straight and gay marriage definition. Their arguments are pure horseshit and they smear themselves in it every time they try to use it.
The other LDS/prop 8 thing that gets me royally PO’d is how often you hear conservatives crying about state’s rights. Then they engage in one of the most hypocritical acts in national history by spending millions of dollars from Utah to run ads full of hate and lies in California, a completely different state trying to determine its set of rights for people without the influence of asshats like those in Utah. Fuck them with the leprous zombie porcupine for that one.
Then there’s the necrodunking info that Lynna has been reporting here, along with every other bit of minutiae of stupidity they engage in (and thanks muchly to Lynna for being such a diligent reporter). I have no use for the other two groups, but Mormons are certainly my worst, by far, right at the moment.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
I spose he’ll be posting criticism of *whispers* the ECO.
Umberto?
That’s the problem with single-issue purists in general, really
Like Josh?
If it helps, as several people pointed out above, it’s really important and good that we have a space where people feel safe sharing stories like yours.
I know, and thanks to all. I just feel like shit. And part of it is because it was my fault that I let myself get triggered. Sorry ’bout that.
It’s about sexual freedom. That’s what it’s about. Homosexuality. It’s about sexual freedom.”
WELL NO SHIT MISTER FUCKING SANTORUM.
Well, he’s all for freedom. Freedom for everyone to live the way he thinks they should live.
Personally I think he’s turned on by fertilization in factory farms and would just like to see us move in that direction.
So he wants Axlotl tanks?
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE – the transgender human rights bill passed 5-2.
That is great news. But why the fuck do we feel the need to vote on which humans actually deserve human rights?
what do you ferment, John?
Just wanted to point out how bizarre some things on TET look out of context.
I don’t know who “Devi” is, or why he’d have advocates, but he sounds like a hip kinda guy. :)
Devi is one of the imps in the service of Tpyos.
I got up an hour early today because I set my clock wrong. Realized it fairly quickly, but instead of swearing and going back to bed, I went “Eh, I can stop by the store before I go to work!”
I then proceeded to make udon noodle and soybean soup for breakfast, went shopping, and am now in my office early enough that sunrise is coming in the windows. What the hell is wrong with me?
I have noticed that, as I get older, I need less and less sleep. Perhaps you just got older? Really quickly?
=============
Last night, I imbibed a bottle of Ommegang Three Philosophers. And I have another favourites beer.
=============
Boy is working on a museum exhibits project in college. His proposal is to use beer labels from microbreweries here in Pennsylvania in order to highlight the artwork on the labels. Anyone have a suggestion as to how to go about getting permission to use the labels for a non-profit exhibit? And who to get in touch with to actually get labels? I mean, he’s in college, but I don’t think he wants to buy a six pack of every microbrew in the state. The project only has a $600 budget.
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Last nigh, during a conversation with a very Catholic couple (they are Saint Orum Catholics), they complained about the ‘fucking dot-heads’ buying up all the old Wawa mini-marts. Apparently, they were upset that these ‘dot-heads’ were flaunting their religion to try to show they are special. I asked, “Isn’t tomorrow Ash Wednesday?”
He replied, “Yes, it is. But these damn dot-heads . . . .”
No desk was available, so I double face-palmed.
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
McCthulhu,
As far as I know motivation letter is another name for cover letter. I’m assuming it came into use because it sounds more positive. *blah*
It’s a job application that makes it more obvious how much bullshit you’re supposed to invest into it.
Thank for the sympathy TomeWyrm. I’ll probably bother a friend.
Katherine… Yeah. Good thing about government jobs.
carliesays
Ogvorbis – I just headdesked for you as well.
Are you going to call him “ash-head” all day today?
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
Ogvorbis – I just headdesked for you as well.
Are you going to call him “ash-head” all day today?
So, I’m back
Tell me again, why did it take me four fucking weeks to do this?
Oh, and is good or bad that the prof remembered me after all these years?
Very good news: the English department just gives 1:1 credit from old system to new system.
I also noticed my monkey brain fucking with me.
All those people on campus younger than me? They’re going to graduate soon!
All my age or older? They graduated long ago and are working there!
The human brain noticed somewhere along the way that:
-statistically speaking, some of those young people will drop out, some of them will take long.
-some of the oldish people are still students, too, and some of them are caretakers (nothing wrong with being a caretaker, also those PhDs would have a hard time without them)
CCHope you sleep well
++++
Has anybody heard from Starstuff? I’m worried about her.
TomeWyrmsays
I’m missing something, who are “dot-heads”? The only people with dots on their heads I can think of are the wearers of bindi from southern Asia (I usually think of Indians, but there ARE other cultures that wear them, heh)
Also I like carlie’s idea
Ogvorbis: Now With 98% Less Intellectual Curiousity!says
I’m missing something, who are “dot-heads”?
That is ‘valley-speak’ for immigrants from south Asia who are not Muslim or Sikh. So, yeah, you are correct in your guess.
HS biology teacher and Molly Ivins
Unfortunately, I had a misogynist HS biology teacher who liked to say to girls after he had grilled them about the subject matter: “I don’t want to penetrate you any longer”. I wish I could say it sounded better in the original German, but it didn’t…
government job
I applied for a government job once, which was all about the motivation. You needed a great motivation letter, and they’d ask you all about it. And motivated I was. Didn’t get it though, lost out to all the lawyers…
Hamza is the young reporter who was deported from Malaysia and put on a private plane to Saudi Arabia. There he faces the death penalty for tweeting an imaginary conversation with imaginary mohammad.
Petitioners for his death (tens of thousands) far outnumber the few petitioners for his release (2,275 as of tonight). If there is anyone out there looking to remedy this please visit the linked petition site.
Shukran katir,
Theo
McCthulhu, now with Techroline and Retsynsays
I honestly didn’t know what ash Wednesday was and same time last year I almost whispered to the woman at the checkout counter at an OC grocery store that she had a smudge of soot on her forehead. I had never seen this phenomenon before. I guess nobody in the area of Alberta where I came from was zany enough to intentionally walk around in public looking like they had just rescued their budgie from a fire. Or maybe every time that day went by there was also a blizzard and everyone’s foreheads were obscured by toques.
If I see them at the grocer’s again today I’m still going to be hugely tempted to whisper ‘you missed a spot…’.
I honestly didn’t know what ash Wednesday was and same time last year I almost whispered to the woman at the checkout counter at an OC grocery store that she had a smudge of soot on her forehead.
I’m from the pope’s own country, and I have never ever seen anybody with an ash-cross on ash Wednesday.
But I insist on making spinach on Holy Thursday.
Folk-ethymology had it that “cry-Thursday” became “green-Thursday” and therefore you need to cook spinach, and in honour of such nonsense creativity, I always cook spinach (and I like it)
McCthulhu, now with Techroline and Retsynsays
Oh. If it had to be something green I would have went for the dinosaur cookies.
Ah right, the Rhinelanders are doing their Carnival thing, it must be Ash Wednesday…
the grün in Gründonnerstag is one of the mysteries of German etymology.
BTW, not being familiar with Catholic practices and all, but how important is this foot-washing practice? The Chinese term for Maundy Thursday apparently is “Foot-washing Festival” (濯足節 zhuózú jié)
Kluge says “origin unclear” and suggests calque from Latin dies viridium “Day of the Greens” (Luke 23,31)
Duden Herkuntswörterbuch claims it has sth to do with the tradition of eating Grünkohl on that day.
Wikipedia lists four hypotheses, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They also argue against Greinen “crying”, because Maundy Thursday was an ecclesiastic day of joy since the 4th century (the day those who had been excommunicated before were admitted to communion again). But again, I’m not familiar with Catholic practices, there might be some reason to cry still.
carlie, #67: I do that every morning. Except for the getting up early part. Or the shopping*. I guess what I mean to say is that I pack my lunch too. Common ground.
pelamun
I can’t give you a link, it’s the explenation my linguistics prof gave.
But on the other hand he could have been mistaken, too, since his main subject was English linguistics, not German.
I think we have to stop helping you. It’s getting to the point that we’re enabling now.
That said Sandra’s comment about how the government can’t infringe on religion to force marriage…why the fuck does the government then get to infringe on the religions that WANT gay marriage. You’re both freaking Methodists right? You both know that your own religion has pastors that would WANT to marry their gay members right?
it doesn’t matter what his specialty is. Etymology is only as reliable as your data. Apparently in this case, there is no definitive answer (I would, however, trust the Kluge any time over the Duden-Herkunftswörterbuch). The anonymous Wikipedia author claims that grîn donerstac is not attested in written records, so if that’s true, then the crying hypothesis is ultimately based on conjecture.
(I’ve been part of a research project on etymology. It’s the field of linguistics laypeople are most interested in, and want a definitive answer. Problem is most linguists aren’t interested so much, and often there aren’t definitive answers)
Predator Handshakesays
Minor quibble over a groaner of a lecture title that I had to share: the university I work for is hosting a guest lecturer this week. Hir lecture title? “Cardiac Regeneration: In It to WNT It”. I usually love awful puns like that, but this one really set off the “oh, come ON” part of my brain. Now I’m trying to reassure myself that all the stuff like that I threw into my undergrad presentations weren’t all THAT bad but I know that they were probably way worse.
Nutmegsays
Not caught up with the thread, but I need to share my news.
The Paper That Does Not Die has been accepted by [pretty damn good journal for a grad student to be published in]!!!
I really did not think this was going to happen, but apparently devoting 2 months of my life to revisions was a good plan. Yay!
Awww, I was kind of hoping for two self-portcullising threads in a row. Vacation wasn’t long enough, PZ!
But if it’s a fraud, why would anyone need to fight it? Or anyway, so the moron creationists say on the Creation Museum entry on Budget Travel’s poll of sites.
It’s just vile for anyone to expose the scam, because kids need to learn alternatives to science and sound empirical reasoning.
Glen Davidson
Should be an interesting flick.
–
Portcullised again!
carlie: “kristinc – whaaa?? It’s based on The Borrowers”
Damn! Beat me to it. I could *maybe* see a gender/class-normative angle, but it’s a bit of a Marxian stretch.
The last paragraph of the book is the *ultimate* spoiler. ;)
Crocuses are starting to bloom in my untended garden.
In my experience the crocuses only start to bloom when spring is definitely on its way in. The greenness will start coming back next. I’ll be sure to go listen to the frogs this year.
Rabbits will of course start getting horny and stupid too.
But it all seems to start with the little crocuses.
Mmmmmm. For those who like to wear the hippydippy perfume oils, I can wholeheartedly recommend Kuumba Made Amber paste. Very nice. (Skip their Egyptian musk though, pretty faint.)
I like the gist of Adam Savage’s line early in the vid — things like stage magic are, really, more exciting when you know that the people up there aren’t really any different from you, and are taking advantage of your perceptions in a way that you’re perfectly capable of figuring out if you challenge your own assumptions about what you’re seeing. It’s not just a show, then — it’s a puzzle.
Oh! Borrowers:
Seriously, how could you not love that?
M Groesbeck — as much as I loathe Penn Jillette, I can’t resist watching Fool Us for exactly that reason. I love being swindled, conned and bamboozled in good fun.
It’s actually part of my love for perfume, too: the chemical trickery involved in making me believe I smell something that isn’t there. Similar manipulation of the senses and preconceptions.
I have always been something of an amateur magician myself.
Randi is one of the things that drew me toward skepticism and away from God. The other one was Carl Sagan. Between the two of them, I got a big healthy shot of skepticism right when I needed something to replace Jesus-ism.
Stephanie put out a call for someone in Minnesota to record a play about American Indians stripped of their cultures in boarding schools, ‘The Great Hurt’, on March 9:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/02/19/the-great-hurt/
[meta] It’s really getting hard for me to follow all the FTB’ers and topics of interest around here. I’m actually starting to miss ScienceBlogs’ organization of posts by general topic regardless of author. What are the odds of getting some sort of FTB-wide post tagging system? Or even an opt-in commenter-following system, “Last posts visited/Last comments made” such as some forums have?
So…
… Anyone want to see this weekend’s Jell-O atrocity?
PZ, is the Sunday sacrilege feature ever going to return? That used to be my favorite part of your blog.
As long as we’re at it, I miss the science posts.
*runs*
Finally, fresh thread! I don’t really have anything to say though, I’m in a lot of pain* and cranky.
*The standard, every day pain, it’s just been ramped up crazy bad lately.
I’ve been reading Libby on what her thought process was when she was a “pro-life” advocate. She’s done something I thought was nearly impossible: she’s made me MORE afraid of the “pro-life” movement than I already was. They don’t want to kill women. They want to kill everyone. Or at least let us all die. Unless god says “kill”. Then they’ll go for the straight up murder rather than the passive aggressive allow us all to die as “god intended”.
Excuse me, I’m off to hide under the bed now.
that whole “moral IN SPITE OF religion, not BECAUSE OF religion” is making more and more sense.
*shudder*
Definitely. It’s been my personal motto for my few progressive thinking christian friends for a while now. They’re still my friends because they don’t disagree.
Randi is the best debunker
Carl Sagan’s book, The Demon-Haunted World, Sagan describes Randi’s creation of “Carlos”.
TLC: *whispers loudly* I’m watching Princess Mononoke and you’re nooooot!
honestly, anything by Miyazaki is a great way to deal with the horrors revealed by Libby Anne’s blog. *clings to pillow*
Pteryxx: I’m watching a TWGTG.Com review of this Arrietty thing.
As I expected, no complaints about ‘offensive’ or child unfriendly content, infact, the opposite: It’s really ‘safe’ apparently.
The few complaints I’m seeing here are all about too many ‘pretty’ visuals and not enough story or character interaction. Style over substance, and apparently one mild boob joke, but otherwise pretty harmless.
I don’t think it’s anything I’ll see though.
Woot! I may have found my therapist!
“While I have had professional experience in the area of human sexuality BDSM has not been an area of focus for me. However, I am not judgemental about sexual orientation and preferences. As to being a feminist, I was there when the fight began.”
Saw a creobot in town today handing out fliers. Proceeded to use newly snined fangs. Found out that the local creobots are even stupider than the ones here.
Have just finished making half-a-dozen “headstone” invitations for the smaller kid’s Buffy themed birthday party :D
The maple tree in my yard is budding. There is a bit of pollen in my driveway.
This is New England, and it’s February. Several Februarys ago I saw robins and goldfinches in the same tree.
We are so fucked.
Other than that, my weekend has sucked. I got sick, my weekend guest left a few days early to let me get some rest, and I have a goddamn squirrel in my house. It lives in a crawlspace in the kitchen ceiling to which I can’t get easily, and it’s been in my pantry, eating cornmeal and leaving droppings.
The wildlife control guy who blocked off my attic last year can’t make it over here until Wednesday afternoon, and my fucking cat isn’t interested in helping out. In the meantime, I’ve put all my starchy foods into metal, glass, or heavy plastic containers and cleaned up the droppings.
I’m drinking some of my apple mead. It’s delicious. I figure that a roasted deer leg was a perfect reason to drink a bunch of it.
I can’t wait till the honey supply is replenished and I can make more.
Over at Daniel Fincke’s – two-minute video of George Takei talking about being sent to a Japanese internment camp.
“I could see the barbed wire fences and the sentry towers and the machine gun, right outside my schoolhouse window as I recited the words: With Liberty and Justice for All.”
http://freethoughtblogs.com/camelswithhammers/2012/02/19/george-takei-on-being-placed-in-japanese-internment-camp/
Don’t worry – I ground up a homeopath *real* fine, diluted to C1000000000 for *real* potency and applied to you via aetheric transubstancialismisticalish quantum. You should be feeling better *real* soon. And if not, hey, I ground up a homeopath. We all win.
Ms. Daisy — so sorry your weekend went pear-shaped:((( Told you ya shoulda come up here. The party was rockin’. And Audley’s Jell-O mold? The perverse hit of the party.
So yeah, come up soon.
Why, thank you, Tim. That was most thoughtful.
casarecce, guancile, spicy pickled peppers and tomato sauce.
Thanks, Josh. I’m glad your party went well, but I’d have been too ill to enjoy it anyway, and I’d have spread germs. Not good guest etiquette.
However, yes, I would love to come up there soon. Meanwhile, would you like to come down here and harvest a very healthy-looking adult grey squirrel for your crockpot?
/only partly kidding. Jesus Cleveland Steamer Christ, does the idea of a wild rodent in my house, leaving potentially disease-bearing droppings hither and yon and maybe chewing on my electrical wires, freak me right the fuck out.
*gentle hugs* for Caine.
–
Hurrah!
–
‘Night, all.
–
Ms. Daisy-
I get it about the feral animals. I’m not really afraid of mice, rats and squirrels, but when they get in the walls and attic it’s unnerving. Nearly lost my shit a few months ago when some Biggish Animal darted down the cellar stairs when I opened the door to get the laundry. . .never did find the fucking thing and couldn’t tell what it was.
On the other hand, it’s exceedingly unlikely you’re going to get a disease from the droppings, and they’re not wont to just come and bite you in the night. Have you figured out where the buggers are getting in? Is it something you can stop up?
Oh, and my house still smells faintly of cigarettes which (yes, I know, all y’all think this is perverse, you don’t need to tell me) is sort of a nostalgic comfort. I insisted that Audley, Mr. Darkheart, and Sally smoke comfortably in the living room (shit, I needed to get out my art deco ashtrays). I also insisted on smoking . . hmmm, I think three of theirs. No chance that I’ll go back to being a Professional Smoker, but good times once in a while. :)
There’s a podcast interview with the directors of the James Randi documentary, here:
Episode One Hundred And Eight – On James Randi’s An Honest Liar – Interview With Justin Weinstein And Tyler Measom
Josh:
Eep. I’m going to assume you’re sure it wasn’t one of the cats.
I’m not worried about it coming upstairs to my bedroom, because it’s more likely to find food in the kitchen. I do know that “they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” But frightened animals can be vicious. The droppings, I realize, are unlikely to carry disease, but they’re still shit, which is a biohazard. The squirrel might have fleas as well.
Also, I’ll admit that I take this personally because I’m pretty territorial. It’s totally irrational, I realize, to treat a wild animal as a malicious intruder rather than one just trying to survive. However, when I unrolled a couple of nice pieces of officewear that I’ve been meaning to handwash and a couple of droppings fell out… I was furious. I actually said out loud in the kitchen with no other person to hear me, “I will fucking kill you and eat you.” Which is unlikely to actually happen, but it felt good to say.
Josh:
Ha! Love it!
Check your email machine. I sent you a picture of the unholy shrimp beast.
Ms Daisy Cutter:
Until recently, we had a whole shitload of squirrels in our attic. I learned something new from that experience: squirrels scream.
We’ve had raccoons up there, too, but thankfully, they didn’t make our attic their home. Just banged around for a night or two and got the fuck out.
I’ve never been in the attic of our building, but I’m willing to bet that it’s chock full of dead animal carcasses. :-/
Unlike most of the material on his blog, Dawg misses the mark here on his discussion on atheism. I thought some people here might like to add their opinion.
http://drdawgsblawg.ca/2012/02/sins-of-the-great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers.shtml
Ms Daisy Cutter:
I WILL be holding you to this.
Audley:
Did your landlord have the squirrels removed? Hopefully the wildlife control people cleaned up any carcasses or droppings, because those are health hazards.
I had squirrels removed from my attic last winter. They tore up a lot of insulation in there, including around the trap door, so that bits of insulation and shit were falling into my upstairs hallway. And then, after the attic was sealed, the little brown bats woke up from hibernation… poor things. I like them much better than I like squirrels.
#13 seconded, more sacrilege please.
Tim, can I have some of that ground-up homeopath too? I’m feeling rather dehydrated.
TLC: Sorry, I’ve got neither the hunting nor the field-dressing skills for it, and I understand that squirrel not prepared right is nasty-gamy.
I’d settle for sticking its beady-eyed little head on a pike outside my house as a warning to the others.
Audley- great pic! You should upload it to imageshack or something so all the horde can experience the true horror.
Ms. Daisy- Yeah, territorialism—it’s totally understandable. Doesn’t have to be rational. Damn it, the inside of the house is your space and it needs to be inviolate. I get it.
Ms Daisy Cutter:
No, he put up these wire one-way door things so the squirrels could get out, but couldn’t get back in.
No one has been in the attic since my landlord bought the house five years ago and the only access is through my apartment. I’m not too concerned since there’s no evidence that the squirrels were ever in the building proper.
Josh:
How about I post a picture of the Jell-O mold on the blog I never use?
Adding to what Josh said, I think there’s such a thing as ‘territoriality’ for a damn good reason.
Just post a trigger warning on the jello. One of my great aunts way back when made some kind of jello-like casserole-ish thing with green beans that traumatized me for years.
So…what became of the jello? I mean, it wasn’t created to be consumed, so did it get a decent burial or something? I’m kind of opposed to the idea of wasting food or foodlike matter.
(Surprised to find everyone spelling “jello” with a hyphen. Although I’m one of the few people left on Earth who habitually spells “e-mail” with a hyphen.)
Susan B. Anthony?
Kristin: I hope you can press your friend about why that movie was so inappropriate for kids, ’cause we’re all dying to know now.
Resource partitioning, mostly.
Totally threadrupt, but…
Daze:
^^^THIS!!1!1!^^^
I am so tired of people enthusing about how nice the weather is (it was tragically beautiful here today), with no hint of concern about what it means.
Besides, I like winter!
The gelatin mold salad was surprisingly palatable. Indeed, by the end of the evening, it was about 3/4 gone, mostly because, like me, everyone was intensely curious as to how it tasted. There was even a little girl there who seemed to actively like it. Go figure.
One late spring I found a mother skunk and THREE skunklings in my foundation. Aargh! I had two cats and a four-year-old and I had to get rid of them. After a bit of thought I came up with a plan.
I observed the skunks. Mama would go out in the late afternoon, leaving the skunklings, and come back in the early evening, while it was still light, then take her children out to perambulate in the dark.
So I waited until she had left, then quickly put some heavy loose bricks over the entrance to their home (my foundation). Mama comes back. Stops. Scratches. Kits call from inside. Mama upset. Kits call. I let this go on for a full hour. Mama retreated for a while to think. I remove the loose bricks. Kits stay inside. Mama comes back, calls the kits, who come bundling out. Mama glares at treacherous hole. Mama and kits leave. I put the bricks back again, blocking the entrance.
Neither mother nor kits came back to the foundation, no, not even to the yard.
I admit to feeling grateful that the bizarre weather has allowed me to avoid buying new snow tires for my truck. Then I feel guilty for feeling grateful, because I do know what it means.
I know what the unusually early spring weather means. I also agree that we are indeed fucked, but I’m honestly tired of trying to convince people. It’s just too depressing. At this point I just want to adapt as it comes.
As a human animal and only one guy, there’s literally nothing else I can do about it.
Actually the early spring weather isn’t directly attributable to climate warming (though that is happening too) but due to the whole arctic oscillation having a positive phase. So the oscillation makes it warmer than normal. And climate warming makes normal warmer than it otherwise would be.
I’m not a climate change denier at all, but just as they don’t get to point at a cold winter and claim it as evidence that the earth is not warming, so do we not get to point at a single warm winter as evidence that it is. A single data point is not evidence. The continuing trend however is.
Hi all,
I have been pretty choked up the last week, mainly to do with my psychiatrist. I suffer from severe depression, so much that I haven’t been able to work the last 5 years. In that time we have tried almost (but not quite)all the available drugs out there, including some anti psycotics and mood stabilizers. It’s gotten to the point where she actually suggested that I try homeopathy. When I told her that it wasn’t an option for me, she then suggested ECT (electro shock therapy). I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not sure I want to try anymore drugs (the last one made me freak out when in the car) but I know that homeopathy won’t help. I don’t know what I’m wanting, other than maybe to vent, but does anyone know of a reliable site that could give me some better advice, or am I really at the end of my rope and there is nowhere else to go?
cicely – I’m glad to hear you have beaten back the dark forces, even if you can still see them on the horizon (or, rather, “just south of the abdomen”). I have to admit they sound less dangerous on the horizon than “south of the abdomen”. But I’m sure that’s just a proximity issue. :D
Caine – I’m sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. Even the everyday pain can overwhelm us. It’s always around, nagging in the background and wearing you down. Here’s hoping things will improve soon. (I have been having the same hope for myself of late, but my pain has been merely persistently annoying rather than significant.)
@ Lynna last vTET
What if Salon encouraged people to mirror articles like the one against Frank van der Sloot? (Or would this just push up their liability in the event of a court case?)
@ carlie last vTET
The early Greek tragedies, such as those by Euripides, went out of their way to ensure that the audience new what was going to happen in advance of the play proper. They could then just settle in for the ride.
….
RABBITS!
{runs off chuckling}
Oh damn, sending my best get-well-soon wishes to all our invalids. E-hugs for all who want them – now fully as effective as homeopathy!
ladyh42, I don’t know what to say. I assume you’ve been trying assorted talk therapies along with the drugs? And exercise and sunlight? Where are you, and do you have finance problems?
This is a major Australian resource, with information that might help even if the local contacts don’t:
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/
This is a university on-line therapy program that’s open to all.
http://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome
“What it means” in my case was “another data point in the trend.” But thanks anyway for the nice linky. Very pretty pictures.
ladyh42: not sure how much knowledge I can offer, but I at least wanted to respond and say you’re not alone. Personally I’ve had no luck with antidepressant meds, though in my case it turned out to be an underlying food allergy. I’ve actually heard some good things about ECT though, and also about this strange thing where they have you focus your eyes on certain spots of light. There’s other folks here, on TET and FTB, that know more than I do – especially JT of WWJTD? has done some blog posts and discussions on dealing with mental illness and all it involves.
Also, venting’s encouraged here. You’re among friends… I hope that helps a teeny bit.
Aaaand I’m slow – thanks for the link to moodgym, Alethea.
Alethea, thanks for the sites, I will check them out. I’m Canadian actually, which is why my illness hasn’t killed me (social safety nets are wonderful things) however finances are always tight these days (whos isn’t :P) I’d love to say I got exercise and sun, but that would be lying, as I have no internal motivation to get outside, and in fact often find myself scared to do so without accompanyment with my husband or trusted friend. And sun. . . well, this is vancouver after all. I’ve done enough talk therapy to know that I’m not beyond being rational in my thinking. . . it just doesn’t seem to help things very much. It’s like I’m watching myself deteriorate and I can’t do anything about it. When I’m well it’s as if I never felt bad and I can function normally without drugs. It’s very frustrating knowing that I can be neurotypical except when I’m not. The people who’ve told me I should just get over it are not helping of course, as if I’ve not quite thought of that before :P
The Amazing Randi.
He might be a greybeard, but what a hell of a beard!
(And what an awesome person he is)
Good morning
TLC
Tell that to the ones here. The started blooming and then were hit with -20°C
kristinc
Yay for therapist
Hairhead
LOL
I understand what you mean but I couldn’t help laughing.
animals in houses
The marten on my parents’ attic was annoying (there was only a thin wooden ceiling between me and said attic so it was fucking loud). But it seems like it found me annoying, too. Obviously didn’t like Nirvana and Pearl Jam much.
The only thing we ever had here was a bat. Since it was in the middle of winter I’m afraid it was its last mistake.
Caine
Soft hugs and chocolates comming
ladyh42
I can’t offer any help, only my sympathies
Hey… Hey… You stupid Crocuses. What the fuck are you doing? Do you WANT to freeze to death?
Fuckin crocuses ain’t got no sense.
ladyh42, I dug up some of JT’s posts on what it’s like to have a mental illness. This is one of my favorites:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/wwjtd/2011/12/07/when-normal-activities-are-terrifying/
I’m too sleepy to be much use otherwise, but Vancouver makes me smile… several good people there.
Oh yeah, have you read Allie Brosch on depression: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2011/10/adventures-in-depression.html … sample – “trying to use willpower to overcome the apathetic sort of sadness that accompanies depression is like a person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their hands grow back. A fundamental component of the plan is missing and it isn’t going to work.”
In my personal case, the talk therapies helped me to get practice in observing and setting aside the destructive thought patterns (what I like to call “brain spam”). The drugs help make them go away – not SSRIs, though, they did nothing for me. So does exercise and sunshine. But everyone’s different. Perhaps you could try light therapy – get one of those full spectrum daylight bulbs, and use it especially in the morning. Or even a light box; they’re not dreadfully pricy.
Watching the video, I’m always amazed at how tiny James Randi is.
If you see him alone he’s just such a presence that h seems too stand 2m tall.
And yes, reading Libby Ann’s posts on pro-life are scary. It’s very interesting and informative but also very, very scary.
Just to reinforce this point, much of Europe has had an unusually cold winter, although here in NE Scotland it’s been mild. All that arctic air has come slopping down through eastern Europe as far as Romania, where there have been a couple of hundred deaths from cold.
No, we haven’t.
We had an exceptionally cold February, which made people all forget about the very warm December and January
Map for Germany
You can click on the months for each year and get the data from the different stations AND the deviation from average.
For the last 12 months, the trend is warmer than usually… (as to be expected), but even for the winter before that 2010/11 people will remember a cold winter because we had snow.
Giliell,
Thanks for the correction – you’re quite right, although the switch was in mid-January accrding to The world Meteorological Organization.
KG
I think our monkey-brains are seriously fucking with us in those aspects: we remember extremes more than slight deviations, negative extremes more than positive extremes and so on.
And the media follow and strengthen those patterns
All totally usefull when living in the savanna (who cares about 0.9 less leaves on a tree?), but absolutely not usefull when talking about statistics.
That’s why nowadays parents are mortally afraid that their children will be abducted, raped and murdered (probably the worst that can happen, but also something very, very rare), which they claim never happened “in the olden days”. Only, of course, that it happened as well, we know from criminal records, but you didn’t hear about it over long distances.
And that’s why, despite all data, nurses, doctors, midwives and mothers insist on “full moon” doing X. I have no clue how the moon was when my kids were born, but I’m very sure it wasn’t full or somebody would have reminded me of it.
Caine – gentle huggles, dear. My consistent pains seem to be on the down swing for the nonce. Hope your pains take the hint and also decrease.
ladyh42 – It might be obvious, but have you had a full checkup recently? Some physical problems can mask and/or exacerbate depression or other mental issues. My thyroid was a culprit for me many years ago and I responded better to both anti-depressants and therapy after it was removed and my hormone levels regularized. Also, again with the obvious, sometimes it helps to change the therapist.
Bill @50:
Besides, I like winter!
-Really? Take this winter weather in NW Florida then, please. I’ll take my ‘I live in Florida for a reason’ spring weather.
When I was in DC this last Friday (yours, not mine), daffodils were in bloom.
Orange Jell-o salad with peas?
Kinda like baseball. Little League. Pony League. Pittsburg Pirates. High School. College. Rookie league. Minor League. Major League.
I wonder where Pharyngula is on the league scale?
That is the brand name. For a generic name, I would write gelatin dessert. Which takes more letters. So I take the lazy way.
^This^!!!
And I freely admit that I like the fact that my last budgetted gas bill (I have natural gas heat), which is normally $112 a month, was-$38 and they would not let me make a payment. And I am so fucking worried about what this is going to do in the spring (can you say record pollen counts? thought you could), summer, and fall. If any of you live off in the woods, I strongly recommend doing some brush and tree clearing around your house. This years fire season could be really bad in the eastern US.
{runs off chuckling}
LAGOMORPHS!!!
Yeah. They’re as good at planning ahead as, say, a GOP or Teabagger politician.
weather ≠ climate
La Niña likely has more to do with this warmer than normal winter in the US than climate change. That’s not saying climate change isn’t affecting things but this abnormal winter is probably more attributed to La Niña than AGW.
It’s cramming the jet stream north which is keeping artic chillyness up in weird bacon and curling land and not here in the states.
That’s like insulting PZ and spelling it ‘Meyers’.
Plus the mere fact that Clemente once existed makes your quip foolishly short-sighted.
(Yes I am sensitive about teh Bucs.)
I couldn’t resist. Sorry. Maybe Pittsburg will someday have a major league team again.
I remember the whole “We Are Family” time with fond memories.
On another subject, I’m using somebody else’s computer and I can’t believe the ads that are displayed here if you don’t do AdBlock. I know it’s a longstanding problem–Coyne occasionally posts disparaging screenshots–but that just makes me wonder why nobody’s done anything about it. Christian T-shirts and pastor-by-mail schemes are one thing but now it’s ‘Protect the Unborn: sign the petition to bypass Roe v. Wade’. Gratuitous pic of a baby clearly born a couple months ago.
This is a fucking insult to the people that read these blogs. It’s unconscionable. Seriously.
‘burgh
The goose crows at Midnight.
Leeesten werry carefully. I zhall zay zis only wunce.
This evening, I get to do something I loathe.
I recieved my refurbished copmuter (a Dell with a 2ghz dual-core). And now I need to set it up for what I need. And transfer files.
I am not looking forward to this.
And now for the idiot column of the day feature.
But Chas you guys just signed AJ Burn. ..heh heh
Sorry
Burn.. hhahahahha
Hold on. Really this is inappropriate. I apologize.
They just signed AJ Burn.. bwwwwwwwahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@ Caine
{theo sends hugs through USB ports}
@ brogg (2% intellectually curious)
Ochotona princeps !!!
@ jbshaldane
Enough with the bloody rabbits already.
@ Dr Audley
{whispers surreptitiously}
[[[Did the RL hugs get delivered as planned?]]]
{looks around nonchalantly while awaiting answer}
Doubtful. That would imply that I had 100% intellectual curiousity prior to annoying that nettlesome asshat.
Just when I started picking my nose James Randi held up that lens to the camera (1:11). I felt observed and stopped immediatly. How did he know when I was going to do that? Do we finally have a promising candidate for the JREF million dollar price?
@82 a copmuter?
I´m sure certain people will be very intersted that things like muting cops are discussed in this terrible forum.
It looks like the Boy Scouts of America organization is finally going to be forced to air its dirty laundry when it comes to sexual abuse cases.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/53547488-68/scouts-files-abuse-barbara.html.csp
Sandra’s emailed back. Once again, I need help. Here’s her intro:
Re: “I feel no need to go into the technical jargon here. As I mentioned before, if it is not bible babble that you are going to hide behind, it will be the minutia of obscure legalistic points. Take a pragmatic view: Are gay people going to be treated in exactly the same way as hetero’s? If “no”, then we still have a fucked up situation. You are still stigmatising gay people by not allowing exactly the same social standing (in this case marriage, not just a supposedly equivalent “domestic partnership”).
Re: “To get a grip about how truly messed up your thinking is, reread everything you have said both in your last post and in this thread after substituting every mention of “gay people” with the word “black people” and/or other discriminated groups.”
Re: “Homosexuals always had these rights. It is not a matter of law, but common human decency. Are our morals or basic human rights to be determined by the vagaries of law? The law in Apartheid for South Africa, for example, said that black and white people could not marry either. Would you still be so damn flippant if you were prevented from full social recognition of your relationship to the (other race) love of your life?”
Re: “And yet that is strange: because you appear to be obstinately or intolerantly devoted to your anti-gay prejudices. Perhaps you have overcome your racist prejudice. If this is the case, then you will see that the substitution exercise I gave above teases out your bigotry with regards to gay people.”
Re: “Most people hate to be called out on their bigotry, as they understand it to be an antisocial thing. But instead of self-criticism they pretend it does not apply to them. You should be offended that I call your bigotry. Better that, than that you continue your denial. Does your religion help you in that endeavor?”
Re: “Screw Prop 8. What is your position? Don’t hide behind iniquitous legality to hide your own bigotry. Either 100% equality or just back the hell off out of this argument.”
Re: “And you don’t recognise this as a form of institutionalized discrimination? If your constitution is endorsing this, then it needs to be amended. It is waaay past its sell-by-date. (Have you wondered why the US constitution is no longer being used as an example by other countries? The whole world is getting tired of entrenched bigotry. Civilised countries are turning to constitutions like Canada’s or South Africa’s for inspiration and guidance. I strongly recommend you do the same.)”
Re: calling her out on her “privilage”:
Re: “Again, using the example of Apartheid, would you still “support the system”? The law classed certain citizens as less equal. (If you are not prepared to answer the hypothetical, can you at least try and see that treating certain citizens as second class (such as gays in the USA) is a repugnant situation?) Stop hiding behind the system. At least open your eyes, then speak out against iniquity where you see it.”
Re: the unfairness of the system:
So yes, I really REALLY need help tackling this. Please PLEASE provide me the help I need in taking this down. :)
Much thanks,
James
Wherever they can, however they can, Utah’s mostly mormon and mostly Republican legislators control the culture of the state.
Their latest bid for Most Inane Rules affects the stat-controlled liquor stores. Journalist Paul Rolly put it this way:
No. Just another homage to Tpyos.
=====
Scouts.
Not only is this sickening, but I actually feel sick now. Shit.
echidna says:
19 February 2012 at 6:10 pm
This is something I read in a short article in our internal newsletter years ago, but you’re in luck. This lecture seems to be what was referenced:
On and on it goes.
Hans Christian Andersen Research in the United States
Micheal, I cannot make myself read all of that bilge that she pumps out. But I saw this line and had to comment.
This is complete and utter bullshit. In the US, no one needs a church to get married. Marriage is not dictated by any religions. To make this point and to run with it is intellectually dishonest. If a church will not marry a couple, fine. They can still get married without their blessing. To treat this like an issue is a mask to what she really thinks of the rights of LGBT people.
@83, Rev. BigDumbChimp
“Despite the controversial nature of using this phrase to describe this player, the most socially damaging things ESPN could have done were issue a public apology and reprimand its employees.”
You’re not kidding about the “idiot” part. That article is downright disgusting.
I was actually really impressed by ESPN’s handling of the situation. There was no “We apologize if people were offended” or “We’re taking taking this seriously.” It was clear and unambiguous: these statements were offensive; we apologize; one person has been dismissed and another is on suspension.
David Beach: “Dr. Dawg” sounds entirely uninteresting, going by just that one post. He states in comments that he’s agnostic because “militant atheism” is “spiritually” “sterile,” and his OP is full of sniveling pox-on-both-houses moral equivalence. I mostly skimmed the whole thing, especially the copious sewer-load of jeezus talk.
Audley:
0_o
Bill: Agreed entirely, even though I don’t like winter myself. The price for this mild weather is far too high, but we’re going to be paying it.
Ariaflame: Agreed also. It’s not just this winter, it’s all sorts of weather-related weirdness over the last however-many years.
Rev. BDC: A white male college senior pontificating about what people of color should and should not find offensive. I’m shocked.
The idiot is majoring in “mass communications,” yet he doesn’t understand how language works.
Good question. I don’t think Salon needs to encourage mirroring, since several readers have done that for them. Link to instructions on Irregular Times
Here’s a link to the original article in Salon:
http://politics.salon.com/2012/02/19/billionaire_romney_donor_uses_threats_to_silence_critics/
Last I looked, the Salon article had garned 1,148 comments.
Here’s the first of several comments about the Salon article in the previous chapter of The Endless Thread.
james re Sandra, I can’t make myself read another bucket of her crap either. All I flashed on was “Point out EXACTLY where I’m bigoted” which is bullshit. She knows she’s bigoted, that’s why she’s obfuscating the jeebiebers out of every single point she supposedly makes, and then using the obfuscation as proof. I remember pointing out a couple of her contradictions, and then she goes “You’re wrong, those aren’t contradictions because [paragraphs of bullshit] you’re wrong and I’m right, neener neener YOU CAN’T PROVE ANYTHING.” She’s making this an endurance contest, and James Michael, you’re falling into her trap by trying to chase every drop she spews. She’s not arguing in good faith, she never HAS been arguing in good faith, and right now she’s just dancing in her own muck.
I suggest telling her she’s blowing smoke and it’s not YOUR job to clarify her bullshit for her. The ONLY clear statements she’s made in a week are “I’m not bigoted”, “You’re wrong” and “You can’t prove I’m wrong.”
The Daily Mail is also covering the story of sexual abuse coverups by the Boy Scouts of America.
Al Steven Stein, who is accused of having abused more than one Boy Scout, weighed 450 pounds at the time. There’s a photo of him in the Daily Mail article.
Lynna… what in tarnation does this guy’s weight have to do with abuse?
Well I take it as what an imposing and scary person he must be to a 13 year old boy
Thanks Pteryxx, I was wondering the same thing.
@ james
James, I have great respect for your boundless energy. On the other hand, I can see that she is fighting a war of attrition with you. That woman is a bigot, plain and simple. That I can shoot upon, but I am not qualified to help you with the fine points of either Prop 8 or DOMA. Unfortunately the real boffins wrt these issues are not here right now. {theophontes nods at Walton and Strange Gods}
Though I do not mind helping you where I can, I do not know all the back issues to Sandra, and so can not argue as effectively as I would like. Don’t get upset if you fail to “win” your arguments, especially when engaging dishonest people. We can hope some sense settles in there and that it delivers its cerebral payload at some stage in the future. At least we have engaged.
By the way, I am in China (you where in UK?), so this will not happen in realtime. It is very late here and I need to snooze.
@ Pteryxx
Someone that large can use that to his advantage. Especially against kids. Bulk does help if you want to (physically) bully people. (Not necessarily much help in a street fight though.)
Sorry you guys, no way am I buying that “big therefore scary” excuse. This is a MENTOR with a position of authority over kids within an organization that most likely ignores any signs of victimization. He doesn’t NEED physical intimidation over a child. Most serial molesters don’t use physical force at all, but charm and social pressure, remember? They can be old and frail *coughSanduskycough* or even disabled. There’s no reason to talk about an institutional child-rapist cover-up and then say “Here’s a picture and he’s 450 pounds.” None.
*sings*
To-niiiight, to-niiiight it’s chicken broth tonight, with fresh and tasty ve-ge-tables…
Also, current exchange rate for 60 min of sunlight and fresh air is 1 load of laundry.
Spring must be around the corner since the rabbits are changing fur. Or it better be lest I have to make them little coats ;)
james,
just let it go. She’s not interested in having a fair discussion.
If you really want to pursue this further, you’d need to tell those of us still willing to help more about your relationship to her, because if it was an acquaintance, most of us probably would have de-friended her a long time ago…
James,
No real desire to wade through the wall of text, sorry.
Something I caught early, though, about civil unions being equal in California: Prop 8 was challenged under federal law, not state, and the determination by the court was that what we call something is important. Ergo, if you aren’t calling it marriage, even if everything else is the same, it’s not equal.
And that’s something Sandra herself is supporting by fighting giving the name to gay unions: if it’s important enough for her to try and deny someone the name, the name obviously means something. Therefore, it’s not equal, and she’s wrong by her own actions.
Everything else can be ignored.
Sorry, I shouldn’t have just thrown that out there without context. Apparently, the guy used his weight to hold the kids down.
And his considerable weight caused additional damage.
Giliell:
You are so getting asked (by me, if no one else) to make little coats for the rabbits. With carrot monograms (like the Izod shirts).
And then take pictures.
Kick-ass articles via BoingBoing:
AAAS: AIDS research by 17-year-olds
—
Whistleblower statistician on Target’s creepy data mining
from the NYT article cited:
Mostly I’m furious because their spamming to pregnant women doesn’t stop with miscarriage or death of the child. Several commenters complained of being traumatized by continued marketing for baby stuff.
Heh, Alethea, good quote, that’s exactly how it feels. Jeffrey, I did have a physical. Other than being badly out of shape my bloodwork was ok, but my doc did give me thyroid meds to see if that helped with the lethargy. I guess we’ll see. They took yours out tho? Crazy!
Oh shit Lynna, that’s wretched. I didn’t see that in the article linked and thought weight an unnecessary aspect of the case.
I think I should apologize some more. In no way did I intend to equate being overweight with being a pedophile. Nor did I mean to equate being overweight with being a somehow worse pedophile than a skinny pedophile.
I was just lazy and stupid when I posted the link to the story.
From the LA Times version of the Boy Scout abuse case:
Ah, thanks Lynna. That’s a much better reason (though, ewww.)
About that Target data-mining article… Yeah, I have some major, MAJOR privacy concerns here.
From the NYT:
…Right… the father owes TARGET an apology?
NYT article link (behind regwall)
Stress is funny stuff, I put on twenty five pounds over two years while trying to make things work and have dropped fifteen of that since I realized in November that I couldn’t. I wonder what that says?
David M,
I don’t know my Scienceblogs credentials anymore, so let me just note
2 years ago that match Germany-Spain was in South Africa.
The one in Vienna must have been four years ago during the Euro.
And I saw both matches in the middle of the night, in Indonesia.
I originally wanted to log in to say that during the Nazi era the majority of Germans weren’t Catholics, but Lutherans, but you already mentioned it.
Re: Boy Scouts
2007? Wow, then there must be something wrong with the local unit. ’cause I was a (Cub Scout) leader at the time and the national organization definitely had rules that should have prevented this. I don’t think at the time they were instituting the background checks, but they were definitely stressing the “two deep leadership” rule where boys were never to be left alone with a single adult. Damn. Whether regional or National chose afterwards to cover it up (ala Watergate or the RCC) or how far up the hierarchy people knew might have the same implications as those other cases.
Re: targetted [yes, in both senses] adverts
I’m always amazed at how bad these are in the sense that we continued to get diaper and other baby product ads for long after spawn would have outgrown them. 5-7 years past. Yeah, we possibly could have had more children (well, in principle) but then they should have correlated continued purchases which themselves should have triggered the targetting… but there weren’t, so cut it out!
I don’t know if it was an official rule, an informal rule, or just a suggested way of doing things, but back in the mid-1970s that was a policy with Cub Scouts (at least, it was in Arizona). Didn’t do a whole hell of a lot as the two adults were husband and wife, and the wife knew when she should take a long, long walk on camping trips (some of you are aware of my history, consider this anecdata). The point is, even when rules are in place, it does not mean they are followed.
This ‘two deep’ leadership rule, while a sound practice in theory, kinda seems inadequate. Like Ogvorbis said, just because it’s a rule it doesn’t mean it’s always followed.
Sometimes all a guy has to say is ‘Come on man, you know I wouldn’t do that shit!’… and then suddenly the other guy feels like a big asshole who’s subtly implying he’s a pedophile, as opposed to just being cautious and following the rules.
Even if my example sucks, I do know that people are ALWAYS willing to bend the rules for a ‘buddy’.
Two deep is a very very unfortunate name for a sex crime prevention strategy
Jesus fucking Christ.
:(
I always seem to assume until told otherwise that it’s just the one person, that no one around is directly complicit because no one else knows. I really ought to know better by now.
I know you weren’t probably looking for them, Og, but *hugs* anyway if you want them.
I was thinking the same thing
Already I’m quite behind again.
It means that I don’t have to turn on my heater, thus cutting down my carbon footprint :-P
Off to
procrastinate on work by catching upwork on my copyediting.Pay-Pal co-founder donates millions to Ron Paul super pac
Ogvorbis: Rereading your post, I totally, completely, and insensitively zoned right out on what you were saying, while still ‘getting the point’.
I’m sorry.
Why would Pay-Pal which relies on fiat currency to function support Goldar?
Oh, she would probably have claimed she didn’t know. She just liked taking all but one kid (not always the same kid) on two or three hour walks.
No, you got exactly what I was talking about. Rules such as this tend to be honoured in the breach.
No need to be.
======
(And yes, Google Chrome, ‘honoured’ is a word so remove the damned underline!)
Holy fuck…John Loftus is a horrible bigot
In 2007 (date of the incident in the story) it was definitely official policy; I don’t know when it became such prior to ~2002. And we were told during training that husband/wife teams were not acceptable. I too was a scout in the ’70’s, but my memory (of everything) is too poor to remember the exact policy of the time (in MA or CA). Not that I would have experienced any issues at the time as my father was a leader and would have brooked no such nonsense of even a hint of any wrongdoing.
Yes, I understand how this rule can be bent/broken in actual life — I’m sure it is. I’m a little at odds to see what (realistic) alternatives can be done to prevent such breakage. Especially in an organization heavily staffed by volunteers. Alas, even when National says the right thing it comes down to the local units to enforce the rules and that’s where things go wrong … or right. The flip side of this is how they treat homosexuals and atheists; officially the national organization is on the wrong side of the fence, but individual local units will sometimes overlook such transgressions. [Sigh] How does one get a group to strictly enforce the right rules and break the wrong ones?
The scenario TLC lays out was explicitly talked about in training and we were instructed to treat it (from both sides of the fence) as “rules are rules” and neither “go there” (i.e. don’t even try to use that line) nor let it slide. How strongly that is beaten into trainees probably varies wildly; how strongly it is held by those trainees also is going to vary. I think the more problematic failure for the organization is the same one as the RCC: trying to internalize the investigation and deal with the problem outside the law.
Just popping in for some organizational wrangling:
REASON RALLY!
If you’re planning to attend the Reason Rally in March here in DC and would like to hang out with the local Horde, please go here to fill out a poll with the salient details.
We’re planning to meet for breakfast early and stake a good spot on the mall (Location TBA, based on where the stage is), and then go out for dinner afterwards to celebrate.
Email me with questions at oniongirlsays at googlemail dot com, because I will most likely not be back on TET until my life settles down a little! :) (I’m thinking around mid-March, possibly…)
Ing where’s that quote from?
@Rev. BigdumbChip
His response to Natalie Reed
http://freethoughtblogs.com/nataliereed/2012/02/15/target-audiences-and-playing-nice/#comment-3704
The guy is psycho.
http://www.ldssdf.org/
That my friends is the link to a forum for Latter Day Saints Skinny Dippers. Yep, nudist mormons. Part of their schtick is that they will be better prepared for the End Times if they practice recreational nudity now.
Although the forum is “primarily for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” everyone is welcome to participate … as long as you restrict your recreational nudity to chaste and wholesome activities.
Like fucking?
We Are Ing @138, maybe like fucking, I don’t know. But I do know they wouldn’t say “fucking” even if it was included in the wholesome category.
They don’t even use the word “masturbation,” sticking instead to “M.”
http://www.ldssdf.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=531
Threadrupt but I have the answer to the Arrietty mystery!
My friend says one of the minor characters is a gratuitous caricature of a Native American: “Warpaint, crazy clothes, uncivilized minors, the inability to count, and unable to speak in complete sentences.”
Her daughter is Native so it was especially offensive and hurtful for her to see. She said the rest of the movie was absolutely beautiful but there was no reason at all to have a stereotyped character.
Kristinc: I think they mentioned that character in the review I was watching. THEIR complaint, however, was that he didn’t get much screentime or much of a backstory.
The way they described the character though, it sounded more like just a generalized primitive/feral person than explicitly native american.
Have accessible, trustworthy contacts for victims or witnesses to report their concerns, is the best I can think of. Honestly, a two-person rule would be all but unnecessary if people weren’t so devoted to denial in the first place, IMHO.
I agree, Pteryxx.
I couldn’t find an elegant way to say this, but stuff like the ‘two deep’ rule is well and good, but how unnecessary would it be if the standard response to kids telling people about abuse wasn’t something like “Mr Randomname is a NICE MAN. How dare you make up nasty lies like that about him! I want you to apologize to him! Come now, it’s the right thing to do.”
also gang – the Baltimore county council is supposed to vote on that trans rights bill tomorrow at 6 pm, so if anyone else wants to contact them, now’s the time:
Arrrggggh, you have to Google “Google Scholar” to get to Google Scholar!
Dumb move, Google!
You have no idea how right on the money you are. Or, at least, I hope you have no reason to know how right on the money you are.
Gonna have to check out for a while.
Sorry.
My fault.
No.
I know you agree with me, and I even know that I’m saying things that ‘need to be said’, but I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to have this kind of impact. :(
Google Scholar can also be found from the rest of Google by clicking “More” and then “Even More”. And then finding it way at the bottom.
(And then clicking “OK” on the box that pops up and says “Are you sure? They use very big words there!”)
Sorry Og. Take care of yourself, and thank you.
If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s the people that hurt us. Not us when we get triggery, nor us when we talk openly about these horrible problems and how to mitigate them. It’s not OUR fault that someone abused us.
Daisy:
:D
It hasn’t occurred to me before now, but it looks like the Jell-O mold is pretty much the same color as the wood table.
And people still ate it!
theopontes:
[whisper]
Yes! In a timely fashion, even!
[/whisper]
Fuck, bro Og, I’m sorry. I’d like to send over a whole lot of internet hugs if that’s OK.
Og, *hugs*. NOT your fault. Take care of yourself and come back when you feel up to it.
@Dhorvath – Chronic stress is well known to induce abdominal fat. Look up “cortisol response”. Yes, this is another part of the vicious cycle of obesity, and reason #613278012 why shaming people out of being fat does not work.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, part of the problem with the jello mold is that it does nothing to hide the peas. Nothing.
In other news, The Daily Beast has posted a convenient list of the ten most outrageous things Rick Santorum has said. There’s the usual man-on-dog stuff, etc. But there were a few I hadn’t heard before.
Still catching up:
Rey:
It got ate.
And it most certainly was created to be consumed– there may have been a little bit of sadistic intent when I settled on the recipe, but the cook in me wanted someone to like it.
;)
Oggie:
Close. Lemon Jell-O with shrimp, ketchup, and peas.
But never fear! I also made a period appropriate cake as well*. It’s funny, I liked the Jell-O “salad” more than I thought I would (not to say that I actually liked it, just that I could stand to swallow a couple of bites), but I wasn’t too enthused with how the cake turned out. I mean, it definitely wasn’t bad (and the filling and frosting were tasty), but I found it a bit too dry. Ah well.
*Not that cakes have changed all that much over the years.
Thinking of you, Og, and seconding (ninthing by the time I post this?) that it’s not your fault at all.
And here’s another mind boggling anti-fact spouted by Rick Santorum:
The quote is from a Daily Beast article about Santorum, Bachmann, and other culture warriors having appeared on Sunday talk shows yesterday.
Lynna:
I blame the Mormons.
Oggie,
:( *hugs* to you.
Bleagh! I forgot until about 15 minutes ago that I volunteered to bring dessert for dinner at MIL’s tonight.
So: currently in the oven, a chocolate cake mix from a box doctored up with butter, orange peel, cardamom and finely ground almond meal. Batter was very lumpy going in, we’ll see. I baked it in my vintage Bundt pan, for pretty, and I’ll smother it in orange-juice-and-powedered-sugar glaze.
It’s 1:50 PM. I’m already into the mead.
I fucking hate the last two-three days before my check comes.
On the upside, I’ve discovered that as long as I have yeast, honey, and other crap to throw in like raisins, apples, blueberries, and sich, I pretty much never HAVE to go to the liquor store again, do I?
*sits up attentively*
How did you get them out?
–
*non-intrusive Interwebz hugs* for Ogvorbis.
–
But that’s a good thing! It means that they can’t lurk in there, poised to attack the unwary diner like a rake in the grass.
–
We’ve recently discussed mormon reeducation camps for “troubled teens.” Scientologists have always been big on reeducating both teens and adults. Journalist Bryan Seymour put together an exposé of Scientology’s terrible treatment of children and teens in Sydney, Australia.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/02/scientology_shane_kelsey_rpf.php
Child abuse, no doubt about ie.
cicely:
As far as I know, my landlord found where they were getting in (a hole in the chimney, I think) and he put a “one-way exclusion door”* over the hole. Basically, it let the squirrels out of the attic, but they couldn’t get back in.
It was a contraption along these lines. Bonus: it’s totally humane AND there’s no traps to check!
*Think along the same lines as the “have a heart” pest traps.
I was watching Being Human and I realized that I still have at least a pretty big chunk of the Catholic Mass memorized.
Interesting.
CC: Same with me, I can still remember most of the Anglican services.
CC: I would be willing to bet that I would have no trouble following an Anglican service even now.
And I could probably sing most of the hymns without even looking at a songbook.
Memory is weird.
Hey, A.R., did you recover from the ether exposure? I hope so.
Nutmeg: Yeah, I went to the E.R. Saturday night. They prescribed antinauseals and some painkillers, and had me on supplemental oxygen for awhile. I’m feeling much better.
Bookmarked; it sounds ideal for my purposes (I just want ’em gone, I don’t want ’em dead)(provided that it can be fitted for very irregular accesses), but a bit of a stretch for us price-wise, for what would almost certainly need to be multiple traps.
–
AR: Glad you’re doing better!
I went to Christmast mass (as a present to Mom), and I had lost my memorization of it over the eight or so years that I hadn’t been to a non-funeral mass.
We Are Ing
The remarkable consistency so oft displayed by libertarians is a remarkable thing, is it not?
It is something I keep foremost in my mind, now that Obama has abandoned planetary science, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now the last, great hope of humanity’s future on the final frontier.
If any of you missed it Goldar is my new proposed nickname for Ron Paul. Wrinkled, Oafish, Stupid and at most an irrelevant annoyance.
That is what the redundant department of redundancies tells me!
ladyh42 – GLad you have gotten a medical exam. Thyroid meds may help overall.
My thyroid had gone totally haywire, putting out about 15 times of … thyroid stuff than it should – too lazy to look that up. Anyway, I was on the edge of a stroke until the thyroid was killed by radiation. My overall health improved dramatically once that was fixed.
Luck to you.
It would be nice to attend the reason rally with the Horde, but transportation is very problematic for me. Grr. I curse my undocumented status (since driving license aren’t issued to those with the status).
TLC, last thread (I’m very behind):
I’m an occasional anime viewer. The first show I watched, years ago, was Neon Genesis Evangelion. After I’d finished it, I checked online for fan reactions to it, since I had some questions and doubts.
This was probably a mistake.
Among the main characters in the show were several teenagers. I’d read that the majority of the audience for most TV anime in Japan was teenage boys, so this was to be expected. What I didn’t expect was to find guys, who from other comments appeared to be adults, posting rape fantasies about 14-year-old animated girls. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. Of the two girls in NGE, one, Asuka, is fiery, self-confident and opinionated, while the other, Rei, is passive, quiet, and almost emotionless. The creeps mostly ignored the girl with personality, and focussed their fantasies on the one who would meekly endure everything without complaint.
So, yeah. Fandom. Hate it. It’s not all like that, of course, but I’ve seen enough creepy comments to make me wary of even mentioning anime.
Dr. Audley Z Darkheart:
-I need to look into that. Whatever is crawling around my attic-which, in the 9 years I’ve been renting this house, I’ve never peeked into-is darned annoying when I’m trying to sleep. All that skittering drives me up the wall (so do crickets and frogs when they decide to do their chorus at night).
Humanely getting rid of pests is, unfortunately, not accepted by enough people. I bartend (why am I getting red squiggly marks under ‘bartend’? That’s not a word??) and one of the restaurants I used to work at had an on-again/off-again problem with mice. The solution implemented by our then-General Manager was to strategically place sticky traps around the restaurant. One time he showed me a mouse stuck on the pad. When I asked him how he was going to get the little critter off, he said he couldn’t. Apparently those traps are *so* sticky that trying to pry an animal off will rip body parts off. I was rather disgusted by it. Then he proceeded to take the pad-still with the mouse (alive and twitching, but not moving)-and go stomp the mouse outside, saying it was a quick way to die. In my head, I’m thinking how awful it would be for a living creature to go through all that. Ick.
I’m glad more humane methods have been devised.
At the least, best practice guidelines now state that the two deep cannot be a related couple. That’s how it was described to us when I was still working in a church with kids and they were rolling in all the more strict guidelines.
And hugs if you want them, Og. There’s nothing I can say but how much I feel for you and despise who hurt you.
Seriously two deep? can’t we just call it a buddy system like mature adults?
Re mice and sticky traps: ARGH.
However it is NOT TRUE that there’s no way to get them off. The trick is to squirt them with some kind of vegetable oil. Eventually the oil works between the mouse’s paws and the sticky trap so the mouse can squiggle free. (This will also help get a sticky trap off your arm or cat. >_> )
Sticky traps sound disturbing. Do it properly, use a typical goddamn snappy-trap like people have been using for years. True, sometimes even those fail to kill rodents immediately, but it’s gotta be better than the sticky trap.
Plus, snap-traps are reusable.
Moggie:
-For all that I’ve been a lifelong comic book fan (to this day, though financial stress has prevented me from making any purchases in a while…sniff…sniff), I’ve never been to any of the conventions. I know Atlanta has Dragon-Con every year, and Orlando has one as well (Mega-Con, I think), but I’ve never been one to do travelling alone, and I’m a bit shy in social situations where I know absolutely *no one* (which is odd given my occupation; IMO, bartenders should try or should be somewhat gregarious, which I am, but mostly in the context of a work environment). I really should go to a big one someday, as I could probably enjoy the hell out of a convention (aside from comics, I’m a massive Joss Whedon fan, and between Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, the bigger cons around the US typically have some of my favorite actors attending). Thus I don’t have much experience with fandom in the way you have. However, I have lurked around message boards and some of the comments I’ve read before are creepy, so I have some clue what you’re talking about.
Pteryxx:
“However it is NOT TRUE that there’s no way to get them off. The trick is to squirt them with some kind of vegetable oil. “
-Thanks for the info. I hope to never see those damn things again, but if I do I’ll know what to grab (after proper protection for myself) to try and save a captured animal (however, I’m not going to save a roach. I draw my line there. Frogs, mice, rats, spiders, snakes, beetles…I don’t mind any of them. Roaches, well, I’m an animal lover to a point)
Laughing Coyote:
Sticky traps sound disturbing.
-they are. I hope you never have to see an animal stuck to one of them.
It’s funny (rather, it would be if it weren’t so damn frustrating) to be accused of lacking morals for being an atheist, yet it disturbs me to think of a mouse stuck on a sticky trap, essentially waiting to die.
Years ago, on the late, lamented SF Roundtable on the long-defunct GEnie network, I was informed that I wasn’t an SF because I didn’t go to cons. Hey, can I help it if I’m anti-social?
We had a squirrel in our cellar a few years ago. Bought a Hav-a-hart or however they’re spelled. It took me a week or so of tweaking and modifying it before we caught the damn thing, but I was finally able to give it a new home in an area forest.
Just spent about 2 hours fighting to replace, of all things, a toilet seat. I can tell my blood pressure is way up now. Hopefully the “hard lemonade” I mooched from my wife’s stock will help me calm down.
Please understand that my #145 post was when I was threadrupt. I had no idea what was going on before me, I was at work on a 15 minute break, and after getting caught up at home it was insensitive.
+++++++++++++++
(p.s. Rey, ‘Scholar’ used to be an option where Google transferred your search term over. Now, it’s 2 screens away. It’s like if I had to put 911 on speed dial.)
+++++++++++++++
I have a fairly serious mouse phobia. I set up 9 snap-traps in a 900 sq ft apartment when I had one once.
And then I left and stayed somewhere else for a week.
Because as scared as I was of the mouse, I couldn’t stand the thought of killing it.
When I finally went back home, the traps were all intact, but I never saw the mouse again. I think I must have driven it to go mooch off of my neighbors.
There’s a trick to safely cornering and catching live mice (safely for you AND the mouse, FTR)
I corner them and then put my hand down flat on top… NOT crushing, just restraining, though remember a mouse has a very flexible skeleton and is a lot tougher than it looks, and then grab by the base of the tail.
Depending on how smart the mouse is, you have to move fairly quick from here. Some mice just flail around trying to bite the air, but others are smart enough to ‘climb up’ their own tails. I’ve bagged a few mice this way without injury to either mammal involved.
Argh. Bancrupt!
Dr. AZD:
I’d have preferred that to the photo of its former contents. :)
[Yes, that was a cunning pun on the word “former”.]
—
If anyone flamed me upthread, sorry, haven’t read it, and not gonna tonight.
I’ve been trying to smack down stupidity in the comments over here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9093108/Five-year-old-boy-lives-as-girl-in-youngest-case-of-Gender-Identity-Disorder.html
Are they really, though? I always thought that it would smell of stressed dead mouse, and none of the others would go near it. Plus there’s the problem of, um, cleaning it out. For the cheap wood ones, I’ve just thrown it all away. We did get some of the fancy plastic clothespin-type reusables, but they seemed to only work once so I thought they smelled bad to the other mice.
[skipping ahead]
RevBDC:
Right, I get that… but, as SallyStrange has already said, this winter is just one more data point. I don’t pretend to have the hard data at my fingertips, but it certainly appears to me that the trend over the 11 winters since I moved from FL to New England has been for ever warmer and less snowy winters. Even last year, when we had devastating snow loads that caused buildings to collapse, it was the result of a few intense storms embedded in an otherwise relatively warm, dry winter. This year, we had a snowstorm that knocked out ~90% of the power grid in the whole state of CT (and similar around New England, AFAIK)… in October… and we’ve had hardly any snow since, and extraordinarily warm temps.
I know full well that “weather ≠ climate”… but for how many consecutive winters must I not go sledding before I’m allowed to see a trend?
My real problem is that most folks don’t even seem to bother to argue about what the warm winter means; they just say, “isn’t it nice how warm it is?”
My worry when we have a mild winter is how much drought we’re in for later in the year. It’s hard for me to gauge how much rainfall we’ve had and how much it does or doesn’t make up for the lack of snowfall. I’d say where I am we’ve had just under a foot altogether when we should easily have had over three feet by now.
20.
NuMad,
from the last thread regarding the Binnen-I. While I think myself it is not the ideal solution, some people hate it with such passion that I’ve come to suspect it’s the linguistic version of MRAs.
Moggie,
that’s the reason I’ve been keeping away from Japanese learner forums. Too many anime fans there. I’ve seen Americans running around with a T-shirt saying “Now accepting applications for the position of Japanese girlfriend” (日本人彼女募集中) Disgusting.
An encouraging decision by an Indian state court:
As far as I know, abortion with the mother’s consent is legal in India (unless it is being done after a pre-natal gender determination for the foetus, in which case it is a punishable offense, for all parties involved, including the doctor). The case here seems to have been if the husband has any say in the matter.
We Are Ing
I’ve never met a libertarian who did not pound on and on and on and on and on about how consistent their favorite libertarian was. I felt I ought to convey their repetitiveness.
****************************************************************
Tony:
Your browser is delivered to you with the vocabulary of a child. It is your solemn duty to teach it as many new words as you are able. Whenever it fails to recognize a word, first, google the word to ensure that you have it correct, and then, right click on it, select [Add to Dictionary] from the popup menu, and lo, it will learn the new word, and be ever silently grateful to you.
****************************************************************
carlie:
In many nations, your taxpayer dollars pay to have all that stuff monitored and calculated by scientists. Example.
No hear back from last big interview (as expected I was told 6 weeks due to vacation) but got another interview in the same place for a night shift opening. Only downside is obviously the nightshift.
RevBDC:
Imagine my relief when I clicked on your link and discovered the Pay-Pay co-founder in question was not Elon Musk (llewelly [@171], take note… and if you have some other reason to think Musk is a wingnut, I don’t want to know!).
***
Ogvorbis… shit, I don’t know what to say… except that I’m thinking of you, and hope you’re well.
***
Re mice, and the trapping of same: We had very good luck with the Hav A Heart trap. Not cheap, especially if you need a bunch of ’em, but effective, and completely harmless to the wee beasties.
Urrk! “…Pay-
PayPal…”No guess as to what service something called “Pay-Pay” might be offering!
TLC, I once had a mouse run across my keyboard when I was typing. I still couldn’t catch that fucker. When they got that bold? Yeah, that motherfucker and the family are going down.
You can’t make peace with them, they want the fucking house. One mouse, I’m OK but not happy, a family of mouses? I hate and will kill you twice. They want to take over
the worldmy house.And the goddam squirrel (or rat) is back/still here. I feel like the Wiley Coyote in that this fucker has evaded all my traps. Rabbit snares et al.
If I don’t get enough sleep I will turn on humans.
first rabbits, now mice…
TLC: Yeah, it’s not that hard to catch mice by hand and not hurt them, but the learning curve is steep. Folks have to learn what holding a mouse without hurting it is like before they can *grab* one without hurting it – or, far more often in my experience, they’re too gentle and get bitten or let the mouse get away. For rookies I suggest herding the mouse into a dark container, like a cereal box, rather than try grabbing it by hand.
I don’t have much experience with snap traps (we don’t really use them much in labs…) but I’ve heard that unlike rats, mice aren’t very careful around traps that smell of killed mouse; supposedly they’re more wary of human hand smell than whether the trap’s new or used. Mice are pretty stupid as mammals go.
Of course, YMMV (your mouse may vary).
Tony:
Yeah, I’ve been in the apartment for over 3 years now and haven’t peeked up there yet. Part of the problem being that it’s a pain in the fucking ass to even get to the trapdoor (it’s in a closet, over a shelf) and, well, my building is old. Like whoa old. It’s structurally sound, but who knows what kind of creepy shit* I’d find up there?
As for the “one-way repeater door”, I only saw them mentioned on exterminator/pest control websites**, so you might have to order what you need online.
*Animal carcasses and whatnot.
*Couldn’t even find one on Amazon!
NOTHUNG!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWUV8Qeofjw&feature=player_embedded
For all my fellow warriors fighting the uphill battles.
“Your Mouse May Very”
Oh, dammit, get it out of my head! From now on that is stuck!
YMMV ymmv ymmv … Oh, wait, now it’s YMCA! (Why, yes, I can transpose earwigs. Why do you ask?)
Adding to what Pteryxx said, I notice that the presence of rotting mouse corpses doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent to them. I strongly doubt a bit of dead mouse smell on a trap will make much of a difference.
I’ve had good luck several times cornering a mouse and catching it in a washcloth/dish towel. Seems to keep it from being crushed *and* me from getting bitten.
re beasties: Hang on, y’all have to BUY one-way excluder doors? I thought you just make them out of hardware mesh. Sort of like the ports on a crab trap.
http://voices.yahoo.com/diy-build-own-critter-excluder-7732582.html
Damn! Sorry, Og. As everyone has said it’s not your fault.
The reason we can’t have nice things: fuckers who can look someone in the eye and convincingly tell the baldest of lies.
At least the Boy Scouts seemed to be mouthing the right words:
That sounds better than Penn State or the RCC’s policies. But the devil is in the implementation … and I’m sure that varies locale to locale.
—
Rodents (and birds): We feed them on a platform on the front porch (amuses the cats who sit on the back of the couch at the same level with only 12 inches and a pane of glass between them) and out back from the tree (amuses the dog who goes out the door like a streak of lightning and tries to climb the tree). Last night the cat growled at the window. Sometimes he does that when there’s stray cat in the yard; but no, when I went to look it was a little racoon face staring up at me. At least it wasn’t the skunk I once saw paired with the racoon raiding our garbage can.
We occasionally had the scampering of little feet in the attic, but it’s not been generally a problem. Mice we’ve had once and a while; the cats seem to keep that under control (though they tend to leave a mess to clean up). And a chipmunk chewed a hole in the siding to get into the garage — we can’t keep the bird seed in there any more.
re dead mouse smell (ICK WARNING)
TLC: That reminds me, not only does dead mouse smell not bother mice too much, most of ’em do like to eat other dead mice. Especially the brains… they always seem to go there first, and they have the teeth for it.
<_<
THE MORE YOU KNOW…
Re: sticky traps – I think my empathy line for land animals is drawn at vertebrates, with some charismatic insects and arachnids as special cases. Mice or lizards would bother me very much. But I have absolutely no problem with using them for pantry moth and cockroaches. For cockroaches, the dead cockroaches are an attractor. Filthy cannibals. DIE FUCKERS DIE!!! *ahem*, sorry, I don’t live in Sydney any more so it’s mostly moot now.
Also if I caught cephalopods that would bother me, but for another reason. I live a long way inland. Is the end nigh? Pray to be eaten first! Iä! Iä! Cthulhu Fhtagn!
Pteryxx: That kind of jibes with my observations of natural mortality in my mouse colony.
It will always be a bitter disappointment for me that we have no freshwater (and aquarium sized) cephalopods. :(
Pantry moths: gawd, I hate those things. Sticky traps w/ pheromones, tossing out cabinets of foodstuffs, scrubbing down said cabinets and they’re still with us. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Cats will sometimes chase and, ugh, eat them. But I think we’ve “naturally selected” out the family lines that come close enough to the ground (or counters, platforms, etc) for them to catch.
Re traps: being in Texas, I do use the sticky traps for cockroaches. It’s easier than lassooing each roach individually and trying to hog-tie it. <_<
Hot damn! Bookmarked soo bookmarky, it could be bookmarked twice! A hundred times! Manymanymany thanks, Pteryxx!
–
@ James
What Richard Austin said at #109. We can’t fight this by proxy (very likely she is doing the same. Notice how she suddenly became all aware of legal details.)
Ask yourself why Sandra is so fixated on holding on to the term “marriage”. Gay people have been denied this right for a very long time. That has always been wrong. Why should anyone even have to ask for something that is rightfully theirs in the first place? We have given several examples where gay marriage is recognised by the state and referred to it as such.
Why does she so badly support the stigmatisation of gay people by denying the full recognition of marriage rights and the term marriage? And further not recognising that current American laws in this regard are iniquitous and held in place by bigots like herself?
You must also be aware that even in the case of South Africa, there is a weasel clause included for the fucking religious bigots:
Religion poisons everything, everywhere.
Here is a linky to the act: PDF Dowload.
@ Pteryxx 117
I hope I did not either create the impression that weight in any way implies bully.
@ Dr. Audley 150
{loudly:} squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
[whisper]
Thank you.
[/whisper]
Good morning
re: traps
I remember that I once had a BIG fight with my grandpa about a mole trap. But that was one of those things: He grew up in a society where humans were cheap, so there was hardly a moment to spare to think about animals. And whatever you told him about moles actually being a bit messy but ultimatively good for your garden, he would just file them under “pest” and try to kill them.
One night, a very clever mole stole his trap…
Ogvorbis
Hugs are coming if you want them
Giliell, was it a clever mole, or was it a clever predator/scavenger making off with a trapped mole?
Miracle of Miracles, I finally got Smyrgol the fucking picky dragon to try a new food.
Apparently, though, blueberries only count as blueberries if they come from my hand… placing them on the ground before him produced an extremely bored stare.
@ Giliell
;D
@ brogg
*chocolates* (No, not easter bunny shapes)
@ TLC
Wut? Dragonz?
Theophontes: Yeah, a bearded dragon I have. He tends to be a bit picky about plant foods that vary from the typical salads we feed him.
I bet NO ONE can guess where the name Smyrgol comes from (yeah right).
I want to go to sleep, but I also want to check the Santorum science thread, but I know if I do I will read what the trollish josh has written and will delay sleeping for too long. Oh well. Someone on the internet will remain uncorrected for a while.
TLC, Gordon Dickson’s Dragon Knight series?
(Had a dragon called Smrgol)
John Morales: Close. I think.
Interesting article, relevant to discussion re. global warming.
http://www.thelocal.se/39218/20120220/
(Hope it works.)
Sister-in-law gave my little girl a bag of those gold foil wrapped chocolates that look like coins, or ‘chocolate moneys’ as they soon were known to be called. I opened the bag and handed them out to the kids and said ‘don’t eat them all in one place.’ Didn’t get a peep. Never try out the new material on pre-schoolers.
I have a friend whose often used expression for expressing incredulity is “What is this, bunny week?“.
(Another favourite for those who wax excitable: “Carrying on like a pork chop”)
Bonus: To seek to eat food is to “appease the tapey*”.
—
*Tapeworm
(I love idioms)
@ TLC
Aaah. Cute!
At least if that day comes I can be sure that I’ve eaten more of them than they’ll eat of me
There are two great advantages of eating them:
-they are tasty
-I don’t have to share with Mr.
A week that consists only of fucking, eating and being incredibly cute?
Where do I sign up?
I have a rule about pets that are picky:
Eat it or starve.
When I hear pet-owners talk about the woes of finally finding some 4-bucks-a-day-stuff their cat dignifies to eat, I shake my head.
In my experience, those are also the same people who are very unforgiving on a kid who dislikes salad*
*or any other food. I’m not talking about kids who have a positive list of one dozen things they eat but normal kids, i.e. people who just dislike certain foods.
Ehm, same rule applies to pets: It’s totally OK to dislike something, but don’t try bossing me around.
Giliell,
<lightbulb>
Ah: a honeymoon!
Oh, I’m happy to eat cephalopods. Thai salt & pepper squid, nomnomnom! I would just be very disturbed if one turned up in my pantry moth sticky-trap. I live 150km from the sea.
And I’m sad to say my cat *does* get the expensive $3 per small can food. He’s not a well cat, and I think it would be wrong of me to let him starve. He’s so thin, I doubt he’ll last another year :(
Alethea
Well, exceptions apply as usually, I was not talking about elderly and sick. I wouldn’t place a steak in front of grandma with no teeth as I wouldn’t place it in front of a toothless baby. And if my children had a serious food allergy or intolerance that would, of course, dictate our cooking, too. Their whims don’t.
If your animal is old/sick you should care for them as well as you can, of course. I was talking about the well and healthy animals that are used to getting their way just because. If our rabbits decided to turn their nose on the home-made meadow hay, I wouldn’t go out and buy fucking expensive super-duper-special-hay. I would especially not throw away 90% of each load until I found one they liked.
Oh, i should add that, unless they’re harming the animal with their “love”, people can spoil their pets as much as they like, that’s none of my business because unlike children, those pets aren’t supposed to integrate into society (I’m usually sorry for the kids. It must be hard growing up as a princess to find out that the world treats you as a commoner).
I just think they don’t get to complain about how “difficult” their pets are and “how hard” it is to find the right food and how expensive the only food their pet eats is.
Our sick cat has, for some time, had a habit of eating his kidney diet (expensive) crunchies only when we’re not watching. He clearly doesn’t want us to get the wrong idea that he likes them. It has made feeding him quite difficult – we’re not always sure if he’s eaten the food or if one of the youngsters has stolen it. But he will at least eat the (very expensive) wet food straight away.
Loftus has been active on Natalie’s blog again.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/nataliereed/2012/02/15/target-audiences-and-playing-nice/#comment-4178 which Ed Brayton confirms is not a spoof, unless some real hacking is going on. The comment comprises a link to a rather strange new site of his.
http://loftusunleashed.blogspot.com/
Thanks Sili!
Sili,
I’ve been reading the lecture you pointed to, and am now desperate to read a decent translation of Andersen (unfortunately, I know no Danish). A quick google led me to “The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen”, translated by Jeffrey Frank and Diana Crone Frank? (2004). What would you recommend?
llewelly! *hugs*
I know, but google wouldn’t find it for me. Stupid google.
I actually tried to find it before I posted it and failed. I hang my head in shame.
My children are on break this week, but I am not. I am very jealous.
Pat Puchannan keeping his reputation as an isolationist, racist, wing-nut alive during an appearance on CBS this morning.
His new book looks like a disgusting piece of trash.
Well, you wouldn’t want a zombie mice plague in your home, so just be grateful!
Rev – I received a copy of his new book as a potential reviewer. The pages are not very absorbent and are too rough on the anus. So, its only potential use was a failure.
Twelve crazy racist quotes from Pat’s new book, Suicide of a Superpower
Shorter Buchanan “THE WHITE CHRISTIANS ARE DYING OUT, FEAR THE FOREIGNERS”
No, as a matter of fact it’s not. Bartenders do not ‘bartend’, they tend bar. Fundraisers do not ‘fundraise’, they raise funds. etc. All these compound verbs are lazy back-formations from the nouns. It’s gratingly subliterate, and it’s bugged me for years. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to coffeedrink.
[/peeve]
Laissez les bons temps rouler
Damn it that actually reminded me of the Eddy Murphy Doctor Dolittle
Rat 1 “I don’t know what I’d do if you died!”
Sick Rat ‘You’d take me out back and eat me”
Rat 1 “OUT OF RESPECT!”
Sandra is someone who used to attend my Methodist Church a few years ago back when I was a Christian. She was only really visiting for about a month in between leaving Northern Ireland (as she alludes to) and then going to the US. Since then we’ve conversed via email and through some forums. Since I deconverted, our emails and conversations have become more frequent, especially as a result of the Prop 8 discussion, and about the 9th circuit court ruling. She’s a Catholic, and unfortunately has been prone to many of the blind mistakes I was capable of, as was Simon for that matter. Thats about the extent of my relationship with her.
By the way, would it be harsh to say that the defence in Perry vs Schwarzenegger made the defence in Kitzmiller vs Dover look competent? I mean, I’ve read the P vs S judge’s decision, and the amount of epic fail by the defence in that case is just ASTOUNDING.
But yes, I appreciate the advice, but I’d just really like to tear ALL of it apart, lest she starts crowing about achieving “victory” because the hypocritical evil atheist (me, apparently) can’t disprove the points of the well read and articulate religious figure (her, of course). Another on the forum has said “Dear gays, lesbians, and activists: Stop comparing your struggle to the civil rights movement, sincerely, black folk.”
Sandra has also followed up with this:
About Prop 8 having been challenged at a Federal level in a federal court:
About how if you aren’t calling it marriage, even if everything else is the same, it’s not equal:
About how if she’s fighting giving the name of marriage to gay unions then the word means something and so she’s wrong by her own actions:
About me calling her out on being obfuscating and unclear with her points:
About how “In the US, no one needs a church to get married. Marriage is not dictated by any religions. To make this point and to run with it is intellectually dishonest. If a church will not marry a couple, fine. They can still get married without their blessing. To treat this like an issue is a mask to what she really thinks of the rights of LGBT people.”
So now that you know a fuller story, as much help as possible with this and the previous would be awesome. :)
Much thanks,
James :)
Nothing new about Pat Buchanan being a racist. Try looking up The Death Of The West.
OH! A fellow former Methodist! We have so much to talk about. It always seems like to me the Methodist culture is one of the least examined christian blends.
Now my impression of it was that it was outwardly a very liberal spiritual touchy feely church…but with HUGE streaks of crypto conservatism and bigotry mingling in it that people are uncomfortable with but don’t seem to think they can actually excise from the Church?
Here is some news for you, she will declare victory no matter what you do. Find out what a Gish Gallop.
You time is better spent actually working towards a goal as opposed to debating an intellectually dishonest person. And Sandra is very dishonest.
*snicker* all of which are fair. These were all places of public accommodation. The tax exempt status isn’t a fucking gift it’s a contract. Why does she want to force her definition of tax exempt onto everyone else?
Note that the same institutions had trouble with INTERRACIAL discrimination. Does she want to defend that? Oh please do, that’ll just show exactly why the ‘stop comparing yourself to us good proper oppressed people’ is so bankrupt.
What a Gish Gallop is.
james re Sandra: this is an EMAIL exchange?? After all this trouble, NOBODY is an audience except us in TET and whoever is in Sandra’s posse on the other side? Sheesh, give it up already. She’s given plenty of tells to her bigotry and fractal wrongness, and she will never EVER EVER admit she’s wrong.
Besides, she’s having fun with you. You can’t let anything go, can you?
For future reference, the next time someone goes all “you can’t prooooove me wrong” on you, try asking THEM to say exactly what their proposal for a just situation is. Often these types fold when they’re expected to present a position of their own instead of endlessly attacking everything an *opponent* says. But first YOU need to recognize when you’re being played.
Stairway to Heaven classical guitar duet.
To think that this was once Stairway To Heaven.
Yes, that is Michael Palin.
TLC @212: You and me both. We use a transgenic model of heart failure and we have to be very careful about the pups that are positive for both of the genes- the dams seem to be quicker at detecting it than genotyping, and they cull their litters accordingly. The result is that sometimes I go a few weeks without any hearts for experiments.
@ James
I find myself agreeing with Pteryxx. Again. The SIWOTI does seem to run deep with you. I would give it a break perhaps. She is not going to come to the party.
@ All newish Pharyngulites.
The regulars probably know this video, but it is new to me so I’d like to share: Mr. Deity and the Science Advisor (SFW, but be warned: It contains someone very Ebil and Oberlawdy.)
Pteryxx: No no no its on a forum.
What is this, theophontes? I said the same thing as Pteryxx before Pteryxx said it and I get ignored?
You mean they have to render unto Caesar? Like everyone else? Oh, boo hoo!
We Are Ing and jamesmichaels1, here is methodist coloring book for you.
Rachel Maddow produced a good segment on the billionaires keeping extremist politics alive.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#46459138
This segment details the actions of Frank Vandersloot, a mormon billionaire who is also a big player in Mitt Romney’s campaign for president.
re VanderSloot: MADDOW picked it up? AWESOME… finally, players big enough that even this billionaire’s wallet can’t squash them.
—
Janine, err sorry about that. <_< You'd already covered the Gish gallop and all I did was rant. (maybe it's that I have more X's?)
Nonono; I’m sure it has many uses. Firestarters, table-leveller, bug-squasher, catapult-load, leaf-press….and more, I’m sure.
:^
–
Hi all.
I apologize for yesterday afternoon. Even as I moved the discussion about child abuse in the direction I did, I was feeling queasy. I should not have continued and, well, basically I self-triggered. And I am sorry. That was out of line. There is no need to drag you into it. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
I’m going to try that Grignard again, replacing the diethyl with MTBE this time.
jamesmichael:
Sandra’s lying to you.
That’s the case heard by the 9th district. Notice where it points out “contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment” and violating “42 USC”.
Those are federal laws. Once the state constitution was amended with Prop 8 and the amendment was found consistent with the rest of the state constitution (which is the prior case), it could no longer be challenged under state law. Ergo, the challenge was under federal law (indeed, the US Constitution in part).
From the trial evidence:
Further, in the findings of facts:
These are just samples; it’s more than “just a word”. Again, this was challenged under federal law, and so interstate effects have to be considered.
Finally, the conclusion of the court (FF stands for Finding of Fact):
These are the facts.
US District Court Decision: Perry v. Schwarzenegger
Just jumping in for a moment to say thank you for the link! I had no idea PZ
tried to put some actual intelligence into intelligent designwas a guest to Mr Deity.Sorry, should be “jamesmichaels1“. I was typing too fast. Blockquote formatting issues are due to the way the decision is formatted.
Ogvorbis: firstly *hugs*
but why should you apologize at all? To the extent that you were responsible for the discussion (and lots of us were discussing), then you merely triggered yourself; and isn’t that going to be an inevitable cost of any of us discussing rape or abuse at all, as well as a risk that all of us survivors run? (Heck knows I trigger myself frequently…)
I’m sorry that you suffered, but again, it wasn’t any of our faults except those who abused us in the first place and made such discussions necessary.
echidna says:
I have no clue. It’s not my area of expertise. I just happen to live in the right city for having HCA scholars.
I can only suggest having a look round the institute’s webpage or just send an email to the author of the lecture. Scholars usually love sharing their knowledge with the public.
Sorry.
Because I knew, as I was typing, where it would go and still went there.
One bad point about having federal holidays, it takes you a long time to catch up with the thread…
So I won’t! I see Sandra’s still egging on James. I’ll offer *hugs* to those who want / need them. I haven’t really done much this weekend except play Skyrim.
Dammit, stomach, hungry or queasy. Pick one.
How the hell does that even work, anyway? “Feed me, quick! I wanna throw up!”
:( :( :(
–
Hey now, hey now, iko iko an nay…
cicely:
Churning acids due to lack of anything to digest? Maybe try something like plain crackers or toast?
@cicely:
I feel the same way a whole lot of the time… it suuuucks.
Bro Og, no, you absolutely have nothing to apologise for and I can’t believe anyone would think for one nanosecond that you did.
Ms. Daisy Cutter: thanks for planting that earbug. I’ve had an awful time getting the overworld song from the NES TMNT game out of my head today.
This might catch me some flak, but my favorite version of Iko Iko is Warren Zevon’s.
Christian Boycott of Starbucks Expands — To Bring God’s Blessings Back to the USA, and So God Won’t Judge Our Nation (2 Peter 2:6)
Did you know that George Washington punished homosexuals to that the big sky daddy would let the revolutionary forces beat the British? I guess being a queer atheists keeps me away from such magical thinking.
Richard Austin: I am (still) ever-so-cautiously eating breakfast, which consists of two unadorned, thin bagels. This “meal” began at 7:45. It’s now half-past lunch time. My damned stomach hasn’t got any reason to get its acids all in an uproar.
Prognosis for not hurling my meds is grim.
I disapprove (the reason for) this message.
–
I guess that, if I can see what is coming, but still go there, it must be my fault. Why else would I have stayed in scouts for two years? Why else would I keep typing when I know what’s going to happen?
Anyway.
Had fun arguing with a refurbished computer last night. Damn thing is fast.
I need to decide, though. I don’t want to keep using Explorer. So should I go with Chrome or Firefox?
Any opinions?
Opera.
Aaargh! Link bork! Opera.
Oh, Ogvorbis. There aren’t enough hugs.
– Because sometimes just surviving isn’t enough.
– Because eventually it makes a difference.
– Because, eventually, it can get better.
Also, Firefox has much better plugin flexibility, IMHO.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/21/gop-lawmaker-radicalized-girl-scouts-sexualizing-recruits/
I love the Girl Scouts for giving me so many reasons to buy way more Thin Mints this year.
Firefox.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/21/atheist-teen-who-sued-over-school-prayer-banner-to-get-40000-scholarship/
Yeee hah! People who stand up SHOULD be rewarded!
Prayer Knowing Jesus Makes You White As Snow
Does it also make you delightful?
Ogvorbis, your reaction to what I said yesterday brought home the fact that these are PEOPLE, not just ideological concepts, being hurt and abused.
I think it’s very easy for an ‘ally’ like me, a guy who’s never suffered the abuse himself but is still committed to fighting it, to forget that subconciously, to act all clinical and detached-like.
Also, if it helps, your reaction solidified my commitment all the more.
And go with Chrome. ;)
TLC (and all):
I appreciate your support. Really. I just wish that I, too, could be clinical and detached and discuss important concerns without letting my past, or my emotions, take over. Is that wrong?
====
Okay. Firefox. What are plugins, how do they work, how are they plugged in?
Opera. I will check it out from home (no video here).
I’m gonna buy like… five boxes of those cookies.
Og: it’s been awhile since I used Firefox, but plugins are things like AdBlock that provide some customization options for the browser. As far as I know you just find a place to download and there should be instructions.
Yes and no? I dunno. With being all clinical and detached and treating these things like ideas to be ‘debated’, you risk accidentally hurting people like I hurt you (Yes, I did. By accident, but still, that hurt you). OTOH, it does help one think clearly.
I know she’s a TERRIBLE example, but just look at this Sandra character James is dealing with. She treats human rights like something to be ‘debated’, with rules and stuff, as if it’s all a game to her. She doesn’t give a shit about the actual people who are hurt by the shit she supports, she just wants to win debates and feel so all-fucking clever about it.
And if you get emotional and pissed at her, she’ll just declare victory, like they always do.
I know, terrible and clumsy example. But it was the best I could think of on such short notice.
Good evening!
Does anybody want a sweetie?
We went to one of the traditional carnival parades and traditionally they throw candy at the spectators.
Since the people next to us handed all their share to us “because our kids have all grown up”, we have about 7-8 lbs now.
Bad: “black” is still considered a costume
Good: Traditionally each city or large carnival group in the region has a “royal couple”, prince and princess” The oldest carnival group in the state had a royal couple of princess and princess.
Interesting: I met an old friend with her preschooler son and her husband: white German mum plus Afro-Caribean dad resulted in a boy I would have placed on the Indian subcontinent if I knew nothing about him
Ogvorbis
Please, don’t apologize.
You hurt or wronged none of us.
In need of advice:
I would like to try and find work out of country. Just claiming that I speak English is hardly going to be accepted by any prospective employer, so I have to pass some tests. So… any idea about which one would be the best? I was thinking about TOEFL or IELTS.
Remember Zerple? He has shown up at Libby Anne’s blog. I left a warning about that lovely example of humanity.
Giliell:
Was Stephen Fry popping up in my head to read this line to me something you did intentionally?
“does anybody want a sweetie?” Gah, I was having District 9 flashbacks.
janine: thanks.
Who is this “je_proteste” idiot, claiming to be an atheist but calling Jessica Ahlquist a “churlish, self-involved little girl”? Their beef seems to be that Jessica decided she was an atheist at age 10 because she was “in a snit at God” over her mother’s illness, which supposedly lends credence to the theistic “angry at God” argument about atheists. What the fuck. And this creep continues to call her a “little girl” throughout comments.
Beatrice
For Europe TOEFL is at least better known
Predator Handshake
You overestimate me :)
When a crime has been committed against someone, and they have reactions to this – that don’t hurt anyone else – there is no fault on their part. There are a number of people here who have been attacked by criminals and whose integrity and compassion and strength of character in spite of this I am in awe of.
I don’t know how to put that as I would like to, but I hope it bears some resemblance to what I mean. Even though I ended with a preposition and Firefox.
@James
it’s time to just point out that every one of her arguments could be, and was, used against blacks and interracial marriages, that she’s admittedly pro-bully and doesn’t give a shit about human rights and that you’re done dignifying her with your response. Make it clear that this isn’t a fucking game and that she is repulsive, then stick the flounce.
Ms. Daisy Cutter, your SIWOTI Syndrome is showing.
(Please keep in mind, I am not disagreeing with your assessment of that commentator. But I am afraid that there are thousands of these people floating around in internet space.)
Oggie, you should be receiving {virtual} hugs, not apologizing.
& I go with Firefox, also, too.
++++++++++
SQB –
What’s Opera, Doc?
cicely –
Hmm, most of those sound good, but I would not burn it. The smoke from such a collection of oralis fecalis transferred to paper must be very, very toxic.
And we are back to rabbits again.
Janine – yeah, I know. Also, “thousands” is an optimistic estimate.
Ogvorbis – I see no reason to apologize. Not like I have not dropped what I feel is TMI here before. You have to play the hands you are dealt.
cicely – gentle hugs and hops that innards behave.
I guess I’m not writing what I am thinking. It is still my decision to engage in a conversation that I know will go somewhere I don’t want to go. Which means that you spend some of your valuable time dealing with my shit because I am like the proverbial dog. So dumping my shit on you is, in my view, not fair to you. And this is still not as clear as I wish to make it.
Anyway.
How ’bout those Mets?
Thanks, Giliell.
James – I would say to stop altogether, and force her into a single statement of the way she thinks things ought to be with regard to the law as per gay marriage. Then put her on the defensive and start attacking her position instead.
Og – nothing to apologize for, not at all. You stayed in scouts because you were a kid and didn’t know what else to do and didn’t have any framework of learning how to even understand that what was being done to you was wrong, much less how to get help. You jump in sometimes when it’s emotionally dangerous to see if you can handle it yet, to correct errors in other people’s detached opinions, to get it off your chest, for whatever reason you darn well want to.
cicely – hope you feel better soon.
I have been feeling oddly full of energy the last couple of days. I’ve been cooking and everything. Last night I tried to make dashi. It smelled like a dirty aquarium and didn’t taste much better, so somehow I messed up a recipe that has three ingredients, one of which is water.
Cuteness of the day: Improv Everywhere, say something nice
Ah, the classics! :)
Pity about all that pixelly stuff, though.
–
Jeffrey –
Or, if you have a strong stomach, use it as a prop to dress up a Halloween costume: Republitard, Raging Asshole, Teabagger—something along those lines.
It’s the accessories that really sell a costume.
and
Adding live rabbits to my innards is not gonna help!
I’ll gladly take the hugs, though.
*hug-back*
–
Ogvorbis
If you want my take as somebody who thankfully doesn’t have a history of abuse:
You’re not dumping your shit on me.
For me it is a great privilege to be part of a group where people feel safe enough to be able to engage in these topics.
I am moved by your (all of you) stories (that sounds shallow), I feel compassion. I feel outrage at a world that did permit it. But that is not your problem.
I’m really not good at putting this into words either.
Remember that is a wide ranging figure, it could be a four digit number, it could be a six digit number.
Ogvorbis, a lot of people put a lot of time and effort into making this a safe place. Do not apologize for telling your story. I hope that it did you some good.
I’m glad that now people with actual science degrees have come onto the Keep Santorum from science thread to set this josh guy straight. At the beginning, he ALMOST had me with his LFTR spiel, I must say…
future German president
So I mentioned that he has been living with a woman since 2000, even though he never got a divorce from his wife, from whom he separated in 1991? Of course some people care:
– Norbert Geis of the CSU, the German conservative version of Michelle Bachmann.
– the Taiwanese press WTF? Apparently, in East Asia that would be unproper (in Japan too, there politicians have lost their ministerial jobs over extramarital affairs).
And here I thought it might only be a problem on a state visit to Egypt or something…
Beatrice,
both these tests should be fine. While Commonwealth countries tend to accept the IELTS more, and the US is of course where the TOEFL is from, it’s been my experience that at least universities accept both. I’d think international corporations would too.
I’ve taken the TOEFL before, if you want some advice on taking the test, send me an email when the time is ripe.
Santorum-For-Brains must be alerted! Heterosexual man on dog!
It is all my fault.
Also, some of the reasoning of Sandra re Prop 8 reminds me of a rant by Rick Santorum I saw on Meet the Press, where he was going on and on how dare the federal judiciary would overrule the people of California, and how unconstitutional that would be. Sounds like someone missed the Fourteenth Amendment in law school…
pelamun,
It might take quite some time until I feel ready to take the test. I haven’t actually spoken more than a couple of words of English in years and I think I’ve forgotten a lot of grammar. At least Pharyngula and books keep my vocabulary from deteriorating.
Thanks for the offer, I’ll keep it in mind.
Beatrice,
Yeah, ask me whenever. When I took the test, speaking was not part of the test, only listening, reading and writing, as well as lots of grammar questions.
Yay! Set greasemonkey script still works in Opera.
Boo! I suck at Set.
What Gilliel and Janine said. It’s a significant part of why I love Pharyngula.
Sili,
have you seen Denmark’s answer to “West Wing” and “In The Thick of It”, “Borgen”?
Is it good? I have it in a German dub. I’d like to see it in Danish with subtitles, but if it’s really good, I’ll just watch it in German.
Sorry, I haven’t watched television in ages. But the Danish Radio (and television) have been on a roll with long form drama series for the last decade, and I believe Borgen has received the same kind of accolades as, say, Forbrydelsen and before that Rejseholdet (sorta like CSI Light). There’s a co-produktion with Swedish television called Broen (The Bridge), that’s also well viewed, I think.
The only thing I can say about Borgen is that the Brits love it, too, according to BBC (who of course have no reason to claim otherwise).
Success! Grignard reaction successful and I didn’t get ether poisoning!
God damn it! Now I want Girl Scout cookies.
[meta: drive-by]
@David Marjanović, I had a (belated) realisation. The “Pearson” in Benson & Pearson, 2001, tutored me at university!
And re. the Telegraph article I linked upthread, turns out it was most-likely written by someone who lived down the hall from me during Finals year.
It has been a “small world, eh?” day. *shakeshead*
Sili,
Thanks, I’ll give it a go. BTW, have you heard of Världens lyckligaste folk? I don’t know if it has been translated into Danish yet…
Feminism presents in many forms.
I draw readers’ attention to this (via Al Stefanelli’s blog):
Yes! It’s Rape!
Hey Og Bro, loving your new career direction in the Loftus thread!!
Also, I use multiple browsers. Facebook is only ever in one of them, and my main one is locked down pretty tight with AdBlock and NoScript and RequestPolicy.
I use Firefox for most browsing, and Chrome for FB. There’s IE and FF at work; I choose FF but a couple of webapps that I need only work right in IE *spit* At home, I play some FB flash games and Chrome seems to have fewer performance problems if you have several flash tabs open. Safari used to freeze up on me too often. I haven’t tried Opera since way back when it was new; I suppose I should look at it again one day.
Ogvorbis:
^^THIS^^ I’m humbled by the challenges you and others here have faced with such courage and resilience.
Like Giliell, I have no history of abuse (my father was a mean SOB, but within the realm of “normal,” and all the other adults I interacted with as a child were wonderful); if I can contribute to an environment that’s helpful for you, it’s the least I can do. I’m sorry I frequently don’t have much insight into what you’re feeling, but I will always at least provide a sympathetic ear.
I grok that’s the way of this place, generally.
(sorry Giliell)
Regarding Dragons:
Theophontes: Yeah, Smyrgol is really pretty. He has a nice orange, copper, and brown color scheme (like his namesake), and for some reason his eyes appear to be ice blue. I got him from the ‘discount’ bin at a reptile show, 50-75 bucks (can’t remember which it was) and expected him to turn muddy brown as he grew, but instead he turned redder and redder. Put him in the summer sun and he starts showing some really nice color.
Giliell: Luckily, Smyrgol is not picky about the animal components of his diet. Though he especially seems to like pinky mice, which unfortunately resemble my fingertips from certain angles.
It’s just getting him to try new fruits and vegetables when his salad isn’t currently available that’s hard. I’m told bearded dragons do best with LOTS of variety in the vegetable half of their diet.
Holy fuck, what is up with this Loftus Unleashed thing?
2012 baby. Believe it.
Loftus is turning his guns on atheists as threatened, metaphorically. Out of earshot of xtians, it sez. He’s unclear on the whole internet thing? *shrug*
I spose he’ll be posting criticism of *whispers* the ECO.
Pteryxx @215:
Ah, but can you find a sticky trap in Texas that’s large enough for Rick Perry? Probably not, so we’re going to have to stick (oooh, bad pun) with lassoing him and tie him to a chair and force him to listen to an audio version of Origin of the Species.
(yeah, I know it’s a bit of stretch to equate Rick Perry with cockroaches…)
Theophontes @217:
this may sound strange coming from a gay man who wants to get married one day, but is marriage a ‘right’ for anyone? Freedom of speech, yes. Freedom of the press, yes. The right to life. The right to liberty. The right to be able to pursue happiness. Those are all rights. The only way I can see marriage being a right would be under ‘pursuit of happiness’. Is that how others see it? Or is there another argument for why marriage is a right?
Alethea @234:
My sympathies. I hope you and he get as much time and enjoyment together as you can.
One of the hardest things I’ve had to do was put down my cat Kara, for kidney failure. She wouldn’t even eat tuna. You know something is wrong when a cat doesn’t eat canned tuna. After a few trips to the emergency vet and our regular vet, it turned out that her kidney had almost completely failed. The only option for keeping her alive was intravenous feeding. What made the matter worse was that despite her lack of appetite, she was still so lovable, and cuddly and affectionate. I chose to put her down, because I felt that it was more humane than keeping her around just because I couldn’t let her go. I still wonder if it was a mistake to stay in the room when she was injected. 10 seconds later, she was gone and I was in tears (hell, I am right now, just thinking about it) for about a half hour. I still have her ashes.
JeffreyD @244:
You can rip it to shreds and use it as cat litter. You could dip it into a bag of catnip and watch kitties rip it to shreds. You could re-gift it to Pat B. I’m sure it would make a nifty paperweight. Kindling for the fireplace. There are many great uses for some kinds of trash.
ChasCPeterson @246:
Why then do I find the word here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bartend
here:
http://wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=bartend
and here:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bartend
I did not find it here though:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/spellcheck/british/?q=bartend
or here:
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/?s=bartend
It seems like ‘bartend’ is sometimes a word, and sometimes not.
Ogvorbis @267:
I only found this fantastic thread yesterday, and from what I’ve read, there is absolutely *nothing* you have to apologize for.
::hugs::
cicely @276:
Did you make the mistake of listening to Rush Limbaugh, Sara Palin, Michelle Bachmann, Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, or Ann Coulter by chance? Or did you read Justin’s post about Bryan Griem (http://freethoughtblogs.com/rockbeyondbelief/2012/02/20/reverend-what-does-the-military-put-on-gravestones-of-atheists-a-thumbs-down/)?
If you did anything like that while you were hungry, well that’s where the queasiness came from :)
I think he’s unclear on the whole humour thing, too, judging by that leaden “satire” he posted.
Chas: I mean… is that really him? Or is it some kind of ridiculous elaborate troll? Both?
What exact point is he fucking trying to make? I don’t get it? I am completely baffled. I don’t even know whether I find it humorous or not.
Tragic Auto Bumper Messaging of the Day™: On my way home from work this evening, I saw a car with a Ron Paul ’12 sticker… right next to a magnetic peace sign!
<headdesk>
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Paul opposed the Iraq war; do any of these yutzes actually believe that has anything to do with him being pro-peace? Do they really not realize it’s just a side effect of his libertarian-driven isolationism? Does anyone really think a world led by Paul and his ilk would be more peaceful (assuming “more peaceful” refers to a net reduction in human suffering)?
Auuugh!
It’s almost as if you think that the suffering of poor people matters as much as the suffering of rich white guys!
Predator @281:
I need something more to stick. I’ve had the Beach Boys’ ‘California Girls’ stuck in my head for a few days now (and I don’t know much of the song except the chorus, which makes it maddening; at least when I know an entire song, I can sing along with the other voices in my head).
Ogvorbis @284:
I’m not the most computer literate person (still trying to get the hang of how all the tags work when posting here), but at the recommendation of a friend, I switched from Explorer to Firefox and then later to Chrome. I don’t have nearly the amount of problems with the latter 2 than Explorer. FWIW.
Dr. Audley @331:
Me too! I’m rather picky in that I only like the peanut butter ones (Do-si-dos; had to google Girl Scout Cookies to spell that right). The first bartending job I had I work with a really sweet woman named Lynn. I remember the look of shock on her face when I agreed to order some cookies for her daughter. She was shocked because I ordered 20+ boxes of Do-si-dos. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone with kids who are in the Girl Scouts.
(as an aside, I LOVE this open thread)
Bill:
They don’t care.
I mean, look at it this way: as a pacifist, you can either support a Democrat who will probably maybe might wage less war or you can support Paul who doesn’t want to go to war for racist, xenophobic, isolationist reasons. If that’s your “single issue”, what the hell are you supposed to do?
On the other hand, it could’ve been a car that somebody bought used and never bothered to pull the Paul (or peace) sticker off. ;)
@Audley
Though doesn’t Paul’s stance mean that any corporation can just hire their own mercenaries and he wouldn’t do shit about it?
Ogvorbis – what Giliell said, too.
[bragging] I had TWO Girl Scout cookies today! Samoas/Caramel DeLites, too, the best ones. And my boxes should be delivered late this week; one samoas, one shortbread, and one peanut butter patty. Mmm. [/bragging]
I swear I have SAD. It’s been sunny for two days and I can’t remember the last time I had so much energy. This morning when I got to work I sat in the car with my head on the window for a few minutes just soaking up sunlight with my face and thinking I could almost feel the neurons in my brain relaxing, all going “Oh, the sun still exists. Ok, then. Everything’s going to be all right.” It’s a feeling I never get from fire, even though it’s also a warm orangey-red radiant light source. Stupid primitive brain.
Carlie: This is just anecdata, but weed works better in sunlight. I am so not kidding either. The buzz I get while having the sun on my face is way more powerful than normal.
To my child’s chagrin, I eliminated an earworm he was complaining about with this. He has not requested my assistance in such matters since.
[silly]
It amuses me to read ‘cookies’ as ‘cooties’.
John – “C” is for cootie, that’s good enough for me?
(reference for non-Americans)
COOTIE COOTIE COOTIE START WITH ‘C’!
carlie @350:
Sniff, sniff.
This is how I feel:
http://cdn3.staztic.com/screenshots/puppy-eyes-live-wallpaper-10-1.jpg
Ing:
I wasn’t saying that I agree with pacifists who support Paul– Bill’s absolutely right in that it’s an incredibly stupid position.
But, then again, pacifists aren’t necessary smart.
But, yeah. I think you’re probably right about the mercenaries. I mean, Paulians may pay lip-service to non-violence, but a) they have a really fucked up view of what constitutes as “non-violent” and b) you can’t have a peaceful society if a person (or entity) can afford to hire their own army without restriction.
Me:
Okay, poor phrasing there. What I’m trying to say is that a pacifist is just as smart (or dumb) as anybody else. I wasn’t calling pacifists as a group dumb (which is what it kind of sounds like).
(For the record, I am a pacifist and I am definitely not calling myself stupid! :p)
“Is it good? I have it in a German dub. I’d like to see it in Danish with subtitles, but if it’s really good, I’ll just watch it in German.”
You just Molly-ed the thread.
Audley:
Maybe it’s naive of me, but I tend to assume pacifists also hold other humanistic values. The libertarian “paradise” Paul and his like would foster would, I’m quite sure, destroy far more in the way of human flourishing than foreign wars would over the same stretch of time, and I don’t have much patience with anyone who’s such a committed single-issue pacifist that they don’t care about that.
That’s the problem with single-issue purists in general, really: Whether it’s a value I agree with, like peace, or one I despise, like patriarchal sex-negativity, the purist is always willing to let everything else go straight to hell.
Would ’twere… but the sticker looked brand new, and the peace sign was a magnet: No reason for either to be there without the owner’s intent.
Audley – one of my friends is selling boxes of Girl Scout Cookies on Thursday, if you don’t yet have a supplier I could get you some to pick up the next time you have to drive through this way for work. :)
Bill,
I put it to you that “single-issue” is redundant.
Lookit my nym! Isn’t it sniny? I still am Cipher, and I’ll probably go back to it after a while, but I read this phrase in class today and decided I liked it so much it was going in the nym. (Especially since it has CC as initials!) It basically translates to “Cassandra in combat boots.”
—
Ugh! I’m sorry, cicely, it’s dreadful. I’ve been there for the past two days. It’s really frustrating. Plus I’ve been… I don’t know, lethargic? Depressed? Something’s been up with me that makes eating seem like too much of an effort. I had delicious pizza sitting in front of me today and instead of eating it I just stared at it and then stared into space. Then I got really agitated for no reason and couldn’t focus or calm down. I’m not winning.
—
*hugs to Ogvorbis* I’m sorry about the triggering. If it helps, as several people pointed out above, it’s really important and good that we have a space where people feel safe sharing stories like yours. It’s why I’m here. And every time somebody does share, I feel like it reinforces that sense of safety and community for me. I know it’s not that much consolation when you’re hurting, though. I’m sorry.
—
I saw some white guys for Ron Paul today when I was trying to get to class. I also was invited to a Bible study. I always smile to imagine, but I’d never actually go, even to troll.
I left a clever comment on Loftus Unleashed but it appears to be held up in moderation.
In case it ever does show up, it’s the one where I diagnose him as ‘not funny’.
Bill:
Well, yeah. Most pacifists are like most other voters– there’s a whole host of issues/values that are taken into the voting booth on election day.
But, as I said, there’s no guaranteeing that a particular pacifist isn’t dumber than a box of rocks. They may very well be hearing what they want to hear, which boils down to “No war! Legalized weed!”, without taking into account that Paul’s economic positions alone would very likely cause more violence.
Bingo. That’s what I was getting at.
Ooooh, and nice new nym, Cipher!
carlie:
I fucking love you. :D
John Morales:
So? It’s actually, you know, a term that people use. As in “single-issue voters” (usually applied to anti-abortion nuts).
carlie:
That’s exactly how I feel when the sun comes out after a few days of clouds. I don’t have full-blown SAD, but I find that I’m very sensitive to the amount of sunlight I get. One cloudy day can sometimes be enough to make me feel pretty blue, and when the sun comes out again I often feel kind of high.
In the summer, I’m the annoyingly energetic and cheerful person you don’t want to go camping with, because I will get up at 5:30 and go birding. In the winter, I’d sleep till 10 every day if I could get away with it.
bad case of SIWOTI for me. Looking up Dean Koontz stuff to share with friend for lulz fround the TV tropes page for hermaphrodite has a transsexual counted as an example *head desk*. The definition of hermaphrodite is right there! How do you get that wrong. Fail forever!
Audley:
Seems like we’re in “violent agreement”; sorry if it sounded like I was arguing with you! ;^)
Audley,
So, there’s a difference between single-issue voters and single-issue purists, in that I take no issue with voters.
Bill:
It’s all good. I totally agree that it’s a fucking stupid position– just trying to shed some light on why someone would do such a thing. ;)
CC,
I had episodes of just that for numerous years.
Then it came to pass that I was tested (and treated) for Helicobacter pylori infestation, and the problem vanished.
Hmmm… I know the comments reported here are nearly 4 years old, but if Santorum was that powerfully driven by his fear of human sexuality in 2008, can he really be much different now?
SRSLY?!?!1!!
These days I oscillate between hoping he gets the nomination because I can’t imagine my fellow USAnians are crazy enough to elect him, on the one hand, and burning with shame, on the other hand, because I can’t imagine I live in a country that could take him seriously for as long as we have.
I’m pretty sure it’s eating, actually. Or breathing. Yeah, I’m going to go with breathing.
WELL NO SHIT MISTER FUCKING SANTORUM.
This makes me fucking rage. Of COURSE it’s about sexual fucking freedom. Why does he talk about the concept of ‘sexual freedom’ like it’s so goddamn horrible?
I wish I was a fucking bear. I could eat this fucker’s face off without any cannibalism-associated guilt.
Sounds like somebody’s jealous!
Maybe I should care about who gets the Republican nomination, but I really don’t. I’m just so sick of all the bullshit and they all fucking suck.
[notes Sili:]
“I was just pissing by the door and I thought I heard a gunshit.”
—
[LDS Skinny Dippers:]
“in my mind it’s more like a multi-dementional region”
Ohhhh-kay.
===
I’m out.
Dan Savage seems to have a touch of the same strategic ambivalence about Santorum as I do.
TLC:
Because, I’m gradually becoming convinced, he’s fucking terrified of sex. I think Ricky may be one of those people for whom homophobic (not to mention erotophobic) is completely apt, not only in the common-usage sense, but even in the most pedantically root-literal sense: He’s just skerred of all that icky squishy heavy-breathing stuff.
If I had to guess Santorum has some deeply tragic paraphilia. Honestly, his obsession with sex is so extreme I’m surprised he hasn’t whacked his penis off or assaulted some one with a waffle iron. Personally I think he’s turned on by fertilization in factory farms and would just like to see us move in that direction.
Oh look, this sums up how I feel about the Republican contenders perfectly:
Hmm, makes me wonder how he could stand to have sex with his wife then. I’ve heard of “lie back and think of Iceland” but never “Lean over her and think of Iceland.” The hell happened to Santorum to leave him so stunted?
“to Molly the thread”, what’s that supposed to mean?
Carlie:
Here Comes The Sun
Sunshine Superman
The Sun Is a Very Magic Fellow
Also, the French Prime Minister’s Office demands the abolition of “Mademoiselle” in official forms. I’m glad this day has finally come. And it’s a right-wing government no less!
http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2012/02/21/mademoiselle-disparait-des-formulaires-administratifs_1646538_3224.html
Audley (@381):
See, it’s at times like this when I wish we had a Like button here!
Catholicism.
This has been Simple Answers to Simple Questions. Thank you for playing and good night.
Also, now the Mormons have managed to anger Catholics as well as Holocaust survivors at the same time as they necrodunked a Catholic witness to the Holocaust:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/02/21/147233726/mormon-baptism-controversy-now-includes-catholic-witness-to-holocaust
Speaking of something besides Santorum…
I wonder if I’m in a little over my head with the mead making. I don’t have airlocks. So I’m reduced to just twisting the caps a little to let off the excess CO2 whenever my containers feel a bit swollen.
I think I underestimated the CO2 production capabilities of Bread Yeast. No explosions yet at least.
Don’t see it at her blog, but I followed Greta Christina’s FB link (and great comments) to this piece about why sex is not spiritual.
***
TLC:
If you’re anywhere near a homebrew store, airlocks are simple and cheap. If not, you can probably hack one together with a length of tubing, a knife, a glass of water, and your wits: Just Macgyver it!
Actual headline: “Santorum blasts Obama during Cumming rally”
Glory Hole Doughnuts in Toronto: “What creams are made of.” And, yes, the name was chosen with full awareness.
(In the article comments, someone named “Disturbing” is pulling a Helen Lovejoy about how the shop’s name is INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CHILDREN!! Oy vey.)
Also, this is their bathroom door.
Nutmeg and Carlie: I’ve been feeling a lot better since around the beginning of February. I’ve read that a lot of SAD sufferers start getting symptomatic as early as August, and for some it persists into May. I can’t imagine. I get symptoms in warm months if the sun disappears for days on end, as it’s wont to do in New England.
Pelamun, #388: Good. Given that the front-runners are two Catholics and a Mormon, the more that happens between now and early November to set the two religions at one another’s throats, the better.
Ogvorbis: Like everyone else said, you had nothing to apologize for. I hope you’re feeling well this evening.
Nutmeg –
You are me!
Sailor – This is my favorite commercial ever, because I love those yellow morning ray people SO MUCH. But only in summer. In winter I want to strangle them.
Ha-cha-cha-cha!
Audley – I sent you an email for cookie info. :)
Bill Dauphin: But how will I MacGuyver one for a milk jug, one for a 2 liter pop bottle, one for a 3 liter pitcher, and one for the little 710 ml bottle I’m brewing specifically as my ‘sacrificial lamb’ for when the temptation to taste it becomes too strong?
(background info I forgot to mention: I started all these batches yesterday)
Maybe I’ll have to buy some airlocks. But will they fit the variety of containers I’m using?
pelamun,
Cognate for FTW.
(http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/mollies/)
I’ve had several comments held up for moderation today on FtB. So I’m testing here. Anyone else experience same?
…I haven’t read much of anything, been gnawing my appendages over the Baltimore council’s decision. But! GOOD NEWS EVERYONE – the transgender human rights bill passed 5-2.
Baltimore county approves transgender protection bill
The council also declined to add a provision specifically allowing public bathrooms, locker rooms and such to remain discrimination zones.
scuse me, something’s in my eye. *snif*
John M.,
probably you meant “zero derivation”*), but even if you know the meaning of the original form, you cannot always tell what the derived form means…
*) “cognate” refers to words that share a common origin in different languages, like “nueve” and “neuf” from “novem”
TLC,
Fermentation lock is what works, in my fermenter.
A curved tube(S-bend) that plugs into a hold on your cap. Helpful to have a grommet.
(Look it up)
[Ack]
Hold → hole, above.
what do you ferment, John?
pelamun, yes. :)
I know ! I abused the term ‘cognate’.
(But did you grok my claim?)
John M.,
oh right, I actually overlooked a “for”, as in “cognate for FTW”, and thus parsed your sentence very differently. LOL…
TLC, I ferment both beer and cider (the latter for my better half).
I also employ secondary fermentation; when bottling, I add some sugar to the bottles before filling it up with the primary ferment and sealing.
(Takes a couple of months for the brew to become truly palatable)
Controversy!
What’s that? Ohhhh… ferment, not foment? Oh, well that’s very different then. Never mind! </litella>
;^)
Pteryxx:
Apropos of nothing important, but…
…my mother grew up in Catonsville, back in the 30s and 40s.
Booziferous, I am.
Sorry pelamun, it was obscure. Molly Ivins once remarked about a Newt Gingrich speech at the 1992 Republican convention: ‘it probably read better in the original German’.
++++++++++++++++++++
I had a science teacher in HS who, when we were discussing biological imperatives, said ‘girls, the next time a guy tells you the sex drive is the most important one, cover his mouth and nose.’
[meta]
Ack! I fucked up the plurality @403.
(I am booziferated)
John Morales: Once I’ve mastered Mead to my own satisfaction, apple cider is next.
And I do plan on using secondary fermentation in mine. Luckily I’m covered there… I got a bunch of 710 ml coke bottles. They should withstand the pressure, and I liked my fizzy booze.
*likes not liked
TLC, et al brewers, can’t you just punch a nail hole in the top and put a balloon on it?
Talking of sex . . . no wait, if I don’t mention anything maybe I’ll be able to get to sleep earlier tonight.
In other news, gah, Ash Wednesday, and blergh, no meat, and aaagh, must do the charade again this year complete with ashes. And Mom just made a big batch of beef barley soup last night. Bloody hell.
Thinking about school, and wondering if I should give up my intention to finish my original degree, and try for a degree in Library Science, or some other field that would let me be around books all day and get paid for it.
——————————————
Hooray for Baltimore! I love how Allison Baird remarks, “I think the people should have a say, because obviously the councilmen are not listening to what the people want.” She ever stop to think that maybe she doesn’t speak for the majority of those who live in Baltimore? Wait, maybe she’s another one of those goons who only considers the ones who agree with her as being “the people.”
—————————————-
james, I’ve been trying to keep up with your exchange with Sandra and to tell you the truth, I agree with those who say you’re fighting a losing battle. You can try forcing her to make the first attack, so to speak, and defend her position; if that doesn’t work, give up, maybe tell her this whole circus has made you decide you can’t be friends anymore, and walk away. Life’s too damned short to waste on someone who acts as she does.
…
Dad, are you dragons?
That’s cool, right there; I don’t care who ya’ are!
Oh, that’s your solution to everything.
Good advice.
James, I know you don’t want her to smugly declare victory… I hate to tell you this, but she’s gonna do it no matter what you do.
The Sailor: As soon as I come across some balloons, I’ll probably try it.
I absolutely love the smell of yeast at work.
All right, DDo apparently decided to go bonkers while I was away and now won’t even launch. Whines about making sure Directx ( or higher is installed…well I’ve been using Directx 11 since I started playing, you fucking piece of crap and you didn’t complain then! I doubt disabling 11 and running 9 instead would even help.
I don’t want to reinstall, but if that’s the only way you’ll work again, fine! Just don’t expect me to be happy about it. *insert more choice words here*
On the one hand, this really pisses me off; on the other hand, if it drives Girl Scouting toward more secular sponsors and venues, that’s hardly a bad thing, eh?
@ janine 261
No. That was not intended, just that Pteryxx comment was the most recent and I .. err …I …
{theophontes looks down at shovel. gets out of hole and offers janine hugs and chocolate.)
@ Ogg
If you ever feel like sharing things online, I could not think of a better place than here. Even if it is painful, it might help in the long run.
Re: Opera, Firefox, Chrome. I have all of these, but tend to use Firefox almost exclusively. Opera is an amazing little browser and easy to use, but the features on Firefox have pushed me across.
On Firefox you definitely want to get a text formatter to help you with your blogging. Go to “getting started” in the toolbar in Firefox. (or Link) This page will link you to thousands of extensions and add-ons. You can type in the search box for whatever it is you want to add. Example, typing “text format” will get you here (link- Text Formatting). Just click on “Add to Firefox”.
Text Formatting is a really easy way to make comments… by using the script (it appears in the toolbar.)
Also try advert and script blocking if these things irritate you.
@ TLC
If you ever have chance to post pics of your dragon …
Re: Booze. It all revolves around sterilisation and cleaning of everything that comes into contact with what you are brewing. And keeping the CO2 in and the O2 out.
Theophontes: That’s a hard one. I don’t have a good enough webcam or lighting, except in his cage. I guess I can try something out here, if he’ll consent.
Important features for your browser:
https most places will keep as much of your internet use as feasible encrypted, reducing the opportunities for criminals to skim your data and empty your bank account or impersonate you on social networking sites, or through email. (Again, not unique to firefox.)
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Every ad you see eats mental processing power, no matter how quickly you dismiss it. You have finite mental power, and cannot afford to waste it.
Every ad your browser runs eats computing power. This too is finite.
Every ad has the potential to carry a bug that crashes or otherwise detrimentally affects your browser.
Every ad has the potential to carry a security exploit that damages your privacy or your bank account, or takes over your email or your facebook account. There is no justification for taking chances with these things.
You want adblock. (Note: I really, really doubt firefox is the only browser to provide adblock.)
http://adblockplus.org
All of the above applies to javascript, and to flash, and you should run NoScript and probably flashblock as well. Unfortunately, there are some things that don’t work (facebook, preview on some blogs, commenting on others, disqus comments) unless you enable a few scripts. However, it’s easy to selectively enable scripts temporarily, and if your browsing is dominated by reading, you won’t need to do it a lot. (It is also unlikely that firefox is the only browser to provide control overscripts.)
http://noscript.net
Thanks go to the brewers for bringing back childhood memories. My parents, in the late ’60s, would bottle small batches of root beer. Crimped bottle caps in brown bottles and all. There was a reason that we kept them in the dark, in the basement, in the back room, enclosed. Every once and a while you’d go downstairs and the place would smell of root beer as one bottle would blow up and often take two or three neighbors with it.
How is it that whatever yeast or what have you that generated the CO2 to give it fizz didn’t make it alcoholic? Or were we not using yeast? I was a bit young at the time. But this talk does bring back nice olfactory memories.
—
Og. Hope I wasn’t coming across as too clinical. Your hinted at story moved me, making me both sad and pissed off. I really want to work towards making sure such things don’t happen. I’m not a huggy kind’a guy (having my own issues with being touched due to being bullied in my past), but I’m up for a fist bump if that’s okay with you.
carlie, thank you for the hugs, glad you appreciated the link.
I recommend http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html for learning a lot about weather. Jeff and the commenters provide many links to sites that are excellent resources (unfortunately many of the commenters turn into robo-denialists every time Jeff blogs about global warming).
When googling for weather or climate related information, it’s important to try adding ‘site:noaa.gov’ or ‘site:skepticalscience.com’ to your google, just as you would add ‘site:http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula‘ to your google if you wanted to find something on pharyngula.
It’s also important to keep in mind that many otherwise good goverment websites were designed 5, 10, 15, or even 19 years ago, and haven’t been re-thought since then. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean you need to think differently about how you navigate and search.
w00t! I am going to Perth for a conference in May! Are any pharyngulites from Perth?
I’m not presenting, but my supervisor is, based on some work that I should have finished Real Soon Now. S’pose I’d better get back to my data crunching…
Last but not least, I want to ask an important favor of everyone here.
Please, please, please, whenever you see the Gleick leak of HI documents mentioned, bring up the independent investigation which John Mashey has done;
http://www.desmogblog.com/fake-science-fakexperts-funny-finances-free-tax
and
http://desmogblog.com/science-article-recognizes-john-mashey
These very important investigations, previously conducted by John Mashey without any fake names or other dodgy tactics, confirm almost every important detail found in the HI documents Gleick leaked. They also reveal a great deal of other damaging information about HI, and about many other denialist think tanks.
Mashey has been doing amazing investigatory work for years, (his investigations into the Wegeman report showed that document, a centerpiece of denialist presentations before the US Senate, was extensively plagiarized, and contained much other dodgy work) but most of the press has failed to recognize his findings. Ironically, if widely recognized, they have far more potential to damage the denialist machine than the recently leaked HI documents.
Now that I’ve failed blockquotes twice in two attempts, I’m beginning to suspect that I’ve forgotten how to do blockquotes.
How about now?
@Part-Time Insomniac
You can switch the DirectX flag in the userspreferences.ini… in… um *checks google* your My Documents folder… judging by the DX11, you’re using 7, so it should be Start->Documents->Dungeons and Dragons Online
Might help without re-install next time… it’ll also help if you’ve got the issue I mention in the next paragraph. I’d go check mine, but I uninstalled DDO like two weeks ago.
I *JUST* had to fix a stupid DirectX graphics bug for a friend of mine, she couldn’t see any of the pretty pictures on the character selection screen. UI was all there, but everything else was solid pitch black. Sometimes I hate integrated intel graphics cards.
———-
@llewelly
https Anywhere is something I haven’t looked into strenuously (for other browsers than firefox), but any addon not run by the EFF and TOR is probably going to be behind on the updates
I’m fairly certain that no other browser does adblock in as granular and effective a manner as firefox. Most of them us CSS blocking, which still loads the content, just doesn’t display it. Which still leaves you open to many attack vectors and uses up your bandwidth, RAM, and CPU cycles.
As for NoScript? Nope. It’s JUST firefox. Sure other browsers have kinda similar functionality plugins, and something’s better than nothing. But NoScript is the gold standard, and everyone else barely manages to hit bronze. They lack VERY important security and usability functionality
———–
@dontpanic if it was fermented by yeast, it had alcohol in it. You’re just not usually going to notice at like 2-5%, where a lot of home-fermented soft drinks end up.
I’m listening to The Hunger Games on audiobook.
The actor, Carolyn McCormick – I think she’s awful.
Gah. A disappointment.
The bad PR earned by the mormon church when they proxy baptize Jews just never seems to end. Today we learned that mormons had necrodunked Anne Frank … again.
Mormons have already done the temple dunking by proxy thing nine times for Anne Frank. One wonders if it just doesn’t take, or if mormons are really less careful about their record keeping than they claim.
Link to article in Salt Lake Tribune.
@Lynna
That is by far one of the sveeviest things about the LDS church… baptism after death. How does that WORK anyway? Oh right… judgement isn’t until the apocalypse… but wasn’t baptism supposed to wash away the sins of the flesh? With no… and… Wait why in the hell am I trying to RATIONALIZE religion?
Excuse the crazy dragon while he concusses himself repeatedly with a large rock.
Still dislike Scientology and the Jehovah’s Witnesses more than Mormons though.
Good morning
Santorum the catholic
You should add “American”.
I mean, catholic politician much less extreme than him are considered a bit whacko by other catholic/christian politicians around here.
And what’s more important, people would probably laugh him off the stage (unless he’s th pope who’s allowed to say all sorts of shit).
@ james 90
I know I said SIWOTI is a bad idea (hell, I should know, I spent two weeks in the Slime Pit), so my comments here should be seen as a postmortem and not as much suggestions to continue putting up with her lies.
Generally she does not pass this test. She has merely snuffled around to find a more anodyne (weasel) example and posits this as some kind of endorsement of her point of view. She does not fool anyone.
Also, just sticking with her example still leaves open her ideas that (keeping with the exercise) black people can not ever call their partnerships “marriage”. (The argument also extends well beyond just California anyway.)
Why the hell should people have to fight for their rights in the first place? Why can bigots like her not just try and be more humane and equitous in their dealings with others? Oh wait… because they are bigots.
Her alternative is “might makes right”? It took violence in South Africa to suppress black peoples’ rights (or expressed otherwise maintain white privilege (not a “right” in spite of her obvious privilege)). It took violence to finally instate those rights. They are now in the constitution. It is the mark of civilisation that we can institute an equitous constitution without resorting to violence. Can the bigot not understand that it is only bigotry that stands in the way (whether or not expressed violently).
Fucking liar. She tried a weasel move. Why can gay people get full and equal recognition before the law in the entire USA (let aside the whole fucking planet)? We must respect bigots’ “dogma”?
It is for the state to acknowledge marriages. If the church cannot hack the wishes of the state they must fuck off and not pretend they are entitled to represent it at wedding ceremonies. They have that right only if they uphold a non-discriminatory law. Otherwise it is called “privilege”. (And is something that must be ended. If you cannot provide the service equally, on behalf of the state, then you lose the license to marry all people.)
Compare: “It is not anti-semitic to support the frikkin’ neonazis in their “right” to discriminate against jews. Especially if they believe in jeebus or wotan or something.” Intolerant of intolerance? You betcha! (Sandra, substitute some other group in the context of the anti-gay shit you spew to see that you really are an insufferable bigot.)
/end part une
@ TomeWyrm
They are currently working flat out, day and night, to be more disliked.
Like the nym, welcome on board… Aaargh.
@ Cassandra Caligaria (Cipher)
How about writing it out: Cassandra Cipher Caligaria Pulchra. *
Getting to call you CCCP stirs the inner communist.
*(Is that “Cassandra Cipher combat boot wearing beauty”?)
**(“Multus lacrimai puela pulchrum.” is all the Latin I can recall.)
Parents’ car, kid’s peace sign?
{fixed}:
Should (obviously) read:
….
Ok, I shall try to stop hogging this thread.
@ theophontes
“Multus lacrimai puela pulchrum” Beautiful crying girl? Or is my Latin as horrid as I think it is?
Like it did in South Africa? Interestingly, when the bigots stopped being bigots (it essentially came down to exhaustion in a war of attrition) they discovered they could move far more easily from non-racialism to respecting gay rights as well. There was not a big fight at every step towards a constitution respectful of everyones rights. Once you stop being an insufferable bigot in one area, it becomes easier to treating everyone equally.
She can only say this from a position of relative privilege. If she tried to arrange a gay marriage for herself and a girlfriend (oh, OK …just as an experimental exercise then), would she open her eyes?. Notice how curtailed her “more freedoms” feel when suddenly she is the person putting up with the bigotry.
(If this ever happened, she would jump through the hoops and deny them rather than give up her position. This is why you can not “win” the argument.)
I was in this exact situation. She makes it sound so fucking easy. Oppression is more like a disease than a one-to-one chit chat on the internet. And it cuts both ways. Both oppressor and oppressed are deprived and held bound by the ghastly situation. And it is not just about the individual (she is a real “me,me,me” thinker). Everything is interwoven. What happened in the end is none of her crappy examples:
Everyone had had enough. So they sat down and talked. And talked and talked. And realised that the only way to fix the problem was to fix it properly. Remove all discrimination from the constitution. Rewrite it from top to bottom. And not treat anyone as second rate (or in America’s case 3/5ths of a person as was once proposed there.)
A good deal is set up using terms like “party A” and “party B”. Without knowing before hand which “party” you will be in. That certainly cuts out priviledged thinking in a hurry!
Fuck that, I know my history only too well. And this aspect of contemporary American history too. The “reform from within” has been an abysmal failure in delivering people their rights. The system has failed time and time again to deliver in the case of gay peoples rights. The history of the system is the history of failure as a means to deliver effectively. We do note however that ,in spite of itself, it cannot hold of the inevitable indefinitely.
I call strawman here. How can a call to respect basic human rights get tared with a Stalinist accusation? (“Oppressing” her rampant privilege maybe?)
/end parte deu
@ TomeWyrm
You will have to ask CC/CCCP. I recall vaguely: “The many tears of the beautiful girl.”
You might enjoy:
(by John O’Keefe)
Oh, even with my rusty broken latin skills, that had me crying tears of laughter. Thanks theophontes!
Oh the joys of parenthood
After the usual morning-fight (yeah, I know, requiering that she gets dressed herself is bordering on child abuse), I asked her what we could change in the future.
Note: cooperative approach, don’t just bully them into obedience, respect their ideas, opinions and skills and so on.
The reply I got?
We can just get up in the evening!
Yeah, sweetie, I don’t like mornings either.
Um, why? It’s not as if she has the option of not getting dressed in the morning. And it’s not as if she’s going to say something reasonable like, “Mummy, we could change it just a little bit if you’d lay out both my cotton and my wool sweaters.”
Seriously, what is this about? Is it also child abuse to tell them to get dressed and that, no, they don’t have a choice? Do we really think she’s going to be more cooperative if you ask her what she’d like to do more?
I’m sorry to sound harsh, Gileill, especially since I don’t have kids of my own. Really.
But for good god’s sake, messing around “respecting” children’s opinions and “skills” about whether they want to put on the clothes one has laid out for the day strikes me as (brace for it) self-defeating-liberal-parenting-gone mad.
They don’t have to like you every day. It’s totes fine if they think you’re the biggest bitch in the world for making them get dressed. Really.
@ Josh
Mostly because it shows you give a damn about their opinion. It really helps if you can explain why you can’t implement their idea. Also because it opens up a conversation between people. It’s not a directive from All Powerful Parent to Subservient Child anymore. Also, doing that actually CAN come up with good ideas. I’ve seen some real doozies come from the mouth of the young.
In that particular instance, assuming I was up to it. I’d probably explain why waking up in the evening wasn’t an option, then ask for another idea.
I’m all for that. The more candid and direct conversation between parent and child (within limits) the better.
But there is a limit. Children have a finite capacity to absorb and deal with more complex subjects, and it seems pointless (and no, not cruel) to spend time negotiating with them every damned time they want to fuss over what they wear. And yes, I do remember those fights with my own parents, and no, I wasn’t able to accept anything but my own way no matter whether they were right or wrong, and no, you can’t always reason it out with a child.
I’m not advocating a parental dictatorship, Jeezis. But children can’t always be reasoned with.
Josh
Well, you don’t want to raise a kid who respects authority, but one who makes competent decisions for themselves.
You try to get them to figure things out on their own.
I don’t know what exactly is her problem.
She could have suggested that we pick her clothes together the evening before, because in the morning she just can’t decide.
This approach works surprisingly often: You tell them what we need to do, or what bothers you and then try to find a solution together.
Often there’s a little thing that they just can’t stand, that bothers them a lot and which you never thought about.
As a parent you only see the “big picture” of the end result being fucked up and another fight, but not that they’d just like to have a reasonable little detail changed.
For example, our usual evening-routine was that we would brush teeth first and then change clothes. It was just the way we did it. And we ran into difficulties with the little one who threw a tantrum every night. If you just look at “teeth need to be brushed”, you’re running into fight after fight after fight until you finally break their will.
Well, turned out that she just likes it to be the other way round: change clothes first, brush teeth later.
If there’s something better about this or if she just wanted to have her agency respected, I don’t know, but by asking her opinion we found a routine that has the same result minus the big fight.
It’s just that sometimes their ideas can’t be implemented.
Oh, I totally agree with that, but you don’t know how far their ability to reason is developed until you try (and you train it that way, too).
As I said, quite often, we find a way that respects all sides: the needs of the child, those of the parent and those of the situation.
So, just saying “you can’t wear that dress today, it’s too cold” may be totally right from an adult point of view, but not from a child’s POV. But maybe you can find a workable solution, like putting on a long-sleeved shirt and thick tights underneath, and if they figure that solution out themselves they are much more willing to go for that way than if you just plain tell them.
Warning: self-centered complaintfest ahead
So, actually, I’m pretty obviously depressed. I recognize it. It’s kind of like when I used to have the arthritis pain everywhere – I don’t want to do anything because I know it will hurt. Except that it won’t actually hurt. I don’t know how else to describe it though. I don’t want to do anything. Most of the time I don’t feel like I care about anything. I don’t think there’s a reason for it at all. I am hoping it passes soon on its own. I don’t know why it is happening, and I have been doing carefully the things that are supposed to keep me stable and make me not be depressed, and I don’t have time for this, either to have it or to fix it, right now. And it’s always times like these when meatspace-type people decide they want to see me or talk to me, when I truly can’t cope with being around them. The only meatspace-type person I still do regularly talk to, I recently started just… not having the impulse to respond to him. I’m sitting here getting texts or messages, not responding, not wanting to respond, yet intensely missing him. It’s not quite right to say that I’m sad, exactly. I just feel lost and emptied out and un-, again, with no apparent precipitating factors. And while I keep defaulting to “in bed” and then falling asleep, I keep being unjustifiably terrified to go to bed for the night, which is why I’m still here whining about this to you all.
:/
That’s how my depressions have manifested themselves. Inability to motivate to do much of anything. I withdraw and withdraw until either I get suicidal thoughts and snap out of it, or something/someone snaps me out of it. Unfortunately, I know my method only works for me.
Talking about your problems seems to be a really common method for feeling better though, so there’s that little ray of hope. We humans are also amazingly resilient creatures. Just knowing that you can get past a problem can be amazingly healing in its own right.
I’m arguing Kalam with someone on Rawstory who immediately comes across as much more intellectually dishonest than the people who work with Kalam. He made up his own twist to Kalam that states basically “it doesn’t matter if science figures out there’s 100, 1000, or infinite numbers of Big Bangs before our own, there still was an initial beginning, therefore God.”
I wanted to complain about having to write a motivation letter, but now I will just offer to share chocolate with Cassandra Caligaria.
I also have come cookies with coconut if you prefer those.
Beautiful new nym, btw.
Kalam? What/who is that?
CC
*hugs and chocolate*
I think I know that feeling.
Well, actually I can get up and do many things, only not those that relate to myself.
And each time I feel so stupid.
So for the last three Wednesdays I tried to go to the open office hour of a professor I need to see.
No appointment-no disappointing somebody else-not going there.
So last weekend I told Mr. that I would go there this week.
Guess who’s getting dressed now?
Maybe you could ask your friend to contact you in ways you can’t ignore that easily?
@beatrice
Have fun with the chewtoy in the Perspectives thread.
CC:
How do you want him to react to this? You can obviously imagine various things he can do in response to your ignoring him: how do you feel about each of them?
I would be sad if he were to go away. :/ That’s the only one I can think of.
I barely commented for days, but now that I have something better to do (as in, something I should finish today), I suddenly become interested in a chew toy. It figures.
But it certainly is fun.
Thanks to everyone for the support. I’m going to go try to go to bed now. I think it should be okay. I don’t know what it is that’s making me so upset about it – it’s like, if I just stay here and stay still, nothing bad can happen? I don’t know.
And also thanks for the compliments and suggestions on my new nym :) I have a long explanation for it and I’ll probably keep it the way it is til I change it back to Cipher… but that’s for another day when I’m not depriving myself of sleep for no reason.
CC:
Well, two possibilities spring to mind:
1. He goes away. You’ll be sad, but you’ll feel you deserve it. You feel worthless and want to punish yourself.
2. He understands that something is really wrong and steps up to help you more fully. Would you like that?
Okay, this is help with Sandra again, only what I’d like help with is feedback on some potential arguments I’d like to use against her in the homosexual marriage debate.
Okay, first there’s what I’d like to write in response to her requests for evidence that homosexuals have always had the right to marry:
Now the other argument I’d like to use is against her whole insistence on clinging on to the “law” for protection, especially one particularly ludicrous law:
So yes, feedback on these potential responses of mine, what I could do to change them, even playing Devi’s Advocate if necessary, would be absolutely fantastic help. :)
Cheers,
James :)
Ahem, Devil’s Advocate, that should be. I don’t know who “Devi” is, or why he’d have advocates, but he sounds like a hip kinda guy. :)
@TomeWorm (love the name btw)
Kalam is the Kalam Cosmological Argument. It states:
1) Everything that begins to exist has a cause.
2) The universe began to exist.
3) Therefore the universe has a cause.
4) This cause is God.
It’s intellectually dishonest. It’s easily refutable, but this person on Rawstory is even worse than the regular Kalam, even more intellectually dishonest. He states the argument similar, but he adds infinite regression to the argument, stating that even if a natural cause is found for the Big Bang – even if said natural cause is a chain of previous Big Bang-Big Crunch models, there was an ultimate beginning therefore God.
Judging by only the examples you just gave (I REALLY don’t want to catch myself up on whatever this is about) I think you’re arguing with someone who is strongly entrenched in their prejudices. I wonder if the argument is worth it? Because you’re going to have to find a very compelling point of argument in order to make any headway at all if you’ve gotten to stuff like that. Or it could just be a hot button for you, because I’ve started arguments like that on a few occasions.
The arguments seem sound to me, if heavily biased against Prop 8 proponents (which might be a strike against you, or might not)
@Katherine
It’s TomeWyrm. Common typo, though at least you have the pronunciation correct :)
In other words it’s creationism which like all creationism is predicated upon the assumption that there has to be both cause-and-effect AND a beginning.
I avoid arguments involving “the beginning” whenever possible. Nobody has anything more than “I believe” and those arguments are nigh impossible to win, or even make headway with… Unless I feel like pissing off a religious f***wit, at which point I’m being a confrontational ass that’s arguing for the trolling jollies.
@TomeWyrm:
Sorry sorry. I saw your name when I was on my phone and answered here about a half hour later forgetting how to spell it.
I don’t care about winning the argument. I just told him he’s intellectually dishonest. If he tries to push the matter I’ll just state I don’t argue with people who change their arguments at will. If he takes it as a concession, whatever, no big deal to me.
He didn’t even look at the main bed of my argument, that even if the universe had a cause, he still has yet to show that the cause is a) supernatural, and b) God. There is no argument that can be made to those points, and yet it is the ultimate conclusion of the thoroughly badly designed Kalam.
Katherine Lorraine @451: If the person actually said that, they have a horrible grasp of the definition of infinite. If there have been an infinite number, there is no need for god(s). Kind of like Carl Sagan said, the Multiverse would be all that is, or was or would ever be.
The alternative kind of makes you feel a sense of mental vertigo for a moment as you try troubling out what the hell there was before there were any universes. This deity people keep rambling on about sat there for n number of countless aeons and only after it became quite insane decided there should be some sort of company? That certainly ‘splains the psychotic behaviour of said entity in the Odd* Testament.
*not a typo
Ok, seriously.
I got up an hour early today because I set my clock wrong. Realized it fairly quickly, but instead of swearing and going back to bed, I went “Eh, I can stop by the store before I go to work!”
I then proceeded to make udon noodle and soybean soup for breakfast, went shopping, and am now in my office early enough that sunrise is coming in the windows. What the hell is wrong with me?
@McCthulhu:
He actually said something along the lines of “it doesn’t matter how many Big Bangs there were, there was an initial beginning, therefore God.”
@ Katherine Lorraine: If I understood from your description of what Kalam is I assumed that’s something he would say. I take it his thickness isn’t allowing in the possibility that there were no beginnings because then he can’t say ‘∴ God.’
I have never understood why there has to be a supernatural beginning even if the history of universe(s) did have a start somewhere. He’s never heard the expression ‘nature abhors a vacuum’? Maybe even to a complete absence of anything it’s just so boring that it has to pop something into existence. It doesn’t have to be intelligent, nor even benevolent.
And if he was really serious about finding the truth of the matter he would be enrolled in cosmogeny courses, not arguing the esoterics of Kanned-ham.
@465 Katherine
No problem on the typo, I deal with them all the time. I just correct the mistake and move on.
So you’re coming here to complain about an annoying person in a more receptive environment? Awesome, I like bashing bigots and religious f***wits!
———-
@McCthulhu
See it’s the lack of God in there that they’re moaning and bitching about. That can’t possibly be all there ever was, is, or will be. That’s what GOD is for, duh!
*Applies head to desk. Repeatedly, with great vigor*
How did you get jobs? I can’t for the life of me manage to write a decent motivation letter.
All the samples I found are along the lines of “Do you want to find someone brilliant, someone to improve your company standing by gazillion percent? Someone who can lick your ass while cooking your coffee and finishing seven different reports? Due to my extensive experience of exactly four months of shuffling papers, infinite patience with morons and ambition to get a better job as soon as I can, I am surely the best for the job”.
Ok, a bit of my frustration leaked in at the end.
I’m terrible at making myself look good.
@Beatrice
I too have that problem where I am concerned. The state of the job market is atrocious. It’s a big BS contest to see who can get away with the most outlandish lies the longest or most often. No attention is paid to honest achievements or skills. I can’t get hired at a computer repair shop because I don’t have a college degree, despite being able to talk about computers over the heads of at least half the employees in the shop.
That being said, it’s what we’re stuck with, and my advice is get a friend who is good with words to spruce up your initial attempt, and even suggest additions. Or pay a professional. They are out there, if you look hard enough. I worked as a resume reviser for a summer. Fun job, but can’t do it for myself to save my hide.
@TomeWyrm:
More like I came here for the collective face-desk / “I’ve been there before” type responses that will come from people on TET. Kalam is such a ridiculously easy argument to refute – and yet it’s the one used by the big-wigs like WLC.
@McCthulhu:
I dunno if that’s it or not, but it’s a particularly dishonest position to argue from, that’s for sure. It immediately says “I don’t care about science, nyeeeeh.”
@Beatrice:
I work for the government… they don’t need motivation letters.
Beatrice @471: Have I been that long out of the work force? I have no idea WTF a ‘motivation’ letter is.
@TomeWyrm re #431: Still dislike Scientology and the Jehovah’s Witnesses more than Mormons though.
It really depends on whose stupid shit is redlining at the moment. According to The Endless Thread at least, it’s gotta be the
LSDLDS church.My biggest peeve against them is just the language you read on the links to the Salt Lake City paper from the comments of readers. Even the basic argument they use that marriage is supposed to be between one woman and man (unless you’re the Mormon prophet Jo’ Smith, who can have as many wives as he wants) but the gays can have their civil unions is garbage. When one group has to use what in essence is discriminatory language to describe what their union is, it is just bald-faced bigotry and very equal to the civil rights movement black America had to go through. You had your white and black drinking fountains, you have your straight and gay marriage definition. Their arguments are pure horseshit and they smear themselves in it every time they try to use it.
The other LDS/prop 8 thing that gets me royally PO’d is how often you hear conservatives crying about state’s rights. Then they engage in one of the most hypocritical acts in national history by spending millions of dollars from Utah to run ads full of hate and lies in California, a completely different state trying to determine its set of rights for people without the influence of asshats like those in Utah. Fuck them with the leprous zombie porcupine for that one.
Then there’s the necrodunking info that Lynna has been reporting here, along with every other bit of minutiae of stupidity they engage in (and thanks muchly to Lynna for being such a diligent reporter). I have no use for the other two groups, but Mormons are certainly my worst, by far, right at the moment.
Umberto?
Like Josh?
I know, and thanks to all. I just feel like shit. And part of it is because it was my fault that I let myself get triggered. Sorry ’bout that.
Well, he’s all for freedom. Freedom for everyone to live the way he thinks they should live.
So he wants Axlotl tanks?
That is great news. But why the fuck do we feel the need to vote on which humans actually deserve human rights?
Just wanted to point out how bizarre some things on TET look out of context.
Devi is one of the imps in the service of Tpyos.
I have noticed that, as I get older, I need less and less sleep. Perhaps you just got older? Really quickly?
=============
Last night, I imbibed a bottle of Ommegang Three Philosophers. And I have another favourites beer.
=============
Boy is working on a museum exhibits project in college. His proposal is to use beer labels from microbreweries here in Pennsylvania in order to highlight the artwork on the labels. Anyone have a suggestion as to how to go about getting permission to use the labels for a non-profit exhibit? And who to get in touch with to actually get labels? I mean, he’s in college, but I don’t think he wants to buy a six pack of every microbrew in the state. The project only has a $600 budget.
Last nigh, during a conversation with a very Catholic couple (they are Saint Orum Catholics), they complained about the ‘fucking dot-heads’ buying up all the old Wawa mini-marts. Apparently, they were upset that these ‘dot-heads’ were flaunting their religion to try to show they are special. I asked, “Isn’t tomorrow Ash Wednesday?”
He replied, “Yes, it is. But these damn dot-heads . . . .”
No desk was available, so I double face-palmed.
McCthulhu,
As far as I know motivation letter is another name for cover letter. I’m assuming it came into use because it sounds more positive. *blah*
It’s a job application that makes it more obvious how much bullshit you’re supposed to invest into it.
Thank for the sympathy TomeWyrm. I’ll probably bother a friend.
Katherine… Yeah. Good thing about government jobs.
Ogvorbis – I just headdesked for you as well.
Are you going to call him “ash-head” all day today?
I really hope I don’t see them today.
So, I’m back
Tell me again, why did it take me four fucking weeks to do this?
Oh, and is good or bad that the prof remembered me after all these years?
Very good news: the English department just gives 1:1 credit from old system to new system.
I also noticed my monkey brain fucking with me.
All those people on campus younger than me? They’re going to graduate soon!
All my age or older? They graduated long ago and are working there!
The human brain noticed somewhere along the way that:
-statistically speaking, some of those young people will drop out, some of them will take long.
-some of the oldish people are still students, too, and some of them are caretakers (nothing wrong with being a caretaker, also those PhDs would have a hard time without them)
CCHope you sleep well
++++
Has anybody heard from Starstuff? I’m worried about her.
I’m missing something, who are “dot-heads”? The only people with dots on their heads I can think of are the wearers of bindi from southern Asia (I usually think of Indians, but there ARE other cultures that wear them, heh)
Also I like carlie’s idea
That is ‘valley-speak’ for immigrants from south Asia who are not Muslim or Sikh. So, yeah, you are correct in your guess.
HS biology teacher and Molly Ivins
Unfortunately, I had a misogynist HS biology teacher who liked to say to girls after he had grilled them about the subject matter: “I don’t want to penetrate you any longer”. I wish I could say it sounded better in the original German, but it didn’t…
government job
I applied for a government job once, which was all about the motivation. You needed a great motivation letter, and they’d ask you all about it. And motivated I was. Didn’t get it though, lost out to all the lawyers…
@ All
Pharyngulation: If any of you have not done so, please support our very own Maryam Namazie.
Petition: Freedom for Hamza Kashgari
Hamza is the young reporter who was deported from Malaysia and put on a private plane to Saudi Arabia. There he faces the death penalty for tweeting an imaginary conversation with imaginary mohammad.
Here is an article for those who have not followed the issue:
Washington Post Article. Hamza Kashgari is a test for Saudi Arabia.
Petitioners for his death (tens of thousands) far outnumber the few petitioners for his release (2,275 as of tonight). If there is anyone out there looking to remedy this please visit the linked petition site.
Shukran katir,
Theo
I honestly didn’t know what ash Wednesday was and same time last year I almost whispered to the woman at the checkout counter at an OC grocery store that she had a smudge of soot on her forehead. I had never seen this phenomenon before. I guess nobody in the area of Alberta where I came from was zany enough to intentionally walk around in public looking like they had just rescued their budgie from a fire. Or maybe every time that day went by there was also a blizzard and everyone’s foreheads were obscured by toques.
If I see them at the grocer’s again today I’m still going to be hugely tempted to whisper ‘you missed a spot…’.
I’m from the pope’s own country, and I have never ever seen anybody with an ash-cross on ash Wednesday.
But I insist on making spinach on Holy Thursday.
Folk-ethymology had it that “cry-Thursday” became “green-Thursday” and therefore you need to cook spinach, and in honour of such nonsense creativity, I always cook spinach (and I like it)
Oh. If it had to be something green I would have went for the dinosaur cookies.
Ah right, the Rhinelanders are doing their Carnival thing, it must be Ash Wednesday…
the grün in Gründonnerstag is one of the mysteries of German etymology.
BTW, not being familiar with Catholic practices and all, but how important is this foot-washing practice? The Chinese term for Maundy Thursday apparently is “Foot-washing Festival” (濯足節 zhuózú jié)
Actually it isn’t.
It was “Grein-Donnerstag” which became “Grün-Donnerstag”. Not that unusual as a shift.
(or rather the Rhinelanders are through with their Carnival thing, so it must be Ash Wednesday)
Giliell,
Kluge says “origin unclear” and suggests calque from Latin dies viridium “Day of the Greens” (Luke 23,31)
Duden Herkuntswörterbuch claims it has sth to do with the tradition of eating Grünkohl on that day.
Wikipedia lists four hypotheses, which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They also argue against Greinen “crying”, because Maundy Thursday was an ecclesiastic day of joy since the 4th century (the day those who had been excommunicated before were admitted to communion again). But again, I’m not familiar with Catholic practices, there might be some reason to cry still.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCndonnerstag
carlie, #67: I do that every morning. Except for the getting up early part. Or the shopping*. I guess what I mean to say is that I pack my lunch too. Common ground.
*shopping sux, amirite?
pelamun
I can’t give you a link, it’s the explenation my linguistics prof gave.
But on the other hand he could have been mistaken, too, since his main subject was English linguistics, not German.
@James
I think we have to stop helping you. It’s getting to the point that we’re enabling now.
That said Sandra’s comment about how the government can’t infringe on religion to force marriage…why the fuck does the government then get to infringe on the religions that WANT gay marriage. You’re both freaking Methodists right? You both know that your own religion has pastors that would WANT to marry their gay members right?
Giliell,
it doesn’t matter what his specialty is. Etymology is only as reliable as your data. Apparently in this case, there is no definitive answer (I would, however, trust the Kluge any time over the Duden-Herkunftswörterbuch). The anonymous Wikipedia author claims that grîn donerstac is not attested in written records, so if that’s true, then the crying hypothesis is ultimately based on conjecture.
(I’ve been part of a research project on etymology. It’s the field of linguistics laypeople are most interested in, and want a definitive answer. Problem is most linguists aren’t interested so much, and often there aren’t definitive answers)
Minor quibble over a groaner of a lecture title that I had to share: the university I work for is hosting a guest lecturer this week. Hir lecture title? “Cardiac Regeneration: In It to WNT It”. I usually love awful puns like that, but this one really set off the “oh, come ON” part of my brain. Now I’m trying to reassure myself that all the stuff like that I threw into my undergrad presentations weren’t all THAT bad but I know that they were probably way worse.
Not caught up with the thread, but I need to share my news.
The Paper That Does Not Die has been accepted by [pretty damn good journal for a grad student to be published in]!!!
I really did not think this was going to happen, but apparently devoting 2 months of my life to revisions was a good plan. Yay!
*dances around lab*
Yay for Nutmeg! Grog all around.