There’s been a lot of talk about cooking lately, so I thought I’d contribute.
(Episode CCLXXXVII: Them’s good Martians.)
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
There’s been a lot of talk about cooking lately, so I thought I’d contribute.
(Episode CCLXXXVII: Them’s good Martians.)
@ Sailor
I looked into pretty much anything to improve the efficiency at the time and swatted up in depth into designing the ideal blades (immediately prior to deployment I had access to all the Prof’s at Delft University and had big plans for the ultimate turbine.)
The practical realities of building and maintaining the devices ending up being the overiding factor. Sudan was at war at the time and Juba was under siege. As a result I was under constant suspicion by the (not so secret) police.
We ended up manufacturing the blades and turbine with whatever means at hand at Atbara University and then smuggling (shades of 007) the components through the desert to Khartoum for airlift down to Juba. The bulk of the system I commissioned local craftspeople to fabricate (including a fluidized bed for purifying the water).
Other limitations where the conditions on the Nile. There is a lot of Water Hyacinth on the river that clogs everything (meaning a shroud could not work). It had to be cleared twice a day with a machete after carefully checking it for snakes. The island on which the turbine was based was accessed by a locally (pre-) fabricated bamboo suspension bridge of my own design.
/sentimental
:-( *hugs* and best wishes for the Redhead.
SC:
:)
Audley:
I don’t have any experience with gerbils at all. I do know the petsmart in town has a metric fuckton of chewie stuff for them, though. You might try the wood sticks, grass bundles or the seed bars. The rats love those seed bars.
You might have to try and buy a variety of things to see which ones click.
Nerd, here’s hoping for your Redhead’s swift return to good health. *hug*
Keep us posted, ‘kay?
–
Caine:
My tack with the gerbils is to treat ’em like dumb rats. My last rat loved the seed bars, too, so I think I’ll give those a shot.
Nerd, I hope for the Redhead’s speedy recover. Please keep us posted.
In less important news, our flour mill has shipped but not yet arrived. Did you know that when you start researching grinding your own flour, you wind up getting a lot of survivalist websites in your google searches. Weird. And all because I like good bread.
@ Nerd
Well wishes for Redhead.
@ Josh, High Priest of Phoenicia (PBUH)
As you know, we are always
jokingquite serious about Her Holiness as being a Real Goddess. I have been meaning to cobble together some text on her (based on the old Corn Gods … like Attis, Dionysus and jeebus ). It seems though that the Essenes have beaten me to it:Of course bread should be prepared by the heat of the sun, not the fiery furnaces of
hellJosh’s kitchen:(Further reading (I love the bit about Satan): Linky to PDF: The Essene Gospel Book 1. )
Phoenecia is jeebus ™ ?
PS: I have a loaf of sourdough coming out of the oven in about five minutes. I will check….
Theo – you have discovered the ancient roots of the true cult of Phoenicia. It is an old and hallowed form of worship. Which makes it True™.
And lo, she continues to spread. Phoenicia spawned over Christmas into my sister’s refrigerator. SpokesSister informs me the spawn is named Shawana.
Jesus but if I read another comment by Mallorie Nasrallah I might puke. So it’s ok to discriminate against pregnant because libertarianism or something.
Sorry to drag off blog shit here but I need to vent before I say something else stupid.
@ Nerd:
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! (And thanks for the PSA, you’re right, high blood pressure is serious business. I was lucky myself to have caught on to it early.)
I have a cat on my lap.
This means the SO must fetch me glasses of wine, snacks, etc.
It’s his own fault.
If he had given up the heating pad when the cat demanded it, I’d be getting my own wine.
Nerd – will not be on for a couple of days. Hope the Redhead does well and goes home soon. Cheers/Hugs.
Nerd, good luck on that
I am jealous chigau. I wish I had a cat. Alas, I am allergic to them.
My landlord does allow them, though, and I am investigating breeds that are (supposedly) hypoallergenic. Hmm.
Hopefully, I shall be be-catted.
Nerd, please keep us posted.
Josh, I managed to rescue my starter, after a year of hibernation in the back of the refrigerator. I have since named it “Lazarus”. Lazarus has been on the kitchen counter for a couple of months now, and is feistier than ever. I’ll be fixing another batch of bread in the morning.
For any Facebook users who are dismayed by the new Timeline and what it’s excavating from their past, ZDNet has an article about a Greasemonkey script that will delete old posts so you don’t have to sit there and do it one at a time. Unfortunately, it requires Windows and Firefox in order to work.
Just to satisfy the curious, hemorrhagic stroke Wednesday morning. Fortunately, I had just gotten up as she was heading to bed, so I was only a few feet away when it happened. Diagnosis was easy even for a non-MD (paralyzed left side, slurred speech, incoherent), so I called 911 and she was whisked away by the EMTs (thanks to tax dollars in action) where the CAT scan showed a hemorrhage and not a clot, so not giving her the aspirin was a good thing. Bleeding stopped prior to follow up CAT scan Thursday. Still trying to control the blood pressure prior to transfer to rehab, as paralysis lingers on her left side.
Thursday night she was worried about me informing a knitting meeting on the previous night she wasn’t coming (she had lost a day). She’s perked up since.
Thanks for the support.
Holy shit, Nerd, how terrifying! I’m so glad to hear she’s better, I hope she continues to improve and is back to her self in no time. Love & Hugs to you both.
Esteleth:
I’ve always been baffled by this. I mean, does the cat have no dander? Is there something special about their skin &/or spit that doesn’t cause a reaction?
Although, if you get a hairless cat and name him Cheech, I think that would be awesome.
Audley,
As far as I can tell, the allergic response to cats is due to an enzyme in their sweat. Some breeds do not have this enzyme and are thus (supposedly) hypoallergenic. Apparently their coats are a bit less shiny and are more prone to matting, so they require more careful brushing.
Nerd:
*hugs* to both you and the Redhead.
Jesus H Christ Nerd, I am so, so sorry to hear this, but so grateful the Redhead is OK. Fuck, that’s scary. I wish you were both near so I could bring you (low sodium) chicken soup.
Holy crap, Nerd. I’m glad to hear that Redhead is going to be okay. I’m so sorry that you two had to go through this! Sending good thoughts to you both.
E,
Ah, okay. Thanks!
Nerd, I wish Redhead well. It will be very understandable if you are not seen to often here during the next few days.
Just remember to make sure you get enough rest.
Rats come in a hairless variety, but I don’t think that makes them hypoallergenic. Same goes for hairless cats, dogs, and so on.
My concern, of course, is that getting a cat that is of one of those breeds (Siberians are the most common, apparently, but there are also some new genetically engineered breeds) would require going to a breeder, which means $$ and supporting what are essentially kitten mills. I am opposed to supporting kitten mills and to the idea of thus depriving a shelter animal of a good home. OTOH, how can I provide an animal I am allergic to a good home? I’d probably neglect the poor thing.
Caine:
Point taken.
I just think hairless cats are OMG SO CUTE!, though. :D
Josh, on the target thread, Ing was being sarcastic, as SC keeps harping on everyone to give poor ol’ Chas a break. He ain’t an ass all the time, ya see.
I’m out of the topic Caine.
Not all hairless critters are cute.
Audley, I feel the same about hairless rats! When we were looking for two more girls, there were two, but they were hairless, and I didn’t want to mix hair/hairless together. They were so godsdamned sweet, though! Just adorable and bright and curious. I was *so* tempted.
E:
If it’s not a case of OMG, I need a kitteh nao!!!1*, keep an eye on your local shelters. A lot of the shelters will post information about pets waiting for adoption on their websites– you might luck out and stumble across a cat that would suit you.
*Which I understand completely.
I’ve thought about it, and while I know for certain that there are hypoallergenic rats out there (and not too pricy to get), I’m not going to get any. Not because I dislike them – I find them hella cute – but because my new job is in an animal lab. With rats. I may revisit this later, but I’m thinking I’d find the cognitive dissonance of doing Stuff to rats in numbered cages, then going home to nuzzle my pet rats difficult to manage. *shrug*
Like I said, I love rats, and I may revisit this later depending on how I feel.
Nerd
That sounds like pretty good news.
Hugs to the Redhead and to you.
Esteleth – I can’t remember if you’re in the US, but if you are, a quick Google search turned up some Siberian cat rescue organizations with kittehs to adopt.
@Josh
Sorry for bossy tone. I get annoyed where people dismiss someone nursing a bullshit grudge for months as me having a hair trigger.
On that note, with it off thread SC, I don’t appreciate one bit having my feelings disregarded and brushed aside because of tribal seniority.
He is not nice and has nothing to say to me that isn’t bratty and stupid which is why he’s killfiled. I really don’t see how you fail to understand this when he’s started up his baiting and trolling in recent history and in the thread your defending him.
@ Esteleth
Have you yet considered the Turkish Van kittehz? They are waterproof and enjoy swimming. Beautiful, intelligent and hypoallergenic. They were banned from export out of Turkey at one stage IIRC, but have since become a fairly common breed. Worth having a to look into.
Link.
@ Dr Audley
AWWWWWWW!!!! Your rodents are so cute.
Theophontes:
Um, I was under the impression that mammals in general were waterproof. :p
Thanks!
Proper breeders don’t run kitten or puppy mills. If you can’t get a shelter cat, a genuine breeder is a good choice – and they will often have below breed-standard animals to sell for cheaper, especially if you neuter them.
Although some pet breeders are very weird people. The show-obsessed can be all about fixing specific characteristics without regard to accompanying genetic defects. Nasty stuff there. I’d prefer a cat with healthy cartilage to one with zomg teh cute floppy ears, just to name one recent case.
I have heard bad things about cons with supposedly hypoallergenic cats; I’d be careful on the internet. If you visit a breeder you’ll be much safer – and you get to test the allergy theory before you buy! Cornish and Devon Rexes are often supposed to be hypoallergenic.
I just gave Chas a few chocolate chips and as I was putting them down (he’s on top of the Rat Condo), he sticks out his hand to push mine away. That article a while back on rat empathy? There is no way in hell that Chas would ever share a chocolate chip.
@Nerd, if I had any alcohol with me I’d offer you the bottle. That’s not something I think I’d be able to handle fully sober. Good luck to you and your wife.
Yes, Alethea, I know that not all breeders run mills. I am, however, afraid of going to a mill in ignorance. I’m inexperienced enough to miss warning signs.
I do not understand the demand for a “perfect” animal. I’d much rathe have a good-tempered and healthy animal that has a funny ear or mark (or whatever) to one that is picture-perfect with bad bones or whatever.
As for Cornish Rexes, I’m going to be a snob and say that they look funny. ;-)
@ Josh
The Essene Gospel, if read from the point of view of a dietary health manual (with a smidgeon of woo) is actually very entertaining. I doubt teh Xtians see it in that light, which means that they completely miss the message: “You are what you eat.”
Or alternatively: “You are what you don’t shit…”
jeebus recommends colonic irrigation (read with Basil Fawlty voice):
Imagine if someone like Santorum was to actually follow jeebus’s teaching here. There would be nothing left of him.
Nerd, best wishes for the Redhead’s speedy recovery!
Blood pressure can change quite quickly and hypertension often has no symptoms – an annual check is the least you should do. I went from quite low to stupid high sometime between two checks.
@ Dr Audley
Our kittehz failed to get the memo (they are terrified of water, washing is a real pain in the proverbial). The Turkish Vans on the other hand: waterproof! :-)
Esteleth, perhaps you could ask your local shelter and vet about reputable breeders. We get our kittehs from the RSPCA, but neither of us is allergic so our options are very wide.
I also think the Devon and Cornishes look funny, but in a cute way. Modern Persians and hairless cats, though, no thanks, eww. YMMV.
Meh. My keyboard is getting all blurry, which says that it is Bedtime.
Night, all! I checked, and the local pet shelter is open tomorrow. I am thinking I shall go by and see about my options.
Oh my goodness Nerd. The Redhead and you will be in my thoughts.
He ain’t. I wasn’t aware that was meaningless.
The only thing I will say on the topic of respecting Chas because he has an OM; he has talk about how he had various OM’s in his killfile. Show him the respect he has shown.
“Um, I was under the impression that mammals in general were waterproof. :p”
Nope, mammals are water resistant, some more so than others.
++++++++++++++
Caine, the hairless tails don’t freak me out, I don’t have a tail. The feets freak me out because they’re so similar.
++++++++++++++
Nerd, what everyone else said. {{{{}}}}
@Nerd Chiming in with my best wishes for Redhead & her full recovery. Good thing you were nearby. (And yay for taxes!)
—
@Audley While I was looking for a recipe that matched my sister’s desires, I had to look at over 300 cheesecake recipes. OM NOM NOM is right. I have a whole bookmark file of recipes to try out.
—
I haven’t been on very much since FTB came back online yesterday, so I missed the whole “token” discussion.
Will it never end? I do so admire Rebecca, Jen, Ophelia, and Greta for not letting the sexism go unchallenged.
theophontes:
Most cats hate water. I was trying to make a joke. :)
Thankfully for most cats, washing is totes unnecessary. Except my lovely long-hair Maggie, who pretty regularly shits herself.
The Sailor:
Hands and feet are very similar. I love rat hands, this is one of my favourite shots of Chas (top shot).
OK. If I had a killfile I might put him in it and announce it. But I don’t and won’t.
Anyway, the OM itself isn’t a reason to do anything, but a marker of his recognition as a contributor here. I would say the same thing about any OM regardless of my personal feelings toward them. (And that includes the obnoxious assholes Sastra and Cuttlefish.)
Ibis3:
*swoons*
My family’s pretty easy to please– the last cheesecake I made for them was a standard NY style with a sour cream topping and a graham cracker crust. OM NOM NOM.
In other news: The gerbils have finally figured out what the wheel is for. ♥!
Audley:
Aaaaw. Do you let them out for cuddles and such like rats?
Christ on a crutch, Audley, are you running a goddamn zoo up in there? How many critters you got now?
Note to self: In future, be at least aware of other threads before commenting in this one. Could help in hearing the harmonics.
Caine:
They’ve been out for short periods of time so far, but they’re still getting used to being handled (up until today, both of them were a little bit bitey). We’re giving them time to adjust to their new surroundings (and the cats and the turtle) before we let them run amok.
I have to keep reminding myself that they are not as smart as rats and to take it slow. You have no idea how much I just want to pop Syd into my bathrobe pocket and carry him around for the rest of the evening, but I’m not sure if I can trust him yet.
Josh:
I like to call it The Menagerie™, thankyouverymuch.
It’s just the three kittehs, the turtle, and the two gerbils. Nothing major (yet).
Hey Esteleth–
I’m moving to Binghamton NY! It’s western NYish, where will you be? Let’s hang out.
Sorry Nerd to hear about Redhead’s stroke. That’s a scary thing, thank goodness she got medical care right away.
Audley:
Oh, I understand, Syd’s so damn cute it’s criminal! (Syd’s the black one, right?)
Audley, me thinks Chuck & Syd haz an evil glint in their eyes. They’re just lulling you to complacency. (“Syd: “Gee, Chuck, what do you want to do tonight?” Chuck: “The same thing we do every night Syd, try to take over the world!”)
Audley:
I know, that’s not all that much. Let’s see, 2 dogs, 5 cats, 3 rats here, collectively known as The Crew™.
Sally:
Nooooooo! You’re leaving Vermont!? I haz a big sad. Damn you. Although hopefully this is cuz you got a way cool job. If so, I congratulate you.
Audley:
You’re on your way to a Very Special Episode of Hoarders: Animals Amok.
I’m watchin’ you, girl.
Caine:
Yup. I wish I could get a pic of his face– his little white goatee is a-freaking-dorable.
The Sailor:
I think it’ll be a while before they hatch any truly devious plans*. They have just now figured out their wheel. Next up: Calcium chews, how the fuck do they work?
*Besides, Pinky and The Brain always failed. :(
Josh:
:D
I’m fine. Really.
When I was growing up, at one point we had two large dogs, four cats, three birds (a dove and two finches), and a guinea pig. So, yeah, I like a lot of pets.
(Still kind of hate birds, though.)
In honor to Redhead & Patricia:
The Brain: Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?
Pinky: Um… I think so, Brain, but what if the chickens won’t wear the nylons?
Cocks eyebrow at Audley: Mmm-hmm. We’ll see.
Random nonsense:
1. I got carded for a glass of wine tonight at a restaurant. At 37, I can’t decide if that’s flattering or silly.
2. My face—such as it is—is holding up pretty well. I don’t have any wrinkles or crow’s feet yet, which is kind of a miracle considering all the bullshit I’ve gotten up to. But my hands—oy. They tell on a girl.
3. Tonight’s special-treat-diet-buster was a cheeseburger and french fries. I had to box half the plate because I was full to bursting. Another minor miracle; before the Cardiac Unpleasantries forced me to change my eating habits I could have put away twice that and still eat my own forearm.
My response to CFI. Their post really has to be read to be believed.
The Brain: Behold, I can create fire from a little box.
Alan: So what?
Cannibal #1: Big deal.
Cannibal #2: Let’s eat ’em.
The Brain: I can steal your souls and put them in this glass.
Alan: So what?
Cannibal #1: Big deal.
Cannibal #2: Let’s eat ’em.
Pinky: I can make bubbles with my spit.
[the cannibals gasp and begin to bow]
The Brain: *Now* do you believe we were sent by your god?
Alan: Naw, that’s just *really cool*.
(And, no Walton, I don’t feel a bit bad about the racist overtones.)
SC:
Oh, that was one hell of an effort…in waffling.
Josh – “But my hands—oy. They tell on a girl. ”
You clicked on Caine’s link, didn’t you?
p.s. I like crows feet. I like smile lines. Each to their own.
Oh, I do too. Just not in the mirror.
We all have our vain failings.
Hey Pharyngulites, I’ve been flexing my Google-fu to find medical mission trips to underserved areas in the US and abroad. However I’m an atheist, and all I can find are groups promising to bring Jesus and penicillin to the poor people in Africa. Pencillin is the shit, but you can’t even use Jesus as a wound compress. Anyone know of any good organizations? I’m not a doc or a nurse, just starting my education, but I want to stretch my borders.
Oh, also (and this is total fuckin’ bullshit)? I’ve been chasing down this chick for three days who put up a bottle of truffle oil on freecycle. She said she didn’t care for it, and so I thought, hell I love truffle oil, I’ll grab that and make some pasta with it.
So I get to her house today where she’s left the oil in a bag hanging off her front door knob since our schedules never match up. I bring it back to the car and open it up to smell.
Puke.
Puke.
Puke.
She didn’t “care for it”? It’s rancid. As in totally spoiled and blooming with bacteria that scream I’M DECAYING.
Blech.
I raised guinea pigs for 4-H when I was a kid. So I had like 25 of the little oinkers at one point.
Josh, yeah, me neither.
My vanity is my hair. I’m getting thin on the crown but I still have my flowing locks. They’re gray, but they still flow. But I’m facing the eventual fact that I will have to cut them off because I don’t want to be that guy.
I’m off to bed with Val McDermid (Grave Tattoo), g’night all.
Josh, sorry about the truffle oil, some people are brainless.
@beccan
Doctors Without Borders! (Medecins Sans Frontieres)
Josh–sadly I haven’t found a job, but my sister has invited me to live with her rent-free and help take care of my niece. It’s a good way to get around the hurdle of saving up $$ for 1st months’ rent etc., and I was looking to leave Burlington soon anyway.
Sally:
That’s for medical peoples, not non-medical peoples.
Now I really am off to bed.
@ Caine
I didn’t realize there was no way for non-medicos to volunteer for MSF. Oh well.
I don’t blame you; I’m vain about my hair, too. And I actually enjoy the fact that my super dark brown hair is going gray (as in, more and more strands are pure white).
As a connoisseur of both hair and older (than me) men, some advice:
1. If you’re older than 35 you don’t get to have long hair. No. I’m sorry, but it’s not attractive or dignified after that age, no matter what you look like. Your loved ones won’t tell you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, but take it from me.
2. Never, ever try to hide thinning hair. Unless you’re willing to pay for expensive grafts (some of which are unbelievably good and undetectable) just let it go. Comb-overs, tying long hair in back to cover bald spots — all of that is ugly and kinda embarrassing.
3. Cut it short in a style that flatters you for your age. Most men look far more attractive as they get older with a short, crisp style that doesn’t try to hide thinning hair.
Or, just ignore all that and do what makes you happy:)
Sally:
I definitely understand, and it sounds like a good financial move right now. But I’ll miss you being here so close. Let’s have a fun night of it before you leave, ‘K?
Josh! Of COURSE we will have a fun night before I leave–apart from the 50s bash you were planning. (Remind me when that is, willya?)
Also, I don’t intend to stop playing with Brass Balagan, so I’ll be returning periodically to do gigs and stuff. I hope you and M. continue to hang out. That would make me happy, thinking of the two of you drinking and talking into the night in VT.
Holy shit, the 50s bash! I had forgotten about that!
I’ve got a vintage cocktail recipe book and I’m not afraid to use it!
Argh !!!
Islamists win big in Egypt lower house elections
Nerd – I hope the Redhead’s recovery is swift and that you are taking care of yourself. Hugs to you both.
Caine – Thank you for continuing rat stories and pictures. I love them so.
JeffreyD – It is so good to see you (or at least your comments) again. *hugs, lots of hugs*
The Google doodle is cool.
“Tish, you spoke French.”
I’ll be in my bunk.
Nerd
Best wishes for the Redhead.
And for you, too, I know those times are stressfull for all members of the family.
Re: https://proxy.freethought.online/pharyngula/2012/01/05/im-sure-they-are-a-very-spiritual-couple – Here is my more detailed response to what people say on that thread:
#45 Tis Himself misses the point. My original post did not dispute any of the points of New Atheism. It was not actually intended to be anything that would strike what you might call a “hammer blow” against New Atheism, that would have been saved for later. It was the question IS New Atheism A religion? No, its not even an intellectual movement. It’s a social and sometimes political movement. Its only a religion in the most broad terms. New Atheism (TM) is a religion if a religion is a set of shared stories, concepts and characters which explain what is happening in the world and creates a base of morality and influences a worldview.
Try reading my OP again. It had nothing to do with my beliefs. It had nothing to do with God and was in fact just me talking about the New Atheism movement. Judging from the comments I received in response, you guys don’t seem to disagree with me.
Now, regarding the philosophy rebuttals: sorry guys, but you’re all making my point.
New Atheism is not an intellectual tradition. It’s a social (and partly political) movement. The movement doesn’t “require” knowledge. Oh sure, it’ll use history and even philosophy as examples but does not require in depth knowledge of the examples. For example, look at how historians and professional academics hammer Hitchens’s “God is Not Great” for its inaccuracies.
Regarding people that I mentioned, Daniel Dennet is a philosopher by education but deliberately holds himself apart from the philosophical community. He is a behaviorist and that is different from a philosopher. He eschews philosophical language and refuses to “play ball” with his colleges in philosophy. Did he not receive a Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Science? Ophelia Benson is a journalist not a philosopher … technically. Ann Shoket is the editor of 17 magazine. Does that make her a teenager? Correct me if im wrong but isn’t Victor J Stenger a particle physicist? Come on now guys, do these examples really disprove my point?
In my defense, I had no idea who AC Grayling was and I never heard him described as one of the founders of the New Atheism movement.
With regards to the rebuttals to my objection of how atheists categorise faith and religion: You only need to listen to the rhetoric preaching of some of the most notorious atheist works to see how silly things get with the accusations against faith and religion, especially Dawkins and Hitchens are concerned. “The Religious Framework even in thought if not in action poisons everything. Religion doesn’t just keep people poor, it CAUSES Poverty.” (Missionary Position – Hitchens) “Religion is in its nature wrong because it is the antithesis of rationalism and its mere existence as thought hurts humanity.” This is what New Atheism believes. “We will see that the greatest problem confronting civilization is not merely religious extremism: rather, it is the larger set of cultural and intellectual accommodations we have made to faith itself.” – Sam Harris. The problem is faith. Personal faith. And its place in society.
With regards to Caesar and the Rubicon: We can prove that with secular reasoning? You mean, based on the account of from 121 AD which is a little under 200 years after the event? But we cannot via secular reasoning argue that Jesus was Crucified by the Roman authorities for claiming to be the King of the Jews written closer in time to the event? Mind you, Crucifixion, which was the common manner of death for enemies of the state and the event of the crucifixion appears in Roman historical sources under Emperor Vespasian and even mentioned by Cornelius Tacitus who is probably the most reliable historian on Ancient Rome of the period.
Regarding science vs philosophy: Ive only taken 5 undergrad philosophy classes at university. So I might be wrong. But … science is “applied philosophy”? Seriously? You don’t really think this, surely? I mean Philosophy is the study of existence, values justifications, aesthetics, reason, mind, and language. According to my ancient history class, the opposite of Philosophy was Sophisty which provided the craftsmen and wisemen. Sculptors, charioteers, and doctors were not philosophers despite their great knowledge because of how they used them. I’d argue that scientists are Sophists and not philosophers in the classical sense. Maybe you could argue that science is the application of Epistemology but even that is a bridge too far for me. Id say that Science is applied Positivism or scientific realism. Maybe?
Regarding people pointing to the witch case as evidence of faith being dangerous: Which Country executes the most people the whole world? Oh yeah the Atheist nation of China. China had a thousand or more executions in 2010, according to information compiled by Amnesty International. So, if we look at the raw numbers? Yeah … damn. But sure, keep using isolated incidents without showing how it fits into the overall numbers.
Now, the Crusades: Where was the first lesser crusades? Well from about the year 711 Europeans were at war with the Muslims in Southern Spain. So who started the crusade into Muslim lands? Charlemagne. Well, more technically Pope Alexander II 30 years before Pope Urban II called the First Crusade. The Iberian campaign against Muslim Caliphates were purely political in nature. “But James”, you’ll tell me “that wasn’t a real crusade”. Ok. Lets just look at Pope Urban’s Crusade.
The immediate cause of the First Crusade was Alexios I, the Byzantine Emperor, writing a letter to Pope Urban II in 1095 where he begged for mercenaries to help him resist Muslim advances into territory of the Byzantine Empire. Which makes sense, because if Constantinople fell then all of Europe would be open to invasion like they were experiencing in Spain. The Pope listened to the Merchant Princes of the Italian city states who wanted control of ports in the Mediterranean. He used the military threat of the Muslim forces as justification for the crusades. He brought up the plundering by the caliph of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine who destroyed the church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was one of the richest pilgrimage sites in the world.
So according to you guys, the offered indulgences were the main lure of joinng up with the church? You do realise that the church offered indulgences for a BUNCH of other stuff right? You do realise that the main thing Pope Urban offered was MATERIAL rewards, right? Feudal fiefdoms and land ownership were offered to knights , as well as wealth, power, and prestige of knighthood to the common soldier, all at the expense of the Arabs and Turks. Urbans even offered a lessening of Peter’s Pence to the kings of Europe if they sent knights. These are ALL material benefits to the war, not religious. So, as shown the main reasons for the Crusades were purely political and monetary in nature.
I guess one of the biggest problems I have with New Atheism is that many of the claims people make of blame (where bad stuff is attributed to religion) isn’t actually religion. For example: the veiling or seclusion of women is blamed on Islam, even though the Koran doesn’t stipulate it. Most women in Muslim Countries that aren’t Persian in their natures wear something like the hijab, much like how some Orthodox Jewish communities have taken to wearing the Burqa. It’s a middle eastern cultural thing. The religion requires modest dress which changes depending on the culture. Turkey, which is a muslim majority country has head scarves banned in government buildings and up until recently banned them in all universities. Its like blaming the smoking of Pot on Atheists cus most atheists are college students and a high percentage of college students have smoked Marijuana. This is the only one of those points I can argue because I don’t have time to point out the rest of them . Also, I can’t believe you guys think arranged marriage is a religious thing! I mean jeez, its common in Japan, so which religion is that exactly??
My intention was purely to clear up the difference between dogma, political beliefs, and intellectual ideology.
Amanda Palmer covering Mercy Seat. Fuck me. It’s amazing.
(Live webcast from Sydney)
JamesMichael, your teal deer was full of shit. You presuppose instead of looking at the evidence. You will never understand or be a scientist. And science is a branch of philosophy, dealing with reality. Which you are divorced from.
Example, god is either real or a philosophical construct. If real, show us the physical evidence. If a philosophical construct (mental masturbation), keep it to yourself. Welcome to gnu atheism.
And Bye bye mein liebe Herr followed by War Pigs for an encore! Awesome choice of covers.
(^No link there, sorry. Praze Tpyos. Maybe youtube in a while, but it’s not up yet.)
(Is this dope really arguing – setting aside that the existence of Jesus would be evidence of nothing beyond itself – that the existence of crucifixion is evidence of the existence of Jesus?) I was just reading something about Tacitus yesterday. What was it? Oh, yes:
Today’s lesson is:
Remember that your child probably doesn’t understand rethorical questions yet.
#1 had stuffed so many gummibears into her mouth that she had a hard time chewing.
When I said “holy cow, how many gmmibears did you stuff into your mouth?” she spit them into her hand, counted them and reported back.
Good child.
Whole gig on moshcam: http://www.moshcam.com/blog/amanda-palmer-concert-video-now-live-320.aspx
(Not the one I was watching though)
See also this comment.
jamesmichaels1 #593
You ignored my post on the other thread where I show philosophical posturing is completely unnecessary to show that gods either actually or essentially don’t exist.
However you don’t want to argue atheism but you’d rather whine about “new atheism” not meeting some superficial standard you’ve arbitrarily assigned it to meet. Guess what, we don’t have to meet with your approval. Philosophy is an important thing to you. Big fucking deal. We’re not required to be impressed by the same things you consider important. You apparently don’t care about epistemology, even though it’s a major part of science. I think it’s much more important (and much more interesting) then arguing about whether your immoral god is the source of morality or not.
Now I’ll dispose of a couple of your sillinesses that actually don’t further your whines about “new atheism” at all but seem to be important to you:
Religion is and always has been a injurious influence on society, all societies. For instance, you pretend (and it is a pretense on your part) that Islam isn’t misogynist. The Qur’an requires hijab in sura 24:31, which says, “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not to display their adornment except that which ordinarily appears thereof and to draw their headcovers over their chests and not to display their adornment except to their husbands.” Hence the burkha.
There were financial components to the Crusades. But it’s ridiculous for you to pretend (there’s that word again) that the Crusades were solely commercial (except for the Fourth Crusade, which ended with the sack of Constantinople, an action instigated by Venetian merchants). The motivation for the Crusades was rescuing The Holy Land™ from the Muslims. Syria and especially Palestine were not commercially valuable. Oil was not a major resource in the 12th Century. Louis VII of France wasn’t interested in owning a bit of semi-desert inhabited by subsistence goat herders. He wanted to liberate Jesus’ home from the unbelievers.
Your objections “new atheism” are quite inconsequential. Come back when you’re ready to bring something substantial to the table.
Both have a very good reputation. I have only had dealints with the NPCA, but both are effective lobbying groups. The NPCA tends to take more of a funding approach, the NPF tends more towards land purchases.
Sorry I can’t be of more assistance.
=====
Nerd of Redhead:
Yikes. Hope things work out. Take care of both of you both. Wife and I are thinking calm sodium-free thoughts in your direction.
Wood.
That would be one kilopoop?
========
And now, Wife and I are off for a pleasant drive in the spring countryside. Amazing how much extra money we have since she stopped buying scratch tickets and I stopped buying the 20oz bottles of soda (mostly real (sugared) soda).
Josh, I reject your reality and substitute my own! :D
Yesterday was my 36th birthday, but there’s no way I’m going to cut away my beautiful hair until it starts falling off.
Had to check back in to see about the Redhead. Nerd, glad it was not worse and hugs for both of you.
Hekuni Cat – Hiya (Waves).
Re hair/crowning glory – My crowning glory is my shiny forehead…which now reaches to the back of my head.
Nerd,
I just read about the Redhead. I sincerely hope she recovers and doesn’t suffer relapses.
Right on, Weedmonkey.
So long as I avoid severe balding, my long hair stays as long as breath stays in my lungs. It’s a symbol. An important symbol. To me, that is.
I’m not looking forward to being old, but (provided I avoid severe balding), I am kinda looking forward to sporting a snow-colored mane someday.
Just back from a trip to England to spend New Year with my wife’s family, so a belated Happy New Year to all.
I don’t know how people afford to live and enjoy themselves in the UK, I spent 1,000 GBP in a little over a week just on food and drink. In one pub it cost 9.50 GBP for a pint of bitter and a glass of Rioja.
My wife got into trouble with her family because on New Year’s Eve she complained in the restaurant where we were eating that her food was cold. Although the waitress came and asked if everthing was alright my wife’s family said that she had embarrassed them. My wife wasn’t rude or anything. Is this an English thing or just her family?
Lo siento Nerd. I hope your wife recovers soon.
@ Tis
Cover your chest (24:31) … there is no need (at least according to god/mohammad) for covering one’s head in any way. The requirement essentially is that women do not display their boobs in public. This is common enough in most countries give or take a boobquake or wardrobe failure.
In this case at least, it is the religious themselves that have taken their religion further than was originally intended. (Though I would agree that “Religion is and always has been a[n] injurious influence on society, all societies.”, we should note the goddists disconcerting ability to unlock every god-awful potentiality intrinsic in their religions.)
raven
re:jamesmichaels1
Why?
theophontes #610
The sura requires women to cover their boobs with their headcovers, so covering their heads was a given. But this is really Sophisticated Theology™ quibbling.
Happy birthday Weed Monkey! Nice hair.
TLC, my hair is a symbol too, a symbol of non-conformity and freedom. I haven’t had to cut my hair since I was 23. It’s also a flag that I’m kinda unusual so I’ve warned folks in advance. I may be the old guy at the end of the bar, but I’m the old guy that gets invited out to smoke. Also, too, women that I’m interested in seem to like it.
@ Tis
But the hijab was never required as a dress co…. Hey, why are two godless heathens arguing the fine points of Sophisticated Theology™ anyhow?
Josh’s diktat about not having long hair after thirty five reminds me of an exchange I had with my mother. It was the wedding day of one of my sisters. One the drive to the church (I know, I know.) my mother was complaining about the groom’s mother. At one point, she said that women with gray hair should not wear it long.
All I said was one name, Emmylou Harris.
I was told to shut up.
Alethea:
!!
God, I love that song. Especially the Johnny Cash version (sorry Nick Cave).
Happy Birthday Weed Monkey!
(you young pup)
@ janine
Now I haz a happy. Linky- beautiful long grey hair video.
And just to round of your video entertainment: She. (music only)
Santorum-For-Brains makes the claim that children are better by having a father in prison or abandoning than to have two parents of the same gender.
I cannot say I am surprised by this.
Happy Birthday, Weed Monkey
BTW, Mr. has passed the 35 long ago, but the hair is still long.
Did someone mention santorum?
The frothy one is back on top of Google searches.
@ Weedmonkey
I was going to find you a birthday song from the year of your birth. But, hell, that was a dry year musically. So instead I give you : Click here for birthday surprise!
If Mr Darkheart had long hair, it would be a disaster.
Skullet, anyone?
Janine (from the linky):
On the assumption that kids need both a male and female influence (I know, I know, a flawed premise), does he think that families raise kids in a vacuum? Parents don’t have siblings, parents of their own, friends, etc?
So much wrong in one short statement.
Also:
I’m really not sure what to make of Huntsman at this point. I mean, he’s said some things that I agree with, for shit’s sake.
That’s making me uncomfortable.
@ Sailor
Something went badly fubar with your linky. Did you mean this one: http://spreadingsantorum.com/
Do not take these things seriously. When I checked my e-mails this morning, Jill Hennessy was tops in trending.
With the subject of long hair, I’d like to note that my 42 year old father (yes, I’m young – 16) still has his metal mane. Pretty awesome when we go to concerts, heh.
Tethys: (Quoted from the Jerks thread)
I love how the ibex is turning around to watch it come out.
Needless to say, next time I make an atlatl, it’s gonna be a pooping ruminant model.
in case the link doesn’t work in my blockquote: http://www.donsmaps.com/images/ibexspearthrower.jpg
Thanks theophontes, but on the + side it got Googled again;-)
+++++++++++++++++++++
janine, mine was Kelly Clarkson. WTF is a Kelly Clarkson!?
+++++++++++++++++++++
I was just catching up on the Wakefield thread and I haz a sad. pedegogue’s comments made my heart hurt. PZ can ban hir from commenting but not reading so I didn’t want to comment there.
Wow, ‘Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me’ is totes harshing on Michelle & Marcus Bachmann.
Audley:
It’s not needful to make anything of him, at this point, since he has zero chance of getting the nomination: Not only has he been hovering in the very low single-digits all campaign, but, as Rachel Maddow pointed out recently, the fact that he actually worked in the Obama administration (ambassador to China) makes him an Enemy Collaborationist in the eyes of Republicans.
His noncompetitiveness strikes me as a Very Good Thing™, since I continue to believe there’s no scenario involving any Republican winning the White House that isn’t disaster for progressive goals.
***
Sailor:
Hush! No Wait, Wait… spoilers! I listen by podcast.
With any luck, he’ll hang around and keep saying sane things like that and keeping them in the public ear. Sort of like Kucinich in the Democratic primaries. He’s not going to win, but he can steer the debates and conversation leftward.
So, he’s outlawing divorce and will take away children from single mums, widowers and widows?
Audley
Long is more or less Mr’s only option. His hair is awefully stubborn.
Bill, my apologies, I’ll refrain in the future. (But it was more of an enticement than a spoiler;-)
++++++++++++++
Huntsman seems sane relative to the other GOP candidates. It doesn’t mean he’s not
insanea republican.Bill:
Yes, I know about his poll numbers and I know he has no shot (let’s face it, Romney’s got this one, even if the others think they have a fighting chance). I just don’t understand why Huntsman is running for the nom. It’s not the right political climate for someone like him, you know?
Well, no shit.
Hell, we can’t even get any Dems in office that will honor progressive goals– considering that the Republican platform consists of praising God and licking the assholes of the wealthy, why would you think that any Republican wouldn’t be a complete disaster?
O_O Adding my presence for Nerd and Namesake.
re long hair: darn right, it’s my flag, grayness or baldness be damned. (I’ve been growing the front out for a year now and it still won’t quite reach the tie in back, so bits escape and hang down past my jaw. Been enduring a headband for a year. How the heck do y’all put up with this?)
re latest batch of santorum: If gay (or single) parents are depriving kids of exposure to different role models, then why aren’t couples required to be mixed race and mixed religion? Or could we just *cough* teach kids diversity and tolerance in their communities and schools?
I’m really annoyed about all these young punks bragging about long hair. Us balding guys like Nerd and me would settle for any hair.
Because he’s got hair, I’m ignoring Weed Monkey’s birthday. He won’t hear “happy birthday” coming from my lips. He won’t read “many happy returns of the day” in any post of mine. I shall not be singing cheerful, four-line songs at him. So there. Nyaahhh! :-þ
Nerd
I add my wishes that the Redhead makes a full and speedy recovery.
TLC
Thanks for bringing the link forward. Don’s Maps is full of fascinating information and great photos of paleolithic artwork and artifacts. It is a shame that the story of the ibex is lost to us. I would love to know what the birds are supposed to be doing. I think they are trying to help the Ibex with his constipation problem.
From Janine’s link:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which the U.S. approved in 1948) begs to differ:
Tethys: I’m more curious about why the ibex appears to be pooping a human turd, instead of neat tidy little ibex pellets. Though, as a carver, I know that making it poop little pellets would be difficult or impossible while still retaining functionality of the atlatl.
@ jamesmichael1:
For a “sophisticated” debater, I’m sorry to say that your offering was not very impressive.
As others already pointed out, what, have you never heard of A.C. Grayling?
Hello, did you also ignore that Victor J. Stenger, in addition to his work as a physicist, takes today an active part in philosophy? He even teaches philosophy at the University of Colorado. His interests are in philosophical naturalism and religious scepticism.
*snort* Let me grab a tissue, this is too funny!
Daniel Dennett, philosopher of the analytic school of philosophy, who earned a D. Phil. and holds a chair of philosophy at Tufts University, whose interests include philosophy of science and philosophy of the mind, is not enough “grounded in philosophy” for you?
Oh, right. Maybe what you mean by “philosophy” is “metaphysics”. Or “theology”. Maybe you are ignorant of all the other branches of philosophy.
Oh, dear, avoiding jargon in his books and articles! What a crime for someone in academia!
But as for your conclusion that Dennett is a “behaviorist” and not a philosopher, check “philosophy of science”, especially in relation with biology and cognitive sciences. Working with cognitive scientists (on topics like free will or the development of consciousness) is not the same as being one.
BTW, I take it you missed the recent interview of Dennett published on this blog last week?
And how would one “technically” define as a philosopher? Does it require not writing for press outlets except academic ones?
He is a particle physicist and also a philosopher of sciences. See above. Your point is not so much disproved as dissolved.
This is not a defence. This is an admission that you barged in without first educating yourself about the very subject you were trying to refute.
Nice try.
Hair isn’t a right! When I was young, early last century, I wanted long hair, but being an army brat living under my father’ s roof, I couldn’t. Now when I can have long hair, I can’t. TANJ!
I add my wishes for a speedy recovery for the Redhead.
Oh – I forgot this, not firing on all cylinders today.
The perfect storm of SF and the value of life, in an Asimov’s story written by Robert Reed – I read this last night and was just floored.
Asimov’s has the excerpt up: http://www.asimovs.com/2012_02/exc_story1.shtml
Aren’t the vast majority of doctoral degrees (other than MDs and JDs) awarded in the US (or even the world) still doctorates of philosophy? In fact, isn’t that what the “Ph.” in “Ph.D.” stands for?
####
I think I know why Frothy Mix is so vehemently against pregnancy prevention… he’s the poster child for retroactive birth control.
Sally, I’m in Rochester. It’s a bit of a hike to Binghamton, but Syracuse is conveniently equidistant from both places and home to the original (and supposedly best) Dinosaur.
Let there be plannings once you are in Binghamton and settled in!
On hair: when I was a kid, I had waist-length hair. In those days, it was a white-blond (it’s darkened naturally a bit) and is very fine, so I had a continuous tangle. I hacked it off in high school and wore a pixie cut for several years. I let it grow again in college. Now, it falls to my midback. I like long hair, as long as it is kept well. Some people don’t look good with long hair, just as some don’t look good with it short. Also, long hair needs to be maintained or it gets ratty.
I have nothing to say about Santorum, except that he’s an asshole.
I went and looked at kitties today at the animal shelter. I think I’m in love. <3
I am going to wait a bit, though. Gotta make sure I can actually do this.
On hair:
I hope it’s clear when I make my Pronouncements From On High On Aesthetics that I’m just flapping my gums and fully expect to be told to fuck off:))
Sally and Esteleth – Syracuse is my hometown and it’s crap, but it does have some good eats. I don’t care what anyone says about it not being “real” BBQ (for whatever values of “real” suit a person’s BBQ idiosyncrasies), Dinosaur BBQ is fucking delicious. I started my career in coronary artery disease there.
Also, there are two excellent Middle Eastern restaurants far better than most I’ve had even in New York City. Munjed’s on Westcott Avenue, and King David’s on M St. Munjed’s falafel is killer. You can go across the street to Taps, a cheap and cheerful beer joint in a former funeral home.
A nice day trip would be a walk through Oakwood Cemetery near the university. It’s an honest-to-God Frederick Law Olmsted-style 19th century garden cemetery filled with gnarly oaks, outrageous tombs (like a two-story pyramid, an obelisk, decaying gothic mausoleums) and rolling hills and hollows. Get your noms and make a picnic.
Weed Monkey, Happy Birthday! Lovely hair, btw.
Mister’s hair is long and he’s 57. Mine will stay long too (although I have to grow it out again after the PPD incident).
If James is still around, I’d like to hear about his “other ways of knowing”.
Methinks that James’ “other ways of knowing” are shit like “you KNOW it to be true because GOD has spoken to you!”
That’s usually what it is, for varying values of GOD.
Josh, are you still in Syracuse yourself?
At the checkout, the woman in front of me had chicory, scallions, bell peppers, scotch bonnet chillies, lemons, limes, fresh herbs, and high-quality chocolate*.
I had booze, booze, more booze, and painkillers. :-(
* OK, so she did also have a quarter-bottle of rum. But still ….
This being the haute cuisine thread and all, I’m making “use whatever’s in Audley’s kitchen” chili tonight.
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion chopped
2(ish) cloves of garlic finely chopped
can of whole tomatoes (14.5 oz)
can of red kidney beans, drained (16 oz)
chili powder
dried oregano
ground cumin
red pepper flakes
Frank’s Red Hot
Worcestershire sauce
brown sugar
salt
Throw the onions and garlic into a big ol’ pot, cook on medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the beef, brown. Add the tomatoes, beans, and everything else to taste and cook until desired consistency is reached.
OM NOM NOM.
I’m less than an hour from Syracuse, so let me know too!!!
Then I won’t say how it’s good that I didn’t try it until I had had a few episodes of crushing disappointment in northeast bbq, so that I was braced for it when I went there. :p It’s not food snobbery so much as being raised with a very specific type of bbq, so my senses rebel at other kinds. The northeast (and places like Dinosaur) tend towards the Carolina vinegary style, which is an entirely different food than Kansas City/St. Louis styles which are sweet and tomatoey. Getting one when you’re hoping for the other is a rude shock. However, Dinosaur is right down the street from the science center, which is way fun.
So sorry about what’s going on, Nerd.
I think crow’s-eyes wrinkles look fantastic on people. Unfortunately for me, my wrinkles seem to be starting on my forehead near the center of my eyes, so I’m starting to look Bajoran or something. Long hair can look good, if it’s good hair in the first place. Balding is actually a good look, too. Heck, I just like people, period.
Esteleth – no, I’m in Burlington Vermont.
changeable moniker @649
Did you follow her home?
;)
is where we had our first in-person meetup, only in Albany! Good to know there’s one in Syracuse as well.
Esteleth, no, Josh currently resides in the next town over from mine, near Burlington. He was the first Horde member I met in person, because he literally lives only a mile or two away from me. It will be a bummer to no longer be able to hang with him on the regular.
Tragic, Josh. Tragic.
Some other time, you and I shall have to butt heads. :D
Carlie, that sounds nice! Where are you, exactly?
Porno Pete meets the Fagfather
In case you do not know why he is called “Porno Pete”, it is because he used to go undercover to events like International Male Leather in Chicago and take pictures in order to expose the “truth” about homosexuals.
*imagines Fred Flintstone tucking into a plate of Brontosaurus ribs with barbecue sauce*
Dinosaurs are our friends. We don’t eat our friends.
I’m looking at a map of western NYS and I’m thinking to myself that I never got to explore the finger lakes region enough when I was growing up. Usually spent more time hiking in the Catskills or the Adirondacks. Time to remedy that and branch out beyond Ithaca!
(Sorry. Apparently I’m being particularly silly today.)
Speak for yourself. Pigs are my friends too.
Take a look at this
https://proxy.freethought.online/physioprof/2012/01/07/disgraceful-stigmatism-of-the-mentally-ill/
@chigau, nah: obviously one of those “healthy food and moderate drinking” types, which is not my style at all. ;)
Walton, since coming over, have you had proper American BBQ? If not, this is something that needs fixing.
I do like Dinosaur. I grew up in the Midwest, so when I had BBQ it was Missouri style (I grew up about 90 miles from St. Louis). Of all the BBQ styles, I do like both the Missouri (tomatoey) and the Carolina (vinegary) styles, but I am not a fan of the Texas (dry and smokey) style. The super-sweet Deep South variety is nice, but I have to be in the right mood for it.
My sister – a resident of the Florida panhandle for awhile – commented that she doesn’t think that white people in the North can make BBQ, period, but Dinosaur is “acceptable.” I must admit, this made me laugh.
Esteleth – I don’t want to say specifically given that I’ve written about places I’ve worked before, but it’s in the general center of the state area. (not that it’s hard to work out, and there are lots of places like mine to choose from, but you know.)
Esteleth – I grew up just outside St. Louis, so we were probably near each other then at some point!
Carlie, East or West of St. Louis?
Yeah, I’m uncomfortable with that. I like Grayson a great deal, in general, but (as a sufferer from anxiety and mood disorders) I’m not ok with using mental illness as an insult. Probably some idiot staffer thought xe was being witty, but it really isn’t funny.
(That said, “Comradde PhysioProffe” is hardly one to talk, given that most of his blog, aside from the recipes and sports fandom, seems to consist of semi-coherent foul-mouthed tirades against various groups he dislikes. Even when I agree with him, he still annoys me. But I think he’s right on this issue.)
All this talk about BBQ makes me want to go down the street to the BBQ stand in front of the Dollar Store. That’s the kind of place you get the best BBQ from: places that look kind of shady (also, there must be a smoker nearby, for obvious reasons).
Esteleth – the Illinois St. Louis suburbs.
Fer Chrissakes, I’m in the mood to Spring clean…global warming hath gone too far!
Traditional American BBQ might be difficult, me being vegetarian and so forth. (Though that isn’t necessarily an insurmountable hurdle: I have encountered barbecue seitan before.)
Scott’s BBQ in Hemmingway SC is like this. Some of the best que I’ve had.
Whatever happened to Davescot?
Not that I was a fan, but he did provide a fair amount of yuks with his idiocy.
Carlie, Cubs or Cardinals?
Ol’ Frothy:
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/rick-santorum-iowa-6631492#ixzz1io4jKrme
This bald guy is fully happy with my lack of hair.
Syracuse! Rochester! I had NO idea there were Horde members fairly close to me. I’m just south of Buffalo!
whoooohoooo NYS Horde.
Must be nice to be on a permanent vacation away from the reality based community.
Yeah, the money I save on shampoo goes a long way towards filling my retirement fund.
Well, at least he then admitted he’s a sniveling liar.
Carlie, I grew up in Illinois, about 90 miles east of St. Louis.
Walton, try BBQ portobello mushrooms. Reliable authorities tell me that they are teh yummie.
Oh, and as for Cubs vs. Cardinals? There is only one appropriate response: Bears.
Western/Central NYS Pharyngula meetup!! Maybe we can tour one of Illuminata’s breweries.
Western/Central NYS Pharyngula meetup!! Maybe we can tour one of Illuminata’s breweries.
Yes, please!
WTF. How did I bork that quote tag?
Nerd @ 516- So sorry to hear about the Redhead! I hope she’ll be purling away again soon.
That’s Walton. Even apologizes when he’s having fun.
Patricia!!!!!!!!!
gentle hand-wave
Sailor:
Yeah, I know that wasn’t a real spoiler; I was just teasin’.
***
Audley:
Yeah, I know. It’s just that I keep hearing (not just here; IRL as well) people on the left (such as it is) pining for saner Republican candidates. That’s the opposite of what I want: I want Republicans so far out of the mainstream that sensible people can’t even think about voting for them. We need Kucinich-like ideological correctors on our side; we need the other side to stay as obviously extreme as possible.
***
Ibis3:
I don’t care if them Truman lefties did sign it, that’s some communist internationalist bullshit, right there! </snark>
Can we add CT to that? We’re not far from western NY.
Growing up outside of Chicago, I ended up a Cubs fan, mainly because that was what one of my grandfathers had on during baseball season. What was funny was that he was from the Southside. I have no idea how ended up a Cub fan.
But even the rivalry between Cubs and White Sox fans is not as insane as it is in downstate Illinois between Cubs and Cardinals.
Nice way to avoid the question. What? No Rams? What did you say when the Cardinals were still in town?
Hi, Patricia. It is good to see you.
Chigau – *wink*
I don’t like baseball. Thus, I don’t care about Cubs, Cardinals, or Sox.
I much prefer hockey.
As for the Bears, I really only say that because as someone who grew up in Illinois, failing to genuflect at the altar of St. Ditka is a felony.
StarStuff,
thanks for coming over and causing a bit of an indignant ruckus among the nimwits who commented on my latest post…:-) Plenty of chew toys, if anyone wants to play.
I’m off to bed after night shift for a while now…
I hate Ditka!!!
Patricia! *many hugses*
Hi Janine – thanks for keeping track of me.
*blushes*
CT is still kinda far, but nobody would stop you from coming, I’m sure!
@ rorschach
No problem. It’s what I’m good at :P
Patricia! *runs in circles twirling and throwing glitter*
Hi. :)
*** waves hi at Patricia ***
++++++++++++++++++++++++
“That’s Walton. Even apologizes when he’s having fun.”
I know, right?
Walton, I personally give you permission to have all the fun you want.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Josh, I didn’t need to say fuck off, my brothers in locks did it for me;-)
+++++++++++++++++++++++
What a great day! It’s 55F and sunny (2 days ago it was 25 and shitty). I went out to the marina to visit my boat and apparently even mediocre minds think alike because there were a flotilla of my sailing friends out there. All our boats have weathered the winter so far and we just hung out and talked, raising a glass or 2 to comrades who passed away this year.
Hugs! Caine.
Naughty M is hurrmpfing that it’s time to leave for the gun show… news to me.. see y’ll later.
Since *I’ve* never even been to them, this is a completely brill idea. I vote for Cooperstown.
I will contact my manager on Monday to see if/when/what/and how much.
Cardinals! No contest. Even had a field trip to Busch stadium in elementary school. Sadly enough, I never visited Chicago until I was in college, and then was for a *cough* baptist student union mission trip.
There are a lot of us around here! Meetup needs to happen. :)
Yay Patricia!!!
Esteleth, I was in Granite. Never really made it to the eastern half of the state, but now I drive through it every time I travel back and forth.
Moody Bible Institute?
North Park University?
Dude, if we’re hitting the Western/Central NY breweries, Ommegang (which is in Cooperstown) must be on the list.
I am so emphatic about this that I say, “dude.”
For now, though, I must be off. I just made the horrifying discovery that somehow or another my #4 DPNs did not survive the move. So I must be off to the yarn store. Back later!
Carlie, I so want to tease you about the Cardinals but I have nothing to stand on. But if it means anything, I hate Tony LaRussa because he is Tony LaRussa. In other words, no matter where he is at, he is a bad guy.
Oooooh, long silver manes are amazing. On either/any gender. I keep my hair short right now (although it has been butt-length) but when I start going gray, I’m growing that shit out.
I seem to be incapable of growing my hair past my shoulder blades; strands break or fall out before they get any longer.
Right now I’m keeping my hair fairly short, but longer than I used to. For a long while, I kept my head shaved.
No hair.
Long hair.
Current hair.
janine – nah, baptist group of a state university. We were at a church on the south side for a week doing food kitchen and cleaning up and clothes sorting and stuff. What I remember most is that the hostel kind of place we were staying in got snow inside the closed windows because the frames were so bad. It was kind of cold.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/us/illegal-immigrants-who-commit-crimes-focus-of-deportation.html
What do you bet that rethuglicans will suddenly find a union they support?
+++++++++++++++++++
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/jon-huntsman-rips-web-video-posted-ron-paul-supporters-featuring-adopted-daughters-article-1.1002273?localLinksEnabled=false
$$ quote:”Paul’s spokeswoman, Kate Schackai said she didn’t know who created the ad and called it “utterly distasteful and no one who actually supports Dr. Paul’s principles would have made it.”
Yeah, right. The homophobic, racist, misogynistic theocrat once again has no idea why his supporters would be homophobic, racist, misogynistic & theocratic.
+++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/us/politics/michelle-obamas-evolution-as-first-lady.html
Shorter: Michelle Obama is an angry black lady, but no one is willing to go on record to say it. But the NYT will say it like it’s a fact.
The old gray mare ain’t what she used to be.
Jadehawk’s excellent takedown of CFI’s response to the Ben Radford debacle.
http://jadehawks.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/commenting-on-the-cfis-non-response/#comment-1961
Not a problem, that’s one of the breweries i work for.
Sat down with my daughter to crack some Brazil nuts and talk about the evolutionary arms race between Brazil nut trees and rainforest rodents. It’s amazing how interesting evolution gets when you hand out noms every couple minutes!
Bill:
One can’t really blame them, though. I mean, if it’s a choice between a Republican candidate who still has two thoughts left in their head (ex. Huntsman) vs one who’s just on this side of fascism (ex. Santorum), I’d be happier with the former. It’s the difference between having a shitty four years and the complete destruction of every advancement that we’ve fought for.
If Obama can’t hold his own against a Republican, even a “better” Republican, then that’s a huge problem. Especially being an incumbent with some successes under his belt, he should be able to harness the disgust of the left to win. The problem will be motivating the Dems/lefties to actually get out there and vote, not appeasing some
wafflersindependent voters.Would I put it past him to completely fuck up his campaign and lose? Of course not. But he needs to start pumping himself up now, rather than wait for the Republicans to select a candidate.
Which brings me to:
Er, what?
Why do you think that the Christian conservative movement has been successful? The extremists vote.
Cooperstown also has the Fenimore Art Museum! And not far from Glimmerglass state park, although that won’t be much fun until spring.
Ben, I really like the beard look! It suits you well.
Benjamin, from the 3 samples you showed, long hair is not for you. The short hair and the shaved look work for you. (tho w/ the bald style you might want to get a long haired white cat and pretend to be evil.)
But that’s just me, my fashion sense is senseless.
et al bald guys are grandfathered in to the long haired guys club. It’s not like you had a choice. When my hair recedes enough or the top spot gets too noticeable, I will go for a Caesar look. Or do anything my future GF likes. I’m not so invested in my beard or hair that I wouldn’t change them to please an SO.
I’m hoping this meetup can be delayed to thereabouts or beyond. i’m currently unemployed and,until that sitch is rectified, there is no way i can swing travel, et al.
Jayne’s a howlin’ again, this time to Mahk Jchi (Ulali). Every time he hears the drums, he starts. So much for taking him to wacipi this year.
for clarification: working for breweries doing promo work is an on-call thing, not steady work. i’m out of a full time job presently.
Oooooh, long silver manes are amazing. On either/any gender. – kristinc
Unfortunately I don’t think they work if al you have left is a fringe around the back of the head. I’ll have to be content in my old age with a Kropotkin-style beard!
kristinc:
I love Brazil nuts, but my racist upbringing keeps their alternate name (“n—-r toes”) in my head. I have to fight to keep from using the other name casually. And I can’t eat more than a few of ’em or the oil starts getting to me.
On a slightly related note, I’ve had professors recommend I toss out candy to students for asking or answering questions, or basically for participating. Apparently, they even do this at MIT. (I’ve been watching the 6.00 intro to CS and programming course via iTunes U and they do the same—for the students physically in class, of course. I don’t think they can deliver a Tootsie Roll through the headphone jack.)
So, food can help learning.
The Conquest Of Beard?
I still think that if Romney wins the nomination (which he will), at least one wingnut is likely to run as an independent – Loopy Ron, most likely. Although I admit Loopy Ron might draw some votes from Obama as well as from Romney, with luck we could see a real rift in the Republican Party, with activists consuming their energies in fighting each other. On the other hand, the real danger if a wingnut wins the nomination is that he* will win the election. Currently, the US economy is looking a bit better (at least to judge by official figures – what’s it like on the ground?), but another and worse-than-2008 financial crunch could come at any time this year.
*I’m assuming Sarah Palin doesn’t get nominated by acclamation as the result of a hung convention :-p
I don’t know…I liked Ben with the short hair and beard best, long next, really didn’t like the bald look. Then again, men with shaved heads tend to scare me-I worry that they’re skinheads, so it may just be my prejudices showing. Not that my opinion should count for squat in this.
Benjamin, ‘here’s a treat because your such a good animal’ is demeaning. And I’m all for it with undergrads. I suggest mini Tootsie Rolls. They throw better and harder.
Thorlabs includes a box of treats with our orders. Lab Snax, they’re not just for breakfast;-)
Hmm, apparently being rewarded works for all ages.
Currently, the US economy is looking a bit better (at least to judge by official figures – what’s it like on the ground?)
Bad. It looks bad on the ground. At least locally (eastern seaboard.) Empty storefronts, people hanging around looking bored and depressed, decreased funding for services…I really don’t see the supposed turn around occurring.
I think it is too late for Palin to be included. Besides, she never a serious enough bid for this. And she woud rather be a pundit and reality television star. (Though TLC did not go for a second series.)
On the radio now; Ronnie Wood playing guitar, telling stories, playing records:
http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/listen/
I would rather know about his Faces days than his Stones days.
Janine wins the thread.
Sadly, I doubt I will ever be able to grow a beard on a par with Kropotkin’s, which was, indeed, extremely impressive. But I’d settle for one like Dostoyevsky’s. (It’s a shame that today’s Russian intellectuals seem to have forsaken the great facial hair traditions of their forebears.)
Walton, check out Iron And Wine and other such bands for guys spotting the big beards. I do not recall such things from back in the eighties.
KG and others; I don’t think Willard can win the primaries. And we haven’t had one yet. He’s not an Xian, according to teh Xian base.
Even if you count the Iowa caucasians, he only got 25% of the 27%ers votes.
And I hope that no one who wins the primaries can defeat Obama.
The media will make a horse race out of any candidates.
janine, keep listening. They will come up. ;)
KG: at that point I think they stop being a “mane” and start being more of a “fringe”. On which I personally hold no strong feelings either way.
Or: http://www.ronniewoodradio.com/2011/12/show-86/ (and the rest)
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is the unemployment rate is officially dropping and consumer confidence is rising. The bad news is neither change is much greater than the margin of error. I don’t think there’ll be a financial crunch in the near future (three to six months) but I’m not willing to prognosticate much further than six months.
I have rather long and curly hair, not having bothered with a haircut for some considerable time. (I am not, of course, in violation of the edict of His Serene Highness the Grand SpokesGay, being under the age of thirty-five by more than a decade.)
And Wife is my best friend and I . . . er . . . um. Hm. Nevermind.
Wife and I just got back from a drive in the country down to Lancaster. We were driving down the backroads with the stereo on (lots of Chapin, Ochs, and Kingston Trio) and the windows down. THE WINDOWS DOWN! THE FUCKING WINDOWS DOWN!!!!!!!!!!! It was sunny, breezy, and in the mid 60s.
And we ate at Fuddruckers.
Audley:
I suppose. But I have a hard time imagining any Republican win scenario that would be merely “a shitty four years” rather than complete destruction: It’s not so much about who’s president, but about the Congress, which I think will be dominated by the hard right wing in any outcome that includes an R in the White House.
I expect the extremists to turn out to vote against Obama in any case; they actually believe he’s the antichrist. I want a Republican ticket so scary that centrists and disaffected Dems can’t afford to stay home. Everybody talks about the enthusiasm gap, but enthusiasm comes in (at least) two flavors: Not just enthusiasm for one’s own candidate, but also enthusiasm for defeating the opposition. The other side already has that in spades; I’m looking to get some of that for our side.
Re the presidential election: I just can’t take any more of the whole revolting, absurd, big-money-driven farce that passes for “democracy” in this country.
I’d say the late Emperor Norton, America’s last great statesman, had the right idea.
@ SallyStrange:
Thanks for the link! Jadehawk did a great job. But this “official response” of Lindsay is depressing. It’s a lot of energy devoted to not understanding what his critics are talking about.
Bill:
I hadn’t thought about it like that.
However, the Dems still have a hill to climb. They have to get people angry.
This means that you’re right– we need a complete whack-job Republican to get the nom.
janine@724
:D :D :D :D
‘Tis,
You could import your financial crunch from us in Europe: Greece has so far failed to persuade many of its creditors to accept a 50% write-down, which it must do by IIRC the end of March, or it won’t get its next loan and will be forced out of the Euro. If it’s only Greece, the damage may be containable, but Italy and Spain are both in trouble, and the austerity policies dictated by Merkel are insane.
BTW, Hungary is possibly in worse shape than Greece, as well as being turned into a right-wing dictatorship not far short of fascism – but as it’s not in the Euro, its impending bankruptcy may only have local repercussions, at least in the short term.
From age 16 ’til I went in the Army, I had long-ish hair. Collar length to ponytail to below my shoulder blades depending on the year. Even selling cars (used and new), I had longer hair. In the Army, of course, I got the obligatory crewcut (I looked like a walking penis). When I got out, I tried to let my hair grow long. And it did. In all directions. I look really dumb with an afro. Really dumb. So I returned to short hair and have stayed there for the last 20 years.
Boy has a ponytail to the bottom of his shoulder blades (longer than Girl’s hair). And he plans on keeping it until he actually goes bald. Which, judging from the growing thin spot, should be in 5 to 10 years.
Also, The Dems have to stop trying to be the “good guys”– fight dirty for once. Get people excited about the election.
I see what you mean. I have zero enthusiasm for Obama, for a whole host of reasons upon which it’s unnecessary to expound, but if it transpired that the alternative were a Santorum/Gingrich or Gingrich/Santorum ticket, I’d be ordering an Obama 2012 T-shirt as we speak. I genuinely think that Gingrich’s proposal to destroy the independence of the federal judiciary is probably the most dangerous idea ever floated by an American politician, the end of any semblance of constitutional rights and freedom; and my only comfort is that he’s probably too incompetent to pull it off.
I’d genuinely like to support Gary Johnson – who has a whole host of damned good policies, including legalizing and taxing marijuana, and is the only candidate who is serious about liberalizing immigration laws and supporting immigration as a good thing – but a vote for a third party is completely and utterly wasted, as we all know. And I can’t support Ron Paul because of his misogynist stance on abortion, his pandering to racists on the issue of immigration (his stance on immigration is not much less awful than the other Republicans’, and he has a long history of links to racist paleoconservative groups), and his crackpot untested economic theories.
“And Wife is my best friend and I . . . er . . . um. Hm. Nevermind.” [/Latella]
FIFY Oggie.
Huh
Cindy Incidentally-The Faces
Dishevelment Blues-The Faces
Miss Judy’s Farm=The Faces
Had Me A Real Good Time-The Faces
Sorry, that was supposed to be “Huh? but I figured it out after I commented.
Tuscan crusty bread was a success! Mum is thrilled, vowing to live on bread and cheesecake henceforth. Tomorrow? Sweet challah pour moi.
@Benjamin: Current hair gets my vote.
@Josh I posted a response to you in the Wakefield->Shakespeare thread on B&W. Since it’s a couple of days old, not sure if you’re still following it.
If it’s any consolation for anyone I believe some of my traditionally conservative family have been turned off from the GOP because of the latest antics.
Ing:
But will they still hold their nose and vote GOP anyway? I suspect the GOP is counting on that happening.
Hi folks
I’m back again with a contribution to the 35 paragraph Navajo Sandstone article if anyone cares!!
alabagain – aka as Alan B
Brother Ogvorbis, the difference between ‘Huh.” and ‘Huh?’ is my inability to to write Litella.
Hale Tpyos.
Ibis3 – “@Benjamin: Current hair gets my vote.”
AC or DC?
+++++++++++++++++++
I’m currently watching The Magnificent Seven. Again.
Yep, it’s still a good movie.
*champagne corks popping, confetti, toy whistles*
Patricia’s back.
Benjamin:
Hair.
Whatever you feel comfortable with.
Hiya, Alan! Good to see you again. :)
One’s brother was gay and died form HIV, and their daughter is as of last I checked a little atheist wicca. I think they may actually not vote of the candidate is someone like Santorum.
We need to keep the GOP talking about the civil rights and religious issues…the more they do and the more the ‘sane’ candidates rush to pile on it the less and less the non-insane GOPers will be rushing to vote.
Alan B! Awesome.
Walton, you could eat well-cooked beans with a local bbq sauce of choice and get a good approximation. You’d just have to do it yourself, because most restaurants that sell it would have meat mixed in with the baked beans.
Thanks for the welcomes!
#756 “alabagain” should be alanbagain
[Ed. Same old Alan B: different typing errors!]
Carlie: Sadly I don’t like baked beans. :-( Nor do I like to cook at the moment, since the dorm kitchen is shared between twenty people, so I use it as infrequently as possible.
Patricia! Boy it’s good to see you. If and when you’re up to it I’d love to hear how you’ve been.
Ibis – thanks for the reply at B&W. . I did see it and I may just take you up on the Shakespeare thing.
Looks lke the crusty old guy forgot to oil the portcullis again. You gotta care for old machinery. Caress it. Comfort it. Grease it up.
Oggie:
*cough*
This is my new favorite picture: Patrick Stewart kicking misogyny’s ass.
Hello, Patricia! It’s good to see you back!
Walton:
Girl (a vegan) likes the microwaveable fake chicken chunks (with or without breading) and she dips them in BBQ sauce. If you have access to a nuke-o-wave, it’ll, at the very least, introduce you to the idea of BBQ. As for which sauce? There are so many good ones I would have no idea what to suggest.
Hmm. No lovin’ for the Fender Rhodes: The Faces – Stay With Me?
Or, for the Hammond and Leslie: Maggie May?
Ok, so I looked around and it turns out to be an old picture here
I’ve read interviews with him and know that he’s been active in that movement, but I’d just never seen that picture before. It’s fierce.
What?
Gonna Raise Hell-Cheap Trick
He’s A Whore-Cheap Trick
Dream Police-Cheap Trick
-Cheap Trick
An other one of those bands that somehow, one forgets just how great some of their stuff was. I makes me happy to say that the first concert I went to was Cheap Trick back in 1981. How many people can say they are not embarrassed by their first show?
Whoa! I really borked that. The last link is ELO Kiddies.
Oggie:
You’re pretty, ah, ferocious sounding tonight. :D
Well, while we’re waiting for the portcullis to drop, would anyone like to try this bread I just made? It’s whole wheat with honey and a bit of wheat germ and oats for crunch and texture. Fresh from the oven!
There’s a pot of apple butter next to it. Enjoy!
*SpokesGay Alert* Josh, have you checked your e-mail? I think some SpokesGay wisdom is needed. :)
I dunno, Soundgarden isn’t so bad as first concerts go.
Patricia! Alan B!
It’s a regular Epiphany.
–o–
On a less festive note: What’s the best way for remove the smell of vomit?
(No reason. Why do you ask?)
@ 767, yup. Lube is a requirement. It doesn’t matter what you do.
++++++++++++++++++
There’s a neighbor/neighborhood cat that comes by and meows, does a total flop when I look at it. And washes it’s face with the fore paws. It will allow me to hold a hand out and rub against it.
Doesn’t care for food or even petting.
Cats, WTF is wrong with them?
++++++++++++
Not me. My first ‘show’ was Petra at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds. Christian heavy mental sucks.
My first good show, though, was Bob Dylan at RFK Stadium in 1986. The playlist was:
And it was great.
Boy got to see Dylan last summer in Scranton. For free.
Changeable Moniker, I thought you knew that I usually go for the deep cuts. Not that I do not love the song. (Stay With Me) The only reason I did not link to, say, Maybe I’m Amazed is because I have already linked to it a few times before. (Damn, I love that cover!)
If you have not done it yet, get a copy of the Faces box set, Five Guys Walk Into A Bar… . It will improve the quality of your life.
Oh. Fuck it.
Yay, Patricia! How are you doing? And welcome back to AlanB, too.
I’ve just finished reading Wolf Hall. I’d been putting it off because I was a bit sick of reading about the Tudors and Boleyns. But it’s brilliant. Absolutely worth the time, it’s so rich and complex. And it’s very interesting having Cromwell as the sympathetic protagonist. Also features Thomas More in as nasty a character as you might expect of an English Catholic saint from the time of the schism from Rome.
My first show was the Rolling Stones in Glasgow, Scotland.
Re the economy: It’s not going to get better until governments stop this “austerity” insanity and do what they need to do in a recession: Spend, spend, spend! I’ll vote for anyone semi-sane who proposes increasing government spending. With a tax increase if need be. I’ll change citizenship for a reasonably sane candidate with this policy if need be. I’m sick of this stupidity. The economy needs stimulus!
Frank Zappa, 1980.
Ah, thank you for activating the signal, Caine. Spokeswisdom dispensed.
So Kristy McNichol came out. I guess she’s doing well, which is good to hear.
Sili – depends on what the vomit is on. Clothing? Car seat? Sofa? Carpet?
Or, indeed, the Mellotron: The Rain Song?
I’m definitely not ashamed by any of my first shows. (Which is ‘first’ depends on definitions.)
I saw Arlo Guthrie do three sets at the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot a few years ago, so that could possibly be my ‘first concert’. And I can’t remember whether my first ticketed concert was Weird Al or Jonathan Coulton. (I’m thinking it was JoCo.)
I’m sorry, but I burst out laughing. That’s like saying Oprah Winfrey disclosed that her parents were black.
My first show was Pink Floyd, 1972, San Diego, CA. I was 14.5 years old.
Next up, the Fairlight. If I get to the DX7, I will gladly accept the banhammer. ;)
Dianne @ 787:
But it the economy improves, the GOP will lose the Presidency, the House and their ability to tie the Senate in knots. Not that I’m cynical or anything, but it is the only explanation for the GOP’s behaviour over the last three years that makes sense to me.
Hmm, why is there an ad in the top right for a “Submit your Online Prayers” thingy?
I am going to display my utter ignorance, but who is Kristy McNichol?
Because you have no idea how ad-serving works and you haven’t read any of the 50,000 posts on this site explaining it.
Kristy McNichol was an actress (she retired from TV a long time ago). She played one of the kids on the 70s American drama “Family,” starred in some after-school specials, and had a role on Empty Nest, a spin-off from Golden Girls. She was the quintessential tomboy as a kid.
Thanks, Josh. :)
Hee. Well, I didn’t know. She’s been living with someone for years, but she hasn’t been acting, and even if she had been I don’t follow celebrities’ lives.* But that makes it a little funny, too, since she was inspired by bullying of kids, but kids today aren’t really going to know who she is.
*In this case I had searched from time to time, because I always liked her and knew that she had left acting due to depression.
Isn’t that old news? I seem to remember something about that from years ago. Still, if officially out, that’s good.
The ads are from Google, who looks at our topics. Since religion comes up, it must mean prayer…whereas we say, “let us prey (on trolls)”.
A 1970s child actress who usually played tomboys. And I think she was the first actress I ever had a thing for.
Late and semi-bankrupt again, but on the one hand best wishes to the Redhead for a fast and thorough recovery, and to Nerd (pampering, in due course?), and on the other hand Yay Patricia!
Short hair, all the way. I look rubbish with long hair, unless I wear it up which is great but too much bother. Everyone else in the family (of whatever sex or age) has it long or semi-long, so I’m the only one who doesn’t even have to brush. If I could be bothered, though, I would so wear a chignon and glasses … I’d even get glasses just for that.
Annie-Ronnie Lane & Pete Townshend
April Fool-Ronnie Lane & Pete Townshend
Catmelody-Ronnie Lane & Pete Townshend
Till The Rivers All Run Dry-Ronnie Lane % Pete Townshend
My first concert was Smashing Pumpkins when I was 16. They were fucking awesome live– it’s too bad that Billy Corrigan is a climate change denier/conspiracy theorist.
Sili:
Have you tried baking soda? I use that shit for everything.
SC-I’m afraid I’ll just have to be plain and candid: It wasn’t that Kristy McNichol had come out publicly before. She hadn’t. It’s just that it has always been blindingly obvious that she was a lesbian. If my gaydar pinged any harder on that woman it would sprung a spring. :)
<blockquote<Kristy McNichol was an actress (she retired from TV a long time ago). She played one of the kids on the 70s American drama “Family,” starred in some after-school specials, and had a role on Empty Nest, a spin-off from Golden Girls.
You left out Little Darlings!
Oh, forgot about that, SC!
My first show was Procol Harum in 1971 with the Edmonton symphony orchestra.
Has anyone read Bernard Cornwell’s latest book “The Death of Kings”? He has the central character slamming the early xian church.
I saw the Pumpkins play a free show in a record store in Chicago. (It was next to the Music Box Theater.) This was when Gish was released.
Hey Audley, check your email. You too, Josh. :)
Ah. I guess it explains why I’d never heard of her. I did not watch TV at all until about 5 years ago. Also, I do not go to the movies much and avoid celebrity news.
The most recent concerts I’ve been to were both small concerts for singers with niche audiences. I saw SJ Tucker in April (I laughed my ass off at the 15-minute-long JIG about how she things the plot of “Peter Pan” should have gone) and then I saw Patrick Wolf in September. I was impressed that he knows how to sing. I’m a snob when it comes to many modern singers and I insist on actually knowing how to sing.
(The Story Of)Hamlet-Richard Thompson
Hello all and Happy New Year. I mostly lurk, but am delurking to post a link to a video taken by a deep-sea ROV in the Antarctic. It features what appears to me to be a white octopus. I know that the proprietor of this website likes octopi. ;=)
antarctic-deep-sea-vents
For the synth-positive:
Candi Staton – You Got the Love
A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray
808 State – Pacific State
LFO – LFO (Leeds warehouse mix)
It’ll be Empirion before the night’s over, I tells ya.
Happy new year, George. Is this the same mission that discovered a new kind of Yeti crab?
KG:
Yah, Paul scares me a little: I knew real lefties who flirted with Paul in 2008, because a few of his libertarian positions (e.g., on drug laws) can look superficially attractive. I think that’ll be less of a factor this time: Now that the Iraq war is over, his pacificsm (which is really just isolationism, rather than a true aversion to war) won’t be as tempting. And, of course, this time he’s gotten a bit more scrutiny for some of his wackier beliefs.
Yeah, but there’s the concern that a third party that splits the right-wing vote for president would also turn out a larger total number of right-wing voters… who would end up voting Republican for Congress, because in this country third parties never seem to be willing to do the work to actual field viable candidates down ticket. A right-wing Congress would be marginally more survivable with Obama in place to veto shit, but it’s still a long way from ideal.
***
Janine:
I Want You To Want Me
Also, my first “real” concert was Leon and Mary Russell… this very show, in fact (despite what the beginning of the clip says, it was at the Summit, not the Astrodome). Not exactly the Stones, but not too embarrassing, I don’t think.
***
Brother Oggie:
I see what you did there! ;^)
Er, where? What did I do? And more important, do I need to clean it up?
SC, Josh, et al.:
Oy, I had such a crush on Kristy McNichol back in the day!
Isn’t the character actor Peter McNichol (of Numb3rs, among many other places you’ve seen him) her brother?
DX 7 was the answer to a question I had tonight. Yamaha took over the inexpensive in keyboards and FX for a good while.
I see your DX 7 and raise you a Rev 5.
Nice to know I’m not the only old man ’round these here parts.
Bill – no. Peter MacNicol is a different person, different spelling.
Has anyone else noticed that the “skip to the end” feature isn’t there any more?
George:
Hiya, George. Did you happen to see Friday Cephalopod?
“Procol Harum in 1971 with the Edmonton symphony orchestra.”
As I write this it’s only 24 comments long, but I still feel compelled to write:
Thread won!
I am a whiter shade than pale, why do you ask?
My first concert was David Meece, during the time of this album.
It was at an Illinois state Baptist youth convention.
I’ll hang my head in shame now.
carlie:
Could be worse. I did Petra.
Sorry carlie, it was not my intention to shame you. That was some great hair, there.
Come on now, did anyone do Stryper?
@Josh and Caine: Oops. Bit late to the party. Anyway it was a little strange the way those crabs were piled on top of one another. Maybe a deep-sea yeti was getting ready to cook ’em in one of those vents. The ROV scared it away.
Shit. I did a Stryper concert, too. I wasn’t into it, but my girlfriend was a born-again. And I was willing to do a lot to please her.
Plus, I had a VW Microbus, so I was useful to take the youth group to the ‘concerts.’
I did Stryper … as in I provided sound for them in a local venue many years ago.
Janine:
Not me. I remember a bunch from when I first started going, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and so on. I was fussy about concert going, it had to be someone I really wanted to see and the company and drugs needed to be, er, quality. :D
As for concerts, Philadelphia in the late 60s had a venue called “The Electric Factory”. I saw Iron Butterfly and The Moody Blues, among others.
My first date at age 16 (my father was relieved that I had a date. He said he was afraid that I was a “latent homosexual” :/) was to see the Mommas and Pappas at The Convention Center.
Sailor:
Please tell me you were not responsible for any of the horrible concerts in Hagerstown or Frederick, Maryland, back in 83 – 85. Please?
Jeez “Papas”
Mmmm. . .deep-sea-boiled yeti crabs!
My first show I *think* was Bryan Adams. I also saw Howard Jones about the same time, so I’m not positive.
Oggie, nope. Not my fault. But if they had paid me enough I probably would have. I worked with Stryper when they were heavy metal and doing club dates.
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Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Chicago, The Who, Iron Butterfly, David Bowie, &c.
I’ve worked with those bands or someone from those bands. Some times running sound, some times on the sound crew.
@The Sailor, my gear geek has failed. What is the “Rev 5”?
My first was Jethro Tull in Calgary in 197
..something...Our seats sucked.
We were perpendicular to the SPEAKERS.
I knew which songs were being played because I could hear the people with better seats singing along.
I did have a really good view of Ian et al.
Some douchewad threw a beverage (plastic cup) at Ian, he picked up some rubbish and threw it back.
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Has Nancy McKeon “come out” yet?
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I did the
matharithhmetic and (biologically speaking) I’m old enough to be Walton’s grandmother.ZOMGItsCriss’ latest vid is HIGH-LARIOUS.
Just sayin’.
Abusing a TB-303 yields this: Mahogany Roots. It rocks. ;)
Thank you so much for that. :D
Are you kidding? They drank near-beer. I wasn’t allowed anywhere near such a frightening sinful band.*
Duuuuuude.
*disclaimer: My parents had fine taste in music. Their album collection included a lot of the Beatles, Blood Sweat and Tears, they even had the long-play of Inna Gadda Da Vida. I was a lot more devout than my parents were, because I was a goody-two-shoes.
Map Of The World-Part 2-Jane Siberry
Ingrid(And The Footman)-Jane Siberry
The White Tent The Raft-Jane Siberry
Mimi On The Beach-Jane Siberry
CM, please welcome the Rev 5. I also speak Lexicon.
carlie –>”I was a goody-two-shoes.”
Are you sure that wasn’t your ant?
@The Sailor, ahh, nostalgia. Didn’t people used to do reverb with springs and plates? Or perhaps, even, very large rooms?
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More 303: Fat Boy Slim
I think I’m gonna go pour myself a Mahogany Bomber. (Hathaway Brown used to drink ’em. It’s kinda like a rum and coke… only without the rum.)
Good. If you had, my view of your abilities would have plunged. The balance was bad. The mixing was very bad. The speakers were blown. The music was horrible. The band was bad. The stupid LED marquee above the stage that told us what the lyrics were bad (well, the marquee worked, but the lyrics were bad (and that may have been Petra that did that)). The songs were even less imaginatve than your average small venue heavy mental band. The lyrics were biblically bad. The guitar playing was decent. The drummer appeared drunk (or at least, he played as if he were really drunk). The hair was funny as hell. The spandex was scary.
Did I like going to see Petra or Stryper? Hell no. Why? Read the above paragraph.
Wooden floor and cotton sheets.
Night before last, I could’ve used some advice on how to get the smell (and taste, I guess) of vomit out of one’s trachea. Barring that, advice on how not to have that happen again. (I was cold sober, strangely enough. I guess I vurped and inhaled it. :-( )
Ha!
I love the comment below it that it looks like Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.
Sili – vinegar and baking soda might work on the floor. Or lemon juice/baking soda? Sheets just through a good wash with extra detergent, but not hot water in case there was something in the vomit that might stain the sheets.
Sili-
Wash the sheets with regular detergent and some added baking soda. For the floors, just scrum ’em down ’til they stop smelling, I guess.
At least it wasn’t carpet. :-/
Is anyone watching the Republican debate tonight? Am I missing anything worth seeing*?
*I was going to say “important”, but you know.
Oh, I’d almost forgotten this one:
The Chemical Brothers – Hold Tight London
CM, yes, we did reverb with plates, springs, rooms, rooms with plates and springs, &c.
I was known at the time for going into Recital Hall with a Nagra playback and Neumann 87s to get the stereo reverb I wanted.
Back then we had a hot digital echo machine that went up to 1/4 of a second.
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Oggie, the spandex was normal at the time, the music, meh. I worked with a lot of acts at the time. I don’t recall very many of them.
The only reason I remember is that it was so bad. That, and I have been to very, very, very few concerts:
Petra.
Stryper.
Doc Severeson.
Bob Dylan.
The Monkees.
And I worked security for a Bus Boys concert.
And that’s it. Those are my rock concerts.
I have also attended at least three Up With People! concerts, and some jazz and folk shows at really small venues.
This made me so happy. Twelve minutes of my favorite Chicago based band in the late nineties.
Loraxx
This will not be to the taste of most people.
Whoah. OK. Thanks for the warning.
Now, not only am I never cutting my hair again, the next person who even politely drops a suggestion that I should get it trimmed is getting facebit.
My hair isn’t just about beauty. It’s a symbol of who and what I consider myself. It’s a symbol of my wildness. Some of the most awesome animals have manes. Lions, hyenas of various species, wild horses, etc.
It’s also a direct FUCK YOU to employers who think they can own employees and tell them how to wear their hair. I remember a job interview where the boss asked me if I’d be willing to cut my hair for the job. I said ‘No.’ I regret not jumping out of the moving truck without another word, because that boss was one unethical pigfucker.
Weird confession time: When I was young, I didn’t want to be human. I still have trouble accepting my own humanity, and I can only accept it in terms of ‘I’m an upright walking ape who uses tools and wears clothes.’
I’ve come to accept the fact that I’ll always have a human body, but wearing my hair long and wild helps. I was gonna file my teeth into points too, but my mother convinced me that my teeth are ‘too nice’. (Yeah, all flat and dull and weak and even. blech.)
I will second and third whoever commented that not EVERYONE suits long hair, though. Some people shouldn’t wear it.
NEW THREAD, finally!
TLC:
Your results may vary. I had straight, thin, blonde hair until I was about 14. Then my hair changed to thick and curly. The only reason I could have the long hair was that it was already long when the colour and texture changed. SOme people (or tool-using, clothes-wearing tetrapods) can cut it short and grow it out again many times. So don’t let me scare you from shaving your head. Or giving yourself a reversed-Mohawk. Really.