Catnip, no, you haven’t. You probably aren’t aware, but people who make “first!” comments generally have those comments removed, as they seriously piss PZ off.
The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.
I’d like to see that as a red letter headline in every single paper in the States. Along with a comprehensive article about just how much they are responsible for the dumbing down of ‘merica.
Pteryxxsays
*waves* Totally FTB-and-threadrupt. Hello from Botcon, where I get to hang out with my BFF in actual meatspace! *strews happy nerdgasms everywhere*
tomfrogsays
PZ:
A singing Darwin. Eh, I don’t know about this.
I understand it was for a kid show in the UK so the singing seems like a good idea. (And I realize you may well not have been criticizing the singing… in which case: nevermind :) )
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
Last night, I dreamed I was out driving but I knew that I was asleep and dreaming. But I knew that I had to get up and go to work soon. So I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, turned the car off, got out, and woke up.
I’m having weird dreams.
BTW Dimetrodon was not a dinosaur, it was one of two “finbacks”
It was a failed attempt at humour. I (and Boy) was playing off of Dmitri Donskoy who led the Muscovites in the battle.
I am familiar with the ‘protomammals’. It was an attempt at humour. Sorry. It will happen again.
Rubin has discovered sammiches and has declared them worthy of worship.
But does he like Rueben sandwiches?
If you’re a good little freudian, everything means “penis”.
But, but, but, my CIGARS!?
The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.
When gods has told you that you are not only right, but you are doing gods’ work, no ideology is too extreme, compromise is making a deal with the devil, all facts and evidence can be changed by gods, no modern shit can override the mythology, and, since they are the opposition, all political foes are doing the work of the devil.
Modern conservatism is the problem. There is no politics with them, only ideology.
rickschauersays
Rev BDC
Quote from da Internets: “If the Republicans fully funded education they would eliminate themselves.”
Silisays
Pteryxx
*waves* Totally FTB-and-threadrupt. Hello from Botcon, where I get to hang out with my BFF in actual meatspace! *strews happy nerdgasms everywhere*
Say hi to David Willis, will you?
David Marjanovićsays
I was foolishly working online and it appears that the Internet server had a spasm just as I was trying to click a few finishing touches.
Argh.
*white tea*
*hugs*
From the comments: “He was born with a silver spoon so far up his ass it came out of his mouth.”
+ 1
In the case of palaeontology, I guess that would mean that you spend you bachelors, masters and (possibly) PhD time figuring out what the field is about. Once you have your PhD, as long as you have the evidence, you can become a Bakker or Ostrom (if you so desire). Does that make sense?
Well, that just amounts to getting background knowledge of what you’re talking about. That’s easiest this way, but can be done in other ways. Indeed, Horner’s doctorate is honorary – he never bothered to get one the conventional way.
“Dimetrodon. Isn’t that the guy who defeated the Mongols at the the Battle of Kulikovopol in 1380?”
X-)
BTW, it’s Kulikovo polje = sandpiper field. Compare Kosovo polje = blackbird field.
And Wife says that the dinosaur sheets should improve our Rex life.
The things are basically primers for girls to freak out about what screwups they are and obsess over what the “right” boy thinks of them. And they’re supposedly for ages 7 and up!
Does not compute. Girls age… let’s say 9 and up, at the latest, despise boys, and it’s mutual.
BTW Dimetrodon was not a dinosaur, it was one of two “finbacks” -reptile and amphibian- back before good out-of-water hearing had developed and visual displays were more important for winning a mate than mating calls.
Good point! That’s even testable: a sail-backed seymouriamorph would probably disprove it. (Terrestrial seymouriamorphs may have had good hearing in air, but that’s underresearched.)
Also, it was one of the most primitive reptiles ever, just after the stem-amniotes had split int four groups of reptiles. Surprisingly Dimetrodon was in the group from which proto-mammals would evolve. This reptile group was the second superdynasty of land-living vertebtates, the first being amphibians
Yeah, especially if you define “amphibians” as “everything else”, so you end up lumping diadectomorphs, tuditanomorphs, seymouriamorphs and the few terrestrial temnospondyls – only either tuditanomorpphs or temnospondyls can be amphibians. The time with a huge diversity of terrestrial actual amphibians is now.
Similarly, you could have replaced “reptiles” by “amniotes” every time without loss of information.
David, cosplay is costume play, which is fairly common in the fandom world.
Ah, thanks.
A dork is a whale penis.
A geek is someone who bites the heads off of chickens.
A nerd is someone who knows the above facts.
Day saved.
Who knew Alabama was so transgender-friendly?
But then, so is Iran.
*duck & cover*
Ah, but you see, this is for a candiru that has inserted itself vaginally. Whole different kettle of fish!
Oh. Yeah. That might work, I suppose…
I’m not not confident enough about that kind of thing to start editing people’s letters to science journals except for the non-technical parts.
Don’t worry, you’re in good company. On the latest manuscript I reviewed, I had to explain to the authors that “monophyletic clade” is redundant. At least some of them were big names in their field.
I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean the Reformed Druids of North America.
:-D
Well sharks have 2, and they’re double jointed.
That’s because they’re actually legs (pelvic fins). Sharks, and all other chondrichtyans, cheat.
The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.
Thanks for the link. The Washington Post pins the blame for the Repub’s rightward stampeded on individuals, specifically Grover Norquist and Newt Gingrich. I doubt that a couple of people can bring about such a change. I blame the collapse of the Soviet Union. While it was there, as not only a military rival but a potential alternative to capitalism, ordinary people in the NATO countries had to be allowed a share of the goodies capitalism produces in order to keep them onside. Once it was clearly weakening, as it was by the early 1980s, the right launched a drive to concentrate wealth and power ever further in the hands of the rich, and this accelerated after its collapse. This has gone furthest in the US, and as a distraction strategy, building on the high American level of religiosity, the greedheads also launched the culture war, convincing droves of the ignorant to vote against their own interests. We’re seeing the first signs of that being imported to the UK now, with moves to restrict abortion and hand over more schools to religious bodies, although I doubt that it will really fly here: demonisation of Muslims is a more promising strategy for the European right.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
BTW, it’s Kulikovo polje = sandpiper field. Compare Kosovo polje = blackbird field.
Despite my incompetence, the pun still (sort of) works!
I’m out of words ^_^
That’ll never happen.
He has yet to encounter one. That might herald the apocalypse or somethin’.
Nope. Trying to think of a good rejoinder but, this early on a Friday morn, I got nothing.
Silisays
The things are basically primers for girls
Just looked up “primer” yesterday after once again yelling at the SGU for their stupid pronunciation.
Turns out “primmer” is standard American.
And yet people still don’t see any reason to reform spelling.
jimmauchsays
Elton John?
David Marjanovićsays
Last night, I dreamed I was out driving but I knew that I was asleep and dreaming. But I knew that I had to get up and go to work soon. So I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, turned the car off, got out, and woke up.
The MW non-standard pronunciation guide uses \ī\ for IPA /aɪ/.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
Boy has five final exams. For four of them, the professor will email him the exam questions and he will write up the essays and email them back by midnight that day. Is this normal now?
David Marjanovićsays
Turns out “primmer” is standard American.
I’ll never cease to find surprises in English pronunciation.
And yet people still don’t see any reason to reform spelling.
You need to recalibrate your grumpy, old man – ometer, David.
No. 14 is around the age when it ends among the premature ones. Glad to have that confirmed… even if in the stupidest, in fact the most childish manner possible. “Ultimate facepalm” is about right.
I like this comment:
Do people not realize that trolling occurs on both “Q” and “A” sides of Yahoo Answers? I think it’s time we just gave the place the Chernobyl treatment – bury it in a few hundred tons of concrete and walk away.
David Marjanovićsays
ˈpri-mər
How about ˈprim-ər, with prim- as in primrose?
In German, for one, people would never get the idea of assigning a lone consonant between (theoretical) vowels to the preceding syllable; but in English, this happens all the time.
Boy has five final exams. For four of them, the professor will email him the exam questions and he will write up the essays and email them back by midnight that day. Is this normal now?
If they’re supposed to be actual lengthy essays, yes, probably.
'Tis Himselfsays
Turns out “primmer” is standard American.
Not where I grew up. It was pry-mer when I was a youngin’. Also when I was middle aged and even now when I’m slouching into senility.
Oh crap what is that? David Bowie? The Beatles? Now I won’t sleep until I know!
Silisays
Interesting incidentally that even given the /ɪ/ pronunciation, all the rhymes given by MW are with /aɪ/.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Previous thread:
I am not a whale penis.
I am not a penis at all!
I am a vulva with legs and a brain, obviously.
StevoRsays
Horrible histories is a great show. Love it and wellworth ctachingeven if it is aimed mostyat kids – still very funny and interesing with lots of quirky historic facts.
***
PS. As for the whole flame war deal from t’other night. I’m just going tosay I disagree with some of you and some of you disagree with me but ce la vie.
That’s life.
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot and those who disagree with me don’t know me so .. anyhow, I’ll leave it there for now.
carliesays
I have heard it both as primer (as in prime) and primer (as in too prim), although we all know how it ought to be, what with that e in it. ;)
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trollssays
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot and those who disagree with me don’t know me so .. anyhow, I’ll leave it there for now.
Disagreeing doesn’t make you bad. Flights of irrationalism, islamophobia, and war mongering is what makes you bad. It isn’t just a difference of opinion. Your paranoid and unworkable ideas aren’t going over here. If you want folks to think you are anything other than an irrelevant and ignorant imbecile, find another blog.
Morning All! Dull, overcast, chilly here – yuck. Too off-putting for garden work, so I’m going to bake a chocolate cake right now!
Brother Og, that sounds like the dream of a person with an orderly mind to me. :) Although who the hell knows what dreams mean- or even if they mean anything at all.
I like the video! It has a really ELO/Bowie mix mash kind of vibe. Plus, it seems to be explaining natural selection properly, if simply. But I am not a scientist.
StevoRsays
Typos. Durrnit. make that :
Horrible Histories is a great show. Love it and well worth catching even if it is aimed mostly at kids.
Folks can probably watch it on line via iView through links there (maybe?) although I think Americans might need to find a way to do that as they sometiems struggle to get that to work or summin’
I do like this blogand even mostof thecommenters here even if we don’t always see eye-to-eye so to speak.
(To drunkenly mangle even more metaphors.)
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot and those who disagree with me don’t know me so .. anyhow, I’ll leave it there for now.
Depends. There are lots of things that we disagree on ’round these parts. There are certain ones, though, that have a different level of disagreement. The idea that was is ever desirable is one. So is the idea that there are certain people for whom death is the only possible way to deal with them. Refusing to argue with evidence is also up there.
So, SteveO, who gets to decide what people are worthless? The government? The churches? Right-wing authoritarians? Who?
Brother Og, that sounds like the dream of a person with an orderly mind to me. :)
There is nothing orderly about my mind. Nothing.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
So, SteveO
Sorry, that is ‘StevoR’. Didn’t mean to mangle your nym.
Horrible histories is a great show. Love it and wellworth ctachingeven if it is aimed mostyat kids – still very funny and interesing with lots of quirky historic facts.
Yeah, Horrible Histories is pretty cool. It’s not without its flaws, but as a kids’ show it’s definitely one of the better ones the BBC has to offer.
ce la vie. That’s life.
Ahum… C’est la vie.
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot and those who disagree with me don’t know me so .. anyhow, I’ll leave it there for now.
No, simply disagreeing doesn’t make someone a bad person. The shit you were spouting (paranoid war mongering, death penalty bullshit, etc…), however, was worrying. It was irrational and… well… dumb.
David Marjanovićsays
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot
There are topics where reasonable people who start from the same facts can come to different conclusions. Fine.
Often, however, different conclusions are based on different samples of facts. In such cases, of n ideas, at least n − 1 are wrong – there’s no sugarcoating it.
Science tries to find out which ones are wrong.
You have fallen among the scientists. We’re used to pouncing on the fact samples everyone’s ideas are based on and examining them.
The shit you were spouting (paranoid war mongering, death penalty bullshit, etc…), however, was worrying. It was irrational and… well… dumb.
Oh, as StevoR won’t listen to one word about why his positions are utterly stupid and simply provides knee-jerk responses, I’ll stick with him being a full court idiot.
David Marjanovićsays
who the hell knows what dreams mean, if anything?
Science !!
Dreams appear to be random brainstorms that draw on memories, especially memories from the previous day that haven’t spent much time in the conscious mind, plus wishful and fearful thinking.
Silisays
Anyone listen to SGU from last week?
I can’t help but feel iffy about the discussion of Sanal Edamaruku. This may well be my own prejudices shining through, but sounded to me like they were othering all Indians as being backwards and superstitious – and, boo, there’re so many of them.
I kept saying to myself, “And this differs from the US, how?!”.
Silisays
I am a vulva with legs and a brain, obviously.
A vulva *and* a brain?!!
Oh, you wimminz. You’re so cute when you think you’re people.
29 April 2012 at 10:48 am
who the hell knows what dreams mean, if anything?
Science !!
Dreams appear to be random brainstorms that draw on memories, especially memories from the previous day that haven’t spent much time in the conscious mind, plus wishful and fearful thinking.
I knew it!! (not. but that explanation makes sense and is cool – unless the fears and memories are horrible, in which case, nightmares – sorry Ogvorbis if my earlier remark seemed deliberately insensitive. It was actually stupidly, unthinkingly insensitive and I am sincerely sorry).
Rev. BDC, that’s a great essay… kind of surprised it appeared in the WaPo, which has gone full wingnut in recent years.
KG, I have no doubt that the collapse of the Soviet Union hastened the lurch to the far right, but over here the reactionaries had been planning to retake the political arena since the early ’70s.
Sili, I had never seen “Sodomuffin” before. I LOL’ed.
Caine etc., I’ve heard the word “primer” pronounced with a short i to indicate a children’s instructional book, and with a long i to indicate the preparatory form of paint. I find the short-i pronunciation odd and archaic-sounding.
David, Yahoo! Answers is a veritable font of lulz. Were it not for Y!A, we’d have no such meme as “HOW IS BABBY FORMED.” Why would anyone want to destroy it?
Carlie: Props for Tom Lehrer. I was delighted when I became a teen and found out that the fellow who sang that song and “L-Y” on The Electric Company also sang songs celebrating kinky sex and mocking religion.
That stiletto is gorgeous, Caine.
Silisays
Ack!
Sometimes I forget about Rule 34.
And then anthropofied versions of Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker hit me right in the childhood.
It’s pure icing that I found that at a shop called Hedgehog Handworks. :D They have a fab beeswax hedgehog, too. I don’t need anymore beeswax, but I’m going to get it anyway.
KGsays
KG, I have no doubt that the collapse of the Soviet Union hastened the lurch to the far right, but over here the reactionaries had been planning to retake the political arena since the early ’70s. – Ms. Daisy Cutter
Yes, I’m sure that’s true – but look at Nixon’s policies, at home and abroad, as compared with those of subsequent Presidents: you would think the man was a bleeding-heart liberal! Look at the way advances in prosperity got shared by those in the middle and at the bottom of the income range in north America and western Europe. Internationally, the ’70s saw the American withdrawal from Indochina, Nixon’s opening to China, superpower detente, the fall of fascist and military regimes in southern Europe, the collapse of the Portuguese Empire in Africa, leaving the white supremacist regimes in “Rhodesia”, Namibia and South Africa exposed, and at the very end of the decade, the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. It was only at the end of the decade that the tide turned. Stagflation, the Iranian Revolution, and the second oil shock gave the right an opening – witness Reagan’s unscrupulous (at the very least) use of the hostage crisis; but around the same time, it began to be clear that the Soviet command economy was no longer “catching up” with capitalism, indeed was stagnating, and the criminal blunder of the invasion of Afghanistan put the tin hat on it. By the time a real reformer, Gorbachev, came to power, it was too late to reverse the slide to disintegration. The only people who’ve done really well out of that are a small Russian elite, the inhabitants of the Baltic republics and the former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe – and the elites in north America and western Europe who no longer have to share the goodies of capitalism with the proles.
Tethyssays
Hello thread! I have been avoiding the computer to allow my De Quervains tendonitis to heal. I will never take my thumb for granted again. Its really hard to do a lot of things without two working thumbs. On a side note, aging really does suck and our bodies have several design flaws.
—
I’m loving the OP. I especially like that the music is based on David Bowie’s “Changes”, and the Bowie shout-out.
Natural selection means each animal evolved,
to blend with it’s surroundings.
Ch-ch-ch-changes were involved.
I did not mean to be rude or presumptuous. Like I said, who the hell knows what dreams mean, if anything?
No need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure no one out there had delusions that I am either adequate or organized in any way, shape or form. I prefer to keep expectations low.
Dreams appear to be random brainstorms that draw on memories, especially memories from the previous day that haven’t spent much time in the conscious mind, plus wishful and fearful thinking.
Then explain my dreams about donuts and liquor from about 10 days ago.
sorry Ogvorbis if my earlier remark seemed deliberately insensitive. It was actually stupidly, unthinkingly insensitive and I am sincerely sorry
Damnit! Stop apologizing. Really. You did nothing wrong. I am sorry that my reply (which was meant to be at least somewhat humourous) led you to believe that I had taken offense. I did not. I didn’t even take a fence.
Thanks Caine. :) The duckies are adorable, I love the bokeh effect of the raindrop photos, the stiletto is pretty, (what do you do with it?) and I checked out the crayon tinting tutorial that you cited. What a great idea!
Of course I have a drawer full of crayons, don’t all adults?
—
Congratulations to Audley!
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
carlie:
In line with the comic, but on a different topic, I’ve always thought that the perfect job for fundamentalist Christians would be harvesting safron. Ripping the sex organs off of other living beings would make their day.
It’s used to punch holes when you are using metallics and it doubles as a laying tool (making sure your thread lies flat), especially for tiny stitches, which is what I’m doing.
Of course I have a drawer full of crayons, don’t all adults?
I have more than a drawerful! :D It’s a great method to use when you aren’t going to fill in an area.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
Nice use of rope in that there bar.
Makes it easier to tie one on.
theophontes 777says
@ Dhorvath
Looks like my kittehz scratch post. (Look carefully at the leather on the stools. linky)
Damnit! Stop apologizing. Really. You did nothing wrong. I am sorry that my reply (which was meant to be at least somewhat humourous) led you to believe that I had taken offense. I did not. I didn’t even take a fence.
well, Im sorry that I made you sorry! ;-D
haha – seriously, good. For a minute there I thought my (very) little humor had gone over like a lead balloon. Glad that I was mistaken!
Of course I have a drawer full of crayons, don’t all adults?
Hello Tethys, pleased to meet you. (peeks into drawer crammed with crayons, markers and colored pencils). You speak the truth!
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Yes! I found the stiletto I want.
I like the handle and the sleek lines.
Do you actually plan to potentially use this thing in combat/defense?
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
It’s used to punch holes when you are using metallics and it doubles as a laying tool (making sure your thread lies flat), especially for tiny stitches, which is what I’m doing.
Do you actually plan to potentially use this thing in combat/defense?
Do I plan to? No. I have a wide variety of sharp, pointy things which could cause much more damage. However, it should never be underestimated just how dangerous small sharp pointy things are. Just got to know where to stick them. ;D
Caine, yeah, I guess I got weaponry on the brain today.
I was about to launch into a constructive criticism about why that item might not be the most effective weapon, but I can see it’s very unnecessary. :p
:D Actually, my fave sharp, pointy object is a tiny spyder folding knife, all of 4 inches with the blade extended. The blade is curved and I can easily hide it in the palm of my hand and open it one handed. I like stuff like that.
Caine @39, I thought you meant a shoe! I’d probably just carry the can-opener. But that gives me an idea… if you took a pen and replaced the refill with a spike, it would look normal.
Tethyssays
niftyatheist
Hello Tethys, pleased to meet you. (peeks into drawer crammed with crayons, markers and colored pencils). You speak the truth!
Hello, pleased to meet you too. Here is the tutorial that I was referring to. I don’t embroider, but I do plan to make something using the technique. Perhaps a curtain or some pillow covers with machine stitched outlines.
I wish the Hedgehog web site gave some idea of the scale of their stiletto. Three inches? Six inches?
Yesterday I bought some 3″, 4″, and 3.5″ needles for mending blankets or leather. The vendor a nice chunk of beeswax for $3.50, too, but I’m not using waxed linen thread at the moment.
theophontes 777says
@ Tethys
*waves*
As you have been away for a while, we must point you to our sniny new TZT. (No rush, teh trolls are snoozing. When you’re looking to sharpen your fangs, take a peek.)
KG, no doubt, the right wing took advantage of openings such as the ones you list. But they put an enormous amount of work into preparing themselves to be ready to take such openings: funding think tanks, organizing the bible beaters, reaching out to racists who left the Democratic Party (but I repeat myself). And well before that, there were the anti-Communist purges of the 1950s, the founding of the National Review, etc. If the opportunities hadn’t arisen starting in the ’80s, they’d have arisen sooner or later, because the tide always turns.
Hi, Tethys. Glad you’re feeling better.
Markita Lynda:
I think the new mascot for the U.S. Republican Party should be a child who’s old enough to know better having a tantrum.
:D Actually, my fave sharp, pointy object is a tiny spyder folding knife, all of 4 inches with the blade extended. The blade is curved and I can easily hide it in the palm of my hand and open it one handed. I like stuff like that.
(knife knerd) IMO, a good ‘defensive’ weapon is exactly the type of weapon likely to be outlawed on the streets: It should be big, intimidating, and easily visible. Half of its function would be a good visual deterrent to would-be assailants. The first rule of combat, after all, is ‘avoid combat’. (/knife knerd)
Caine: Of course it’s not a good idea in today’s society. We can’t just have people wandering around with big swords and battle axes. But with small concealed weapons, it seems they only come into their own for ‘defense’ when you actually have to use them- something I’d rather avoid.
I’ll allow as to being possibly wrong, so what is your reasoning behind bigger weapons being a bad idea?
(Remembering that this is all hypothetical and I’m not about to strap a sword to my back and walk down to the corner store)
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
KG, no doubt, the right wing took advantage of openings such as the ones you list. But they put an enormous amount of work into preparing themselves to be ready to take such openings: funding think tanks, organizing the bible beaters, reaching out to racists who left the Democratic Party (but I repeat myself).
They were also prepared for an invasion of Iraq long before the planes hit the Twin Towers.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
TLC: I do a lot of my field work alone, and I make sure that my big buck knife and small pick ax are very visible. I usually have two other knives that remain hidden. So far I have never been attacked. However, police in Mexico almost uniformly* find my armament amusing. Not a good sign maybe.
I have never considered packing heat, as I am more likely to injure myself as not.
*If you think that there is a pun there, you are wrong.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Antiochus: Yeah, a blade has one huge advantage over a firearm: It’s far far far more difficult to accidentally kill someone or yourself with a blade.
I’ll allow as to being possibly wrong, so what is your reasoning behind bigger weapons being a bad idea?
They aren’t the deterrent people seem to think they are. If you live someplace where most people carry a weapon, what happens is that more people end up dead.
A big, visible knife doesn’t win in a gunfight. It doesn’t win with a gun to the head, either. It will be the first thing taken away if you’re knocked out.
A big, visible knife tends to attract assholes who like to fight. They tend to attract very drunk assholes who like to fight, too.
Basically, a big, visible knife attracts all the wrong kinds of attention.
It’s much better (especially if you’re female), to know how to fight, to know how to keep a clear head and, if it’s needed, to have a small weapon which will be overlooked. Frinst., that embroidery stiletto? If I was wearing it around my neck, it would be overlooked. That’s an instant lobotomy if it goes into the corner of an eye.
I guess it depends on what your goal happens to be. Mine is to survive without attracting the wrong sort of attention.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Yeah, large visible weapons being carried by women might actually ATTRACT attention of the “Who does she think she is, I’ll teach her a lesson” variety.
However, police in Mexico almost uniformly* find my armament amusing.
That’s because they are amusing. A gun will win over both. Also, most people don’t have the slightest fucking idea of how to knife fight. Takes special training.
I miss Jeffrey.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Caine: Ah yeah, I can see I overlooked a few things in my mental calculations.
I’m a ‘survivor’ type, I don’t see the logic in attacking someone bigger or better armed than me unless I’m defending myself. But I’ve sat down and talked with some pretty large and physically powerful people, and apparently not all lightweights think like I do?
They’ve all had lots of stories of little guys with napoleon complexes picking fights with them precisely because they’re huge and in a sense can’t win: it’s either “Haha, you got beat up by a little guy!” or “Congratulations, Douchebag, you beat up someone a third your size.”
Yeah, large visible weapons being carried by women might actually ATTRACT attention of the “Who does she think she is, I’ll teach her a lesson” variety.
Oh, you can count on that.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
In other news, Mario Beauregard has responded to PZ’s criticism of near-death experiences.
According to him, PZ is an angry anti-feelings, materialist ideologue, who probably doesn’t have any friends and who doesn’t know what love is.
Caine: I don’t wear them in cities. In the middle of nowhere, the only way that I am a mark is incidental. An opportunist with a gun will take me off regardless of armament. However, if the ambush is to be with a club or something, my having two very handy weapons forces a calculation…is what’s in that guys pack worth the risk?
I don’t always do field work in places that are that dangerous, but I sometimes do…I can’t see how having visible defense (as well as hidden) is anything but a pretty good idea.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
Ah, I see. Conciousness is tied to something beyond the physical plane and persists after death because Love exists.
All you need is love.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
According to him, PZ is an angry anti-feelings, materialist ideologue, who probably doesn’t have any friends and who doesn’t know what love is.
So, having friends and being in love is proof of spirituality. How banal.
There is a song that I would link to. But I will not because I hate Foreigner.
However, if the ambush is to be with a club or something, my having two very handy weapons forces a calculation…is what’s in that guys pack worth the risk?
Yes, I understand the reasoning. I was simply explaining that I know why the cops were amused. What you have, basically, is a threat display, that’s it. Unless you’ve been properly trained and know that you won’t hesitate to kill another human being, they won’t do you much good.
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
According to him, PZ is an angry anti-feelings, materialist ideologue, who probably doesn’t have any friends and who doesn’t know what love is.
He’s also using the ever popular argumentum ad quantum.
Silisays
My off-topic question to Carrier is stuck in moderation (understandably), so I’ll put it here to safeguard it. And perhaps someone can correct me as well.
Sili says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
April 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm
I guess this is not strictly to the discussion at hand, but I’ve only just started reading Ehrman, and a little thing rubbed me the wrong way in Forged which I finished today. (Aside of course from his beginning dismissal of mythicism towards the end.)
I don’t doubt that the epistels of Peter, James and Jude are forgeries, but I don’t buy one of the arguments used:
Peter was illiterate.
How do we know that? What evidence do we have that Peter was an uneducated fisherman? Isn’t that information only in the gospels? Might it not well be original to Mark, who famously is dismissive of the disciples? Why do we expect Mark to treat Peter fairly and portray him accurately with respect to his profession and background when he’s otherwise only used as a foil?
Assuming that the character of Peter indeed existed (and is the same as Paul met), might it not just be that he was already known to Mark as “a fisher of men” and like so many other parts of the Jesus mythos, that title, too, was taken from metaphor to literalness?
This is uninformed speculation, so please pardon me if it’s completely nuts.
It does really bug me that ‘we’ accept all these claims about the apostles, while at the same time acknowledging that much of the gospels are made up – made up with an agenda at that. It seems that ‘we’ are not ready to, or capable of, taking the full consequences of our discoveries.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
He’s also using the ever popular argumentum ad quantum.
Attack Of The Quantum Tomatoes.
Silisays
According to him, PZ is an angry anti-feelings, materialist ideologue, who probably doesn’t have any friends and who doesn’t know what love is.
Somehow I’m not surprised that he couldn’t even manage to research this claim either.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
How do you get comic sans and gumby to display? What’s the code for that?
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Also I should mention that 1) The pick ax is something I need for my fieldwork anyway, and the Buck is handy as hell in non-defense situations, 2) I don’t have a lot of choice about where to go (if I want to be successful, anyway) and 3) I am big enough that I am not an easy mark, and small enough that I’m not a trophy either. If I’m traveling alone, I spend very little time in cities, and avoid places where people gather.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
What you have, basically, is a threat display, that’s it.
To be fair, out in the boonies of mexico a pickaxe and a buck knife are appropriate and useful tools as well.
Same with my blades in the woods, which is where I tend to wear them.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
Esteleth, using “q” brings about the comic sans. I guess I will wait for someone to explain the gumby.
Esteleth, comic sans is q /q in the pointy brackets.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Not just that, sili, but the “Peter was illiterate” claim assumes that people cannot learn literacy later in life.
If we assume (for the sake of argument) that the depiction of Peter as a lower-class fisherman who had a religious experience and started roaming the world preaching is true.
Why couldn’t he decide that being able to read and write would help in spreading his message and find himself a teacher? Perhaps in the form of an educated Christian?
Or, for that matter, maybe he didn’t learn to read and write himself, but got himself a scribe?
To be fair, out in the boonies of mexico a pickaxe and a buck knife are appropriate and useful tools as well.
I didn’t say they weren’t. I use a buck knife myself for some of my artwork. That wasn’t what was under discussion.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
When I am at forest fires, I am do not carry a fire arm (this is why I am an SEC2, not an SEC1). I do, however, have a six-D-cell maglite that goes with me day or night. If someone does attack me, I do have a club that will, at the very least, get someone else’s attention.
I think the two radios I normally carry (one for logistics, one for tactical), as well as the secret squirrel security channel that is only on security radios, are a far more effective deterrent.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
What you have, basically, is a threat display, that’s it. Unless you’ve been properly trained and know that you won’t hesitate to kill another human being, they won’t do you much good.
I know. If anyone ever wanted to do me harm, they could do so easily. Acceptable risk.
…I have some chalk drawing to attend to in the driveway….gotta go.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Okay. Here is what Beauregard says about PZ:
It is not difficult to understand why Dr. Myers has launched a personal attack against me. He is well known as an ideologue (masquerading as a person of science) driven by an intense desire to further the materialist agenda. His tactics are nothing new: incendiary rhetoric, swearing, and insults to raise doubts about the competence and integrity of scientists (and others) who threaten his belief structure. I do not think that too many people are fooled by such blatantly deceptive tactics.
Full of hate and anger, Dr. Myers postures as a champion of rationality. But, as a matter of fact, he behaves like a fanatical fundamentalist engaged in a holy war to defend the materialist doctrine. His emotional attachment to this ideology leads him to deny the existence of phenomena that do not fit with his preconceived view of the world. In doing so, he avoids being forced to relinquish his deeply held, cherished beliefs.
In other respects, it is the first time I hear someone says that he found “The Spiritual Brain” (my previous book) unreadable and idiotically conceived. In fact, this book has received several favorable reviews and perhaps Dr. Myers does not have the intellectual sophistication required to appreciate its value.
So:
PZ is an ideologue! He’s not really a scientist! Materialism! Nasty, mean, insulting! Full of hate!
Just like fundies!
Oh, and he’s unsophisticated.
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
I use a buck knife myself for some of my artwork. That wasn’t what was under discussion.
A buck knife for artwork? How is that accomplished?
When I carve I always tend to use as small a blade as possible.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
HA! HA!
With that style and content, Beauregard is ready to take up residence in the TZT. Raj and dano would he happy to have him.
It is not difficult to understand why Dr. Myers has launched a personal attack against me.
Oh for fuck’s sake again. If this person can’t even grasp that PZ attacked his stupid ideas and his utter lack of actual scientific work, he’s an idiot beyond redeeming.
Good evening!
We’ve been to a birthday party of a friend and it was really nice.
I absolutely envy their house: An old winegrower’s house, with a large barn perfect for celebrating and a garden just big enough for being fun without being too much work.
Caine
Thanx. The Baroque Punk Collection are some of the best designs UT ever created, at least for machine embroidery (guess they’re not that interesting for hand embroidery): easy to do, and really versatile. I’m actually using them again at the moment. I finally managed to pick up a second-hand denim jacket for the little one (who’s taken “denim jacket” to mean “big girl”) who’ll have it duely embroidered now.
Love the duckie, and you’re so quick working them.
++++
Turns out “primmer” is standard American.
That’s not how primer is pronounced. It’s prymer.
I find it funny when people try to use orthography to indicate pronounciation in English :)
perhaps Dr. Myers does not have the intellectual sophistication required to appreciate its value.
This is also code for “Dr. Myers does not mentally masturbate enough to appreciate the beauty of my wankery!”
Silisays
Or, for that matter, maybe he didn’t learn to read and write himself, but got himself a scribe?
It seems highly unlikely that anyone educated late in life would be able to acquire the oratory and literary skill displayed in the NT.
But anyway the Epistle of Peter is explicitly post-Pauline, so obviously a forgery.
My point – such as it is – is that we have no first hand knowledge about Peter whatsoever, so his level of literacy is pure speculation.
That said, given that he may well have been the founder of Christianity as we know it through Paul, he was probably a rabbi well versed in the Torah. I haven’t received Jesus one hundred years before Christ yet (I fear it’s been lost in delivery), but if Ellegaard is right about the Qumran community expecting a savior and their original Great Teacher failed to be that teacher, there must have been some connection between Qumran and Peter, and seems unlikely that that could have been illiterate.
Rey Foxsays
Last night, I dreamed I was out driving but I knew that I was asleep and dreaming. But I knew that I had to get up and go to work soon. So I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, turned the car off, got out, and woke up.
Well, good thing. You wouldn’t want to draw the ire of the Dream Police.
Silisays
I find it funny when people try to use orthography to indicate pronounciation in English :)
Well, there *are* rules. It’s just that there are so many exceptions that one can never be sure about pronunciation from spelling. But eye-dialect nevertheless still works in many cases.
And since even educated audiences are most often utterly unfamiliar with IPA, respelling is really the only solution, annoying though it be.
Silisays
Something else that bothers me about Peter.
Acts and some of the Apocrypha make a big deal of the confrontations between Peter and Simon Magus.
Just how common was the name Simon/Simeon among first century Jews? Is it really just a coïncidence that Simon the Magician faces off against Simon the Rock? (I’m assuming here, of course, that Simon Magus was real and not just a cipher for Paul as I gather he may be in the Apocrypha.)
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Sili,
It seems highly unlikely that anyone educated late in life would be able to acquire the oratory and literary skill displayed in the NT.
Not disagreeing with you about the literary skill, but you have to be careful about the use of “oratory.”
In a society – like first-century Palestine – where the majority of the people are not literate, the best way to describe a person is not as “illiterate” but “nonliterate.” Illiterate denotes that this is abnormal. In a nonliterate society, the ability to speak well and memorably would be prized.
A person can easily lack formal education and not be literate but be a gifted public speaker.
'Tis Himselfsays
Esteleth
The way to get the gumby and comic sans is <blockquote cite = “creationist”> gumby </blockquote>.
This gives
gumby
However you have to be using Firefox and greasemonkey’s “secret Comic Sans” script to see it.
Tethyssays
Cassandra Caligaria aka River Tam
*jumps up and down waving excitedly* Hi hi hi! (Welcome back.)
Aww, this gave me such a nice warm fuzzy feeling. Thanks.
Hi, and a big hug right back at cha’.
Theo the tardigrade,
*waves back* I have been lurking, and reading TZT with much amusement. I hope the quality of the trolls improves. Raj is pretty boring.
Hi also to Daisy Cutter.
—
As far as weapons go, I think that size has more to do with intimidation/deterrence. There seems to be an element of toxic masculinity involved in the bigger=better trope.
I am reminded of a scene in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* that involves a very small gun, torture, and homophobia. (and manages to be screamingly funny)
His emotional attachment to this ideology leads him to deny the existence of phenomena that do not fit with his preconceived view of the world.
such as?
Rev. BigDumbChimpsays
Strange that my blog has been getting x number of visitors per day within a 15% range for the last 4 months and all of a sudden is getting 1/3x for the last week.
Odd.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
You people out there give us something more than just record sales
You give us something to hate
And we hate you, you brainless mutants
yes, did you know that there’s a vampire rule?
Blood is good food!
It islustrates the three possible pronounciations of OO.
This means you can rule out the pronounciation “long i”.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you which OO to use ;)
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
‘Tis, I tried to get a gumby in preview and it is not working.
This is it.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
Something I learned today. Gumbies do not show up in preview.
I gave up on the article as soon as I saw “foeticide” and “murder of their fetuses”. Why do I feel like it doesn’t get any better from there?
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
OK, I’m not going to comment on Taslima Nasreen’s latest post tonight. But seriously, won’t somebody think of the fetus?
I’m starting to think she has a really low opinion on women. I was baffled by some of her posts, hoping that it’s just a cultural barrier making me misunderstand her, but now I can see a pattern. One thing they have in common is judgment of women that are not up to her standards. It’s disappointing.
Girls age… let’s say 9 and up, at the latest, despise boys, and it’s mutual.
I remember that being the case, but since going to public school (she’s in second grade now, 8 y.o.) my daughter has indeed learned that The Thing To Do is to pick a boy to crush on, desperately try to get him to like you, and worry all day long about what he thinks of you and how you can change to make him want to hang out with you.
It is true that the boys generally treat the girls with contempt and try to avoid being in their company. :(
I really, really do blame the proliferation of shows starring middle-school and high-school aged characters (with stereotypical middle school and high school aged concerns) but aimed at, particularly, elementary school girls.
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
Oh yes and there’s an abortuary on every corner!
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone actually came up with that name, but these things still leave me speechless.
I really, really do blame the proliferation of shows starring middle-school and high-school aged characters (with stereotypical middle school and high school aged concerns) but aimed at, particularly, elementary school girls.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone actually came up with that name, but these things still leave me speechless.
It was a while back, ’04 or ’06, when South Dakota was the first state to enact incredibly draconian anti-abortion laws, there were a fucktonne of letters to the editor and more than one self-declared xian used abortuary.
KGsays
What evidence do we have that Peter was an uneducated fisherman? – Sili
Is it even known that a Galilean Jewish fisherman of that period would necessarily have been illiterate? Even at that period, didn’t Jewish culture place a high value on literacy, because its religion was (unlike most contemporary belief systems) heavily dependent on a book? Were rabbis at that period full-time, or would they generally have had some other occupation?
I just can’t express how much that post disgusts me.
I know. It’s stupid taken to a fanatical level.
KGsays
If the opportunities hadn’t arisen starting in the ’80s, they’d have arisen sooner or later, because the tide always turns. – Ms. Daisy Cutter
So we must hope :-p
Indeed, I have hopes that we’re seeing signs of it now:
1) The complete failure of the raving right to come up with a remotely credible US Presidential candidate, and the strong lead Obama seems to have among women in the US, which could well see him win despite the economic fundamentals being so poor. (I’m no great fan of his, but compared to the alternative…)
2) A number of straws in the wind in Europe: there have been the first leftish election vicotries in quite a while (Denmark, Croatia), with the likely prospect of a much bigger one in a week, when Hollande is strongly favoured by the polls to oust Sarkozy. Several governments of the right are in serious trouble, including in Spain, where they have only been in power a few months, in Hungary and the Czech Republic and in the UK, where Cameron’s crew has had a dreadful couple of months. The Romanian right-wing coalition has just fallen as a result of defections, replaced by a centre-left one.
3) The left remains in the ascendant in much of Latin America, which was the major exception to the right’s ascendancy.
4) Ideologically, the right’s bankruptcy is clear: their free-market nostrums have comprehensively failed, hence the resort to more and more irrational and paranoid nonsense in an attempt to regain the initiative. In Europe, the German right’s prescription of austerity and more austerity is increasingly being seen as the disastrous wrong turning it is.
Psych-Ohsays
Kristenc – After reading your post, I just discussed this with my daughter (age 8). This is not the case for her- she has a few boys in the class that she plays with almost as much as the girls. But she did say that some of her female friends try to get the boys to have crushes on them. Her reply, “It is just ridiculous. Come, on. I mean, we’re in 2nd grade.” LOL.
David Marjanovićsays
I can’t help but feel iffy about the discussion of Sanal Edamaruku. This may well be my own prejudices shining through, but sounded to me like they were othering all Indians as being backwards and superstitious – and, boo, there’re so many of them.
I kept saying to myself, “And this differs from the US, how?!”.
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
By a factor of about 3, silly Sili.
David, Yahoo! Answers is a veritable font of lulz. Were it not for Y!A, we’d have no such meme as “HOW IS BABBY FORMED.” Why would anyone want to destroy it?
Oh, that’s from there? In that case… :-)
Tethys! It’s great to see you back. :)
Seconded :-)
Dreams appear to be random brainstorms that draw on memories, especially memories from the previous day that haven’t spent much time in the conscious mind, plus wishful and fearful thinking.
Then explain my dreams about donuts and liquor from about 10 days ago.
When the memories from the previous day are exhausted, others get in, sometimes much older ones. And the less well you feel psychically, for instance when your general situation has recently changed, the crazier and less inhibited your dreams get (at least in the experience of several people including myself).
best comic about plants and people ever
Awesome!!!
*If you think that there is a pun there, you are wrong.
Then I don’t want to be right ^_^
How do you get comic sans and gumby to display? What’s the code for that?
That looks like srs bzns. I want to see it in some kind of Conan-style movie.
Jesus one hundred years before Christ […] if Ellegaard is right about the Qumran community expecting a savior and their original Great Teacher failed to be that teacher
Sounds interesting!!!
a society – like first-century Palestine – where the majority of the people are not literate
Do we know that actually? Or are you only counting literacy in Greek?
yes, did you know that there’s a vampire rule?
Blood is good food!
:-D :-D :-D
What’s going on here is the kind of thing historical linguists dread: a sound shift that starts in one word or a few and then slowly spreads by analogy. Blood and flood underwent it so early that they got caught in the next sound shift, which was a well-behaved one. Good joined later, and food still hasn’t and probably never will.
The vampire rule didn’t work, even partially, for Shakespeare. For him, they all still rhymed.
my daughter has indeed learned that The Thing To Do is to pick a boy to crush on, desperately try to get him to like you, and worry all day long about what he thinks of you and how you can change to make him want to hang out with you.
Is that so, or is she really in love? Because that happens to a few people at that age – it’s rare, but it happens.
I really, really do blame the proliferation of shows starring middle-school and high-school aged characters (with stereotypical middle school and high school aged concerns) but aimed at, particularly, elementary school girls.
~:-|
People that age are now capable of identifying with middle-/highschool-aged people? Things have changed.
The Romanian right-wing coalition has just fallen as a result of defections, replaced by a centre-left one.
Oho. I managed to miss that.
the German right’s prescription of austerity and more austerity
…I wonder if it shows that Merkel is a pastor’s daughter.
chigau (副)says
So is it my browser Or something at FTB that has disappeared the recent comments sidebar?
Is that so, or is she really in love? Because that happens to a few people at that age – it’s rare, but it happens.
I had a boyfriend in first grade. We held hands, gazed at each other in what I am sure were the silliest of ways and talked a lot about marrying. I still remember what he looked like and his full name.
I have no idea what the fuck was wrong with me.
chigau (副)says
Also, I used to see Gumby, now I don’t.
David Marjanovićsays
Clearly, I was punished for giving the sooper sekrit code from TZT away.
I commented on Taslima’s post. It’s my first there, so it will probably stay in moderation for awhile. I think I managed to keep my ire down enough for it to sound coherent, but I’m sure she’ll take it as a personal attack and misogyny anyway.
'Tis Himselfsays
HOW IS BABBY FORMED
they need to do way instain mother
'Tis Himselfsays
Beatrice, anormalement indécente
I commented on Taslima’s post.
I just read it. I’m not going to comment because I might say something regrettable.
Mario Beauregard at Salon, amid all the obvious examples of projection:
driven by an intense desire to further the materialist agenda
Is that anything like the homosexual agenda?
incendiary rhetoric, swearing, and insults
*cough* tone troll *cough*
Full of hate and anger…
Sastra has written about this tack better than I could. All I can add is that if arrant bullshit doesn’t make you angry, I don’t trust you.
In other respects, it is the first time I hear someone says that he found “The Spiritual Brain” (my previous book) unreadable and idiotically conceived.
Beauregard ought to get out more.
In fact, this book has received several favorable reviews
By whom? In which publications?
and perhaps Dr. Myers does not have the intellectual sophistication required to appreciate its value.
And we have Courtier’s Reply!
Beatrice, yeah, I agree with you w/r/t Nasreen. A major disappointment.
Caine, I heard the term “abortuary” used in Citizen Ruth, and I’m pretty sure it pre-dates that movie. (It was amusing at the time. It’s less amusing now, considering that it played the “both sides are equally annoying” card.)
KG, I can only hope you’re right.
Psych-Oh’s daughter:
“It is just ridiculous. Come, on. I mean, we’re in 2nd grade.”
HA! Awesome.
David:
Oh, that’s from there? In that case… :-)
Oh, yeah. Some of the funniest (harmless) trolling I’ve ever seen is on Y!A.
kristinc: Wow. I don’t remember that being The Thing to Do in second grade. Puppy love no doubt happened, and I’m sure some had celeb crushes, but to the extent you described? Not sure. Usually the girls in my class spent their time either playing with the boys (purely because my class tended to be friendly to each other), or trying to avoid them altogether. I think the majority of us started noticing that boys were more than friends or people to avoid between 4th and 6th grade.
As you said, it’s possibly because we weren’t bombarded with images of middle- and – high-school-aged characters worrying about How to Make Your Crush Like You every time we watched our favorite shows. IIRC, the big thing back then for us was Buffy. Not exactly a show that revolved around crushes and prom nights.
——————————————–
Read Nasreen’s post. Some of it made sense . . . a little too much scary sense. As for her having a low opinion of women, I wouldn’t be surprised if even as she decries what is done to women, she still has that niggling voice that is her cultural conditioning yapping away in her brain. And it manages to make itself heard sometimes.
kemist, Dark Lord of the Sithsays
Regarding Talisma Nasreen’s post.
Having several Indian friends and sort of grokking – as much as a non-Indian can – the culture, I kind of understand her point.
We’re not talking exactly about the same problems as in the west.
There’s a lot more to be done over there as women’s rights go, and they have to go through it much faster than we did.
Nutmegsays
my daughter has indeed learned that The Thing To Do is to pick a boy to crush on
Hmm. My friends started to hit that stage around the end of Gr. 5. When I was informed that I had to have a crush on someone, I picked the smartest boy in the class. I wasn’t actually attracted to him, of course, so I missed the next bit:
desperately try to get him to like you, and worry all day long about what he thinks of you and how you can change to make him want to hang out with you
It depresses me that that’s what elementary-school girls are doing now. When I was in grade 2, we were too busy building forts and catching frogs to worry about crushes. (I’m so glad I grew up outside of the city with a bunch of tomboys. No pink princesses for us!)
Nutmegsays
Not that there’s anything wrong with pink princesses in general, of course. But I would have been a miserable kid if I was socially obligated to wear pink and think about boys all the time even in elementary school.
Completely off topic:
I need a REALLY REALLY good moisturizer– baking has completely destroyed the skin on my hands. Anyone have any suggestions?
(Currently, I’m using Eucerin creme, but it’s just not cutting the mustard.)
David Marjanovićsays
O Sting, where is thy death?
LOL!
So is it my browser Or something at FTB that has disappeared the recent comments sidebar?
It’s the connection. Sometimes, when the sidebar takes too long to squeeze itself through the intertubes, your computer thinks the page has loaded when the sidebar still isn’t there.
I had a boyfriend in first grade. We held hands, gazed at each other in what I am sure were the silliest of ways and talked a lot about marrying. I still remember what he looked like and his full name.
It was mutual!?! Am I envious.
Also, I used to see Gumby, now I don’t.
Issue with Firefox 12?
if arrant bullshit doesn’t make you angry, I don’t trust you
+ 1
baking has completely destroyed the skin on my hands
Is it possible to wear, say, rubber gloves while kneading?
Yes. He declared his love for me one recess about a week after he transferred into St. Anne’s. Why are you envious?
'Tis Himselfsays
O Sting, where is thy death?
After Sting retires, will he be Stung?
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
Tasmina Nasreen’s writing reminds me a lot of the despair in Sisterhood Is Powerful, that anthology of first wave feminism. I understand where she’s coming from, but the total despair really gets to me, since it took me years to dig out of that mindset. I read SIP in my early teens, and given the abuse in my childhood, it really resonated, even a bit too much,
I think I’ve read that South Korea has made some progress in addressing the skewed sex ratio of births problem – I’ll have to go look for where I might have read it. Also, The Economist had a great survey of the sex-selective abortion problem about 18 months ago.
Is it possible to wear, say, rubber gloves while kneading?
I don’t know, the way to judge bread dough is the way it feels.
Besides, I haven’t made bread in months*. It seems that just handling flour is enough to crack the skin on my hands. :(
Caine:
I love the Wikipedia description:
Its uses are many, for example “squeaky bed springs, psoriasis, dry facial skin, cracked fingers, burns, zits, diaper rash, saddle sores, sunburn, pruned trees, rifles, shell casings, bed sores and radiation burns.”
XD
I just ordered a tin (I know what you’re talking about, but I haven’t seen it for sale around here in a while).
Nutmeg:
I’ll try Vaseline tonight!
*Have I mentioned that the sourdough starter that Josh gave me turned purple? ‘Cos yeah.
'Tis Himselfsays
Have I mentioned that the sourdough starter that Josh gave me turned purple? ‘Cos yeah.
Have I mentioned that the sourdough starter that Josh gave me turned purple?
Er, is that a good thing?
*quick google*
Depends on who you ask, it seems. Have never baked anything with sourdough starter, so I’m not saying any more on the subject.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Audley,
I think that indicates that you have dropped it from the 31st floor of Nakatomi Plaza.
chigau (副)says
I second Caine’s recommendation of Bag Balm and gloves.
It also works for cracked feet.
(socks not gloves)
(obviously)
(Is anything really obvious on the internet?)
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
For Audley – lanolin is good stuff too, as long as you’re not allergic to wool. Look for it in the baby section, since it’s also the stuff you’ll want for nursing pain until DarkSpawn and your nipples figure out how to work together – don’t ever believe that breastfeeding is instinctual. It’s a skill, and it takes learning for both mom and baby, If you decide to nurse, that is.
Regardless, the lanolin is excellent for cracked skin even when it’s not on one’s nips.
chigau (副)says
re: purple sourdough
Give it a good feeding and leave it at room temperature for a day.
If you know it well enough, you should be able to tell by the smell if it’s OK or needs to be put somewhere where it can do no harm.
'Tis Himselfsays
Is anything really obvious on the internet?
Rule 34 is obvious.
triskelethecatsays
Just hopped over from PET. Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
I’m happy to say that Strange-Ex has indicated interest in coming to visit in late June, for niece #2’s first birthday.
It makes me happy because his is the person I had the longest relationship with and I have never really stayed friends with an ex before. Recently there was a while that I thought I was losing his friendship as well, but we worked it out.
I’m also happy because I always told him that since his family sucks pretty hard, he’s always going to be a part of my family. I want him to know that my parents were totally sincere about him always being welcome, because that’s just the way they are.
:)
Right now I’m doing copy editing, and going to leave for my data entry job in a little while. That plus my tax return is going to leave me with a pretty good chunk of change in a few weeks. That will be a nice change of pace.
Janine: History’s Greatest Monstersays
Oh shit!
What exactly is wrong with Lynna? Sadly, when talking about the damage that a stroke causes, there are so many different possibilities.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
David:
a society – like first-century Palestine – where the majority of the people are not literate
Do we know that actually? Or are you only counting literacy in Greek?
I’m counting literacy in the vernacular. That would mean Aramaic.
Until the modern era, literacy rates were historically low, due chiefly to the cost of materials. If a book was prohibitively expensive for anyone other than the rich, people wouldn’t own them. If you don’t own any reading material, why learn to read, unless you were employed in a trade that required literacy (such as being a scribe). A person who had had formal education – a doctor, a lawyer, etc., would have a higher probability of being literate as well. But a random peon who did manual labor like a fisherman? Unlikely.
Of course, Judaism has historically (going back that far?) placed a large emphasis on reading the Torah. But, would that mean more than the ability to read the section you were assigned at your bar mitzvah? The ability to recognize the alphabet and sound something out? Assuming that Peter was Jewish (a safe assumption, I think), would he have been taught to read the Torah or recite a section? In the Babble, Jesus is explicitly depicted reading. But, he was also a rabbi, and his (social) father would have been well-to-do. Maybe Joseph would have been able to educate his children?
Google tells me that Aramaic is written using the Hebrew alphabet. Would a vague grasp of Hebrew literacy translate to being literate in Aramaic? Maybe somewhat. Hard to say.
Audley:
I was going to suggest Eucerin. Failing that, search for something with shea butter.
Re: Talisma’s post:
I know that female infanticide and deliberate abortion of female fetuses is a HUGE problem. She is correct that banning sex-selective abortion and infanticide does nothing to protect women who don’t have sons. She is also correct that a shortage of women will have horrific consequences for the women that are left. I’m not really sure, however, how she makes the jump to banning abortion. I agree that she does seem to be struggling with a lot of baggage with regards to the status of women.
chigau (副)says
Lynna
If you are reading, take care of yourself.
*chocolate bacon on the way*
cm's changeable monikersays
lanolin is good stuff too
Beat me to it. This was a staple–unpleasant but effective–of my childhood.
I was thinking about giving breast feeding a whirl, so thank you for the advice on the lanolin. Crack nips just sound… uncomfortable. :-/
chigau:
There was no rescuing the sourdough. Even after feeding and babying it, I couldn’t get it back to the correct consistency or smell. We had to throw Hans Gruber in the trash.
Oh dear! Lynna had a stroke? Lynna, if you’re reading this, I wish you a speedy recovery. I’m sorry to hear that.
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
Lynna is reading FB and typing, so I think it’s that things take a really long time to do. We may have to find our own Moments of Mormon Madness for a bit. Given that DaughterSpawn has subscribed to an anti-porn group for Mormon teens, I’m hoping the Mattir family can take up a bit of the slack.
Tethys #55 – David Bowie “Changes”. That’s it! Now I can sleep tonight(waay back from #28)! Thank you very much.
chigau (副)says
Dr. Audley
RIP Hans Gruber.
I have pulled my sourdough back from the brink so often, it’s sad to hear of a colony that didn’t make it.
chigau (副)says
wordpress
go fuck yourself
(“slow down” my arse)
carliesays
I need a REALLY REALLY good moisturizer– baking has completely destroyed the skin on my hands. Anyone have any suggestions?
I see almost no recommendations are left for me to give. Vaseline is always good, also olive oil, also Lansinoh (lanolin), which is also a lifesaver when it comes to chapped nipples from breastfeeding. Also A&D ointment is good for chapped skin, but stinks to high heaven.
Carlie,
I have A&D ointment– it’s used for new tattoos to help with healing. I didn’t even think to try it.
David Marjanovićsays
Yes. He declared his love for me one recess about a week after he transferred into St. Anne’s. Why are you envious?
Because, outside of Hollywood, love isn’t automatically mutual and doesn’t automatically become mutual before the movie is over. I had a crush when I was… maybe 7. Not sure if I remember her face, but I’m not good at consciously remembering faces; I remember her hair and her full name.
I’m also happy because I always told him that since his family sucks pretty hard, he’s always going to be a part of my family. I want him to know that my parents were totally sincere about him always being welcome, because that’s just the way they are.
:)
^_^
What exactly is wrong with Lynna?
Many simple tasks take her forever now. She has already seen her doctor, who has already diagnosed her.
Until the modern era, literacy rates were historically low, due chiefly to the cost of materials.
That’s too much of a generalization. Literacy in ancient Athens and Pompeii was high, and the writing materials were pottery shards, walls and wax tablets. Even in Shang-dynasty China, literacy was common.
Google tells me that Aramaic is written using the Hebrew alphabet.
(Historically it’s the other way around: what’s used as the Hebrew alphabet comes from some book font of the Aramaic alphabet. By far the most commonly written Aramaic texts today are parts of the Old Testament and the targum, the Aramaic translation of the whole thing; that’s why Aramaic has been mostly written in the Hebrew alphabet in the last 1500 or more years.)
DaughterSpawn has subscribed to an anti-porn group for Mormon teens
o_O
O_o
Impressive. Will she lurk or troll?
1/16 tsp
Huh. Are American teaspoons so uniform that such a measurement makes sense?
chigau (副)says
Caine
re rajkumar
I think xe’s on some kind of schedule.
Xe appears daily, after 5PM Pharyngula-time and is gone by 9PM.
(I think. I really didn’t do that much “research” because I don’t really give much of a fuck about raj.)
Are American teaspoons so uniform that such a measurement makes sense?
Measuring spoons*, yes. Not to be confused with the spoons that you stir your tea with.
This is what I ordered, to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
*Well, as uniform as those things are, anyway.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
David,
An American teaspoon is .00496 liters, so 1/16 is totally measurable.
Hopefully, these will be high enough quality that the measurement won’t be too far off. And even if it is, by the time you’re getting into measurements that small, accuracy isn’t a huge issue.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
…The EstelethSibling just called me. She is worried that I am “nesting.”
A stroke? Yipes! Take care of yourself, Lynna.
—————————————–
Talking of moisturizing skin, anyone know of a facial moisturizer that’s gentle to sensitive skin? The one from Olay I always used would make my skin itch in the jaw/chin area, which is either due to me having combination skin, or my skin reacting to the sunscreen it contains. Swapped it for something from Origins, and while the itching has decreased, well, it’s still there. I would use St. Ives, but if there’s something out there with sunscreen that will do the trick, I’d rather not have to layer sunscreen on top of moisturizer.
——————————————–
DaughterSpawn has subscribed to an anti-porn group for Mormon teens
I think whether she trolls or lurks, it’s gonna be entertaining. *gets popcorn*
But, would that mean more than the ability to read the section you were assigned at your bar mitzvah?
I am pretty sure that reading a bar mitzvah section of the Torah, as a custom, is an innovation more recent that the 1st cent. CE. But I could be wrong.
Just hopped over from PET. Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
Oh no!! Sorry to read this – Lynna I hope you are doing well and back to your normal activities soon!
The modern method of celebrating becoming a Bar Mitzvah did not exist in the time of the Bible, Mishnah or Talmud. Passages in the books of Exodus and Numbers note the age of majority for army service as twenty.[27] The term “Bar Mitzvah” appears first in the Talmud, the codification of the Jewish oral Torah compiled in the early first millennium of the common era, to connote “an [agent] who is subject to scriptural commands,”[28] and the age of thirteen is also mentioned in the Mishnah as the time one is obligated to observe the Torah’s commandments: “At five years old a person should study the Scriptures, at ten years for the Mishnah, at 13 for the commandments . . .”[29][30] The Talmud gives 13 as the age at which a boy’s vows are legally binding, and states that this is a result of his being a “man,” as required in Numbers 6:2.[31] The term “Bar Mitzvah”, in the sense it is now used,[when?] cannot be clearly traced earlier than the 14th century, the older rabbinical term being “gadol” (adult) or “bar ‘onshin” (legally responsible for own misdoings).[4] Many sources indicate that the ceremonial observation of a Bar Mitzvah developed in the Middle Ages,[30][32] however, there are extensive earlier references to thirteen as the age of majority with respect to following the commandments of the Torah, as well as Talmudic references to observing this rite of passage with a religious ceremony…
Q: What do you get when you cross a Jehovah’s Witness with a Hell’s Angel?
A: Somebody who knocks on your door and tells you to fuck off.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
Well, the practice of Judaism changed dramatically after the destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora. It would make sense that the mitzvah tradition appeared then. Probably its social effect (rite of passage) would have been accomplished by a different ritual when the Temple existed.
Whether that ritual would have required literacy in any language is something I don’t know.
Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
:(
Esteleth:
She is worried that I am “nesting.”
By which I think she means not going out “enough” socially.
Esteleth, Who is Totally Not a Dog or Ferretsays
By which I think she means not going out “enough” socially.
So, she calls me to thank me for drunk-texting her from a bar, asks me how hot the ladies are where I am, commends me for going out, then says that she’s worried that I’m nesting.
ibyeasays
@Mattir
Oh yeah, I remember you guys talking about that while I was staying at your place. I wanna see how, according to them, porn is going to destroy civilization. ^_^
echidnasays
I’m so sorry to hear about Lynna. Hoping for a good recovery.
@KG
The policies of Cameron’s government made UK worse than it was during the Great Depression in the same time frame. Yeah, he is in big trouble.
ibyeasays
Lynna had a stroke? Nooo! I loved her mormon madness post here. :( I hope she gets well fast.
carliesays
My sympathies and get-wells to Lynna too.
anyone know of a facial moisturizer that’s gentle to sensitive skin?
Again with the Vaseline – there were a few years when that was the only thing I could handle on my face that I could afford. Anything else burned like bloody hell. I’ve since found that generic vitamin E oil (the cheapest kind, not the one with zillions of IU units) also works without irritation for me. Even the cheap stuff looks expensive, but it lasts a really long time because you only need a few drops for face coverage. I go through maybe one bottle a year. If you want to spend a little more, jojoba oil is more viscous (thinner and more watery) than vitamin e oil and is also very kind to sensitive skin (and also works well on dry hair ends).
Esteleth, I have no idea, I’m just throwing out the only remotely applicable definition I can think of. You aren’t building a structure out of mud and twigs in which to lay eggs, are you?
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trollssays
Oh dear! Lynna had a stroke? Lynna, if you’re reading this, I wish you a speedy recovery. I’m sorry to hear that.
D*&^%, F)*(&^%, S**&&%^$$.
Get treated and some rehab Lynna, even if it is just one consultation with the therapist, and do the work on your own.
In other notes, a metric teaspoon is 5ml, I am going to meet Ariaflame tonight, and on Friday evening I took part in a Sabbath welcome ceremony featuring a stuffed toy meerkat in a kippah. I just read a book in which someone is murdered with an embroidery stiletto and now that makes more sense. And I went for my longest walk since I got sick, round a local park with lots of birdlife. I mentioned that in the previous TET but it was so lovely I have to say it again. :)
Tomorrow things get very intense – all day conference or workshop or meeting, and evening events too. Probably no internets for a while, so see you at the other end!
Ava, Oporornis maledettasays
Oh g’s, speedy recovery, Lynna. Which I know is not realistic, but it’s my wish anyway.
llewellysays
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, purveyor of candy and lies:
*Have I mentioned that the sourdough starter that Josh gave me turned purple?
DO NOT EAT.
The purple color comes from an invasive fungus that will make you sick.
You’ll have to start over with a new culture, and pay closer attention to it.
For the record: breastfeeding is not automatic, that’s true, and it probably will take some backing and filling to get it running smoothly; but cracked nipples or toe-curling pain really ARE NOT normal. If those things happen, the advice of a good lactation consultant is essential, because they are not something par for the course that you have to put up with in order to breastfeed.
Lynn a, if you’re reading, hugs if you want ’em. Get better soon, whether you’re reading or not.
carliesays
If those things happen, the advice of a good lactation consultant is essential, because they are not something par for the course that you have to put up with in order to breastfeed.
And the sooner the better. I will not go into the kind of detail that nobody wants to read, but large amounts of damage can happen in a frighteningly short amount of time, and take a very long time to heal. Think less than two weeks of incorrect latch-on = over six months of healing kind of damage. If you want to breastfeed, you start with a lactation consultant either in the hospital or immediately after you get out (most ob/gyns either have lactation consultants in-house or know where to find you one); make sure if possible that it’s an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant).
My favorite facial moisturizer is emu oil, with rice bran oil a close second. My favorite heavy duty hand moisturizer is unrefined shea butter, with olive butter a close second.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Suspension fork oil does wonders for my hand softness. Not that I would recommend putting it on one’s hands intentionally, just that I do so accidentally every fork rebuild and it’s dramatic.
cicely. Just cicely.says
Howdy, Tethys; welcome home!
Hello thread! I have been avoiding the computer to allow my De Quervains tendonitis to heal.
*quick trip to Wikipedia*
Not sure I understood alla that, but I’m glad it’s better.
I will never take my thumb for granted again. Its really hard to do a lot of things without two working thumbs.
Word. My right one is all carpal-tunnelly and semi-useless, atm. And me with a half-dozen jellyfish in various stages of painting!
On a side note, aging really does suck and our bodies have several design flaws.
Word. And also, Word.
–
Just hopped over from PET. Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
Oh, no! DisLike. Do Not Want!
Please give her this package of *hugs&chocolate&hugs&booze&hugs&bacon&hugs*, together with wishes for a speedy recovery, from me. Or Lynna, if you’re reading this, please accept them Direct Delivery.
–
Until the modern era, literacy rates were historically low, due chiefly to the cost of materials.
Baked clay tablets used to be popular.
–
Q: What do you get when you cross a Jehovah’s Witness with a Hell’s Angel?
A: Somebody who knocks on your door and tells you to fuck off.
Take a cup of cooking oil into the bathroom with you. Olive oil’s best, but canola or corn oil would work too. Get in the tub and lie down. Slather oil all over body. (if you want to exfoliate, take a cup of cornmeal or brown sugar in too, then rub it in after the oil) Run a warm bath, soak a bit, then let the water drain out, run in new water, wash with soap and a scrubby washcloth to get all the excess off, carefully get out of the tub and dry off. Like literally, don’t try to stand up to get out, crawl over the side, because otherwise you will fall and suffer grave injury. The tub is now a complete slip hazard and must not be stepped in until cleaned, but that’s fairly easy to do by sprinkling a good bit of baking soda in it to soak up the oil, then wiping it clean. Two times over if needed. It’s cheap and great for your skin, the only problem is making sure all the oil is out of the tub.
chigau (副)says
carlie
I think I just had an orgasm.
Owlmirrorsays
Deep sympathies to Lynna.
Lynna, I recently hit this link, and of course thought of your Mormon Moments of Madness. I suspect that if you were well, you would have found it and posted it yourself; I hope it at least makes you smile.
(Warnings: Long infographic, occasionally overly facetious and pop-culturey)
I skip the oil and sugar and use a Salux cloth. It’s the fucking bee’s fucking knees, man. (I do use a few drop of rice bran oil afterward, rubbed into my skin.)
In fact, let me state my @269 more strongly: I come to give all of you the Good News, the Gospel of Salux. Brothers and sisters, you don’t have to cover yourself in oil. You don’t have to goop up your tub or clog your drain with sugar, or oatmeal, or cornmeal. You don’t have to pay ridiculous amounts for jars of “scrub” or have mildewy loofahs in your shower. Yea, but heed the Salux and you shall be not only saved-uh, but SOFTENED-UH! Praise Salux!
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trollssays
Except the opening post by PZ.
Well, a token mention or two to keep PZ happy. Not taken seriously by anyone, even PZ.
chigau (副)says
purple jellybeans
what is that flavor meant to be?
Does anyone actually watch the videos in the OP? I don’t think I’ve watched a single one. XD
chriscosays
I did, but im new. Thanks to all for the info btw.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Nerd, fair enough. Sometimes I do comment on the video as well.
___
Chigau, Purple. It’s the flavour of orgy, I think.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Chrisco, welcome to thread then. Nerd has grog, I am the gregarious one if you catch me here, cicely has the tabletop, and you will figure the rest out as time goes on.
chigau (副)says
Dr. Audley
I watch them if they are short.
(don’t hurt PZ’s feelings with “never”)
chriscosays
Dhorvath, thanks for the welcome. Im not as articulate as most regulars I see on here; but, I DO enjoy this blog immensely so I’ll stick around.
'Tis Himselfsays
I watch the OP videos. Some of them are even good.
chriscosays
I actually thought it was pretty catchy, I dont understand PZ’s statement of not encouraging it. Sarcasm i failed to see?
Dhorvath, OMsays
Careful, the cephalopod overlord might even reply. I won’t speak for him, save to say that what he puts on these threads runs the gamut. I blame the thread of no end for catching me in the pharynguweb.
chigau (副)says
chrisco
I think you will do well here.
Failure to see sarcasm or irony happens 2 or 3 times per hour.
And the age-range of commenters is about 50 years.
Good luck!
Owlmirrorsays
Sarcasm i failed to see?
Or rather, being deliberately silly; facetious.
The last time we saw Darwin singing, he was rapping with Dawkins, PZ, and Dan Dennett.
chigau, thanks. Ill just hold my tongue til I get comfy. Im about to hit my 3 decade mark, so keep the words small for me if you please. :) Im no “Dickie D.”
chigau: I’ve started reading it. It’s less scholarly than I’d hoped. The writing is okay, but I wanted more science.
Hekuni Catsays
Lynna, best wishes for a speedy recovery. *hugs*
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
For a Moment of Mormon Madness, I present this admirable verse (citation):
Return to Virtue
Hands that touch
Can be too much
When hey cross a line
And touch something divine
Love becomes lust
When someone you trust
Says that touch wasn’t much
It becomes justified
So Satan’s got you tied
The touch from before
Seems to come more and more
It puts you in a spin
Is this love or sin
We don’t need that kind of love
Because there is one above
Who can make it okay
Though you’ve gone astray
He knows what you went through
It’s never too late
RETURN TO VIRTUE
DaughterSpawn’s reading moved the Mattir Family to tears.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Virtue. You keep using that word. I donna think it means what you think it means.
Ariaflame, BSc, BF, PhDsays
Sometimes I watch the vids, but not always.
Looking forward to meeting Alethea tonight!
Dhorvath, OMsays
If I am here, I have watched the video, I try to catch all the music links from the DJ folk too. Time, they may be making more of it, but I can’t seem to capitalize on that.
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
I was particularly moved by the image of Satan touching one from behind. Perhaps I’ll ask the Mister to wear the horns and spiky tail tonight…
Dhorvath, OMsays
Behind? I thought it was before. Of course, Satan’s got you tied so it may be from wherever…
A. Rsays
Why must my antibodies cost $1,000/ug?!?!?!?!?!
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
Wait, Satan is a temporal anomaly? Don’t know if I can get the Mister to do that one…
Virtue. You keep using that word. I donna think it means what you think it means.
That use of “virtue” always reminds me of my MIL trying to convince my son that being a virgin is “the most important gift [he] can give [his] wife” someday. And my son’s completely appropriate shock and scorn at the idea.
Dhorvath, OMsays
Surprise! I don’t have a clue how to interact with you.
That use of “virtue” always reminds me of my MIL trying to convince my son that being a virgin is “the most important gift [he] can give [his] wife”
It’s important that you don’t know what the hell you’re doing on your wedding night. That gives you the best chance possible of having a frustrating, unsatisfying experience, and helps you to see sex as the unpleasant chore God intended for it to be.
Ray, rude-ass yankeesays
Lynna, enjoy your posts. Want to see lots more. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!
Lynna’s friends: If there is anything random commenters can do I, for one, would like to help.
birgerjohanssonsays
“I am familiar with the ‘protomammals’. It was an attempt at humour. Sorry. It will happen again”
.
Ogvorbis,
I posted very late at night (European time) I did not want to appear snarky. Next time I fail to spot humour, hit me with a gorgonopsid.
I really, really do blame the proliferation of shows starring middle-school and high-school aged characters (with stereotypical middle school and high school aged concerns) but aimed at, particularly, elementary school girls.
Peggy Orenstein talks about this at length in “Cinderella ate my daughter: The original target demographic watches/does something and it is then picked up by the younger kids who want to be “big kids”. Now the original target demographic shuns it as baby stuff and moves “upwards”. This is obviously aided by parents. I can’t believe how many of #1’s kindergarten friends list “Hanna Montana” as their favourite TV-program.
Somehow mine is still watches Winnie the Pooh.
++++
Talking about Winnie the Pooh, how’s the American Right handling Disney’s war on easter? I got the girls the Winnie the Pooh Easter special and they talk about easter all the time but never about Jesus!
kemist
We’re not talking exactly about the same problems as in the west.
What, people telling women when they’re allowed to have an abortion or not?
That’s the exactly same thing everywhere, because either you believe that the only person able to make that choice is the woman or you don’t believe it. And her constant pro-life bubble makes me doubt that she favours the pro-choice position in general.
+++++
Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
Oh shit, please let her know that I wish her a speedy recovery.
+++++
For the record: breastfeeding is not automatic, that’s true, and it probably will take some backing and filling to get it running smoothly; but cracked nipples or toe-curling pain really ARE NOT normal. If those things happen, the advice of a good lactation consultant is essential, because they are not something par for the course that you have to put up with in order to breastfeed.
THIS
All literature that claims that this is “automatic” and that it’s a perfect system where you always produce enough for your babby is only good for starting fire.
I ran into two totally seperate problems with the kids (oh, and cracked nipples were among them) and neither of it was ever mentioned in literature.
Oh, and I’m not the only woman who had them…
Lactation consultants are good, but make sure to have one who doesn’t think that formula is child abuse.
theophontes 777says
@ pentatomid #142
[Tardigrades in space.]
Kewl! You are hereby promoted to Minister of Culture.
birgerjohanssonsays
“Satan touching one from behind”
.
Soo…this is the stuff mormons think about, all the time?
I can honestly say I have never thought about that, apart from when watching the “South Park” episodes where Saddam Hussein dates Satan.
.
“Cinderella ate my daughter”
What the hell do you show your kids on ‘mercan TV?!!! :-)
birgerjohansson
“Cinderella ate my daughter” is the title of a book that deals with the subject of the “pinkification” and “pricessyfication” of girls.
Dunno what they’re showing on ‘Meirican TV ;)
Oh, and people being eaten and stuff is rather common in fairytales ;)
Louissays
Morning all!
1) Threadrupt-ish.
2) Lynna! Oh no! Get well soon and best wishes for a speedy and {insert luxury items such as chocolate covered bacon here} filled recovery.
3) Naughty night out on Saturday + parental and in law visit on Sunday = unpleasant hangover. That is all. Health kick utterly failed. Health kick restarted today. The health kick is dead, long live the health kick.
4) 3 Mushroom risotto with truffle oil is surprisingly good for hangovers.
OK, tried to comment on Taslima Nasreen’s post, let’s see if it gets through. And then I read the post below and found out that I’m a victim of the misogynistic patriarchal religious system because, and this is important, I have a family name that’s my father’s and my children have biblical second names (incidentially, they have the names of their great-grandma and great-great-grandma, which are pretty) and their father’s family name.
That woman makes less and less sense to me.
birgerjohanssonsays
Considering where Taslima Nasreen is coming from, I will forgive her for overreacting.
She has been through some serious shit, and faced more real threats than I have ever done.
— — — —
My two nieces have never been pinikified, thank Loki !
Or maybe thank Asherah (also known as Mrs. God, until the proto-Jews erased her from the Old Testament)
birgerjohanssonsays
(crossposted from Aardvarchaeology)
We are all foreigners! “Ancient Swedish farmer came from the Mediterranean” http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-swedish-farmer-came-from-the-mediterranean-1.10541 (Popping sound as White Power blokes’ heads explode)
.
Actually it makes sense that early farmers settled in a “mosaic” pattern, favouring the spots best for agriculture and leaving the rest for the hunter-gatherers. Thus we get a slow merging of the two populations.
— — — —
Ogvorbis, please come back! I promise not to eat you!
(unless you walk right in front of my mandibles, in which case an unfortunate reflex might get triggered)
Beatrice, anormalement indécentesays
Couldn’t sleep last night.
So tired now.
I’m conflicted about my comments to Taslima. On one hand, there is this huge difference between where she comes from and where I come from. On the other, I’m not sure if some of the things can be forgiven even considering how awful the situation she is confronted is. I mean, she just doesn’t make sense. That post about names included. She takes an important topic and adds so much bullshit it completely overtakes the discussion. I want to say that of course she’s right and what’s happening in India is terrible, but I sense so much contempt for women from her I can’t stop seeing red and focus on what was actually supposed to be the topic.
Y’know, I just realized I missed out on a lot of back royalties for something. Back in 3rd Grade (when I was 9) I wrote a childrens’ book about a frog. It was super cute. I wrote and illustrated it and gave it to my 3rd Grade teacher to put in her room – it was there as long as I was aware.
I could totally be swimming in… well probably not… but I’d have a lot of monies if I had given it to a publisher instead of a teacher I really only liked a little bit.
Aaaaaaaaargh
My latest project is just going wahoonie-shaped and I refuse to accept that!
Katherine
As far as I’m aware, many people end up poorer for publishing than richer, especially probably when talking about children’s books (believe me, there’s lots of them out there).
But yeah, go on writing. Just don’t cry over spilled milk. Maybe if you read that book today you’d smile and say “I was a clever 9yo, but not a writer yet.”
beatrice
Yeah, I know what you mean.
She sounds pretty ovebearing on the one hand, do as I say or you’Re doing it wrong, and pretty simplistic on the other hand. Seriously, what would be accomplished in this world if we stopped calling our children Michael, James, Ruth and Marie and instead called them Horseshoe, Oaktree, Appleblossom and Riverbank?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever pronounce “primer” as “primmer.” Not a single time, not for any meaning of the word.
@David M (previous thread):
Why would that be a symbol of transgenderism?
A moth transforms from a rather hideous form (most of the time) into something that’s stunning and beautiful. It’s like a butterfly – which is usually used as a kind of symbol of transition and transformation (transgender / sexualism as well.)
I however, like moths more than I like butterflies. As Jules mentioned in that thread, moths sit with their wings flat, while butterflies raise their wings when they’re on a surface, which would make a spread-winged moth more lifelike than a spread-winged butterfly. The additional idea of the nocturnal moth also is a kind of feminine thing, since moon imagery is a feminine symbol. A kinda fluffy, slightly drab moth is also, to me, a lot more respective of my femininity than a flashy butterfly.
As for why the Emperor Moth specifically, it’s my favorite moth.
Yea. It’s just one of those “what ifs” that I was pondering this morning.
Book was probably trashed, though, cause the school got closed and demolished (kind of needfully, it was an ollld school with not enough room for all the students.)
I was writing on the train today, and I got 30 minutes of writing done, then I realized I had to restart from the beginning of the chapter cause there was a big plot hole and I was like “doh.”
Argh! Fuck you AdChoice ad network you’re making me cry showing all these pretty weddings!!
KGsays
Lynna,
I’m very sorry to hear of your stroke. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
Brother Ogvorbis: Advanced Accolyte of Tpyossays
After Sting retires, will he be Stung?
‘Tis has just won the internets. All of them.
Lynna had a stroke?
Shit. Be safe, Lynna, and you have my hopes for a speedy recovery and top notch care.
I did not want to appear snarky. Next time I fail to spot humour, hit me with a gorgonopsid.
Failing to spot my humour is a sine of sanity.
Ariaflame, BSc, BF, PhDsays
Sorry to hear about Lynna. Hope the recovery goes as well as it can.
I have now actually met another pharyngulite in meatspace! Had a very pleasant evening chatting to Alethea.
I have never used primer with a short i, though if it was an Americanism, or at least a regional one I wouldn’t know.
Loudsays
Hello all.
Can anyone recommend any good books on critical thinking or logic/logical fallacies?
Psych-Ohsays
Good morning!
Kathrine – I wrote a bunch of books in elementary school. One of them somehow made it into the elementary school library. A few years ago, they cleaned out the library and the librarian mailed it to my mom. It was funny and sweet to see something I did as a child cherished by my school.
On the shows kids watch… I’ve just recently started to let my (8 year old) daughter watch “tween shows”. And I watch them with her, and it is not that often. She likes “Lab Rats”, which I OK’d because I love Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk is still my favorite series of all times), and also one of our friends works on the show.
birgerjohanssonsays
This (and football) is what we quarrel about in Europe:
“UK bumblebee push sparks Swedish anger” http://www.thelocal.se/40538/20120429/
Note absence of god, guns and the “Kenyan usurper” :)
I’m conflicted about my comments to Taslima. On one hand, there is this huge difference between where she comes from and where I come from. On the other, I’m not sure if some of the things can be forgiven even considering how awful the situation she is confronted is. I mean, she just doesn’t make sense. That post about names included. She takes an important topic and adds so much bullshit it completely overtakes the discussion. I want to say that of course she’s right and what’s happening in India is terrible, but I sense so much contempt for women from her I can’t stop seeing red and focus on what was actually supposed to be the topic.
I was thrilled when Taslima Nasreen joined FTB and I read her first post eagerly. Next, she posted about sex work and I thought Huh, OK coming from another perspective – maybe it is MY privilege making me see this differently (I see it more ike Greta Christina does), so I won’t judge and I’ll quietly step out of the room. Wandered back a few days later and read another long post and quietly backed out again.
Like birgerjohansson, I think
Considering where Taslima Nasreen is coming from, I will forgive her for overreacting. She has been through some serious shit, and faced more real threats than I have ever done.
Like you, I feel conflicted – I want to read her and support her blog, but I am put off by what appears to be a contemptuous attitude toward, not just women, but everyone who hasn’t been through the trials she has been through. As I said, I am sure a part of this is that Ii enjoy the privileges I have enjoyed (as a white woman in a western country during the brief shining era of “almost equal rights”) and so I cannot bring myself to call her out but I keep backing quietly away.
Oggie’s off on another tangent.
++++++++++++++
I was taught that a beginning instruction manual was pronounced “primmer” and the initial coat of paint is long ‘i’ primer.
To the point that when I read them in context I hear it that way.
Same as with lead & lead.
Tho victuals to vittles is a bit much.
I got reading, as I’d mentioned, some fairly classic stuff on L. Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith. Did a brief sorta review/recommendation here for any of you interested in such material.
Ava, Oporornis maledettasays
Richvr, #323: I’ve heard people say “primmer,” but I can’t make myself do it. It’s pr-eye-mer for me.
A propos of not that, I’m looking forward to the Jerry Coyne speech on “Why Evolution Is True” this Wed. at Harvard’s Musuem of Comparative Zoology. Walton, you in?
… actually, re-reading that, I’m not sure that’s a ‘review’ exactly so much as a visceral reaction to how generally ghastly I wound up finding both these guys (the subjects of the biographies). With some spoilers, I guess, if you can call them that, given what’s already out about them.
Get well wishes and many Nice Cups of Tea to Lynna – hope you’re recovering well. A selfish element to wishing you a successful rehab, in that I’m also hoping that you feel up to relaying many more Moments of Mormon Madness soon.
re humour, I find that days are generally improved by adding more Ogvorbis.
Failing to spot my humour is a sine of sanity.
Oggie’s off on another tangent.
The Sailor, does that make you a cosignatory to his lines, or have you got another angle?
(/And mebbe I’ll see if I can find something suitably amusing from Brodie for your surrogate Moment of Mormon Madness. Moments of Madness, Smith’s life had such things.)
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
I just did an animal show for 40 preschoolers. Every. Single. Girl. Child. Was. Wearing. Something. Pink. And not just any shade of pink, but bubble gum pink. No primary colors, a couple with black pants, but those had the obligatory sequins. No regular functional jeans. Most of their shoes had some pink as well.
Whoever came up with this pink thing needs to be sent some porcupines asap.
On the plus side, almost all the kids, girls and boys alike, touched the snake and the chinchilla and were quiet enough to hear the hissing cockroach noise. And I snuck some evolution in, via discussion of snakes and lizards being related, and change from legs to snakey rib muscle movement happening over many generations. Bwahahaha…
My daughter briefly went through the bubble-gum pink phase quite some years back. She’s happily far beyond it, now. Has downright cool taste, even, if a Daddy may brag.
In related: I’m pretty sure someone already mentioned something similar somewhere around here, but I am actually seriously put off shopping at toy stores that stock a lot of that stuff. It’s just so overwhelming. Like some kind of radioactive pink glow. I’m afraid going in there, just walking too near to those shelves, I’m going to be garishly irradiated, come out as some kind of evil mutant supervillain who can transform things into ugly pink plastic just by touching them. Tends to drive me away to independent type stores less heavily infected, and also toward online shopping.
Silisays
DaughterSpawn has subscribed to an anti-porn group for Mormon teens
Can’t help much with the “anti-“, and I suspect she’s a bit too young to enjoy my particular collection of “pr0n”.
opposablethumbssays
I do have another angle, to a degree.
Well as long as you’re not a Thetan …
brucecoppolasays
Pretty sure that’s the actor who plays God in the Mitchell & Webb bits like Abraham and Ivan.
Mattir:
Ugh, pink. I don’t even know how you combat that, especially when a girl is school age. I mean, yeah, buy a variety of clothing for her, but when all of her peers are dressed in a certain way… ugh.
Anyway, Mr Darkheart and I have realized that’s something that we’re going to have to talk to his mom about before DarkFetus makes an appearance*– she’s all about that gendered crap.
*I already talked to my mom about it (just to cover my bases). She responded by saying, “I hate all of that pink shit. Besides, I was only going to buy Yankees stuff for my grandchild.”
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
There’s nothing wrong with pink. But when it’s the only color that kids are allowed to wear, and they (seemingly) have to wear it every single day, it gets old. My advice for the DarkFetus parents would be to let paternal grandmother do the pink thing and to convey, subtly, to the DarkSpawn over the years that this is a weird quird of Grandma’s and really, aren’t people strange? That worked fairly well for the MattirSpawns, although we haven’t had so much (or any) extended family weirdness since we have no extended family at all. We mostly commented on advertising, other kids’ clothes and toy choices, and toy genderification.
leighshryocksays
The kickstarter project (it gets better gay men chorus) I linked in the last thread has been funded with a few hours to spare.
Matt Penfoldsays
English upper-middle class men also seem to be rather keen on pink, especially for ties, jackets and for some reason cords.
leighshryocksays
The Ten Commandments, that horrible film that was pretty much mandatory viewing in my household has something rather amusing when you think about it.
Charlton Heston plays Moses and is the voice actor for ‘God’. So, he’s literally talking to himself when he talks to ‘God’.
Mattir:
My problem is just what you touched on: girls are only allowed pink. And that’s just not cool. (Although, last time I was in Target, I saw a whole lot of girls clothes that were all sorts of neon colors, but especially green. It make me happy.)
My MIL is a different story: 1) she lives near us (and we see her once a week) and 2) it’s not just some pink stuff, it’s that every single toy/book/piece of clothing has to be pink “girlie stuff”*. Hell, Mr Darkheart and I are the only ones that buy my poor niece Play Doh and Legos to play with.
Anyway, Mr Darkheart is going to to lay some ground rules for his mom after we find out Darkfetus’ sex. I really think it’s the only way to keep the peace.
Matt,
I love a man in a dark suit, white shirt and pink tie. ;)
*And I’m going to make a wild assumption that it would be the same with a boy, just with blue.
Ugh, pink. I don’t even know how you combat that, especially when a girl is school age. I mean, yeah, buy a variety of clothing for her, but when all of her peers are dressed in a certain way… ugh.
Yep, I doubt that anybody actually teaches them about the colour coding, but kids are smart, they pick it up quickly.
Some months into kindergarten #1 told me that she mustn’t wear those leggins because they’re grey and grey is a boys colour.
We solved it by showing that mum owns/wears grey and by buying a stash of new colourful Fruit of the Loom T-shirts for daddy.
Their uncle has been instructed to wear his oink stuff when coming for a visit (we’ll tackle that cliché later).
It seems like we’re making progress.
She also likes “superheroes”. I doubt she knows what that means since most “superheroe-stuff” definetly isn’t my definition of appropriate content for 4yo, but I know what’s going to be on her next shirt
Good luck clueing people in. I was amazed (and disgusted) with how much pink stuff we ended up even after telling all the close family and good friends NOT TO BUY ANY.
+++++
Ahhh, it seems like after flipping, turning, moving the file for my project, it became corrupted. Sorted it out now and you’ll all be allowed to spot the mistake on the finished item.
opposablethumbssays
I admit to having swung a bit the other way when it came to the Dreaded Pinkness from Hell and even took a few well-meant gifts straight to the charity shops, unused. fsm but I hated that fucking stuff with a vengeance.
Both Spawn (one of each of the most common flavours) seem to have developed quite cool taste (better than mine, anyway).
Anyway, Mr Darkheart is going to to lay some ground rules for his mom after we find out Darkfetus’ sex. I really think it’s the only way to keep the peace.
I think this is an excellent idea. Even if she gets flustered and angry, as people tend to do when you challenge certain preconceptions, you and Mr. Darkheart have the final say.
The downside is that she might double down on buying girly stuff for your niece…
Audley, along with the quilt, Darkfetus will also be getting this. :D
carliesays
Another option is, if she keeps buying pink stuff after you’ve asked her not to, is to ask her to keep the tags on everything just in case it’s the wrong size. Then you can happily go exchange them for other things, and when she asks why spawn isn’t wearing what she bought, you can say it seemed like she had just too much of one color so you exchanged it to add some variety.
I don’t like the idea of banning pink altogether; I was one of those “no pink!” tomboy girls, and the concepts of “only foolish conforming girls wear pink” and “I’m special because I don’t wear pink” and both are bad things, too. Hell, I look good in pink. I wish I had worn more of it. And of course, if you refuse to have pink things, she’ll become a princessy ballerina type just out of spite to rebel. ;)
Daisy,
Well, as awful as this sounds, my niece isn’t my problem. Her mother is fine with 100% pink 100% of the time, so whatevs.
Caine,
!!
Holy shit, that is an awesome pacifier. :D
Carlie,
I hear ya. It’s not just that toys are pink, it’s that they’re not engaging or creative at all, either, you know? I’m not going to monitor every single little thing but I want to keep the gendered toys (whether Darkfetus is a boy or a girl) to a bare minimum.
You can always count on Think Geek. They have some great baby stuff – they haz bibs which read Zombie Snack on them. :D
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt viergesays
A big Bacon! Chocolate! Alcohol! Glitter! Ghey Secks with Brownian! *hugs* for Lynna. May your recovery be speedy and relaxed, and may your doctors be the best of the crop.
Otherwise, I wish you all a happy Beltane. It is the most important Sabbat of the year for us warty, cackling, deranged old ladies (kittehs optional), you know ;)
carliesays
Since the seal on wishing happy Beltane has just been broken, here’s a great song to celebrate the reason for the season. ;) NSFW. The video is ok if no one at work reads ASL, but the lyrics definitely aren’t.
Audley, actually, you could head people off at the pass by setting up a wish list at Think Geek for baby clothes, feeding gear, toys, etc. Tell them that if they want to get something for Darkfetus, get something off that list. Think Geek avoids the pink/blue crap nicely.
[…]
Give the running of state prisons over to private corporations whose profits increase with the increase in inmate populations. See to it that a majority of prisoners are African-American.
When possible, treat immigrants as criminals.
Deplete and underfinance a viable system of free public schools and give the education of children over to private for-profit corporations.
Make college education unaffordable.
Inject religious precepts into public policy so as to control women’s bodies.
Enact laws prohibiting collective bargaining. Portray trade unions as un-American.
Enact laws restricting the voting rights of possibly unruly constituencies.
Propagandize against scientific facts that would affect corporate profits. Portray global warming as a conspiracy of scientists
[…]
I’ve bought quite a bit of stuff from Think Geek and I didn’t even realize they had a baby section. ♥!
Must. Stop. Browsing. While. At. Work!
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Lynna: I haz a sad to hear of your troubles. I hope your recovery is quick.
Loud, 332:
Can anyone recommend any good books on critical thinking or logic/logical fallacies?
A Concise Primer of Sophistimicated Theology by Aprile Pazzo, Very Random House Books, Inc.
Or if you can’t find that one, Sagan’s Demon-Haunted World is a delightful romp.
Loudsays
Ugh, anyone tried to buy a sympathy card that isn’t plastered with bible verse or covered in crosses?
Do card companies think only Christians do sympathy?
carliesays
Loud – I’ve given up on such things. I go with blank cards and try to write something simple and nice.
opposablethumbssays
There are so many gorgeous things for the Stylish Former Foetus About Town – t-shirts with bats and spiders, onesies with dinosaurs, outfits with random sploshes and spackles of primary colours …
I wonder, would a onesie with a nice diagram of a glucose molecule on it be the proper apparel for saying you think a baby is sweet?
thinkgeek is a bit irresistible, isn’t it – I like the “loading, please wait” t-shirt to wear while gestating – but the Caine Duckie Project is teh awsomest.
Loud,
Been there. I had to buy a sympathy card for a customer of mine and it was damned near impossible to find something even remotely professional. Carlie’s right– the best thing to do is buy blank cards.
I wonder, would a onesie with a nice diagram of a glucose molecule on it be the proper apparel for saying you think a baby is sweet?
Absolutely. That would be simple to either stitch on a plain onesie or paint with fabric paint, too. Good idea!
Hekuni Catsays
Caine, Bender’s Duckie – squee! I also love the Lil’ Vampire Pacifier.
Loud, like Carlie and Audley, I buy blank cards and use my own words for sympathy cards.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
I know that the use of greeting cards is standard for many kinds of formal communication, but I cannot bring myself to shop for them*. This is why I donate to the World Wildlife Federation. They send me blank-inside greeting cards as a thank you for my donation. Nothing says “I’m sorry that your grandmother was overwhelemed by a moose” better than an image of that self-same majestic animal in its natural habitat.
*Ironically, my five-year old loves to browse greeting cards, but as far as she’s concerned, puppy dogs are fitting for every occasion. It really is like she was sent to me by O. Henry.
opposablethumbssays
Ooh, I forgot – @ Loud, 332 –
Believing Bullshit by Stephen Law, well worth a read!
chigau (副)says
My asparagus is up!
lostintimesays
At 1.57 it says that humans evolved from Chimps! That can’t be right surely, unless ‘chimps’ is a colloquial term. Either way it’s misleading to children
Lies Down to Reasonsays
Hi to the Horde!
Tracy here. My Why I Am an Atheist was posted the other day. This is my new nym; I’m taking it out for a spin.
The origin is a quote from the Fourth Doctor: “Stupid expression, ‘stands to reason’. Why isn’t it ‘lie down to reason’? Much easier to reason lying down.” (I’m a huge Doctor Who freak.)
I just wanted to stick my head in the door and say hi. Also to offer my sympathies and hopes for a swift recovery to Lynna.
Audley: Fun bit of information for your MIL. I’ve seen various articles stating that color-coding by gender didn’t really begin until the start of the last century. When it did, it was pink for boys and blue for girls. Apparently pink was considered a stronger color, as it was related to red, and blue was associated with the Virgin Mary. It was only around WWII or thereabouts that it switched for some reason. (Note: here’s a fuller story on the subject.)
I wonder, would a onesie with a nice diagram of a glucose molecule on it be the proper apparel for saying you think a baby is sweet?
I dunno, I think I’m too techie – all I keep running through my head is getting a black onesie and some photo-luminescent fabric paint and making a Spawn of Flynn outfit (comme ça).
(Mostly threadrupt – slept most of the weekend, yay for BPPV screwing with my sleep – but sympathies for Lynna and random hugs and sweets for the rest).
Mr. Mattir, MRA Chicksays
My reward for pulling Japanese honeysuckle (a hideous exotic invasive that eats parks) is that I found 2 specimens of rattlesnake plantain orchid, which are fairly unusual hereabouts and which we did not know we had in this park. Woo-hoo!
I had just as much trouble with gender-policing being directed at SonSpawn – what do you mean, you paint your boy child’s toenails if he sits still for a nail clip? What do you mean, his favorite color is purple? Why did you let your 7 year old grow his hair long? (Because now he’s a handsome 16 year old with Jesus-quality long thick wavy hair that took 9 years to grow to its current beauty?) And don’t even get me started on the “anyone who talks about feelings, expresses empathy, or cries must be a [insert slur here]. The world is, sadly, full of people who basically spend their real-life time trolling. Not good.
carliesays
Man. Child came home from school and said that they’re reading Flowers for Algernon in English class. I told him it was quite possibly the saddest story ever written. That book made such an impression on me.
opposablethumbssays
I remember when DaughterSpawn started 6th form chemistry class they were given a sort of kiddie-homework for the first lesson (to sort of ease the new class in? for fun? I don’t know) which was to make a [model of a] sugar molecule. She made hers out of marshmallows (pink and white available for the carbon and oxygen atoms, plus food dye marshmallow fragments for the hydrogen atoms) so she could show the class a sugar molecule, made of actual sugar … I thought this was beyond cute, but the teacher didn’t appreciate the joke :(
chigau (副)says
carlie
I usually start crying if I take Flowers for Algernon off the shelf.
—
Baby clothes should all be patterned with splotches the color of spit-up and poo.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Mr. Mattir: squee!
carlie: When I was a teen, curricular reading was uniformly depressing. We were assigned The Bell Jar in eigth grade. I shit you not.
Teens need to read something light every once in a while.
Carlie: Flowers for Algernon gets me, too. Geez, it’s no wonder why no kid wants to read the assigned reading– it’s all sad as shit.
I still remember the first story to make me cry: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury. I read it in the eighth grade and, holy shit, I still can’t handle it to this day.
(The dog! THE DOG! It’s worse than Jurassic Bark.)
Lies Down to Reasonsays
#396: Thanks, Caine. #403: You’re welcome, Audley! Hope it helps or is at least entertaining.
Rey Foxsays
*I already talked to my mom about it (just to cover my bases). She responded by saying, “I hate all of that pink shit. Besides, I was only going to buy Yankees stuff for my grandchild.”
Jeez. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Charlton Heston plays Moses and is the voice actor for ‘God’. So, he’s literally talking to himself when he talks to ‘God’.
“I think I do about 12 regular characters, but I’ve been able to pad the resume with God, The Devil and Hitler. -Harry Shearer
cicely. Just cicely.says
Welcome in, chrisco! Some initial confusion is to be expected upon your Assimilation. Soon, you too can be ignoring those TET videos like a pro!
–
Roleplaying is powerful.
Damned straight! I know that I get cranky and irritable if the Game is cancelled two weeks running!
–
Or maybe thank Asherah (also known as Mrs. God, until the proto-Jews erased her from the Old Testament)
I think that what happened is that when Mr. and Mrs. God got their divorce, He was awarded custody of the Chosen People.
–
Primer=”more prime”.
– Oooh! Vampire pacifier! WANT!
–
If there’s a sadder sci-fi story than Flowers for Algernon, I’ve never read it; and I’m not sure I want to.
–
Minnie The Finn, qui devient bientôt viergesays
I’ve never read this Flowers for Algernon. Must see if the local library has it.
Otherwise, I think our required reading on 7th to 10th grade was some serious industrial-strength stuff: The Unknown Soldier (the Finnish epic of the Continuation War), Johnny Get Your Gun, I Buried My Heart in Wounded Knee, Nothing New on the Western Front, Doctor Zhivago, Madam Bovary, Sons and Lovers…
No wonder I enjoy the odd Pratchett or King nowadays.
opposablethumbssays
Flowers for Algernon is definitely one of the most heartrending stories ever written, and I love (with tears in my eyes) how it was done. I don’t think I could ever forget it.
When I was a teen, curricular reading was uniformly depressing.
My working theory at the time was this was some kind of covert plan to harden potentially too-soft children against the harsh realities of life.
Sure. I mean, what if, like me, you’re a mostly pretty privileged middle-class type? And like about the worst thing that’s really happened to you so far is being picked on a bit at recess?
As if you’re going to be ready for the heartbreak that may well lurk in the real world, once you leave the nest. No, in this case, it’s simply a wise sort of prophylaxis for your teachers to expose you to profound and painful tragedy, through literature. The notion being: the worst that’s likely to happen to you is at least unlikely to be quite as bad as all that.
(/Granted, for children who already have abusive alcoholic parents, perhaps it’s a bit gratuitous for them to read those bits in Huck Finn. There should be some sort of form they could fill out, to get an exemption, sorta like you can pass your mandatory French just by proving fluency: ‘Listen: I’m already being beaten each evening by a sadistic, gin-addled bastard. I don’t need Clemens to tell me what that’s like, thanks.’)
Rey Foxsays
Are we sure that “primmer” is the American pronunciation? I find it much easier to imagine a bloke saying that than a dude.
There should be some sort of form they could fill out, to get an exemption, sorta like you can pass your mandatory French just by proving fluency: ‘
Christians have been demanding that for years!
Silisays
Rey Fox
Are we sure that “primmer” is the American pronunciation? I find it much easier to imagine a bloke saying that than a dude.
a href=”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primer”>Take it up with Webster.
Silisays
Aw fucknuggets.
carliesays
Minnie – I know you would read it anyway, but be sure to read the book itself; it was made into a movie, but there are things about it that simply have to be read. No film representation will be a suitable substitute.
The first required book in high school that comes to mind for me is A Separate Peace. Kid falls out of tree and gets crippled, and the question is whether or not he was pushed.
We were given an assignment to write an essay about one of the characters in the book. I wrote about the tree.
chigau (副)says
feralboy12
I wrote about the tree.
Did your teachers in highschool tremble when they saw you coming?
Julessays
Audley, along with the quilt, Darkfetus will also be getting this. :D
♥ ♥ ♥
I wonder, would a onesie with a nice diagram of a glucose molecule on it be the proper apparel for saying you think a baby is sweet?
I think it would be teh kool.
Ironically, my five-year old loves to browse greeting cards, but as far as she’s concerned, puppy dogs are fitting for every occasion. It really is like she was sent to me by O. Henry.
Is this The Adorable Edition™ of TET? We did that a few weeks back on PET. So much cute.
(The dog! THE DOG! It’s worse than Jurassic Bark.)
Ack! DO NOT SPEAK OF THIS. *weeps uncontrollably*
The first story that made me cry was The Scarlet Ibis. That’s actually something my mother and I share in common. We both read it in junior high and couldn’t handle it.
Other books that have made me cry: Sounder, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and All the Pretty Horses. I don’t really cry from movies, but the Futurama episode which shall not be named (AUDLEY) absolutely rips my heart out.
carliesays
I’m trying to think of what else we read in school – A Rose for Emily, Billy Budd, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Farewell to Arms, The Cherry Orchard, A Doll’s House, In a Penal Colony, Lord of the Flies… yeah, definitely a lot of sadness in there.
(Also Watership Down and Madame Bovary and the Decameron, though, although those are also sad in their own ways)
My feeling is: we stick to our guns. Everyone not actually being beaten* still gets Huck Finn…
… also, any parent who protests ‘cos they think it’s insulting to their faith or some damned thing gets Inherit the Wind. And yes, that’s the parent who has to read it. As homework. And there will be a quiz. And they may not ask for help from their kid.
(*/Tho’, oddly enough, come to think of it, the fact that I was rather raised ‘in the church’ probably did kinda contribute its share of the limited misery** I actually did experience in my childhood. But Huck Finn‘s nasty bits really don’t overlap with that, much. So I’m not sure how that could have got me an exemption.)
(**/That’s probably a bit overstated, tho’. Intense discomfiture? Can cringing embarrassment at ever having been associated with this stuff count as scarring, exactly? Honestly, it sometimes seems to me it should, but then, I have my histrionic moments. Prolly comes from reading too much high tragedy in high school.)
Jules,
Sorry sorry sorry! I know you react to that episode exactly the same way I do, but I didn’t see you around.
ibyeasays
You know, now that I think about, it seems like virtually all of the classical literatures they make you read are dark, depressing, and/or make you lose hope in humanity.
Did your teachers in highschool tremble when they saw you coming?
Only some of them. This particular English teacher, an elderly lady, actually liked me a lot. She died just a few years ago at the age of 90-something.
My other recollection regarding A Separate Peace was that it took about an hour to read. I had to sit through at least a couple of quiet study periods in class while others read the thing. I brought something by Vonnegut to keep me busy, which impressed my teacher even more.
I really liked that lady.
And yeah, not a lot of trembling, really, but they did learn not to single me out in class and try to embarrass me for not paying attention or having a private laugh.
The last thing you wanted to do was to have me stand up and tell the class what was so funny.
Julessays
It’s ok, Audley. I’ll let it slide. I must accept that sometimes people will talk about the saddest thing in the entire universe in a place where I might see it.
My private fundie school didn’t really have us reading a lot of stuff. Oddly enough, The Scarlet Letter was a book that we spent several weeks on.
Well, odd until you realize that we were supposed to relate to the good townsfolk, not Hester.
ibyeasays
@Jules
Wait, WHAT?! Relate to the townsfolk?!
Lies Down to Reasonsays
@423: Children must be exposed to True Art! And True Art Is Angsty! (Warning: TV Tropes link. Do not read unless you have loads of spare time lying around.)
Lies Down to Reasonsays
Whoops, ibyea posted their link while I was looking mine up!
ibyeasays
@Lies Down to Reason
I was way ahead of you on the TV Tropes link. ^_^
cicely. Just cicely.says
We had The Red Badge of Courage, and something about a guy getting gangrene in the leg after a raid or something in Mexico.
–
Silisays
I’ve just started listening to Dale Martin’s New Testament Course on Yale’s Itunes U. So far I like the guy:
“Christians like to argue a lot. As we used to say in my youth in Texas: ‘Let’s make like a Bapist church and split.'”
God, I remember reading the unabridged A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare’s tragedies (I didn’t read any of the comedies ’til college), Where the Red Fern Grows*, a whole mess of Vonnegut, Wuthering Heights (not that I remember it at all), Invisible Man…
Yeah, I didn’t read anything upbeat until I took a class called “humor in American literature” in college.
*The dogs! THE DOGS!
Nutmegsays
In grade 12, my best friend and I sat down and tried to find a book on our English reading list that didn’t have death as a major theme. With a fairly loose definition of “major theme”, we were unsuccessful.
What I can remember of the books and plays we read in high school: To Kill a Mockingbird, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, Hamlet, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, A Doll’s House, The Theban Plays, Saint Joan, Murder in the Cathedral, The Sacrifice, Lord of the Flies, Wuthering Heights, The Age of Innocence, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, East of Eden, Animal Farm, 1984, A Christmas Carol, The Stone Angel, Oryx and Crake, The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Hmm. Apparently I was a bit of an English nerd.
carliesays
‘Let’s make like a Bapist church and split.’”
It’s funny because it’s true! I’ve been at two Baptist churches that each had a major split. And my spouse went to another one that did.
Loudsays
opposablethumbs #392
Believing Bullshit by Stephen Law, well worth a read!
Cheers! Consider it bought. That will be my holiday reading.
Re: Sympathy cards
Thanks everyone, blank cards are the way to go. It’s still ridiculous that I can’t get a decent non-religious one.
A friend of mine gave birth to her baby at 28 weeks, and sadly due to complications leading to brain damage, chose to switch off his life support. Which is strange, because she is Catholic, and I would have thought this would be a grave sin?
Either way, it’s a terrible tragedy :(
Silisays
the Futurama episode which shall not be named (AUDLEY) absolutely rips my heart out.
I can’t remember most of the books we read in high school, just that I’d read most of them before.
I do remember in 9th grade, my English teacher getting into a bit of a snit because I was doing math homework or doodling or something while they were reading Romeo & Juliet. As punishment, he made me get up in front of the class and read the Romeo part while someone else did the Juliet, just to make sure I was paying attention.
He was not amused when I walked to the front of the class without my book. We was less amused, but thoroughly pleased, when I kept up for a scene and a half – including the balcony scene and the long soliloquy at the start – from memory, and only missed two words.*
We later had an entire class session taken up by differing interpretations and recitals of Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech and why most actors totally missed the point. He was one of my favorite teachers.
* Mostly luck – I happened to be helping a friend study for Juliet’s part at another school for their play a month or two prior, and it was easier to memorize it and actually do the scenes with her than to try to coach her while reading it. But that’s why I was bored.
Hamlet, though, that’s just one of my favorites. Along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which at one point I could recite word for word every line and stage direction.
Yeah, I’m that guy.
(… now you see me, now you…)
Lies Down to Reasonsays
@ibyea: yep, yep you did. Need to learn to refresh right before hitting “submit comment”.
Julessays
I hate you, Sili.
Richard Austinsays
Loud:
A friend of mine gave birth to her baby at 28 weeks, and sadly due to complications leading to brain damage, chose to switch off his life support. Which is strange, because she is Catholic, and I would have thought this would be a grave sin?
That’s terrible that it came to that. Parents losing children is, I understand, one of the most horrible things to go through. My condolences to them, and to you trying to help them.
Regarding Catholics, though – as has been stated a few times, many Catholics in the US (assuming that’s where you are) are of the Irish Catholic mentality. As in, they take the parts they like and say “sod off” to the rest. Most think of the Pope as a senile granddad who wears his undies on his head: they politely nod their heads and agree with him, and then go off and do whatever they please.
After all, that’s what confession is for, right? It’s a get-out-of-hell-free card you can use every week.
There are so many gorgeous things for the Stylish Former Foetus About Town – t-shirts with bats and spiders, onesies with dinosaurs, outfits with random sploshes and spackles of primary colours …
The problem is that if the dark fetus is a girl, people start treating you like Are U Mad?
You seriously need a long breath. And then you do your best for the time they’re solely in your care and then they get in contact with the pinkified / gender-coded world and you start to despair.
Audley, I wish you best luck. It’s a fight. Worth it, but exhausting.
One of my favourite shirts for the little one was “Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of milk!”, complete with Jolly Roger.
Loud
That’s terrible.
Well, most catholics don’t give a flying fuck about their religion once the call is to make between behaving decently and catholic.
The main book I remember reading for English (because it was so horrific) was The Octopus. Blah blah wheat blah blah some dude hates sugar sauce blah blah a different dude gets drowned in a silo of wheat, the end. Eight hundred fucking pages.
and why most actors totally missed the point.
I’ll bite, why is that? (Not very familiar with Hamlet, must remedy)
What the shit is this. I’ll answer my own question: A handful of good advice mixed up with a lot of sexism, heterosexism, various other privileged shit, and generic stupidity.
ibyeasays
You know, while I love dark stories, sometimes, it’s too much. Sometimes, I just want to feel happy. Happy feels good. Why can’t they have happy stories in high school literature classes for once?
KGsays
Phew! Four project deliverables delivered, with more than an hour to spare. Considering that the original proposal went in 41 seconds before the deadline, I’m clearly getting much better at time management :-p
Now just the final report to do, unless any of the just-delivered deliverables come winging back with demands for a rewrite.
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.
Oh barf. Laydeez, the tools, they are only ok if you also make with the sexy!
I had to triple check that the list wasn’t written in 19*77*. It would fit perfectly in the Cosmo book for “liberated women” that I have from the, uh, late 60s I think (you can imagine).
Also, my drill she is corded. I’m not such a delicate fucking flower that I can’t hook up an extension cord in exchange for a buttload’s worth of power and the ability to drill through damn near anything.
Loudsays
Richard Austin, Gilliel
Thanks both.
I can’t imagine how hard it must have been, and still is for them. I’m actually in the UK, so it’s British-brand Catholicism.
It’s been weird, because they posted up the details of the preterm birth on FB, and then a running update of the ongoing details, while asking for prayers.
When the final news came, although obviously terrible and heartbreaking, I just couldn’t stop myself wondering how they can possibly square away what they’ve gone through (she also miscarried a year back) with the idea of a loving God.
I guess it’s offering them both some peace of mind, believing he’s now ‘with the angels’. But cognitive dissonance much?
carliesays
Eight hundred fucking pages.
kristinc – Moby Dick was the one I couldn’t handle. MAKE IT END ALREADY. Had to do Catcher in the Rye too, which was also interminable. And The Grapes of Wrath – mine was missing the last chapter and I didn’t know it, so I thought it just kind of ended. Then I found out no, it ended even worse than I thought it did.
Just_A_Lurkersays
Flowers for Algernon and Where the Red Fern Grows are on my list of favorite books. Sad as hell and had to read them in the 5th grade. We also did Huck Fin (that made me self-conscious since my father was an abusive alcoholic) and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders surprises me now that I look back on it considering the place I grew up. The coolest part of S.E. Hinton was when the teacher explaining the author was a woman and how they gave her initials fearing boys wouldn’t read it.The teacher told us all that fact after we read and studied it. The look on their faces… XD
Richard Austinsays
kristinc:
I’ll bite, why is that? (Not very familiar with Hamlet, must remedy)
Well, it’s been 20 years so I’ll probably miss something.
There are a lot of things that I think actors get wrong. The main one is that it’s not a noble speech. Dude’s talking about killing himself to escape from troubles that he sees no other way out of. The first part of it, emotionally, could be totally flat: he’s burnt out, beyond emotion. It’s simply a question of which is more honorable: living through all the shit or killing one’s self. This isn’t noble – it’s an escape. The reason he stops is that he’s not sure of where he’s escaping to.
The last part can almost be sardonic humor – “thus conscience doth make cowards of us all” could be said with almost a self-mocking sneer.
Mainly, though, I’ve seen actors (especially in high school) go overly melodramatic with it or, even if they’re coached into using the right tones, don’t really get it and thus come off wrong. The beginning, especially, gets done too quickly.
This one’s pretty good in my estimation (for you Whovians), though he cuts out part and, to me, puts more scorn than self-mocking in the last part. But different people will get different things from the play. I just think that, with the cynical wit Hamlet later displays, he’d realize how he’s undoing his own drive and be mocking his own lack of resolve.
Silisays
I can’t remember how far I got through Moby Dick before I forgot the book in Oxford or at the laundrette.
Richard Austinsays
… I suppose I should put a “Not Safe For Emotionally Vulnerable People” tag on that link, but I’d hope after talking about it being suicide and all folks would be expecting it.
You know that website that has those awesome “Monsters of Science” t-shirts, you know the ones with “Curie” in the style of the Cure? And other crazy cool stuff?
Well, you can custom design your own stuff, including onesies and shirts and sweatshirts for kids! Check it out:
It helps to know that I’ve got a place were people sympathize. And who knows? Maybe by the time DarkFetus starts school, the gendered bullshit will start to decrease.
Ok, my mistake, it comes in both pink and blue, doh!
ibyeasays
For me, the book I wanted it to end was Heart of Darkness. Do you know how tedious it is to read a book in which every paragraph is a page long, with long winded description of just stuff?
mattir @212 i would love it if you and the progeny would take over Moments of mormon madness for now. sounds like you will have a unique perspective.
mri today showed a human brain in my skull. so much for the embodiment of satan theory. meeting with doc on wednesday for analsis of resoults and for formulation of plan for rehab. always good to have a plan.
many thanks to all for tht good wishes. i don’t have what it takes to answer each individually.
saw a senior citizen at the medical imaging center that was stylish. her walker was tricked out. she had pimped her ride.
ibyeasays
@Lynna
hai. Get well soon. *wave hand*
carliesays
Soft snuggles for Lynna.
I hope you have someone who can help take care of you right now.
Richard Austinsays
\o/ for Lynna being around! Get better/feel better/come back ready to kick pajamas.
chigau (副)says
Big virtual hugs for Lynna.
opposablethumbssays
@ Loud #436, hope you enjoy the book – I got Law’s “Philosphy Gym” books for my Spawn and ended up reading them myself as well.
That’s terrible, what happened to your friend. I can’t begin to imagine how much that must hurt. Hope they have supportive people around them and don’t take any flak from the godbotherers (the only UK Catholics I know don’t seem to be in thrall – in fact they seem so sane I can’t for the life of me understand how they can be Catholics at the same time – so I hope your friend doesn’t have guilt to deal with on top of the awful loss).
@ Giliell # 444, I kind of feel your pain, but maybe were a bit lucky or maybe it’s a bit of an urban UK thing: everything we got for infant DaughterSpawn (dinosaurs, spiders, skull-and-crossbones etc.) was handed down later to infant SonSpawn and nobody ever batted an eye at either of them. They both had the same short hairstyle, too, until they were quite a bit older; now they both have long hair (as does their Other Parent; I’m the only short-haired life-form in the household, apart from the dog).
McSweeney’s on Moby Dick (and a few other literary staples)
I don’t usually post just to say “bwahaha”, but: BWAHAHAAAAAA.
Loudsays
Get well soon Lynna!
Audley, with apologies to Mr. Darkheart, here is the babygrow with correct stattage. Although this time the picture is strangely brown. Can’t win ’em all!
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Maybe by the time DarkFetus starts school, the gendered bullshit will start to decrease.
Maybe. There is a lot of it where my daughter has started school. Reassuringly, her mother and I have found that at least up until this point, our influence is far stronger than peers or teachers. The daughter is five, and has developed really her own sense of style, which hovers between bizarre and impractical. She loves what she calls *cute skulls and skelingtons*, so she tends to have more than the usual metal gear and dia de los muertos type stuff. Oh. Anything with a dog or a dragon on it is to die for as well.
For me, the book I wanted it to end was Heart of Darkness.
O,o
*shiver*
I’m going to the DRC this November, and I definitely am not reading that one again.
Antiochus Epiphanessays
Lynna: I raise my clenched tentacle in your direction.
I hope you have someone who can help take care of you right now.
my brother Steve is taking the brunt of the care burden. feel frree to feel sorry for him. when i fell into one of my rock gardens, he said i lookek good in there. my new goal in life, to be a lovely addition to a rock garden. the trick is to fall in into a curved form. artistic.
Silisays
Lyyyynnnnnnnaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
kemist, Dark Lord of the Sithsays
What the shit is this. I’ll answer my own question: A handful of good advice mixed up with a lot of sexism, heterosexism, various other privileged shit, and generic stupidity.
Ah. Now I remember why I despise women’s magazines, and all that pink fluffy shit.
In the list of “things you should have”, they have forgotten “at least one decent doomsday device”.
Maybe by the time DarkFetus starts school, the gendered bullshit will start to decrease.
There was just a chat on Radio 3 about homophobia apparently having decreased in the English schoolsystem. As well the kids having grown more tactile.
I can attest to the latter, at least. And I suppose I don’t hear much use of gay slurs, but I have little reference. I grew up in the boondocks utterly isolated from anyone and anything that might be considered different. It was a big deal when a Copenhagener joined our class.
chigau (副)says
Lynna
If you do a Zen-style rock garden, you could represent an island. google images
Rey Foxsays
That rage comic guy obviously never saw “Bender’s Big Score”. Feh.
Take care, Lynna.
Hekuni Catsays
carlie, I get slightly teary thinking about Flowers for Algernon.
Kristinc, I have The Octopus. Yes, it makes shooting yourself seem like a good option.
Nutmegsays
Death by Newbery Medal
I never thought about that before, but I guess the death=great literature idea begins early.
A lot of my favourites are on that list, though. I have a soft spot for books for the 8-12 age range. I find that a lot of books that I loved back then are still highly enjoyable today.
In the list of “things you should have”, they have forgotten “at least one decent doomsday device”.
Other things every mad scientist should have by the age 30:
1) Minions. Lots of these. Let’s face it, every mad scientist needs minions. Preferably a faceless horde of identical clones. Failing this, having a mysterious race of servants who speak no recognizable language, a la Captain Nemo, thus rendering them at once sinister and inscrutable, is an excellent alternative.
2) A death ray.
3) A properly perfected and memorable maniacal laugh. As a great man once said: ‘A lot of guys ignore the laugh, and that’s about standards’.
4) A lair. Either on the moon, or in a volcano.
5) A drill. But this one isn’t cordless. Also, this one can drill into the core of the Earth to implant the doomsday device.
6) A lacy black bra. But worn by a fembot. Concealing the forward-facing missile launchers.
cm's changeable monikersays
Failing to spot my humour is a sine of sanity.
It’s a function we all have to do periodically. ;)
Silisays
Other things every mad scientist should have by the age 30:
I just received my complete collection of Narbonic.
Oh, I need to read Bridge To Terebithia to my son (when we’re done with Good Omens).
Nutmegsays
Eeee! My critters are differentially expressing an interesting gene!
*jumps up and down excitedly*
I haz data!
carliesays
My son read Bridge to Terebithia in school, and My Brother Sam is Dead, and The Cay. They’re doing a lot of death books, now that I think about it.
Silisays
Never read Terebithia, but I have to admit to having a dislike for the book based on a particularly annoying fangirl on DA.
Silisays
I haz data!
Yaaaayyyyyy!!!
::does the data-dance::
The Laughing Coyote (Canis Sativa)says
kristinc – Moby Dick was the one I couldn’t handle. MAKE IT END ALREADY
This was the only book I gave up on. I’ve had plenty of books where I’ve stopped reading in the middle because some distraction came up or something and I ended up leaving them alone too long and having to start over from the beginning, but Moby Dick is the only book I ever just went ‘eh, fuck it’ and stopped reading.
ImaginesABeachsays
AJ Milne –
I’m not convinced that all mad scientists WANT a fembot. Perhaps we could change that to “black unmentionables” concealing the forward-facing missile launchers.
Julessays
Sili, I can be made at you for being a butthole, but I could never stay mad at your butthole.
Hated Moby Dick. One of my favorite profs tried to talk a fellow student out of doing her senior thesis on it. She said the book was miserable and stupid and hinted that she’d rather not read 80 pages dedicated to discussing it.
I met SE Hinton. One of my shorts was produced alongside one of hers in a theater festival. She’s awesome. We did improv together (we both sucked at it). </kwok>
She wasn’t just a woman author; she was a girl author. She was 17.
It’s Monday night, which means it’s time to eat a burrito the size of my head.
Catnip, no, you haven’t. You probably aren’t aware, but people who make “first!” comments generally have those comments removed, as they seriously piss PZ off.
[Yep. –pzm]
Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem
Rev. BDC:
I’d like to see that as a red letter headline in every single paper in the States. Along with a comprehensive article about just how much they are responsible for the dumbing down of ‘merica.
*waves* Totally FTB-and-threadrupt. Hello from Botcon, where I get to hang out with my BFF in actual meatspace! *strews happy nerdgasms everywhere*
PZ:
I understand it was for a kid show in the UK so the singing seems like a good idea. (And I realize you may well not have been criticizing the singing… in which case: nevermind :) )
Last night, I dreamed I was out driving but I knew that I was asleep and dreaming. But I knew that I had to get up and go to work soon. So I pulled over, put on my hazard lights, turned the car off, got out, and woke up.
I’m having weird dreams.
It was a failed attempt at humour. I (and Boy) was playing off of Dmitri Donskoy who led the Muscovites in the battle.
I am familiar with the ‘protomammals’. It was an attempt at humour. Sorry. It will happen again.
But does he like Rueben sandwiches?
But, but, but, my CIGARS!?
When gods has told you that you are not only right, but you are doing gods’ work, no ideology is too extreme, compromise is making a deal with the devil, all facts and evidence can be changed by gods, no modern shit can override the mythology, and, since they are the opposition, all political foes are doing the work of the devil.
Modern conservatism is the problem. There is no politics with them, only ideology.
Rev BDC
Quote from da Internets: “If the Republicans fully funded education they would eliminate themselves.”
Pteryxx
Say hi to David Willis, will you?
Argh.
*white tea*
*hugs*
+ 1
Well, that just amounts to getting background knowledge of what you’re talking about. That’s easiest this way, but can be done in other ways. Indeed, Horner’s doctorate is honorary – he never bothered to get one the conventional way.
X-)
BTW, it’s Kulikovo polje = sandpiper field. Compare Kosovo polje = blackbird field.
I’m out of words ^_^
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
*squee*
Does not compute. Girls age… let’s say 9 and up, at the latest, despise boys, and it’s mutual.
Good point! That’s even testable: a sail-backed seymouriamorph would probably disprove it. (Terrestrial seymouriamorphs may have had good hearing in air, but that’s underresearched.)
Yeah, especially if you define “amphibians” as “everything else”, so you end up lumping diadectomorphs, tuditanomorphs, seymouriamorphs and the few terrestrial temnospondyls – only either tuditanomorpphs or temnospondyls can be amphibians. The time with a huge diversity of terrestrial actual amphibians is now.
Similarly, you could have replaced “reptiles” by “amniotes” every time without loss of information.
Ah, thanks.
Day saved.
But then, so is Iran.
*duck & cover*
Oh. Yeah. That might work, I suppose…
Don’t worry, you’re in good company. On the latest manuscript I reviewed, I had to explain to the authors that “monophyletic clade” is redundant. At least some of them were big names in their field.
:-D
That’s because they’re actually legs (pelvic fins). Sharks, and all other chondrichtyans, cheat.
Fixed it for them.
*bliss*
*Waves to Pteryxx*
Ogvorbis:
He has yet to encounter one. That might herald the apocalypse or somethin’.
Brother of Sodomuffin?
Rev. BDC,
Thanks for the link. The Washington Post pins the blame for the Repub’s rightward stampeded on individuals, specifically Grover Norquist and Newt Gingrich. I doubt that a couple of people can bring about such a change. I blame the collapse of the Soviet Union. While it was there, as not only a military rival but a potential alternative to capitalism, ordinary people in the NATO countries had to be allowed a share of the goodies capitalism produces in order to keep them onside. Once it was clearly weakening, as it was by the early 1980s, the right launched a drive to concentrate wealth and power ever further in the hands of the rich, and this accelerated after its collapse. This has gone furthest in the US, and as a distraction strategy, building on the high American level of religiosity, the greedheads also launched the culture war, convincing droves of the ignorant to vote against their own interests. We’re seeing the first signs of that being imported to the UK now, with moves to restrict abortion and hand over more schools to religious bodies, although I doubt that it will really fly here: demonisation of Muslims is a more promising strategy for the European right.
Despite my incompetence, the pun still (sort of) works!
That’ll never happen.
Nope. Trying to think of a good rejoinder but, this early on a Friday morn, I got nothing.
Just looked up “primer” yesterday after once again yelling at the SGU for their stupid pronunciation.
Turns out “primmer” is standard American.
And yet people still don’t see any reason to reform spelling.
Elton John?
That’s awesome.
And this kind of confusion is normal in dreams.
@Janine, here’s your mysterious 1:10 countdown:
UK singles chart, week ending May 10 1980
And Pfft says “pulling mussels” is slang for sex. (This was news to me.)
It is also normal in reality.
Sili:
That’s not how primer is pronounced. It’s prymer.
Ogvorbis:
Yeah, Friday in the Cainverse, too. Always a long day. At least the sun is out for a change.
You need to recalibrate your grumpy, old man – ometer, David.
Oooops! Sorry PZ
Thanks Caine, didn’t know that. Clearly haven’t been around here for long enough.
Why do you think I was yelling at the podcast?
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primer
\ˈpri-mər, chiefly British ˈprī-mər\
The MW non-standard pronunciation guide uses \ī\ for IPA /aɪ/.
Boy has five final exams. For four of them, the professor will email him the exam questions and he will write up the essays and email them back by midnight that day. Is this normal now?
I’ll never cease to find surprises in English pronunciation.
“Well, I’m certainly glad I didn’t say that.”
No. 14 is around the age when it ends among the premature ones. Glad to have that confirmed… even if in the stupidest, in fact the most childish manner possible. “Ultimate facepalm” is about right.
I like this comment:
How about ˈprim-ər, with prim- as in primrose?
In German, for one, people would never get the idea of assigning a lone consonant between (theoretical) vowels to the preceding syllable; but in English, this happens all the time.
If they’re supposed to be actual lengthy essays, yes, probably.
Not where I grew up. It was pry-mer when I was a youngin’. Also when I was middle aged and even now when I’m slouching into senility.
Oh crap what is that? David Bowie? The Beatles? Now I won’t sleep until I know!
Interesting incidentally that even given the /ɪ/ pronunciation, all the rhymes given by MW are with /aɪ/.
Previous thread:
I am not a whale penis.
I am not a penis at all!
I am a vulva with legs and a brain, obviously.
Horrible histories is a great show. Love it and wellworth ctachingeven if it is aimed mostyat kids – still very funny and interesing with lots of quirky historic facts.
***
PS. As for the whole flame war deal from t’other night. I’m just going tosay I disagree with some of you and some of you disagree with me but ce la vie.
That’s life.
Disgareeing with some here does NOT make me a bad person or an idiot and those who disagree with me don’t know me so .. anyhow, I’ll leave it there for now.
I have heard it both as primer (as in prime) and primer (as in too prim), although we all know how it ought to be, what with that e in it. ;)
Disagreeing doesn’t make you bad. Flights of irrationalism, islamophobia, and war mongering is what makes you bad. It isn’t just a difference of opinion. Your paranoid and unworkable ideas aren’t going over here. If you want folks to think you are anything other than an irrelevant and ignorant imbecile, find another blog.
Morning All! Dull, overcast, chilly here – yuck. Too off-putting for garden work, so I’m going to bake a chocolate cake right now!
Brother Og, that sounds like the dream of a person with an orderly mind to me. :) Although who the hell knows what dreams mean- or even if they mean anything at all.
I like the video! It has a really ELO/Bowie mix mash kind of vibe. Plus, it seems to be explaining natural selection properly, if simply. But I am not a scientist.
Typos. Durrnit. make that :
See :
http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/shows/6506.htm
Folks can probably watch it on line via iView through links there (maybe?) although I think Americans might need to find a way to do that as they sometiems struggle to get that to work or summin’
I do like this blogand even mostof thecommenters here even if we don’t always see eye-to-eye so to speak.
(To drunkenly mangle even more metaphors.)
Depends. There are lots of things that we disagree on ’round these parts. There are certain ones, though, that have a different level of disagreement. The idea that was is ever desirable is one. So is the idea that there are certain people for whom death is the only possible way to deal with them. Refusing to argue with evidence is also up there.
So, SteveO, who gets to decide what people are worthless? The government? The churches? Right-wing authoritarians? Who?
There is nothing orderly about my mind. Nothing.
Sorry, that is ‘StevoR’. Didn’t mean to mangle your nym.
Yes! I found the stiletto I want.
Caine:
That looks positively lethal. I love it.
Ogvorbis:
:D Plus, it’s not illegal to go about with an embroidery tool.
Sorry!
Eff, submitted unfinished reply – Sorry! I did not mean to be rude or presumptuous. Like I said, who the hell knows what dreams mean, if anything?
StevoR,
Yeah, Horrible Histories is pretty cool. It’s not without its flaws, but as a kids’ show it’s definitely one of the better ones the BBC has to offer.
Ahum… C’est la vie.
No, simply disagreeing doesn’t make someone a bad person. The shit you were spouting (paranoid war mongering, death penalty bullshit, etc…), however, was worrying. It was irrational and… well… dumb.
There are topics where reasonable people who start from the same facts can come to different conclusions. Fine.
Often, however, different conclusions are based on different samples of facts. In such cases, of n ideas, at least n − 1 are wrong – there’s no sugarcoating it.
Science tries to find out which ones are wrong.
You have fallen among the scientists. We’re used to pouncing on the fact samples everyone’s ideas are based on and examining them.
“a little hug becomes huge” ^_^
pentatomid:
Oh, as StevoR won’t listen to one word about why his positions are utterly stupid and simply provides knee-jerk responses, I’ll stick with him being a full court idiot.
Science !!
Dreams appear to be random brainstorms that draw on memories, especially memories from the previous day that haven’t spent much time in the conscious mind, plus wishful and fearful thinking.
Anyone listen to SGU from last week?
I can’t help but feel iffy about the discussion of Sanal Edamaruku. This may well be my own prejudices shining through, but sounded to me like they were othering all Indians as being backwards and superstitious – and, boo, there’re so many of them.
I kept saying to myself, “And this differs from the US, how?!”.
A vulva *and* a brain?!!
Oh, you wimminz. You’re so cute when you think you’re people.
I knew it!! (not. but that explanation makes sense and is cool – unless the fears and memories are horrible, in which case, nightmares – sorry Ogvorbis if my earlier remark seemed deliberately insensitive. It was actually stupidly, unthinkingly insensitive and I am sincerely sorry).
Rev. BDC, that’s a great essay… kind of surprised it appeared in the WaPo, which has gone full wingnut in recent years.
KG, I have no doubt that the collapse of the Soviet Union hastened the lurch to the far right, but over here the reactionaries had been planning to retake the political arena since the early ’70s.
Sili, I had never seen “Sodomuffin” before. I LOL’ed.
Caine etc., I’ve heard the word “primer” pronounced with a short i to indicate a children’s instructional book, and with a long i to indicate the preparatory form of paint. I find the short-i pronunciation odd and archaic-sounding.
David, Yahoo! Answers is a veritable font of lulz. Were it not for Y!A, we’d have no such meme as “HOW IS BABBY FORMED.” Why would anyone want to destroy it?
Carlie: Props for Tom Lehrer. I was delighted when I became a teen and found out that the fellow who sang that song and “L-Y” on The Electric Company also sang songs celebrating kinky sex and mocking religion.
That stiletto is gorgeous, Caine.
Ack!
Sometimes I forget about Rule 34.
And then anthropofied versions of Baloo and Kit Cloudkicker hit me right in the childhood.
Daisy:
It’s pure icing that I found that at a shop called Hedgehog Handworks. :D They have a fab beeswax hedgehog, too. I don’t need anymore beeswax, but I’m going to get it anyway.
Yes, I’m sure that’s true – but look at Nixon’s policies, at home and abroad, as compared with those of subsequent Presidents: you would think the man was a bleeding-heart liberal! Look at the way advances in prosperity got shared by those in the middle and at the bottom of the income range in north America and western Europe. Internationally, the ’70s saw the American withdrawal from Indochina, Nixon’s opening to China, superpower detente, the fall of fascist and military regimes in southern Europe, the collapse of the Portuguese Empire in Africa, leaving the white supremacist regimes in “Rhodesia”, Namibia and South Africa exposed, and at the very end of the decade, the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. It was only at the end of the decade that the tide turned. Stagflation, the Iranian Revolution, and the second oil shock gave the right an opening – witness Reagan’s unscrupulous (at the very least) use of the hostage crisis; but around the same time, it began to be clear that the Soviet command economy was no longer “catching up” with capitalism, indeed was stagnating, and the criminal blunder of the invasion of Afghanistan put the tin hat on it. By the time a real reformer, Gorbachev, came to power, it was too late to reverse the slide to disintegration. The only people who’ve done really well out of that are a small Russian elite, the inhabitants of the Baltic republics and the former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe – and the elites in north America and western Europe who no longer have to share the goodies of capitalism with the proles.
Hello thread! I have been avoiding the computer to allow my De Quervains tendonitis to heal. I will never take my thumb for granted again. Its really hard to do a lot of things without two working thumbs. On a side note, aging really does suck and our bodies have several design flaws.
—
I’m loving the OP. I especially like that the music is based on David Bowie’s “Changes”, and the Bowie shout-out.
Tethys! It’s great to see you back. :)
No need to apologize. I just wanted to make sure no one out there had delusions that I am either adequate or organized in any way, shape or form. I prefer to keep expectations low.
Then explain my dreams about donuts and liquor from about 10 days ago.
Damnit! Stop apologizing. Really. You did nothing wrong. I am sorry that my reply (which was meant to be at least somewhat humourous) led you to believe that I had taken offense. I did not. I didn’t even take a fence.
@ pentatomid
What’s life?
How much?
…but Ive only got $2.oo
.
.
.
{repeated endlessly … tardigrade humour}
best comic about plants and people ever
Corrected.
Thanks Caine. :) The duckies are adorable, I love the bokeh effect of the raindrop photos, the stiletto is pretty, (what do you do with it?) and I checked out the crayon tinting tutorial that you cited. What a great idea!
Of course I have a drawer full of crayons, don’t all adults?
—
Congratulations to Audley!
carlie:
In line with the comic, but on a different topic, I’ve always thought that the perfect job for fundamentalist Christians would be harvesting safron. Ripping the sex organs off of other living beings would make their day.
@ Brogg
No, no, not quite that sophisticated.
…
Re: Dork
Yes, that is what the barstools are covered with.
theophontes:
Well, I thought about third grade, but the ‘that’s life’ tag line requires a little more cynicism.
@ Brogg
Don’t go conflating with Attis. Teh godbots will get all uppity again.
Nice use of rope in that there bar.
Tethys:
It’s used to punch holes when you are using metallics and it doubles as a laying tool (making sure your thread lies flat), especially for tiny stitches, which is what I’m doing.
I have more than a drawerful! :D It’s a great method to use when you aren’t going to fill in an area.
Makes it easier to tie one on.
@ Dhorvath
Looks like my kittehz scratch post. (Look carefully at the leather on the stools. linky)
Kristinc @609 last thread: What a good idea for a slogan!
Bill Dauphin @610 last thread:
That makes sense but I don’t know. I’ve don’t remember Worker Memorial Day from other years.
So the forsekin is underneath the protective coverings? How bizarre!
I think the new mascot for the U.S. Republican Party should be a child who’s old enough to know better having a tantrum.
well, Im sorry that I made you sorry! ;-D
haha – seriously, good. For a minute there I thought my (very) little humor had gone over like a lead balloon. Glad that I was mistaken!
Hello Tethys, pleased to meet you. (peeks into drawer crammed with crayons, markers and colored pencils). You speak the truth!
I like the handle and the sleek lines.
Do you actually plan to potentially use this thing in combat/defense?
Oh, my mistake.
TLC:
Do I plan to? No. I have a wide variety of sharp, pointy things which could cause much more damage. However, it should never be underestimated just how dangerous small sharp pointy things are. Just got to know where to stick them. ;D
Not enough peen for fifth grade humor. ;)
Tethys:
Gracias!
Caine, yeah, I guess I got weaponry on the brain today.
I was about to launch into a constructive criticism about why that item might not be the most effective weapon, but I can see it’s very unnecessary. :p
Time for some Modfather.
Uh-Huh Oh Yeh
Sunflower
Why Walk When You Can Run
Fast Car/Slow Traffic
Green
TLC:
:D Actually, my fave sharp, pointy object is a tiny spyder folding knife, all of 4 inches with the blade extended. The blade is curved and I can easily hide it in the palm of my hand and open it one handed. I like stuff like that.
Caine @39, I thought you meant a shoe! I’d probably just carry the can-opener. But that gives me an idea… if you took a pen and replaced the refill with a spike, it would look normal.
niftyatheist
Hello, pleased to meet you too. Here is the tutorial that I was referring to. I don’t embroider, but I do plan to make something using the technique. Perhaps a curtain or some pillow covers with machine stitched outlines.
Urban Threads crayon fabric tinting tutorial
Hi Tethys! *jumps up and down waving excitedly* Hi hi hi! (Welcome back.)
I wish the Hedgehog web site gave some idea of the scale of their stiletto. Three inches? Six inches?
Yesterday I bought some 3″, 4″, and 3.5″ needles for mending blankets or leather. The vendor a nice chunk of beeswax for $3.50, too, but I’m not using waxed linen thread at the moment.
@ Tethys
*waves*
As you have been away for a while, we must point you to our sniny new TZT. (No rush, teh trolls are snoozing. When you’re looking to sharpen your fangs, take a peek.)
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
Dig Me Out
Get Up
Youth Decay
Combat Rock
What’s Mine Is Yours
Markita Lynda:
Most of them run 6″ to 8″. The metal ones are the largest.
I forgot that six link trips moderation.
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
Dig Me Out
Get Up
Berlin Embroidery has a gorgeous mellor/stiletto.
Youth Decay
Combat Rock
What’s Mine Is Yours
KG, no doubt, the right wing took advantage of openings such as the ones you list. But they put an enormous amount of work into preparing themselves to be ready to take such openings: funding think tanks, organizing the bible beaters, reaching out to racists who left the Democratic Party (but I repeat myself). And well before that, there were the anti-Communist purges of the 1950s, the founding of the National Review, etc. If the opportunities hadn’t arisen starting in the ’80s, they’d have arisen sooner or later, because the tide always turns.
Hi, Tethys. Glad you’re feeling better.
Markita Lynda:
Close enough.
“Would he use a SHOE?!”
/speaking of third-grade humor
(knife knerd) IMO, a good ‘defensive’ weapon is exactly the type of weapon likely to be outlawed on the streets: It should be big, intimidating, and easily visible. Half of its function would be a good visual deterrent to would-be assailants. The first rule of combat, after all, is ‘avoid combat’. (/knife knerd)
TLC:
Nope. Especially not if you’re female. A small, overlooked weapon is better. Much better. I can slice a major artery before you’re aware I’ve done it.
I really can’t stand people who think walking about bristling with a large lethal weapon is a good idea. It’s not.
Okay, I’ll agree to disagree.
The joys of Quasi.
Ballad Of Mechanical Man
Tomorrow You’ll Hide
All The Same
The Curse Of Having It All
White Devil’s Dream
Caine: Of course it’s not a good idea in today’s society. We can’t just have people wandering around with big swords and battle axes. But with small concealed weapons, it seems they only come into their own for ‘defense’ when you actually have to use them- something I’d rather avoid.
I’ll allow as to being possibly wrong, so what is your reasoning behind bigger weapons being a bad idea?
(Remembering that this is all hypothetical and I’m not about to strap a sword to my back and walk down to the corner store)
They were also prepared for an invasion of Iraq long before the planes hit the Twin Towers.
TLC: I do a lot of my field work alone, and I make sure that my big buck knife and small pick ax are very visible. I usually have two other knives that remain hidden. So far I have never been attacked. However, police in Mexico almost uniformly* find my armament amusing. Not a good sign maybe.
I have never considered packing heat, as I am more likely to injure myself as not.
*If you think that there is a pun there, you are wrong.
Antiochus: Yeah, a blade has one huge advantage over a firearm: It’s far far far more difficult to accidentally kill someone or yourself with a blade.
TLC:
They aren’t the deterrent people seem to think they are. If you live someplace where most people carry a weapon, what happens is that more people end up dead.
A big, visible knife doesn’t win in a gunfight. It doesn’t win with a gun to the head, either. It will be the first thing taken away if you’re knocked out.
A big, visible knife tends to attract assholes who like to fight. They tend to attract very drunk assholes who like to fight, too.
Basically, a big, visible knife attracts all the wrong kinds of attention.
It’s much better (especially if you’re female), to know how to fight, to know how to keep a clear head and, if it’s needed, to have a small weapon which will be overlooked. Frinst., that embroidery stiletto? If I was wearing it around my neck, it would be overlooked. That’s an instant lobotomy if it goes into the corner of an eye.
I guess it depends on what your goal happens to be. Mine is to survive without attracting the wrong sort of attention.
Yeah, large visible weapons being carried by women might actually ATTRACT attention of the “Who does she think she is, I’ll teach her a lesson” variety.
AE:
That’s because they are amusing. A gun will win over both. Also, most people don’t have the slightest fucking idea of how to knife fight. Takes special training.
I miss Jeffrey.
Caine: Ah yeah, I can see I overlooked a few things in my mental calculations.
I’m a ‘survivor’ type, I don’t see the logic in attacking someone bigger or better armed than me unless I’m defending myself. But I’ve sat down and talked with some pretty large and physically powerful people, and apparently not all lightweights think like I do?
They’ve all had lots of stories of little guys with napoleon complexes picking fights with them precisely because they’re huge and in a sense can’t win: it’s either “Haha, you got beat up by a little guy!” or “Congratulations, Douchebag, you beat up someone a third your size.”
Probably the same idea with weapons?
Esteleth:
Oh, you can count on that.
In other news, Mario Beauregard has responded to PZ’s criticism of near-death experiences.
According to him, PZ is an angry anti-feelings, materialist ideologue, who probably doesn’t have any friends and who doesn’t know what love is.
I wish I could say I was surprised.
TLC:
Yep.
Esteleth:
Oh for fuck’s sake.
Caine: I don’t wear them in cities. In the middle of nowhere, the only way that I am a mark is incidental. An opportunist with a gun will take me off regardless of armament. However, if the ambush is to be with a club or something, my having two very handy weapons forces a calculation…is what’s in that guys pack worth the risk?
I don’t always do field work in places that are that dangerous, but I sometimes do…I can’t see how having visible defense (as well as hidden) is anything but a pretty good idea.
Ah, I see. Conciousness is tied to something beyond the physical plane and persists after death because Love exists.
All you need is love.
So, having friends and being in love is proof of spirituality. How banal.
There is a song that I would link to. But I will not because I hate Foreigner.
AE:
Yes, I understand the reasoning. I was simply explaining that I know why the cops were amused. What you have, basically, is a threat display, that’s it. Unless you’ve been properly trained and know that you won’t hesitate to kill another human being, they won’t do you much good.
He’s also using the ever popular argumentum ad quantum.
My off-topic question to Carrier is stuck in moderation (understandably), so I’ll put it here to safeguard it. And perhaps someone can correct me as well.
It does really bug me that ‘we’ accept all these claims about the apostles, while at the same time acknowledging that much of the gospels are made up – made up with an agenda at that. It seems that ‘we’ are not ready to, or capable of, taking the full consequences of our discoveries.
Attack Of The Quantum Tomatoes.
Somehow I’m not surprised that he couldn’t even manage to research this claim either.
How do you get comic sans and gumby to display? What’s the code for that?
Also I should mention that 1) The pick ax is something I need for my fieldwork anyway, and the Buck is handy as hell in non-defense situations, 2) I don’t have a lot of choice about where to go (if I want to be successful, anyway) and 3) I am big enough that I am not an easy mark, and small enough that I’m not a trophy either. If I’m traveling alone, I spend very little time in cities, and avoid places where people gather.
To be fair, out in the boonies of mexico a pickaxe and a buck knife are appropriate and useful tools as well.
Same with my blades in the woods, which is where I tend to wear them.
Esteleth, using “q” brings about the comic sans. I guess I will wait for someone to explain the gumby.
Esteleth, comic sans is q /q in the pointy brackets.
Not just that, sili, but the “Peter was illiterate” claim assumes that people cannot learn literacy later in life.
If we assume (for the sake of argument) that the depiction of Peter as a lower-class fisherman who had a religious experience and started roaming the world preaching is true.
Why couldn’t he decide that being able to read and write would help in spreading his message and find himself a teacher? Perhaps in the form of an educated Christian?
Or, for that matter, maybe he didn’t learn to read and write himself, but got himself a scribe?
TLC:
I didn’t say they weren’t. I use a buck knife myself for some of my artwork. That wasn’t what was under discussion.
When I am at forest fires, I am do not carry a fire arm (this is why I am an SEC2, not an SEC1). I do, however, have a six-D-cell maglite that goes with me day or night. If someone does attack me, I do have a club that will, at the very least, get someone else’s attention.
I think the two radios I normally carry (one for logistics, one for tactical), as well as the secret squirrel security channel that is only on security radios, are a far more effective deterrent.
I know. If anyone ever wanted to do me harm, they could do so easily. Acceptable risk.
…I have some chalk drawing to attend to in the driveway….gotta go.
Okay. Here is what Beauregard says about PZ:
So:
PZ is an ideologue! He’s not really a scientist! Materialism! Nasty, mean, insulting! Full of hate!
Just like fundies!
Oh, and he’s unsophisticated.
A buck knife for artwork? How is that accomplished?
When I carve I always tend to use as small a blade as possible.
HA! HA!
With that style and content, Beauregard is ready to take up residence in the TZT. Raj and dano would he happy to have him.
Well. That settles it.
Oh for fuck’s sake again. If this person can’t even grasp that PZ attacked his stupid ideas and his utter lack of actual scientific work, he’s an idiot beyond redeeming.
TLC, paper work and sculpting, large pieces.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! :wipes tear away:
Good evening!
We’ve been to a birthday party of a friend and it was really nice.
I absolutely envy their house: An old winegrower’s house, with a large barn perfect for celebrating and a garden just big enough for being fun without being too much work.
Caine
Thanx. The Baroque Punk Collection are some of the best designs UT ever created, at least for machine embroidery (guess they’re not that interesting for hand embroidery): easy to do, and really versatile. I’m actually using them again at the moment. I finally managed to pick up a second-hand denim jacket for the little one (who’s taken “denim jacket” to mean “big girl”) who’ll have it duely embroidered now.
Love the duckie, and you’re so quick working them.
++++
I find it funny when people try to use orthography to indicate pronounciation in English :)
http://www.gtaiche.com/war-hawk-axe
I present, THE most badass battle-axe ever made. 100% guaranteed to make your enemies void their bowels in terror.
Terror and definitely not laughter.
This is also code for “Dr. Myers does not mentally masturbate enough to appreciate the beauty of my wankery!”
It seems highly unlikely that anyone educated late in life would be able to acquire the oratory and literary skill displayed in the NT.
But anyway the Epistle of Peter is explicitly post-Pauline, so obviously a forgery.
My point – such as it is – is that we have no first hand knowledge about Peter whatsoever, so his level of literacy is pure speculation.
That said, given that he may well have been the founder of Christianity as we know it through Paul, he was probably a rabbi well versed in the Torah. I haven’t received Jesus one hundred years before Christ yet (I fear it’s been lost in delivery), but if Ellegaard is right about the Qumran community expecting a savior and their original Great Teacher failed to be that teacher, there must have been some connection between Qumran and Peter, and seems unlikely that that could have been illiterate.
Well, good thing. You wouldn’t want to draw the ire of the Dream Police.
Well, there *are* rules. It’s just that there are so many exceptions that one can never be sure about pronunciation from spelling. But eye-dialect nevertheless still works in many cases.
And since even educated audiences are most often utterly unfamiliar with IPA, respelling is really the only solution, annoying though it be.
Something else that bothers me about Peter.
Acts and some of the Apocrypha make a big deal of the confrontations between Peter and Simon Magus.
Just how common was the name Simon/Simeon among first century Jews? Is it really just a coïncidence that Simon the Magician faces off against Simon the Rock? (I’m assuming here, of course, that Simon Magus was real and not just a cipher for Paul as I gather he may be in the Apocrypha.)
Sili,
Not disagreeing with you about the literary skill, but you have to be careful about the use of “oratory.”
In a society – like first-century Palestine – where the majority of the people are not literate, the best way to describe a person is not as “illiterate” but “nonliterate.” Illiterate denotes that this is abnormal. In a nonliterate society, the ability to speak well and memorably would be prized.
A person can easily lack formal education and not be literate but be a gifted public speaker.
Esteleth
The way to get the gumby and comic sans is <blockquote cite = “creationist”> gumby </blockquote>.
This gives
However you have to be using Firefox and greasemonkey’s “secret Comic Sans” script to see it.
Cassandra Caligaria aka River Tam
Aww, this gave me such a nice warm fuzzy feeling. Thanks.
Hi, and a big hug right back at cha’.
Theo the tardigrade,
*waves back* I have been lurking, and reading TZT with much amusement. I hope the quality of the trolls improves. Raj is pretty boring.
Hi also to Daisy Cutter.
—
As far as weapons go, I think that size has more to do with intimidation/deterrence. There seems to be an element of toxic masculinity involved in the bigger=better trope.
I am reminded of a scene in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang* that involves a very small gun, torture, and homophobia. (and manages to be screamingly funny)
Harry and Perry get caught by the bad guys
*I love this movie!
such as?
Strange that my blog has been getting x number of visitors per day within a 15% range for the last 4 months and all of a sudden is getting 1/3x for the last week.
Odd.
You people out there give us something more than just record sales
You give us something to hate
And we hate you, you brainless mutants
Fan Song
Go Forth And Die
Bloodlines
Hamburger Time
Yes, I am happy that finally a new season of Metalocalypse starts tonight. I love those lunkheads.
Re Beauregard’s response to PZ:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaos-incarnate/3719363659/in/photostream/
theophontes777,
Hmmm… Tardigrade humor huh… You mean like what I did here:
http://pentatomid.deviantart.com/art/Tardigrades-in-space-299122591
yes, did you know that there’s a vampire rule?
Blood is good food!
It islustrates the three possible pronounciations of OO.
This means you can rule out the pronounciation “long i”.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell you which OO to use ;)
‘Tis, I tried to get a gumby in preview and it is not working.
Janine:
Woo hoo!
Janine, I have a love.
I cannot see the gumbies. Is there a greasemonkey-equivalent script for Chrome?
Yeah. That would Sting.
OK, I’m not going to comment on Taslima Nasreen’s latest post tonight. But seriously, won’t somebody think of the fetus?
Good night
Ouch.
Giliell:
I gave up on the article as soon as I saw “foeticide” and “murder of their fetuses”. Why do I feel like it doesn’t get any better from there?
I’m starting to think she has a really low opinion on women. I was baffled by some of her posts, hoping that it’s just a cultural barrier making me misunderstand her, but now I can see a pattern. One thing they have in common is judgment of women that are not up to her standards. It’s disappointing.
I saw ‘Feticide’ and pretty much stopped reading. Not good.
Yep, that’s how I felt it too. I find it worrying and disappointing.
Oh, Brother Ogvorbis, that would NOT be Sting! That would be Rockford’s finest, Cheap Trick!
*pouts* The grocery store didn’t bring me any frozen pizza. I was gonna eat that tonight. Buttheads. Now I don’t know what to have for dinner.
Oh dear.
Holocaust.
Beatrice:
Oh yes and there’s an abortuary on every corner!
Oh. Stupid me. I thought Sting was in the Police. Sorry.
Not Police, Dream Police.
See the difference?
I remember that being the case, but since going to public school (she’s in second grade now, 8 y.o.) my daughter has indeed learned that The Thing To Do is to pick a boy to crush on, desperately try to get him to like you, and worry all day long about what he thinks of you and how you can change to make him want to hang out with you.
It is true that the boys generally treat the girls with contempt and try to avoid being in their company. :(
I really, really do blame the proliferation of shows starring middle-school and high-school aged characters (with stereotypical middle school and high school aged concerns) but aimed at, particularly, elementary school girls.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that someone actually came up with that name, but these things still leave me speechless.
O Sting, where is thy death?
Kristinc,
Yep, I totally agree on that one.
Beatrice:
It was a while back, ’04 or ’06, when South Dakota was the first state to enact incredibly draconian anti-abortion laws, there were a fucktonne of letters to the editor and more than one self-declared xian used abortuary.
Is it even known that a Galilean Jewish fisherman of that period would necessarily have been illiterate? Even at that period, didn’t Jewish culture place a high value on literacy, because its religion was (unlike most contemporary belief systems) heavily dependent on a book? Were rabbis at that period full-time, or would they generally have had some other occupation?
I just can’t express how much that post disgusts me. Abortion isn’t the problem, the problem is a society that places zero worth on women and girls.
Gah!
*headdesk!*
Shorter Beauregard:
PZ Myers is a big mean meanie. PZ Myers is a big mean meanie. PZ Myers is a big mean meanie. Buy my book.
localnebula
I think you’ve got it.
Audley:
I know. It’s stupid taken to a fanatical level.
If the opportunities hadn’t arisen starting in the ’80s, they’d have arisen sooner or later, because the tide always turns. – Ms. Daisy Cutter
So we must hope :-p
Indeed, I have hopes that we’re seeing signs of it now:
1) The complete failure of the raving right to come up with a remotely credible US Presidential candidate, and the strong lead Obama seems to have among women in the US, which could well see him win despite the economic fundamentals being so poor. (I’m no great fan of his, but compared to the alternative…)
2) A number of straws in the wind in Europe: there have been the first leftish election vicotries in quite a while (Denmark, Croatia), with the likely prospect of a much bigger one in a week, when Hollande is strongly favoured by the polls to oust Sarkozy. Several governments of the right are in serious trouble, including in Spain, where they have only been in power a few months, in Hungary and the Czech Republic and in the UK, where Cameron’s crew has had a dreadful couple of months. The Romanian right-wing coalition has just fallen as a result of defections, replaced by a centre-left one.
3) The left remains in the ascendant in much of Latin America, which was the major exception to the right’s ascendancy.
4) Ideologically, the right’s bankruptcy is clear: their free-market nostrums have comprehensively failed, hence the resort to more and more irrational and paranoid nonsense in an attempt to regain the initiative. In Europe, the German right’s prescription of austerity and more austerity is increasingly being seen as the disastrous wrong turning it is.
Kristenc – After reading your post, I just discussed this with my daughter (age 8). This is not the case for her- she has a few boys in the class that she plays with almost as much as the girls. But she did say that some of her female friends try to get the boys to have crushes on them. Her reply, “It is just ridiculous. Come, on. I mean, we’re in 2nd grade.” LOL.
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
By a factor of about 3, silly Sili.
Oh, that’s from there? In that case… :-)
Seconded :-)
When the memories from the previous day are exhausted, others get in, sometimes much older ones. And the less well you feel psychically, for instance when your general situation has recently changed, the crazier and less inhibited your dreams get (at least in the experience of several people including myself).
Awesome!!!
Then I don’t want to be right ^_^
So is it my browser Or something at FTB that has disappeared the recent comments sidebar?
David:
I had a boyfriend in first grade. We held hands, gazed at each other in what I am sure were the silliest of ways and talked a lot about marrying. I still remember what he looked like and his full name.
I have no idea what the fuck was wrong with me.
Also, I used to see Gumby, now I don’t.
Clearly, I was punished for giving the sooper sekrit code from TZT away.
Incredibly heartwarming story found via PET.
I commented on Taslima’s post. It’s my first there, so it will probably stay in moderation for awhile. I think I managed to keep my ire down enough for it to sound coherent, but I’m sure she’ll take it as a personal attack and misogyny anyway.
they need to do way instain mother
Beatrice, anormalement indécente
I just read it. I’m not going to comment because I might say something regrettable.
Janine:
Yep.
Esteleth:
“…until you know the meaning of the blues…”
Mario Beauregard at Salon, amid all the obvious examples of projection:
Is that anything like the homosexual agenda?
*cough* tone troll *cough*
Sastra has written about this tack better than I could. All I can add is that if arrant bullshit doesn’t make you angry, I don’t trust you.
Beauregard ought to get out more.
By whom? In which publications?
And we have Courtier’s Reply!
Beatrice, yeah, I agree with you w/r/t Nasreen. A major disappointment.
Caine, I heard the term “abortuary” used in Citizen Ruth, and I’m pretty sure it pre-dates that movie. (It was amusing at the time. It’s less amusing now, considering that it played the “both sides are equally annoying” card.)
KG, I can only hope you’re right.
Psych-Oh’s daughter:
HA! Awesome.
David:
Oh, yeah. Some of the funniest (harmless) trolling I’ve ever seen is on Y!A.
‘Tis:
I am truely sorry for your lots.
kristinc: Wow. I don’t remember that being The Thing to Do in second grade. Puppy love no doubt happened, and I’m sure some had celeb crushes, but to the extent you described? Not sure. Usually the girls in my class spent their time either playing with the boys (purely because my class tended to be friendly to each other), or trying to avoid them altogether. I think the majority of us started noticing that boys were more than friends or people to avoid between 4th and 6th grade.
As you said, it’s possibly because we weren’t bombarded with images of middle- and – high-school-aged characters worrying about How to Make Your Crush Like You every time we watched our favorite shows. IIRC, the big thing back then for us was Buffy. Not exactly a show that revolved around crushes and prom nights.
——————————————–
Read Nasreen’s post. Some of it made sense . . . a little too much scary sense. As for her having a low opinion of women, I wouldn’t be surprised if even as she decries what is done to women, she still has that niggling voice that is her cultural conditioning yapping away in her brain. And it manages to make itself heard sometimes.
Regarding Talisma Nasreen’s post.
Having several Indian friends and sort of grokking – as much as a non-Indian can – the culture, I kind of understand her point.
We’re not talking exactly about the same problems as in the west.
There’s a lot more to be done over there as women’s rights go, and they have to go through it much faster than we did.
Hmm. My friends started to hit that stage around the end of Gr. 5. When I was informed that I had to have a crush on someone, I picked the smartest boy in the class. I wasn’t actually attracted to him, of course, so I missed the next bit:
It depresses me that that’s what elementary-school girls are doing now. When I was in grade 2, we were too busy building forts and catching frogs to worry about crushes. (I’m so glad I grew up outside of the city with a bunch of tomboys. No pink princesses for us!)
Not that there’s anything wrong with pink princesses in general, of course. But I would have been a miserable kid if I was socially obligated to wear pink and think about boys all the time even in elementary school.
Completely off topic:
I need a REALLY REALLY good moisturizer– baking has completely destroyed the skin on my hands. Anyone have any suggestions?
(Currently, I’m using Eucerin creme, but it’s just not cutting the mustard.)
LOL!
It’s the connection. Sometimes, when the sidebar takes too long to squeeze itself through the intertubes, your computer thinks the page has loaded when the sidebar still isn’t there.
It was mutual!?! Am I envious.
Issue with Firefox 12?
+ 1
Is it possible to wear, say, rubber gloves while kneading?
Audley, Vermont’s Original Bag Balm. You can put it on at night and wear soft cotton gloves. It helps.
Audley: It’s too greasy to use during the day, but at night I put Vaseline on my hands. It works better than any other moisturizer I’ve tried.
David:
Yes. He declared his love for me one recess about a week after he transferred into St. Anne’s. Why are you envious?
After Sting retires, will he be Stung?
Tasmina Nasreen’s writing reminds me a lot of the despair in Sisterhood Is Powerful, that anthology of first wave feminism. I understand where she’s coming from, but the total despair really gets to me, since it took me years to dig out of that mindset. I read SIP in my early teens, and given the abuse in my childhood, it really resonated, even a bit too much,
I think I’ve read that South Korea has made some progress in addressing the skewed sex ratio of births problem – I’ll have to go look for where I might have read it. Also, The Economist had a great survey of the sex-selective abortion problem about 18 months ago.
David:
I don’t know, the way to judge bread dough is the way it feels.
Besides, I haven’t made bread in months*. It seems that just handling flour is enough to crack the skin on my hands. :(
Caine:
I love the Wikipedia description:
XD
I just ordered a tin (I know what you’re talking about, but I haven’t seen it for sale around here in a while).
Nutmeg:
I’ll try Vaseline tonight!
*Have I mentioned that the sourdough starter that Josh gave me turned purple? ‘Cos yeah.
I don’t think it’s supposed to do that.
‘Tis,
Me neither.
Er, is that a good thing?
*quick google*
Depends on who you ask, it seems. Have never baked anything with sourdough starter, so I’m not saying any more on the subject.
Audley,
I think that indicates that you have dropped it from the 31st floor of Nakatomi Plaza.
I second Caine’s recommendation of Bag Balm and gloves.
It also works for cracked feet.
(socks not gloves)
(obviously)
(Is anything really obvious on the internet?)
For Audley – lanolin is good stuff too, as long as you’re not allergic to wool. Look for it in the baby section, since it’s also the stuff you’ll want for nursing pain until DarkSpawn and your nipples figure out how to work together – don’t ever believe that breastfeeding is instinctual. It’s a skill, and it takes learning for both mom and baby, If you decide to nurse, that is.
Regardless, the lanolin is excellent for cracked skin even when it’s not on one’s nips.
re: purple sourdough
Give it a good feeding and leave it at room temperature for a day.
If you know it well enough, you should be able to tell by the smell if it’s OK or needs to be put somewhere where it can do no harm.
Rule 34 is obvious.
Just hopped over from PET. Lynna let us know she has suffered a stroke and has some residual issues so typing is very slow and she will be not posting much for a while.
I’m happy to say that Strange-Ex has indicated interest in coming to visit in late June, for niece #2’s first birthday.
It makes me happy because his is the person I had the longest relationship with and I have never really stayed friends with an ex before. Recently there was a while that I thought I was losing his friendship as well, but we worked it out.
I’m also happy because I always told him that since his family sucks pretty hard, he’s always going to be a part of my family. I want him to know that my parents were totally sincere about him always being welcome, because that’s just the way they are.
:)
Right now I’m doing copy editing, and going to leave for my data entry job in a little while. That plus my tax return is going to leave me with a pretty good chunk of change in a few weeks. That will be a nice change of pace.
Oh shit!
What exactly is wrong with Lynna? Sadly, when talking about the damage that a stroke causes, there are so many different possibilities.
David:
I’m counting literacy in the vernacular. That would mean Aramaic.
Until the modern era, literacy rates were historically low, due chiefly to the cost of materials. If a book was prohibitively expensive for anyone other than the rich, people wouldn’t own them. If you don’t own any reading material, why learn to read, unless you were employed in a trade that required literacy (such as being a scribe). A person who had had formal education – a doctor, a lawyer, etc., would have a higher probability of being literate as well. But a random peon who did manual labor like a fisherman? Unlikely.
Of course, Judaism has historically (going back that far?) placed a large emphasis on reading the Torah. But, would that mean more than the ability to read the section you were assigned at your bar mitzvah? The ability to recognize the alphabet and sound something out? Assuming that Peter was Jewish (a safe assumption, I think), would he have been taught to read the Torah or recite a section? In the Babble, Jesus is explicitly depicted reading. But, he was also a rabbi, and his (social) father would have been well-to-do. Maybe Joseph would have been able to educate his children?
Google tells me that Aramaic is written using the Hebrew alphabet. Would a vague grasp of Hebrew literacy translate to being literate in Aramaic? Maybe somewhat. Hard to say.
Audley:
I was going to suggest Eucerin. Failing that, search for something with shea butter.
Re: Talisma’s post:
I know that female infanticide and deliberate abortion of female fetuses is a HUGE problem. She is correct that banning sex-selective abortion and infanticide does nothing to protect women who don’t have sons. She is also correct that a shortage of women will have horrific consequences for the women that are left. I’m not really sure, however, how she makes the jump to banning abortion. I agree that she does seem to be struggling with a lot of baggage with regards to the status of women.
Lynna
If you are reading, take care of yourself.
*chocolate bacon on the way*
Beat me to it. This was a staple–unpleasant but effective–of my childhood.
Oh no, Lynna!
Mattir:
Nope, no wool allergy.
I was thinking about giving breast feeding a whirl, so thank you for the advice on the lanolin. Crack nips just sound… uncomfortable. :-/
chigau:
There was no rescuing the sourdough. Even after feeding and babying it, I couldn’t get it back to the correct consistency or smell. We had to throw Hans Gruber in the trash.
Oh dear! Lynna had a stroke? Lynna, if you’re reading this, I wish you a speedy recovery. I’m sorry to hear that.
Lynna is reading FB and typing, so I think it’s that things take a really long time to do. We may have to find our own Moments of Mormon Madness for a bit. Given that DaughterSpawn has subscribed to an anti-porn group for Mormon teens, I’m hoping the Mattir family can take up a bit of the slack.
Misogyniraj is baaaaaaaaaaaack. Called it.
Yeah. And he tried to insult me.
Tried. He is not up to it.
triskelethecat, give Lynna our love and best wishes.
I can only sadly shake my head when a person who can fit all of his working brain cells in the ass of a gnat try to engage in an insult fight.
Mattir:
Your spawn have interesting hobbies. :D
Bag balm, cotton gloves, and a new measuring cup set* have been ordered. (I love Amazon.)
*I’ve been looking for one with 1/8 cup and 1/16 tsp measurement.
Double plus ungood!
Lynna, please take care of yourself.
Tethys #55 – David Bowie “Changes”. That’s it! Now I can sleep tonight(waay back from #28)! Thank you very much.
Dr. Audley
RIP Hans Gruber.
I have pulled my sourdough back from the brink so often, it’s sad to hear of a colony that didn’t make it.
wordpress
go fuck yourself
(“slow down” my arse)
I see almost no recommendations are left for me to give. Vaseline is always good, also olive oil, also Lansinoh (lanolin), which is also a lifesaver when it comes to chapped nipples from breastfeeding. Also A&D ointment is good for chapped skin, but stinks to high heaven.
Carlie,
I have A&D ointment– it’s used for new tattoos to help with healing. I didn’t even think to try it.
Because, outside of Hollywood, love isn’t automatically mutual and doesn’t automatically become mutual before the movie is over. I had a crush when I was… maybe 7. Not sure if I remember her face, but I’m not good at consciously remembering faces; I remember her hair and her full name.
^_^
Many simple tasks take her forever now. She has already seen her doctor, who has already diagnosed her.
That’s too much of a generalization. Literacy in ancient Athens and Pompeii was high, and the writing materials were pottery shards, walls and wax tablets. Even in Shang-dynasty China, literacy was common.
(Historically it’s the other way around: what’s used as the Hebrew alphabet comes from some book font of the Aramaic alphabet. By far the most commonly written Aramaic texts today are parts of the Old Testament and the targum, the Aramaic translation of the whole thing; that’s why Aramaic has been mostly written in the Hebrew alphabet in the last 1500 or more years.)
o_O
O_o
Impressive. Will she lurk or troll?
Huh. Are American teaspoons so uniform that such a measurement makes sense?
Caine
re rajkumar
I think xe’s on some kind of schedule.
Xe appears daily, after 5PM Pharyngula-time and is gone by 9PM.
(I think. I really didn’t do that much “research” because I don’t really give much of a fuck about raj.)
David:
Perhaps you should have declared your love during recess. ;)
David:
Measuring spoons*, yes. Not to be confused with the spoons that you stir your tea with.
This is what I ordered, to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
*Well, as uniform as those things are, anyway.
David,
An American teaspoon is .00496 liters, so 1/16 is totally measurable.
Hell, the set I ordered comes with 1/32 tsp.
Hopefully, these will be high enough quality that the measurement won’t be too far off. And even if it is, by the time you’re getting into measurements that small, accuracy isn’t a huge issue.
…The EstelethSibling just called me. She is worried that I am “nesting.”
What.
Farewell HansGruber. You gave the best.
—————————————–
A stroke? Yipes! Take care of yourself, Lynna.
—————————————–
Talking of moisturizing skin, anyone know of a facial moisturizer that’s gentle to sensitive skin? The one from Olay I always used would make my skin itch in the jaw/chin area, which is either due to me having combination skin, or my skin reacting to the sunscreen it contains. Swapped it for something from Origins, and while the itching has decreased, well, it’s still there. I would use St. Ives, but if there’s something out there with sunscreen that will do the trick, I’d rather not have to layer sunscreen on top of moisturizer.
——————————————–
I think whether she trolls or lurks, it’s gonna be entertaining. *gets popcorn*
David:
Heh. Oddly enough, my first grade boyfriend is the only blonde I’ve ever been attracted to or involved with romantically.
Re: the demise of Hans Gruber
This calls for a trip to the Spokesgay’s place, does it not?
Sally,
Ooooooooooo, I hadn’t thought of that!
Google unit conversions (rounded):
1 US teaspoon = 4.93 ml
1 Imperial teaspoon = 5.92 ml
1 US tablespoon = 14.79 ml
1 Imperial tablespoon = 17.76 ml
I only eat imperial.
I am pretty sure that reading a bar mitzvah section of the Torah, as a custom, is an innovation more recent that the 1st cent. CE. But I could be wrong.
Oh no!! Sorry to read this – Lynna I hope you are doing well and back to your normal activities soon!
Owlmirror:
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_mitzvah#History
For what it’s worth.
Saw this in comments @ TBogg
Well, the practice of Judaism changed dramatically after the destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora. It would make sense that the mitzvah tradition appeared then. Probably its social effect (rite of passage) would have been accomplished by a different ritual when the Temple existed.
Whether that ritual would have required literacy in any language is something I don’t know.
:(
Esteleth:
By which I think she means not going out “enough” socially.
So, she calls me to thank me for drunk-texting her from a bar, asks me how hot the ladies are where I am, commends me for going out, then says that she’s worried that I’m nesting.
@Mattir
Oh yeah, I remember you guys talking about that while I was staying at your place. I wanna see how, according to them, porn is going to destroy civilization. ^_^
I’m so sorry to hear about Lynna. Hoping for a good recovery.
Yes! Looks like so far, Sarkozy is doomed, even if he is trying to kiss the ass of the far right: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/04/2012429232227584902.html
@KG
The policies of Cameron’s government made UK worse than it was during the Great Depression in the same time frame. Yeah, he is in big trouble.
Lynna had a stroke? Nooo! I loved her mormon madness post here. :( I hope she gets well fast.
My sympathies and get-wells to Lynna too.
Again with the Vaseline – there were a few years when that was the only thing I could handle on my face that I could afford. Anything else burned like bloody hell. I’ve since found that generic vitamin E oil (the cheapest kind, not the one with zillions of IU units) also works without irritation for me. Even the cheap stuff looks expensive, but it lasts a really long time because you only need a few drops for face coverage. I go through maybe one bottle a year. If you want to spend a little more, jojoba oil is more viscous (thinner and more watery) than vitamin e oil and is also very kind to sensitive skin (and also works well on dry hair ends).
Faith healing by tweet.
Esteleth, I have no idea, I’m just throwing out the only remotely applicable definition I can think of. You aren’t building a structure out of mud and twigs in which to lay eggs, are you?
D*&^%, F)*(&^%, S**&&%^$$.
Get treated and some rehab Lynna, even if it is just one consultation with the therapist, and do the work on your own.
Oh no! Best wishes to Lynna for a good recovery.
In other notes, a metric teaspoon is 5ml, I am going to meet Ariaflame tonight, and on Friday evening I took part in a Sabbath welcome ceremony featuring a stuffed toy meerkat in a kippah. I just read a book in which someone is murdered with an embroidery stiletto and now that makes more sense. And I went for my longest walk since I got sick, round a local park with lots of birdlife. I mentioned that in the previous TET but it was so lovely I have to say it again. :)
Tomorrow things get very intense – all day conference or workshop or meeting, and evening events too. Probably no internets for a while, so see you at the other end!
Oh g’s, speedy recovery, Lynna. Which I know is not realistic, but it’s my wish anyway.
Dr. Audley Z. Darkheart, purveyor of candy and lies:
DO NOT EAT.
The purple color comes from an invasive fungus that will make you sick.
You’ll have to start over with a new culture, and pay closer attention to it.
For the record: breastfeeding is not automatic, that’s true, and it probably will take some backing and filling to get it running smoothly; but cracked nipples or toe-curling pain really ARE NOT normal. If those things happen, the advice of a good lactation consultant is essential, because they are not something par for the course that you have to put up with in order to breastfeed.
Lynn a, if you’re reading, hugs if you want ’em. Get better soon, whether you’re reading or not.
And the sooner the better. I will not go into the kind of detail that nobody wants to read, but large amounts of damage can happen in a frighteningly short amount of time, and take a very long time to heal. Think less than two weeks of incorrect latch-on = over six months of healing kind of damage. If you want to breastfeed, you start with a lactation consultant either in the hospital or immediately after you get out (most ob/gyns either have lactation consultants in-house or know where to find you one); make sure if possible that it’s an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant).
My favorite facial moisturizer is emu oil, with rice bran oil a close second. My favorite heavy duty hand moisturizer is unrefined shea butter, with olive butter a close second.
Suspension fork oil does wonders for my hand softness. Not that I would recommend putting it on one’s hands intentionally, just that I do so accidentally every fork rebuild and it’s dramatic.
Howdy, Tethys; welcome home!
*quick trip to Wikipedia*
Not sure I understood alla that, but I’m glad it’s better.
Word. My right one is all carpal-tunnelly and semi-useless, atm. And me with a half-dozen jellyfish in various stages of painting!
Word. And also, Word.
–
Oh, no! DisLike. Do Not Want!
Please give her this package of *hugs&chocolate&hugs&booze&hugs&bacon&hugs*, together with wishes for a speedy recovery, from me. Or Lynna, if you’re reading this, please accept them Direct Delivery.
–
Baked clay tablets used to be popular.
–
:D
–
Ooh, Lynna, speedy recovery.
kitchen-based skin spa treatment:
Take a cup of cooking oil into the bathroom with you. Olive oil’s best, but canola or corn oil would work too. Get in the tub and lie down. Slather oil all over body. (if you want to exfoliate, take a cup of cornmeal or brown sugar in too, then rub it in after the oil) Run a warm bath, soak a bit, then let the water drain out, run in new water, wash with soap and a scrubby washcloth to get all the excess off, carefully get out of the tub and dry off. Like literally, don’t try to stand up to get out, crawl over the side, because otherwise you will fall and suffer grave injury. The tub is now a complete slip hazard and must not be stepped in until cleaned, but that’s fairly easy to do by sprinkling a good bit of baking soda in it to soak up the oil, then wiping it clean. Two times over if needed. It’s cheap and great for your skin, the only problem is making sure all the oil is out of the tub.
carlie
I think I just had an orgasm.
Deep sympathies to Lynna.
Lynna, I recently hit this link, and of course thought of your Mormon Moments of Madness. I suspect that if you were well, you would have found it and posted it yourself; I hope it at least makes you smile.
(Warnings: Long infographic, occasionally overly facetious and pop-culturey)
http://mollymuses.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/mormon-flow-chart-for-your-soul/
Chigau,
I was with you save for the cornmeal suggestion. I am severely texture averse when it comes to that.
llewelly,
It’s okay! I threw it out, trust me.
Dhorvath
re: cornmeal
Don’t knock it if you aten’t tried it.
I can hardly stand it on my hands.
I’d be worried about cornmeal being too drying.
Brown sugar, though? I can get down with that.
I skip the oil and sugar and use a Salux cloth. It’s the fucking bee’s fucking knees, man. (I do use a few drop of rice bran oil afterward, rubbed into my skin.)
Oh my.
No cornbread.
:(
Hope Lynna gets well soon :<
OK
We seriously need to put together an orgy.
oil
sugar
corn meal
bath tubs
bad sour dough
grape jello
And purple.
Whats with the thread dump. Can someone please explain? There’s only 2 or 3 comments on the actual video. Where does this come from?
Definitely purple!
–
Chrisco, Open Thread. We talk about everything here. Except the opening post by PZ.
chrisco
… if you are new here:
this is the Endless Thread.
everything is On Topic here.
FYI
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/08/01/pharyngula-standards-practices/
In fact, let me state my @269 more strongly: I come to give all of you the Good News, the Gospel of Salux. Brothers and sisters, you don’t have to cover yourself in oil. You don’t have to goop up your tub or clog your drain with sugar, or oatmeal, or cornmeal. You don’t have to pay ridiculous amounts for jars of “scrub” or have mildewy loofahs in your shower. Yea, but heed the Salux and you shall be not only saved-uh, but SOFTENED-UH! Praise Salux!
Well, a token mention or two to keep PZ happy. Not taken seriously by anyone, even PZ.
purple jellybeans
what is that flavor meant to be?
Does anyone actually watch the videos in the OP? I don’t think I’ve watched a single one. XD
I did, but im new. Thanks to all for the info btw.
Nerd, fair enough. Sometimes I do comment on the video as well.
___
Chigau, Purple. It’s the flavour of orgy, I think.
Chrisco, welcome to thread then. Nerd has grog, I am the gregarious one if you catch me here, cicely has the tabletop, and you will figure the rest out as time goes on.
Dr. Audley
I watch them if they are short.
(don’t hurt PZ’s feelings with “never”)
Dhorvath, thanks for the welcome. Im not as articulate as most regulars I see on here; but, I DO enjoy this blog immensely so I’ll stick around.
I watch the OP videos. Some of them are even good.
I actually thought it was pretty catchy, I dont understand PZ’s statement of not encouraging it. Sarcasm i failed to see?
Careful, the cephalopod overlord might even reply. I won’t speak for him, save to say that what he puts on these threads runs the gamut. I blame the thread of no end for catching me in the pharynguweb.
chrisco
I think you will do well here.
Failure to see sarcasm or irony happens 2 or 3 times per hour.
And the age-range of commenters is about 50 years.
Good luck!
Or rather, being deliberately silly; facetious.
The last time we saw Darwin singing, he was rapping with Dawkins, PZ, and Dan Dennett.
Beware the Believers, yo.
chigau, thanks. Ill just hold my tongue til I get comfy. Im about to hit my 3 decade mark, so keep the words small for me if you please. :) Im no “Dickie D.”
Has anyone read this?
http://www.robrdunn.com/2011/01/the-wild-life-of-our-bodies-2/
I have read only book reviews.
Opinions?
chigau: I’ve started reading it. It’s less scholarly than I’d hoped. The writing is okay, but I wanted more science.
Lynna, best wishes for a speedy recovery. *hugs*
For a Moment of Mormon Madness, I present this admirable verse (citation):
DaughterSpawn’s reading moved the Mattir Family to tears.
Virtue. You keep using that word. I donna think it means what you think it means.
Sometimes I watch the vids, but not always.
Looking forward to meeting Alethea tonight!
If I am here, I have watched the video, I try to catch all the music links from the DJ folk too. Time, they may be making more of it, but I can’t seem to capitalize on that.
I was particularly moved by the image of Satan touching one from behind. Perhaps I’ll ask the Mister to wear the horns and spiky tail tonight…
Behind? I thought it was before. Of course, Satan’s got you tied so it may be from wherever…
Why must my antibodies cost $1,000/ug?!?!?!?!?!
Wait, Satan is a temporal anomaly? Don’t know if I can get the Mister to do that one…
Roleplaying is powerful.
@Mattir
Sheesh, and they call us the pervs.
Gotta other somehow.
That use of “virtue” always reminds me of my MIL trying to convince my son that being a virgin is “the most important gift [he] can give [his] wife” someday. And my son’s completely appropriate shock and scorn at the idea.
Surprise! I don’t have a clue how to interact with you.
It’s important that you don’t know what the hell you’re doing on your wedding night. That gives you the best chance possible of having a frustrating, unsatisfying experience, and helps you to see sex as the unpleasant chore God intended for it to be.
Lynna, enjoy your posts. Want to see lots more. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!
Lynna’s friends: If there is anything random commenters can do I, for one, would like to help.
“I am familiar with the ‘protomammals’. It was an attempt at humour. Sorry. It will happen again”
.
Ogvorbis,
I posted very late at night (European time) I did not want to appear snarky. Next time I fail to spot humour, hit me with a gorgonopsid.
Good morning
Peggy Orenstein talks about this at length in “Cinderella ate my daughter: The original target demographic watches/does something and it is then picked up by the younger kids who want to be “big kids”. Now the original target demographic shuns it as baby stuff and moves “upwards”. This is obviously aided by parents. I can’t believe how many of #1’s kindergarten friends list “Hanna Montana” as their favourite TV-program.
Somehow mine is still watches Winnie the Pooh.
++++
Talking about Winnie the Pooh, how’s the American Right handling Disney’s war on easter? I got the girls the Winnie the Pooh Easter special and they talk about easter all the time but never about Jesus!
kemist
What, people telling women when they’re allowed to have an abortion or not?
That’s the exactly same thing everywhere, because either you believe that the only person able to make that choice is the woman or you don’t believe it. And her constant pro-life bubble makes me doubt that she favours the pro-choice position in general.
+++++
Oh shit, please let her know that I wish her a speedy recovery.
+++++
THIS
All literature that claims that this is “automatic” and that it’s a perfect system where you always produce enough for your babby is only good for starting fire.
I ran into two totally seperate problems with the kids (oh, and cracked nipples were among them) and neither of it was ever mentioned in literature.
Oh, and I’m not the only woman who had them…
Lactation consultants are good, but make sure to have one who doesn’t think that formula is child abuse.
@ pentatomid #142
Kewl! You are hereby promoted to Minister of Culture.
“Satan touching one from behind”
.
Soo…this is the stuff mormons think about, all the time?
I can honestly say I have never thought about that, apart from when watching the “South Park” episodes where Saddam Hussein dates Satan.
.
“Cinderella ate my daughter”
What the hell do you show your kids on ‘mercan TV?!!! :-)
birgerjohansson
“Cinderella ate my daughter” is the title of a book that deals with the subject of the “pinkification” and “pricessyfication” of girls.
Dunno what they’re showing on ‘Meirican TV ;)
Oh, and people being eaten and stuff is rather common in fairytales ;)
Morning all!
1) Threadrupt-ish.
2) Lynna! Oh no! Get well soon and best wishes for a speedy and {insert luxury items such as chocolate covered bacon here} filled recovery.
3) Naughty night out on Saturday + parental and in law visit on Sunday = unpleasant hangover. That is all. Health kick utterly failed. Health kick restarted today. The health kick is dead, long live the health kick.
4) 3 Mushroom risotto with truffle oil is surprisingly good for hangovers.
Louis
OK, tried to comment on Taslima Nasreen’s post, let’s see if it gets through. And then I read the post below and found out that I’m a victim of the misogynistic patriarchal religious system because, and this is important, I have a family name that’s my father’s and my children have biblical second names (incidentially, they have the names of their great-grandma and great-great-grandma, which are pretty) and their father’s family name.
That woman makes less and less sense to me.
Considering where Taslima Nasreen is coming from, I will forgive her for overreacting.
She has been through some serious shit, and faced more real threats than I have ever done.
— — — —
My two nieces have never been pinikified, thank Loki !
Or maybe thank Asherah (also known as Mrs. God, until the proto-Jews erased her from the Old Testament)
(crossposted from Aardvarchaeology)
We are all foreigners! “Ancient Swedish farmer came from the Mediterranean” http://www.nature.com/news/ancient-swedish-farmer-came-from-the-mediterranean-1.10541 (Popping sound as White Power blokes’ heads explode)
.
Actually it makes sense that early farmers settled in a “mosaic” pattern, favouring the spots best for agriculture and leaving the rest for the hunter-gatherers. Thus we get a slow merging of the two populations.
— — — —
Ogvorbis, please come back! I promise not to eat you!
(unless you walk right in front of my mandibles, in which case an unfortunate reflex might get triggered)
Couldn’t sleep last night.
So tired now.
I’m conflicted about my comments to Taslima. On one hand, there is this huge difference between where she comes from and where I come from. On the other, I’m not sure if some of the things can be forgiven even considering how awful the situation she is confronted is. I mean, she just doesn’t make sense. That post about names included. She takes an important topic and adds so much bullshit it completely overtakes the discussion. I want to say that of course she’s right and what’s happening in India is terrible, but I sense so much contempt for women from her I can’t stop seeing red and focus on what was actually supposed to be the topic.
Y’know, I just realized I missed out on a lot of back royalties for something. Back in 3rd Grade (when I was 9) I wrote a childrens’ book about a frog. It was super cute. I wrote and illustrated it and gave it to my 3rd Grade teacher to put in her room – it was there as long as I was aware.
I could totally be swimming in… well probably not… but I’d have a lot of monies if I had given it to a publisher instead of a teacher I really only liked a little bit.
Ah well.
Cross posted from FB:
just got this link in an email. The article “One Soldiers’ Path to Humanism …” is well worth a read.
I’m an American and I insist upon pronouncing primer with a long i.
Aaaaaaaaargh
My latest project is just going wahoonie-shaped and I refuse to accept that!
Katherine
As far as I’m aware, many people end up poorer for publishing than richer, especially probably when talking about children’s books (believe me, there’s lots of them out there).
But yeah, go on writing. Just don’t cry over spilled milk. Maybe if you read that book today you’d smile and say “I was a clever 9yo, but not a writer yet.”
beatrice
Yeah, I know what you mean.
She sounds pretty ovebearing on the one hand, do as I say or you’Re doing it wrong, and pretty simplistic on the other hand. Seriously, what would be accomplished in this world if we stopped calling our children Michael, James, Ruth and Marie and instead called them Horseshoe, Oaktree, Appleblossom and Riverbank?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever pronounce “primer” as “primmer.” Not a single time, not for any meaning of the word.
@David M (previous thread):
A moth transforms from a rather hideous form (most of the time) into something that’s stunning and beautiful. It’s like a butterfly – which is usually used as a kind of symbol of transition and transformation (transgender / sexualism as well.)
I however, like moths more than I like butterflies. As Jules mentioned in that thread, moths sit with their wings flat, while butterflies raise their wings when they’re on a surface, which would make a spread-winged moth more lifelike than a spread-winged butterfly. The additional idea of the nocturnal moth also is a kind of feminine thing, since moon imagery is a feminine symbol. A kinda fluffy, slightly drab moth is also, to me, a lot more respective of my femininity than a flashy butterfly.
As for why the Emperor Moth specifically, it’s my favorite moth.
@Giliell:
Yea. It’s just one of those “what ifs” that I was pondering this morning.
Book was probably trashed, though, cause the school got closed and demolished (kind of needfully, it was an ollld school with not enough room for all the students.)
I was writing on the train today, and I got 30 minutes of writing done, then I realized I had to restart from the beginning of the chapter cause there was a big plot hole and I was like “doh.”
Argh! Fuck you AdChoice ad network you’re making me cry showing all these pretty weddings!!
Lynna,
I’m very sorry to hear of your stroke. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
‘Tis has just won the internets. All of them.
Shit. Be safe, Lynna, and you have my hopes for a speedy recovery and top notch care.
Failing to spot my humour is a sine of sanity.
Sorry to hear about Lynna. Hope the recovery goes as well as it can.
I have now actually met another pharyngulite in meatspace! Had a very pleasant evening chatting to Alethea.
I have never used primer with a short i, though if it was an Americanism, or at least a regional one I wouldn’t know.
Hello all.
Can anyone recommend any good books on critical thinking or logic/logical fallacies?
Good morning!
Kathrine – I wrote a bunch of books in elementary school. One of them somehow made it into the elementary school library. A few years ago, they cleaned out the library and the librarian mailed it to my mom. It was funny and sweet to see something I did as a child cherished by my school.
On the shows kids watch… I’ve just recently started to let my (8 year old) daughter watch “tween shows”. And I watch them with her, and it is not that often. She likes “Lab Rats”, which I OK’d because I love Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk is still my favorite series of all times), and also one of our friends works on the show.
This (and football) is what we quarrel about in Europe:
“UK bumblebee push sparks Swedish anger” http://www.thelocal.se/40538/20120429/
Note absence of god, guns and the “Kenyan usurper” :)
@Birger:
Stop making me want to move to Sweden!
I mean seriously! I have no capability to do so, and as a transgender person I don’t fancy needing sterilization to transition!
Plus did I mention I don’t have a support structure or a job in Sweden?
(On a sidenote – any good resources for learning the Swedish language?)
Beatrice,
I was thrilled when Taslima Nasreen joined FTB and I read her first post eagerly. Next, she posted about sex work and I thought Huh, OK coming from another perspective – maybe it is MY privilege making me see this differently (I see it more ike Greta Christina does), so I won’t judge and I’ll quietly step out of the room. Wandered back a few days later and read another long post and quietly backed out again.
Like birgerjohansson, I think
Like you, I feel conflicted – I want to read her and support her blog, but I am put off by what appears to be a contemptuous attitude toward, not just women, but everyone who hasn’t been through the trials she has been through. As I said, I am sure a part of this is that Ii enjoy the privileges I have enjoyed (as a white woman in a western country during the brief shining era of “almost equal rights”) and so I cannot bring myself to call her out but I keep backing quietly away.
Alethea:
Name of book, please?
Oggie’s off on another tangent.
++++++++++++++
I was taught that a beginning instruction manual was pronounced “primmer” and the initial coat of paint is long ‘i’ primer.
To the point that when I read them in context I hear it that way.
Same as with lead & lead.
Tho victuals to vittles is a bit much.
Book notes, w/ blog-flogging warning:
I got reading, as I’d mentioned, some fairly classic stuff on L. Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith. Did a brief sorta review/recommendation here for any of you interested in such material.
Richvr, #323: I’ve heard people say “primmer,” but I can’t make myself do it. It’s pr-eye-mer for me.
A propos of not that, I’m looking forward to the Jerry Coyne speech on “Why Evolution Is True” this Wed. at Harvard’s Musuem of Comparative Zoology. Walton, you in?
Museum, duh.
… actually, re-reading that, I’m not sure that’s a ‘review’ exactly so much as a visceral reaction to how generally ghastly I wound up finding both these guys (the subjects of the biographies). With some spoilers, I guess, if you can call them that, given what’s already out about them.
(/Anyway. You are hereby warned.)
xkcd today.
http://xkcd.com/1049/
Get well wishes and many Nice Cups of Tea to Lynna – hope you’re recovering well. A selfish element to wishing you a successful rehab, in that I’m also hoping that you feel up to relaying many more Moments of Mormon Madness soon.
re humour, I find that days are generally improved by adding more Ogvorbis.
The Sailor, does that make you a cosignatory to his lines, or have you got another angle?
Good morning, everyone!
I just realized that I forgot to record Metalocalypse last night. Shit shit shit.
Okay, the embroidery stilettos have been ordered. Yep, two of them. Mister wanted one too. :D
‘Morning, Audley!
:wanders off in search of more tea:
Does anyone else here watch Mad Men? It is my guilty pleasure and I find myself with a sharp lack of people in meatspace to gossip about it with.
Katherine,
Have you ever seen Contact with Jodie Foster? That’s where I first became aware of the alt pronunciation.
opposablethumbs,
I do have another angle, to a degree.
Esteleth, I’m a big fan.
And oh man. Lynna, get well. That’s just no good.
(/And mebbe I’ll see if I can find something suitably amusing from Brodie for your surrogate Moment of Mormon Madness. Moments of Madness, Smith’s life had such things.)
I just did an animal show for 40 preschoolers. Every. Single. Girl. Child. Was. Wearing. Something. Pink. And not just any shade of pink, but bubble gum pink. No primary colors, a couple with black pants, but those had the obligatory sequins. No regular functional jeans. Most of their shoes had some pink as well.
Whoever came up with this pink thing needs to be sent some porcupines asap.
On the plus side, almost all the kids, girls and boys alike, touched the snake and the chinchilla and were quiet enough to hear the hissing cockroach noise. And I snuck some evolution in, via discussion of snakes and lizards being related, and change from legs to snakey rib muscle movement happening over many generations. Bwahahaha…
The comments turned ugly a little slower than I expected. Not much objectivity there or thinking for that matter.
But surprised there were only 4 pages on the forum thread when I checked a few minutes ago.
The Sailor
That’s rad!
My daughter briefly went through the bubble-gum pink phase quite some years back. She’s happily far beyond it, now. Has downright cool taste, even, if a Daddy may brag.
In related: I’m pretty sure someone already mentioned something similar somewhere around here, but I am actually seriously put off shopping at toy stores that stock a lot of that stuff. It’s just so overwhelming. Like some kind of radioactive pink glow. I’m afraid going in there, just walking too near to those shelves, I’m going to be garishly irradiated, come out as some kind of evil mutant supervillain who can transform things into ugly pink plastic just by touching them. Tends to drive me away to independent type stores less heavily infected, and also toward online shopping.
Can’t help much with the “anti-“, and I suspect she’s a bit too young to enjoy my particular collection of “pr0n”.
Well as long as you’re not a Thetan …
Pretty sure that’s the actor who plays God in the Mitchell & Webb bits like Abraham and Ivan.
Mattir:
Ugh, pink. I don’t even know how you combat that, especially when a girl is school age. I mean, yeah, buy a variety of clothing for her, but when all of her peers are dressed in a certain way… ugh.
Anyway, Mr Darkheart and I have realized that’s something that we’re going to have to talk to his mom about before DarkFetus makes an appearance*– she’s all about that gendered crap.
*I already talked to my mom about it (just to cover my bases). She responded by saying, “I hate all of that pink shit. Besides, I was only going to buy Yankees stuff for my grandchild.”
There’s nothing wrong with pink. But when it’s the only color that kids are allowed to wear, and they (seemingly) have to wear it every single day, it gets old. My advice for the DarkFetus parents would be to let paternal grandmother do the pink thing and to convey, subtly, to the DarkSpawn over the years that this is a weird quird of Grandma’s and really, aren’t people strange? That worked fairly well for the MattirSpawns, although we haven’t had so much (or any) extended family weirdness since we have no extended family at all. We mostly commented on advertising, other kids’ clothes and toy choices, and toy genderification.
The kickstarter project (it gets better gay men chorus) I linked in the last thread has been funded with a few hours to spare.
English upper-middle class men also seem to be rather keen on pink, especially for ties, jackets and for some reason cords.
The Ten Commandments, that horrible film that was pretty much mandatory viewing in my household has something rather amusing when you think about it.
Charlton Heston plays Moses and is the voice actor for ‘God’. So, he’s literally talking to himself when he talks to ‘God’.
Mattir:
My problem is just what you touched on: girls are only allowed pink. And that’s just not cool. (Although, last time I was in Target, I saw a whole lot of girls clothes that were all sorts of neon colors, but especially green. It make me happy.)
My MIL is a different story: 1) she lives near us (and we see her once a week) and 2) it’s not just some pink stuff, it’s that every single toy/book/piece of clothing has to be pink “girlie stuff”*. Hell, Mr Darkheart and I are the only ones that buy my poor niece Play Doh and Legos to play with.
Anyway, Mr Darkheart is going to to lay some ground rules for his mom after we find out Darkfetus’ sex. I really think it’s the only way to keep the peace.
Matt,
I love a man in a dark suit, white shirt and pink tie. ;)
*And I’m going to make a wild assumption that it would be the same with a boy, just with blue.
I have not seen pink cords since about 1967.
Yep, I doubt that anybody actually teaches them about the colour coding, but kids are smart, they pick it up quickly.
Some months into kindergarten #1 told me that she mustn’t wear those leggins because they’re grey and grey is a boys colour.
We solved it by showing that mum owns/wears grey and by buying a stash of new colourful Fruit of the Loom T-shirts for daddy.
Their uncle has been instructed to wear his oink stuff when coming for a visit (we’ll tackle that cliché later).
It seems like we’re making progress.
She also likes “superheroes”. I doubt she knows what that means since most “superheroe-stuff” definetly isn’t my definition of appropriate content for 4yo, but I know what’s going to be on her next shirt
Good luck clueing people in. I was amazed (and disgusted) with how much pink stuff we ended up even after telling all the close family and good friends NOT TO BUY ANY.
+++++
Ahhh, it seems like after flipping, turning, moving the file for my project, it became corrupted. Sorted it out now and you’ll all be allowed to spot the mistake on the finished item.
I admit to having swung a bit the other way when it came to the Dreaded Pinkness from Hell and even took a few well-meant gifts straight to the charity shops, unused. fsm but I hated that fucking stuff with a vengeance.
Both Spawn (one of each of the most common flavours) seem to have developed quite cool taste (better than mine, anyway).
Let the Bending commence! The shiny bits of Bender’s Duckie are done.
Audley:
I think this is an excellent idea. Even if she gets flustered and angry, as people tend to do when you challenge certain preconceptions, you and Mr. Darkheart have the final say.
The downside is that she might double down on buying girly stuff for your niece…
Audley, along with the quilt, Darkfetus will also be getting this. :D
Another option is, if she keeps buying pink stuff after you’ve asked her not to, is to ask her to keep the tags on everything just in case it’s the wrong size. Then you can happily go exchange them for other things, and when she asks why spawn isn’t wearing what she bought, you can say it seemed like she had just too much of one color so you exchanged it to add some variety.
I don’t like the idea of banning pink altogether; I was one of those “no pink!” tomboy girls, and the concepts of “only foolish conforming girls wear pink” and “I’m special because I don’t wear pink” and both are bad things, too. Hell, I look good in pink. I wish I had worn more of it. And of course, if you refuse to have pink things, she’ll become a princessy ballerina type just out of spite to rebel. ;)
Caine,
I love the green and blue on the ends of Bender duckie’s, erm, diddly boppers? Thingies? Antenna*?
Opposablethumbs,
I hate that shit, too. And I have no problem donating that crap to my city mission or whatever.
*Whatever the hell the plural is.
Audley, beely-boppers.
Wait a secand, that’s the opposite of proof, even tho it was meant to be complimentary. At least that’s my hypotenuse.
Daisy,
Well, as awful as this sounds, my niece isn’t my problem. Her mother is fine with 100% pink 100% of the time, so whatevs.
Caine,
!!
Holy shit, that is an awesome pacifier. :D
Carlie,
I hear ya. It’s not just that toys are pink, it’s that they’re not engaging or creative at all, either, you know? I’m not going to monitor every single little thing but I want to keep the gendered toys (whether Darkfetus is a boy or a girl) to a bare minimum.
Audley:
You can always count on Think Geek. They have some great baby stuff – they haz bibs which read Zombie Snack on them. :D
A big Bacon! Chocolate! Alcohol! Glitter! Ghey Secks with Brownian! *hugs* for Lynna. May your recovery be speedy and relaxed, and may your doctors be the best of the crop.
Otherwise, I wish you all a happy Beltane. It is the most important Sabbat of the year for us warty, cackling, deranged old ladies (kittehs optional), you know ;)
Since the seal on wishing happy Beltane has just been broken, here’s a great song to celebrate the reason for the season. ;) NSFW. The video is ok if no one at work reads ASL, but the lyrics definitely aren’t.
Audley, actually, you could head people off at the pass by setting up a wish list at Think Geek for baby clothes, feeding gear, toys, etc. Tell them that if they want to get something for Darkfetus, get something off that list. Think Geek avoids the pink/blue crap nicely.
Happy Beltane, Minnie!
E.L.Doctorow in the NYT
Caine:
Brilliant!
I’ve bought quite a bit of stuff from Think Geek and I didn’t even realize they had a baby section. ♥!
Must. Stop. Browsing. While. At. Work!
Lynna: I haz a sad to hear of your troubles. I hope your recovery is quick.
Loud, 332:
A Concise Primer of Sophistimicated Theology by Aprile Pazzo, Very Random House Books, Inc.
Or if you can’t find that one, Sagan’s Demon-Haunted World is a delightful romp.
Ugh, anyone tried to buy a sympathy card that isn’t plastered with bible verse or covered in crosses?
Do card companies think only Christians do sympathy?
Loud – I’ve given up on such things. I go with blank cards and try to write something simple and nice.
There are so many gorgeous things for the Stylish Former Foetus About Town – t-shirts with bats and spiders, onesies with dinosaurs, outfits with random sploshes and spackles of primary colours …
I wonder, would a onesie with a nice diagram of a glucose molecule on it be the proper apparel for saying you think a baby is sweet?
thinkgeek is a bit irresistible, isn’t it – I like the “loading, please wait” t-shirt to wear while gestating – but the Caine Duckie Project is teh awsomest.
Loud,
Been there. I had to buy a sympathy card for a customer of mine and it was damned near impossible to find something even remotely professional. Carlie’s right– the best thing to do is buy blank cards.
opposablethumbs:
Absolutely. That would be simple to either stitch on a plain onesie or paint with fabric paint, too. Good idea!
Caine, Bender’s Duckie – squee! I also love the Lil’ Vampire Pacifier.
Loud, like Carlie and Audley, I buy blank cards and use my own words for sympathy cards.
I know that the use of greeting cards is standard for many kinds of formal communication, but I cannot bring myself to shop for them*. This is why I donate to the World Wildlife Federation. They send me blank-inside greeting cards as a thank you for my donation. Nothing says “I’m sorry that your grandmother was overwhelemed by a moose” better than an image of that self-same majestic animal in its natural habitat.
*Ironically, my five-year old loves to browse greeting cards, but as far as she’s concerned, puppy dogs are fitting for every occasion. It really is like she was sent to me by O. Henry.
Ooh, I forgot – @ Loud, 332 –
Believing Bullshit by Stephen Law, well worth a read!
My asparagus is up!
At 1.57 it says that humans evolved from Chimps! That can’t be right surely, unless ‘chimps’ is a colloquial term. Either way it’s misleading to children
Hi to the Horde!
Tracy here. My Why I Am an Atheist was posted the other day. This is my new nym; I’m taking it out for a spin.
The origin is a quote from the Fourth Doctor: “Stupid expression, ‘stands to reason’. Why isn’t it ‘lie down to reason’? Much easier to reason lying down.” (I’m a huge Doctor Who freak.)
I just wanted to stick my head in the door and say hi. Also to offer my sympathies and hopes for a swift recovery to Lynna.
Audley: Fun bit of information for your MIL. I’ve seen various articles stating that color-coding by gender didn’t really begin until the start of the last century. When it did, it was pink for boys and blue for girls. Apparently pink was considered a stronger color, as it was related to red, and blue was associated with the Virgin Mary. It was only around WWII or thereabouts that it switched for some reason. (Note: here’s a fuller story on the subject.)
LDtR, great to see you here! Good nym, too. :D
I dunno, I think I’m too techie – all I keep running through my head is getting a black onesie and some photo-luminescent fabric paint and making a Spawn of Flynn outfit (comme ça).
(Mostly threadrupt – slept most of the weekend, yay for BPPV screwing with my sleep – but sympathies for Lynna and random hugs and sweets for the rest).
My reward for pulling Japanese honeysuckle (a hideous exotic invasive that eats parks) is that I found 2 specimens of rattlesnake plantain orchid, which are fairly unusual hereabouts and which we did not know we had in this park. Woo-hoo!
I had just as much trouble with gender-policing being directed at SonSpawn – what do you mean, you paint your boy child’s toenails if he sits still for a nail clip? What do you mean, his favorite color is purple? Why did you let your 7 year old grow his hair long? (Because now he’s a handsome 16 year old with Jesus-quality long thick wavy hair that took 9 years to grow to its current beauty?) And don’t even get me started on the “anyone who talks about feelings, expresses empathy, or cries must be a [insert slur here]. The world is, sadly, full of people who basically spend their real-life time trolling. Not good.
Man. Child came home from school and said that they’re reading Flowers for Algernon in English class. I told him it was quite possibly the saddest story ever written. That book made such an impression on me.
I remember when DaughterSpawn started 6th form chemistry class they were given a sort of kiddie-homework for the first lesson (to sort of ease the new class in? for fun? I don’t know) which was to make a [model of a] sugar molecule. She made hers out of marshmallows (pink and white available for the carbon and oxygen atoms, plus food dye marshmallow fragments for the hydrogen atoms) so she could show the class a sugar molecule, made of actual sugar … I thought this was beyond cute, but the teacher didn’t appreciate the joke :(
carlie
I usually start crying if I take Flowers for Algernon off the shelf.
—
Baby clothes should all be patterned with splotches the color of spit-up and poo.
Mr. Mattir: squee!
carlie: When I was a teen, curricular reading was uniformly depressing. We were assigned The Bell Jar in eigth grade. I shit you not.
Teens need to read something light every once in a while.
Chigau:
Hey-o!
Lies down:
Welcome in! Thanks for the linky, I’ll give it a read after work. :)
Carlie:
Flowers for Algernon gets me, too. Geez, it’s no wonder why no kid wants to read the assigned reading– it’s all sad as shit.
I still remember the first story to make me cry: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury. I read it in the eighth grade and, holy shit, I still can’t handle it to this day.
(The dog! THE DOG! It’s worse than Jurassic Bark.)
#396: Thanks, Caine. #403: You’re welcome, Audley! Hope it helps or is at least entertaining.
Jeez. Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
“I think I do about 12 regular characters, but I’ve been able to pad the resume with God, The Devil and Hitler. -Harry Shearer
Welcome in, chrisco! Some initial confusion is to be expected upon your Assimilation. Soon, you too can be ignoring those TET videos like a pro!
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Damned straight! I know that I get cranky and irritable if the Game is cancelled two weeks running!
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I think that what happened is that when Mr. and Mrs. God got their divorce, He was awarded custody of the Chosen People.
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Primer=”more prime”.
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Oooh! Vampire pacifier! WANT!
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If there’s a sadder sci-fi story than Flowers for Algernon, I’ve never read it; and I’m not sure I want to.
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I’ve never read this Flowers for Algernon. Must see if the local library has it.
Otherwise, I think our required reading on 7th to 10th grade was some serious industrial-strength stuff: The Unknown Soldier (the Finnish epic of the Continuation War), Johnny Get Your Gun, I Buried My Heart in Wounded Knee, Nothing New on the Western Front, Doctor Zhivago, Madam Bovary, Sons and Lovers…
No wonder I enjoy the odd Pratchett or King nowadays.
Flowers for Algernon is definitely one of the most heartrending stories ever written, and I love (with tears in my eyes) how it was done. I don’t think I could ever forget it.
My working theory at the time was this was some kind of covert plan to harden potentially too-soft children against the harsh realities of life.
Sure. I mean, what if, like me, you’re a mostly pretty privileged middle-class type? And like about the worst thing that’s really happened to you so far is being picked on a bit at recess?
As if you’re going to be ready for the heartbreak that may well lurk in the real world, once you leave the nest. No, in this case, it’s simply a wise sort of prophylaxis for your teachers to expose you to profound and painful tragedy, through literature. The notion being: the worst that’s likely to happen to you is at least unlikely to be quite as bad as all that.
(/Granted, for children who already have abusive alcoholic parents, perhaps it’s a bit gratuitous for them to read those bits in Huck Finn. There should be some sort of form they could fill out, to get an exemption, sorta like you can pass your mandatory French just by proving fluency: ‘Listen: I’m already being beaten each evening by a sadistic, gin-addled bastard. I don’t need Clemens to tell me what that’s like, thanks.’)
Are we sure that “primmer” is the American pronunciation? I find it much easier to imagine a bloke saying that than a dude.
Christians have been demanding that for years!
Rey Fox
a href=”http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primer”>Take it up with Webster.
Aw fucknuggets.
Minnie – I know you would read it anyway, but be sure to read the book itself; it was made into a movie, but there are things about it that simply have to be read. No film representation will be a suitable substitute.
The first required book in high school that comes to mind for me is A Separate Peace. Kid falls out of tree and gets crippled, and the question is whether or not he was pushed.
We were given an assignment to write an essay about one of the characters in the book. I wrote about the tree.
feralboy12
Did your teachers in highschool tremble when they saw you coming?
♥ ♥ ♥
I think it would be teh kool.
Is this The Adorable Edition™ of TET? We did that a few weeks back on PET. So much cute.
Ack! DO NOT SPEAK OF THIS. *weeps uncontrollably*
The first story that made me cry was The Scarlet Ibis. That’s actually something my mother and I share in common. We both read it in junior high and couldn’t handle it.
Other books that have made me cry: Sounder, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and All the Pretty Horses. I don’t really cry from movies, but the Futurama episode which shall not be named (AUDLEY) absolutely rips my heart out.
I’m trying to think of what else we read in school – A Rose for Emily, Billy Budd, All Quiet on the Western Front, A Farewell to Arms, The Cherry Orchard, A Doll’s House, In a Penal Colony, Lord of the Flies… yeah, definitely a lot of sadness in there.
(Also Watership Down and Madame Bovary and the Decameron, though, although those are also sad in their own ways)
You are awesome.
Whatchoo talkin’ bout, Willis?
Wait, never mind.
Ah yes, that lot.
My feeling is: we stick to our guns. Everyone not actually being beaten* still gets Huck Finn…
… also, any parent who protests ‘cos they think it’s insulting to their faith or some damned thing gets Inherit the Wind. And yes, that’s the parent who has to read it. As homework. And there will be a quiz. And they may not ask for help from their kid.
(*/Tho’, oddly enough, come to think of it, the fact that I was rather raised ‘in the church’ probably did kinda contribute its share of the limited misery** I actually did experience in my childhood. But Huck Finn‘s nasty bits really don’t overlap with that, much. So I’m not sure how that could have got me an exemption.)
(**/That’s probably a bit overstated, tho’. Intense discomfiture? Can cringing embarrassment at ever having been associated with this stuff count as scarring, exactly? Honestly, it sometimes seems to me it should, but then, I have my histrionic moments. Prolly comes from reading too much high tragedy in high school.)
Jules,
Sorry sorry sorry! I know you react to that episode exactly the same way I do, but I didn’t see you around.
You know, now that I think about, it seems like virtually all of the classical literatures they make you read are dark, depressing, and/or make you lose hope in humanity.
True art is angsty.
Only some of them. This particular English teacher, an elderly lady, actually liked me a lot. She died just a few years ago at the age of 90-something.
My other recollection regarding A Separate Peace was that it took about an hour to read. I had to sit through at least a couple of quiet study periods in class while others read the thing. I brought something by Vonnegut to keep me busy, which impressed my teacher even more.
I really liked that lady.
And yeah, not a lot of trembling, really, but they did learn not to single me out in class and try to embarrass me for not paying attention or having a private laugh.
The last thing you wanted to do was to have me stand up and tell the class what was so funny.
It’s ok, Audley. I’ll let it slide. I must accept that sometimes people will talk about the saddest thing in the entire universe in a place where I might see it.
My private fundie school didn’t really have us reading a lot of stuff. Oddly enough, The Scarlet Letter was a book that we spent several weeks on.
Well, odd until you realize that we were supposed to relate to the good townsfolk, not Hester.
@Jules
Wait, WHAT?! Relate to the townsfolk?!
@423: Children must be exposed to True Art! And True Art Is Angsty! (Warning: TV Tropes link. Do not read unless you have loads of spare time lying around.)
Whoops, ibyea posted their link while I was looking mine up!
@Lies Down to Reason
I was way ahead of you on the TV Tropes link. ^_^
We had The Red Badge of Courage, and something about a guy getting gangrene in the leg after a raid or something in Mexico.
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I’ve just started listening to Dale Martin’s New Testament Course on Yale’s Itunes U. So far I like the guy:
“Christians like to argue a lot. As we used to say in my youth in Texas: ‘Let’s make like a Bapist church and split.'”
God, I remember reading the unabridged A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare’s tragedies (I didn’t read any of the comedies ’til college), Where the Red Fern Grows*, a whole mess of Vonnegut, Wuthering Heights (not that I remember it at all), Invisible Man…
Yeah, I didn’t read anything upbeat until I took a class called “humor in American literature” in college.
*The dogs! THE DOGS!
In grade 12, my best friend and I sat down and tried to find a book on our English reading list that didn’t have death as a major theme. With a fairly loose definition of “major theme”, we were unsuccessful.
What I can remember of the books and plays we read in high school: To Kill a Mockingbird, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, Hamlet, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, A Doll’s House, The Theban Plays, Saint Joan, Murder in the Cathedral, The Sacrifice, Lord of the Flies, Wuthering Heights, The Age of Innocence, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, East of Eden, Animal Farm, 1984, A Christmas Carol, The Stone Angel, Oryx and Crake, The Mayor of Casterbridge.
Hmm. Apparently I was a bit of an English nerd.
It’s funny because it’s true! I’ve been at two Baptist churches that each had a major split. And my spouse went to another one that did.
opposablethumbs #392
Cheers! Consider it bought. That will be my holiday reading.
Re: Sympathy cards
Thanks everyone, blank cards are the way to go. It’s still ridiculous that I can’t get a decent non-religious one.
A friend of mine gave birth to her baby at 28 weeks, and sadly due to complications leading to brain damage, chose to switch off his life support. Which is strange, because she is Catholic, and I would have thought this would be a grave sin?
Either way, it’s a terrible tragedy :(
Hah!
I can makes that worse.
I can’t remember most of the books we read in high school, just that I’d read most of them before.
I do remember in 9th grade, my English teacher getting into a bit of a snit because I was doing math homework or doodling or something while they were reading Romeo & Juliet. As punishment, he made me get up in front of the class and read the Romeo part while someone else did the Juliet, just to make sure I was paying attention.
He was not amused when I walked to the front of the class without my book. We was less amused, but thoroughly pleased, when I kept up for a scene and a half – including the balcony scene and the long soliloquy at the start – from memory, and only missed two words.*
We later had an entire class session taken up by differing interpretations and recitals of Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech and why most actors totally missed the point. He was one of my favorite teachers.
* Mostly luck – I happened to be helping a friend study for Juliet’s part at another school for their play a month or two prior, and it was easier to memorize it and actually do the scenes with her than to try to coach her while reading it. But that’s why I was bored.
Hamlet, though, that’s just one of my favorites. Along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which at one point I could recite word for word every line and stage direction.
Yeah, I’m that guy.
(… now you see me, now you…)
@ibyea: yep, yep you did. Need to learn to refresh right before hitting “submit comment”.
I hate you, Sili.
Loud:
That’s terrible that it came to that. Parents losing children is, I understand, one of the most horrible things to go through. My condolences to them, and to you trying to help them.
Regarding Catholics, though – as has been stated a few times, many Catholics in the US (assuming that’s where you are) are of the Irish Catholic mentality. As in, they take the parts they like and say “sod off” to the rest. Most think of the Pope as a senile granddad who wears his undies on his head: they politely nod their heads and agree with him, and then go off and do whatever they please.
After all, that’s what confession is for, right? It’s a get-out-of-hell-free card you can use every week.
Sili,
I kind of hate you right now.
Sounds like I should keep my butthole to myself for a while.
Good evening!
The problem is that if the dark fetus is a girl, people start treating you like Are U Mad?
You seriously need a long breath. And then you do your best for the time they’re solely in your care and then they get in contact with the pinkified / gender-coded world and you start to despair.
Audley, I wish you best luck. It’s a fight. Worth it, but exhausting.
One of my favourite shirts for the little one was “Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of milk!”, complete with Jolly Roger.
Loud
That’s terrible.
Well, most catholics don’t give a flying fuck about their religion once the call is to make between behaving decently and catholic.
The main book I remember reading for English (because it was so horrific) was The Octopus. Blah blah wheat blah blah some dude hates sugar sauce blah blah a different dude gets drowned in a silo of wheat, the end. Eight hundred fucking pages.
I’ll bite, why is that? (Not very familiar with Hamlet, must remedy)
What the shit is this. I’ll answer my own question: A handful of good advice mixed up with a lot of sexism, heterosexism, various other privileged shit, and generic stupidity.
You know, while I love dark stories, sometimes, it’s too much. Sometimes, I just want to feel happy. Happy feels good. Why can’t they have happy stories in high school literature classes for once?
Phew! Four project deliverables delivered, with more than an hour to spare. Considering that the original proposal went in 41 seconds before the deadline, I’m clearly getting much better at time management :-p
Now just the final report to do, unless any of the just-delivered deliverables come winging back with demands for a rewrite.
Oh barf. Laydeez, the tools, they are only ok if you also make with the sexy!
I had to triple check that the list wasn’t written in 19*77*. It would fit perfectly in the Cosmo book for “liberated women” that I have from the, uh, late 60s I think (you can imagine).
Also, my drill she is corded. I’m not such a delicate fucking flower that I can’t hook up an extension cord in exchange for a buttload’s worth of power and the ability to drill through damn near anything.
Richard Austin, Gilliel
Thanks both.
I can’t imagine how hard it must have been, and still is for them. I’m actually in the UK, so it’s British-brand Catholicism.
It’s been weird, because they posted up the details of the preterm birth on FB, and then a running update of the ongoing details, while asking for prayers.
When the final news came, although obviously terrible and heartbreaking, I just couldn’t stop myself wondering how they can possibly square away what they’ve gone through (she also miscarried a year back) with the idea of a loving God.
I guess it’s offering them both some peace of mind, believing he’s now ‘with the angels’. But cognitive dissonance much?
kristinc – Moby Dick was the one I couldn’t handle. MAKE IT END ALREADY. Had to do Catcher in the Rye too, which was also interminable. And The Grapes of Wrath – mine was missing the last chapter and I didn’t know it, so I thought it just kind of ended. Then I found out no, it ended even worse than I thought it did.
Flowers for Algernon and Where the Red Fern Grows are on my list of favorite books. Sad as hell and had to read them in the 5th grade. We also did Huck Fin (that made me self-conscious since my father was an abusive alcoholic) and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders surprises me now that I look back on it considering the place I grew up. The coolest part of S.E. Hinton was when the teacher explaining the author was a woman and how they gave her initials fearing boys wouldn’t read it.The teacher told us all that fact after we read and studied it. The look on their faces… XD
kristinc:
Well, it’s been 20 years so I’ll probably miss something.
There are a lot of things that I think actors get wrong. The main one is that it’s not a noble speech. Dude’s talking about killing himself to escape from troubles that he sees no other way out of. The first part of it, emotionally, could be totally flat: he’s burnt out, beyond emotion. It’s simply a question of which is more honorable: living through all the shit or killing one’s self. This isn’t noble – it’s an escape. The reason he stops is that he’s not sure of where he’s escaping to.
The last part can almost be sardonic humor – “thus conscience doth make cowards of us all” could be said with almost a self-mocking sneer.
Mainly, though, I’ve seen actors (especially in high school) go overly melodramatic with it or, even if they’re coached into using the right tones, don’t really get it and thus come off wrong. The beginning, especially, gets done too quickly.
This one’s pretty good in my estimation (for you Whovians), though he cuts out part and, to me, puts more scorn than self-mocking in the last part. But different people will get different things from the play. I just think that, with the cynical wit Hamlet later displays, he’d realize how he’s undoing his own drive and be mocking his own lack of resolve.
I can’t remember how far I got through Moby Dick before I forgot the book in Oxford or at the laundrette.
… I suppose I should put a “Not Safe For Emotionally Vulnerable People” tag on that link, but I’d hope after talking about it being suicide and all folks would be expecting it.
Still…
Hey Audley.
You know that website that has those awesome “Monsters of Science” t-shirts, you know the ones with “Curie” in the style of the Cure? And other crazy cool stuff?
Well, you can custom design your own stuff, including onesies and shirts and sweatshirts for kids! Check it out:
https://amorphia-apparel.com/design/octolove/
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5903/octolove.png
Sili #455
Isn’t there some kind of treatise on whales in the middle of the book?
Thanks, Giliell. :)
It helps to know that I’ve got a place were people sympathize. And who knows? Maybe by the time DarkFetus starts school, the gendered bullshit will start to decrease.
One can only hope.
Not sure if you’re into D&D, Audley, but there’s this awesome babygrow!
And it’s not pink or blue ;)
McSweeney’s on Moby Dick (and a few other literary staples).
(/I also really like the C.S. Lewis one.)
Awesome, Sally!
Ok, my mistake, it comes in both pink and blue, doh!
For me, the book I wanted it to end was Heart of Darkness. Do you know how tedious it is to read a book in which every paragraph is a page long, with long winded description of just stuff?
Loud,
Ha! I’m not into D&D, but Mr Darkheart will love that onsie!
Well, I thought it was cute, Loud. Mr Darkheart said, “Those aren’t even the correct stats for D&D.” :p
Lying liars and the lies they tell.
Hmm, he’s right of course, Con and Int have turned into Sta (Stamina?).
I’m sure the one I originally saw was correct!
*goes off to try and find it*
mattir @212 i would love it if you and the progeny would take over Moments of mormon madness for now. sounds like you will have a unique perspective.
mri today showed a human brain in my skull. so much for the embodiment of satan theory. meeting with doc on wednesday for analsis of resoults and for formulation of plan for rehab. always good to have a plan.
many thanks to all for tht good wishes. i don’t have what it takes to answer each individually.
saw a senior citizen at the medical imaging center that was stylish. her walker was tricked out. she had pimped her ride.
@Lynna
hai. Get well soon. *wave hand*
Soft snuggles for Lynna.
I hope you have someone who can help take care of you right now.
\o/ for Lynna being around! Get better/feel better/come back ready to kick pajamas.
Big virtual hugs for Lynna.
@ Loud #436, hope you enjoy the book – I got Law’s “Philosphy Gym” books for my Spawn and ended up reading them myself as well.
That’s terrible, what happened to your friend. I can’t begin to imagine how much that must hurt. Hope they have supportive people around them and don’t take any flak from the godbotherers (the only UK Catholics I know don’t seem to be in thrall – in fact they seem so sane I can’t for the life of me understand how they can be Catholics at the same time – so I hope your friend doesn’t have guilt to deal with on top of the awful loss).
@ Giliell # 444, I kind of feel your pain, but maybe were a bit lucky or maybe it’s a bit of an urban UK thing: everything we got for infant DaughterSpawn (dinosaurs, spiders, skull-and-crossbones etc.) was handed down later to infant SonSpawn and nobody ever batted an eye at either of them. They both had the same short hairstyle, too, until they were quite a bit older; now they both have long hair (as does their Other Parent; I’m the only short-haired life-form in the household, apart from the dog).
Hi, Lynna!
I don’t usually post just to say “bwahaha”, but: BWAHAHAAAAAA.
Get well soon Lynna!
Audley, with apologies to Mr. Darkheart, here is the babygrow with correct stattage. Although this time the picture is strangely brown. Can’t win ’em all!
Maybe. There is a lot of it where my daughter has started school. Reassuringly, her mother and I have found that at least up until this point, our influence is far stronger than peers or teachers. The daughter is five, and has developed really her own sense of style, which hovers between bizarre and impractical. She loves what she calls *cute skulls and skelingtons*, so she tends to have more than the usual metal gear and dia de los muertos type stuff. Oh. Anything with a dog or a dragon on it is to die for as well.
O,o
*shiver*
I’m going to the DRC this November, and I definitely am not reading that one again.
Lynna: I raise my clenched tentacle in your direction.
my brother Steve is taking the brunt of the care burden. feel frree to feel sorry for him. when i fell into one of my rock gardens, he said i lookek good in there. my new goal in life, to be a lovely addition to a rock garden. the trick is to fall in into a curved form. artistic.
Lyyyynnnnnnnaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!
Ah. Now I remember why I despise women’s magazines, and all that pink fluffy shit.
In the list of “things you should have”, they have forgotten “at least one decent doomsday device”.
I just found a funny trope related to True Art is angsty: Death by Newbery Medal
That.
It’s so good to hear from you.
There was just a chat on Radio 3 about homophobia apparently having decreased in the English schoolsystem. As well the kids having grown more tactile.
I can attest to the latter, at least. And I suppose I don’t hear much use of gay slurs, but I have little reference. I grew up in the boondocks utterly isolated from anyone and anything that might be considered different. It was a big deal when a Copenhagener joined our class.
Lynna
If you do a Zen-style rock garden, you could represent an island.
google images
That rage comic guy obviously never saw “Bender’s Big Score”. Feh.
Take care, Lynna.
carlie, I get slightly teary thinking about Flowers for Algernon.
Lies Down to Reason, welcome!
*waves to Lynna*
Kristinc, I have The Octopus. Yes, it makes shooting yourself seem like a good option.
I never thought about that before, but I guess the death=great literature idea begins early.
A lot of my favourites are on that list, though. I have a soft spot for books for the 8-12 age range. I find that a lot of books that I loved back then are still highly enjoyable today.
Other things every mad scientist should have by the age 30:
1) Minions. Lots of these. Let’s face it, every mad scientist needs minions. Preferably a faceless horde of identical clones. Failing this, having a mysterious race of servants who speak no recognizable language, a la Captain Nemo, thus rendering them at once sinister and inscrutable, is an excellent alternative.
2) A death ray.
3) A properly perfected and memorable maniacal laugh. As a great man once said: ‘A lot of guys ignore the laugh, and that’s about standards’.
4) A lair. Either on the moon, or in a volcano.
5) A drill. But this one isn’t cordless. Also, this one can drill into the core of the Earth to implant the doomsday device.
6) A lacy black bra. But worn by a fembot. Concealing the forward-facing missile launchers.
It’s a function we all have to do periodically. ;)
I just received my complete collection of Narbonic.
And I’m falling in love with Skin Horse.
Oh, I need to read Bridge To Terebithia to my son (when we’re done with Good Omens).
Eeee! My critters are differentially expressing an interesting gene!
*jumps up and down excitedly*
I haz data!
My son read Bridge to Terebithia in school, and My Brother Sam is Dead, and The Cay. They’re doing a lot of death books, now that I think about it.
Never read Terebithia, but I have to admit to having a dislike for the book based on a particularly annoying fangirl on DA.
Yaaaayyyyyy!!!
::does the data-dance::
This was the only book I gave up on. I’ve had plenty of books where I’ve stopped reading in the middle because some distraction came up or something and I ended up leaving them alone too long and having to start over from the beginning, but Moby Dick is the only book I ever just went ‘eh, fuck it’ and stopped reading.
AJ Milne –
I’m not convinced that all mad scientists WANT a fembot. Perhaps we could change that to “black unmentionables” concealing the forward-facing missile launchers.
Sili, I can be made at you for being a butthole, but I could never stay mad at your butthole.
Hated Moby Dick. One of my favorite profs tried to talk a fellow student out of doing her senior thesis on it. She said the book was miserable and stupid and hinted that she’d rather not read 80 pages dedicated to discussing it.
I met SE Hinton. One of my shorts was produced alongside one of hers in a theater festival. She’s awesome. We did improv together (we both sucked at it). </kwok>
She wasn’t just a woman author; she was a girl author. She was 17.
It’s Monday night, which means it’s time to eat a burrito the size of my head.