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612 thoughts on “Speakeasy #6”

  1. giliell
    1

    It’s been ages since I had a Campari…

    Tony
    That sounds like good plans and I really, really hope that things are working out for you for once.

    Caitie
    That’s a lovely story. It also reminds me a bit of how the Cubans stared at me when I went swimming when it was “only” 22Β° or something like that.

  2. beatrice
    2

    I could do with some fruity, sweet alcohol.

    *waves* at CaitieCat. Canada under the first snow sounds great.

    AlexanderZ,
    Hm, don’t give me ideas about a new career.

  4. giliell
    4

    *imagines beatrice as an Ank Morpork trained asassin*

    +++
    *sigh* It’s really time we moved out of this flat. We had some heavy rain and now the roof is leaking. Again. And not in one, but two places. Right over the kids’ bed. I’ll ask my BFF to look up what we’re due in damages…

  8. Beatrice
    8

    Not fruity or sweet? OK, apparently I haven’t drunk it for a looong time. It looks fruity and sweet.

    You know what I was surprised to like? Southern Comfort and Sprite.

  9. rq
    9

    Beatrice
    It’s actually pretty herbal (some people say it tastes like medicine, I say it tastes FANTASTIC) and it has a very bitter aftertaste, with a sweet overtaste. If you mix it with orange juice or cranberry juice or pamplemousse juice (or all three!) or tonic water (a personal favourite) you can get a lovely mildly sweetish but mostly refreshing summer drink. <- This is my personal experience with it; the bitter aftertaste doesn't always go well with very sweet mixers and juices (sprite, for example), but that's exactly why I like it: definitely lacking in general sweetness and crowd appeal. A lot like me! Y'all ain't the crowd, just so we have that straight. πŸ˜‰

  14. Beatrice
    14

    Italy has joined the mass panic attack, together with Vatican.

    No wonder. After all, “They” are after our freedoms and our religion. We’ll protect the religion, but freedom is free (*lol/sob*) for the taking.

  16. giliell
    16

    beatrice
    #1, being a shameless opportunist, has suggested we close down all schools in the aftermath of the Paris attacks…

    +++
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH
    I just got a call from the hospital.
    Sunday night.
    8pm.
    The number they only have “just in case that my father doesn’T answer the phone during an emergency”.
    To tell me my mother needs house slippers.
    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

  17. Tony!
    17

    Giliell:
    Well clearly the need for house slippers is an emergency. What else is she going to put on her feet when she wakes up to find all the hospital staff gone and the world overtaken by zombies in 28 days?

  20. AlexanderZ
    20

    giliell
    They’re imbeciles.
    —
    rq

    Music for Cats

    It actually works! I gave the headphones to my cat and he went to sleep immediately.
    —
    Tony

    One thing about the place-it’s lonely as fuck

    I’m now imagining you opening something like the Overlook Hotel there.

    I’m quite happy my father asked me to do this.

    Great!

    In thinking about blogging, I’ve thought about communications, but that’s a pretty darn broad category. Or maybe journalism. I’d like a field where I can incorporate social justice activism of some sort (anti-racist, feminist, or queer rights activism, for instance).

    You mean something like gonzo journalism or advocacy journalism?
    Do you intend to make it into a profession, or are you going to study for personal enrichment?
    As far as I know, the only way to earn real money from blogging is from other peoples’ blogging, a la Ariana Huffington, and the only way to make money from journalism is to be born as David Brooks. πŸ™
    I don’t want to discourage you at all, but given how much college costs in USA, I’m a bit worried. On the other hand you definitely have a knack for reporting, as the racism thread at PZ’s and your own Policemen Behaving Badly and Irresponsible Gun Owner series can attest.

    Had you been here I could have introduced you to someone who specializes in helping people find their path/career.

  22. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    22

    Giliell, [hugs]

    Great excitement here, in a good way – a red-shouldered hawk decided to sit on on a telephone pole and think big thoughts for awhile – across the street from our house. Elder Daughter spotted it and called me outside, so we had a good long look.

  23. barkeeperin
    23

    Greetings from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where I will be spending the week with my in-laws (and my wife and kids, of course).

    Also, I am at this moment drinking a pineapple hard cider while sitting in our hotel. It’s quite tasty.

    Tony

    I would suggest some sort of journalism I think. And the house sounds great.

    rq

    I’ve tried Campari. It was OK, but it’s not for me. A little too much of a bitter aftertaste.

  25. AlexanderZ
    25

    Greetings, barkeeperin!
    —
    Anne

    we had a good long look

    But did you also take any pictures?
    —
    Apparently I’m the only one here who hadn’t had a campari.

  26. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    26

    Alexanderz, yes, I took pictures. Not great ones, but I’ll share after I get a couple onto Photobucket later.

    Mostly it was nifty, seeing a hawk that big in a relatively urban neighborhood. We have a resident Cooper’s hawk, but the larger ones usually hang out at the park.

  28. Nick Gotts
    28

    Hey!! I just posted a long comment to speakeasy#5, without realising comments were closed, and it got eaten. Any way of recovering it, Tony? Not that it was vital, apart fom greetings to Ogvorbis and congrats to Giliell it was a description of a slightly bizarre incident in a neighbouring flat last night, but still…

  29. Tony!
    29

    Nick:
    I looked for the comment, but I don’t see it anywhere. It’s not in with spam. It’s not pending or waiting on moderation either. πŸ™

  34. cicely
    34

    Test???

    I’m trying to post a longer comment, and am persistently bumped for an Invalid Security Token.

    Let’s see what happens if I just add it on….

    (Quick-Skimming Previous Speakeasy, from—eek!—November 16??? That long??? How can it have been that long???)
     
    Deep appreciation, Wizard, for your work, here.
     
    CaitieCat!
    *gentle pouncehug*
    –
    *hugs* and encouragement for Beatrice.
    –
    OgVorbis!!!
    So very pleased and relieved to see you!
    *hug-flurry*
    If you Did Wrong at Pharyngula, I completely missed it.
    Be well, whether you are here or elsewhere.
    Best wishes for your wife’s recovery, and I hope your back does better.
    –
    *hugs* for Dalillama. I wish I could help. πŸ™
    –
    YOB, best wishes for your dad; *hugs* for you.
    πŸ™‚
    –
    giliell, I’m sorry to hear about your friend. In what alternate space-time contiuum is Afghanistan “safe”???
    –
    AlexanderZ:

    Re: Belgium and France
    They are pathetic. I have never seen so much cowardice fused with incompetence and xenophobia.

    <tones of Extreme Dryness>
    Clearly, you have not been watching the Incompetence & Xenophobia situation in USAia.
    Clearly.
    –

  36. JimB
    36

    *hugs* and *higs* to all! A bit ‘rupt at the moment so apologies for for the non-specific greeting.
    —–
    I’ll have something caffeinated now, but will return to Scotch later. Been awake since 2AM, left for work early to stop by mechanic’s for a quick service. One freeway had 2 of 3 lanes blocked due to a “wood spill”, and as a consequence the alternate freeway was jammed. Barely got through vehicle service and to work on time. I love Bay Area traffic. /s

    Hopefully I can wrap up 3 projects today and thus take Tues & Wed off (Thurs & Fri are already holidays). I really need some “lay-on-the-sofa-with-a-beer-and-watch-TV” time. Oh, and spend time with the family, too πŸ™‚ – they’re off all week. Cheers all.

  38. rq
    38

    I also get a holiday (from work) on Friday. There’s a one-day teachers’ warning strike (not sure how that works) and they’re asking parents not to take their children to the daycare, as they’re showing solidarity. So we’ll have an extended weekend instead.

  39. AlexanderZ
    39

    cicely

    Clearly, you have not been watching the Incompetence & Xenophobia situation in USAia.

    This entire situation reminds of the closing of Boston after the bombing there. It was fear mongering cowardice fused with xenophobia then too.
    It’s a photo finish when it comes to which country scores most on the bigotry meter, and my loathing is usually rewarded to the one that’s currently dominates the news. Some people think that USA is most over-reacting country because of its invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, but France isn’t all soft and cuddly either. It practically controls western Africa (I won’t even mention the stuff that Belgium used to do there) and is very deeply involved in Lebanon and Syria. There is a very good reason why Daesh targeted a Russian plane, Paris, Beirut and Baghdad.
    Not that it means that we should give in to terrorism, but that’s a point to keep in mind.
    —
    Anne
    What a pretty birdy. I particularly like the one where you’ve caught her face and its very serious expression.
    —
    rq

    Congratulations to me, the impending aunt.

    No! You’re too young to be an aunt!
    Just kidding, congratulations to all involved.
    —
    P.S.
    I have water and I’m off to take the longest shower ever.

  40. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    40

    May I have a hug, please? The damnèd Gallbother is being a pain, and so is my Aged Mum. The low humidity is giving me little but annoying nosebleeds. All my arthritic joints ache. Microaggressions, wearing me down.

  46. giliell
    46

    *gentle hugs* to Anne

    Yay for probably already aunt rq

    +++
    I swear by the time she hits puberty #1 and I will have either killed each other or we’ll have already been through all those fights….

  50. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    50

    Thanks, All, for the well wishing. Dad’s out of ICU, in a regular room, and improving steadily.

    /rant
    I’m getting sick and tired of all the “god blessed him” and “prayers worked” etc. Its coming from friends and family that are genuinely concerned and happy for him, but Damn, where’s the love for modern medicine and skilled medical personnel?
    /rant

    —————–
    Congrats, rq, on Aunty-hood.

    ——————
    Boo for gallbothering gallbladders *hugs*

    ——————–

    Yay for running water.

  51. Tony!
    51

    YOB:
    Didn’t you hear? Modern medicine and skilled medical personnel are merely the tools god uses to make our lives better! Of course that also means that medical quacks and inept anti-vaccination fools are tools that god uses to make our lives worse too.

  53. JimB
    53

    Welcome Ice Swimmer!

    Glad to hear your Dad is improving, YOB

    And my mood has gotten worse since yesterday – although MrsB’s birthday breakfast was nice. Today is a good day for me to avoid people. We’ll see how that goes, spending the next 7 hours or so at work. πŸ™‚

  54. cicely
    54

    rq, congrats on the aunt-hood!
    *confetti*
    –
    AlexanderZ, modern plumbing is, in my opinion, the Third Best Thing humanity has to offer—after writing (*First Place ribbon*), and fire (which counts as a Found Object, rather than a bona fide discovery).
    –
    *hugs* for Anne, but none for the gallbother.
    Sorry about Aged Mum. And low-humidity nose bleeds; I hate those.
    –
    Welcome In, Ice Swimmer.
    πŸ™‚
    –
    *romping kittens* for JimB.
    Here’s hoping that tomorrow is better.
    –

  55. AlexanderZ
    55

    *hugs* to all.
    Welcome, Ice Swimmer!
    —
    YOB

    I’m getting sick and tired of all the β€œgod blessed him” and β€œprayers worked” etc. Its coming from friends and family that are genuinely concerned and happy for him, but Damn, where’s the love for modern medicine and skilled medical personnel?

    I never know what to say in those situations. People are only trying to be nice, but I really wish they would express it differently.
    —
    The big news of today is Turkey’s downing of a Russian fighter jet on near the Syrian-Turkish border.
    Turks claim that they’ve issued 10 warnings to plane before shooting, but it didn’t comply. The Russians claim that the jet didn’t enter Turkish airspace, and even if it did, the jet flew briefly several hundred meters into Turkish land on its way back to base. The latter is true even by Turkish radio images, but this is another in a very long line of incidents of Russians simply ignoring the Turkish-Syrian border and flying where they please. Not only that, but Russia keeps bombing Turkmen rebels in its supposed fight against Daesh (in reality Russia has carried out less airstrikes against Daesh than UAE – almost all of Russian bombings were against anti-Asad rebels just south of the Turkish border and next to a few major cities).

    The Russian news are all over this. Most claim that it was a surface-to-air missile and not an air-to-air missile from the Turkish jet. They claim that they are betrayed by Turkey, even though Turkey has already downed a Russian drone and warned about future repercussions. They claim that Erdogan is an Islamist with ties to jihadi Islam (which is true) and that his daughters are corrupt, pilfering funds from the Turkish budget – that’s from a country where nobody is even allowed to mentions Putin’s daughters, one of whom is presiding over a 1.5 billion dollar project in Moscow’s top university (she’s such a talented young lady).
    But most importantly, Russia doesn’t know what to do about Turkey. It’s the first time they’ve met any real armed resistance since Putin took power.

    Perhaps there is a lesson here for the Baltic states whose airspace is violated weekly by Russian planes.

  56. Beatrice
    56

    AlexanderZ,

    I thought someone was joking when I first heard about that Russian plane. Is Putin reckless enough to go against Turkey?

    It would be funny, though, that with all the fear about ISlamists, it’s Russia that proves to be the last drop (I know, you don’t like alarmism, but I’m an eternal pessimist).

  57. AlexanderZ
    57

    Beatrice

    I thought someone was joking when I first heard about that Russian plane. Is Putin reckless enough to go against Turkey?

    I honestly don’t know. This terra incognita as far as Putin is concerned, because the last time something like this happened was during the height of the Cold War.
    Judging by the various reports Russia’s response is mostly verbal (i.e. they’re going to push “Erdogan is an Islamist” line) and maybe even translate to Russian gas deals with Turkey (Turkey imports about a quarter of its gas from Russia, but on the other hand, Russia’s South Stream gas line is passing through Turkish borders).
    I doubt that even Putin is stupid enough to push a major NATO country like Turkey. In the end he’s just a bully who made it big – all of his previous targets were weak and easily pushed around. Also, I think Russia’s insistence that it was a surface-to-air missile is a way for Russians to save face and claim that the downing was more the work of Syrian Turkmen than that of Turkey, but time will tell.

    I know, you don’t like alarmism, but I’m an eternal pessimist

    You’re allowed to be alarmist when a major nuclear power is involved.
    Besides, I’m biased against Russia, so I don’t mind πŸ˜›

  58. rq
    58

    Woo!
    Finally I can comment again.

    Anyway.
    I am now an aunt. There was a short period of uncertain waiting, since no news was arriving and there were some possible complications in the delivery, but I can now safely report that mother and baby are doing well, as is father, all recovering nicely, and BOOYAH I AM NO LONGER THE ONLY PERSON IN THE FAMILY WITH CHILDREN. By ‘person’ I define my crowd of siblings and Husband’s crowd of siblings. Seriously, you’d think that in such a large crowd, Husband and I wouldn’t have been the lonely parents for so long, but that’s birth control for ya.

    Also *HUGS* for Anne and *hugs* and *higs* for everyone else, apply as needed.

    Beatrice
    I don’t think it was so much Russia going against Turkey as ‘accidentally’ crossing into the wrong airspace. They seem to have wonky navigational devices on those planes, as they habitually cross all the invisible lines over the Baltics and Sweden and Finland and the like.
    Not going to help the situation at all, though, that’s for sure – and last I read, the pilot has been captured in Syria, so I can only hope that s/he is alright.

  60. rq
    60

    Also welcome to Ice Swimmer!

    AlexanderZ
    I’ll see your major NATO country and raise you several tiny NATO countries, haha.
    More seriously – the lesson for the Baltics? I’m not sure there is one, seeing as how there’s already NATO air support via Poland (I think? Possibly Sweden? Haven’t checked the facts?) and those durned lost Russian planes are always met with NATO planes of one kind or another. Never firepower, though, and at least in Latvia, there’s a distinct fear of trying to provoke Russia by invoking repercussions for these sorts of incursions.

  64. Beatrice
    64

    Niiice. Thank you, rq.

    Thank dog I live at the walking distance from work. Biden is visiting tomorrow, so half of Zagreb has been blocked since this afternoon.

  66. AlexanderZ
    66

    rq

    Never firepower, though

    Well, there is your problem!

    there’s a distinct fear of trying to provoke Russia by invoking repercussions for these sorts of incursions.

    It makes sense and usually I’d agree, but I fear that Russia has reached a point where only measured violence can deter it.
    Hopefully it won’t be necessary and they’ll rethink their own actions in the wake of this incident, and at least try to be less gung-ho about encroaching into other countries.
    —
    Beatrice

    Biden is visiting tomorrow, so half of Zagreb has been blocked since this afternoon.

    This reminds me of the time when all of central Israel (it’s a small country so that’s not much) was closed for Clinton’s visit. I was stuck for hours in the cold, waiting for a bus that never came.
    —
    I shall bid you good night as well. See you all tomorrow.

  67. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    67

    rq, Happy Auntie Day!

    I am so tired and groggy… I think the walkies to Cost Plus up at the shopping center, on top of all the other usefuls slayage, did me in. It was worth it; Cost Plus is almost like a mini vacation.

    Here are more hugs, and some chocolate almond toffee bar from CP.

  68. giliell
    68

    Wish me luck, folks. Final final exam today. I hope that eating lots of mac and cheese will give me an advantage in North American literature and culture studies πŸ˜‰

    beatrice

    Biden is visiting tomorrow, so half of Zagreb has been blocked since this afternoon.

    The most stupid thing I ever witnessed was when Obama visited Germany. The Ramstein airbase is right next to the Autobahn and they blocked the Autobahn. But they didn’t block it so there would be nobody on the Autobahn next to the airfield, they blocked it so that everybody was stuck there right next to it. Mr, who was stuck there, said he could count the wheels on the Air Force One when it landed

    Totally gallbother-friendly cookies toAnne

  69. bragimike
    69

    Conga rats to rq . I assume that this will take a little of the pressure off your family to fulfill the ‘producing offspring’ role.

    My daughter has a cough. To most parents this would be a minor irritation. But in our case a few early warning bells are going off! So far a cough is all that it is. Let’s hope it stays that simple.

  73. rq
    73

    Good luck, Giliell!!

    *hugs* for bragimike and all the best wishes for a swift and complication-free recovery for your daughter!!

    *Campari*

    Oooh, I wanted to mention that I’m planning on trying that shot of Campari in a beer the next time there is Campari in the house (it’s a rarity due to local prices, but what with Husband gallivanting off to the Alps this February with work, I’m counting on him to bring me back a giant bottle). I’d never heard of that mix, and… well, two of my favourite things, what can I say?

  74. giliell
    74

    I haz college degree!
    Another B, but one point up. Again didactics was my “weak point”. That’s the problem with oral exams: They wanted broadth, I gave them depth and had no idea I was “lacking”. But hey, who cares?

    Speedy recovery for your daughter, bragimike
    The little one is sick as well, but better today than next week when she’s supposed to play the lead role in their dramatic performance of the “Gruffalo Child”

  78. giliell
    78

    Sometimes not yelling at Mr is hard…
    On the kiddie news they had a segment on Miss Piggy doing an adele cover, so I showed the little one the original video.

    Mr: “Do you have the album?”

    Me: Nope

    Mr: Will you buy the album?

    Me: Dunno

    Mr: If you bought the album you could put it on my USB stick as well!

    Me: Do you want me to buy the album?

    Mr: only if you want to!

  81. rq
    81

    Showed Youngest some baby pictures of himself today. I didn’t think much of it, as he’s seen the albums that are filled with his brothers’ baby pictures (they like to go through them and laugh at themselves every now and then).
    Except he was horrified. He started crying because he was a baby in the picture and wouldn’t look at any more.
    So instead I found some baby pictures of me and showed them to him, explaining that I was once a baby, too… And while I’m not sure he accepted my explanation as true (“Nice theory, mum,” he would say in a sarcastic tone), but he was certainly thinking with great concentration while staring into my little baby face. I hope he went to bed a little less confused.

  82. Ice Swimmer
    82

    Thanks for the welcome. Congrats for newly auntified rq. I’ve been too shy to be giving out hugs, but maybe I’ll heat a virtual sauna, instead, for everybody who needs it.

    Aside from Turkey being a NATO country, they can also close in the case of a crisis Bosporus straits and Dardanelles for Russian ships, which would be costly for Russians.

    On a lighter note, I saw Apocalyptica live in Helsinki last Saturday for the first time. The cello works great as a rock/metal instrument, even live. I liked their show. The only minor quibble was the new singer (Frank Perez) whose voice sounded out of place for the music, but then again vocals were of secondary importance.

  83. Ice Swimmer
    83

    Congrats to Giliell and swift recovery for Bragimike’s daughter.

    rq, now that I think about it, I’m not sure if it should be 2 cl or 4 cl Campari for 33 cl of beer. Maybe depending on taste…

  84. AlexanderZ
    84

    giliell

    Mr: only if you want to!

    Fine, don’t buy him the album. He’ll just sit there in the dark, alone and unloved…
    (actual things that some of my relatives say)

    Re: Esther
    She’s as old as my aunt Allya (Алля)! She’s also 91 and is part of the local song-and-dance troupe, but she prefers folk, classics and polka. I wonder if I still have one of her video’s somewhere…

  86. Nerd of Redhead
    86

    I’ve just about had a gutful of all the Islamophobic hate whipped up by Sam Harris and the right wing loonies that I am seriously considering converting to Islam. The Redhead doesn’t look too bad in the hijab I bought her yesterday, just to see how she’d look in it.

    To me at this stage after all the horror of atheism that has been exposed in the last 3 – 4 years, Islam looks like a much saner way to go.

    Am I right, or wrong?

  87. Tony!
    87

    If you’re serious Nerd, then I’d say wrong. Islam, like all other religions are based on faulty thinking, logical fallacies, and assumptions about the way the world works.
    Yeah, the atheo-skeptic online community has been filled with assholes and has been for some time. None of that lends credence to any particular religion being correct though.

    I do feel you with the Sam Harris worship though. I’m sick to motherfucking death of the Harrisites.

  88. Tony!
    88

    I hate the emotional rollercoaster that my brain can go on. I’m in Orlando visiting my family for the holidays. My sister and I went out to this bar/restaurant to play trivia. We met a friend of hers while we were there. We had fun. Fun, I tell you. The first fun I’ve had in years, and I’m not exaggerating. I had a few drinks. Got a good buzz. Had an enjoyable time playing trivia. We even won first place and a $50 bar tab.
    And yet, at some point after the win, my brain shifted gears. The whole time we were there, I noticed guys that I thought were attractive. I saw couples. I saw flirting. I saw things I wish I had. I’ve been single 13 years. The last relationship I had was in 2002. I’ve dated here and there, but nothing serious. I’m so fucking tired of being lonely and not having anyone to share my life with. And sex? Please. I’ve pretty much given up on that. I’ll be 40 in less than three weeks, and I can’t shake the frustration of never having said “I love you” to anyone. And all of this comes as I’ve noticed an acne flare-up on my face. Acne was one of the biggest reasons I felt so low and so down on myself as a teen and young adult. I felt so fucking ugly. I never wanted to look in the mirror. I thought all other people could see were the fucking splotches all over my face and it made me think I was so undesirable. So all of that hit me tonight. I went from feeling really good to feeling so down and I hate this feeling. But I can’t shake it.
    I just want to cry myself to sleep.

  90. barkeeperin
    90

    Tony

    I wish I could help you out, sir. All I can say is that I find you compassionate, forthright, and intelligent, and I think that matters a lot to a lot of people. At the moment, I’m geographically closer to you than usual, so I hope that these hugs I am offering feel a little better.

    Would it help if I said I met my wife online? On a USENET newsgroup? Just to show that you never know where or when you might meet someone?

  92. bluentx
    92

    ‘threadrupt but:

    A request for those in California. Not asking for prayers but it being ‘vibe country’ maybe you could send some good ones in the direction of the hospital my sister is in? : ) [Victorville ? San Bernadino? I don’t know exactly.]
    Returned a voice mail from my niece (no answer) informing me that my sister had a stroke. Apparently, not a ‘little one’ as she has been in the ICU !

    Tentacles crossed (among other things}.

  93. chigau
    93

    I am Canadian but for the Holiday here are some things for which I am thankful:
    universal health care
    years of FirstAid and CPR training
    universal health care
    911 systems
    universal health care
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targeted_temperature_management
    antibiotics and a vast and varied, tried and tested pharmacopeia
    nurses (how y’all do it, I don’t know)
    medical technicians (a bewildering variety of people and their eldritch machines)
    support staff (Thank You All)
    universal health care
    .
    and all that is before I get to friends, dojo and family
    .
    what is the word for one-month-anniversary?

  94. bluentx
    94

    Also, conga-rats to rq upon aunt-atude ! (And no, sorry, she’s NOT TOO YOUNG. I’ve been one since I was 6 months old (oldest sister 20 years older). When #1 Dear Niece wants to annoy me she tacks on the title Aunt B ! [Children can be so annoying ! πŸ™‚ ]

  96. bluentx
    96

    Update:
    Heard back from # 2 niece. Her mother is to be moved to regular room when available. Pain, vision problems but no paralyisis. 2nd MRI yet to be evaluated but… she’s annoyed with the hospital staff. [A good sign, no? πŸ™‚ ]

  97. bluentx
    97

    2nd (but NOT secondary!} An Ogvorbis sighting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Well, what can I say but …..HOT DAMN !!! :)…. And more fire/park ranger stories Unca Og !!!

  98. Nick Gotts
    98

    So instead I found some baby pictures of me and showed them to him, explaining that I was once a baby, too… And while I’m not sure he accepted my explanation as true (β€œNice theory, mum,” he would say in a sarcastic tone) – rq

    Or “Were you there?” perhaps πŸ˜‰

    Congrats to giliell, commiserations to Anne and Tony. Tony, I know this will be of very limited if any comfort, but I didn’t meet the love of my life until I was 37 – there’s still time! My “I’m so unattractive, people will only see this” problem was hair loss – male pattern baldness beginning at 14 – so by the time I met D it was pretty advanced, and the remnants were greying. Turned out not to matter.

  99. Biped!?
    99

    bluetx, I am so sorry to hear about your sister’s problems. But being cranky can be a good thing, and no paralysis is a great thing. I am only 40 miles from Victorville and if there is anything you’d like me to do, just ask. We will be gone all day today until tomorrow afternoon, but after that, I am available.

  100. giliell
    100

    Heya
    Mr and I celebrated with a day at the Spa.
    Good times!
    And I just ordered tickets for “A Christmas Carol” . I’ll read it with the kids in German before we go and see it. It’s soooooo cool that they’re now old enough that I can actually “go out” with them and show them all these wonderful things.

    Tony
    You are a wonderful and you are beloved

    bluentx
    All the best for your sister

    rq
    We’ve been making foto calendars for the family ever since #1 was born, so by now there’s accidentially a very nice documentation of how they grew.

    Alexander
    Thing is, he’s seriously tech illiterate despite being a literal fucking technician
    *sigh*

  101. AlexanderZ
    101

    Nerd

    I’ve just about had a gutful of all the Islamophobic hate whipped up by Sam Harris and the right wing loonies that I am seriously considering converting to Islam.

    Good thinking! It never hurts to practice, especially as it’s so easy compared to some other conversions (try to convert to Samaritanism from Judaism or Islam – that’ll leave a mark), but you should wait for the right moment to do the actual conversion.
    Remember, when done for the right reason, none dare call it treason.
    —
    Tony!
    You’re awesome and you should listen Nick Gotts (and the others here as well!) – it’s never too late to find that special someone, and I have a feeling 2016 will be much better for you than 2015.
    —
    bluentx
    All the hugs for your sisters. Here’s hoping she’ll be well enough to be released.
    —
    chigau

    universal health care

    Are you OK up there? What happened? How are you feeling?

    dojo

    You do martial arts? What kind?
    —

    Interesting news:
    An Israeli general (no English link) told the Israeli government that IDF suggests that Israel complies with PNA (Palestinian National Authority) requests and grants their police forces more arms and armored vehicles so that PNA would be better equipped to dial down this new intifada. Furthermore, he said that Israel should offer more work visa and other economic opportunities to Palestinians.
    The settlers reacted as expected – they’ve summoned the general to apologize in front of various settler rabbis and fanatic leaders.
    Nevertheless, these words signal that IDF isn’t interested in fueling this new round of the conflict and is trying to be at least relatively pragmatic (for comparison, during the early days of the 2nd Intifada IDF was ordered to open fire whenever possible, which resulted in roughly 1 million bullets fired in the first months!). How Israel ultimately act remains to be seen.

  102. rq
    102

    So apparently this is a picture of a real-life ghost. Now, what’s interesting here is that I didn’t even see it until the article points out approximately where one should look… of course, now I can’t unsee it. BUT! Here’s the best part: I was just looking at it again, and I caught sight of a second ghostly figure (which looks more like a floating bust) that partially overlaps with the ‘knight ghost’. So do I think they’re Real Ghosts (TM)?
    No. If it’s not the obvious photoshop or a trick of the light (a photographer suggests this in the article), I think it’s an odd coincidence in the shading and colouring of the ground and the wall. If you strain your eyes (but not too much), you can even almost make out several other figures throughout the picture.
    An interesting exercise in fooling the brain, I think.

    This has been today’s pointless partially-entertaining non-stress-related post from rq. *free hugs* (extra for Tony), *discount higs* and *good night* to all.

  103. giliell
    103

    So apparently this is a picture of a real-life ghost.

    I see it, I see it!
    Probably, as I don’t understand a word. A guy who looks like El ChΓ© walking to the right. And then there’s a demon face in the wall at his right and a little demon doggie with glowing red eyes.

    Yes, I always spot 7 million awesome faces in the pattern on the wall every time I poop. it’s kind of a hobby…

  104. AlexanderZ
    104

    giliell

    A guy who looks like El ChΓ©

    My first thought was “who photoshopped Fidel into the image?” (Che wasn’t that chubby).

    a little demon doggie with glowing red eyes

    i see the evil wall, but I don’t see the doggie.

  105. AlexanderZ
    105

    Listening to the Radiolab talk that PZ linked to some time ago. The men are really annoying. At 2:45 they start to describe a Staph overgrown Petri dish as

    nice, lush, furry lawn

    That doesn’t sound right. Aren’t Staph colonies smooth? Aren’t furry colonies usually Eukaryota (mostly mold) and in some cases Streptomyces, both of which things that would kill the Staph? That’s what Fleming eventually discovered, but they’re describing his expectations wrongly.

  106. AlexanderZ
    106

    Finished listening. It’s pretty interesting, but I didn’t like the presentation. I also object to the line at 28:15:

    you can come up with a rich historical cocktail of [cures] that will work if you bring them in, take them out, bring them in, take them out

    i.e. certain pathogens can devolve to lose their immunity to an antibiotic, so you alternate the usage of antibiotics to make sure that no immunity develops.
    Sorry, but that’s not a new find. That’s a fairly common approach to treating people with HIV. We knew this could work for a long time, the reason we don’t do for Staph infections is because during a serious Staph infection you don’t have time to play evolutionary microbiologist – you just dump everything you can in the hopes of killing that one infection fast enough (luckily for HIV+ people the disease progresses slow enough for this method to have some success).

    Mind you, that’s just the men’s commentary. The women’s discovery is still awesome.

  107. giliell
    107

    Okokok, I don’t want to get into a veganism discussion on Pharyngula, and tell me to shut up if it was wrong to post it here, but I’m mighty annoyed with PZ’s veganism enthusiasm when I clearly remember him munching lamb in summer

  108. rq
    108

    Was that just this summer? I thought it may have been last summer, as I think he’s gone vegetarian for more than a year by now…

  110. AlexanderZ
    110

    giliell

    I’m mighty annoyed with PZ’s veganism enthusiasm when I clearly remember him munching lamb in summer

    Why does it bother you? Some vegetarians get the munchies for meat from time to time. We’re all animals and sometimes we just want to tear meat and gristle from a bone.

  111. awakeinmo
    111

    Hey all.
    Hugs to all, if you like them.
    Special congrats to Giliell on schooling!
    And to rq for auntieness!
    bluentx, I hope your sister continues to improve and recover quickly.

    So sorry if I missed anyone in need of a hug or call-out. I’ve not been keeping up much.

    What craziness going on in the vegetarian Thanksgiving thread over at FtB! I had no idea that food choices could be such a controversial subject.

    Oh, and Tony, I’d like to add my admiration of you to the pile there. I know it’s not the same thing, but lots of folks love ya.

  112. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    112

    Giliell, I’m with you – I don’t care what the vegans eat. It’s their choice, not my business. So why do they get to chastise us omnivores?

    I guess it’s all about the Freeze Peach, isn’t it. They speak, and we have to shut up, as usual.

    Speaking of which, I’m grumpy and grouchy today. I’ll go be quiet in the pillow fort and stop chewing on my feet.

  116. giliell
    116

    Heya
    Guess whose mother managed to get kicked out of the hospital!
    She was still on the internistic ward but refused an ultrasound exam. Yes, an ultrasound. The least invasive procedure after “staring at you from across the room”. Now you cannot justify keeping somebody in hospital who simply doesn’t cooperate. Of course she refused relocation to the psych ward as well, because that is “for crazy people and she is not like them”
    There’s still an application for a rehab pending, but that’ll take time and by then she’ll be convinced again that she doesn’t have a problem…
    *sigh*

    Alexander Z
    What bothers me is the repeated “vegan, vegan, vegan” with a clear implication of moral superiority coming from somebody who isn’t even a vegetarian. You know, ifi t were just about what you like, you wouldn’t bother to comment on vegan like five times in a row. You’d simply state what you had to eat…

    +++
    OK, my embroidery machine is working again. It had a software hickup which somehow repaired itself. Let’s see if I still manage to mkae the kids the quilts. I need 196 squares. I have 40…

  118. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    118

    Giliell, [hugs]. If she won’t let herself be helped, there’s nothing you can do, and it’s not your fault. With you on the vegans. Yay, I hope your machine keeps behaving!

    Beatrice, nothing specific, just a general statement re: feet in mouth.

  120. awakeinmo
    120

    Anne, commiserations on social awkwardness. I actually spent Thanksgiving alone, rather than with my brother’s “fiancee’s” family. I just can’t take gatherings of more than a few people. And I always end up saying something stupid, because it’s rude to be silent. πŸ˜›

    Giliell, sorry about your mom.

  121. Tony!
    121

    I think I have TMD/TMJ. The left side of my jaw pops when I open my mouth. There’s no pain or discomfort. I can eat, drink, and breathe with no difficulty. It’s just annoying. Every time I chew, I hear the popping of the bone. Wish I knew what I could do, especially in light of not having health insurance.

  122. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    122

    awakeinmo,

    I spent yesterday at Aged Mum’s – if we hadn’t driven up, it would’ve been just her and her caregiver*. I get nervous and babble, because if I don’t say anything, people start asking me what’s wrong.

    *Yes, I have younger siblings. One lives on the other side of the continent. The other one is professionally helpless and totally self-absorbed, and sees no reason to put herself to any effort when she can just sit on her arse and leave me to deal with everything.

  124. giliell
    124

    Thanks, y’all

    Anne
    I know, and I have known for a long time. It was a nice “break” for everybody while it lasted. For almost two weeks you didn’t have to be afraid that this would happen because it had already happened.
    In the end, she’s doing this to herself and has been doing it for a long time. She decides to keep on doing it every single time. It’s not just deserts, but the logical consequence of her actions.
    *sigh*
    It’s just sad that the kids will never have her as a grandma as I had her mum.
    It is very sad that we’ll never get a chance to actually have a conversation about all the things that went horribly, horribly wrong.
    I wanted that for a long time, for my own healing, but I’m afraid I need to put it on the “and a unicorn” list…

  125. bluentx
    125

    re: good wishes for my sister

    Thanks to everyone here for the support. It’s nice to have a place to vent when voicemail or emails are not being answered. πŸ™‚
    Thanks especially to Biped!? for the offer of direct support. [BTW, she’s at Kiaser in Fontana.]
    I spoke to 2 nieces and my sister earlier (the drugs must be working, she wasn’t makin’ much sense : ) ) She’s out of the ICU and the word is no surgery necessary. Still considerable (head) pain and no word on when she will be discharged but still good news overall…. so far.

  127. AlexanderZ
    127

    bluentx
    Good to hear your sister is recovering.
    —
    giliell
    I’m sorry about your mother.

    What bothers me is the repeated β€œvegan, vegan, vegan” with a clear implication of moral superiority coming from somebody who isn’t even a vegetarian.

    I saw that in the comment section, not from him directly. To me it looked like he was just a bit of bragging and teasing, as he does on many subjects.
    —
    Tony!

    I think I have TMD/TMJ

    I can relate. i usually firmly grab my jaw with both hands and carefully pull it down, then try to carefully readjust it. I wouldn’t recommend doing it unless you have some experience.
    —
    Anne

    I guess it’s all about the Freeze Peach, isn’t it. They speak, and we have to shut up, as usual.

    They can be annoying and sanctimonious, but they do have arguments beyond free speech. Nobody has to agree with those arguments, and even if you do agree with them there little wrong in not converting to their lifestyle.
    Then again, in the early days of the net I used to troll vegans, Tolkien fans and Stormfront. Something about those groups made them equally trollable for me. Weird, huh?

  128. chigau
    128

    About a month ago, at about 3AM, I awoke to the SO making some mighty strange noises.
    Waaay beyond snoring.
    agonistic breathing, no pulse
    So, I calls 911, starts CPR
    ambulances
    ER
    CICU
    CCU
    implanted defibrillator
    home
    …
    universal health care
    doesn’t cover ambulance(s) (we got 3 that night)
    ~$400
    nor drugs
    that will cost us
    …
    It’s all good.
    Our support system of friends, relatives, dojo, community centre is beyond awesome.

  134. barkeeperin
    134

    chigau

    Hugs if you want them. Sounds like it is working out, but I’m sorry you had to go through what must have been terrifying at 3 am.

    Giliell

    Sorry about what is happening with your mother. As someone who’s kids are growing up without one of their grandmothers, it sucks. As someone who’s mother suffered from the logical conclusion or her actions — it sucks. Mine was smoking -> cancer, (and I hate that I sometimes feel like I am blaming the victim for this one.)

    bluentx</strong

    Glad to hear your sister is doing better.

  136. rq
    136

    AlexanderZ
    … Tolkien fans…?

    chigau
    May I offer some *hugs* and a large hooray for the health care system in Canada and also a stack of sincere best wishes for the swift and complication-free recovery of your SO?

    bluenetx
    Yay for your sisteR!!!!!!

    +++

    A contemplation on male privilege. The good kind.

  138. bluentx
    138

    Also an (envious) HOORAY for Canadian (and other) health care systems. My sister is retired (Cal state employee) but I still ‘worry’ that this incident may stress her (more than it should) IF her health care coverage in less than stellar. [HOW could anyone possibly object to ‘universal/ whip- out- your- card’ health care instead 50(,000) different plans ?]

    Must read ‘What’s The Matter With Kansas ?’ again…. Nahhh… It STILL won’t make any sense….

  139. giliell
    139

    bluentx
    I’m glad your sister is better. There’s also a phenomenon that’s a short term psychosis people suffer who had a medical emergency. My grandma told us the most droll stories, mixing up her favourite TV series with the hospital ward and such.We were quite shocked until the hospital staff told us of that phenomenon.

    chigau
    *hugs*
    I’m glad your SO is OK.
    Though not covering the ambulance and medication doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, you want people to call the ambulance when they need it, not when they can afford it*.

    *Though covering it also has its downsides. In Germany many people call the ambulance when actually all they need is a ride to the hospital…

    Alexander

    To me it looked like he was just a bit of bragging and teasing, as he does on many subjects.

    It’S that bragging and teasing coming from somebody who is, in fact, not even vegetarian that I find annoying. Honestly, I think he’s doing it to impress his daughter.
    Vegetarianism/omnivorism/veganism is something I will no longer discuss on the net. Too many idiots on all sides. I looked up that thread and they all showed up.

    barkeeperin
    My aunt just died of lung cancer (heavy smoker as well), and no, it wasn’t the same. My aunt fought as long as she could, but once she had cancer it was beyond her control. My mother is very privileged when it comes to resources. Universal healthcare. A house that’S paid and a pension to comfortably live on. A family who supports therapy and wouldn’t shame her for needing therapy*. And she simply blows it all, every time.

  140. bluentx
    140


    giliell
    Just so she doesn’t mix up her experience with say…. Six Feet Under.

    Also now having flashes of Nurse Betty ….. THANKS A LOT giliell πŸ™‚

  142. AlexanderZ
    142

    chigau
    Dear god. I hope your SO is getting better.
    —
    rq

    … Tolkien fans…?

    Oh, so you don’t have a problem with trolling vegans? This is just another injustice, one in a long string of injustices, hatreds and ridicule, that the besieged vegan comm…
    Oh, hell. I can’t even finish that sentence, my trolling skills have rusted completely.
    Anyway, yes, Tolkien fans. The vegans of the fantasy lovers. This was before the Jackson movies came out and made Tolkien more popular and accessible, at a time when Tolkien fans, at least the ones that I’ve encountered online, were obsessed with the purity of interpretations of Tolkien and the superiority of their fandom over all the later fantasy works.
    “Purity” and “superiority” are the key words here, and they figured heavily in the other two group’s forums as well, hence why all three were so easy and fun to troll.
    —
    giliell

    Though covering it also has its downsides. In Germany many people call the ambulance when actually all they need is a ride to the hospital…

    In Israel the ambulance calls are not covered, unless the ambulance call results in hospitalization of at least 24 hours or any other option was unavailable, and you can petition your healthcare clinic to dismiss the charges in some cases. I ended up paying 100$ about two years ago, but overall I think it’s a good compromise we have. Or had. With all the recent cuts to healthcare I don’t even want to know what’s going on anymore.

    Honestly, I think he’s doing it to impress his daughter.

    Probably.
    —

    Speaking of Stormfront:
    15 years ago my friend, an orthodox Jew, needed to go to USA and wanted to get a list of all the kosher approval (hechsher) marks present in NY. The trouble is that many Jewish religious groups don’t recognize each other or each others hechsherim, meaning that he couldn’t get a complete list anywhere.
    Anywhere, except on Stormfront. Those Nazi fucks were kind enough to offer a full list of all hechsherim in USA, sorted by religious affiliation (i.e. Reformist vs Conservative vs. Orthodox, etc.) and by states, complete with various verification that these indeed are real koshroot stumps.
    My friend was delighted he made a point of thanking Stormfront on their forum and posting pictures of his trip.

  143. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    143

    Alexanderz, *ahem*

    As someone who actually read The Hobbit and LotR as a child, and as an adult met the Husband at a Tolkien-Lewis-Williams discussion group meeting, I just want to point out that Not All Tolkien Fans are like that.

    [dusts hands and returns to the pillow fort and my cup of tea and book on the invention of the zipper]

  144. AlexanderZ
    144

    Anne

    As someone who actually read The Hobbit and LotR as a child…

    Me too. That’s why trolling the uber-fans was so fun.
    This was also your daily reminder that trolls are lying assholes (but I’ve been cutting back on that for years now) and would argue against their own position if it suits them at the moment.

  145. Beatrice
    145

    Well, I can imagine AlexanderZ as a good old fashioned troll (not the modern kind where every internet hater wears the name as a banner and an excuse).
    That’s not a rebuke and it’s not supposed to be an insult, btw.

    Giliell,

    Re: ambulance calls

    Yeah, that’s what people here do too, but there is often another reason:
    If you try to set an appointment for an exam, you’ll get something in about half a year or more (depending on the examination) . If you check in the ER, especially after being taken in by the ambulance, they have to make the exam immediately.

    I can’t say I’m terribly bothered by this abuse of the system. People don’t usually go for these exams for funsies, and we have a real problem with waiting lists.

    Oh, and the ambulance won’t come at just any call, at least not here. The last time my dad wasn’t well (but wasn’t very bad); they assessed by mum’s words that he would be able to reach the ER by himself, so they advised her to take him in instead of them sending the ambulance.

  146. rq
    146

    Apparently women are wimps.
    Now the fact that I probably won’t want to see this movie because it’s got ToxicMasculinity!!! written all over it will probably be seen as my natural womanly squeamishness. Oh well.
    Who knows, maybe it will be a wonderful voyage of self-discovery instead.

  147. AlexanderZ
    147

    rq

    …he described as “unflinchingly brutal”…

    I think that critic never heard of childbirth. I wonder if he subscribes to the stork theory or the cabbage-field orthodoxy.
    —
    Beatrice

    Well, I can imagine AlexanderZ as a good old fashioned troll (not the modern kind where every internet hater wears the name as a banner and an excuse).
    That’s not a rebuke and it’s not supposed to be an insult, btw.

    I never came even close to the modern trolls (SWATting? what kind of sick fuck would do that?) but I did say and did some assholish things. I said I was trying to become a better person, but I forgot to thank all the people whose wisdom, honesty and moral integrity make that possible.
    That’s a very long list, but it includes you and everyone here in the Speakeasy, some folks back at Pharyngula, and many others.
    Thanks you all, I’m this place exists πŸ™‚

  148. Beatrice
    148

    So, I have a bit of an “old married couple*” work dynamic with a colleague ,and a “concerned party” mentioned to the boss man that we argue a lot.

    “Concerned party” is a guy who is seriously rude to people, especially to that colleague , but suddenly he’s worried about our relations. Right.

    (Asshole.)

    *
    ME: “Why the hell would you drop everything and do that task for them when my project delivery is the priority?!”
    HIM: “They were badgering me about it!”
    ME: “And then you complain I badger you. Apparently I’m not annoying enough!”
    HIM: “Well, that’s your problem.”

    at another time:
    ME: “Is there a problem? You’re taking terribly long to finish that.”
    HIM: “YOU GAVE ME A DIFFICULT TASK!”
    ME: “Um, what…”
    HIM: “IT WILL TAKE ME AT LEAST TWO HOURS!!”
    ME: “NO, LISTEN to me for a moment!”
    HIM: “You wrote that!”
    ME: “STOP!” *reads aloud* “That was the task”
    HIM: “Oh. Ok then.[a minute later] That’s done.”

  150. giliell
    150

    Count me in on the #notallTolkienFans

    Did I ever tell you the story about the only time I witnessed a guysen ding another guy to a woman for information?
    I was hilarious. Now this first guy, let’s call him clueless idiot, had a habit of thinking very highly of himself. This was on the forum for the LotR role-play series Decipher tried to establish. They were arguing Old English and the Rohirim. Clueless idiot claimed X, man R corrected him and explained the matter to him. Clueless guy keeps arguing. After a few exchanges clueless guy tells man R. to go to woman Awho “knows something about Old English”.
    What clueless idiot didn’t know but everybody esle reading that exchange (and chatting behind his back) was that man R. had a PhD and was a lecturer of Old English and woman A. was his former student and current partner…

    +++

    Happy Anniversary!
    It’s Mr and my’s 16th anniversary of kissing under the mistletoe. To celebrate we went to the christmas market where it all happened and then to the Chinese restaurant.

  152. rq
    152

    Parental brainfart: a couple of weeks ago Eldest reported that his indoor shoes for school were broken (not surprised, we bought them cheap). Husband and I decided that today would be a good day to make an excursion to buy him new indoor shoes. We planned it all out (I would take the train with Eldest into downtown because that would cause least disruptions and there’s a decently-priced shoestore right in the station complex), and brought Eldest down to discuss the plan with him (i.e. he needs to get dressed, have some breakfast, and then we leave so we can get back in the early afternoon). About halfway through our genius plan, he says, “But I have indoor shoes.” Yes, the broken ones, we know, says Husband and I… “No, you gave me those ones you bought a long time ago but were always too big, remember?” … Yes. Yes indeed.
    Well, we saved ourselves a trip and a few euros, but honestly, this is what happens when you fixate on that one idea and forget about everything else.
    And we had such a good plan, too.

    *hugs* and *higs* for everyone.

  153. Beatrice
    153

    I just watched an Al Jazeera Balkans report about a refugee camp in Dunkirk. Tents in the mud. I don’t know how they will survive the winter.

    Not the kind of thing that gets reported on mainstream tv. (I think it’s ok to say Al Jazeera is not mainstream – they don’t seem to cater to anyone specific, but report actual facts)

  154. AlexanderZ
    154

    Al Jazeera are not your mainstream, since they don’t follow the dictates of any European government, but they are as mainstream in the Arab speaking world as you can possibly get (their only competition is Al-Arbia), they do what Qatar tells them (it’s owned by the Qatari government) and they are extremely close with Islamists of all stripes. Saying that the foreign language (i.e. anything except for Arabic) Al Jazeera isn’t catering to anyone specific is like saying BBC Persia isn’t catering to anyone specific.
    However, as long as you’re aware of some biases (like their over-reliance on very biased local sources) they can be pretty good.

    Speaking of which, Deadly ‘Russian airstrike’ hits market in Syria’s Idlib:

    The pro-opposition Orient TV reported an initial death toll of 40.

    However, Rami Abdulrahman, director of the observatory, put the death toll much higher, saying at least 60 people were killed and wounded in the attack.

  156. AlexanderZ
    156

    :/
    Sorry.

    Here’s something pleasant, though – The Lion King, or The History of King Simba I – Summer of Shakespeare
    I’m doing a bit of a disservices by linking to that video, since it ends the presenter’s look into modern Shakespeare adaptations and in a way invalidates most of the points presented in the previous videos (his channel isn’t arranged in a chronological order, but still worth watching). I’m giving you the punchline without the build-up, but I have a good reason – that punchline is superb.
    The first two and a half minutes are some lighthearted nonsense, but after that Kyle dives in.
    Highly recommended if you have the time.

  159. barkeeperin
    159

    Tony re All Asian LotR:

    I agree with all of those decisions, I think. Though isn’t James Hong just reprising Lo Pan in a way by being Saruman?

    AlexanderZ re: letting someone else adopt a pet

    Well, after over a year without a furry family member, we put in an application to a local rescue last night. The sting of our (previous rescue) Certified Pre-Owned Dog’s loss has faded enough now. All of us are missing having a dog or two around the house.

  160. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    160

    Anyone hear from Nick Gotts, lately? I think I recall him mentioning going to Paris for the Climate Change meeting. I’ve heard there were some kind of something happen. Wondering if he’s OK.

    —————
    Also, Dads home now. Double pneumonia crisis averted. On a feeding tube now since pneumonia was caused by him aspirating his food when he eats (an effect of the tumors in his tongue and throat.). Gaining strength and is chasing me home tomorrow. Haven’t seen Honored First Wife and the YOBling in 10 days now. Glad to be going home.

  161. giliell
    161

    Good morning

    YOB
    Hmmm, not this morning. But he’s probably OK. Police dissolved protests with water throwers and such, arrested many protesters.
    Welcome to our new totally terror safe world…

    +++

    All Asian racebent Lord of the Rings casting.

    Thing is, if you scroll down slowly, you can tell who they’re supposed to be before you read it, not because they resemble the white folks in any way, but because they fit the characters
    And yes, please, any Frodo with more than two facial expressions, please.

  162. giliell
    162

    BTW, the people of Hamburg just gave a big fat middle finger to the city’s Olympia application. Everybody is totally surprised that folks would maybe like to not waste a few billions.

  163. Nick Gotts
    163

    Hi YeOldeBlacksmith, thanks for the concern! My Paris trip is planned for the 11th-14th, at the end of the climate conference. However, the French government has banned all marches in Paris (why waste a good crisis?), and since a public show of protest at the failure to agree anything like adequate emissions reductions* was my motivation, a week ago I’d decided not to bother with the indoor events Friends of the Earth are organising (I booked my stay in Paris with them), but to go straight through on my way from Italy to Scotland. However, they are now saying there will be a public event involving lots of small groups spelling out a message in the streets of Paris, so I might be there after all. But although any demo anywhere always carries some risk, if I do I won’t be looking to tangle with the police.

    Congrats on the anniversary, giliell.

    Alexander Z, did you manage, in your trolling days, to find any neo-Nazi vegan Tolkienistas? In my political activities, I once came across a group of vegan Stalinists (“Tankies” in the argot of the left – i.e. supporters of the Soviet invasions of Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968), but I didn’t have any opportunity to discuss fantasy literature with them!

    *We can be pretty sure of this. If there is an adequate agreement, the display of porcine aerobatics around the Eiffel Tower should be worth watching!

  165. giliell
    165

    nick Gotts
    from what I saw on the news, the French aren’t overly fond of having their liberties taken away in the name of protecting their liberties.

    +++
    If everything goes right I will NOT have to go to the city centre again for shopping before Christmas. I promised the kids to go there for the decorations, but no more shopping. And I got peppermint oil!

    I also got a birthday present form my DIL. It should be illegal to be born in December.
    Though it was rather easy. He wants a watch and my MIL, BIL and us chipped in together. This time my BIL was easily convinced. I mean, it was only 30 bucks AND I got the work….

  166. AlexanderZ
    166

    Nick Gotts

    did you manage, in your trolling days, to find any neo-Nazi vegan Tolkienistas?

    Alas, no. Such a beast is a rarity indeed. I did found some vegan Trotskyists and plenty of veganarchists. One of who I met in person in an unrelated manner. I remember a particular incident where we were walking in a park and saw a couple of Ethiopian kids practicing capoeira. He looked at them and called them monkeys.
    My jaw dropped. As I was gathering air to respond he turned to me and proclaimed “biological hierarchy doesn’t justify a political hierarchy”.
    So no, no neo-Nazi vegan Tolkienists, but one racist veganarchist D&D fan.
    —
    giliell

    Everybody is totally surprised that folks would maybe like to not waste a few billions.

    How would Europe escape the Great Recession if the Germans are unwilling to commit to a fiscal expansion?!
    Not that I’m blaming them, I wouldn’t want an Olympiad near me either.
    —

    I forgot to mention this yesterday, but, once again, the Russian 1st channel is whipping people into jingoist frenzy. All of the political programs I’ve watched declared that Turkey will pay for “its attack on Russia” and that “no-one will be allowed to harm Russia in this manner”.
    The end result? Russia has placed a ban on Turkish fruits and vegetables, which means an economical damage of about 600m$ per year. Considering Turkey’s export constitute about 169b$, that ban is the economical equivalent of a quiet fart.
    This ban is in addition to revoking visa-less flights between Turkey and Russia, banning Turkish football players from playing for Russian teams, banning any Turkish foreign workers and banning Russian tourist packages to Turkey. The latter does hurt (10% of all Turkish tourists are Russian), but the ban may be less effective than it appears because Russians can still fly to Turkey through a 3rd country.
    What is notable in its absence are any gas and oil restrictions (Turkey is heavily reliant on Russian energy exports), as well as any sanctions against Turkish investors (about a third or Turkey’s foreign investments are in Russia) which shows how impotent Russian response really is – they can’t invade Turkey and they can’t embargo Turkey, which is the start and end of all Russian foreign policy.

  167. Dalillama
    167

    *hugs* all.
    chigau
    Single-payer healthcare kicks ass; I have huge unpaid (and unpayable) medical bills lying around all over the place. Fortunately, the half-assed healthcare reform that got passed down here actually gave me some health insurance, but nevertheless.

    Nick Gotts
    Pretty sure my cousin will still be in town then; I know he was planning to be at the demonstrations. (This is a different cousin than the one who was there for the attacks; he’s back home now).

    blueintx

    Best wishes for sister’s swift recovery.

  169. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    169

    Giliell,
    I’ll trade your puking kid for my broken heater. Tech said he won’t be able to get the part until Thursday and it’ll cost $950. That’s a fine welcome home, eh. πŸ™

    Hope your kiddo feels better soon.

  170. giliell
    170

    YOB
    OK, I’ll keep the kid. She’s feeling better already and managed to keep some digestives down. We just had a costly maintentance done on the car, though I’ll say that although the maintenance was a big one, so far there was nothing broken with the car. Can’t avoid renewing brakes and diverse and such, but nothing that wasn’t basically wear and tear.

    +++
    Oh dear, I just got chastized by an old lady for letting the little one walk a full 20-30m ahead of me. In a residential area. With only a cul de sac to cross…How could I?

  174. Wizard
    174

    Cross posted from Tech: This bloody system may be the end of me. Every time they do an upgrade the thing malfunctions. My motto: If the damn thing ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Undoing their screw up my take a while. More later.

  176. rq
    176

    1) Fact: working in forensics means when your child gets a nosebleed, you don’t toss the bloody tissues into the toilet, you take them in to work as a positive control;

    2) Peeve: people calling disagreement and opposition ‘Stalinist’, because calling someone out for bigotry (vehemently, sometimes with name-calling) is exactly like fearing that your life is threatened by government ideology;

    3) Fact: cars are expensive, which is why we’re not (a) putting the winter tires on the Saab (b) taking it in to have the transmission checked and (c) not using it until spring (this sucks, too).

    4) Peeve: elderly relatives being such emotional manipulators that when the inevitable medical emergency occurs, you’re not sure if they’re doing it for the attention or if it’s happening for real.

    Annnyway. *hugs* and *higs* for all.

  177. giliell
    177

    Anne
    Thanks
    *hugs right back*

    rq

    elderly relatives being such emotional manipulators that when the inevitable medical emergency occurs, you’re not sure if they’re doing it for the attention or if it’s happening for real.

    When my grandpa died (has it been fucking 5 years already?) it was a classical case of “Doctor, the hypochondriac in room 215 died”. For years he’d been admitted to hospital like twice a year, basially for doctors tweaking his medication slightly and giving him some attention.
    *higs and hugs right back*

    Wiz(z)ard
    Thank you for all you’re doing!

  178. FunnyDiva
    178

    Hi, barflies and Shoople

    I’m not ‘zactly ‘rupt…I’ve read thru ever’thang for the last week or so.

    So, here:
    Hugs and higs for the pile
    Moar Cushions AND a folding card-table (armature!) for the Pillow Fort.

    Glad to hear ’bout all the not-well people getting better and hoping the rest will start to recover but SOON!

    Re: Wimminz just tooooo delicate to handle “The Revenant” movie.
    Uhm, yeeeeah. I saw that trailer…less than 12 hours before an extremely extensive and nasty case of endometriosis EXPLODED into life in my abdomen. In addition to the very large fibroid that had been pushing my middle out of shape for months but only getting in the way…

    Yeah…I challenge ANY man to deal with that level of persistent fucking PAIN. I mean “my body is literally TRYING TO KILL ME” pain.
    So, I’m not going to see your stupid fucking film because: it looks like it’s just another stoopid fucking film ’bout menz and revenge. DUH.

    The good news: the abdominal situation is ENTIRELY cleared up except for the incision needing to heal. Fibroid was too big to take out any other way…I join the legions of ladies with the “bikini-cut” scar.
    Thank goodness I was already scheduled for surgery to remove the fibroid. But DAMN! why did no one warn me that having to stop NSAID pain relievers a week before hand could unmask some SERIOUSLY NASTY PAIN?!!!

    Thank goodness I had some heavy painkillers stashed from last year when I needed a root canal!
    Because it was a SERIOUS undertaking and drama to get a new ‘script filled to get me through to my surgery. Holy Moly.
    So…always hang onto your leftover painkillers, you never know when you might need them for an emergency to fill the gap before the appropriate ‘script can be obtained and filled!

  181. AlexanderZ
    181

    *hugs* to all, seems like another tough day for the barflies πŸ™
    —
    FunnyDiva, I’m glad you’re feeling better. And I agree wholeheartedly on keeping old painkillers. They’re a life saver!
    —
    rq

    Peeve: people calling disagreement and opposition β€˜Stalinist’, because calling someone out for bigotry (vehemently, sometimes with name-calling) is exactly like fearing that your life is threatened by government ideology;

    I saw that too, but I noted that this followed a string of comments calling for a more composed and level-headed approach to arguments, regardless of the person in question.
    As for “Stalinism”. Funny how it was once used to by conservatives to attack liberals for daring to speak out and now… Actually, now it’s the same thing.
    Huh. Imagine that.

    *higs* for all

    Don’t know about that. HIGS sounds unsafe.
    —
    giliell

    Oh dear, I just got chastized by an old lady for letting the little one walk a full 20-30m ahead of me. In a residential area. With only a cul de sac to cross…How could I?

    YOU MONSTER!!!3!
    That reminds me of when I was taking my daily stroll recently and saw a couple with a young girl – probably 4-5 years old. It was near the largest road in the neighborhood, but where the sidewalks are wide and there is almost no traffic. The girl would run (on the sidewalk) ~20 meters before her parents, the mother would say “STOP!”, the girls would freeze instantly, waiting for her parents to catch up, after which she would speed again until the next “STOP!”, and so on, and so forth.
    I found that very endearing. The girl was active and well behaved and her parents kept an eye on her without being in her face all of the time.

  182. FunnyDiva
    182

    Giliell,
    You’re just lucky you didn’t have Little One on a harness/lead combo!
    IMAGINE the scolding you’d get then! (from the self-same little old lady, I’d be willing to bet…)

  183. AlexanderZ
    183

    Thank you, Wizard!
    —
    FunnyDiva
    I used to run wild when I was small, so my mother really did walk me out in a harness attached to a long dog chain (it was longer and allowed for more movement than the harness built-in straps).

  184. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    184

    FunnyDiva:
    Hope you won’t need pain meds very quickly and everything heals up well.

    ————-
    Giliell:
    And I’m sure someone would complain if you kept kiddo too close cause then you’re too protective. #cantwin

    ————–
    So YOBling just got home from school. A friend (who is a boy) gave her a hand blown glass Christmas ornament he made at a glassblowing workshop he attended. No other friends were given such a gift. Just YOBling.

    I am not ready for this!

    πŸ™‚

  185. FunnyDiva
    185

    Alexander Z:
    my mom used the harness+ elastic lead for me and my sister, too.
    I have a certain number of mental/emotional scars from growing up, but that was not the cause–and I’m still convinced they can be used effectively to keep toddlers safe from traffic and strangers.
    (and harness, please, not stupid wrist-bands that will only pull the poor kid off their feet so they hurt themselves!)

  188. wmdkitty
    188

    Quick question — I seem to recall Rich Sanderson/The_King being banned from Pharyngula some years ago. Can anyone confirm?

    I ask because he’s being a total jackass and insisting that I provide a “citation” for that claim, while simultaneously making outright libelous claims about other people (the usual obsession) and refusing to provide a single citation to back up his own claims. (Fucking hypocritical little shit, that one.)

    Meanwhile, he’s also claimed it’s “harassment” to flag/call out abusive or trolling behavior. (While continuing to harass me over those citations.)

    In other news, I’m alive. I survived the holiday weekend and mountains of leftovers. Winter has hit me hard this year — all I wanna do is cocoon myself in blankets and sleep through ’til spring.

    I’m also doing physical therapy again — left ankle contracture is affecting my ability to safely transfer, and we wanna get that stretched out, and get me doing light exercise. Exhausting! My feet aren’t really happy with being forced back into my old AFOs, either.

    *hugs* *headbonks* and the like to everyone!

  189. barkeeperin
    189

    Don’t know if anyone else has seen this article but it is a great explanation of what the conservatives have been doing and how it relates to fascism.

    And here’s hoping illnesses are fleeting for all those dealing with them. Hugs? Pats on the shoulder? Cursory chin jut with a, ” ‘Sup?”

  190. AlexanderZ
    190

    rq
    …
    —
    Where is Tony? Maaaarcoooo???
    —

    …The brains of men and women aren’t really that different, study finds:

    The majority of the brains were a mosaic of male and female structures, the team reports online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Depending on whether the researchers looked at gray matter, white matter, or the diffusion tensor imaging data, between 23% and 53% of brains contained a mix of regions that fell on the male-end and female-end of the spectrum. Very few of the brainsβ€”between 0% and 8%β€”contained all male or all female structures. β€œThere is no one type of male brain or female brain,” Joel says.

    So how to explain the idea that males and females seem to behave differently? That too may be a myth, Joel says. Her team analyzed two large datasets that evaluated highly gender stereotypical behaviors, such as playing video games, scrapbooking, or taking a bath. Individuals were just as variable for these measures: Only 0.1% of subjects displayed only stereotypically-male or only stereotypically-female behaviors…

    Professor Daphna Joel also gave a TED talk about this (before she finished this study).

  191. AlexanderZ
    191

    wmdkitty

    Quick question β€” I seem to recall Rich Sanderson/The_King being banned from Pharyngula some years ago. Can anyone confirm?

    Here you go, but it’s ambiguous whether PZ has blocked him on Twitter or on FTB:
    Hey, twitter, it would also be nice if searches excluded people we have blocked. Why can’t you do that?
    Also, feel better!
    —
    barkeeperin
    I like that article but I have one pet peeve – I can’t stand when people don’t differentiate between fascism and Nazism.
    If we ignore the various puppet governments for Nazi Germany and count only the countries that proclaimed themselves fascist then fascism ruled over most of South America, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Out of these countries only managed to conquer anything of significance and only Italy practiced genocide (in particular, after the Nazi take-over). Compare that to Nazi Germany and Tojo’s Japan (the only country that specifically asked Hitler to make amendments to his racial “theory” so that Japanese would also be considered a master race) which immediately set out on enormous conquests and genocides.
    Nazism is related to fascism (they’re both fit Eco’s Ur-Fascism), but is very different. The latter is a reactionary movement that is mostly isolationist – it doesn’t seek to change the world order, but rather the order of its country – and the former is a revolutionary movement that sets out to conquer and destroy all.
    Trump is clearly a Nazi because his loyalties, if we presume he even has any, are not to his country (as evident by his draft evasion) but to his in-group within his race. Someone like Bush Jr. is closer to a regular fascist.

    Since we’re on the subject, I think NYTimes this article adds greater weight to Doug Muder analysis and helps to explain the increase in white terrorism.

  192. rq
    192

    AlexanderZ
    I’ll see your brains and add this supportive article on how the male and female brain aren’t so different at all – except for that guy at the end, there. It feels like he’s straining a bit to make sure that yeah, there are differences.

    Some stuff about DNA that sounds kind of creepy. Very Atwood.

    And Canadian dinosaurs:
    Dimetrodon!
    Reptile link!

    (I’ve been hoarding these a bit because I can’t seem to comment here from work, so I’m wasting precioussss minutes before breakfast to type this.)

  193. FunnyDiva
    193

    As I say on FB:
    Jeebus FUCK, but can we please
    STOP equating violent, murderous authoritarian asshole with “person who has a definable mental illnesess”?!
    SHAME on Lithwick and Digby (and by extension [Connie] Shultz [who approvingly quotes this EXACT para on her FB post]) for perpetuating the myth that those with mental illness are violent
    AND that those who are violent and murderous must somehow have a mental illness.
    NEITHER is true, and it’s fucking irresponsible of ALL of them to just blithely imply that they are.
    DO. BETTER. PROGRESSIVES.

    “The fact is, as Heather Digby Parton has pointed out, those who incite mentally ill people to violence do bear some responsibility for the fact that mentally ill people will respond violently. This isn’t a call for censorship, but it’s a reminder to the party of personal responsibility that taking responsibility for one’s words is part of being an adult. Nobody wants to send Fiorina or Huckabee to jail for their abortion clinic ideas. But when their intensely inflammatory and deliberately shocking language coincides with not one but six actual attacks on Planned Parenthood clinicsβ€”and a massive upsurge in threats of violenceβ€”it’s sort of absurd to suggest that there is no conceivable connection.”
    –Dahlia Lithwick for Slate:
    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2015/12/republicans_lie_about_planned_parenthood_incite_violence.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_ru

  194. giliell
    194

    Good morning!
    Do you want to hear ALL about my neighbour’s various health conditions, her dog, her daughter and her car? Well, it’s not like I got a choice either…


    YOB
    Aww, that’s sweet.
    Also, blowing glass is one of the things I want to learn in life.

    Funny Diva
    Ouch. I’m wishing you speedy recovery (and the jab at my neighbour is not related to your tale about you recent health troubles.

    +++
    4 kinds of cookies done and also 74 Trapunto squares. Now I need to do 18 more Trapunto squares and then 90 quilted blocks and then I get to assemple the two quilts which will be fun because I need to put the blocks together in a way that front and back are pretty to look at.

  196. giliell
    196

    I think I just had the most Murphy’s Law afternoon of all Murphy’s Law afternoons.
    When I left the house to pick up the kids I put my hand in my coat pocket to check if I had the keys. I’m not stupid after all. I felt the little donkey that guards my keyring and the car key. When I was at the car I noticed that fuck, the car key was for Mr’s car and yes, I remembered that the donkey had come off and my keys were obviously lying in my flat. Probably next to my mobile…
    No problem because my in laws live like 5 minutes on foot away and they have spare keys. They’Re always at home! Except for today.
    Fuck.
    If I walked to #1’s school now I wouldn’t make it in time before closing. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
    Well, little one’S daycare would be able to lend me a phone
    Fortunately I met another mom on the way who could help me out with a phone already, so I called #1’s daycare and told them to send her off on foot. Then I went to pick up the little one and hoped that in the meantime my in laws would come home.
    No such luck. #1 arriveda nd we waited and waited. Next idea was to go into the diner next to my in law’s apartment block and have supper there. hey’d surely be home afterwards.
    Only they didn’t serve food right now “’cause my wife is sick” and because the guy also thnks that the no smoking laws are for other people we couldn’t just stay there and wait. But I could borrow his phone so I called mr (you may remember he doesn’t live with us during the week).
    Me: “HEy hun, I got a problem. I locked myself out and your parents aren’t at home and I don’t have the mobile with me, I had to borrow a phone”
    He: I tried to call you, you weren’t at home!
    I tried to call my mum, she doesn’t answer either!
    Have you called your sister?
    Me: ???? I don’T have my phone! I locked myself out. Your parents aren’t home. Could you call your dad on the mobile?
    He: Sure, I’ll call you back!
    Me: ?!?!?! I DON’T HAVE MY PHONE!!!!!!!

    About half an hour later my in laws arrived. My DIL had an unexpected day off so they went shopping.

    Now we’re safely home and had Spaghetti.

  198. FunnyDiva
    198

    Tony!
    I first read that lede as “A *Nasty* Infusion…”
    And I stand by my initial interpretation!
    Camellia sinensis or BUST. (or, call it a tisane or “tea” with air-quotes!)

  200. giliell
    200

    Funny Diva
    Hey, I always find it important that the kids see me:
    a) fuck things up
    b) find a solution
    c) don’t freak out
    How else are they going to learn how to behave when things go wrong? πŸ˜‰
    But no adult beverages for soothing. I’m an alcoholic’s kid, that’s a path I will not tread. I’m not a tee totaler, but I shy away from using alcohol to better my mood like the devil from holy water.

  201. Biped!?
    201

    Mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA. Not far from me. I am in San Bernardino County. No firm information yet. May have been 3 men in military gear. NBC news is not giving any official numbers yet. More later.

  202. JimB
    202

    Giliell
    Kudos for not “freaking out” when faced with a Monster Murphy Day. I would have been swearing and throwing things.
    —-
    Biped!?
    Ugh. Hope you & yours are safe.

  206. inchoatepsyche (aka Brony, Social Justice Cenobite)
    206

    I don’t know if I can catch up with everything.

    Re: Harnesses. My parents should have used them more.

    @WMDkitty How is using the reporting system to report behavior problems in any sense harassment? I hope you are getting results. Good luck with the physical therapy!

    @AlexanderZ, rq I love telling people about my “female brain” when it comes to how some of the Tourette’s logic seems to work. I saw that research coming.

    @FunnyDiva Facebook has been awful there, but I see more “right-wing christian terrorist” than I thought I would. I am legitimately an authoritarian asshole on occasion, but mostly when I need to be.

    @giliell I hope your neighbor is OK. Yay for cookies! Sorry all of that happened. I would have been out of luck because I don’t really have any ph#s memorized.

    @Biped Shit. This is why I’m an asshole on Facebook and other places.

    As for me:
    *I’m finally with a job placement service that works with people with disabilities. They seem optimistic. I’ve basically given up on a job in the biological sciences and I honestly have some hate for what I used to do because of how things went that I need to work through.

    *I’m still trying to figure out a career. It’s been hard to be motivated with writing and talking with professionals about some of the stuff I see going on related to TS research. I seem to be really good with dealing with trolls and online arguing with jerks in general. I wonder if there a career that resembles “troll hunter”? I feel a little weird about it but I wonder if I set up a Patreon for it if people would hire me for that. I feel a little guilty about it but I like it.

    *Speaking of arguing I’ve had fun in several places with respect to recent developments. It’s challenging but I’m pressing my family on refusing to see right-wing christian terrorism as that. Facebook is a lot easier with that in general which is nice.

    *I was doing a lot better for a while because of this.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12589392
    I mean a whole lot better. I was getting motivated about some of the above. But this is texas and I need a job. I found out that my type of psychology has deficits in negative reinforcement (positive is better) which explains a lot of my motivation issues.

    *Therapy sucks. I’ve got some stuff to fix and functionally dealing with the stuff I’m starting to see clearer is tricky.

    *I built a winter cat home out of two rubbermade tubs, foam and hay. We have some strays that need it.

    I’ll try to think of more positive examples.

  207. giliell
    207

    Jim B.
    I’ve always been able to freak out with delay. You can count on me in any emergency to stay calm, reasonable and focussed. I’ll have my nervousbr eakdown with about two weeks delay.
    But this was really not something to freak out about: I knew that sooner or later we’d get a key, and freaking out wouldn’t have helped anyway.

    Waves at Brony
    Mr’S # is one of the few that i know from memory. Let me think: Our landline, my ln law’s landline. My parents’. Mr’s landline. and about three numbers that don’t exist anymore…
    Good luck with the job agency!

    Biped
    Stay safe.
    Any bets this isn’t going to be called “terrorism”?

  211. Biped!?
    211

    This is from one of our Mountain Reporters: “Another high speed chase. Went from OrangeShow Rd. across to MountainView and San Bernardino. Ended in a shoot out, officers versus suspects with AR15 rifles. One officer down, sheriff grabbed him and took him to Loma Linda Hospital.

    They just found a bomb on San Bernardino Ave.

    Redlands police calling for swat team for another incident.

    Bomb threats at local hospitals.

    Stay home.”

    Any bets on when they will start calling this domestic terrorism?

  212. Nick Gotts
    212

    If we ignore the various puppet governments for Nazi Germany and count only the countries that proclaimed themselves fascist then fascism ruled over most of South America, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Out of these countries only managed to conquer anything of significance and only Italy practiced genocide (in particular, after the Nazi take-over). – AlexanderZ

    This is highly inaccurate. Neither Portugal, Spain, nor any South American country ever declared itself fascist. Fascists were part of Franco’s regime, but never controlled it: it was a military dictatorship. Salazar’s regime in Portugal could reasonably be described as fascist, although the term it used of itself was corporatist. Regimes in Argentina and Bolivia, like Franco’s, included fascist elements but were military dictatorships. The Estado Novo of Vargas in Brazil was probably the closest in South America to Italian fascism, but the actual fascist party was suppressed along with all others. In Europe, the Dolfuss regime in Austria was explicitly “Austrofascist”; the military rulers of Hungary and Romania had complex relationships with their countries’ fascist parties. The Metaxas regime in Greece was ideologically close to fascism, but banned all parties including the fascists. As to whether Italy “conquered anything of significance”, you might ask the Ethiopians, several hundred thousand of whom were killed during the Italian conquest of 1935-6, which involved the use of mustard gas against troops, civilians, and the Red Cross; and the mutilation and killing of prisoners. In response to continued resistance, Mussolini sent the following messages to General Graziani:

    Rome, June 5, 1936. To His Excellency Graziani. All rebels taken prisoner must be killed. Mussolini.

    Rome, July 8, 1936. To His Excellency Graziani. I have authorized once again Your Excellency to begin and systematically conduct a politics of terror and extermination of the rebels and the complicit population. Without the lex talionis one cannot cure the infection in time. Await confirmation. Mussolini.

    Racial segregation was enforced in Ethiopia, with sex between members of different races banned. Italy also occupied Albania in 1939.

    German Nazism was explicitly inspired by Italian Fascism, and Hitler always remained loyal to Mussolini, insofar as that word can be used of him at all. Nazism was undoubtedly a form of fascism, far closer to the original than regimes in any of the countries you mention, with the possible exception of Portugal. Its main ideological innovation was its virulent antisemitism.

  213. bluentx
    213

    #1) *hugs* for Biped!? and any others in the ‘Inland Empire’/So Cal area !*

    #2) Cheers for Tony’s ‘Terrorism in San Bernadino’ post.

    #3) Hoorah for multiple post along this same line: “Thoughts and Prayers” Aren’t Enough !!! [google it… there are LOTS of posts/essays/articles from all over the world, spanning YEARS that say this very thing: DON’T JUST ENGAGE IN WISHFUL THINKING AND SENTIMENTAL RHETORIC !!!….. “DO SOMETHING !!!”

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gop-candidates-call-prayers-calf-massacre-article-1.2453261

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/prayer-gun-control-mass-shooting-san-bernardino/4

    http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/12/02/3727709/lawmakers-offer-prayers-for-mass-shooting-victims-receive-large-checks-from-the-nra/

    …….. [And that’s not all folks !}

    Incredible as it may sound– NOT ALL Law enforcement-types are gun-ho ! [I know– no reasonable person believes this generalization IS any more true than “THE LEFTISTS WANT TO TALK ALL OUR GUNS FROM US !!!” rhetoric.

    [Case in point: My cousin the (retired) prison warden, In the aftermath of this latest ‘Mass Shooting In America’ She posted on FB, “I totally agree.” [with the above articles]. Religious though she is, PRAYERS AREN’T ENOUGH WITHOUT COMMON SENSE REGULATION ! AND simplistic platitudes are WORTHLESS !!]

    * I was even concerned for the welfare of my ex-brother-in-law who lives in San Bernadino… and he’s a jackass in my book ! : )

  214. Dalillama
    214

    general *hugs*, esp for biped and others in the San Bernardino area.

    Hi Brony!

    Nick Gotts
    I’m not sure where you’re getting the idea that a military dictatorship is incompatible with fascism; in fact, almost all military dictatorships are functionally fascist, definitely including the Franco, Peron, and Pinochet regimes.

  215. Tony!
    215

    I never thought I’d say these words, but…guess who has begun the process of going back to college?
    I’ve just begun, but I’m filling out the application for enrollment at a college in Panama City, Florida. I’m going to send off for my transcripts tomorrow (via mail, bc it’s only $4). I may be able to make it for the spring if I’m lucky. Perhaps the summer. Not sure yet.
    As for financial aid, my mother is a great asset. One of the things she has done in her years working at colleges is work in the financial aid department, so she’s told me places to look (and she told me to look at financial aid that I might not even think I’d get). It feels strange to be doing this. I’ve wanted to for some time, but it’s only now that I’ve been in a position for this to be really feasible. Not having to worry about working (living in this home means I don’t have to pay rent, utilities, cable, or water and the car I’ll be getting is paid for so all I need is money for personal expenses, gas, etc). It’s really ideal.

    Only minor downside is that I’ve got to try and find a way to convince my aunt to let me bring my dog and cat here. She’s not an animal person and has told my parents she doesn’t want them here. I don’t have anyone who can take them though, so I’m trying to figure out what to do.

  218. AlexanderZ
    218

    Very bad job situation, very bad world situation and even this site won’t load for me (don’t worry, everyone – I’ve checked and it seems to be just me).
    —
    Tony! best of luck! What courses did you decide to apply to?
    Didn’t I tell you that you’re going to start the next year on the right foot?

    I’ve wanted to for some time, but it’s only now that I’ve been in a position for this to be really feasible.

    This reminds of what my aunt (deceased, cancer) used to say – only the healthy are strong enough to collect health disability aid.
    —
    *hugs* to Biped!?. Other may have some too, but they must share πŸ™‚
    —
    Brony/inchoatepsyche
    Good to see you’re back! And it’s great that you a working drug and best of luck with the job service!

    I wonder if there a career that resembles β€œtroll hunter”?

    There is, but you wouldn’t want it. Various large social media sites (FB, Youtube, etc.) have people whose job is to check flagged material and remove offending users and posts. There are no benefits, the pay is abysmal, the pressure is huge and their attrition is high. Very few manage to last a year and many of them develop PTSD symptoms because of the stuff they witness daily at their jobs. It goes without saying that their condition is never treated or recognized as work-related.

    I cut myself off of the community here while I was thinking about my role in the whole OB situation.

    You’re being too hard on yourself. Forget about it. That’s ancient history.
    Better grab a seat and stay a while…
    STAY FOREVER!

  219. AlexanderZ
    219

    Nick Gotts
    I agree with Dalillama above – I have no idea on what basis you distinguish military dictatorships with strong fascist elements and “actual” fascist regimes. Given the fluid nature of fascism I think any dictatorship with strong fascist elements (and in some cases personal ties to Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany or Peronism) should be classified as fascism. Otherwise you can’t even consider Mussolini a fascist since his early fascist ideology contradicts his later fascist ideology.

    As to whether Italy β€œconquered anything of significance”, you might ask the Ethiopians

    While it was significant to Ethiopians (and the Libyans and others), we’re talking about a period when all of the world was held by European powers. Freaking Belgium controlled more land than Mussolini did at the height of his power. In many ways his conquests were late wave imperialism, no different than those of any other Western country in the world.
    Compare that to the campaigns of Germany and Japan.

    several hundred thousand of whom were killed during the Italian conquest of 1935-6, which involved the use of mustard gas against troops, civilians, and the Red Cross

    Should I bring up the Belgians?
    Regardless, compare those atrocities to Germany and Japan – countries that murdered tens of millions and who had codified extermination campaigns that went far beyond and above conquest, and in fact were in some cases counter to the aims of their war machine.

    Racial segregation was enforced in Ethiopia, with sex between members of different races banned.

    How is that different from USA, South America, African colonies and Australia?

    All of your examples are lacking because fascist actions abroad were at most not too dissimilar from those of democratic countries, whereas the actions of both Germany and Japan were distinct from both.
    The difference is ideological: Despite your claims that “its main ideological innovation was its virulent antisemitism”, Nazi race theory was far more extensive, with exact grading of any ethnic group, including whites. While this ideology adopted much of the pseudo-scientific views of the time, no other country has adopted this view, not even countries that were engaging in racist atrocities. For them the important distinction was white vs black and (in some) white vs Asian. Nazism uniqueness wasn’t in its antisemitism, but in its grading of white racial impurity.
    The only other country that made similar distinctions within its own racial group was Tojo’s Japan, and this is why its genocides were so similar to Nazi ones.

    Mind you, I’m not disputing that fascism and Nazism are sister-ideologies. They are both ur-fascist. But the intra-racial element is unique to Nazism.
    (There were other distinctions too, like the lack of syndicalism/corporatism, but the intra-racial quality is unique)

  220. giliell
    220

    MOrning
    Is anybody else having some freaking militaristic dystopian groundhog days lately?
    You wake up, you listen to the news and you think “fuck, I’m still stuck in 2001”
    T
    Good news: the great cinnamon waffer battle of what passes for 2015 these days has been won. 7.5l of dough turned into hundreds of waffers.

    oh, I also got to finally read Ancillary Mercy. I swear Translator Zeiat is Olaf the Snowman in space. I love her.

  222. Nick Gotts
    222

    AlexanderZ,

    First, you talked of countries that “proclaimed themselves fascist”, while none of the countries you mentioned did so. Second, the main feature distinguishing fascism from other far-right regimes is the one-party state, in principle if not always in practice a mass movement. In this respect, fascism resembles Leninism – and this feature is why Germany under the Nazis, as well as Portugal under Salazar, and Austria under Dolfuss and then Schuschnigg, were much closer institutionally to Italian fascism than Spain under Franco, any of the South American or south-east European countries, or Japan. Common to Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany was the subordination of the army to the party, while in Japan the army was autonomous, responsible directly to the Emperor (and that was largely fictional).

    I concede that Mussolini’s imperialism was not much different from that of other European powers earlier on, my objection was to the claim that fascist regimes did not conquer anywhere significant (and in Mussolini’s case, that he did not conquer a great deal more, including other European countries, was not for want of trying!). I’d be interested in your sources on Japanese racial ideology – which I thought was mainly “the Japanese are the only real human beings, everyone else is shit”, and genocidal campaigns: I know they murdered millions of people, but AFAIK they were not aiming at exterminating any racial group. Their expansionism can be seen in much the same way as Italy’s, as a late variant of European imperialism. The war on China launched in 1937 was historically continuous with earlier colonisation of Korea, Taiwan and Manchuria, and aimed at subordinating the Chinese to Japanese rule, not exterminating them.

  223. rq
    223

    Wait, Ancillary Mercy is out? … Whoa.

    *hugs* AlexanderZ
    Hullo, Brony!

    Sometimes when I get on the train, I look for the extreme manspreaders and sit across from them, just so I can watch them pull all their limbs in.
    Wait. Sometimes?
    Hah. I always do that.
    And I get a special pleasure from cutting off that one annoying couple in the mornings, where the guy literally (literally) pushes his girlfriend in the path of other people to make sure that they get on earlier than people who have been waiting for longer than they. They suck at estimating where the train doors will stop, so this is pretty easy most of the time.

    You can tell I lead an exciting life.

  224. rq
    224

    Also Tony, I am extremely excited and glad and a bit nervous on your behalf, and I hope your return to the educational system brings you as many rewards as you clearly deserve.
    Also, I hope for the best re: the pet situation, I hope your aunt comes around!

  225. barkeeperin
    225

    rq

    Wait, Ancillary Mercy is out? … Whoa.

    Yep. I put the other book I was reading aside when I found out and bought it.

    Sometimes when I get on the train, I look for the extreme manspreaders and sit across from them, just so I can watch them pull all their limbs in.

    My wife does the same thing, and not just to manspreaders. There have been men and women who also put their bags all over the place. She sees it, and knows that she is going to sit there. Usually, she’s nice enough to post a comment to Facebook so we can all join in the mocking.

  226. rq
    226

    I like annoying the manspreaders especially, because most of the women with a large amount of bags are seniors bringing produce (men rarely seem to have a large amount of bags), so I don’t feel the need to annoy them as much. But the manspreaders don’t seem to have much stuff, they just sort of sprawl all over everything, like limp spiders.

  227. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    227

    Tony
    I’m super excited for you. good luck with school and the critters. Maybe an explanation of what the critters really mean to you. By that, I mean, a lot of non-pet people just don’t get it.

    —————–
    Mmmmmm cinnamon waffers *Homer drool*

    ——————
    As a very tall person, I tend to spread out. Since most seating seems to be designed for very not-tall persons, I do it for comfort not turf claiming. However, I only do it when/if there is ample space for others. Half empty car/bus – I’m spreading out. πŸ™‚

  228. rq
    228

    YOB
    When you’re taking up the entire three-seat bench plus two spots on the bench facing yours during rush hour, I will make you fold up.
    During the empty times of day, I like to spread out a bit, too. But I’m pretty far from tallness of any kind.

  230. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    230

    I will make you fold up.

    No you won’t.

    Because, in the scenario you describe, I will already be as compacted as a 6’4″ (194 cm) person could get.

    I’d like to say it is out of consideration for others buuuuuut it’s really that I’m so averse to physical contact with strangers, that on a crowded bus, I scrunch* in on myself so much I think I might actually cause a nuclear fusion reaction.

    *is totally a real word. *nods sagely*

  231. Tony!
    231

    Over the years I’ve tried to be very conscious about how much space I take up in public spaces. Especially since I’ve learned about manspreading. At the airports, bus terminals, on the bus…I try to take up a minimum of space, unless there’s clearly a lot to offer and I’m not infringing on others’ space. It’s something I’ve been thinking about on the bus rides I’ve taken in the last several weeks. It’s really not that difficult either. Shame more men won’t make the attempt. But they think the world is built for them.

  232. JimB
    232

    Looks like I can move the Ancillary books up on my reading list, now that the third one is out. Yeah, I have a hard time getting involved in a series unless I can read them all. Probably stems from getting into Wheel of Time at the beginning, yeesh.
    ——
    Giliell

    hundreds of waffers

    Am I the only one envisioning a cinnamon waffle fort? πŸ™‚

  233. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    233

    JimB

    Probably stems from getting into Wheel of Time at the beginning, yeesh.

    That’s what did it to me, too! *fistbump* I’ve even started applying the same principle to my TV habits. That is: Don’t start a new show until it gets cancelled, then binge the whole thing at once.*

    *same policy as for pie. πŸ˜‰

  234. Dalillama
    234

    Makes me glad I never finished Wheel of Time. I read the first book in my teens, noticed that it was a point-by-point retelling of Eddings’ Belgariad, and went and reread that instead.

  235. JimB
    235

    YOB
    I haven’t applied it to TV yet, although with the current backlog on the DVR I’ll be binging on full seasons of various shows over the holidays.

    I’m with you on its application to pie. πŸ™‚

  236. AlexanderZ
    236

    Morning.
    My parents aren’t doing that hot either, so I’ll probably move in with them so that together we’ll have enough for one apartment.
    —
    rq
    Thanks for the hugs. But your train behavior is appalling! What if the poor man-children are suffering from lava balls?
    Anyway, all this talk about public transportation reminds me of something I saw some time ago:
    I was riding on a semi-packed bus. It’s when there are enough people to jam all movement in the bus, but only at choice locations (next to the middle doors). The bus stopped near a school and a bunch of kids (8-10 year olds at most) came aboard, including a boy and a girl.
    The girl walked in the front with a very focused look, clearly intending to bypass the human traffic jam at the center of the bus. Behind her trailed a bespectacled boy, who had the facial expression and all the enthusiasm of a 50 year old low-ranking clerk.
    Boy (without raising his head, looking at his shoes): …which means you can get her to do your homework for you.
    Girl (keeps watching the people in the center like a hawk): I don’t like her handwriting.
    Boy: Yes, but you would have more spare time that way and you’ll have the satisfaction of having someone you hate do your work for you.
    Girl: I still don’t like her handwriting.
    Finally the girl spotted an opening. She turned to the boy, asked “ready?” and without waiting for a response quickly ducked and ran between the standing passengers at knee level. The boy rushed to follow suit. The girl emerged behind the packed center, turned around waiting for the boy, when he finally emerged she nodded to him and proceeded to make herself comfortable in the less packed part of the bus.

  237. Beatrice
    237

    AlexanderZ,

    Those two sound like they could quite successfully rule the world or at least a middle-sized company.

    —
    Good luck with whatever decision you make about moving. I hope you and your parents get along well enough so it won’t be a problem if you live together again.

  238. AlexanderZ
    238

    Edit:
    Thank you, Beatrice. No, me and my father don’t get along at all. But that’s life…
    —
    Nick Gotts

    First, you talked of countries that β€œproclaimed themselves fascist”, while none of the countries you mentioned did so.

    Fair enough, I guess flaunted would be a better word. All European fascist regimes rushed to have photo ops with Mussolini and Hitler and proclamations of shared values, history and destiny. In effect they acted exactly like modern dictatorships do: instead of outright stating that they are dictatorships they make their vision very clear through foreign affairs and specific rhetoric.

    …a mass movement… and this feature is why Germany under the Nazis, as well as Portugal under Salazar, and Austria under Dolfuss and then Schuschnigg, were much closer institutionally to Italian fascism than Spain under Franco, any of the South American or south-east European countries, or Japan.

    Wait a second, are you saying that Peronism wasn’t a mass movement? That Tojo didn’t have a huge support of the Japanese citizens?

    I’d be interested in your sources on Japanese racial ideology

    Their racial ideology was never codified, but it manifested at three main points: The Racial Equality Proposal (which despite its name was aimed to affirm Japanese equality to whites), the Honorary Aryan designation (the only other nation to gain it were the Finns, even though it would have benefited Germany to give it to other East European nations and even to Arabs), and finally being the first group to get the Honorary Whites status in South Africa.
    For people who were supposed to see everyone else as inferior they were surprisingly persistent in being equated to whites.

    genocidal campaigns: I know they murdered millions of people, but AFAIK they were not aiming at exterminating any racial group

    “Comfort women” are an example of genocidal rape. Given the hundreds of thousands of women raped in this manner (most of them Korean, which makes them a sizable percentage of the population), and given that only a quarter of them survived, and when you add to that the forced labor camps for Korean men, Japanese conquest is almost identical in every way to other genocidal conquests, most notably that of America by European settlers. The people conquered by the Japanese were treated worse than Nazi treated the “slave races”.

  239. giliell
    239

    I could have sworn I’d posted last night…
    Anyway
    Our last christmas party at the daycare. The little one played the lead in their little play and she really did well. Knew her whole text, spoke loudly and clearly and was cute as a gruffalo.
    Afterwards there were cookies and sandwiches and the kids played. The little one is definitely the leader of the pack (but not a bully), even though she’s half a head smaller than most of her friends.

    Alexander
    Good luck with your decision

  240. inchoatepsyche (aka Brony, Social Justice Cenobite)
    240

    @ Tony
    Congrats!

    @ AlexanderZ
    I guess I was not clear enough. I feel conflicted because I love arguing. Not debate, I consider that the fake highbrow version that frankly bores me at this point in my life, though I’m getting better at sticking to debate when needed. Fake because we play pretend as a society about how our disagreements really look. I mean the stuff that political enemies have in comment sections on the internet. The stuff that might inspire a reference to “If you lie with pigs you get covered in mud”, except that “pig wrestling” is my hobby, and I suspect my heritage.

    I feel conflicted because I love something that tires out and I often fear triggers some of you. I went from arguing with creationists to arguing with people that regularly came from 4chan to an My Little Pony image board I moderated on. I love the round and round and round and I’m really good at it, the trick is that I’m really good at the emotional part and it was the arguing with creationists and science career that sharpened my reason and logic skills.

    I only got PTSD because I was a substitute teacher in Texas at the same time and I was literally treating the mental health problems of the other moderators but suggesting things that would help with symptoms and avoiding naming diagnoses. They did not realize that they were essentially playing government and the owner/admin thought it would be a good idea to choose moderators that had personality characteristics like the Mane6. Fortunately I was Twilight mod (our poor, poor Fluttershy mod…). I came through it and I’m mostly fine now. “Wrestling pigs” on facebook and having a great time actually. I just got to use this one on the aexp facebook page when someone tried to claim that I was a bigot for calling out racism.

    “I also find it unsurprising that a person who has been described as sexist and racist would confuse intolerance of characteristics with intolerance of whole persons. Much quacking, very waterfowl.”

    The job you describe is not what I had in mind because actually dealing with them and making them look bad with respect to their beliefs, thoughts and behavior is what I had in mind. Thanks for the suggestion though.

    That game. I hear a collection of C64 sounds in my head now…

    @ giliell
    2001?

    @rq
    I like your attitude when it comes to passive aggressive social modification. Or just venting. Either way I smiled.

  241. giliell
    241

    Brony
    2001. When we were suddenly all Americans and needed to kill and torture lots and lots of people in the “war on terror”. Now we’re all French and need to kill and torture lots of people in the “war on Daesh”. Britain is marching to war enthusiastically, Germany is marching to war stealthily (oh, our planes won’t directly bomb anybody. They just tell the other whom to bomb)

    +++
    We’re going to watch the Christmas Carol in the state capitol theatre on Monday. Catch: it’S in English and the kids don’t speak English. So I wanted to read it to them beforehand, but I had seriously underestimated how long it takes to do so. I got us the Muppets version and we watched it together last night. It was cute, and both kids came to snuggle with me in the armchair. Only that this means that 2.4m of kids with 4 arms and legs are trying to curl up in my lap…

  242. rq
    242

    me: *makes up riddle to keep kids from falling sleep on the way home*
    Eldest (answering riddle): A CHICKEN IN SPACE!
    Middle child (answering riddle): A CHICKEN EATING ICE CREAM IN SPACE!
    me: Umm, you’re both this close to the right answer!!!

  243. AlexanderZ
    243

    giliell
    Thanks for the kind words.

    It was cute, and both kids came to snuggle with me in the armchair. Only that this means that 2.4m of kids with 4 arms and legs are trying to curl up in my lap…

    So cute… they sound like over-sized kittens πŸ™‚
    —
    rq

    you’re both this close to the right answer

    What was the riddle?
    And what was the answer???
    —

    RTT (random thought theatre):

    Finally the Attorney General declared that law enforcement should take action against apprehended, disarmed or otherwise non-threatening terrorists and that “all should be done to prevent taking a human life”.
    Well said Mr. Weinstein! I see you have your hand on the pulse. It’s been what? Two-three months since people started lynching detained suspects? Clearly your commitment to the rule of law is second only to your fierce moral standing.

    Hillary Clinton’s plan to fight Daesh is, among other things, to “stop them from recruiting and inspiring”. Brilliant! How nobody thought of it earlier?
    Hear actual plan, at least as it was reported in local press, is to use NSA to shut down jihadi chat rooms and other forms of communication. If true, her plan isn’t as useless as I initially thought, it’s actually worse than useless!
    It’s funny how the only two approaches to international politics are either to do nothing or to make matters worse.

    Old news, but it’s my hobby horse:
    Up till 2014 Russia praised itself on the amount of money foreign investors are willing to invest in Russia (RT article). Except, it turns out the billions flowing into Russia were from the economic powerhouses of Cyprus, Netherlands (like via the Dutch Sandwich, and not Amsterdam), British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and Bahamas, all of which were also major recipients of Russian foreign investment.
    This means that actual foreign investments in Russia were very small and falling throughout Putin’s reign. In actuality it was an attempt by Russian oligarchs to hide their assets from Putin’s grabby hands. When a product was sold in Russia by Russians to Russians it went from one warehouse to another, but the money for it moved across the globe – from Russia to an off-shore tax haven and back again into Russia.
    This didn’t bother Putin as long as the money going out was coming back in (on the contrary – it allowed him to conceal some less savory deals of his own), but with current sanctions against Russia and its abysmal financial situation the money isn’t returning. It just sits in those off-shores and waits for the economic conditions to improve. And Putin can’t do anything about it.
    The phrase “your own worst enemy” is rarely meant literally, but it fits Russia like a glove.

  244. rq
    244

    AlexanderZ
    I don’t have particular sympathy for Putin’s grabby hands (love that description, by the way).

    As for the riddle, there were several that went that way, but one was “a tree split in two with fire on both ends” (re: a streetlight, the kind they put in the middle with a light on both ends). Or else it was “Two spinning legs, an eye that opens at night, roars but isn’t angry” (re: motorcycle). Basically “a chicken [eating ice cream] in space” seems to be the current universal reply.
    Middle Child comes up with some great riddles, though. For example, “two black horses, a fire underneath, explosions result” is a train driving into a volcano… though usually the answers to his riddles take up two or three rather non-sensical sentences… mostly doing with trains, volcanoes, and something with ice cream in space. Don’t ask, I don’t know. It’s his little mind at work. On the positive side, his teachers aren’t questioning the mentality anymore. Neither are we. It seems… safer that way. πŸ˜‰

  246. rq
    246

    Giliell

    β€œIt’s not my fault you’re lacking the intellectual capacities to follow my train of thought”.

    πŸ˜€ That reminds me of the exchange student (?) who had a general grasp of basic Latvian (“Hello, how are you?”) who was taught that the stock polite reply to complicated questions was “That does not interest me at all” (pronounced in a hoity-toity snobbish manner). πŸ˜€

  247. rq
    247

    (Also, interestingly, St Martin’s Day, or the nameday for anyone named Martin and related (including Markus) is celebrated here on November 10, not November 11 as per your linked article. November 11 is reserved for LāčplΔ“sis (“bear-ripper”), in honour of a folk Latvian hero invented (or re-invented, not sure which) during the 1920s to commemorate November 11, 1919, when the Latvian armed forces beat both German and Russian military powers to maintain an independent and integral Latvian territory. Some of this might make less sense to those more sober than I.)

  248. giliell
    248

    rq
    Hehe, as long as you didn’t teach him Latvian with some version of the Hungarian-English phrasebook…

    Also, interestingly, St Martin’s Day, or the nameday for anyone named Martin and related (including Markus) is celebrated here on November 10, not November 11 as per your linked article.

    Well, the poor guy can’t be in all places at once, can he? I always considered the story to be “charity by Dummies”. I mean, he cuts he claok in two and hands half a cloak to the beggar who is still out in the freezing cold, probably starving and as soon as the big strong soldier is out of sight some beggar one step up the ladder is probably going to take the cloak…
    Interestingly, the German Lutheran version of the story is a variation of the good Samaritan where Martin takes the guy (who is not a simple beggar but a traveller who has been roobed. One step forward, one step back) to a hostel and pays for his bill until he is healthy again…

    +++

    CUte kids story:
    There’S new 20€ bills. At the weekend Mr showed the kids and old one next to a new one so they could see the differences. When he was done, the little one asked: Do you still need the old one or can I have it?

  249. AlexanderZ
    249

    A sign of Bad Times: when you come to a job interview and have to spend half of it talking about the interviewer’s own job insecurity.
    Also my cat is doing worse by the day. He doesn’t have any physical problems (aside of what you’d expect for a 18.5 year old cat), but his mind is a different matter. He keeps forgetting things (like how to open doors, where I’m in the house, etc.), he keeps crapping everywhere, he rarely licks himself and he freaks out frequently.
    His mind isn’t completely gone, either. On some days he’s outright brilliant (he recently discovered that he can eat crackers, which he likes very much, by pouring water on them and getting them all soggy and easy to bite and swallow), but on others he is apathetic.
    —

    giliell, rq
    You have brilliant kids!
    Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you (and any other parents here) how do you manage your children’s physical vs digital games and items? At what age do you think your children are ready to be exposed to TV, mobile device, computers and the net?

  251. rq
    251

    AlexanderZ
    Hmm… tough question. I can’t really say we’ve done a good job at limiting TV-time, though TV-time is usually movies and/or series that have been downloaded, not actual TV, except on Saturday and Sunday mornings when they have some rather nice children’s programming on. Somehow we’ve managed to almost completely limit their computer time, and we’ve got a nice time-controlled aspect to tablet-time. None of them have phones, though Eldest keeps asking. I don’t know about ages, it’s more a matter of the material that they get to see. We’ve tried to put more focus on content rather than time, since we’re lazy and it’s just so damn convenient to let them watch 3 episodes of Legend of Korra while Husband and I have time to fix dinner and discuss [things] in relative peace (depending on their moods, since sometimes even ‘quiet’ TV time descends into rambunctious play of various sorts).
    Outdoor time is obligatory, though – Middle Child and Youngest get this during the day at daycare (they go outside to play at least twice a day, and it’s basically free playtime), Eldest gets less now (due to a shortened lunch hour) but he has a sports or physical related activity every day of the week (basketball, swimming, folk dancing). Weekends, we throw them outside into the yard right after breakfast (which isn’t as impressive as it sounds, since average breakfast-time on weekends is between 11 and 12). I figure things will improve a bit once we get the skating rink up this year (*fingers crossed for minuses*), they love it to the point where skating time gets revoked in case of bad behaviour.
    They’ve all been great readers since a very young age, though, I’ll say that – they love science books with colourful illustrations (who doesn’t?). Usually even if the TV is on, at least one of them will be sitting there with a book open instead of actually watching whatever it is that they watch.

    Giliell
    Funnily enough, I did not know that story about Martin at all. Here, he’s a folk figure tied to the harvest, possibly war-like activities, a lot of dancing, mumming (mummering?), killing the rooster (for eating) and putting the horses away for the winter. That kind of thing. I know he was also a christian saint, but that legend doesn’t seem to have seeped down as strongly as others. πŸ™‚

  252. Tony!
    252

    AlexanderZ:
    I’m sorry to hear your cat isn’t getting better. I’ve been told that a cat that no longer grooms itself is not a healthy cat and can be a sign of something very serious. Are you in a position to get him checked out?

  253. Tony!
    253

    Weekends, we throw them outside into the yard right after breakfast (which isn’t as impressive as it sounds, since average breakfast-time on weekends is between 11 and 12).

    I have this image of the poor RQ-lings being kicked out into the yard. Rq you never told us you were so mean! You’re supposed to gently place the kids outside.
    /snark

  255. AlexanderZ
    255

    rq, thanks for the answer!
    —
    Tony!
    I got him checked. He does have elevated sugar levels and a weak heart, but at his age it is only to be expected. The real problem is feline senile dementia and there is nothing to be done about it.

  257. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    257

    rq

    Weekends, we throw them outside into the yard right after breakfast

    This is how I sometimes feel about “outside time”….

    Full Circle*

    .
    .
    *Disclaimer: I find PA to be occasionally hilarious and spot on (like the one above) but not without some *spit take* SOME!? problems.

  258. Tony!
    258

    AlexanderZ:
    Sorry to hear that. At least he has you on his side loving and caring for him for however much longer he has.

    ****

    ::waves back at Beatrice::

  259. AlexanderZ
    259

    Hi, Beatrice. I’m off to bed, but I’ll leave you with this (the entire video is worth watching too).
    —
    YOB
    Totally agree about PA’s problems.
    To be honest I can’t remember when was the last time they made me laugh. In 2005? Don’t know. I now read them only to know what those that do follow them are talking about.
    —
    He does, Tony. Thanks.

  261. Beatrice
    261

    Loki!

    (Sorry, writing as I’m watching the video. Will stop now… it’s just that we finished an important bit of work today so I’m in a rather good mood. Some nice Chianti may or may not be involved)

  263. Dalillama
    263

    Also, the city is flooding. I am concerned for my workplace, as it is three blocks from the river, and much of downtown is seeing ~25 cm depths on the streets.

  264. fullmetalfeminist
    264

    DL, *hugs* for your stressful day. Can I have your PayPal address? I’d like to send a small something to you, just because. I know you haven’t asked, but I’d like to anyway if that’s okay.

  269. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    269

    So Honored First Wife and I are considering attending this years Burning Flipside (Texas Regional Burning Man) in preparation for Burning Man 2017.

    Not sure if I’m too old or not. I guess we’ll find out. We can be pretty weird, but are we weird enough???

  271. AlexanderZ
    271

    Dalillama
    I’m sorry for your loss.
    —
    Beatrice
    I knew you’d like it! It’s also nice to see you happy.
    —
    YOB
    Go and report back! With pictures!
    —
    Tony!
    I liked the video and I liked your voice – it’s deep, smooth and you have great articulation.

  274. giliell
    274

    Good evening!
    Yesterday we had a wonderful afternoon/evening out. We enjoyed the theatre and the little one already wants to go again next year even though it’s in English. Then we went for dinner with my BFF and to the Christmas market. Both kids were on their very best behaviour. Only bad thing was that they ate all my churros.
    Today I volunteered making cookies with #1’s class. Exhausting but nice as well.

    Cute (ehem) kids story:
    I show the little one the big lustre in the theatre and tell her that I loved it very much as a kid as well. Little one: “What kind of buiding was it back then?” Me: A theatre. It has always been a theatre. Kid: “Wow! It must be old as stone then!”

    Alexander
    I’m not very controlling when it comes to the kids’ media time, but more the quality. We’re lucky in Germany to have a children’s TV channel that is comercials-free and a bit better in content than mainstream. Having two kids means compromises. Often one will watch and the other one will do something else and then vice versa, so the TV is nominally running a long time.
    #1 has a tablet with a few games and internet. I believe you can only develop competence when you use things.

  275. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    275

    [Waves at assembled multitudes]

    Today is, of all things, my birthday. Today is also National Brownie Day, which is convenient because I had already decided to make said dessert.

    Hugs to all, and extra to Dalillama.

  286. AlexanderZ
    286

    Cameron is a moron. What is he trying to achieve? What, is he turning against Turkey?

    The prime minister also fended off a demand by the Russian president that he help provide British expertise to investigate how a Russian military plane was downed by Turkish military in November.

    Apparently not. Perhaps a shared view on Syria’s future?

    Cameron made clear Britain’s continued opposition to the participation of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad – an ally of Moscow – in any postwar regime in Damascus

    No, that’s not it. Well, at least we can all agree on Daesh?

    Britain continues to be critical of the way the Russian air campaign is not directed against Isis but against Syrian rebel forces.

    Cameron is a moron. Q.E.D.

  287. rq
    287

    For everyone: Are you having a bad day?
    In lieu of *hugs* because I think I’m coming down with something and I don’t want to be infectious.
    Happy birthday to Anne and lots of sympathetic distant hugs for Dalillama and warm ginger tea for everyone else.

  289. Anne, Cranky Cat Lady
    289

    I was having a frustrating bad day, thanks mostly to my mother, who refuses to believe in reality no matter how many times I tell her the same information over and over and fucking over again. She just wants me to drive up there and do it for her, and I can’t and won’t.

    But it got better. I think I got through to Aged Mum. Alright, so I yelled at her, but she deserved it. Even better, when I checked the city parking permit order website, it had been fixed. I was finally able to order our permit for 2016. Yes, it would’ve been nice if someone had contacted me after I called and emailed. But it’s fixed and I have a printed receipt and an email confirmation of my order.

    So anyway, I feel less frantic. I have fluffed the pillow fort, made fresh tea and brownies, and refilled the hugs basket. Bring it on.

  290. barkeeperin
    290

    I hope these links don’t embed…

    Anne

    Happy birthday! Hope you had a brownie. With a candle in it.

    Dalillama

    Sympathy and hugs for you.

    AlexanderZ

    I started off trying to control my kids access to TV and video games and such. But early on, my wife and I realized that we would have to pick our battles, and after thinking about what I did growing up, I figured my kids weren’t really doing anything different. I watched a lot of TV – there was no internet or video games. So, my daughter mostly listens to music and writes (she likes to write a lot — just participated in NaNoWriMo at 13!) and my son watches videos about video games and I think, I used to spend all my time watching Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry. I figure as long as they are doing well in school (and they are doing excellently) and aren’t having other problems in their lives, it isn’t hurting them.

    ***

    So this cover of a Simon & Garfunkel song is really, really good. It may be Disturbed, but it’s safe for work.

  291. bluentx
    291

    Anne
    Happy (belated) Birthday !
    *confetti & streamers*
    —-
    Condolences to Dalillama !
    —

    A personal update:
    My sister(L), who had a stroke two days before Thanksgiving, is doing okay. She has vision problems (voracious reader = grumpy) — “is TV the ONLY source of entertainment from now on” (she’s 71) !? But, she does appreciate the fact that it could have been worse. (Old School that she is… not much of an online user, not on FB, etc.”… she did say she appreciates good wishes directed her way !)

    And again from me personally… so do I !

    On those days (minutes, hours) when it seems darkest, or everyone (locally) is asleep/offline it’s great to find a comment of support when you hit ‘refresh’ ! : )

    Thanks, Lounge Lizards/Speakeasy-iers !

  292. Tony!
    292

    bluentx:
    Glad to hear your sister is doing better. Here’s hoping she’s back in good shape ASAP (and hopefully she’ll regain her vision such that she can enjoy reading again).

  293. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    293

    bluentx
    Many good wishes to you and your sister. Re: bad eyes and entertainment, what about audio books and podcasts? Also, might check out RadioSpirits.com. I listen to a lot of those old time radio shows at home and in the car.

    If you’re ever around DFW, give me a buzz. Would be glad to buy you a coffee, beer, beverage of choice. (You’re down around Austin way, aren’t you?)

  296. bluentx
    296

    Thanks, Tony and YOB .

    She also hopes to regain reading/comprehension capabilities. In the meantime I think I’ll send her some DVD’s she may enjoy.

    YOB: Will check our RadioSpirits.com, thanks !
    I’m considering what to recommend to her (if her vision doesn’t return or in the meantime).

    Does anyone have critiques of/ or alternative recommendations for Audible.com ? [Have been thinking of subscribing to something similar for her.]

  297. bluentx
    297

    So far my most recent ‘submit’ not showing up so in the interest of ‘testing’ I’ll say :

    I don’t have TV or go the the (movie) theater much so …Idris Elba ??? OH! THAT guy/face… Yeah… no comment … wouldn’t want to get arrested by the Thought Police ! : )

  298. YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    298

    The old time radio shows are pretty much like TV now. If you like crime drama, they got it. Horror? Comedy? That too.

    I’m personally a big fan of Jonny Dollar (action/crime), The Whistler (mystery/suspense) , and Gunsmoke (western/crime).

    XM/Sirrius radio has a channel for them, which is how I got turned on to them. They are not without their problems from a SJW standpoint but I accept that. In fact, I find it rather interesting to listen from that perspective.

  299. giliell
    299

    Good morning!
    I hate lice. So far that bucket has passed us, but every time there’s lice in school and daycare I panic (and my scalp starts itching).
    #1 seems to be having a week of being difficult, much to my delight and the little one is having afternoon belly pain again. Maybe I’ll need to check her food intake…

    bluentx
    The site doesn’t load properly if you click on a direct linkt to a comment.

    +++
    Well, Cameron being a moron ain’t news, it’s a day ending in Y. But yeah, we’re all going to war again, singing and cheering. Sure, we don’t know against whom and we know even less what we want to achieve, but it’s very important that we don’t heed such petty problems…
    Some nights ago I watched a report on the refugee camps around Syria. Since the rich countries don’t pay the world food programm enough, the people are starving (BTW, I’m using the “share the meal” app to occasionally pass a few bucks their way). And then we’re upset that they pack up their stuff and come to Europe. Another effect: The aid workers notice an increase in underage marriages of girls. Only, can you blame people? You get no food, no opportunities, so marrying your daughter off so she gets at least food and a warm place and maybe you get some scraps from her local husband’s family is an entirely reasonable thing to do. BUt of course this will be seen as further evidence that “those people” are just not civilised, unlike “us”.

    +++
    Idris Elba
    nomnomnom
    I don’t follow actors and celebrity news much. Quite often it takes me a while to recognise a new top actor (who’s been in major productions for like 5 years). But Elba, oh Elba. Some years ago I watched Luther by chance and I was fascinated. First of all with the character, because “Luther” is different from your ordinary white (upper) middle class British DI a la Jury, Barnaby, Lynley etc . and because he’s a complex character. And also because of the psychopath sidekick. Gotta love that woman. And the acting was supreme. The complex character in script is one thing. Pulling it off on screen another.

  300. bluentx
    300

    Oh, thanks giliell!—- I see that Youtube has some Luther episodes…. will have to check them out !

    IMdB refreshed my memory on where I had seen Idris before: he played a jerk in the movie This Christmas (but did it well, heh!) and I even went so far as to look for his (all too brief) 1995 appearance in an Ab Fab episode.
    —
    Commenting seems spotty (as well a HTML) on this end, but I’m stubborn if nothing else. I’ll keep trying. : )

  302. bragimike
    302

    hi all! I’ve been vicariously keeping up, but I’ve not had the opportunity to post anything. Tony sometimes seeing someone who you’ve admired online for so long can come as a disappointment…not in your case! It’s great to see you and hear your voice. Keep up the good work.

    You’re in my thoughts bluentx .

    happy Birthday Anne

    My sympathy to Dalillama

    I walked out of our tea room yesterday: one of our top academics was basically agreeing with Trump and said that all Muslims supported IS and wanted to take over. He stated that I would have done nothing to stop Hitler if I’d been around then. I think he would have been one of the people supporting the 3rd Reich!

    Anyway enough whinging.

  303. AlexanderZ
    303

    bragimike
    I’m always surprised when a well educated person agrees with the likes of Trump. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.
    —
    giliell

    Sure, we don’t know against whom and we know even less what we want to achieve, but it’s very important that we don’t heed such petty problems…

    Exactly! At least in Iraq and Afghanistan we had a name and an address. Who are we fighting now? Where? How? To what end? People used to laugh at Bush the Shrub for blindly going into war, but he’s practically Bismark compared to these politicians whose philosophy is literally “we must do something, this is something, ergo we must do it”.

    You know it’s a sad day when even Israeli foreign politics (motto: “the foreign office is much catered to, for without it, what would its workers do?”) are smarter than those of the West. Israel has a very limited agenda of making sure that Iranian weapons don’t go to Hezbollah and it limits itself to that agenda only.
    Compare that with the grandiose speech by Hillary Benn on the need to fight fascism. Very pretty, utterly useless.
    —
    YOB

    David Bowie too, of course.

    Of course.
    —
    bluentx
    I’m glad your sister is doing better.
    Vlogs, podcasts and the like are great suggestions. She could also try some sort of optical character recognition (OCR). I’ve never used one so I can’t recommend any, but a simple search reveals a list of even free tools that you might be able to install for her.
    —
    barkeeperin
    Thanks for your answer!
    Also congratulations on your daughter – looks like she’s on a road to become a famous writer!

  304. bragimike
    304

    AlexanderZ , the longer I work here the more I realize that academic prowess does not equate to either general intelligence or well thought out ethics. Academics are just another cross-section of humanity.

  305. giliell
    305

    Compare that with the grandiose speech by Hillary Benn on the need to fight fascism. Very pretty, utterly useless.

    My Twitter was aflame when that douchenozzle used his father fighting in the International Brigades as a reason to bomb Syria. Seriously, I knew folks who fought in the Brigades. I can imagine their reaction. They probably would have used their hands but not for clapping, I assure you.

    +++
    OK, so I drove to our state capitol to pick up my certificate at the ministry of education*. I met a friend there with whom I’d studied. She finished a year ahead of me AND she won the jackpot and got a training position in our state. She just dropped out. Though it’s not something that totally surprises me, but still. All that time and now she bascially got nothing. She’S trxing to get a PhD position. I can imagine her teaching in college, but middle and high school were never a good fit for her.
    Still, I’d kill to have her place…

    *That’s less impressive than it sound. We’re a tiny place you can drive through in about an hour

  307. AlexanderZ
    307

    giliell
    Congrats on the diploma! Should I call you Ms. Teacher now? πŸ˜›
    —
    rq

    photosession for new ultra-patriotic Latvian calendar (don’t worry, it’s mostly about the ethnic aspects, little to no fascism overtly included)

    That’s very disappointing, I was expecting black gloves and army boots and instead got silly shirts.
    But now I wonder how an ultra-patriotic calendar would look for other countries, like Lichtenstein or Andorra? Can you even be ultra-patriotic in Andorra? Or even Canada, for that matter. I bet a Canadian ultra-patriotic calendar would feature nothing but wet beavers.
    Like a nature documentary.
    —

    RTT:
    German court lets off ‘Sharia police’ patrol in Wuppertal

    The court said they had not violated laws on uniforms and public gatherings.
    …
    The group also carried notices proclaiming in English a “Shariah Controlled Zone”. The notices spelled out prohibitions like those in force in some Gulf Arab countries, outlawing alcohol, drugs, gambling, music and concerts, pornography and prostitution.

    It looks like a clear case of harassment and threats which should have been banned. Then again, there was this little news item some years ago:

    He beat her and threatened her with murder. But because husband and wife were both from Morocco, a German divorce court judge saw no cause for alarm. It’s a religion thing, she argued.

    German judges are like the mirror image of USA judges. At least these aren’t higher courts.

  308. Dalillama
    308

    *hugs* to all, thank you for the well wishes.

    Anne
    Happy Birthday
    bluentx
    Deepest sympathies to sister, that would drive me buggy very shortly.

    YOB

    Re: bad eyes and entertainment, what about audio books and podcasts?

    Worth suggesting, but might not help that much; I know I can’t stand audiobooks, personally.

    Giliell

    My Twitter was aflame when that douchenozzle used his father fighting in the International Brigades as a reason to bomb Syria. Seriously, I knew folks who fought in the Brigades. I can imagine their reaction. They probably would have used their hands but not for clapping, I assure you.

    ?!?!!?!?!?!? What the entire FUCK? I can only assume his father is dead now, or I can bet he’d have some sharp words for him…

  309. inchoatepsyche (aka Brony, Social Justice Cenobite)
    309

    I have a question about the “Deja vu, man” thread and the person that everyone was trying to get through to, I’ll call them “PL” for now (question later in post). I meant what I said in my comment where I mentioned that I was creating a mental profile of what a rapist would do on the internet to create advantages for themselves and I’m wondering about PL. I don’t actually think that PL is a rapist, or that they are faking who they are in some way. They seem genuine to me but they do have something unstated that is driving their reasoning towards solutions that would actually help rapists.

    Before I say anything else I should mention that I am extremely careful about this. I keep those profiles in the back of my mind like hypotheses when I see someone with beliefs, or behavior that would be supportive of rapists. If I had good reason to believe that a person was a genuine rapist I would not hesitate to say so, but I ask quite a few testing questions before I get to that point. I have said on several occasions that someone was acting like a rapist would act online and that seems like it has been effective for others if not myself.

    Watching everyone communicate with PL I’m thinking about what sort of profile they might fit into. Conservative with a strong attachment to the systems we have now is one possibility (supported by what they said in the “Our Supreme Court: a disgrace” thread, this is my hypothesis). Someone who works in the legal profession is another.

    The last one I wondered about is a person that I want to be very careful about if I encounter them so I thought I would come here to see what you all thought about this. How common is it for people who have been raped by someone with previous victims to become very motivated to try to shame, or pressure others to report to the police as a way of reacting to their experience? I’m not saying that this is the case with PL for sure, but that is a profile that I want to make sure that I keep in mind.

    Any other perspectives would be welcome. I’m trying to hone my skills in this area.

    @AlexanderZ
    Sorry about the aging kitty. I hope that there are things that you can do to make the situation work out as best as possible. I hear that cat Alzheimer’s is a thing, I wonder if any of the treatments are useful there?
    I’m dealing with cat health problems too. A neighborhood stray had their tail cut most of the way through half-way along the tail. We managed to trap her and drag her to the vet. I’m hoping we can get her used to being in our apartment so we can find her a home. Her previous owner just left her behind and she use to respond to everyone and everything with defensive hissing, but lately she has been very friendly so I’m hoping for the best.

    @Beatrice
    *Waves back*

    @ YOB – YeOldeBlacksmith
    I think most of us need reminders to get out of the house anyway. I know I need to get out more so I’m looking at meetups and volunteer opportunities.
    What attracts you to those festivals (burning man-type)? I’ve been curious but I tend to too introverted to do things like that often.

    @Dalillama
    My condolences. I hope everything works out at you job and for their family.
    How bad did the flooding get?

    @fullmetalfeminist
    *Waves*

    @Tony
    I liked your video! I think you sounded really good and you have a good voice for this. You made your points very well from what I can see and I like the emotion you put in. I can imagine that someone will offer the defense that Trevor Noah really knows why it’s an insult and that they purpose of the joke was to counteract it, but I also think that he should have actually said why it’s an insult and why it is so bad even if that is the case.
    I’m going to have to show my wife that news about The Dark Tower adaptation. My wife and I are both fans. I really don’t like Stephen King very much, except for The Dark Tower series. I really like that and had to buy my wife the special edition graphic novels in the sleeves.

    Also what html markups (is that the term?) work on your blog?

    @giliell
    What did you see at the theatre? I would not be happy if I lost out on my churro. My wife told me someone is making a cookies and cream churro locally. I need to find that.
    I’m loving what JK Rowling said! She has really good name recognition and well known characters so I think it’s great that she did that. I hope she is not getting social media backlash.

    @Anne
    Happy late Birthday! National Brownie Day? I did not know that was a thing. I need to stop reading what you are all eating or I’m going to lose the benefit of the exercise I’m finally doing πŸ˜‰
    I’m sorry about your mother, I’m glad it got better. I’m having reality problems with my parents too. I have seen a decrease in the image macros that amount to “all Muslims” on their Facebook pages so hopefully I’m getting through too.

    @ JimB
    *Waves*

    @rq
    That video helped. Thanks!
    I hope you get better soonest.

    @ barkeeperin
    That was an excellent version of the sound of silence!

    @ bluentx
    I hope there are not permanent effects for your sister.

    @bragimike
    An open bigot at work? I hate that. I hope you had some good responses. The Hitler comparisons match Trump so much better.

    ***
    I think I got everyone since last time.

  310. Tony!
    310

    Brony:
    To be honest, I’m not even sure what markups the blog uses. Things have changed a few times since I started this. I *think* it’s the same as FtB, but I’m not sure. Feel free to make some test posts to play around to figure it out.

  311. giliell
    311

    Brony
    We saw Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
    I should have bought a large serving. I know the kids love churros. Though I don’t get this “filled churros” thing. You don’t fill them. You may dip them in very heavy hot chocolate.

  313. JimB
    313

    Tony!

    Oh Idris Elba and β€˜Dark Tower’ fans…

    Yes please! Whoever is in charge of this…..Make. This. Happen.

    Reminder: BBC America will show the new Luther one week from today as a 3-hour event.

  316. giliell
    316

    Tony

    Ooooh, I love filled churros. The ones we had at my last job were *divine*.

    How does that even work? I mean, churros are fried and then eaten as hot as possible. How do you fill them?

  317. AlexanderZ
    317

    wmdkitty

    New addiction β€” Elder Scrolls Online

    Quick review? How’s it better than other MMORPGs?
    —
    Brony

    Conservative with a strong attachment to the systems we have now is one possibility

    Yes. I think the only unstated thing about him is that he can barely tolerate PZ and simply loathes the commenters. He’s not arguing in good faith – just looking for an excuse to rave at liberals.

    Re:kitties
    I hope you manage to find a home for your cat. I have no idea how you managed to get her to a vet. I had to rescue one cat from a neighboring school’s roof, and it involved me getting the municipal veterinary service to go there with me and get the damn cat down.It was a major operation involving nets and things that look like they’re used for hunting crocodiles.

    I hope that there are things that you can do to make the situation work out as best as possible. I hear that cat Alzheimer’s is a thing, I wonder if any of the treatments are useful there?

    Nothing feasible for me. Besides, the effectiveness of said treatments leaves much to be desired.

    Also what html markups (is that the term?) work on your blog?

    It uses mostly the same tags as FTB, but with strong instead of b for bolding.

  318. wmdkitty
    318

    AlexanderZ

    I don’t have much to compare it to (aside from WoW), but it is very much Elder Scrolls in atmosphere and gameplay mechanics. It’s NOT another WoW or EQ clone, though it shares some common ground. Gameplay is challenging (but not too challenging), and the control scheme took some getting used to (simultaneous use of mouse and keyboard is a bit of a motor-skills challenge), but overall? I’m extremely happy with the game! (Though, uh, there is the problem of passing out in the midst of “just one more quest then I’ll go to bed.”)

    I’m just kinda wandering around and doing whatever.

    …okay. I admit I’ve been chasing the butterflies. For hours. Because I can.

  319. AlexanderZ
    319

    wmdkitty

    Though, uh, there is the problem of passing out in the midst of β€œjust one more quest then I’ll go to bed.”

    In that case it’s a very good game! I’ll have to check it out later, thanks.
    —

    My mother has a mini-library next to the toilet. It has nice metal shelves and contains such items as:
    A women’s magazine (old), a collection of Sudoku puzzles (but no pen), several detective novels, a Pratchett novel (Interesting Times) and a collection of scifi stories, including Day of the Triffids.
    —

    Today I saw a car going against the traffic in a one-way street all the way down to a 4-way junction with major road, parking itself on the side of said juncture (all the other cars had to avoid hitting it just to pass anywhere), waiting for the streetlight to turn green for the appropriate exit and then driving there, this time in the correct direction.
    The best part? This is the second time I’ve seen this for that exact junction.

  320. rq
    320

    Having commenting issues. Has the site had another update or is it just me? πŸ™

    A couple of years ago I made my private slogan “One inadvertent handshake at a time” and I would like to confess to some further dastardly deeds in that respect. Rather pointless story about combatting everyday sexism to follow, but I promise, it’s not as depressing as it could be. Or is it…?
    Anyway.
    Today we were finally visited by our new BigBoss (soooo… department boss, as opposed to unit boss)! And while he seems to be an awesome person all-round, ready to work and full of ideas and determined to make things work with lots of enthusiasm (we’ll see how long that lasts), he is also a first-class traditional Latvian-raised potato-fed common sexist – with potential to become less of one. It all comes down to the handshakes.
    Some of you may or may not know that I work in a collective that is majoritarily women – out of ten employees in the DNA unit, two are men (a couple years ago a third tried working at the lab, but for some strange reason *cough*rapeapologist*cough*creepy*cough*incompetent*cough* – sorry about that, something seems to be stuck in my throat and it ain’t mucus – he didn’t work out). We were all standing in a loosely elongated group (the shape of the room determines this) as the New BigBoss came in with UnitBoss with one of the guys standing in the middle and one off to one side. BigBoss sweeps his eyes around the room, and heads straight for Colleague standing in the middle, hand extended, then turns to go for Side Colleague. Alas! He did not suspect! I was standing between so I stuck my hand out. He gave me a surprised look, but he shook and even commented on the strength of my grip (“Such woman!”). Then he proceeded to shake hands with all the other women, too!!! Score 1 for me.
    So we all had some cake and tea and some nice conversation and even some serious discussion about issues, and he was heading to leave… Alas! He did not suspect! I’d planted myself next to one of the guys again. Of course, the extended hand first went to Side Colleague, but lo! there was I, lady-like palm extended and with an even odder sort of look, BigBoss went for it – and then proceeded to make the handshake rounds with all the other women, too. Score 2 for me.
    I’m making him some christmas cookies next week, and he won’t even know why.

    Then I came home and read an article interview with a psychotherapist (I’ve mentioned him in this company before but the backstory is irrelevant) who insists that men become alcoholics due to women – specifically, the mothers in their lives. We’re all doing it wrong. And NO, he insists, alcoholism is not a disease, it’s a plot developed by narcologists to create a co-dependency on them. Also mothers are doing it wrong everywhere. So why do women become alcoholics? He didn’t say, but I bet it’s something that women do wrong.

    Other than that, I’m less sick than I was before and it was nice to finally have a functioning work computer after having the entire unit’s server go down on Monday. Yep, we’re a priority.

  321. Wizard
    321

    rq, you guessed right! We had another stealth upgrade. I hope I’ve got everything working. Let me know, please, if the beast keeps screwing up.

  322. giliell
    322

    rq
    Interestingly, sexist rules here would dictate that your boss first shake all the women’s hands and then the men’s.

    Which reminds me of a conversation this week.
    For some reason I can’t remember I mentioned that Mr does most of the laundry around here at #1’s daycare (4 women, 1 man).
    Surprised “Does he like doing it?”
    Me: “Who cares?”
    Shocked faces. How could I be so indifferent?
    Me: “Nobody asks me if I like doing a particular chore. It’s necessary work that needs to be done.”
    Maybe that got them thinking.
    Yes, I know, I’m an evil feminist. I don’T give my man cookies for him doing part of the chores.

    +++
    BTW, I bought Campari today

  323. rq
    323

    Giliell
    The sexist rule here dictates that no man ever has to shake any woman’s hand at all, even a boss to his employees or an interviewee to his interviewer (true story). Which is why it’s a big deal that he shook the women’s hands at all, with my rather obvious urging.

    Also, I find it interesting that it matters that a man might enjoy doing chores (because men only do things they enjoy, right) while nobody’s ever curious about whether women enjoy doing chores. Nobody ever asks me, either – but there is major shock when I dare to declare that maybe, maybe, maaaaaybeee, I’m a wee bit annoyed with having to do the same chores over and over again (not that Husband doesn’t help out, but it’s still the same assumption you mention – men should only do chores when they enjoy them or when they are nagged to do them, not just because they need to be done).

  325. rq
    325

    Looks like I still want Campari. Ah well, it’s Saturday.
    I’m off to watch the bobsleigh. Husband’s out, the kids are fed and in bed, so I think I’m allowed to watch some athletic mens’ bums in spandex. I mean… the sheer amazingness of their athletic prowess and skill in handling a hurtling sled down an icy, complicated, narrow track.

  326. rq
    326

    Tony
    FYI the Speakeasy seems to be out of Campari. I’ve been doing inventory during today’s quiet spell, and you’re definitely all out.
    The surviving glasses did polish up nice, though, didn’t they.

    Also right now I am harbouring rather severe hatred for fleas and coughing.

  328. bluentx
    328

    *hugs* on offer as needed…
    —
    Paranoia or cynicism ? …! Went to pick up an expensive item I’ve been paying on for a couple of months (Lay-a-Way basically). Salesman engages me in small talk…” blah…blah…blah”.. I almost picked up the boxed item and left but…
    ME: “Wait. This is not what I paid for….” HE: “Oh ! I’m sooo glad you caught that! I had THIS ONE ( MUCH lower priced, but similar item) set aside for someone else !” [He KNOWS I live an hour away from his store and I don’t get to ‘da big city’ often.]
    Huuuuum, maybe. Could be it was an honest mistake but… His voice mailbox was also always conveniently full when I tried to call prior to this.

    I’m sooo tired of being ‘taken’ (probably overpriced auto parts/repairs, work related concerns ignored, etc.) ! Now I question EVERYONE’S motivation. A trusting nature seems to be ‘the way of the sucker’.

    I HATE IT !

    I used to be a nice person, lately not so much ! [ I know, probably just old age…. *looks up synonyms for ‘curmudgeon’*]

  329. AlexanderZ
    329

    Good morning!
    It’s now raining outside and we have a large (over 20cm in diameter) wet spot on our ceiling. It’s dripping water in the living room. This winter isn’t off to a good start at all.
    Still, it could be worse. Could be raining. Oh, wait…
    —
    rq
    Looks like your guerrilla handshake campaign is bearing fruit πŸ™‚
    —
    bluentx
    Don’t think much about it. It’s his job to screw you over and it’s your job not to be screwed over. Be happy that you’ve won this round.

  331. giliell
    331

    Good morning!

    rq
    Interesting!
    Because here not shaking a woman’s hand is a sure sign that them ebil mooslims are not like us and hate women. I suppose it’s totally different with good christian Latvian men…
    That’s just your culture or something…

    bluentx
    Glad you caught the “mistake”

    Alexander
    MY sympathies. I still need to write a strongly worded letter to our housing company demanding some money for the ruined wallpaper.

    +++
    CAmpari Orange was nice!

  332. rq
    332

    Giliell
    That makes me wonder, should we see an influx of muslim refugees and immigrants, and people learn about their barbaric practices and attitudes towards women, will that change anything in how Good Christian Latvian Men interact with women at all (esp. re: handshakes)? Or will it be a source of common ground and make them realize how similar they really are, and they’ll unite for a common cause of Never Shaking Women’s Hands EVURRR…?

  333. AlexanderZ
    333

    giliell

    I still need to write a strongly worded letter to our housing company demanding some money for the ruined wallpaper.

    Speaking of which, how did you manage to fix the leak in winter?
    —
    rq
    Something tells me they’ll go for door #3.

  334. bluentx
    334

    From the ” Too Silly, Too Silly” Department:

    Just watched what may become a new Holiday Tradition for me.
    “Not The Messiah: He’s A Very Naughty Boy” [Life of Brian meets Handel]
    Ah, yes Monty Python with full [BBC] orchestra, vocal soloists, chorus, AND Michael Palin in drag… er… I mean Betty Palin (…who went to Canada to become a lumberjack and then on to Alaska, eventually giving birth to a governor…).

    This may not be ‘new’ to anyone else (given the 2009 post U.S. election jokes * ) but a good time was had by … me !

    * Baroque (pronounced Barack) and Roll !

  335. giliell
    335

    Alexander
    I didn’t. It’s not my house, so I called the housing company. Seriously, why should I be in charge of fixing the roof just because I live on the 13th and therefore topmost floor?

    rq
    If you ask me, the only reason conservative christians hate conservative muslims is because now they have to be against many things they actually like because they have become a monopoly of conservative muslims.
    BTW, my daughter’s Syrian friend has no clue what religion her family has, if they have one at all…

  337. AlexanderZ
    337

    RTT:
    Tonight on RTT I have a surprise for you an… What? Yes. Yes, the surprise is Russia, but at least try to look surprised, will you?
    Russia fires warning shot at Turkish fishing boat in Aegean

    A Russian defence ministry statement said the Turkish vessel approached to 600m (1,800ft) before turning away in response to Russian small arms fire.
    …
    And last week, Turkey complained over what it said was a sailor on a Russian naval ship brandishing a missile launcher as the vessel passed through Istanbul. Russia rejected the criticism saying the crew had a “legal right” to protect the ship.

    No, that’s not the surprise. It’s just another step in Russia impotent flailing at Turkey. No, this is the surprise:
    Putin says Russia backs Free Syrian Army alongside Assad troops

    President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia is supporting the opposition Free Syrian Army, providing it with air cover, arms and ammunition in joint operations with Syrian troops against Islamist militants.

    His statement appeared to be the first time Moscow said it was actually supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents in the fight against Islamic State forces. Putin said last month the Russian air force had hit several “terrorist” targets identified by the Free Syrian Army.

    A few hours later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin had been talking about weapons supplies to the armed forces loyal to Assad.

    So, um, what gives? FSA is an umbrella term for the various secular or moderate Syrian armed groups that fight against Assad, who is Russia’s BFF. Such a declaration, even if isn’t genuine, is not going to be received well by Assad, and even though he’s now in no position to protest, this is very unlikely to do any good to Russian-Syrian relations.
    However, even though FSA is united in its hatred for Assad, it divided on pretty much anything else. The FSA in northeastern Syria is closely aligned with the Kurdish army (the Kurds want to show that their forces are more multi-ethnic and generally egalitarian than they really are, so they have an alliance of convenience with some FSA groups), who are both against Assad and Turkey (Turkey is also against Assad, but it’s historically anti-Kurd), which is now Russia’s enemy, and as the saying goes – the sub-group temporarily allied to the enemy of my enemy is sort of my friend.

    This doesn’t stop Russia from bombing (video) southwestern FSA in Damascus.

  339. Dalillama
    339

    My bike broke down, & hours at work are very low this month. I loathe capitalism.

    Bluentx:
    This is why I can’t work in sales; the dishonesty is built into the process at a very basic level.

  340. giliell
    340

    Dalillama
    Sorry to hear. I hope the bike can be fixed.

    +++
    Damn.
    I must have miscounted somewhere and now I’m still 11 plain blocks short…

  341. rq
    341

    Dailllama
    I hope the bike is back in working order soon, with as little expense to you as possible!

    +++

    A bit of history in the modern world, time-lapsed and pretty to look at. There’s a bunch of people you can see scurrying around; one of them might even be me.

  344. AlexanderZ
    344

    Dalillama, I’m sorry πŸ™
    —

    Update on the water situation:
    Apparently what happened was that the neighbors upstairs wanted a new outflow pipe instead of broken one that was built into the building (i.e. the pipe had no external parts – all the water was running through the entire length of the building down to bomb-shelter below and then exiting in some way). They had it made and the old pipe blocked. All good and well, except that that took care of all the water from the roof, but not the water from their balcony.
    Can you guess what happened? Yes, the water from the balcony was still going into the old outflow pipe, which was now blocked, so the water was accumulating between the floors and destroying our ceiling.
    Luckily, their apartment isn’t owned by them, but rather by a welfare housing company, which means that I had actually someone to call to about the problem. Which didn’t help. Then the neighbor upstairs called them. That didn’t help either. But then her husband called – he is one of those people that have patience of a continental plate and being retired has all the time in the world.
    That did help. The workers* recently left. They’ve partially removed the plug from the old pipe so that the water now has somewhere to go, and that seems to help. However, that’s only a temporary solution and the damage to the ceiling is severe. Since any repairs require taking apart that spot they have to be done during dry weather, so hopefully the ceiling would be patched up sometime in the spring.

    *This is how the chain of work went – the company’s main contractor for this zone is Jewish, his sub-contractor is an Israeli Arab, his sub-sub-contractor is a Palestinian, who has hired a Jordanian migrant worker to do all the physical labor.

    The good thing is that all of this was apparently insured by the company, so it didn’t cost us or the neighbors a thing. For now. The major part will come during the ceiling repair.

  345. taarpinshrq
    345

    I think I posted about this a while ago (like, a couple of years), about a Russian short featuring Hedgehog, who goes to visit his friend Bear each evening to count the stars. Except one night, he gets lost in the mist… Anyway. Someone redid the art Star Wars style. You can watch the original film if you scroll down, but unfortunately there’s no subtitles. The deepest thought in the whole piece occurs when Hedgehog wonders what Horse does in the mist, and, being a white horse, can Horse see itself in the mist? It’s a classic.

  348. giliell
    348

    Alexander
    Wishing you luck with speedy repairs. Urgh, here’s it’s only the wallpaper that’s been ruined…

    +++
    Uff. Quiet. #1 had a friend over and I made good on my promise to bake with them. They had tons of fun and they did behave well only that I had a royal headache after having had the molar in the upper jaw drilled and drilled and drilled this morning…

    +++
    Not good things ahead.

    Slightly good: my mother’s rehab has been approved and she wants to go. But holy fuck, so much of her brain is gone. There are different institutions that might cover the costs, health insurance and retirement insurance. Health insurance approved, but a few days later she got a letter from the retirement insurance that they’re not responsible and had passed the request on to health insurance. She was no longer able to process this information…

    Bad bad: My cousing blew whatever money his mother left him on drugs, pissed off his friends and is apparently drving again, without a license. I can only hope my uncle sells the house and goes to a nursing home.

    Really, while I agree that criminalisation is no solution to substance abuse, I’m wondering if the “it’s nobody’s business what adults do wth their bodies” have ever had an addict in their family…

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