This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. Careful! Don’t squeeze the platypuses!
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
v****a.
The first time I saw this quasi-word, I thought it stood for something else. Something small, blue, and apt to be blocked by spam filters. There are all sorts of dirty jokes to be made about this confusion.
Yay!
Sort of awestruck at Typhoon Sanba right now. T numbers at 7.5, which means “quite powerful Cat5”. Bad news, it seems, for Okinawa and South Korea.
And also, the dubious world high temp record of 58 C in Libya was struck down; now the record is 57 C in Death Valley, California, USA.
Hot– but it was in 1913, so AGW isn’t real, obviously.
And it snowed a lot last winter! And stuffs!
*note; snark*
I updated my Gravitar profile to reflect support for A+. Sometimes the “hover” feature works, and sometimes not. Is that blog specific, or me doing something wrong?
Rightly. There are a couple classrooms at Sacramento State that can beat that handily through most of September. >.>
I need some motivation. Louis, when is your company going to get po motivation to market? I’m sure it would be a huge seller.
*hugs* for Kitty.
What are “straight 8s”?
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You must be thinking of Dr. PeaZee Myers.
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I like the “Age had treated…” approach better.
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Sounds interesting!
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I can’t figure out MRAs. One day they’re complaining that women who expect men not to shit their britches are too uptight. Another day, they’re lamenting how women shit and piss everywhere.
I keep hitting [hide comment] by accident.
#2 Thunk, good thing it is still snowing in Okinawa and S Korea, would be in deep kimchee if that was not the case.
@Cicely:
8 hour days, 5 days a week.
I was doing 9 hour days with a day off every other week (and an 8 hour day every other week as well.) It gave me a day every two weeks just to decompress.
Not sure if anyone has linked to this yet, but just in case not — a cool video, Tim Minchin talking about genomes! http://www.timminchin.com/2012/09/13/genomes-and-tim-combined/comment-page-1/#comment-396323
I just posted this to PET with the comment: “You know what’s sad? Until I saw that it was from The Onion, the idea that this was a parody never crossed my mind… ” I believe it to be the prefect Poe…
Hail Tpyos!
@AR: Sadly, same here.
Isn’t the platypus the perfect transitional form the inti-evolution fans are searching for? I mean a mammal that lays eggs, a “beaver” with a duck’s bill and a reptile’s poisonous spur? An effective “croco-duck” after all. Just sayin…
stevem: I’ve tried it. It didn’t work. With the hardcore creobots, you can eventually wear them down to “God did it to test our faith,” or “Satan planted/changed/took it to draw us away from God”
Platypodes.
Louis
Goddamnit. Fuck you RIM for making a half-reliable piece of shit and then abusing your fucking corporate power to say “this is a Nice Thing and if you can’t afford to pay extra to protect it from misfortune, you deserve anything that happens if you happen to fumble it”.
Now I need a new phone and have little to no idea of how I’ll actually get one. Can’t go through my carrier because I’d need to deal with my mother and am in no state to hear another fucking You Always Break/Lose Nice Things lecture from her (or, really, deal with her at all). Can’t use craigslist etc because I’m terrified of people. Aaaaargh…
“Study of giant viruses shakes up tree of life” http://phys.org/news/2012-09-giant-viruses-tree-life.html
“Scientists discover planetary system orbiting Kepler-47” http://phys.org/news/2012-09-scientists-planetary-orbiting-kepler-.html The planet is Jovian, but it could well have big moons following it in the habitable zone around a binary star. The system requires models for planetary system formation to be revised.
“Chemists develop nose-like sensor array to ‘smell’ cancer diagnoses” http://phys.org/news/2012-09-chemists-nose-like-sensor-array-cancer.html
“Scientists use levitation to create better pharmaceuticals with fewer side effects” http://phys.org/news/2012-09-scientists-levitation-pharmaceuticals-side-effects.html
(amorphous vs chrystalline forms of the medicines)
Setar locally we have fleamarkets and 2nd hand shops that sell used gear. Is there something like that locally? We also have a thriving cell phone repair market by young handy entrepreneurs that are extremely good and reasonable. Unfortunately they advertize on craigslist but usually have a mall hut for a location
Just throwing this out here as an off-topic:
This is what a religion should do. These are those “good Islam” people everyone’s been looking for in the past few years.
http://dailyoftheday.com/moving-images-from-libyan-demonstration-outside-of-us-embassy/
Protesting at the scene of terrorism in Libya and decrying the perps as un-Islamic. It’s a step in the right direction for the Religion of Peace. Many more to go, but as that one fellow once said: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
…Their spelling could use some work though. It’s prophet, not profit. ;) Thanks Libyans, it is a goodly gesture.
Louis:
Goddamnit! Beat me to it!
#7
Yeah, I’ve seen the armies of the unemployed doing their welfare work cleaning up women’s shit off city streets. Riiiiight. Relieving oneself outdoors (or drunk; in a hamper or corner or wherever) is something men never do.
Katherine Lorraine,
Are you familiar with Wen Spencer’s Ukiah Oregon novels?
The protagonist is adopted by two women (yes, they are a couple) who also work with finding new homes for dogs.
The protagonist is btw revealed to be the result of alien genetic engineering. A lot of quite interesting ideas in the series.
Wen Spencer has also just finished the triology that started with “Tinker”.
Nothing left for me to do but shit on the rug then.
I’m currently in a discussion concerning evolution vs Christian faith. Usually the TalkOrigins website is a valuable resource. However, this time I think I’m going to get a lot of the “same facts/different interpretation” argument. Can anyone point me to a website that discusses this line of reasoning?
More proof, as if more were needed, that Republicans, (and particularly Mitt Romney), do not know how to vet their sources:
Robert Rector, the Heritage Foundation’s in-house welfare expert, is the source for Romney’s lie that Obama “gutted” the 1996 welfare reform law and waived work requirements.
This the same Robert Rector who thinks the poor in American are not truly poor because most of them have refrigerators. He also notes that the poor are “more likely to be overweight” and this proves they are not really poor. (He apparently doesn’t understand that one can be overweight and also malnourished, nor that lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is a common problem in poor neighborhoods.)
Rector claimed that 22,000 Americans below the poverty line had hot tubs. It took the conservative Cato Institute to debunk that one. [Cato Policy Report, January/February 1995]
Rector thinks the poor have made a choice not to “behave more like middle-class people” and that’s why they are poor.
Rector believes in abstinence-only sex education, and dismisses studies showing it is not effective as “bogus.”
Rector is also affiliated with the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, which is involved in GOP politics and fundraising. He was very successful in raising funds for abstinence-only programs, and wanted to extend them to unmarried young adults.
That’s just a few of the telling details that would cause any reasonable person to question Robert Rector as a source.
This is the source Romney trusts for his inaccurate ads claiming Obama removed work requirements from welfare laws.
Tell me this isn’t the best response to a PUA-type ever. In the comments on the Cracked article “The 6 Most Accidentally Creepy Movie Romances” in which the forced sex scene between Deckard and Rachael in Blade Runner is discussed, some dip wrote:
to which another commenter replied:
Awesome. Just awesome.
Turtles are so cool.
Threadrupt for the first time in a while (not working affords one plenty of time to stay current; that should be changing in the next week or so as my boss gets some things worked out).
Will get caught up in a little while.
I need to kinda sorta vent first (it may sound bad initially, but things wind up at a decent point by the end). This is a bit longwinded too, but when talking about important emotional matters, I don’t do concise.
Warning: This will include some talk about sex. There are no graphic details.
I’ve been single 10 years. A portion of that time was spent dating or trying to date. A few years ago, I effectively gave up. I stopped going to bars, and stopped checking out dating sites. I just got frustrated with the lack of any decent people coming my way. I just engaged in the occasional hook up with an old fling, though even sex wasn’t a big priority any longer.
One of the unfortunate things I began noticing in my sporadic sex life were self centered guys. For many of the interactions I had, I showed them attention and affection, but it wasn’t reciprocated.
::TMI warning::
Largely owing to the fact that I typically have been the bottom in sexual interactions (I don’t enjoy being a top much, and it’s happened a small % of the time in my sexual interactions), most of the guys have been able to lay there, fuck, then get off and be done. As I came to understand this, I accepted it somewhat-largely because I just wanted *some* kind of interaction with someone. I figured settling was better than not having any intimacy.
At some point in the last year, even that got tiresome. I stopped having occasional hookups and my sex life became virtually non existent.
When I decided to check out Grindr back on Aug. 6 of this year, I didn’t have any major hopes. I’d checked out the app before, and for the most part, the app seemed to exist as a means to hook up. I don’t begrudge anyone using it for that, but like I said, I wasn’t much in the mood for random hook ups. That’s when I encountered K.
He and I have been dating for about a month. Financial stress on both ends have limited our time together (he lives an hour away, and stays with his parents, so that’s added more stress), but we’ve made the most of what time we have shared. Early on he mentioned that he was taking a job on a cruise ship soon. Well that day is pretty much here.
On Saturday, he leaves for 4 month aboard a Norwegian Cruise ship out of Honolulu (jealous!!!!). Last night was the last time we had to spend together before he leaves.
I *almost* ended things with him today.
From the start, we’ve had a good amount of personal chemistry and mutual sexual attraction. Despite talk of hanky panky, I didn’t ask or push for anything for a few weeks. It was nice to talk to someone as a person, even about sexual topics, without any pressure *to* have sex. When we started to discuss things, he indicated he wanted to take the plunge before he left for Hawaii.
The last 3 times we spent together, I’ve tried to initiate sex, and it hasn’t happened-and I couldn’t figure out why. I made my intentions clear, and at least physically, I could tell he was very much interested. It seemed the barrier was mental.
One of things that frustrates me about K is a lack of communication. Last week, I hit a significant point of frustration because I wanted to discuss where we were heading, as a couple, but he kept avoiding it. He would deflect with jokes or flat out ignore me. I finally looked him in the eye and asked him to please be serious with me for a moment. I suspected what he was doing. I’ve done it before. When something uncomfortable is being discussed, I’ve deflected with humor. I’ve tried to steer conversations away from subjects I don’t want to discuss. That was what I did-years ago-so I was able to see that he was doing the same thing. I told him I’m fine with kidding around and joking, but that there are times I need to engage him seriously, and I would appreciate it if he would respect that. I’ve spoken openly about what I want in a relationship and what I want sexually. I told him that I want to date him, and see how things progress. I told him I want to be in a relationship-at some point-with someone (possibly him), but I’m not going to jump into something like that. I’ve told him that it’s important to me that when I’m with someone that we talk-openly and frankly-about something if it’s important to us. So I was becoming irritated when he was following the pattern of many of the guys I’d have had sex with in the past. To be fair, he’s expressed interest and has shown some degree of affection, but I’ve still been the instigator and done the lions shares of the ‘work’. Knowing that he’s going to be gone for 4 months, he’s repeatedly said he wanted to make it happen before then.
Given that last night/today was the last time we would see each other, I was hopeful that would be the case.
It wasn’t.
Now, I’m not angry that we didn’t have sex, per se. I’m disappointed, I can’t lie. I’m frustrated that it doesn’t feel like he wanted to. Once again, I started things (tried to twice), but other than kissing, there was no reciprocation on his end. This was the fourth time I’ve tried with him following my discussion about communication. He wouldn’t talk to me about what he was thinking, so my frustration was building. I was at the point today that I was just going to say “see ya”.
But I didn’t.
I decided to be direct and say what I was thinking. I told him it felt like he didn’t want me sexually. I told him that I’ve been with several guys who were there just for themselves and my needs were secondary. I told him that I like him, and I want him, and that I think he’s attractive. I told him that I want to continue dating him, but if he doesn’t want to do anything other than kiss then it won’t work out. I told him all this as I tried unsuccessfully to hold back the water works.
I finally reached him. I think when he saw how I was feeling he realized he needed to open up. He could see how hurt I was. FFS, here we are dating, and I was being made to feel like he only wanted me to make him happy. That was contrasted by the fact that we have chemistry. We talk about sexual activities. We flirt. We’re comfortable being naked. We’re affectionate. But when it came to sex, it’s like there was a barrier. I had my suspicions why, but he never gave me an answer until today.
TO ANY AND EVERY BODY WHO HAS PUT SOMEONE THROUGH SEXUAL, EMOTION, OR PHYSICAL ABUSE– FUCK YOU!
He told me that the last boyfriend he had-of four years-cheated on him after the first four months they were together. He told me that the guy tried to smash his head through a car window while K was driving. I didn’t push for any information. I could tell that this was tough for him to talk about. I just listened. The only indication of abuse he mentioned was the above, but given that action, and his hesitation to discuss the topic at all, I get the impression that there was more. Again, I didn’t press. I didn’t ask. He told me that he has difficulty opening up. He told me that he was hurt pretty badly by this guy he cared about deeply and that even though he likes me, and wants to have sex, he’s just not there yet.
I thanked him, hugged him, and apologized. I told him that I’m sorry for what his ex put him through. I told him I’m sorry for bringing those bad memories back. I also told him that I wish I could make a promise never to hurt him, or to bring any physical, emotional or sexual abuse to him. I told him that as it stands now, and has been the case with me for my entire life to this point, that I have never physically hurt someone. I’ve never engaged in emotional abuse. I’ve never engaged in any form of sexual abuse. He looked at me and said “…but you’re human.” He acknowledged that unfortunately, for all that some people say they won’t abuse someone, there are times that proves false. No one can know the future. I told him that I know nothing I *say* could make him trust me. Nonetheless I told him that I have no intention of abusing him in any way, shape or form. I added that I knew those were just words, and that my actions would have to prove that to him. I told him that I understand that will take time. I also told him that I’m ready to call him my boyfriend and that part of what that means is that from now on, he’s the only object of my affection. Even though four months without someone can be tough, I needed to express to him that he’s important to me and that I fully intend to be faithful to him.
So today was an emotional fucking rollercoaster. I was so close to ending things with him because I was so caught up in feeling undesired. I’m incredibly glad that I was able to put that aside long enough to express myself in a way that he was able to understand. I’m incredibly glad that he opened up to me so that I can better comprehend where he’s coming from.
In the end, it all came down to communication.
I’m still uneasy, but that has more to do with the lingering effects of the intense talk we had.
Despite his departure in two days, I’m hopeful that our relationship will deepen and blossom into something wonderful.
****
On a completely positive note, we watched 3 of the Wallace and Gromit shorts last night. Damn that animation is fantastic. The creators are amazing.
Mitt Romney pledges presidency devoted to killing John Connor http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/mitt-romney-pledges-presidency-dedicated-to-killing-john-connor-2012083039470
Brownian @28: I agree about the comment and response. But I don’t think the scene itself was accidentally creepy. My impression was that it was supposed to be creepy as hell. I also wondered if there wasn’t some programmed coercion going on. Was Rachael literally made for Deckard?
Awesome! I should use this once-in-a-blogtime opportunity to say something truly obnoxious, and get away with it.
@ Tony: I really have nothing to say (really, what can I say), so I’ll just offer good thoughts and hope it all works out!
Well, I’ll say one thing: if someone who’s experienced abuse were to pick a partner and try to work through that, uh, yeah, picking you seems to me kind of like winning the lottery. I hope that doesn’t sound snarky, because it’s not at all.
Tony, I’m glad you were able to get some good communication going, and I hope it all works out for the best.
Captain Tripps:
Yeah. Mine’s decided that it’s already time to hibernate, so she’s not been too much fun lately.
I made this for you, Ophelia Benson. This MIGHT be the bravest, or stupidest, YouTube video I’ll ever make, unless I screw up the courage to actually speak of the PHYSICALITY of why I identify as a GenderQueer, but I’m not sure I’ll EVER make THAT video! http://youtu.be/hdnLaClXmEw
FUCKING HELL. The “Atheism, philosophy and science” FB page just posted a super racist political cartoon about the embassy attacks, depicting an empty podium marked “The Moderate Muslim Response”.
Take a guess as to what they did when people pointed out the mass protests in Libya yesterday denouncing the attacks. Your hint: no, it was not “delete the image and issue an apology”.
Setár,
That’s no surprise. Actually thinking about things when it comes to Muslims is simply too hard. Better to stick to the simple narratives that make people feel good about themselves for not being like “those people” and don’t dare suggest that there’s any bigotry involved.
Flea markets: only open on weekends, lots of people, not trustworthy
Second hand stores: …you mean pawnshops? maybe one will have something.
I don’t know how much water damage will be fixable and at any rate I NEED THE DAMN THING RIGHT THE FUCK NOW FOR WORK.
Patrick:
Not only does that NOT sound snarky, that’s an incredibly nice thing to say.
Thank you so much.
Okay. Maybe not right the fuck now. But, gah, still majorly stressed over this whole phone thing.
Mainly because I don’t want to waste money and effort dealing with people only to find out my replacement phone just doesn’t work because of being locked to some carrier, or some other fucking contrived bullshit that exists because nationalizing communications infrastructure is COMMUNISM!!!!!
Tony, you strike me as an exceptionally sensitive-to-the-needs-of-others and emotionally honest person. I really hope this does work out for both of you – no knowing, of course, but tentacles crossed; I hope K is at a point where he’s ready to work towards something, and work through what he has experienced before. And I agree with what Patrick said!
Good luck with new work horizons getting sorted out soon, too.
Tony,
I wanted to second Patrick, but I see opposablethumbs came in first, so I’ll just third what they said.
This is just a test reply, since I had trouble leaving a reply to another thread. Please ignore.
Tony, you’re a great guy.
@ Setár
Wut? You haven’t heard of Net10? 10 cents a minute, 150 minute-a-month minimum, $30 phones, no contract.
Honestly, you could never pursuade me to hold a male platypus. Those fecking creatures secrete a venom that’s agony juice – and not even morphine works!
Yeesh.
Okay, just saw the gameplay trailer for ACIII. I hope they do as good a job with their research for this game as they did previously.
But, am I the only one who finds the technique of wrapping the rope dart around an enemy’s neck and then looping the rope around a tree potentially problematic?
Kamaka,
1. whatever the fuck that is it doesn’t exist in Canada because I damn well haven’t heard of it.
2. I cannot afford to be burdened with any extra costs right now because any money I have that does not go to living expenses has to be saved because my job is extremely sporadic, and moreso in winter. As I said above, going through my carrier would require going through my mother, which I’m in no state to do right now. If I could afford to have it differently, I damn well would, and it’s quite frustrating that you missed this because it comes off as very privileged for you to assume that I can just afford another monthly bill.
Just_a_Lurker–you has email!
@ Tony: Phew. I’m even worse at communicating sincere thoughts than I am at sarcastic ones, so I’m glad it came across correctly. :)
Peter @26:
I am late to the party and have to leave BUT there is this:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/06/28/beware-presuppositionalists/
The quick point is the an alternative explanation has to account for ALL the facts not just one or two.
Good luck.
So I just updated my Facebook status to say that I’m in a relationship and several people have responded on there or in text.
My sister just asked me about K. As I respect his privacy in public areas like Facebook, I don’t mention his name. I texted her instead to respond. Then, when she asked what he looked like, I sent her a picture of the two of us about to kiss, with our shirts off in bed. Nothing sexual, or anything more out of the ordinary than you’d see on television.
Her response: I need to see a different picture later in the relationship where I don’t have to see my brother and his boy naked or even a little naked.
What the fuck.
I told her we need to chat another time because I have no interest after she made such a rude statement about an innocuous picture.
Her response just now: I was just kidding. I’d rather see one that’s not as intimate.
I’m so fucking pissed off at her.
I just sent her the last response I will send for a few days:
“Can we please talk about this another time? Whether you intended to hurt my feelings or not, the effect is the same.”
/nigel barges in, pushing better folks aside
Well. I suppose you all are wondering why I gathered you together here tonight.
Well. ahem I have an announcement to make:
My daughter gave birth to a lovely boy. He is 9 pounds, and has all limbs and digits in the appropriate number. His name is yet unknown: it will be either Nehemiah, or Gavin. I really hope it’s Gavin, but that’s not my choice to make.
Also, I shall be known as Avo, which is, apparently, Esperanto for grandfather.
My daughter is doing well, as is her shell-shocked husband, who is by her side.
That is all.
/nigel pushes his way out the door.
nigel:
You and your family have my utmost congratulations!!!
YAY! Thanks Josh and Dianna! You guys rock.
Tony:
Thanks! Have a virtual cigar. It’s less carcinogenic than the real ones.
Also, too, I love your name. It’s my real one.
And, I can only imagine the picture you sent your sister, but in my imagination, you and your SO are fucking awesome.
Congrats for you and your family, nigel!
Tony – I don’t know your sister (obvious Beach is obvious), but I would rather see a picture of my brother and his wife sitting fully clothed on the couch than lying on the bed, him with his shirt off and them about to kiss. Frankly, that’s the way I feel about everyone I know. It’s a strangely prudish reaction I have when it’s people I know. I don’t have a problem with nekkid pictures of strangers, even enjoy them, but if it’s people I know, it’s different.
That being said, you know your sister and she should have backed off when you told her it hurt your feelings.
AND I’m really happy for K that he found you! He couldn’t have made a better choice. And, of course I’m happy for you.
ImaginesABeach:
That’s a reaction I can understand, and quite possibly it’s the way she intended it. That wasn’t how it came across to me though and she offered no follow up explanation to clarify what she meant.
Nigel: Your name is King of Hellmouth? [ducks]
Conga rats to Nigel and his daughter!
And here’s to you too Tony. You deserve every happiness in life and here’s hoping that K can be a part of that for a long time to come.
Congrats Nigel, Daughter, Shellshocked Husband and Nehemiah/Gavin!
Is it less addictive too? My mom’s already claiming that I should stop drinking strong tea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chifir
Ha! Today kids got their pictures back and they sent home a sample photo with a last chance form. Now with the donation, I can get Little One’s pictures!
Yayz JAL. I’m happy for you.
Nigel! Congrats!!
*hands out cigars, grog, assorted pastries*
Nigel: Congratulations! *Distrubutes Ardbeg, Cuban cigars, and Champagne*
Congratulations, Nigel!
****
Today in interesting product names…
http://lovesac.com/
I’d say “ill-advised” but of course the choice wasn’t accidental.
The founder’s bio includes this:
Tony, I wasn’t going to say anything because these situations are unique, and just because I have an anecdote doesn’t mean that my opinion is worth anything. So that disclaimer noted, I dated a woman for 6 years who believed she was the survivor of sexual abuse. It turned out that she was caught up in the repressed memory syndrome idiocy of the 90’s and had been convinced by her therapist that her father had sexually abused her. She had all the symptoms of an abuse survivor, plus the added bonus of hating herself for not being able to remember detail of that abuse. But all that’s just context.
Reading your long post above I see that you understand that your needs are just as valid in a relationship as your partner’s. This is where I fell down. Over time I set aside my needs more and more until I was just another part of her therapy team rather than any kind of real partner. And to be very clear: this was not her fault. I didn’t know how to be in any kind of relationship, let alone one that had the added complications that abuse brings. The failure was mine and mine alone.
For what it’s worth from someone who’s no expert and who has failed more often than he’s succeeded in relationships, I urge you to keep your needs firmly in mind, to set your own boundaries and hold to them, just as K should set his boundaries and expect you to respect them.
FossilFishy:
I can relate.
I really don’t know how to be in a relationship. I haven’t been involved in a long term relationship in my life. All I really have to go by are watching friends and family, as well as listening to anecdotes such as yours.
Have things changed for you since the time you two were dating? Do you place more importance on your needs in a relationship than you used to?
Is she in a better place too?
Tony: Best wishes for you and K. You seem like you would be a great boyfriend for the right guy, and I hope it works out for you two.
Nigel: Congrats on becoming a grandparent!
Why stop? Because addiction? That’s not actually a sensible reason, because being “addicted” to something which is not harmful in itself is also harmless, except for the minor, very minor, problem of withdrawal from your desired substance if you are deprived of it.
Caffeine is well known as physically addictive as well as mentally addictive. WIthdrawal symptoms physically can include headache, general muscle aches, and nausea for a day or so. So what. Either deal with it for a day, or give in and have a cup of tea rather than withdraw. What will be the worse possible thing that can happen? That you won’t ever willingly leave civilization because you might have to leave your tea behind?
It’s not as if strong tea and/or caffeine have serious negatives for your health (unlike some other addictive substances). The negatives which do occur are easily reversible – if you get jittery, irritable, or even have a caffeine-induced auditory hallucination (I never have, but research suggests a few people do) then just cut back on your tea/coffee/Red Bulls. They don’t leave permanent damage.
Caffeine is almost certainly good for you, on the whole. And black tea is full of antioxidants and flavonoids that may help prevent heart disease and stroke. Don’t tell your mom she’s full of shit, but you might tell her it’s okay to stop worrying.
Nutmeg, Improbable Joe, Beatrice, carlie, opposablethumbs:
Thank you for the well wishes and compliments.
****
Dan Fincke is leaving FtB for Patheos (though his post says ‘for the foreseeable future, which indicates that he may stay. I’m not sure, since I won’t check his blog out for further details).
Interesting. He’s the third (?) blogger to leave within the last few months. I wonder if we’re going to get some new people to replace them. I also wonder if we’re going to lose any more bloggers.
#19 birgerjohansson:
I’m afraid that “Hot Jupiters” are old news to me. They continue to be a puzzle — they are not where one would expect a planet composed mostly of volatiles to be.
The usual solution I’ve seen to this conundrum is that they had formed at some greater distance, then interacted with the protoplanetary disk and spiraled inward. Some of them may have had near-collisions or even glancing collisions, giving them very eccentric orbits — some of the “hot Jupiters” have orbits with eccentricities around 0.8 or 0.9.
Our Solar System? I’ve seen a serious proposal that Jupiter and Saturn spiraled inward, then spiraled outward again: NASA ADS: Two phase, inward-then-outward migration of Jupiter and Saturn in the gaseous solar nebula, NASA – Jupiter’s Youthful Travels Redefined Solar System
Ah Tony, I can’t say for certain how she’s doing now. I live on a different continent these days. She was better when we broke up, better in every way. That was the thing that allowed me to leave, and it still causes me pain to think about it. You see, I stuck with the relationship because I didn’t want to hurt her. But when she was finally well enough to handle me breaking up with her she was also well enough for me to begin to assert my needs. But I was too tired, too burned out to make the effort to do that. I’m not proud of that.
But to be fair to myself, when we broke up I didn’t change anything about my life. I didn’t stop doing any of the things I enjoyed doing, I didn’t avoid any of my friends, I didn’t change jobs or move, nothing changed except we weren’t a couple anymore. Nor did she change anything about her life, at least not during the time we kept in touch anyway. And yet I never saw her after that. We never ran into each other and I realised that our lives had never connected in any meaningful way beyond the time we chose to spend together.
As for myself, I’m better, I guess. I still subsume my needs as a first instinct and that’s not healthy. But my life with Mrs. Fishy is a much more balanced one, and our needs, beliefs and interests coincide well enough that that instinct doesn’t often cause problems.
FossilFishy:
It sounds like your relationship with the Mrs. is working well. I’m glad. You deserve it.
Tony, here is Ed’s take on the exodus: http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/09/13/saying-goodbye-to-dan-fincke/
Giliell: eMessage for relay to Jen headed your way.
–
Indeed.
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*hugs* for Tony. I hope this relationship works out…for you both.
And I agree with PatrickG; K is incredibly lucky, and I hope he appreciates that. And you.
–
Congratulations to the TheBold family, and all derivative members thereof!
*confetti&champagne*
–
Joyfulness!
Son had an ugly habit of “losing” school picture paperwork; we generally only knew they had happened after the fact, and had nothing but the sample pic. Unfortunately, in view of my life-long avoidance of being captured on film, I did not feel that I possessed the moral High Ground from which to issue more than expressions of sorrow.
–
@ Setar and your water damaged phone. Of itself (clean) water won’t harm the electronics, though it won’t do the lithium ion battery much good. You can wash the whole phone in distiller water to remove any dirt, though dismantling the thing as much as you can without breaking anything will help. Shake out any excess water, pat dry with absorbent lint free towels or kitchen roll and leave your phone to dry somewhere warm such as over a water heater – just not directly on top.
Leave it overnight (leave the battery out), and when you put it all back together there’s at least a fair chance it will burst back into life. I work in product development for an electronic instrument manufacturer, and I wash my new boards all the time. If there’s any sticky residue you can even start by using detergent and warm water, as long as you rinse everything with instilled water afterwards.
Feeding the tpyos again – distilled, not instilled water. I hate autocorrect!
Thanks to everyone. I’ve been on the phone to family all night, so I’ve not been able to respond to each and everyone, but: thanks. Appreciated, from both me, and the responsible parties.
Thanks for all of you being here.
Cheers Tony. And thank you for making me think about this. My take away from that time is that I have a responsibility to be clear about my needs within a relationship. Expecting the other party to divine them on their own is unfair. It’s also one’s responsibility to occasionally confirm that your partner’s needs are also being met. In my case she was in no place to be able to do that. That combination of our respective inabilities inevitably led to us breaking up.
Welcome, Rodney!
Katherine – *hugs*
Improbable Joe, congratulations! And good luck to your wife in her new job.
nigel, congratulations on becoming a grandfather. (I also hope your grandson is named Gavin.)
Hekuni Cat:
fingers crossed, fingers crossed…
Re baby names. We wanted to name our daughter a traditional name, spelled normally. Our list at birth contained five such names and one unusual one. While Mrs. Fishy was being stitched up and I was introducing the bub to her nanna I decided that this little thing was so unique, this whole event so unique that I couldn’t name her a common name. Fortunately Mrs. Fishy agreed and we doomed our daughter to having to explain her name for the rest of her life. Mind you, it is spelled exactly how it sounds and once you spell it for people they have no trouble remembering how to pronounce it. Anyway, perhaps they won’t see it the way we did, but Nehemiah is still a real possibility.
@ Josh, Official SpokesGay:
Just a random thought, not to be taken very seriously. I was reading the Repudiation thread (missed most of it in real time) and came across your excellent response to peterhearn (“Oh fuck off peterhearn”).
Might it be useful to add some sort of “You’re a known troll”, or even a “Known Troll” with a ™ symbol* to that kind of thing? Just me sort of remembering that kind of comment when I was new and totally ignorant of the actors involved…
Again, a very minor note, with no real substantive value. Feel free to disregard.
Tony
Best wishes for you and K.
—-
Yay grampa Nigel!
(and your daughter and SIL, of course)
(I kinda like Nehemiah. But the diminutives frighten me…)
—-
In a case of serendipity:
About an hour ago the SO sez, “So, where did cigars for a birth come from?”
I confidently begin to google and yahoo and pfft and…
The answer is,
“I dunno.”
Semi-gf’s mom’s ex GF was caught up in that shit, as well as the whole ‘underground ritual satanic abuse’ craze. It’s kinda hard because I know better than to instantly doubt stories of abuse, and yet the stuff I was hearing through semi-GF was like a textbook case of that whole thing.
She was a very strange and manipulative woman, and though I don’t like semi GF’s mom very much, I feel very bad for what that woman put her through.
The book that was at ground zero for the repressed memory syndrome movement was called “The Courage to Heal”. My ex’s copy was dog-eared and annotated to near illegibility. One of the hardest parts to deal with was when she began to question if the purported sexual abuse had actually happened. Despite years of “guided” visualisations done by her therapist, she just couldn’t remember any details of sexual abuse. No one did. This was a few years before the ridiculous nature of the “Satanic Panic” was exposed.
I didn’t know enough at the time to be any help. I used to tell her that even if she hadn’t been abused she had all the symptoms of abuse and that the best course of action was to treat those symptoms. I fear that that reassurance prolonged her suffering. If I had it all to do over again I would encourage her to get another opinion, a multitude of opinions even.
I heard that her therapist did apologise in the end. Perhaps it was motivated by fear of legal action, but she sent a letter to all her clients admitting that what she had done was wrong and that she was no longer going to counsel people.
Damn.
****
I finally found a cute cephalopod: http://deepseanews.com/2012/09/giant-pacific-octopus/
****
The Language of Mental Illness Stigma. Page saved.
Conga rats ululations to NigeltheBold, new Avo! So glad to know that all those involved are in good health and have all their
tentaclesfingers and toes :-D ::raisesglassNice Cup of Tea:: (it’s early morning here)Sorry about the contretemps with your sister, Tony, and I hope you’ll soon be back on happy terms with her. (fwiw I can kind of feel what JAL said – I’d probably love to have a photo like that of my nephew and his boyfriend, but might feel more awkward if it were one of my own Spawn with their boyfriend/girlfriend just because of my relationship with them, not the picture per se. Anyway I hope it doesn’t come between you, and that she is happy for you!)
JAL, yay for Little One’s photos! It’s so hard with things like that when they’re really young, there’s a lot of pressure on them to get one and you hate to disappoint them. It was a relief when mine got old enough not to care about school photos any more!
markr1957 Inc., got any advice for a phone that’s been in seawater? :-(((
Congrats to Nigel, his daughter, her husband and Gavin!
opposablethumbs:
I wish that were the case (not coming between us). Sadly, she opted not to apologize, and instead has expressed how pissed off she is at me for not apologizing for situations in the past when I was insensitive to her (none of which I remember-bad memory here-nor was she specific). I’ve cooled off now, and can see the perspective that you mention. It doesn’t change how I first felt, but I think my emotional day shook me up enough that I overreacted.
“Been” in seawater? Did the battery boil? If you rinsed it ASAP in clean water and then maybe left it in a bowl of uncooked rice overnight it might be OK.
Katherine Lorraine, I second the idea of going to a GP, explaining the panic attacks, and trying to get a note for short-term disability or adjusted hours — and ask for recommendations to therapists. He should give you a list. Also your local mental health center can give you a list of people who are accepting patients. I agree that you don’t need to tell them what the problem is, just that you’ve been under a lot of stress and are seeking treatment.
I remember lugging one of these home so I could work at home and take care of a sick child.
Tony, good for you and I hope it works out. I hope that a lot of sensual cuddling will bring K out of his shell. Slow & steady wins the race.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/video/health_2/1112544364/vodka_tampons_latest_teen_fad/
WTF? Is this even possible? Wouldn’t it burn like hell?
Nigel, congratulations on the grandson! Best to your daughter and son-in-law.
Vodka. Tampons. OH HELL NO! I speak sort of from experience. Once when we were young and foolish, my partner and I considered thus: “Chocolate sauce? Damn fool fluffy stuff. WHISKY!” That was a very bad idea. Lucky there was a shower close by.
OK, more caught up now.
Congrats to Nigel on the grandbub, and best wishes to Tony. Good luck also to Joe & Bossnurse. Crossing my fingers and all!
Katherine, have some hugs, and never forget to breathe! Take it slow and deep. (ooh err) Seeing a therapist isn’t a commitment to the very last step, and doesn’t commit you to coming out to anyone except the actual therapist zerself. I’m sure you know that perfectly well, but your panicky brain isn’t listening and instead is spamming you with shouty nonsense “Step foot into therapist door = ZOMG COMING OUT & LOSING JOB & FAMILY DISOWNING ME!!!” This is not actually true. Seeing a therapist can help you to separate the helpful and unhelpful thoughts, so go already! Make “just go see the therapist” into your first goal.
Also, would you really lose your job if you came out as transitioning? It could well be true, but it *need* not be. If they truly appreciate your expertise and aren’t a bunch of total asshats, you might be OK. (I don’t know, obviously, but might you perhaps be catastrophising?)
Good morning
Oh dear, I suppose my mum in law is the world champion at making herself feel bad. They took the kids to a birthday on Wednesday. She was very worried before that the kids wouldn’t like it.
They loved it because there was a trampolin in the garden.
Then she was very worried that they’d fall asleep in the car.
Well, they didn’t, they were still too exited.
Now she’s sorry that they were still too exited and didn’t sleep the minute they were put to bed…
Tony
Hmm, I have nothing clever to say, but hugs. That must have been tough for both of you.
Nigel the Grandpa
Yay for you, daughter, freshly minted dad and little nameless boy!
FossilFishy
Well, we’d decided on a name long before the kids were born (OK, I had decided on one, Mr. was allowed to agree ;). No, he really did agree with girl-names, we only had big troubles fiding boy-names)
#1’s pretty unusual (actually, it’s Portugese), but it’s pronounced the way it’s written. It’s amazing how many people can simply ignore a written N or assume that the child’s own mum can’t spell the name correctly and turn it into a more common name with an L in that place..
The little one’s is easier ’cause it’s the heroine of a children’s book by Astrid Lindgren (and actually no real name at all but the version the German translators made up).
Come to think of it, both kids have not-names.
Well…
The BossNurse is now the DrivingNurse. She’s packed her shit and left the building, off for a 30 day adventure in parts unknown, with the option to renew. Sweet crispy chocolate covered caramel Christ on a stick, I’m going to miss her. Skype is our friend! That is, if I can find my webcam and fix my headset.
Malaysia holds seminars to help teachers spot ‘gay children’:
As one of the commentators pointed out, the “unhealthy” really should be quoted, even if it is in the context of a paraphrase of a bigot’s quote.
Europeans are finally considering taxing church properties.
US election system criticised over finance rules and voting restrictions:
I suspect the wingnuts will probably go apeshite whining about furiin interference and so on. In fact, they’re already showing up in the comments; e.g., “Kofi Annan in charge of a ‘commission’ assessing US elections? What a joke” (also note the ‘scare quotes’ around commission). Not sure if the UN’s black helicopters have shown up yet, but there is nonetheless a good collection of lies.
Oh, hi, everybody. Just wanted to see if I can post in this thread because the last two comments I tried to post in other threads went *poof* into the void after I hit “submit comment.”
And congratulations, nigel!!!!
Italy’s current government of technocrats announced plans to actually do so — at least for “commercial” properties — back in c.February. (I have no idea of the current status.) The possible limitation of just “commercial” properties would seem to leave open an escape route so large the entire Starfleet could wrap through, especially when dealing with the extremely arrogant, profoundly dishonest, and wealthy Rape Children Cult.
I am empowercorded again.
Carrot died yesterday. I’m fine, this was not unexpected. He was a very intelligent and sweet boy and we’re lucky to have had him for the 64 days he lived. He bruxed and boggled right up to the end.
Sympathies about Carrot…
(Wonders what is done with a forty-foot long corpse.)
Did
youIgor get enough powercords to feed all the monsters this time?Congrats to Nigel and all concerned, and to Improbable Joe and wife!
Caine,
Very sorry to hear about Carrot.
blf:
No, Igor spent a bit of time ingeniously using duct tape to make sure there would be no jacking on when it comes to the laptop cord.
Zombie Apocalypse Training Offer At Combat Zone In Surrey http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/13/zombie-apocalypse-training-surrey_n_1882630.html
— — — — — — —
Bah! Get motorcycle gear, and supplement the helmet with a “flange” of leather to protect the neck, and you are practically zombie-proof.
It is worse dealing with big critters that can crush you with their jaws without breaking your skin. Mutant ursines with a bit of primate DNA is what I am currently working on
— — — — — —
I think the big deal about the new Kepler discovery was that there is a whole multi-planetary system orbiting a binary star. While single planets have been found orbiting binaries before, this new discovery means binaries may have as big and diverse planetary systems as other stars (providing the binaries orbit each other at close range).
Caine,
I am very sad to hear Carrot has passed away.
Oh Tony I’m sorry :( Maybe her anger will cool … dunno, it doesn’t sound to me as if what you did was anything more than potentially slightly annoying, but of course I don’t know your history with your sister. Perhaps if she had some idea of how much upheaval you’d been through … ?
.
Markita Lynda, I’m not 100% certain about the battery, but there are corrosion marks visible on some contacts so it’s probably knackered. This was my dearly beloved SonSpawn who was far far away from home at the time; I didn’t know about the accident until considerably later – they did the bowl of rice thing, but hadn’t rinsed it. Oh well, at least it was the only casualty of his trip – all humans involved are safe and sound :). And he just has to do without now – the SIM survived, fortunately, and he’s using an old brick-type handset for emergencies now he’s at his new school. He really loved that phone (it was a combined birthday-plus-doing-really-well-in-an-exam-he-worked-hard-for present), and I’m glad to say he has not breathed one peep about it – completely accepts the consequences of his mistake (he forgot he had it in his pocket for a moment, at the beach).
.
Caine I’m so sorry about Carrot. You made his short life as happy and as comfortable as it could possibly have been {{hugs}}
Caine, I’m sorry to hear about Carrot.
Caine
I’m sorry to hear about Carrot :(
+++
In good news, France is at least shutting down the Fessenheim nuclear plant within the next four years. Oldest one in France, constantly producing small accidents and built on the fucking Rhine-split, potential earthquake territory. Just because the last major earthquake has been a few hundred years ago doesn’t mean they won’t happen ever again, duh.
Now, if they could please close down Cattenom next? One of the biggest plants in France, very effective at producing emergency shutdowns…
‘Moving to Sweden doesn’t mean winning the romance lottery’ http://www.thelocal.se/43164/20120911/
Hmmm…In the northern rural parts a lot of the girls have moved to the cities in the south. There is a huge surplus of more or less desperate guys. But many of those guys might be uncomfortably close to the stereotype of American Southern rural guys named “Bubba”.
(which reminds me of the rapper version of “We Are Farmers”)
— — — — — — —
The immense cost of a nuke plant is currently a strong argument against nuclear power.
Is the plumbing of the heat exchangers the most costly part of nuclear powerplants?? If there was a standardised design, you could probably bring cost down by assembling the heat exchangers in a factory environment (with lasers to ensure minimal tolerances) move the stuff to the construction site on the back of an Antonov-225 or a hoovercraft capable of lifting 200 tons.
The reactor vessel might likewise be prefabricated in segments.
And none of these umpteenth-generation powerplants that may have technological frills but cost as much as the budget of a medium-sized nation.
The mid-life upgrade might likewise be achieved by ripping out the heat exchanger and slotting in a new “cassette”.
Not a panacea, but might take some of the load off solar power until that technology is fully competitive.
(yes, I know the technology is developing fast, I was thinking “belts and suspenders” in case one energy system does not evolve fast enough)
So sorry, Caine. Poor Carrot.
I heard from a pretty reliable source (guy that operates lab electronic equipment), that isopropyl alcohol can work wonders in cases like this. It’s apparently a good solvent for removing salt deposits, but not aggresive enough to solve phone itself – at least not immediately. Also it evaporates fast and without forming droplet with high concentration of salts (like water tend to do). You should dunk the phone into isopropyl alcohol (obviously, removing battery first) and let it soak for hour or so, so it will flush any deposits and then let it dry for a day. Battery probably needs replacement. It probably won’t help much if metal parts are corroded, but if the problem is salts deposited on electronic parts, it migh help.
Carrot, ouch. It was good while you lived.
Giliell: partially; it is the old nuclear plants that are problematic (but less so than spewing radionuclides from coal) But they do provide a base load. The new ones, however, are expensive. :/
Nub Flag: ON
But then again, waste. It’s a major clusterfuck.
Excavations in Jaffa confirm presence of Egyptian settlement on the ancient city site http://phys.org/news/2012-09-excavations-jaffa-presence-egyptian-settlement.html -It seems to me that the only well-organised polity (beyond city-states) to exist in the area prior to the ninth century was Egypt and its garrison settlements.
Surgery has a more profound effect than anesthesia on brain pathology and cognition in Alzheimer’s animal model (an inflammatory process?)
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-surgery-profound-effect-anesthesia-brain.html -I know elderly that have rapidly lost cognitive function after surgery.
Thank you, puppygod, might be worth a try! (though it looks too far gone – probably some corrosion :( ).
Where/how can a person-in-the-street get hold of isopropyl alcohol, will they sell me half a litre at the chemist’s in the high street?
Oh, and completely unrelated – can any of our francophones help me out with the meaning of “RR“?
I’m familiar with RAS = rien a signaler, but dunno this one and can’t find it anywhere yet. Context is answering a survey question about your opinions of various different advertisements/packaging designs for a product.
Yeah, it’s riveting stuff :)
Re corrosion: I once successfully rehabilitated a phone that had been out in the rain by taking it apart and gently rubbing the rust off the thin metal bits under the keyboard with fine steel wool.
But it was a Nokia of some generations back, with rather big keyboard bits compared to today’s Blackberries, so that’s probably only practical now if you’ve teeny, tiny fingers and incredible patience.
Caine, sorry to hear about Carrot. I;m glad he had you to take care of him for his short life.
How are the other rats taking it?
Two thoughts: Why the hell am I watching tennis? And, the theme from the Spiderman cartoon really is a fine bit of composition. Must go to bed….
Giliell, People here most often add an extra vowel to the small fry’s name when saying it out loud. Spelling it usually fixes that. It seems to be an Australian thing, I don’t remember it happening back in Canada. I don’t regret our decision at all, and truth be told, many of her cohort’s names sound just as strange to my ear as I’m sure her’s does to their parents. Hearing all her kinder class’ names the first time I volunteered there brought on a sudden ‘Where the hell am I?’ moment of disorientation. Mind you, so do the upsides down light switches even after being here almost five years.
Caine, very sorry to hear about Carrot.
Tony, best of luck to your travelling nurse. Being apart can be hard, but comng back together again rocks. Here’s hoping that this is the beginning of the end of your financial woes.
If a phone wasn’t underwater too long you might be lucky enough that soaking it in distilled water will remove any salt deposits, but added shaking will help there – we use an ultra-sonic cleaner similar to the machine used by jewelers and opticians. Alcohol might be risky since it may attack plastic parts, so test it somewhere unimportant before soaking your phone in it. Acetone (aka nail polish remover) is great too but that really can dissolve some plastics, so again use caution and test somewhere it wont matter. Warm soapy water is always safest – just rinse with distilled (or de-mineralised) water after cleaning and before drying.
Batteries have the problem that the contents (Lithium in particular) overheat and possibly explode when water is added, so if there is any crack or split in the battery you’re SOL. Minor corrosion on contacts or terminals can be removed with a very fine emery board or wet & dry grade sandpaper – just remember you want to remove the corrosion, not the contact.
On the upside of life the legal department of the evil corporate empire that owns my soul has decided to apply for a patent for one of my crazy WTF ideas! 55 years old and finally my evil genius gets some recognition :D:D:D:D:D:D:D
If a phone wasn’t underwater too long you might be lucky enough that soaking it in water will remove any salt deposits, but added shaking will help there – we use an ultra-sonic cleaner similar to the machine used by jewelers and opticians. Alcohol might be risky since it may attack plastic parts, so test it somewhere unimportant before soaking your phone in it. Acetone (aka nail polish remover) is great too but that really can dissolve some plastics, so again use caution and test somewhere it wont matter. Warm soapy water is always safest – just rinse with distilled (or de-mineralised) water after cleaning and before drying – this will prevent spotting.
Batteries have the problem that the contents (Lithium in particular) overheat and possibly explode when water is added, so if there is any crack or split in the battery you’re SOL. Minor corrosion on contacts or terminals can be removed with a very fine emery board or wet & dry grade sandpaper – just remember you want to remove the corrosion, not the contact.
On the upside of life the legal department of the evil corporate empire that owns my soul has decided to apply for a patent for one of my crazy WTF ideas! 55 years old and finally my evil genius gets some recognition :D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Poor Carrot.
thunk
I’m not that much worried about the cost, I’m worried about the damn things melting down.
You’re pretty young, but I grew up in a world where nuclear power was safe.
Then it became a world where western/capitalist nuclear power was safe
Now it’s a world where non-Japanese western nuclear power is safe.
I have no interest in seeing it become a world in which nuclear power non-Japanese, non-French, no older than 30 years, western nuclear power is safe.
Especially not living in one of the evacuation zones…
… I could add: the general disposability and semi-serviceability of modern high-tech always kinda bothers me. As an inveterate tinkerer, my first impulse is always to repair stuff. For a host of reasons. One is not so much practical… Tho’ I guess I could argue it has some benefits, it’s really mostly just that I like taking stuff apart and reassembling it (see also Pirsig). Another is, y’know, any good tool does slowly become a part of you, mold to you (and you to it) as you work with it, and breaking something else in, customizing and so on and making it work with my fingers and brain is a whole process…
And then the part of my brain that does math steps in to say: ‘yes, you can get a replacement bit for this shipped for this much (or crazier still machined) for this much, or you could hack up a driver or whatever for this bit here yourself, but you do realize a whole new unit of later generation with twice the clock rate is now available on Ebay for like $50 less than that, right?’ And the two bits get into this whole philosophical thing, and I have to ask: okay, cost versus benefit, and how much am I discarding if I just say to hell with it and go new, how much trouble is it going to be making the new unit work my way…
There was a William Gibson novel had some ruminations on this a while back. Think it was Idoru, tho’ I’m not sure now. One of the bizarre and loveable artifacts was an oddball laptop with a custom case and external keycaps made out of, if I recall correctly, cut stone. As my current laptop is also a bit of a chimera now (tho’ less dramatically than that), the notion has always held a special place in my heart.
On behbeh names:
Nigel:
*fingers crossed for ‘Gavin’*, but if he’s going to be Nehemiah, here’s hoping for a “plain” middle name. :)
Mr Darkheart and I have already picked a name for DarkFetus– the hardest part was whittling out all of the religious names. Thankfully, I’ve got some really good family names of long dead relatives (she’ll be named for my great-granddad and my grandmama).
Thank you very much, markr1957. The battery looks ok, but there seems to be damage to the [eh, goldy-looking bits and stuff inside, what do I know] in the form of powdery greenish deposits (could maybe rub these off w ultra-fine wire wool or something) but, worse than that, something oily has ruptured somewhere and there’s one spot that looks like an electrical burn (like inside a shorted-out plug). As you can see, we’ve opened it up already on the grounds that there was almost certainly nothing left to lose :-/
Hey, congratulations on your patent pending!
AJ Milne, yes! I hate throwing things away when 90% of them still works, hate it with a passion. My OH is totally into taking apart the two-and-a-half broken ones and cobbling the bits together into one that works (and a leftover quarter for next time). But also yes, if it’s something you really need and the new one is (sometimes massively) cheaper than repairing the old … but I hate what it does to our “relationship” with the material world generally and my little scraps of tech in particular :(
Caine
I’m so sorry about Carrot.
Does Tethys know?
*hugs* for Caine. I know you gave Carrot the happiest and most comfortable life possible.
Audley:
Sadly, no.
Nehemiah Isaiah Ezekiel. Yep. A triple-scoop old-testament helping of schoolground pain.
Strange thing is, it’s not exactly because of religious reasons. Sure, they’re both Christians, but that’s not the reason. It’s because a rabbi friend of theirs said it means something along the lines of, “The generation of change.” Near as I can tell, it’s one name meaning “Comforter,” and two names roughly meaning, “God bless.”
On the plus side, he has a fairly uncommon name. He won’t run into too many other Nehemiahs in his life.
Nigel:
Oh. Huh.
Well, he’ll be a delight even if his name is, ah, unique. And who knows? Maybe he’ll grow into it. I’m picturing a bearded toddler, here. :D
That’s quite some triple-scoop. My Spawn have three too, but including at least one “plain” one each. If he were to want a “plain” option later, would it work where you are to go by Zeke? (I have no idea what that sounds like to most people’s ears, so I hope it doesn’t sound all wrong in any way).
*HUGS*, Caine.
I like Zeke.
Audley:
Now I am, too. And smiling. Thanks for that. (Not that I’m disappointed — I’m really not. Just a bit confounded.)
opposablethumbs:
Zeke. That’s an excellent suggestion.
Not if you ever want to go to Germany
Looks like “Zecke” = tik
Nehemeiah. Heh, he could be “Neo” :)
Giliell, what do you mean by tik? Tick like the blood-sucking insect (or is it an arachnid?) or tick like a clock?
:-D
Isaiah = Izzy? Hard to come up with a nickname for Nehemiah.
Um, that was :-D @ Nigel. I didn’t know about the German homophone. (intra-linguistic homophones, the bane of would-be name-suggesters everywhere!)
Giliell:
That’d be pronounced “zek-eh” though, correct? Rather than “zeek”?
Thank you all for the sympathies. ♥
Trinioler, the other rats are fine. They knew Carrot was ill. They were all caring and protective of him while he was alive.
Chigau, I don’t know if Tethys knows about Carrot. I feel worse for her than I do for myself.
Nigel:
I’ve been confounded by baby name choices, too, but that’s okay. :) I’m thinking of a friend of my 4 year old niece whose name is ‘Dashiell’– yes, it’s a famous author’s name, but no one actually liked The Maltese Falson that much.
But, this isn’t exactly a new thing. I went to high school with a girl named ‘Sparkle’.
I’m so sorry, Caine.
Every time I see Nehemiah, my brain follows it up with Esther and Job. Thanks, Bible memorization lessons.
*sees photo on main page*
*squees and squees and squees*
*leaves*
TSECK-keh.
Yes; and yes, it’s an arachnid. A mite, to be exact.
Now that’s downright cruel and inhuman. As a name a person has to live with all their life? Ow.
Audley:
In high school, I knew a Moonglow (girl) and Starshine (boy). Moonglow never had one nice thing to say about her parents. Starshine didn’t seem to give a shit about his name, he was a jock (possibly contrary to his parents’ expectations, eh?)
Opposablethumbs:
Yep, ‘Sparkle’ isn’t a nickname– it is her legal name and is (was?) the name that she went by.
To make things even weirder: she spent time in prison for aggravated assault (or something similar). It’s bad enough to be saddled with ‘Sparkle’ out in public, but prison? *shudder!*
I would just like to mention that there is no evidence that I exist.
Nehemiah=nini (pronounce neenee)
Zecke could have issues if he/her wants to do business in Russia
In response to the post @38, I’ll back up comments I posted to the Let’s Not Get Confused thread yesterday with more info noting that we need to separate the attacks in Benghazi from protests at other embassies.
Most of the other protests, while they look pretty bad, are fairly moderate. They don’t have rocket-propelled grenades and they are not murdering people.
On NPR this morning the reporting still blamed all unrest on the stupid affront to art that was the anti-muslim film (my summary of dubious dubbing).
In Benghazi, that’s not true.
History, previous attacks in Benghazi, eyewitness accounts and more:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49027233
Backing up the above, Richard Engel in Cairo:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49027304
There’s a woman in my lab named Echo.
It is not a nickname.
More backup for the news that the Benghazi attack was not a protest against the film:
Link.
Meanwhile, the Romney team is saying that if he had been president things would have been different.
Link to Indepenent (UK) source.
Oh! I also have a customer named “Sunday”. She goes by “Sunny”.
Kansas is going full bore Birther. The state election board is considering removing Obama from the ballot.
Kris Kobach is the guy responsible (Link is to Talking Points Memo article). Like Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett who also threatened to keep Obama off the ballot, Kobach is a mormon. Maybe he’s just stupid without mormonism, but it is hard to tell.
Huff Po version of the story.
In Ketchikan, there was the Balls twins, Red and Harry. (True story!)
My wife keeps a list of bad names. It’s a really long list. Demonangel is on that list. As is Chardonnay.
Lynna:
Is it just me, or is the entire country nuttier than a Planters factory?
This election has really brought out the industrial-grade stupidity.
Nigel:
My husband keeps a list of unique names, too! Mostly for gaming purposes.
My favorite that he’s found so far: Hercules Lobo.
So would someone named “Monday” go by “Loony”?
There actually was a sort-of famous guy named “Looney”. Perhaps appropriately, he was a religious nutter, but is best-known for being one of the leading fools in the Shakespeare-didn’t-write-Shakespeare mob.
Audley:
Now that’s fun. “Me and YOOOOU and a dog named Cerberus…”
Very much so.
I sometimes wonder what might be the overall effect on our brains of the pace of material change in the world. And what you can actually do about it…
Thing is: processors do get faster and more capable in other ways, and insert essay trying and failing to describe the general pace of this and the general pace in other innovations at present here. And, actually, as I make my money making them, actually, it’d be a mite hypocritical to complain much. And, realistically, opting out isn’t really an option. The world will move on, and the new stuff will have benefits, too…
But I wonder if it doesn’t create a sense (and reality) of impermanence about everything. It’s riding a metaphorical wave, and while it’s fun and exhilarating and you can go far, it’s also pretty scary. And wasteful, much of the time. And as I think we do form a sort of relationships with our tools and/or toys, it’s a bit like having to attend regular funerals…
My way of grappling with it has generally been to try to get to know my technology as well as I can, work with it, customize it, make it more my own, make it last a little more than it might otherwise. My phone is rooted, and run some of my own software. Got Debian on this laptop, also running lots of bits I actually wrote. Try as much as possible to make the technology work for me, rather than letting it dictate the terms too entirely. Works for me partly because I’m in the industry and capable enough in those domains; not everyone has the time or resources.
It’s like it’s almost a luxury in this world spending time on things, finessing them, making them to last. That laptop enclosure Gibson’s describing would actually be an insanely luxurious indulgence in terms of cost, whether you made it yourself or commissioned it. And who knows how long you’d really keep it running as peripheral standards moved and it got harder and harder to fit the guts into it (in his vision, I believe, the innards got upgraded sorta haphazardly, a bit like with desktops and servers built on standard boards, and, of course, exactly the same thing happens with those–you can upgrade for a while, but eventually the only bit you’ve got left from the beginning is one effectively obsolete hard drive running on a legacy card in a legacy slot because the disk interface isn’t even available on modern motherboards, everything else goes out in sporadic fits as the standards move too far to accommodate).
Sure, the longer-term reality of the universe is impermanence. It all burns out anyway; you’re kidding yourself if you forget that entirely. But our current era has a way especially of keeping that so very much right in our faces. And you can’t even get to know things before they’re on the way to recycling or the landfill.
Get to thinking my dream job would be doing something like making those enclosures, or stuff in the general category. Things made almost pointlessly beautiful and durable, made to last as tho’ you might be using it 300 years from now, just to take it a little easier on people, in doing so.
Just the other day I was reading an article about Jamie Oliver (wiki bio). His four kids are named Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, and Buddy Bear Maurice.
Seriously.
At least the other three have one regular (and quite nice) name each, but Petal Blossom Rainbow is fucked.
Whoops! And Apologies. In my comments at #166 I identified Kris Kobach as mormon. He is not. He is Anglican.
Bennett is the mormon dude.
Kobach is a Harvard grad. Southern Poverty Law Center has a long bio on this guy.
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/publications/when-mr-kobach-comes-to-town/the-man-a-biography-of-kris-kobach
Mitt Romney also has a Huntington connection.
Salted or unsalted? Or otherwise flavoured?
(Probably pea-and-horse flavouring…)
Sparkle Plenty was a character in the Dick Tracy comics.
Another excursion into the back alleys of Mitt Romney’s brain:
According to the Census Bureau, the actual median income in the USA is about $50,000.
Romney followed up his misinformation on middle income with this:
This is one of Romney’s “because I said so” moments.
Almost every economist says the numbers don’t add up in Romney’s tax plan. Several economists have tried mightily to make the numbers work. Yesterday Harvey Rosen, an economics professor at Princeton, weighed in.
Romney has done this before. He makes the assumption that stating general principles obviates the need to state specifics. And he assumes the universe will magically conform to his general principles.
Steve Benen, writing for The Maddow Blog, summarizes Mitt Romney’s problem with taxes, expenditures, details, and Harvey Rosen:
Fixed.
AJ Milne, I only wish I had the skills/knowledge to do even a fraction of that.
I also wonder (um, get off my lawn?) whether it affects people’s attitudes to conservation and natural resources generally, if we unconsciously start to see the whole material world as “throwaway”. Maybe we start to expect or assume ultra-fast obsolescence in other fields too; it might actually make sense not to fix some types of appliance, but does that distract us from the fact that it does make sense to make other types of things to be longer-lasting.
Maybe the thing to focus on is quality of content, and I’m just being hung-up on the throw-away nature of the support media.
We probably need much more emphasis on recycling … preferably not by exposing kids in some parts of the world to toxins as we ship out mountains of broken computer parts :(
And now for the important stuff: Every Doctor Who villain since 1963.
Remember those dishonest ads from Romney that depicted Obama as gutting the work requirements in the welfare act? Well, now the Republicans are really trying to gut the work requirements. No irony here, nope, none at all.
Link.
More Republicans seizing on conditions in Egypt to out themselves as dimwits.
Uh …. whut?
Here’s how Romney is preparing for the debates: he is telling everyone that Obama is going to lie.
“I just pray that Americans will open their eyes between now and November when they know that they’ll have to make that choice between free stuff or freedom. You can’t have both.” — Sarah Palin
“I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy — more free stuff.” — Mitt Romney
Since portions of Obamacare have gone into effect, seniors and disabled people have saved about $4 billion in reduced prescription drug costs, and nearly 13 million families received about $1 billion in rebates from insurance companies that were spending too much of their premiums on CEO salaries, etc. and not enough on health care.
I guess you could call that “free stuff,” but is looks more like “reasonable stuff” with no loss of freedom unless you count the loss of insurance company freedom to run what are basically scams.
#186 Lynna
I have no idea about senior drug savings but please give a cite for the $1 billion in rebates since it is my understanding that it hasn’t taken effect yet.
I would just like you all to know that I’m at the stage in my pregnancy where DarkFetus can kick me in the bladder and punch me in the diaphragm at the same time. O.o
*twirls back in*
Audley – I can’t even imagine that… O.o
Now that I’m on a two consecutive day work schedule, I remember why I hated work. Pay is about the same*. Smirk.
*slave wage vs volunteer
Caine, I’m very sorry about Carrot.
TLC, I can’t watch video at work, but (1) tampons soaked in alcohol are not new, and (2) a lot of bullshit about “the latest teen fads” gets circulated to hype up moral panics.
Esteleth:
Echo was a nymph in Greek mythology, so it’s not as “out there” as Sparkle or Moonglow.
Nigel the Bold:
For a minute I thought you were talking about Harry Baals.
Just remember, everybody, we’re not supposed to criticize people with stupid names. Natalie Reed sez . (Yeah, right… then again, she also once claimed that furries and should be countered as “queer” and therefore oppressed. So, uh, yeah.)
Art Vandelay never seems to say anything that isn’t bigoted. Perhaps he could go work for the government of Malaysia (see blf’s link at #103 above).
Shockingly, the Boston Heil-ald wrote about Glen Doherty without mentioning the MRFF at all. And they’re not alone. If you Google news on “Glen Doherty MRFF,” the only news site that mentions the affiliation is HuffPo.
I caught the end of a news segment about Glen on Nice Polite Republicans this morning. Nothing about the MRFF. That would’ve given Babs Bradford Hagerty a big ol’ sad, I guess.
Oh hey. Apparently Christians are mad at Dr Pepper: http://wonkette.com/484178/the-lord-jesus-hates-dr-pepper-and-you-should-too#more-484178
Patricia:
Imagine if you had really bad gas that had the ability to punch you. Kind of like that.
Counted, not “countered.” I previewed ‘n’ everything.
Studying biosamples at ‘supercold’ temperatures—without freezing—now a reality http://phys.org/news/2012-09-biosamples-supercold-temperatureswithout-freezingnow-reality.html
A lithium chloride solution like this is almost certainly toxic, but it would be fascinating if some organs or tissue types could be stored at -200 without frezing, and without being ruined by toxicity.
Of course, the first application will be the study of proteins.
(some evil application for octopi fetuses?)
— — — — — — — — —
“Well, am I going to spend my time correcting things that aren’t quite accurate? ”
Romney could cut down on debate falsehoods by 90% just by being silent.
Oh ha ha! Christers are mad at Skittles, too! http://dangerousminds.net/comments/wait_are_christians_are_supposed_to_boycott_skittles_now_too
I like this advertising trend of trolling Christian funadmentalists.
Audley – Ugggh! No wonder women get to a certain stage and constantly say, I just want this over!
We have a staff meeting today, which means I could fill three bingo cards in an hour. My schedule got changed so I can fill in for our future mayor. Brings on a chuckle every Wednesday, I’m filling in so he can run his flashy campaign, .
Oh, thanks Caine . I think I get it now.
Audley:
DarkFetus is getting ready to star in Kickpuncher: The Beginning.
Patricia:
Yes indeedy! I am so impatient to have the pregnancy over with ‘cos it’s so damned uncomfortable.
Improbable Joe:
I didn’t know you were a Community fan! You should be super jealous of me: I have a Changlorious Basterds t shirt. :)
Best of luck to BossNurse, btw!
Audley, I AM super jealous of you!
And if I believed in luck, I’d say all of you saved my wife’s life this morning, since there was a ridiculously horrendous crash that happened right in front of her this morning on her way to Parts Unknown. A pickup truck pulling a trailer lost control, the truck barrel-rolled to the left, the trailer swung to the right and off the overpass into traffic below, and my wife managed to slow down before hitting either.
…why not?
Jesus, Joe! Glad she’s okay.
*smirk* I have a
very quitelarge BAZINGA! on the front of my t-shirt. Does that count?Caine, sorry about Carrot. Sad, even though expected. *hug*
–
Patricia,
I think you win! My t shirt today is a rather boring plain grey. :(
Azkyroth:
…
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Kink isn’t sexual identity or orientation. Neither is thinking you’re a turnip. Neither makes you vulnerable to persecution or oppression, no matter what certain pathetic individuals on the net think.
Tl;dr: Special snowflake != oppressed person.
This is old news about James Randi’s partner (effectively his husband for a quarter-century now), but I just learned about it and wanted to share that he, Deyvi Orangel Pena Arteaga, was sentenced to six months of house arrest plus three years of probation in late May 2012 for committing identity theft/U.S. passport fraud under the name Jose Luis Alvarez (via Sun Sentinel). So many freethinkers and skeptics came to his side in court, and it was demonstrated even to prosecutors that he had never used the passport for anything other than foreign travel and not getting deported, that the judge’s heart was softened enough to hand down such a light sentence. It’s so sad that Randi had to go through all of this.
According to the article, there is still the threat of a deportation to Venezuela looming over Pena’s head, but at least this awful part of it is over.
Fuckital. Need to rant.
It is that time of year again, so I went by the Handy-Dandy Local Convenience Store / Pharmacy, marched up to the counter, and requested an influenza vaccination. The clerk nodded agreeably and requested that I step around over this way and talk with the pharmacist, oh and here are some forms to read, please check here, here, here, and here, and sign there.
Done and done.
Hand over my insurance card, it is run, and…
“I’m sorry, this seems to have terminated August 31.”
WHAT.
She re-runs it, then gets on the phone. Confirmation: my insurance terminated August 31.
Paid OOP for the vaccination (only $10, am agreeable), then marched over to University Health Services and demanded an explanation.
Oh yes, they said, post-doc insurance now runs September 1 – August 31. Why wasn’t I told this (say in mid-August)? Well, they’re very busy, don’t I know, and besides a notice was posted on their website.
One flurry of paperwork later, including having to dash over to the Department office to get a few signatures and a requisition form (because the Dept. pays the bill, nice of them), and the nice lady at the insurance office was very apologetic, apparently there’s a liaison to make sure the undergrads are kept in the loop, and another for the grad students, and another for the med students, and another for the faculty, and another for the staff, but the post-docs are left to fend for themselves. Because. The lady at the office agreed this doesn’t really make sense, but she’s not in policy-setting position. However, she’ll run the paperwork today, and I’ll get the new card in 5-10 days, and not to worry if I have a need before then, because I’ll have coverage.
GRRR
With title tag this time:
Kink isn’t sexual identity or orientation. Neither is thinking you’re a turnip. Neither makes you vulnerable to persecution or oppression, no matter what certain pathetic individuals on the net think.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/09/conventional-forensic-theory-on-order-of-bugs-that-feast-on-corpses-upended.html
geographic anomaly, more beetles per square measurement than flies on a northern prairie, any real bug watchers want to chime in?
Azkyroth: You have got to be kidding me. Seriously?
Hrm, I tripped the spam filter somehow trying to share old news. What I wanted to say was that James Randi’s partner, Pena, was sentenced in May 2012 to six months house arrest and three years probation after his conviction for identity theft of Jose Alvarez, which to me is good news. I don’t think it could get any better than that. Pena could still be deported, though. Would post the link, but I’m not sure if that is what caused my attempted comment to be eaten as spam.
I think I have something in my eye.
Oh, I love the “it was on our website” excuse. You get it everywhere. Apparently, one is supposed to regularly check websites of every government office imaginable, in case there is some important news.
E,
Good lord. What incompetence.
On that note, I convinced my crunchy granola “natural cures are the best cures!” mom to get a flu shot. I didn’t even have to pull out the big guns– withholding DarkFetus visits.
Now, if I can just convince her to get her dogs into obedience training, we’ll be all set!
I’d argue that for some people kink is absolutely orientative. It may be relatively easily hidden, but it’s still orientation for a substantial portion of those who practice kink. That said, it’s a relatively minor axis of oppression, to the point that I think bringing it up is often derailing.
E, USSC has explained that changing terms and the only notice is an update on a website is a nono
Good evening
Alethea
What David said. Probably one of my better Tpyos
++++
I always thought that children should have the right to sue their parents over ridiculous names…
Worst one I’ve seen: Malicia
Another trend seems to be to use one and the same name for your daughter and you son. Like they’re not really individuals…
Audley
#1 had the tendency to kick me in the liver and punch me in the bladder at the same time. Still love her…
Ms. Daisy
I think we should show compassion for people with very stupid names. Unless, of course, they chose them themselves.
Only 5% of Americans have a total household income (not individual, but total household) of $200k and up according to the 2010 census. Maybe Mitt’s not using “middle” in the way that anyone else uses it.
Community starts up again on Oct. 19, same as Rhinebeck.
And here is James Randi’s heartbreaking letter to the judge retelling the circumstances that influenced Pena to take up someone else’s identity: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bw9A1pR0EQa8bVJ4NHZUX19tdzQ/edit
Muse, I’m kinky myself and … let’s say, it started emerging in early childhood, so there may be something to your claim about it being orientative. But, yes, it’s relatively minor in the grand scheme of oppression.
It’s also not inherently gender-nonconforming. Male dom with female sub is very patriarchally compliant.
Giliell:
Oh, sure. If their parents chose the names, their parents should be the target of contempt. Jamie Oliver, for example.
Caine: I’m so fucking sorry about Carrot. You did everything you could for the poor kid.
Daisy: Fucking furries*!! The only ones I’ve ever run across are on the net, and they uniformly had a chip on their shoulder about their so-called persecution. It is something I’ve seen with… furries, trans people, and libertarians** are the big three that I’ve seen pull the same sort of odd “I’m being oppressed” thing.
Here’s the script: show up on a message board devoted to general topics, and lead off within their first 20 or so posts with “I’m a furry, and I don’t know why people don’t like me. I hope you people don’t discriminate against people like me because I face so much discrimination boo-hoo woe is me. The ‘nilla world doesn’t have room for us furries why aren’t you people more understanding and open minded?” Then the person waits for the first not-100% positive response(like “we don’t care about your kink” or “who are you again?” or “this is a website devoted to cooking… are you sure you’re in the right place?”), and then starts calling names until someone tells them to fuck off. At that point? PERSECUTION CONFIRMED!!
*I’m sure most furries are perfectly nice people who do what the majority of us do, which is keep our sex lives to ourselves when it isn’t directly relevant to the discussion at hand.
**Again, I’m bagging on the “I’m looking to provoke a negative reaction to confirm my victim status” type of person, not furries, trans people, or libertarians***.
***OK, I’m TOTALLY bagging on libertarians.
Muse @ #215: I’d argue very strongly against it. Orientation is not how you fuck. And to go that way leads to some wonderfully homophobic stereotypes. Also, kinky straight people are not the recipients of the specific homo/transphobia that LGBTQ+ people have been.They do not need to appropriate queer space.
Improbable Joe: Furries, trans* people and libertarians? One of these things is not like the others. Your disclaimer does not help. Like, a lot.
I know plenty of furries irl, and only one was a horrible drama-addled shitheap.
Joe, I would not group trans people in there. Violent discrimination is all too real, and unlike furriness this is not something people can (or should have to, obviously) keep hidden behind the bedroom door.
Technically, bobroxley, this isn’t a “change in terms” or anything. New insurance is the same as the old. They just changed the dates.
Also: I’m one of those people who reacts poorly to vaccinations. So now my left arm is stiff and painful.
In other WAY EXCITING news, it is “get your TB test” time. So in addition to a sore arm, I also have one of those little nodules subcutaneously on my forearm.
… even if they wanted to (keep it hidden), I mean.
Ms. Daisy
I think my snark was lost ;)
Good night, all of you
I-Joe:
One of these things is not like the others….
Joe, there is a difference between trans people, furries, and libertarians.
All three groups may in fact make statements to the effect that they are oppressed.
But!
One of those groups actually IS oppressed.
Rand Paul: Stealing From the Government Just Like Being a Jewish Family During the Holocaust
…
Oh, well, I was going to go home and drink heavily tonight anyway.
Joe- the homicide rate for trans people is huge, as is the suicide rate (1 in 3). And many of the murderers get acquitted or light sentences because hey, can’t blame them for being mad when they found out that person they were talking to was trans! And they are often legally denied the right to do simple things like use the proper bathroom facilities. There is definite oppression there.
Oh so threadrupt! The mega-fuckton of work due for my classes is limiting my ability to do anything outside of homework and the occasional break for the bathroom or a quick soup and sandwich.
Congrats and condolences, as needed.
—
My mother’s first choice for me was “January Joy.” *shudder*
My father wanted to name me after himself — two very old-fashioned male names that, no matter what you do, sound horrible when feminized and even more horrible when combined. *shudder*
Thankfully, my grandmothers prevailed and gave me one fairly common English female name (which Tommy Tutone managed to ruin completely for all of us) and one not-so-common French female name.
Aratina Cage.
I’m glad Randi’s partner wasn’t deported and I hope he won’t be in the future.
When José’s identity theft first came out, I remember people gleefully calling Randi a liar or saying how very disappointed they were in him. Seriously? Call me a romantic, but I found the story heartbreaking and if anything, helping his partner was a plus for Randi in my book.
Caine – Sorry about Carrot. :(
My given name is a pair of old family names, showing up all over the family tree.
It is also one of those names (due to changing fashions) that pretty much flat-out says O HAI MY PARENTS ARE SUPER-RELIGIOUS!
Which, TBH, they were at the time.
One of my sisters, when she was still a fetus, was going to be named Jonathan Michael. Because the sonogram tech was a moron.
When the time came, there was a sudden, “…oh.”
The doctor suggested naming her Jane Michelle, because that’s a nice name and it is essentially the female equivalent of Jonathan Michael.
My parents disagreed, because they already had a daughter with a name very similar to Jane.
So they reached into left field and went with a traditionally Welsh name, one with essentially no vowels.
Because.
(my sister is always telling me about how she has to spell her name to people – and about how when she talks to her Spanish-speaking clients she uses her middle name, because the “gwy” sound does not exist in Spanish).
Spouse and I jokingly toyed with the idea of using our respective great-grandmothers’ names for a girl, but would never think of actually saddling a poor child with it.
She would be Daisy Mae.
(non-Americans: see Lil’ Abner, and see The Dukes of Hazard)
Articles on Insurance rebates, beginning in August, 2012:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/health/policy/insurance-rebates-seen-as-early-benefit-of-health-care-law.html?pagewanted=all
July 30:
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/27/checks-come-as-surprise-under-obamacare/
Carlie, if I were named for my great-grandmothers, one of my names would be Zella.
In all honesty, I think I’d be okay with that.
Improbable Joe, I seriously thought you lumping trans people in with furries and libertarians was a typo at first. Apparently not.
I’ll also add, as a guy who used to rip on furries a lot… they don’t suffer anywhere near the oppression trans people do and many of them are insufferable with the ‘fursecution’ stuff, but I’d argue that maybe they deserve a tiny bit more slack than they’ve been getting.
I’ll admit, I don’t understand how furries are persecuted at all.
Trans*people, on the other hand? To deny that they are violently oppesssed is just… every shade of wrong.
Well, it’s not obvious to me why it would be either, but given the reaction the last few times I’ve tried to reason from what wasn’t obvious to me….
Lynna, OM thank you for the cites
Ooooh, platypi! Almost as cute as octopi! (yeah, I know, I know…)
I was almost named after my grandmother. She was called Helmi, which means Pearl in Finnish.
But I wasn’t, and things have been going to hell ever after.
—
Improbable Joe: I haven’t been commenting much here lately, but I’ve lurked whenever I have had time, and so far you have sounded like a very admirable character. So, shall we agree that your comment lumping trans people (and furries) with the libertarians was just a silly slip of your privilege? Happens to the best of us (well, happens to me often, but less now than before, because the nice people of Pharyngula have donated their time to try and educate me every now and then – not an easy task, but not impossible, either).
How not to do a science experiment.
@Beatrice
Yeah. A lot of people (even gay people) do not realize that binational same-sex relationships where the foreign-born half is not a permanent resident are actually illegal in the USA. Whereas an opposite-sex couple in most cases can marry each other if one is a citizen and allow the foreign-born spouse to become a green card holder, a same-sex couple simply declaring they love each other is grounds for deportation of a non-permanent resident (although President Obama has directed his administration to move such deportation hearings to the end of the list and to fight DOMA in court). And back when Randi and Pena fell in love, you can be damn sure Pena would have had to be in hiding or be deported! So it doesn’t matter how Pena would have stayed in the USA, it would have been illegal regardless. It’s sick and inhumane to treat people like that. So people who are disappointed in Randi really need to get a clue; this is one of those cases where “lying” before the law was necessary!
Just popping in for a quick hello to everyone. Haven’t been commenting much lately, since I’m very busy at the moment.
I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
Well… looks like I stepped in it.
It wasn’t a slip of privilege, mind you. It was a description of a phenomenon that I’ve seen on the Internet specific to individuals belonging to certain groups… but I clearly did a shit job explaining that I don’t think that membership in those groups has anything to do with the behavior. And since the group ID doesn’t matter to the thing I’m describing, I should have been more careful about the association I made. The people being assholes and picking a fight was the point, and being trans really has nothing to do with the larger point at all.
I was dumb, and I apologize to anyone I managed to splash my dumbness on.
In response to several requests for advice on what to do with cellphones that went swimming in salt water first I’m sorry for taking so long to reply and for not linking to whoever was asking – work does take up way too much of my time :(
Anyhoo – since you dropped your phone in the sea chances are it’s totally goosed, so anything you try can’t make it any worse than it already is. You do need to check the battery for splits in the case or any kind of bulge – either way the battery is now useless and potentuially dangerous so dispose of it safely – preferably at the dealer who sold it to you since they have proper disposal facilities. It contains lithium and if it gets wet it can explode!
For the electronics whether they can be saved really depends how long it was since you dropped it in the sea. Too long and the damage can be too far gone, but since you have nothing to lose remove the battery, dismantle as far as you can and drop the entire thing in a bucket of warm soapy water. Shaking it around will help dissolve any salt deposits. At this point plain old tap water is good enough and a lot cheaper than isopropyl alcohol. Do not try acetone (nail polish remover) – it will dissolve the plastic case and the screen will go all misty.
If you own a jewelery cleaning machine it will work great for dissolving out any salt or other deposits – even the ones you can’t see. If not lots of shaking will do the same thing with a lot more effort. When you think you’ve done enough shaking drain out as much water as you can and dunk the phone in distilled water – again a lot cheaper than isopropyl alcohol and it dissolves salt much better too – also doesn’t leave any deposits or spots. When done shake out any excess water and pat dry with anything lint free – don’t rub or you’ll scratch the case and window (soft plastics)!
Now you can dry the thing out – slowly but not too slowly. Over a water heater but not right on top is okay but an airing closet is better – IF you can set your oven to below 150F you CAN use that, but don’t try using your microwave (no,no,no,no,no!!!!!!!). An this point the worst thing that can have happened is you wasted a day cleaning and drying a dead phone, but you do at least have a chance that you brought it back from the dead, and you now have a jeebus phone. If it remains dead remove the SIM card and go shopping.
So Western scientists have “discovered” a “new” species of monkey, the lesula, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (the lesula was already well known to residents).
Erik Loomis asks, “How can you see this [a lesula’s face] and not believe that humans and monkeys are related?”
Also, this occurred to me as well when I first saw what the monkey looks like.
A new version of Chronicling Mitt’s Mendacity was posted today.
Some items on the list are familiar because Mitt recently repeated the same lies, but some are new.
Excerpts:
Azkyroth: Well, start with my comment as to why kinky people are not automatically queer either. (Except for the ones who are also queer, obviously.)
Furry, otherkin and other such hobbies are just that. They’re not orientations like the LGBQ, and they’re not the T* umbrella that’s long been receiving the same homophobia the LGBQ has on top of the long-time historical association. The association itself is pretty disgusting and appropriative, and attempts to position furries and otherkin (including straight cis ones) as suffering from the same oppression as actual queer and trans people.
Improbable Joe: for what it’s worth, it’s all ok. I’m not a furry, nor trans, not even a libertarian, so I can only speak for myself, but as I said, you’ve always seem like an admirable character, and your apology is well in line with that. Others may disagree, as is their right. I can only speak from my own, admittedly very privileged, point.
Daisy,
When I first saw pics of that monkey, I kinda thought it looked like a butt.
:-/
But now I see I was wrong– fucked up Jesus painting for the win!
Minnie: Do you not see why claiming that trans people falsely claim oppression for attention is kind of fucked up?
Minnie The Finn,
Thanks for the compliment… not as well-earned as it seemed though.
Privilege is a tricky thing, since it can be largely invisible to the people who have it. This is one of those cases where I am relaying a story that is factually true, and yet can’t really be defended as useful to tell… so even my previous apology probably didn’t go far enough since I DID try to defend it. Being technically correct or honest about your intent is no excuse for being an insensitive asshole, and that’s what I was doing by saying “yes, but here’s why I’m not actually as wrong as you think.”
Joe, thanks for the apology.
Audley, it… does kind of look like a butt, now that you mention it. The love child of a butt and a Greek Orthodox depiction of the Virgin Mary.
Thanks, Joe.
Joe,
Maybe you should put that shovel down, get away from the hole and read what people have been telling you.
Er… and you did just that, but I didn’t refresh in time.
Sorry.
Beatrice, where am I still wrong?
Cross-posting!!
The situation in Egypt has caused Fox News to wet its pants with glee. It’s an opportunity to formulate new lies about President Obama. I think even Fox News pundits must have been getting bored with the old lies. They are really hopping on this new stuff.
Michelle Bachmann started it off by painting the President as “dangerous” on foreign policy when she spoke at the Values Voters Summit.
More fodder was produced when a false rumor spread that Marine guards at the Cairo embassy were required to go without live ammunition. Truth is “The Marines on duty at Embassy Cairo had ammunition in their weapons, as they always do at all our Missions overseas when they are on duty,” as confirmed by a senior State Department official.
Mother Jones journalists obtained a memo saying pretty much the same thing, and a Pentagon spokesperson even told Fox News, “The ambassador and RSO (Regional Security Officer) have been completely and appropriately engaged with the security situation. No restrictions on weapons or weapons status have been imposed.”
Do you think this stopped Fox News from spreading the false rumors?
The other Obama-is-dangerous-and-negligent meme I’ve heard a lot over the past few days is that Obama plays golf while Benghazi and Cairo burn, and that Obama has skipped about half of his presidential daily intelligence briefings.
Columnist Dana Milbank debunked that last bit in the Washington Post:
Happiestsadist: I did see it, I wouldn’t have commented otherwise. It’s not just kind of fucked up, it’s totally fucked up.
But Improbable Joe’s apology seemed quite sincere, so I’m willing to give him a pass rather than tearing him a new one straightaway. And as I said, it’s only from my personal privileged point of view, so I’m not in the position to talk for anyone else.
Sooo…cold….
–
cicely: here, have this flaming goat, they’re great for warmth.
—
Seriously, hope you’re okay?
Hi! I slept in late and then I had coffee and peanut brittle for breakfast and I am bouncing off the walls!
How funny, I was thinking of exactly that at the beginning of your comment. Yep, it’s Idoru, and the backstory is that a jeweler got tired of how disposable tech goods were so he started a company making cases out of things like reclaimed aluminum, sea coral and semiprecious gems where the upgradable bits could be switched out.
Jelly snap bracelets OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Well, muse responded to this better than I can, including the part about how generally bleating on about it is counterproductive, privileged and inappropriate. Such all-encompassing statements still get in my craw though. As someone in a hetero relationship where both of us are cis can I claim to be queer in any way? Nope, but the “kink” is definitely my sexual identity and orientative. (Part of the problem, I think, is that “kink” spans a huge spectrum; statements like Daisy’s can be true for some while not being true for others.)
I am laughing so hard at the Wonkette Dr Pepper post that I can’t breathe.
They let Michelle Bachmann speak?
I sorta thought they’d be of the don’t let women speak variety with the flat-out nutbars that are apparently in attendance.
Actually, the lesula looks a bit like a coco de mer, which is a butt-shaped coconut.
kristinc: As a kinky person who is also queer, I just find the claims that how you fuck being in any way an orientation to be absolutely disgustingly homophobic.
I hope you know what the problem is.
Rebecca Watson did it.
Caine:
Damn. I’m so sorry.
****
God:
But you just posted.
Your name is there for all the world to see.
You *have* to exist.
Wow.
All this time I was wrong.
Hey Horde! Can we sell God and make some money?
****
blf:
“We’re tiny. We’re tooney. We’re all a little looney. And in this cartoony, we’re invading your tv….”
Someone else take it away!
(just realized there were no penguins in Tiny Toons)
I want to be clear that I’m not saying it isn’t homophobic, just that I don’t understand how it is (and I don’t want to say something homophobic so I am open to gaining that understanding). As far as I understand, when something shapes not just “how you fuck” but who you respond to sexually and emotionally in the context of an intimate relationship — when one is unable to have a fulfilling and happy sexual/intimate relationship without something — that’s pretty much sexual orientation in a nutshell.
I don’t think it’s as … major an axis? … on the sexual-identity graph? (crap I do not have nearly the vocabulary for this) as position on the same sex/opposite sex scale, but for SOME kinky people, my experience absolutely does lead me to conclude that it’s orientative.
Now, is it gross and whiny when (mostly) straight cis leather clubs march in parades claiming they’re oppressed by societeez? Completely.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear about little Carrot.
I need a beer.
More news from the Values Voter Summit, (you know this is going to be bad), this time from Gary Bauer:
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/gary-bauer-voter-fraud-welfare-recipients.php?ref=fpb
Nope. Nobody has found rampant voter fraud anywhere in the USA. Nada. None. But the right is using the fake issue of voter fraud to pass laws that restrict voting rights.
As for the dog whistle about all those urban folks sucking down welfare dollars, I’m too fed up to even comment.
@Audley
Would you like an interesting anecdote?
My parents wanted a girl more than anything but never had one. I was the third son and last child they had by their choice. The reason? When I was prenatal, a punched a hole in my mother’s diaphragm that never healed. Still bothers her, over 30 years later – she can’t go on roller coasters!
She used to guilt the CRAP out of me over it.
General question for all, girlfriend and I can’t find a good answer as to what to call a person who suffers from growth hormone deficiency (pituary problem). Googling has proved unhelpful. Any help?
Midget, dwarf, little person.. these seem to be problematic, at least from some sources.
markr1957 (Patent Pending), it was I who was wondering about the chances of resurrecting a phone from Davey Jones’ Locker/the Kraken’s maw. Thank you very much for the plan of action – advice much appreciated! I suspect this phone’s a goner, but might give it a try anyway just for the hell of it :)
If it’s no dice, I shall just have to consider it a sacrifice to Cthulhu.
The term sexual orientation refers specifically to attractions involving gender identity and biological sex. It is a little bit confusing to hear it used more expansively.
I don’t have any objection with the ethics of highly qualified statements being made by Ms. Daisy Cutter, kristinc and Muse — and I understand what y’all mean by “orientative” and I suspect you’re correct — but for the sake of clarity and consistency with established meanings, another term besides sexual orientation would be helpful.
PatrickG: “Little people” is the preferred term among people of short stature, which includes my mother and one niece. Little People of America
PatrickG: I wanted to add that I don’t know if that necessarily applies to someone with a growth hormone deficiency. They may just be a person with [name of deficiency], but not a little person.
@ socio-gen: Thanks for the input; I shouldn’t limit it to GHD.
Yo, Audley. Not terribly work safe, but it’s Friday night where you are anyway. The childbirth jokes in comments made me think of posting it here.
Brace yourselves folks: Someone On The Internet Still Doesn’t Understand The Need For A+
Religious computer game
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2734
So hi all.
Remind me not to be a dudebro. *wears cone of shame*
Tony:
OH WOW I’VE NEVER SEEN SUCH A SPECIMEN BEFORE
(Actually I read that earlier. Mikmik left another long, pretentious comment here. His argument that “atheist” is a core identity and the A* crowd feels that the A+ crowd is destroying their identity is kind of an own goal. The bit about equality for anyone but straight white cis d00dz being is a nice touch, too.)
Also, “teen fad x”
No. Again, this is just an attempt to start moral panic. Whenever something comes out saying “ZOMG those crazy youngsters are doing stupid shit”, that’s more stigma. We’re already portrayed as hooligans etc…
But using massive quantities of vodka for ingestion is a Bad Idea.
True that.
Watch for the tell-tale signs of corruption!
The moment your son leaves the house, does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?
Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger?
A dime novel hidden in the corn crib?
Is he starting to memorize jokes from Cap’n Billy’s Whiz Bang?
Are certain words creeping into his conversation? Words like SWELL? And SO’S YOUR OLD MAN?
I don’t know what you people are talking about, but I sure as shit want a corn crib of my very own.
kristinc:
And don’t forget the Pigtails of Doom!
Daisy:
OH GOD WHY?!
Joe: You don’t know what a corn crib is? But…but…all the cool kids had corn cribs when I was a young’un.
we with all of the fur flying upthread I didnt have a clue what a furry was. No Trans folks are not comparable to them or libertarians, the few trans and hermaphroditic people I have met just want to pass without comment
Looking at what a google search gave me as a description of furries makes me want to ask a question. Someone who is wolf clan, and talks to ravens and wolves to assist in hunting endeavors and has been a pack member, that’s not a furry is it?
Well joe, I am assuming you know where the cornhole description originated? First you take a bucket of corn husks, wet them down in the bucket and place the bucket within handy reach of the seat in the outhouse. When you run out you go to the corn crib to get more corn husks.
With that out of the way I will leave piehole to your imagination
Oh my goodness a pear-mango-pineapple-strawberry smoothie is DELICIOUS.
kristinc:
That sounds tasty.
Even better, let’s add some flavored RUM!
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Kagin is now openly trolling with a “modest proposal” that men should be eliminated from the human genome. After they are “cut and tied.”
http://freethoughtblogs.com/kagin/2012/09/14/should-males-be-eliminated-from-the-human-genome/
Has Kagin been reading Rob Sawyer again while smoking crack?
Ed Kagin seems to be manifesting symptoms of privileged old white dude syndrome. You can always count on men to get all testerical and start throwing straw arguments around when people refuse to respect their authority. /bitter sarcasm
Oh, Edwin. I have a hard time getting worked up about him anymore; he’s such a self-parody.
Audley:
Because people ain’t right.
I laughed so hard I nearly cried at this comment:
Broboxley: What used to be called “hermaphroditic” is now called “intersex.”
“Wolf clan” – are you talking about Native American totemism? Because that’s unrelated to furrydom.
Also, I understood that “cornhole” originated from the hole in the ground whence a stalk of corn was pulled, but I’m a suburban-bred damnyankee so I’ll defer to you on that.
A national leader of American Atheists Inc is attacking a straw man?
Poor (c) 1212 by Edwin Kagin. He’s a person in power, and like the majority of people who claw their way into power, he is protective and jealous of his power. The idea of Atheism Plus, which is more or less leaderless and bottom-up activism, leaves no room for him and his fellow authoritarian top-down types.
Racist Hooter’s hostess
The hostess even used the wrong damn slur!
Even more stupidity:
Yes, ladies and gentlemen; the solution to the problem of employees using racist terms as descriptors for customers is to .
I need a big bucket for that FAIL.
Ms. Daisy:
There’s probably no chance we’ll lose Edwin or Taslima to Patheos, huh?
… and the evidence, as if we needed any, is that (c) 1212 by Edwin Kagin doesn’t respond to any comments on his blog, since he’s not having a conversation with us. He’s making pronouncements from the pulpit, like the sort of tinpot religious leaders that we are to assume he’s against. Seems to me more along the lines that he’d like to simply take the place of a Pat Robertson or a Rick Warren, and enjoy all of the same perks.
Joe:
In his defense, he could be busy and hasn’t had time to read and respond.
I’m only half joking there. After reading that nonsensical B.S., I really don’t know what point he was trying to make. Perhaps he’s trying to poke fun at feminism? A+?
Kagin’s thinking is about equivalent to mine when I was an MRA. Nuff said.
Tony, I mean he DOESN’T REPLY TO COMMENTS. Three replies I can find so far on two pages of blog posts. Of course, hardly anyone comments on most of his posts, so maybe this is all just sour grapes because we don’t see him as the VERY IMPORTANT MAN that he considers himself to be, and as a group more people here respond to the least posts by “amateurs” like Jen McCreight than to any ten of his non-trolling posts.
I’m sorry to hear about Carrot, Caine. Please offer extra hugs and kisses to Zoe for me.
On a lighter note, BoyChild’s friend came over today carrying a lunch box, proclaiming “it’s science, it’s science.” His science teacher had done some experiments with dry ice, and had sent the extra dry ice home with the students (Friend is in 8th grade). BoyChild’s friend’s mom was very unhappy and worried that it would cause an explosion (apparently is going to call the teacher to scold him), but friend knew that we would welcome him and his dry ice. So we played with it for a while – watched it bubble and steam in water, froze a leaf and shattered it, put it in some water in a ziploc bag and watched the gas fill the bag. We told him that science is always welcome at our house.
ImaginesABeach:
Sweet.
It’s awesome to hear of children getting exposed to and excited about science!
I used to be angrier about Kagin, but he’s so ridiculous, he just goes into “old man yells at cloud” territory.
ImaginesABeach: That is so cute. I love when kids are all excited about science.
And, though I for some reason seldom say so, thanks to SG @ #282, that was a good phrasing of what I was trying to say.
Went out for Ethiopian food with The Mr., and I am so, so full of tasty veggie food. *unbuttons top of pants*
ImaginesABeach: It is great news that BoyChild and friends get exposed to science early and often.
I don’t read Kagin very much. Does he always build strawfeminists whenever he’s feeling cranky?
yay Beach (and boychild’s friend)
Happiestsadist
As a kinky person who is also queer, I’d like you to explain that. FWIW I think SG may be right, and I’m pretty sure kristinc had a point about it as well.
Rodney Nelson
Impossible to say. No one has ever read enough of his blog to know how often he does anything. Ba-dum CHING!
Oooh, dry ice fun! In my lab, one of the standbys is “dry ice bombs”. When we get a shipment in on dry ice, we take little chunks of the ice and put them in 1.5mL tubes. If you close the tube up and toss it surreptitiously under someone’s desk, it will make quite a loud bang when the pressure inside pops the lid open. Good for startling the new summer students.
Okay, I had to share this one.
Possible trigger warning: (I’m still kinda new at these, so I figured I’d stick it in there.)
So, what do you do if you’re a respectable, responsible Menz when you see a pregnant woman, minding her own business, smoking on a sidewalk? You point a gun at her.
Now, I think we can all agree* that smoking is Bad For You, especially while pregnant. I think we can also all agree* that smoking is incredibly addictive, and most people find it very difficult to quit, especially cold-turkey. But how is this an appropriate response, in any plane of reality, to someone else’s smoking?!?!?!! It’s not like Bellingham is some redneck, backwater, deep-South town, either–it’s a liberal, granola-munching, tree-hugging, hippie-ass college town, for chrissake. What the fucking fuck, people?
.
Guys, don’t do that.
/rebeccawatsoned
.
*At least, for the purposes of telling this story.
Giles and Vasco have recently formed a very tight partnership. They are almost always together and even tag team jumping on girls. Right now, both of them are in their superhero tissue box on my desk (it’s right behind my laptop.) They have dragged my small tin of bag balm in there and are working on opening it.
Experimenting with a recipe that’s supposed to produce a chunk of meat somewhat similar to döner kebab. I kneaded about 1 kg of ground beef and spices into a homogenous mass with no air bubbles, and wrapped it tightly in foil to form a sausage. It’s now been in the oven at 125 C for an hour, and will need three more hours, so I have plenty of time to prepare tzatziki, salad, rice and whatnot.
The heavy kneading and wrapping it tightly supposedly makes all the difference between meat loaf and a firm piece one can carve into nice slices. I haven’t tried this before, so this remains to be seen. Luckily I have no shortage of beer or Buffy episodes while waiting.
MissEla:
I’m a gun guy, formerly a professional gun guy. As a gun guy I feel relatively safe saying that most people who have guns, shouldn’t. I almost feel like my handgun is like one of those legendary swords that once drawn must draw blood before being returned to its scabbard. You don’t draw to threaten, or to intimidate, or in jest. You draw to kill, because it is the only action you see available to you in order to preserve your own life, and you have a duty to do everything in your power to avoid that moment.
Sure as hell you don’t pull out a gun because someone does something that annoys you!
Nutmeg: If only I could do such things in my lab without being screamed at by more people that is generally healthy. In addition, I have access to copious amounts of LN2, which truly ups the ante…
Now Agnes, Artemis, Chester, Neville and Merlin have joined Giles and Vasco and are all attempting to steal the bag balm and cram themselves in the kleenex box.
And here comes Pearl.
And Dexter.
And Zoe.
I are being invaded.
@Daisy
Thanks to you, now I need some brain bleach.
Weed Monkey,
As per making non-standard “döner kebab”… I’ve done it before, and I got the texture if not the flavor dead-on. Oh, look, I blogged about it!
http://improbablejoe.blogspot.com/2009/04/gyro-alert-part-b.html
I think I would have used a lamb/pork mix rather than lamb/beef. But long experience in the kitchen confirms that throwing the meat in a food processor is a good idea. You know how they say that overworking dough makes your bread tough, and over-mixing your pancake batter or biscuit dough will keep it from being light and fluffy and airy? The same goes for meat: tossing your meat in a food processor for just a little too long will produce a solid mass that will slice well once it is cooked and dried out a bit.
Caine: AWWWWWW! Ratties getting all ratty up in your space!
Tony – I haven’t looked at Taslima’s blog in months. I don’t find her readable.
If Kagin went to Patheos it’d be kind of hilarious.
Ibyea: Any time. As I was just saying to Happiestsadist, sharing vile things on the internet is how I show my lurve for y’all.
Muse: Pretty much what SG said. Not to mention the historical background of queerness, the fact that straight, cis people do not ever belong under the umbrella, and that likening gender identity and the gender to which you’re attracted to how you fuck is pretty vile, especially when you’re looking at queer people, who are sexualized and dehumanized for it.
Oh! And speaking of cute and furry…
So, for those of you who have been following (and helping to finance!) the drama that is my life, my wife left for Parts Unknown this morning in search of adventure, career opportunity, and enough cash to keep us from being homeless in the immediate future. Yesterday she filled up our suitcases with most of her clothing and lots of odds and ends for a month away from home, and I carried it all downstairs and staged it in the foyer.
Well, we woke up too early this morning and discovered that at least one of our four-legged children had travel plans of his own. I guess Randall decided that Mommy wasn’t leaving without him!
Good day for the Redhead. There was the first neighborhood tea of the season, and she showed up with my assistance in a nice sweater and hat for the occasion. Stayed the full time. Socialized like the social animal she is. Now to get her set up in bed and I expect she will sleep well, with the typical commode breaks.
Wake up maintenance gnomes, it’s time to give the cache server a new coat of varnish!
—
Looks like this one didn’t get posted:
Improbable Joe, oh yeah, that looks really nice! And a bit of pork to moisten it up a bit is probably a good idea, the mixture looked quite low in fat even if I picked the fattiest (and cheapest) bits of pre-packaged meat the nearest supermarket had.
An essential fact that I overlooked in my determination to have a plaid blouse for fall: sewing plaid means matching plaid. Blurgh.
Happiestsadist, opener of the Crack of Doom:
I just wanted to second this. For whatever amount of “appropriating queer space” that kinky straight people might want to do, the reality is that for the majority of us society doesn’t care what we do as long as it is “one man, one woman”, or at very least that the man is the one penetrating the woman. Anything that falls within that spectrum is considered “variations on a theme” rather than something separate and other.
A straight couple would have to do something pretty fucking extreme in public to garner the same cultural disapproval that a gay couple gets for holding hands, or a trans person gets for just existing openly. It isn’t fair for kinky folks to try to coop queer space for their generally mild issues with society.
(Holds head…)
Well, y’know… Ma’am… That sort of thing, it could hurt the baby…
So let me just point this gun at you. To make all this, y’know… Safer…
… and this is completely lateral, but for some reason your description of the ‘liberal, granola-munching, tree-hugging, hippie-ass college town’ gave me the weirdest picture of the assailant. He was in paisley, and wearing love beads, heavily armed, and had buttons all over his shirt. One of them advertised Lamaze classes…
… which brought to mind this equally jarring classic This Modern World.
No, I don’t know why. Weapons, in particularly odd contexts. Anyway: I think we can safely say that whole ‘pregnant bodies are public property’ thing, it’s still very much out of control. Not that this is so much news.
Weed Monkey,
Absolutely you’ll want a little extra fat in the recipe. Barring putting the meat on a spit and cutting off the exterior as it cooks, what you’ll wind up doing is slicing off a bit at a time and frying it up. Since you’re sort of cooking it twice, once to make it set and a second time to get a nice crust on the slices, you’ll want to make it nice and fatty. The next time I do it, I’m going to do equal parts lamb and pork, and then toss a half-dozen slices of pork jowl into the food processor.
HappiestSadist
Ah – okay, I think we have a definition disconnect. By saying that it’s orientative, I’m not saying it’s the same as being queer. That said, I don’t think kink is how you fuck, at least not for everyone. As kristinc said, it’s a lot about relationships in intimate relationships. I find that a bit dismissive.
Happiestsadist:
In that post directed at you, “coop” was supposed to be “co-opt”
I figured that’s what you were getting at, I just wanted to be clearer. SG put it well.
I get rather touchy at kinky people getting into the orientational model, because I still disagree, and because of the history of terrible people making terrible analogies. As far as the relational factor, that’s kind of a broad spectrum, in a lot of ways when it comes to how the kink influences. I will say I think there can be a lot of emotionally unhealthy stuff that gets swept into the kink as orientation thing, because it excuses a lot of nasty shit as “innate”, so I tend to side-eye it.
Weed Monnkey:
Ooooh, I can’t wait to hear how that food turns out! It sounds positively delicious!
My lunch & dinner were the same thing. Roasted ground beef with herbs and spices over pearled couscous and spicy black beans.
What Buffy eps are you watching?
I figured I should cross-post this here, since (c) 1212 by Edwin Kagin would be wise to delete it before he moves himself to a Patheos blog:
Caine:
You should start living up to your ‘nym and work at being divisive. Separate those ratlets. Plussers on the left (Pearl is definitely on that side). Those that eat peas on the right.
Wait, that wouldn’t leave any of them on the left, would it?
Ms. Daisy:
re: Taslima- even aside from the issues I have (many of which I believe you and I agree on), I find it difficult to actually read her posts. There’s something about her particular writing style that makes it difficult for me to parse.
Btw, if sharing those types of things on the ‘net shows your looooooove, how would you should your dislike :)
****
Joe:
Randall sure looks comfy!
****
Agreed on all points, FWIW.
Oh, there is a god! Pork chop for supper with a pile of steamed arugula doused with soy sauce and vinegar. Lillet and soda water. Richard Buckner for a sound track.
Mile, from the Meadow album, on youtube
Tony,
Randall was not happy to be displaced. NOT HAPPY!!
Tony, all of them, actually. :) I’d been watching Buffy on TV, missed a few episodes here and there, reruns out of order… So this time I started with Welcome to the Hellmouth and have been working my way from there. Right now I’m at the sad place where Joyce just died in the 5th season.
It is an impressive series: so far I can name only one episode that’s been really bad – Beer Bad.
Joe, I love that you’re including his (c)1212. That’s another tell–the archaic blatant copyrighting.* It’s like signing one’s own post when your nym is already there. Or referring to everyone as Mr. X and Ms. Y. Or using the term “Weblog”—note the caps.
*Copyright is automatic under the Universal Copyright Convention on the creation of the work. It does not require specific denotation or symbols.
But to separate them, you might have to pull one over on the rat. And then if you divide by one over a rat, they’ll multiply!
Josh…
First off, I don’t think anyone has noticed or specifically stated yet, but (c) 1212 by Edwin Kagin. is claiming an 800 year old copyright, that pretentious assclown!
Secondly, I have to extend my regrets to you in particular, and the Horde in general. The Official SpokesGuitar has been sold, and not to me. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find another, since that model seems to have been discontinued.
Damn. Joe, I’ll send you a bottle of champers to christen the new one.
Oh, and with Bossnurse off to work does that mean y’all get to stay where you are and not have to move?
Minnie, I got your goat. Thanks.
:)
Nothing really wrong, as such; it’s just that it was a perfect combo of the fact that I’m almost always the coldest person in any given room, together with extreme tiredness (allergies, weather change) with inadequate caffeination to off-set it (since I am no longer allowed to carry hot liquids, especially in glass/ceramic containers, and The Husband was most inconsiderately trouble-shooting for a customer), empty stomach, and the Dance of the Seasons (currently being performed in a parka and fur-lined boots, as far as my external temperature sensors are concerned). Sitting at my desk, teeth chattering, trying to warm my hands at the feeble warmth of my computer—not pretty.
–
Sexual proclivities? Or does that mean something else?
–
Dry ice is some good, clean fun. Especially when confined in small plastic bottles and hurled down-range.
–
I has a sad.
–
As someone on Sadly, No! put it, “Wisconsin Judge hands a Big Fuck You Note to Scott Walker.”
Joe, Randall is adorable.
Josh,
We’re probably going to move, but it will more likely be on OUR terms. We probably won’t be evicted, but my wife has also been looking for permanent work alongside the temp jobs like the current one. With a permanent job, they will most likely pay for our move and give her a sign-on bonus that will cover the security deposit on a new place. So moving won’t be all that painful, if things work out the way we hope.
Also, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks. I’d be happy to accept a bottle of something or other, since it will be me by myself and no money on my birthday this year. If I’m lucky my dad will send me $10 and I can get myself some Chinese take-out. My in-laws are going to send me a mostly-useless gift card for Best Buy or something, since they refuse to accept that we’re actually poor and desperate for the next few weeks.
re: (c) 1212 by Edwin Kagin.’s male eliminated thingy
John Varley, in the mid70s, wrote a short story Manikins.
If you go looking, DO NOT read the reviews before you read the story.
I don’t mean to be cryptic but I’ve tried but I cannot find the text online.
cicely,
I has a sad as well. I was sort of married to that particular wood grain pattern. I hope I can at least find something similar, whenever there is money to do so.
Joe, will you still be in the same general area? Cuz if so you know I’ll be around there at Thanksgiving.
Ms. Daisy,
The problem with Randall is that he KNOWS he’s adorable. He then cries out “OW! OOOOWW!” from upstairs, because he insists that we climb the stairs and pet him on the patch of rug that he’s designated as “his spot” and no other spot will do.
1212 < 1923
Josh,
I think you’re thinking of the Berne Convention, not the Universal Copyright Convention.
In any case there are still reasons for displaying the symbol, but the WordPress software does this automatically; see the bottom of this page: “Copyright © Pharyngula”.
Josh, I just don’t know at this point. I could be anywhere by November. And no, I’m not planning on uprooting my life just to avoid buying you a beer. :)
I want to photoshop the 4chan trollface with Kagin’s sunglasses and beard.
Also, for some odd reason I am reminded tonight how, on LiveJournal, the people who stamped every icon, photo manip, animated .gif, etc. they ever made with “©[year] [username],” and who would shit their pants and declare war on anyone who reposted any of those images without their permission… were typically the same people who created *THE * most butt-ugly images on LJ.
Ah, you’re right, SG.
I know there are valid reasons for it, but they’re not usually what people think they are. And they’re not that strong (I say this from professional experience).
Joe:
They all do. They’re cats. Getting away with everything by looking cute is their shtik.
Lucy needs to work harder. Her watery shit all over the kitchen is getting on my nerves.
Weed Monkey:
Waitaminute….
Have you not watched all of
THEBESTTVSHOWONTHEENTIREPLANETLIKETOTALLYEVER?????
Yes, Beer Bad is not one of my favorites, although it does have the classic line: “Fire bad. Tree good.”*
If you haven’t seen it yet, “Doublemeat Palace” in Season 6 is another groan worthy episode.
That said, a bad episode of Buffy is *still* enjoyable.
“The Body” is absofrickin’lutely !!Fantastic!!
The masterful use of Anya as a way of exploring/explaining death to those that can’t understand it (she provided an excellent POV character for audience members who may be unable to understand death) was superb. I love the opening of the episode.
The first full episode I watched of Buffy was Graduation Day pt. 2. Watching the Mayor go full on Slither as he devoured the graduating class, but got bombed to death is cool to me now, but when I first watched it-enh. I didn’t watch an episode again until the penultimate episode of Season 5. Then I was hooked. Having the next episode be the season finale was rough. There I was enjoying the show and I had no new episodes to watch anymore. Thankfully, it was shortly thereafter that FX started showing reruns of Buffy, so I was able to get caught up. Then the DVD box sets came out and I gobbled them up with swiftness.
When I watched the show while it was still airing first run episodes, I remember disliking Season 6. I won’t spoil anything for you, but it just didn’t gel with me. I think I was watching S6 concurrently with S2 and 3, which were far superior, IMHO. It wasn’t until I’d seen the entire series that I was able to appreciate Season 6. I maintain that the latter half of Season 2 and virtually *all* of Season 3 provided the best Buffy enjoyment for me. A huge part of that is Buffy being in high school. Joss Whedon’s simple theme “High School is Hell” provided the perfect way of dealing with the shit many of us had to during our teen years by way of monster of the week metaphors. After she graduated high school, the show was still enjoyable, but it lacked that spark (I was disappointed to learn-way back when-that the animated Buffy series didn’t get off the ground, because it was supposed to have many of the same voice actors and was meant to be set in her high school years).
Another huge part of my enjoyment for that period of Buffy time-Eliza ‘Fuckin’ Dushku. That woman rocks. I love her acting. I love her on screen presence. I love the character of Faith.
Since you’ve made it that far, what did you think of ‘Hush’?
*I like to use that line when I’m too drunk or high to really function well, let alone think coherently. Therefore if someone asks how I’m doing-that’s the perfect response. Either that, or “I’m five-by-five.”
*grin*
Oh yes.
I ♥ Buffy.
Joe: Yeah, cuteness can only get you so far. The Mr. only affords Cinnamon the love he gives to all cats because of her spite-messes and the fact that she makes stinks like an Elder God’s butthole(s), but she’s not fond of men in general, so doesn’t snuggle him like she does me. I adore her, because cute, and snuggly. I swear the other cat, Gatsby knows exactly how much he can piss me off before he has to switch to being ridiculously cute again. Ms. Daisy Cutter can attest to his being maddening, but incredibly charming and soft.
Caine, I am very sorry to hear about Carrot. I know you were sweet to him.
Also, Caine, I’m so sorry about Carrot.
Josh:
*snort* Teh Kitteh shat in the bath tub yesterday. It’s the easiest place to clean in the apartment so it was not too bad, just not something I hope she will make a habit of.
Tony:
Not quite yet, but it wont take long at this pace. :)
BZZZZZZZZT wrong! In Beer Bad Buffy only said “fire bad”, and the whole quote was “Fire bad. Tree pretty”, which she said to Giles in the aftermath of season 3 finale Graduation Day explaining how exhausted she was. ;)
Oh, and I’m remiss, Caine, about Carrot. Li’l punkin. :((
Nigel the Bold – Happy Grandpa Day! So great to hear such good news. Wow. That’s quite a name.
My Hoodlum and I were worried when we found out our grandson was going to be named Noah. Turns out, biblical names are very popular in his school.
Not sure what I think of that. ;)
Hooray for BossNurse and Improbable Joe!
Tony, I’m so glad you are communicating with K. You deserve much happiness.
And Hush was absomafuckinglutely great episode.
I worked a late shift (3AM) and whilst driving home, saw this in the marquee at a hamburger chain:
FIRE GOOD
MEAT GOOD
C’MON IN
I was not alone.
The other person saw it and we laughed.
That text was not there the next time I saw the marquee.
Joe:
Uh oh.
How deep were the rifts?
How many felines keep you and your wife company?
We have four here.
Kayta and Cassie are mine.
Woo and Ike are T’s.
Kayta is the adorable female tabby who has decided in the last year that she’s *always* hungry. I can feed her and 10 minutes later she’s running back to the empty food dish. She also loves attention. It doesn’t matter who it is from. Me, T, E, K, a stranger…as long as she’s loved on, she’s good.
Cassie is the embodiment of ‘fraidey cat’. She runs from *everything*. I’ve had her since she was six weeks old (from the Humane Society), yet she runs from crumpled trash bags, a vacuum cleaner, ME…even the cat food container. I keep her dish on a small desk. The food container has a twist off lid. When I grab it and start twisting, she jumps on the desk. If I place the container on the ground, she jumps down and runs away. As I scoop the food into her bowl, she runs back. It’s the strangest thing!
Ike is the food hog. He doesn’t wait til the dish gets food. He’s right there waiting. He’s also rambunctious and wild. Once he eats, he’s ripping and running.
Woo, OTOH, is so damn chill. He and Ike share the same dish, and Woo is perfectly fine waiting for Ike to eat his share before jumping on the chair to have his portion. In the rare event that Woo is on the chair first, Ike will edge him out of the way. Woo doesn’t freak out though. He waits patiently. Slow and steady fills his belly.
Woo is much like Kayta, in that he appreciates being loved on. He takes that to extremes. If you start to pet him, he will literally follow you around the house. He rubs against your legs and your arms. He’ll paw at your hands if they’re just out of reach. I’ve developed a new petting technique for him that I call “The Superman”. If he’s on the couch (we have a leather sectional), I’ll swoop in low with my hands extended, palms down, side by side and glide over the top of his head and back and continue moving. He will get up and walk towards me, and I’ll repeat that. It’s so much damn fun!
Fun fact about Ike and Woo: if I break out the catnip, their personalities seem to switch. Woo gets wild and rambunctious, while Ike gets chill and relaxed. It’s hilarious watching them get high on catnip.
****
Josh:
I’m unfamiliar with Mr. X and Mrs. Y
****
Tony: Cinnamon is the same in being scared of everything. Open doors, loud noises, people standing up suddenly, wind, the microwave and frequently her own farts.
She’s sweet but not the brightest of creatures.
Gatsby seldom snuggles, except first thing in the morning when he demands them from me, and when we’re all in bed and sleepy. Otherwise, he’d rather just sit near you.
Tony:
We’re up to four. There’s Randall, the oldest, the alpha male, the Kitty-Boy. Also known as Boobie, Boobster, Boobs, and occasionally Boobilicious. He and me, we’re the only guys in the house… and they already took HIS balls, so I don’t feel too safe.
There’s Ellie next. Kitty-Girl, and our Sleepy-Time Snuggle Buddy. Ellie is always up for a nap, day or night. She’s also got a speech impediment, she doesn’t really purr or meow much, she lets out this weird high-pitched “eeeeeeegggrrrrrggg” noise instead.
Lucy was originally “Oreo” and we rescued her from a home that had too many children to deal with a cat. She’s HUGE and we can’t figure out how to help her lose weight. When we have money, even before I start looking at new guitars, I’m getting her to the vet. Lucy is really really sweet though. She also seems to love the flavor of a Joe, because she licks my arm while I pet her.
#4 cat is Lily, who we rescued from the abandoned house across the street. The first time we saw her she had been run out of a second story window out onto the roof over the porch across the street, and the trapped there for a couple of nights. The people living there were evicted a week or two later, and they just left her there. We had seen her around the street for a few days, and one night after it was obvious that no one was coming back to live in that house, I crossed the street to see if she was OK. She ran right up to me and started rubbing against my leg, and it was over. She was my cat from that moment on, even though she still sometimes bites me and she’s not completely socialized.
And then we have a dog, Ginger. Ginger is too sweet, too loving, and too protective to ever be 100% healthy, but what can you do? She’s my wife’s dog, even though when we got married she was the cat person and I was the dog person. Ginger sleeps in the bed, she guards us from any perceived threat like people living in the other houses in the neighborhood, and all of our dinner plates belong to her to be licked clean.
Tony:
Nope. :D
Thank you again for all the commiserations on Carrot. He was an adorable little boy and he’s missed. The rest of the crew is keeping me busy though, to say the least. Little monsters.
On the other side of the Carrot coin, Zoe is doing so well, it’s close to miraculous. Everyone is back on a regular diet and she’s handling it fine (so far, anyway.) We’ll probably always have to keep a sharp eye on her for potential problems, but right now everything is great. Zoe is also a favourite of the boyz and she likes them, too. :D
I depend on my kitteh as an intruder alert.
People up the front step (letter carrier). No reaction.
Cars in the back ally. No reaction.
Person checking the gas meter. Running in the house!!!!
People in the back ally. Running in the house!!!!
Magpies. *murp* *murp* *meo…* eh fukkit.
There’s a news clip tonight that I found sweet. President Obama was giving a great eulogy for the four Americans whose bodies were arriving at Andrews airbase. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also there, and also made a speech.
When the president made a beautiful and emotional closing, he stepped back from the podium and to the opposite side from Clinton. You couldn’t really see it for the podium being in the way, but she reached out to clasp his hand for a second, and she gave it a little shake. It looked like a gesture of sympathy and emotional support. I thought it was beautiful.
Menyambal:
That highlights one of the things I find so bizarre about the Romney campaign, is that they don’t even try to manufacture phony human moments for their candidate. It is as though the Republican Party has said “Fuck it, we’re a bunch of racist, sexist, religious fundamentalist, sociopathic lying greedy assholes. We’re not even going to bother to pretend otherwise anymore.”
No good deed goes unpunished. Especially by cats.
I am slouched in “my spot” on the end of the couch, next to the bookcase. I used to keep my ukulele lying on the top of the bookcase, where I could reach the neck of it by making a long arm up. I had a folded tea towel up there to protect the back of the uke.
Well, I was picking the uke the other night, and the girl cat found the towel and assumed it was her spot. It is now, after I installed a hook for the uke and another hook for the Haitian metal art.
But now there’s a cat over my head, thumping around, or staying ominously silent. Plus, she clonks the ukulele on her way down to land behind my head—it sounds ominous.
Seems like a good way to call down the wrath of Cod on your head…
We Who Live With Kittehs
know
It’s All About THEM
Improbable Joe, the Republicans have their human moments, but they are bizarre. Maybe it’s the repression.
I’m thinking of the picture of John McCain checking out Sarah Palin’s backside while tugging at his wedding ring.
Tonight, Rachael Maddow was talking about some right-wing nuts accusing Obama of being secretly gay. (And still all the other secret stuff, just adding teh ghey to it.) She said something about “gaydar”.
My wife then said that her gaydar has been going off for Romney and also for Ryan. Repressed, but there, she said.
I then told her about a set of photos I’d seen where Romney and Ryan were together on a bus tour (or some event). It looked to me like they really liked each other. I mean REALLY, in a totally manly way, liked each other … a lot. My gaydar was buzzing, there.
I’m assuming they’ve got it well repressed, if it’s there.
Anybody else noticing anything?
@Menyambal
I am pretty sure that at this point, some conservative out there wrote a slash fic between Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
Menyambal:
I don’t generally think it is cool to speculate about someone being a closeted homosexual when you think poorly of them, mostly because it tends to be used as an attack based on the whole “homosexual=bad” thinking in our culture. Just as importantly, I don’t need to (and don’t see why anyone else needs to) go after Republicans for things that are speculation when the things that are overt and openly obvious are damning enough.
Joe:
Kayta used to have that problem.
I discovered her outside my apartment 12 years ago (damn, it’s been that long; wow). When I couldn’t find her owner, I opted to keep her rather than take her to the pound or leave her outside.
Within a year or two, she gained a *lot* of weight. I don’t know her exact age when I adopted her, but she was probably under a year old (she wasn’t kitten size, but I know she was young). E and I moved to Pensacola in 2003. By then, she was big. Her belly dragged the floor when she walked. I asked the vet one time about kitty gastric bypass, and was told there was no procedure like that for cats. Kayta and Cassie are both indoor cats. I cringe/cry when I see road kill. It breaks my heart to see cats or dogs or squirrels dead on the road, so if I own a pet I don’t want them to be outside animals that come and go as they like. One of the problems with indoor cats is the lack of exercise. Thankfully, Kayta and Cassie play together enough to keep their weight from getting worse (that’s stopped a bit as they’ve both gotten older). Within the last 3 or 4 years, I’ve noticed Kayta’s weight going down. Her belly doesn’t drag the floor any longer. She still has a little excess belly fat, but people no longer ask if she’s pregnant (she’s been spayed for years, so I don’t know how that would work).
Why is the rum always gone?
Caine, I’ve been meaning to ask you – How do you get anything done? ;)
I really enjoy the ratlet stories.
chigau, I just dropped off a bottle of rum. It can’t be gone already!
Unless your question is philosophical, then I am at a loss.
@Caine
I’m sorry to hear about Carrot, and I hope the rest of the ratties are doing fine.
…
Re: Kagin’s utterly confusing “eliminate males from the gene pool”.
Whaaaaaaaaaa?
First time I’d ever viewed Kagin’s blog – I saw “by Edwin” and thought it was a guest post over at Crommunist, and I clicked through wondering “What the hell?”
SO CONFUSING.
I like men. I haz teh secks with them, and I like it. Plus, you know, they’re people. I’m also a feminist. This is not a contradiction – what is he trying to say?
ednaz
You don’t know me.
and Thanks!
I have a new fan.
https://twitter.com/justintempler/status/246853473889570816
He thinks that because I tweeted that it’s cool that The Doctor is a Sagittarius, probably, that means I believe in astrology.
I haven’t seen a better example of someone using skepticism to prop up his ego. “[Nelson laugh] Ha ha, you believe in astrology, neener neener!” Only I don’t.
He’s taken to tweeting at me and obsessively following my tweets.
Also he says I’m a star of Atheism+. Woohoo! I always knew I’d see my name in lights!
Improbable Joe, thanks. I apologize for my carelessness.
I will make clear that I wasn’t meaning to imply that there is anything wrong with homosexuality, closeted or otherwise, nor was I saying that anybody should be shamed for repressing, if they happen to be. We are all what we are, and that’s good.
There is plenty to knock Romney for, and I wasn’t looking for anything to add to the mess. I apologize if I seemed to be saying so.
Menyambal:
You know, I don’t think I believe in ‘gaydar’ any longer. When I first came out it took some time to learn the gay stereotypes. I know there is truth to some of them, but there are simply too many traits associated with being gay that are also shared by heterosexuals for those traits to automatically mean someone is gay.
Actions are another thing.
I worked with a guy-J-several years ago. Several things he did made me think he wasn’t completely straight.
The first time I saw him, I thought he was gorgeous. We struck up a friendship and chatted about many things. J was deeeeeeeeeeeeeply religious, but didn’t display any animosity towards gay people. I never heard a disparaging word from his mouth. He never denigrated me, or the lesbian couple we routinely hung out with. There are 3 incidents that convinced me (to this day) that he’s repressed his sexuality (not that he’s gay, but I’m convinced he at least has *some* same sex attraction).
1- After a conversation one time, we shook hands as he was leaving. As I tried to turn around and release his hand, he didn’t let go. He kept holding on, going so far as to rub one of his fingers across the palm of my hand repeatedly for several seconds before finally letting go. By itself, this was odd, but not significant.
2-The second incident was multi pronged. He mentioned that he’d done gay porn. Of course I was interested in which company. When he told me, I had to check it out (yes, I still own the DVD). I told him that I’d purchased it, and he said he’d have to come over one day and watch it with me.
Some time later, a friend of ours was going out of town and wanted someone to watch her house. J and I, as well as two women from work elected to do so. J came to my house to pick me up one night before going to our friends’ home. He chose that time to watch his video (just a solo vid). I decided to see how far I could push things, because I’d suspected he wasn’t fully heterosexual. He didn’t mind me massaging his back while he sat in a chair at my computer and we both watched his video. Shortly after that, we got to wrestling around on the floor and at one point, I had him pinned to the ground and I leaned in to kiss him. It didn’t happen, as he lept up, saying “I can’t do that man. I can’t be gay.” His choice of words stuck with me to this day. It seemed odd to me then and now. He didn’t say “I’m NOT gay”, he said “I can’t be gay”. He also didn’t express anger at me, or disgust that I tried to kiss him. I dropped it.
The third incident was the most significant.
This was the same night as the aforementioned wrestling. J and I, along with our friends jumped into a hot tub and afterwards, decided to take a shower. Imagine a shower with two girls (who I realized were bisexual, because they were making out), J (who had his back to me) and me. We all kept our trunks/bikinis on.
To any straight men out there:
If you were in a shower with a gay man (assuming you’d even *get* to that point)-a gay man you *know* is attracted to you-would you let that gay man lick your neck down to the base of your back and not say one single word? Not during the act. Not after. Not weeks later. Never?
Nothing ever happened with J. He was so deep into his ridiculous Christian religion and then he got mixed up in some pyramid scheme thinking he could make millions. I don’t know what happened to him, but I do still remember the shower.
All of that is to say that gaydar is fairly worthless these days. More people are rejecting traditional masculine roles and attitudes. That doesn’t mean more guys are becoming gay (though perhaps it does mean more men are feeling comfortable expressing their sexual desires), but it does mean that the characteristics normally associated with gay men can no longer be used as the barometer to figure out if someone is gay or straight (hell, to this day, people still think I’m too “straight acting” to be gay-love that insult). Each individual has to be judged on their own merits, and by what they say and what they do. It’s not helpful to try and read into a limp wrist, or high pitched voice, or appreciation for show tunes (K was shocked when I told him I don’t care for musicals). Non Gay men like those too.
SallyStrange:
Wait, you don’t believe that the alignment of the planets and stars are significant and have an effect on people while they’re in the womb, to the extent that they determine personality characteristics?
You heretic!
Shocking but true! I ought to be stoned for this, right?
Stoning is so 10th century.
These days, we like to draw and quarter.
If you’re a good, you can walk the plank.
So um…why is it cool that the Doctor is a Sagittarius?
Oh, because I’m also a Sagittarius.
Speaking of fat cats—real cats, I mean.
Our (formerly) boy cat had an urinary infection a few months back. The vet suggested we start feeding him wet food, just to add moisture to his diet. It may have been water weight, but that cat ballooned up, possibly because we were so glad to see him alive that we fed him whenever he asked. We put him back on dry food, and he has never forgiven or forgot. He still remembers the interval where we fed him only in the morning and evening, and increases his demands then. Add in the dog that remembers the time he found a piece of bacon on the floor, and it isn’t safe to walk through the kitchen.
But the cat is back to a healthy weight.
Isn’t there something about ducks … or floating … or sinking …
chigau, I think I’m gonna like it here.
Nobody ever admits to being a Cancer.
ednaz
Goodoh!
Have some rum.
I’m a Libra, which means… that my parents were having sex around Xmas/New Year’s Eve, and just a few weeks after my older brother was born. Go young Mom and Dad!!!
Isn’t gaydar just the toupee fallacy with better shoes?
Rey Fox
Somewhere in my youth or childhood, Cancer became Moonchild and then it all went away.
Because of the part of society I was in there were a lot of people in my social group that believed in astrology. I used to challenge them to figure out what sign I was. I’d answer any question they cared to ask bar when I was born. No one ever got it right. Then I’d hit ’em with the notion that astrology is merely another form of prejudice.
Truth be told, I have a more visceral reaction to astrology nuts than I do to fundies because I’ve had to deal with way more of them.
By all the clouds ’round Mt. Olympus, Edwin Kagin’s blog just cranked the stupidity dial past 12. That nitwit PG makes me want to rip my hair out–and I have none.
FossilFishy:
interesting. I’d be curious to hear about any astrology related stories. I’ve become so used to talking about sexism/misogyny in the movement, I’ve almost forgotten that sometimes we even talk about irrational beliefs!
FossilFishy:
Thanks for the link to the toupee fallacy.
I learned something new!
Tony,
re: astrology
I was astonished when I found out that the physics professor from my high school believes in astrology. It made me remember how he was convincing me that my boyfriend in my second to last year wasn’t good for me because our signs don’t go together (putting aside the fact that he really had no business commenting on my relationship at all). The woman who told me about their shared love of astrology says that he believes that if there can exist tidal forces, then gravitational pull of the moon could also have effect on other things like the development of the human brain.
I see toupee fallacy is Rebecca Watson’s fault.
(Blinks at Kagin’s thang…)
What is this I don’t even…
Actual points in favour of Kagin’s doing this: following a weird chain of serendipity touched off upon reading this latest weirdness, I discovered that in fact the single gender world is actually–to quote the Pfft!–a pretty common motif*… and… umm…
Okay, so so far, it’s only one point in favour.
(Files under ‘stick a fork in his ass and turn him over’.)
(*/And, come to think of it, I’ve read a few of the works cited, so I guess I kinda already knew, actually. So, now, we’re at more like half a point.)
Nitwit thinks FtB should invite ThunderfOOt back! Also thinks telling people what they should be fighting for is a good idea.
LOL
Perfect execution, Beatrice.
AJ:
Uh, are you talking about Kagin’s ‘Thang’-dangly bits
or
Kagin’s ‘Thang’-nonsensical “kill the menz” parody?
Hi there
Last night, Mr. and I opened 4 bottles of wine and then had a glass out of the bag. Turns out he and a friend had both forgotten about some bottles of wine he’d kept at his friend’s place and sadly they were not the kind of wine that lasts for 15 years.
Only in the USA, AFAIK. It sounds tooth-grindingly twee to me, but I admit there’s no very good alternative. In the UK, “person of short stature”, “person of restricted growth” and “small person” are all used by the Restricted Growth Association. (I have a close relative with achondroplasia, the commonest genetic cause of short stature.)
Threadrupt, and wondering if a bath in isopropanol would help my phone, which has finally decided that only four buttons don’t work.
(My grandmother has a jewelry cleaner, but I don’t know if it’d fit.)
Also a problem with the term “little people” in the UK because it has a very strong association with Irish leprechauns. I’d definitely be guided by Nick on this one.
Talking about growth, in my immediate circle of friends I’ve noticed something: In siblings of the same sex, the firstborn is usually taller than the second born.
Is this just a funny coincidence or is there something to that?
Also, dear doctor: If a boy’s mum is only 1,50m, don’t you think that worrying a lot about the kid being too small and therefore very likely sick in any way (scary music) might be a bit overdoing things?
[whining]
Grmpf. Mr. can’t finish the repair of the caravan in time, trip to Ikea got cancelled, living-room table is threatening to break down but, hey, it’s not like we’re going to get a chance to get looking for another table in the next weeks, so let’s just hope that when the fucking thing breaks down nobody has their toes underneath it.[/whine]
Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren’t go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And grey cock’s feather!
— yeah, leprechauns.
People of restricted growth is preferred in Finland. Sometimes shortened as PORG, although some find that a tad offensive.
Giliell: My sister’s about 1,5 m and has two tall, strapping sons. I’m 1,57 m, ditto. And yeah, the firstborns are both taller than secondborns.
Fuckity fuck.
I borrowed a book guide to Florence when I was traveling there. I returned it to the library this morning, but now I’ve realized I haven’t checked that I hadn’t left anything inside. I was carrying it around Florence, so it isn’t impossible that I’ve put something between the pages. Even if there is something, it shouldn’t be anything important, but now I’m thinking about it.
Damn. I’ll have to go back to the library on Monday and casually leaf through that book, just in case.
Obligatory song.
Giliell – my younger son is about to overtop his older brother in height, so I don’t know what the stats are.
Wikipedia indicates that this use of little people is a canadamericanism.
Happiestsadist:
Gatsby has a huge, broad frame for a cat, and he has that rolling, bent-elbow gait you associate with either sailors or knuckledraggers. He does, indeed, look for any chance he can get to annoy or infuriate his humans. However, he is affectionate in his own way, even to guests. I would describe him as a big ol’ cuddly thug.
Weed Monkey:
Another friend of mine’s cat did that…. while they were house-sitting for someone else. Not a few “crullers,” as I sometimes call normal cat turds, but diarrhea. It took three days’ worth of scrubbing with all sorts of chemicals to get the stains out and for the odor to go away.
That kitteh has earned the nickname “Tubcat.” (But she’s usually called by her other nicknames, such as “Dumbass” or “Village Idiot.” Seriously, not a smart animal at all.)
Joe:
Same friend has another cat who does not meow. She just kind of grunts. (She does purr, but she will go from purring to swiping at you with claws extended in a fraction of a second.)
Joe:
The GOP has attained enough power, sufficiently controls the media, and has mastered the art of vote suppression to the point that they don’t see the percentage in faking human touches for the masses.
This is true. And being a homophobe per se does not necessarily imply one is in the closet/denial.
However, if one is the kind of homophobe who makes a career out of it to the exclusion of other political issues, who constantly rants and raves obsessively about and the things they do to each other’s and and , and how the government is about to force one to get and therefore suffer all of those … people are not going to be surprised at one’s inevitable rentboy scandal.
I think that squares with Tony’s argument about the uselessness of “gaydar” when it comes to personal traits, rather than actions. And it’s a good argument. “Masculinity” and “femininity” are very much socially constructed, and the symbols thereof can shift pretty arbitrarily, as with the blue/pink flipover in the early- to mid-20th century. People who don’t conform to the stereotypes of their orientations are ubiquitous, even in highly conservative areas where such conformity is prized.
Menyambal, the kind of vibe you’re getting might not be gay, in the sense that we think, so much as it’s a kind of woman-contemptuous male homosocialism with homoerotic elements. Think warrior societies, military or fraternity environments, that sort of thing.
Tony:
From Covello’s blog:
Among other gems. It’s so cute, how he thinks that because he’s a white d00d (and probably straight and cis) that he gets to order the rest of us around. Including the other straight white cis men.
Ibyea: Rule 34. Also, http://hailtotheslash.com. Don’t read the Carter/Reagan one. Trust me on this.
Sally, Justin Templer’s avatar kinda falls under that rule about guys with or or the names of famous philosophers or Latin words in their userhandles, doesn’t it?
Good morning, all!
Have some pity for me– I’ve got to spend this lovely Saturday morning sitting in a stuffy church for my nephew’s christening. :(
UK Horde members: A friend of mine over there just sent me this. WTF. Stop trying to be like us, would you? It’s scaring me.
Giliell:
That actually happens? Hmm. My mom is 5’1”. Although my brother and I were both full-term babies, he was only 5.5 lbs and I was 6.5. I’ve never heard about anyone making a fuss over it. We both turned out to be fairly short as adults (5’7″ for him, 5’1″ for me).
Let’s have a paper about it.
And some stuff about sibling heights.
Maybe older siblings make you stunted?
*sigh*
This whole thing with Anna, EllenBeth, and now Rogi has me really depressed.
I’m basically not going to comment much on forums or blog posts unless its directly A+ related, and even then, probably delegation.
I will be talking here of course, but still.
I just hate this feeling that I actually *am* doing what they say I’m doing, and I keep feeling like I can’t avoid this shit because I am talking out. So, stop talking then.
No. Please stop this nonsense.
There is no inevitable scandal. People just don’t pay attention to all the straight professional homophobes (nor the closeted same-sex attracted professional homophobes who aren’t having clandestine gay sex), because they aren’t attention-grabbing — they don’t get outed, and they’re not easy to construe as hypocrites — while folks love to gawk at the phenomenon of the outed same-sex attracted homophobe, who is extremely attention-grabbing as he is involved in a sex scandal, can be construed as a hypocrite, and is having what most straight people consider exotic sex anyway. It’s all selection bias.
Homophobia is largely about disgust sensitivity, that same phenomenon by which fart spray can elicit harsher moral judgments, and this is an explaination for some speakers’ preoccupation with “filth” and “anuses”.
If we must go on, please reply in Thunderdome so I can cuss about having to explain this for like the dozenth time here.
See, it wears me out so much that I can’t spell explanation.
Still frustrated, but at least the kitchen cupboard is clean and tidy again.
I’m beginning to suspect that they broke something serious while trying to repair stuff. Because yesterday evening there wasn’t that much left to do…
Sins of a Good Mormon Boy featured on Salon:
Excerpt:
More news from the Values Voter Summit:
–Senator Jim DeMint
trinioler – I’m not sure what’s going on and I don’t want to ask you to slog through it for a recap, but hugs to you. You set up something really wonderful, and I’m glad to have a tangible way I can contribute to helping.
Ednaz:
Persistence. I also leave the studio a lot. ;D
Thank you. Speaking of, they are sleeping, I best get to work on Pirate Duckie.
Thank you carlie.
trinioler – *hugs* when you need some!
Were Freethoughtblogs down for anyone else for a short while, up until a couple of minutes ago?
chigau
OnlyDaughter has two cats. Cookie is a sweet-looking but truly evil multicolored longhair who hates humanity, tolerates OD because she knows how to open the Rubbermaid where the food is kept, and is plotting world domination and possibly Soylent Green. Her favorite trick is pretending she wants belly rubs so she can sink her claws into your hand(s).
Thirteen is a sweet-but-stupid, three-pawed but four-legged, all-black puffball she rescued on Halloween a couple years ago when someone tossed him from a car into the cemetery down the street. (Which explains his name…) His left rear paw had to be amputated but that was the only major injury he suffered. He’s a cuddler who plays fetch with little foam balls and likes to sleep next to her head.
Cookie spends her nights at her guard post (a pillow) near the door and does this horrific shrieking sound if anyone walks into the apartment. Only recently has she stopped doing it when OD’s boyfriend gets home from work at 2am — and they’ve been living together for about 9 months now.
—
Tony
re: astrology
Years ago, when I went through my “I believe in something” phase, I got a book on astrology that was so ridiculous I gave up the whole idea within minutes of finishing it. There was only one trait that absolutely applied to me (but really, applies to anyone who believes in critical thinking and independent thought): that we would be bored with children who were exactly like us and so we encourage them to develop their own interests, passions, and opinions, even if they disagree with our own.
More recently, I had someone argue with me that I couldn’t be an Aquarius because of [x traits] Aquarians are supposed to have that I didn’t. I could only stare at him for a long moment and then say “Well, I was born on [date] at [time], so either your astrology is bunkus or….” He changed the subject rather abruptly. :)
—
KG, opposablethumbs, Minnie
Oh, very good point and I should know better than to generalize like that. It does vary widely, even within the US.
Many of my mother’s friends in the “smalls” community prefer that term or “people of short stature” because “little people” is a) a Fisher-Price play set, and b) associated mainly with those who have specific genetic conditions, which they themselves don’t have.
My mom and niece are short-statured, but not as a result of any genetic or growth issues. Mom’s family is, on average, just short — the tallest male on mom’s side is 5’6″ and most of the women are in the 4’10” – 5’2″ range.)
—
Giliell
Interesting. Thinking about it a bit, most of my friends’ and cousins’ kids do follow that pattern as do my sister’s daughters. (To early to tell with the other sister’s girls, as one’s 16 and the other’s only 8 months old.)
My kids, however, don’t. The oldest (5’8″) is shorter than his younger brother (5’11”) and his younger sister (5’9″).
Beatrice, the site was down for me too.
Sigh, it seems more and more everything atheist related grows less and less enjoyable and more and more frustrating. Even here.
Beatrice
re:Freethoughtblogs downess
Yes.
More news from the Values Voter Summit:’
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#49041111
The segment begins with the caskets of US diplomats killed in Libyan coming home, with the return ceremony featured. This is followed by a summary of protests around the world, with video and excellent on-the-ground reporting.
Connecting these demonstrations to whackadoodle right-wing statements and videos on the web, Maddow makes the point that it was right-wingers claiming that Hillary Clinton was responsible for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood that prompted folks throwing rotten tomatoes at her motorcade earlier this year in Egypt. “Clinton is the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood.” (See Jerry Boykin’s wingnut blog, which was believed by people in Egypt.)
“Where do these conspiracy theories come from?”
At about 10:00 the segment switches to the Values Voter Summit, to Paul Ryan’s speech, and to excerpts from other speakers, including Boykin, and Frank Gaffney (“The Muslim Brotherhood: the enemy within).
Kamal Saleem spoke at the Values Voter Summit after Paul Ryan. “How do you change a terrorist? Introduce him to Jesus!” This is the guy who claims that President Obama is secretly praying Islamist prayers when it looks like he is saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Other Saleem pronuncements:
President Obama is legalizing terrorism in America
If the US passes immigration reform, “we’ll be wearing rag heads”
Roe vs Wade is how the US is being taken over by Sharia law
And this is the group that loves Paul Ryan, and where Ryan chose to speak.
Michelle Bachmann also spoke at the Values Voter Summit. She spent a lot of time connecting President Obama to the Muslim Brotherhood. I won’t repeat the several pages of that crap. She concluded the Obama-is-in-league-with-terrorists section of her speech with:
I’ve heard a lot of this meme on Fox News lately, that Obama is playing with celebs instead of doing his job. Bachmann used her position on the Intelligence Committee to back up her story of “appeasement” from the Obama administration.
Bachmann transcript here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81225.html
So let me get this straight. Obama is secretly in league with the Muslim Brotherhood, as is Hillary Clinton, but at the same time, the US government is backing videos with appalling production values in order to insult Muslims.
I think we may need Rush Limbaugh to explain this one to us. After all, he’s the guy who came up with the theory that Muslims more or less handed Osama Bin Laden over to Obama in order to make Obama look good, and thus to hasten the Muslim takeover of the US government.
More news from the Values Voter Summit:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/paul-ryan-featured-alongside-former-terrorist
@AJ Milne
Interesting. I do remember one Star Trek TNG episode like that which pretty much mirrors Kagin’s idea of what the world would become like. It was titled, “The Outcast“.
In addition to the self-described ex-terrorist at the Values Voter Summit, the following luminaries were in attendance:
The Republican presidential nominee (via a pre-taped message)
The Republican vice presidential nominee
Two sitting Republican governors
Two sitting Republican U.S. senators
Six sitting Republican U.S. House members, including the House Majority Leader
Good. Those Republicans will protect from the nefarious plot to introduce Sharia law via the foot-in-the-door of Roe vs. Wade. Link to article giving details of the nefarious plot.
Now I know why we really must repeal Roe vs. Wade. /sarcasm
Blog was down out here too. Doesn’t Rebecca Watson ever sleep?
I think Patricia and I are basically in the same part of the country. Pharyngula was down in my neck of the woods.
I thought it was the end of the world.
You and me both.
Hehe. I found a case of wine in the spare bedroom closet that I’d forgotten from 1999. It’s not exactly good, but it’s not completely bad either and I’m drinking it anyway; I’ll be damned if I just throw it out.
My dad always says life is too short to drink bad wine, but he’s the one with the well-funded retirement, not me. For me, life is too short to earn more money to buy better wine.
Kagin admits his last post is full-on trolling. Oh, pardon – “A literary Rorschach test.” http://freethoughtblogs.com/kagin/2012/09/15/what-my-blog-on-eliminating-men-from-the-human-genome-is-all-about/
And yeah–he “signed” his own post.
This is my instant response to that:
Oh, well, that explains it then. That’s so useful.
Or not, as the case may be.
/snark
Josh, I told him he sucks at trolling, but it’s in moderation.
Still, he fucking sucks at trolling.
The whole FTB network was down for me, too. By the way, what hashtag is used for FTB on Twitter? #FTB is some kind of weird sports thing.
Aratina:
Trinioler, I don’t know about the other two, but Rogi isn’t worth getting upset over. She has literally never made a useful comment on FTB.
Ing, #455: Yes.
Josh:
Amanda Failtrain Palmer on being criticized for asking fans to volunteer for her band and “paying” them with beer and hugs:
Yeah, it’s so to want to be paid what you’re worth in order to make ends meet. Fuck you, you privileged, narcissistic douchenozzle. I hope you don’t even manage to get roadhouse gigs one of these days.
And how nice that you found an interviewer who’d tongue your ass by asking you about “haters” instead of actually challenging you on your selfishness.
Fuck, I misgendered Rogi. I’m sorry. They have literally never left a useful comment on FTB.
Yeah, my comment is in moderation, too. I assume nothing sinister, rather because I was a first-time commenter at his blog … a couple other comments are now visible.
I don’t plan to follow the discussion there, or ever to read anything else he has to say. Someone would have to do a powerful lot of convincing to make me think it could be worth my time – why would I want to waste time reading the ass who trolls his own blog?
Thanks Ms. Daisy Cutter.
Yeah, I found her initial message to me dripping with “MY life sucks! Why aren’t you adulating me!”
Lynna – I’m in the Columbia River Gorge. The blog was down long enough for me to think PZ had been raptured.
::blinks:::
wipes eyes
::blinks again::
I did not know she was on this committee.
Rest easy.
Pat Buchanan is not the President of the United States.
*snicker* @Josh
Chris Brown albums “defaced” in the UK with stickers saying “WARNING! This man beats women!”
http://www.nme.com/news/chris-brown/66120
Hahahahahahaha yes!
I think Edwin Kagin should avoid social experiments in the future. He doesn’t seem particularly good at them.
(this PSA brought to you by the Department of the Obvious)
Mosque defaced in Harrisonburg, VA with slurs, bad drawings of penises, etc. Asswipes.
Heh. David Silverman responded to me on Twitter for rolling my eyes at his Islam is Barbaric rants. I swear Atheists live for violence in the Mid East so they can break out the butt snorkels and enjoy some good old fashioned fart whiffing.
This article about a Republican small business owner who bear hugged President Obama states that Republicans are attempting to influence his business rating on Yelp.com. Yet, when I went to the site, 12 of the 14 reviews gave 5 stars. I was quite confused. That is until I checked out the filtered reviews.
Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!
4513 reviews were deleted for violating Yelp’s terms of service. Of course I was unable to read the reviews, so I’m left to speculate. Seriously? Did 4000+ people decide to give negative rating to Scott Van Duzer simply because he hugged President Obama? Damn, that really shows Republican support for small business owners.
Re Kagin – I just read this comment over there thanks to Josh’s Twitter feed. Nice that individuals with such handles feel welcome at his blog.
size and sibling order me, used to be 5ft 11.5 inches spouse used to be 5ft 4inches
1st male 5ft 10
2nd female 5ft 8
2nd male 5ft 11
3rd male 6ft 2
2nd female 5ft 10 (only 14 still room to grow)
seems we cant do anything in the right order
The homophobic theory of dinosaur extinction. (Note: Could be a parody.)
Yep, parody.
Race, class, and privilege in South Africa.
New rattie photos* along with their very own blog. (If they actually start posting, I give up.)
*This time, shots of Havelock, Rubin, Giles, Magrat, Vasco, Artemis, Agnes, Amelia, Chester and Pearl.
Who wants a good laugh?
From the comments:
In a fit of sheer boredom, I checked out the Fire School of Ministry. I couldn’t get far, it was just dripping with the type bull. I do find it endlessly amusing that they refer to themselves as FSM.
Caine:
They’re all just so darned adorable.
I just thought of a really cute image.
Remember the Kids Zone at Chuck E Cheese, with all the balls? I had a blast as a kid jumping in there.
Imagine if you have a really big trough and filled it with peas, and put all the ratlets in there…
Patricia
Beautiful stretch of river. Must have been oven-hot several times this summer.
We have now proven that Patricia and I both think dark thoughts when Pharyngula goes down. I go for the broader explanation: End of the World! Patricia goes for the rapture of PZ.
Tony:
I don’t fucking think so. You know they shell the peas, right? They make enough of a mess as it stands. They would *adore* a proper ball pit, though. Hmmmm…
Okay, so when my daughter and I got home from the store today, we found a ~1 ft with tail green iguanid of some sort sunning itself on the bush outside our apartment. We assumed it was an escaped pet and attempted to catch it until we could find the owner or determine there wasn’t one, in which case we would presumably have brought it to the local exotic wildlife rescue/education center. Unfortunately, it escaped, and was last seen dashing onto the porch of a neighbor who seems to not really give a shit.
Any suggestions?
http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/honour-rape-and-right-abortion-0022339
Caine
I like the new ratitude blog! Hugs and sympathy for poor carrot.
I am rather sad about my doomed virtual ratlet. I’m glad he was happy right to the end though.
Ricky Watson wipes tears from his eyes after thanking President Obama for repealing DADT.
It brings the waterworks out in me too.
Caine:
Haha!
No I had no idea they shelled them. I can see how that could get a bit messy.
Now I’m picturing them in a ball pit, and that’s just cute as hell. From much of what you’ve said about the rats, many (if not most?) seem to like exploring and being physically active. It sounds right up their alley.
Tethys:
I am so very sorry, Tethys. *Hugs* We tried everything we could, and even though he was with us such a short time, he made a very large impression. Carrot was so intelligent and a loving little boy.
Tony:
It probably would be. If I can figure out how to do one in miniature without spending a fortune, I’ll do it. Of course, it would probably last all of a day or two, given their propensity for stealing. (All the balls would be carried off in triumphant acts of thievery and stashed all over hells and gone.)
Caine: You could do it with craft beads or something. Make the lip high enough or something that they can’t easily carry the balls away.
Caine
Thanks, I think you are phenomenal rat parents. *hugsback*
Cardboard box and a gross of ping-pong balls? One of the transparent storage containers might make it highly entertaining for the humans too.