This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.
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Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
Here’s an interesting development: Secretary of State John Kerry announced that, as a diplomatic mission, the USA will be sending real scientists to Uganda to counter the disastrous results of evangelical USA idiots claiming to be scientists pushing an anti-gay agenda in Uganda for the last five years.
Rachel Maddow covers the history, the current anti-gay law just passed, and the fake science that was exported to Uganda in the past. This looks like a great story to follow. Can’t wait to see which real scientists are sent to meet with the Ugandan president.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal joins Georgia in getting almost everything wrong when it comes to providing healthcare for citizens of his state. And while he is getting it all wrong, he takes a swipe at Obamacare, a swipe that is based on total falsehoods.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/bobby-jindal-pushes-disabilities-canard
cicely
re: your kitty links
1) Heh, the article mentions chin scratches, but I still think it would be far more dangerous to attempt a belly-scratch on a sabre-tooth.
2) The first picture got me. UNSEND!UNSEND!UNSEND!
I usually avoid links to infowars dot com but in the spirit of spirited feminism, (polishes newly aware fingernails on vest) but hthis, precociously titled “10 Ways True Feminism Is Under Attack”, is worthy of some serious bite-back. Here is the opening paragraph and Way #1″:
[emphasis is mine]
Is anyone surprised by the breathlessly early Godwin? No? Nor I.
Infowars is Alex Jone’s pet place to whine and fuss about his bruised ego and his besieged faith. His site does allow comments although they are no doubt obsessively moderated. Perhaps some of the silver tongued among the Loungelings can deliver stealth, er, corrections?
Portia – *pouncehug with chocolate* I’m happy to hear your paralegal is awesome.
rq – *pouncehug with chocolate*
cicely:
Happy, happy to hear this! It’s a wonderful, wonderful thing.
At the moment, I’m hurting more than usual because they are changing my pain medication, and I need to gradually decrease the old medication before I can start the new–and we then need to determine the correct maintenance dosage for the new one.
Crudely Wrott – *pouncehug with lots of chocolate* I wish I had time and the brain power today to deliver stealth corrections.
Hekuni Cat, I hope your medication changeover goes well.
*careful liqueur-infused hugs*
–
If it can’t be found with a cursory look in the evidence room, it’s lost for all eternity. This is my conclusion and I’m sticking to it. (Besides, who wants to go digging through all that stuff in the evidence room? I mean really.)
+++
cicely
Hope your pain-free-ness continues, as do the positive temperatures (a link?), because feeling one’s toes is, indeed, loverly.
Hekuni Cat
I had a special kitty pouncehug gif all saved up for you, but lo and behold, I’m at work, suckety suck, so I can’t link it for you. :( But it was awesomely pouncey!!
In the meantime, have these regular *hugs* and also a set of *pain-resistant hugs*, too – hey, if the anti-migraine kind worked, maybe these will ease some of your pain during the transition! Here’s to better pain management at the end of the road.
Hi Horde,
Can I have permission to whine? Today I feel like old cold crap. I feel like I’ve been run over by a speeding 18-wheeler. Did anybody get the number on that rig?
Truly, I have myriad maladies and every damned one of them is screaming at me today. And I got no sleep last night. I used to take piles of pills to control things, but addiction is my middle name so now I mostly just bear it and gripe occasionally.
So today is a gripe day.
Information tidbit: Did you know that for some people stimulants are excellent pain relievers?
Be well.
Apologies if this posts twice. Evidently my original contained a forbidden word.
Hekuni Cat:
Thanks for the hugs- return pouncehug, with extra pain reliever.
–
I got a package from rq upon my return from court just now!!! I’m so excited!!!
Awesome paralegal said “Man, you have the best friends! First flowers, now a package, sheesh, you have it made!” I do. I do have awesome friends. :D :D
Oooh, Portia, that was super-fast! Enjoy!!
Remind me – how long ago did you put it in the mail? I’m curious what qualifies as fast :)
I believe it was last week, Monday or Tuesday – which would make it about a week in transit, and that’s pretty darn good (things coming from Canada can take a month, easily, so there’s some weird mail circuitous routes out there). There should be a date-stamp on the envelope, if you want to be sure. :)
I just checked the date stamp (derpy derp, duh ;) ) and it says “10 03 2014” and my first reaction was “It came from the future?!” but then I remembered that the US is pretty much the only derp that derps up the order of Day Month Year :D
HAHAHA. I send packages from the future. I have other superpowers too, but I choose not to reveal them to you at this time. :)
I just ate my third donut of the day. I could make excuses, but fuck counting calories. I ate’em ’cause I wanted ’em, and I ain’t sorry!
/revolutionary : p
I’m happy to observe one superpower at a time – otherwise my mind would just be blown :D
*analgesic hugs* for Hekuni Cat and for morgan.
___________
From our How Much Have You Thought About The Inevitable desk comes this (too) short article from Foster’s Daily Democrat, the very first newspaper that I ever read with regularity.
(The Daily Democrat is published in Dover, New Hampshire and references a forum held at the University of New Hampshire just up the road in Durham. I attended elementary and high school in both school districts and used to enjoy the many amenities that were publicly available at UNH. Mostly the library (wow!) and the student union facility.)
Concerning the substance of the forum which is, in case you didn’t follow the linky, is green funerals. From the article:
Long ago I determined that I would like to be recycled naturally. I’m heartened that the opportunity to do so is becoming more accepted and more widely available.
I will ask that some native wildflowers be planted above me along with a sapling oak, or sugar maple of blue spruce. Monument enough since I’ll be in them!!
*bwaaaahaaaahaaahaaa*
Wife texted me today and told me I had books. Which made me happy as I have been awaiting Gould’s Wonderful Life. I know that it much of his conclusions have been superseded (I have Cambrian Explosion and another one focusing on the Burgess Shale fauna, so it’ll be interesting to see how things have changed in a couple of decades). I get home and there are two books. I wondered what was going on, as I ordered three books and had gotten two. The third book was Pratchett’s Making Steam. I had forgotten it was coming out in mid-March.
Pratchett!
New Pratchett!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the midterm 2014 elections in the USA are important. You may not have the excitement of a Presidential vote, but there’s plenty of bad news coming down the pike if Republicans clean up (as they usually do in low-voter-turnout elections). Here’s just one example:
So, yeah, drag yourself to the voting booth and don’t make it easy for Republicans to take over the Senate.
Oh yay, Ogvorbis – Wonderful Life is a wonderful read, superseded bits and all. It was the first book of this kind I ever read, passed on to me by my mother (she was a scientist and loved few things better than reading about scientific fields outside her own (well, she loved Mozart a lot too (and she was a bit partial to her kids))). Gould was such an excellent writer. It sort of makes me wish he might have done a new edition years later, incorporating new knowledge … I wish he were still alive, it ain’t fair. Raising Steam is a great treat to look forward to too!
Huge pile of assorted hugs to the Horde (with analgesics to taste). I seem to have been hanging out more in Thunderdome; unheard-of for me.
In the recent past, long-time Pharyngulite, Walton, has posted quite a few comments and links associated with prison systems, abuse within those systems, and even more abuse within immigrant detainee facilities. Here’s one article that focuses not just on abuse at the Otay detention facility in San Diego, but at a new effort by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to muzzle reporters and/or to bury reports written about abuse. Not cool, ICE.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/ice-sexual-abuse-immigrant-detention-oversight
The muzzling tactics are also negatively affecting volunteers who help the detainees. ICE is engaging in a form of abuse, throttling free speech, revoking visiting privileges, making people sign questionable legal documents, and generally fighting oversight of any kind.
That’s Illinois congressional candidate Susanne Atanus speaking. Now for the bad news … she won her primary.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/19/1285960/-Craziest-person-in-Illinois-wins-Republican-primary
Please don’t vote her in. Please, pretty please, oh Illinois voters, do not vote this woman in.
Also, how the fuck did she with the primary? Even Republicans were appalled by her.
Oggie, you will enjoy Wonderful Life, I am quite sure. I certainly did.
It’s packed full of illustrations and Gould’s singularly incisive and evocative prose. For me, it opened up a long lost world for my greater understanding, appreciation and astonishment.
Sad that he is not around to write of the new Cambrian fossil site recently found not far from the Burgess. I hope that there is someone who can offer a similar exposition in time to come.
Oh, yes; you remind me how remiss I’ve been in my Pratchett reading. An embarrassing omission that I really need to tend to.
Hope you are well, fully engaged and knowing happiness. Go well, friend.
morgan
*hugs* for you too, if you accept them.
I hope that 18-wheeler does a reverse and puts you back together again.
Also, Portia, three donuts? Weakling. I ate a package of cookies at work fine, I only ate nine out of twelve cookies, but still…). Hah!
Good night, everyone. Hopefully the rain will stop by tomorrow. (Get it together, weather!)
For any Hordelings who may be in the New Hampshire Seacoast area or nearby, another link to Fosters Daily Democrat.
In what appears to be an historical/dramatic presentation, a portrayal of the life of a slave:
Go here for details.
All hugs and virtual analgesics gratefully accepted.
It is a soup night tonight.
Finally adding the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and cabbage not used as flavoring to the crockpots. I will probably need to cook more veggies later, as I don’t have enough space to make the full recipe left in the crockpots. The Redhead often cooked a bunch of veggies in a 20 qt pot, especially if she had 5 pieces of meat cooking.
Wow, all my pharyngu-mail showed up in one day.
Tony: Thank you thank you – you are so sweet. I will return the favor, in the imminent future. I think I’ll be able to tomorrow. Thank you for your patience, friend.
–
Hekuni Cat! Thank you! Your contribution (and rq’s) will be forwarded to JAL hopefully tomorrow.
And I will email you as well – thank you for the lovely note.
*hugs*
–
need moar malbec.
*liqueur-infused hugs* for morgan?!, as well. I’m sorry your day is/has been so sucky.
–
Ogvorbis: I has an envy—we are still anxiously awaiting our New Pratchett.
–
Oh, and happy tiny thing of the day: I helped prevent someone’s risk of deportation from being heightened. So that was a feel-good moment.
EX-FUCKING-ZACTLY.
Check out this Honey-Maid ad. It is made of win and awesome and d’awwww.
cicely – *careful liqueur-infused hugs* are awesome and greatly appreciated.
rq – *pain-resistant hugs* are very welcome, and I’m looking forward to the awesomely pouncey specially kitty pouncehug gif. It’s always good to have something to look forward to. :D
catch up later
At 6:30 PM petrol at the pump was 1.124 CDN per litre.
At 9:30 PM petrol at the pump was 1.209 CDN per litre.
WHO THE FUCK IS DOING THIS?????
Not much of a catch-up.
*hugs*
and
*rum equivalents*
for all.
—
Are we expecting another turd-dump tonight?
I drove past a nom-denominational church today in an old, run down and dreary part of town. On their curb-side marquee was this:
______________________________
Obedience Today
Unspeakable Happiness Tomorrow
______________________________
I reflected that it must be pretty hard to describe that kind of happiness. So I wondered, do they have charades for sermons in that church?
*o_O . . . I know . . . I’ll get my hat.*
Crudely Wrott
charades in church
y’know I may have stayed longer…
***sounds like***
infanticide
Hekuni Cat
Here it is – *pouncehug*!!!
Also, carlie was in my dream last night. She told me her entire family looked like courgettes. And that every morning, when they woke up, her husband and three giant dogs (you apparently have three giant dogs, carlie!) would stare at their elderly white cat for half an hour in wonder and awe.
+++
Child-free by choice, with all the annoying comments that comes with it. :P
It seems the Australian government is learning about freedom of speech from certain parties in America…
Sometimes, you just have to do it yourself – even against the best advice of your parents. :D
New York art exhibit. Bacon warning.
More musical replacement. Tee hee.
@ Crudely
:-D
sounds like it might almost be a church worth its salt ;-)
I bet they have great feast-days … and cake is a sacrament, of course!
rq your first link goes to the kitten-pounce gif so I expect you meant it to go somewhere else?
I just can’t write lately … but I’m reading you all and really really appreciating and being glad that you are.
Uh… Yes, that first link should be this. I mean, obviously those two kitties can keep having fun and not have kids by choice, too. But that wasn’t the point. :)
Thanks for pointing out the borklink, opposablethumbs! Here, may I share this apple cake with you? It has ginger.
And that “have to do it yourself” link is obviously a detailed description of the nom-denominational church’s most sacred sacrament of all: eating all the Entire Cake!!
Yes. I said “all the entire cake”. What’s your point?
good morning, coffee anyone?
opposablethumbs: *hugs* I’ve been impressed with your contributions to the Dome rumble these last few days. Hope you’re well. (Don’t feel obligated to respond if you’re not up for it or have time or whatever right now).
–
rq: *hugs*
Cleanup in aisle #454.
@rq & Portia:
Two of my favorite people, right here at almost the same time I finally find myself with access to the internet and a chance to rest after a long drive.
yay!
As for Australia & free speech: The Aussi constitution has no positive constitutional law on free speech, did you know that? Free speech has been interpreted as being protected indirectly by the constitutional right to participation in the political process. Thus the more political your speech is, the more it is protected. (although the disparity has been somewhat minimized by the effects of international treaties)
They really, IMNSHO, need better free speech protections. I totally understand why one would be extremely wary of an effort to repeal [marginalized group adjective, in this case “racial”] vilification laws, but what good is it if it’s fine to use a racial slur to say, “I would never vote for a _____”? It’s exactly when power is at issue that the marginalized are most at risk. Though a big stink was raised over a conservative white guy being affected by the law, and though it stinks worse that as soon as aboriginal people start using the law to their advantage white folk move to repeal the provision, I was of the opinion that better, clearer, more direct, and more consistent speech protections were needed in Aussi anyway.
I don’t know if it would go down any better for aboriginal people in Australia, but if the Liberal MPs halted the repeal effort and just bent their minds to a good constitutional amendment on expressive rights, everyone would probably be better off.
Crip Dyke
Thanks for that information. I have a pile of cousins in Australia, and they’re all horrified by Abbott’s politics. I wonder if there’s no actual free speech protection in Australia because it seems too obvious to have – and judging from the reaction to this law (and its repeal), I doubt any constitutional amendments would make good ground currently. Sadly. But I’m not in Australia myself, I just get all their facebook posts, so I suppose I shouldn’t judge.
This bit:
is actually really interesting. I’m really trying to wrap my head around that, and I’m not seeing any way that could possibly end well. Like, how do you define what is political speech? Is it political when it mentions elections? A specific law? Is expressed by a politician? Cites a politician? It just seems like such a random designation…
Anyway, I hope your long drive was a productive and successful one in all the ways that it was meant to be, and perhaps just a little bit of fun, as well.
Oh, and
yeah, *blush* I’ve been missing you around, too.
about, (rather than @) geraldo:
Yeah, well, it’s a good thing there’s no such thing as an xy chromosome. Our daily morphist displays as much arrogance as ignorance. It’s amazing he has the chutzpah to even reference biology when he knows so little he thinks there is “an xy chromosome” in any human being.
And then to come back, day after day? Certainly our Momentarily-Geraldo must read many of the responsive comments every day. It can’t be news that these drive-by comments are shredded. And yet the morpher is determined to come back tomorrow to say something equally ignorant. What kind of megalomania must it take to comment *yet again* after reading a complete dismantling of the closest thing one makes to an argument, the routine corrections of the most basic facts, and the common contempt for an apparent inability to make the shortest of posts without displaying both a lack of thinking and a lack of knowledge?
It makes you wonder: is depression caused by a redistribution of positive aspects of self-assessment from some people who deserve better self-assessment to others who deserve worse?
Because in that case, Momentarily-Geraldo is making Bristol-Myers Squibb a fortune.
Ditto. Hope your rest is lovely.
rq:
That’s actually also how it works in the States. Highest level of protected speech is political speech. Of course, I can’t speak to how much different everything else is between here and there.
Speaking of all the entire cake…
Portia
So what counts as political speech, though? Is that clearly defined?
And can you say anything in a political speech, including racist and sexist stuff beyond the pale, and not be legally responsible for it? (Or at least without being penalized for it legally?)
Crip Dyke
That story is simultaneously hilarious and revolting (because I kept expecting that ending, and ew, it happened). Thanks, I will never make a birthday cake again for anyone in my family. Until my own birthday, of course, which is coming up reasonably soon. ;)
rq:
quickly, bc I’m leaving for work
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_words
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech
Sorry I can’t discuss further right now
*hugs*
@Portia, #549:
I don’t disagree that political expression is better protected in the USA in certain senses than certain other speech is protected in the USA in those same senses.
But unless I’m wrong, that’s the practical outcome, not the theory. As I understand it, jurisprudence has found that there aren’t many compelling interests in censoring speech, and that fewer apply directly to political speech. They don’t actually apply a different standard of review (this I *do* know for fact). They simply tend to be a little more suspicious of government rationalizations for restricting quite a bit of political speech.
But with all that said, in certain other senses political expression is not better protected – because the courts can simply find something [like registering people to vote in the communist party] to conduct or signing off, willfully blind, on “time, place, manner” restrictions that were actually enforced in an entirely biased manner. This is supposed to be banned under the line of cases going back to Yick Wo, but of course it still happens. Lukumi Babalu Aye (albeit religious expression and not political expression) is a recent example of the court doing the right thing and following Yick Wo (and, perhaps, the courts are more consistent in many areas now than they were before the Church Commission jump started a little more judicial skepticism). Yet, when we get the government labeling something “terrorism”, political speech protections go out the window pretty darn fast.
Australia simply applies different standards and may be (i’ve read enough to form this opinion, but not enough to have any certainty at all) more consistent about the breadth of the “political expression” category, and certainly has a broader interpretation of the “political expression” category. So it’s still pretty different, despite the marginally heightened protection for political speech on a practical level.
i could send you some good comparative stuff on expression protections in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and South Africa if you like.
Crip Dyke
Could you send them to me, too? I’m suddenly interested in the subject (taar pinsh at hot mail dot com – remove spaces where appropriate, etc.).
If not, I can ask Portia to forward them to me. ;)
@rq:
No, you can’t say anything. You can’t say, for instance, “is there anyone in the crowd willing to assassinate the president, because I’m willing to put up the money for expenses along with a generous per diem until it gets done” unless the context pretty clearly renders it something other than solicitation to murder.
But you can express almost any opinion on almost any issue without criminal liability. One can even advocate violence as long as one isn’t inciting imminent violence. If I was particularly self loathing, I could say such horrible things as “Jews are subhuman vermin, atheist Jews are subhuman vermin who turn on their own kind, and queer atheist jews are perverted subhuman vermin. They should all be taken out and shot.” You may notice that right wing radio host Austin Ruse said something effectively identical about “liberal professors” just a few days ago. He’s not facing any legal liability at all. Nor will he face any tort liability. Nor will the privately-owned stations that broadcast it face any sanctions from the FCC that regulates broadcasters, though they gave a TV network a huge fine for a shot of Janet Jackson’s nipple so brief no one got a decent look when it went out live (and thus without realistic possibility of editing the image in any way).
Tiniest flash of a nipple done by someone you paid to sing and dance when it was on live TV with no warning to the broadcaster = broadcaster faces legal penalty, including the largest broadcaster fine ever for breach of content guidelines
Advocating murder and describing a class of people as subhuman = no problem from the government’s point of view.
yeah, it’s pretty sickening. Though I find the government’s outraged interest in JJ’s nipple far more sickening than government non-intervention when hatred is broadcast.
But yeah, sickening.
@rq, 556:
Sure. After Portia has a chance to weigh in about whether or not she wants the material, I’ll send it to you or to both as appropriate.
Crudely Wrott
So they eat crackers?
———-
I cracked open Making Steam and made it about 1/4 of the way through. I’m impressed — only two possible incorrect phrases — one of which is only incorrect in context, the other would be correct for a specific spot in a boiler, but that spot is not where fusible plugs are located. Fun read so far.
———
‘Nym-o-the-Day:
Does this constant morphing to evade a well-deserved ban give you the moral high ground?
CD:
yes, please do send the links/docs/discussion. I’ll be interested to have a look. I’ve no doubt your analysis is spot-on, as usual. I may be misremembering my second-year Con Law, but I did think there was a different test (not different standard of review, though) for political speech. My money is definitely bet against my memory ^_^
Boss just walked in my office on his way to his own and said ‘Early bird gets the worm, [Portia], and you are due for some worms.” :)
(I share the bright spots in my days so that I’m not all negative during this rough patch, and so that I mentally store them and note them by talking about them. Thanks for listening, all : ) )
Portia:
Worms. Gummy, or Lumbricus rubellus ?
Hey, Jason has modified the wordpress core to allow commenters to use the class modifier in html. That means you should be able to do something like this now:
<blockquote class=”creationist”>Kroos Control says something stupid</blockquote>
And get this:
91 on today’s Quiddler.
@PZ:
Awesomely useful, thanks!
Are there any other classes that currently exist? Obviously “creationist” is useful for any particularly dim bulb, but just wondering.
Crip Dyke
He was demonstrating MRA on his site…
.
Nope, didn’t work. Looks cool on his blog, though.
Okay, rq, I’ll try, just to make sure that there wasn’t a typo in your code.
Quote courtesy of manboobz mocking of Heartiste.
What is it with the entire cake today???
Personally, I think the new class function in blockquotes is just a way to make us bork them more often. It’s all a conspiracy. Because.
You’d think we’d manage on our own.
But you must be correct, our constant improvement in the actual usage of blockquotes has rendered Borkquotia nearly obsolete. The poor thing!
And I’m pretty sure it was inevitable that I would drop an homage to Borkquotia in my 571.
I thought you did it on purpose. :D It fit with the rest of the message!
Naw. Pure serendipitous accident.
I think PZed is putting in some sort of affirmative action on behalf of Borkquotia.
It’s the quote marks.
Portia, lots and lots of thanks and hugs. That’s very kind of you to say, and very much appreciated.
Nothing drastic going on, just sort of … a touch of the not managing to keep on keeping on and/or up, sort of thing. Coming here and reading you all makes a lot of difference!
Apple cake with ginger, rq?!?!?!?!? Yes please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds absolutely delicious.
Crip Dyke has been particularly on fire lately. And Tony! And Desert Son has been great too, in fact the Horde is in pretty fine fettle … you all are the best, really.
Based on the excerpt, this looks like an interesting read:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-atheism-helped-create-the-modern-world-excerpt/
IMO, science has done more for atheism than atheism has done for science, in that pursuing the former leads to the latter.
Brought to you by the redundant departement of redundancy…
+++
Urgh, everything is horribly exhausting at the moment. I go to my internship, I come home, I take a nap and at 10 pm I fall asleep again and sleep like a child. (Why do people say stuff like “sleeps like a baby”? Have they never cared for a baby?)
+++
Hugs to cicely for no pain and morgan and hekuni cat for hopefully soon no pain.
+++
Also: How come some vegetarians think that omnivores are carnivores? This internship is in a team, and the other two women are vegetarians. Today we decided to go to my place after school (because it’s 5 minutes from school), have lunch and work on our joint report. Discussing lunch we agreed on couscous with veggies and suddenly they both started to explain how you cook couscous and how veggies and what veggies and so on.
I was like “wait, I’ve been cooking for 20 years now, I know more than just how to fry a steak (which I actually don’t know)”.
I mean, they weren’t raised as vegetarians, they must have cooked omnivorous dishes before, so presumably they knew something about vegetables and stuff before…
And it’s not the first time this is happening to me.
Giliell
Maybe they just thought it would be fun to bond over couscous recipes.
chigau
Exactly which quote marks? Since I put in quote marks… Though I didn’t use the ‘creationist’ class, that must be it.
rq #580
I changed the ” ” to ” ” and it worked.
What did you do?
Y I can not haz gumbies …. :-(
I did write the coded stuff just like PZ said … (copy-pasted it, actually).
Y?!?! O Y?!?!?!
Not workin for me, nope, zilch rien niente res :-((((
huh
I changed the curly quote marks to straight ones.
I don’t understand computers.
‘ ‘ “
chigau, I can’t see the difference between your two sets of inverted commas. Could you explain?
Oops, you explained just while I was typing that :-)
testing …
oohh, I think this might work.
Thank you chigau! :-))))
but changing the quote marks works for me
opposablethumbs
Yay!
Yes, the deck is stacked against you, unless you are rich. If you are rich, the deck is stacked so that you will get richer even if you fail. In fact, you are protected from the usual effects of failure, you are cushioned with golden cushions. Salon link. Excerpts below.
More anti-democratic shit is likely to soon be piled on top of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling:
Link.
Illinois Supreme Court strikes a blow for free speech. Trying to hunt down the text of the opinion – it may not be released yet.
chigau
It ain’t the quotes for me, those don’t make a difference in my case, but I tried class = “mra” because Jason had that example on his blog, and that one doesn’t work yet, apparently. Sadly.
Nope.
rq
No, really, it wasn’t. It was basic 101 how to cook couscous.
More commentary on the Eavesdropping Law, with links to the decisions.
Links from the legislatures of the sex-is-icky South:
Louisiana rep says lack of sex ed is a form of child abuse
Rep Smith has introduced her comprehensive sex-ed bill for the last four years, while Louisiana continues to be a case study of abstinence-only and teen pregnancy.
Source
—
Last week, Mississippi sent its religious discrimination bill back for “further study” after public pressure:
Source
However Mississippi did find time to pass a 20-week, now 18-week, abortion ban:
Today, I just discovered my ‘nym has one mention at the Slymepit.
Soon it will be 16, and 14… just feeling the care Kroos’ ilk has for women already.
vaiyt:
My ‘nym probably has a shittonne of mentions. Not even going to check, though.
Oh, Kroos’ co-religionists really respect women’s rights. They fight for women’s rights to be enshrined in law – in the US, in Ireland, in Argentina, Italy and Spain … practically all of christendom (with a few honourable exceptions) is singing Kroos’ tune.
If you keep your eyes shut while you pray you’ll never have to see the blood on your hands.
The laws you and those like you support kill women, Kroos. Not even counting the lives you help to blight – the living toddlers and teenagers who suffer greater deprivation than before or who lose their mother, the fathers who lose their co-parent, the women whose health is harmed – those are real people who die because of these laws. I’m sure you’d never think so, or at least never admit to it even to yourself, but it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that that’s what people like you actually want.
Oh, bollocks, bollocks and buggeration. Um, you can probably guess where that was meant to be posted …. argh.
xcuse plz.
The latest dispatch from PEARL, one of the last for this research session.
‘pologies for the xpost, going to post it where I meant to and try to remember henceforth which tab is which …
Re Pteryxx @596: Not much rebranding of the Republican Party going on, eh? It’s all culture war, black and brown people shouldn’t vote, keep women down, religiously-motivated squandering of time, and a side helping of poor-people-or-jobless-people-are-icky as well.
Fiery, independent and easily confused Republican women.
A new low in the Republican war on voting rights.
Republicans reject a bipartisan plan to restore jobless aid.
Mitch McConnell pushes a 20-week abortion ban that would be nationwide.
More on the Michigan law that would ban insurance companies from offering coverage that would cover abortion even in cases of rape, (a woman would have to buy a separate rider, rape insurance):
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/03/20/3417006/michigan-abortion-insurance-cheap/
I dunno, logical inference from all the “HURR HURR RABBIT FOOD LOL” stuff floating around? Or are they smarter than that over there?
Uh-oh, “queer terrorists” are frightening the religious rightwing of the USA:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/barbwire-dont-negotiate-queer-terrorists
re Lynna @604: was that new low on voting rights the citizenshi-
*facetalon* Yeah, that’s what I thought.
To clarify – “election officials” here means ordinary volunteers – like those running student voter registration drives on campuses, those who get women registered to vote at all those abortion rights rallies, those who help poor folks register – would have to be checking and/or sending in citizenship documentation along with the signed forms.
Quote of the day: HuffPo source
By the way, about that Michigan rape insurance law: what rape insurance?
So that leaves Medicaid coverage (denied because of the Hyde amendment) or employer-provided coverage (see: Hobby Lobby case, etc)… except for women rich enough to pay out of pocket on short notice when they need an abortion.
It’s definitely a good year to be visiting Canada. :/ With the whole family, just in case.
I was looking at flights yesterday, rq.
Portia:
Who are you planning to fight? Why? I am confused.
upthread a bit:
cicely: Yay for a pain-free time. I hope it continues!
morgan and Hekuni Cat: *gentle hugs if wanted* I hope you are both in less pain soon.
Portia: Yay for small bits of good news!
***
Friend is still being a clueless shithead, but whatever. I’m going to wait a few days until I’m cooled off a bit more, then try for a “You seem kind of off lately, what’s going on?” conversation, with a side of “If you’re acting like this because you’re depressed, let’s get you some help. If you’re fine and you’ve just developed bad interpersonal habits, you should know that it makes you look really inconsiderate. Get your act together.”
***
On the good news front, a paper that I was a minor contributor to was accepted today! And I just submitted the revisions on my other paper. So I am feeling academically accomplished right now.
Unfortunately, this means I need to move on to the next paper. But I should be able to do that at home in my PJs, at least.
***
Oh, and I saw my first goose of the year on Tuesday. They may be flying vermin, but at least it’s a sign of spring.
flight. Not fight. Sorry.
Nevermind.
Re Pteryxx @609, so a woman is supposed to buy rape insurance, but no one offers rape insurance. The unintended effect of no one but rich women being able to afford an abortion does not fit with the rightwing philosophy that white women should have more babies and that black/brown women should have fewer babies. Of course, their whole take on the abortion issue never did make sense.
Re Pteryxx @608, hmmm, so about 200 Arizona voters, out of 3.25 million, voted illegally. Let’s see, that’s … a vanishingly small number. Raise the voter fraud banner! Sheesh. Meanwhile, they’ve succeeded in keeping all kinds of probable Democratic Party voters from voting.
Meanwhile, Republicans are still banking on false health insurance stories, and the great Evil of Obamacare, to bring out their voters during the 2014 midterm elections.
As you may have guessed, much of the press, including Fox News, did not learn a lesson from this at all. Not at all. They are currently pushing new lies. It makes me weary.
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/20/health_insurers_greedy_lie_how_the_medias_helping_them_harm_obamacare/
Og:
:) S’ok.
From your earlier question, gummy, please. Gummy worms :)
Ogvorbis,
heh, I read it as fight at first as well.
I feel like I’m cheating on the Lounge with the Thunderdome.
****
vaiyt:
I’m curious how you discovered this.
Oh how I long for the blockquote class=”mra” …. (quote mra fuckwittery here) …/blockquote created by Jason Thibeault to be available here too ….
It’s soooo irresistible.
Pretty please, PZ?
opposablethumbs @597:
(bolding mine)
and my vocabulary grew by one more word :)
(thank you for the kind words)
opposablethumbs:
Blockquote class for MRAs?
I’m not familiar with that.
It’s a new invention! Jason Thibeault invented it! And it’s soooo needed :-D
Go and see it at Lousy Canuck https://proxy.freethought.online/lousycanuck/2014/03/19/mra-style-blockquoting-activated/
Not that I’d want to lose the only-just-restored and absolutely vital
of course. I’m greedy – I wants both preciouses.
On the quote marks puzzle above: The problem is you need to use straight double-quotes (what is on yer keyboard) within HTML constructs, but stooopid WankersPee software being used for this blog converts all such quotes to the “fancier” curved quotes normally used in typeset prose. It doesn’t always get it right it you notice, sometimes using a left-curved when a right-curved would be correcter, or versa-visa.
Anyways, they are three different characters (to a computer). Hence, when you copy-and-paste poopyhead’s example, you copy-and-pasted the fancy curved quotes, which is not what HTML groks, and so it does not work.
For the pedants, a straight double-quote is “U+0022 QUOTATION MARK”, and the fancy curved quotes are (probably) “U+201C LEFT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK” and “U+201D RIGHT DOUBLE QUOTATION MARK”.
And a test to see it is possible to render a genuine "U+022" in WankersPee (albeit that won’t work in HTML constructs, as far as I know) — in Preview it seems to be working…
opposablethumbs:
Thanks for the link.
That is cool.
Now if I could only post at other FtB blogs…
Tony! – you can’t post at all on any of the others? Or did you mean, post with the wonderful mra blockquote at other FTB blogs?
Because if it’s the former, that’s a total pain – not to mention it’s their loss too. You are right up there with the most-worth-reading of all the posters in FTB-land.
Lynna:
Not even that – about 200 Arizona residents were registered, but were ineligible to vote. Since THEY knew they weren’t citizens (barring a few that may have lied to get out of jury duty) I think it unlikely that those 200 actually attempted to vote.
Meanwhile, more than 31,000 Arizona voters have attempted to register and been rejected.
opposablethumbs:
Thank you.
For the last 6 months or so I’ve been tossed in the spam trap automatically at every blog (that I’ve tried posting at, which includes B&W, Dispatches, Almost Diamonds, Lousy Canuk, Mano’s, and more) except for Pharyngula (and even here, PZ had to fish me out once). I’ve already spoken with Jason, and he was able fish my comments out of his blog, and both Ophelia and Stephanie have done the same. I was able to comment on their blogs for a short time before my comments disappeared into spam world again. I don’t want to bother them each time I try to leave a comment, so I’ve just kinda accepted that I won’t be able to post outside of here (oh and I’ve found that I can leave comments at Dispatches, though that’s not always the case).
Re curly and straight quotes: Curly quotes are called Typographers quotation marks in WORD and in InDesign. If you prepare your comments in a word processing application, as I think David M. does, for example, you can turn off typographer’s quotation marks in the application’s preferences.
For pedants and editors:
“ option, right bracket is the combo keystoke for left curly quotes on a MAC (don’t know about Windows)
” option, shift, right bracket is for right curly quotes on a MAC (don’t know about Windows)
Some input on quote marks:
Use straight quotation marks (” “) when you’re typing code. The rest of the time use curly quotation marks. In InDesign, you can change a preference setting to determine which quotation marks are used.
Use the prime mark (′) to indicate feet, arcminutes, or minutes of time. It looks like a slanted apostrophe. Use the double prime mark (″) to indicate inches, arcseconds, or seconds of time. Some fonts include the prime and double prime marks. Use the Glyphs panel to insert these marks. If the font doesn’t have a prime or double prime mark, insert the straight quotation mark, and italicize it.
http://forums.adobe.com/message/4560740
The default setting for most word processing applications is to have typographers quotation marks turned on. Most fonts have a curly quote or typographers quote in their package. A few do not, like Hattori_Hanzo. If you use Hattori_Hanzo, you will see straight quotes even if you have typographers quotation marks turned on in your application’s preferences.
Tony! that’s so weird. Weird, and shitty. Have any of the computer-wrangling-type people around here hazarded a guess as to why?
I am a computer klutz, something I regret.
Nearly supper time in Blighty (jerk chicken and rice for us, if it all goes according to plan) … see you all later.
Tony
It must be the shoop in your ‘nym. You’re truly too awesome to be confined to pharyngula only… Or maybe that is PZ’s devious plan???
Portia
Did you find anything you like? :)
+++
Introducing Kawehi. One-woman band like Kimbra, just different genre (Nirvana and Nine Inch Nails covers at the link).
Okay, so I forget whom, but someone, and I’m almost certain it was rq or portia, left a link in TD to a list of insults that had been aimed at politicians.
Thus I discovered the site “us vs them”. And there, I found something far more glorious:
These.
There’s one that didn’t make me laugh (#4, never seen the material that created the reference on which the joke must rely), and the one that they finish on wasn’t, in my opinion, anywhere near the strongest entry, but the thing as a whole had me cracking up. #6 was particularly brilliant.
Crip Dyke
That was excellent. The claw sign really spoke to me, since when I was younger, when we’d take family walks in the forest (of varying gag levels, but hey), I always loved to pick up a random nicely-shaped stick, and name it the Claw of Death. It’s amazing how much more effort people put into avoiding being poked by you if you name your poking stick the Claw of Death. When it’s just a stick, it’s just a stick. But as the Claw of Death, aaaaah… I think it changes at the molecular level and acquires special powers upon naming, much like crackers in a priest’s hands turn into flesh.
@opposablethumbs, #577:
What, me, really?
Well, thanks! I’m not sure what I’ve done as Kroos and Derek both seem to ignore me (although Derek did suddenly and quite coincidentally discover that rights were based in law after I criticized him for making up his own definitions that comported with neither the law nor the theory of rights of bodily autonomy and integrity).
It’s pretty amazing that Kroos bothers coming back, and I’m beginning to get a bit of a feeling like my attempts are getting to repeat themselves. Leading me to wonder if I am the hobgoblin of little minds. But then I realized that Nerd’s really the Olivier ( of if that’s mixing metaphors, is Andy Serkis close enough?) of that role.
@Emily Litella, #614
You crack me up.
@rq:
words to cubefarm by.
Crip Dyke:
Thanks for that link.
I agree #6 was awesome.
#8 bothers me for some reason.
Crip Dyke:
Who is Emily Litella @614?
google emily litella and then read comment #614 again…
Aaaaaaand link dump.
Article in German: The ethnic cleansing begins. Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars flee Ukraine because they’re being threatened.
“Our Message to Attorney General Eric Holder:
The Justice Department’s own report has proven that the FBI placed mortgage fraud as its lowest priority, and that much of the data collected in prosecutions was not accurate.
We demand that you take all necessary measures to make mortgage fraud a top priority, and to have the FBI prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
“A misogynistic Republican radio host who argued that wives ‘ought to consent to at least some form of sexual relations as much as possible’ despite their ‘mood’ is hosting a $15,000-per-person fundraiser for Mitch McConnell today.
This isn’t the first time that this host — Dennis Prager — has been outspoken against women’s rights. Take a look:
• He said ‘women are not programmed to prefer a great career to a great man and a family’
• He’s denounced feminism’s ‘awful legacy’ on women
The worst part: Mitch McConnell is raking in boatloads of money from this misogynist TODAY despite his repulsive views. This huge influx of dirty cash could cost Democrat Alison Grimes the lead in this deadlocked Senate race.”
Petition to someone to denounce McConnell.
“Craziest person in Illinois wins Republican primary”
“Mitch McConnell campaign bans reporter from their events. It isn’t going well.
I’m not sure why Mitch McConnell’s team thinks it’s such a good idea to pick fights with reporters—even if you’re peeved about negative coverage, that seems an effective way to guarantee you’ll be getting more of it—but they seem committed to it. Specifically, they’ve decided to ban one specific reporter from even getting near McConnell events, apparently because they didn’t like what he was writing about their guy.”
“New York McDonald’s workers to get $500,000 wage theft settlement“
Pteryxx @627:
Ah, I see. I did not read your reference carefully enough. So, this makes the Republican war on voting rights in Arizona even worse than I thought it was. Why oh why don’t I just assume that’s it is always worse than we think it is?
Sounds to me like the ones perpetrating a fraud on voters are the Republican-run states. 31,000 people who can’t vote in Arizona?!
@David M:
Just making sure you didn’t miss this.
Does anyone have cute animal pics?
Something REEEEEAALLY squee worthy?
Tony:
Pygmy Goat!
Definitely squeeworthy.
Tony!, just expressing some empathy here.
Sorry for the Shermer crap and that I wasn’t around to tackle it. Glad he got handed his ass and I hope the flounce sticks.
644
Tony! The Fucking Queer Shoop!
Squee, all day everyday. Top post is a baby tiger bottle feeding and trying to wobble around. :)
Tony!:
Hugs to you.
Thanks for the support all.
JAL:
Your link did the trick! Specifically this pic.
Tony!,
What happened? I’m catching up. “Shermer crap?”
morgan:
Over in the Thunderdome, this comment was made.
Tony @644:
Does this count? It’s our Certified Pre-Owned Dog (Sarah) running. We were told she was a mother in a puppy mill and so despite being a yellow labrador retriever, she doesn’t really know how to play. The closest she comes is running across our yard at top speed.
Hmmmm, I seem to have borked the bold. Oooh, a new band name? Or a new D&D character? Borked the Bold!
*hugs* for Tony. Here’s a small dog
ajb47:
That works too.
Good to see you around here again.
Tony @655:
I poked into the “Atheist can be Pro-Life by lying about the science” and the “underwear on your head” threads. I saw the first few posts in this current Lounge and then lost it off the page and didn’t go looking for it until now.
I got myself stuck in that 2048 game for the last week. And the weather has finally been, if not exactly good, at least good enough for me to get my walks in.
Tony!,
Holy jumping maude. Kroos is a loser, par excellence. Kudos and support to you Tony!. You really are a warrior, fighting the good fight.
Be well.
kinda rupt
but
rq:
I did. I think it might be affordable. Maybe. Not sure. Might see if mi madre wants to roadtrip instead.
–
I have a whole armload of hugs for Tony.
–
AHEM. I wasn’t even on the ballot. Ergo, this is a scurrilous lie.
This made me smile, and after the TD lately, y’all might enjoy it too.
http://i.imgur.com/HCUkWUK.jpg
too tired to html atm…sorry
Good midafternoonish Lounge.
Threadrupt.
For squee value I just can’t go past a teapot pig.
David
So they are being allowed to leave. Last I heard, there were efforts being made to block their exit from the state. Country. Annex. Appendix. Province. Thing of Indeterminate Legal Status. Temporarily Occupied Territory.
Tony
*many hugs*
I’ll have something cute in a moment, haven’t been out to see my Facebook yet.
(Though all the other contributions are going to make me perma-squee all day today.)
It’s not cute, but it sure made me laugh.
anyone have experience playing the mandolin?
Would you have any recommendations for a person who already plays stringed instruments, but is looking to branch out into mandolin for the first time? Brands, models, things to watch out for, anything like that is helpful. Thanks.
Mandolin?
Sounds exciting!
I also found myself a new skill to learn. Especially the part where he goes rolling around, what a way to get around!
rq (#664)
Wow. That dude is like, “Hey, gravity? Fuck you! LOL!”
A. Noyd
I like the bit where it looks like he’s turning it with his mind. Freeeeeakyyy!! And then, yeah, then he goes rolling around. Whee!
Dalillama #654, that’s a bit on the irresistible side :-)
.
I wonder if you and L might like this:
.
http://www.goo.gl/hUXXwB
.
I am, as I may have mentioned earlier, a total computer klutz so tell me if I messed up – that’s meant to take you to a private-on-youtube clip which I am very fond of. The dachshund is called Fubuki (“blizzard”?), its owner is a really nice person and they have both now left Blighty and gone home to the other side of the world leaving this indelible memory behind them … :-D (if any of the Horde want to see “no mission too small… agility for the bold at heart” please tell me if you liked it!)
opposablethumbs
I love the sweater on that pup, and some excellent work by both pup and trainer. I liked the video!!
They almost always used to wear matching outfits …. :-D
heeeeheheh wrong book.
then….
O.O
how…
but…physics….wait…physics is why he’s doing that…but…how…
whoa.
thanks for sharing rq: )
Hello everyone.
I’m dropping in to let you know that my father died yesterday. He went as so many cancer patients do: swindling slowly away. The body that was left bore little resemblance to the man I knew as my dad. Cancer is remorseless and indiscriminate in it’s attack on the human body. In the end it was release for him and my mum who has been suffering along with him throughout his illness. There was not a day that she wasn’t with him and providing any comfort that she could. Now she will have to rebuild her life, which is going to be hard, but me and my brother are there to help as much as we can.
Dad adored my daughter and was delighted to have a grand-daughter after waiting patiently for one of us to have a child. I’m sad that he won’t get to see her grow up. But I am gratified that the last time he smiled was when I showed him the latest video of her playing.
There is as yet no date for the funeral it will be at least a week.
The vicarious support that I have received through the lounge has been of great comfort. So thank you all again. The lounge is a wonderful place, which is why I find it very frustrating when people come in and treat it the same as other Pharyngula thread and dump rubbish here. It’s a thoughtless violation of our communal space.
Small rant off.
bassmike
*giant hugs* I’m so, so sorry. Cancer sucks.
Condolences to the whole family.
:(
bassmike
Sorry for your loss. Cancer is horrible in the way it takes the person and then the body.
bassmike, all my condolences. I’m glad your father got to see and take pleasure from that video – thinking of family I’ve lost, I know that kind of thing means so so much. Hope you and your brother are able to support each other too, and that you all have the backup you need from family and friends.
You and people like you are what make the Lounge what it is too. I’ve seen more thoughtfulness and kindness here than in most places I can think of, and you are most certainly a part of that. {{{all the hugs}}
@bassmike:
*hugs*
bassmike
hugs to you and your family
In more wedding news, Fiancee’s father has said he’s not coming. Fiancee’s mother is livid.
Kevin
a) Does Fiancee care?
b) Is there possibility of a compromise of some kind?
bassmike at #671:
Condolences to you and your family during this time, with wishes of support for you all.
Still learning,
Robert
Condolences to bassmike. I hope you and yours find healing.
Kevin, how does Fiancée feel about her father not coming?
@rq:
1) Yes.
2) I don’t know. Her mother was very upset with her husband, and he also gave no reason why he didn’t want to come.
Big hugs and comfort for bassmike and family
bassmike, my condolences to you and your loved ones. I’m very sorry for your loss.
Going back aways:
cicely at #403:
Thank you for the kind note.
••••
Nerd at #415:
Good news about The Redhead feeling connected through her telephoning. Here’s hoping for more opportunities for that in her future, and more calls from her friends. Hope the cooking and food distribution to neighbors went well, and that you are also doing alright.
••••
Crip Dyke at #431 and additional:
Thanks for the kitten story. It was a fun read. Thanks also for your other insightful posts herein. Your writing always makes a great read, in content and form alike. Hope this finds you well.
••••
JAL at #457:
Congratulations to He in the new job, and to improving financial circumstances! Three cheers!
••••
Avo at #465:
A hearty “Hey!” in return. Thanks for your recent comments in Thunderdome, and hope things are well with you.
••••
chigau at #469:
Here’s to spring moving weather conditions in a direction you find more amenable!
••••
Portia at 486 and additional:
Great news about having a good coworker. Hope the weekend arrives with goodness for both work and family.
••••
morgan ?! at #508:
Hope this finds you feeling a little better than a couple of days ago.
••••
Ogvorbis at #518:
Here’s to good times spent with good books!
••••
Nutmeg at #613:
Congratulations on publication and paper work!
••••
Tony! at #618:
Thank you for your work over there. Hope this finds you well and a bit bolstered with images of endearing animals humorously and lovingly rendered.
••••
Kevin at #677 and additional:
Wishes for reduction in wedding-related stress for you, your fiancee, and the family in general.
••••
Unequivocal equinoxian encouragement entailing embraces evenly embossed especially to everyone! May there be a surprise that makes you laugh today, and a good, welcomed rest when tiredness comes calling.
Still learning,
Robert
Bassmike:
Hugs to you and yours. Cancer sucks.
Kevin:
That sucks. I hope things work out.
@Esteleth:
She seems pretty upset about it.
I play some mandolin. My advice if just starting out is to go cheap. Something like this ($15 cheaper when I bought one several years ago) sounds good (esp. after a string-change) and is great for practice and learning. And if you get good and want to invest in a better instrument, you have a spare beater for camping.
If price is not an object, of the sub-pro models I’ve played in guitar stores, I really like the Ibanez mandolins.
*hugs* to bassmike. I’m sorry for your loss.
My heartfelt sympathies to you and your family, bassmike.
May your love sustain you all.
Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel have fun — good for a mood improvement:
Salon link. scroll down for video.
Another coal ash disaster: link.
LA Times coverage.
Public Radio East here in North Carolina has a really great inducement during this year’s spring pledge drive.
For each pledge made through today, 100 striped bass will be raised to eight inches and then released into local estuaries.
Very smooth move, innit?
Linky.
Early voting takes a big hit, and Republicans win another battle to restrict voting rights:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/wisconsin-gop-cracks-down-early-voting
Just how bad are the Koch brothers? And just how detrimental is their interference in politics and in policy matters? It’s worse than you thought.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/us/politics/koch-group-seeks-lasting-voice-for-small-government.html
The Koch brothers are attacking government itself. One reason for this attack is that the Koch brothers own a shitload of tar sands in Canada, and they don’t want no stinkin’ regulations.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/david-vitter-god-bless-the-koch-brothers
David Vitter thinks the Koch brothers are fighting for freedom, but what they are really fighting for is plutocracy.
Hugs to bassmike. That was a difficult time for everyone involved.
In other news, here’s another rightwing lie straight from the “liberal media conspires against us” category:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/white-house-doesnt-get-questions-advance
bassmike @671:
I’m so very sorry to hear about the loss of your father. My condolences to you and your family.
Ray Jasper was executed in Texas on March 19.
http://gawker.com/a-letter-from-ray-jasper-who-is-about-to-be-executed-1536073598
There’s more at the link. The letter is well worth reading.
And yes, the death penalty should be abolished.
My condolences, bassmike.
My condolences to you and your family, bassmike.
@Bassmike:
I was very lucky not to lose family members close to me as a child – not even grandparents, just great-grandparents that I had barely known.
Now I’ve lost grandparents to death and a father to coming out I have a little better understanding of what might be involved. Yet still, my father is out there, alive. He could come around at any time. The finality of the death of a parent is something I’ve not had to endure. The likely consequences beggar my imagination, but not my empathy.
You have all my empathy, and I’m uploading over 1 mega-hug per second.
@Tony!
Thanks so much for that letter. Interesting that you posted it as I was writing to Bassmike offering my empathy – specifically because I have a similar view on empathy vs. sympathy.
It’s funny* how in nearly all humorous* emails that people** occasionally spam the work mailing list with, women are the joke.
It’s really interesting. Someone should study this strange phenomenon.
* no, not really
** people who happen to be men. How… surprising*.
Beatrice
That’s just redundant. Everyone knows women aren’t people. [/snark]
And yeah, I’ve noticed something similar. Weird.
bassmike
*hugs* and condolences.
Kevin
That sucks. my sympathies.
This may stink out the mildly deranged penguin. Apparently, her favourite candy — besides chocolate, cheese, and Crunchy Frog — is in trouble in its homeland: Crisis in Korea as younger generation abandons kimchi.
Stupid gall bladder has resumed being stupid.
:(
–
*hugs* and condolences for bassmike and family.
Fuck Cancer.
–
*hugs & calming manatees* for Kevin, to help off-set the wedding-related stresses.
–
You were having intellectual discussions with someone’s gall bladder?
We make our own kimchee.
Suddenly, talking gall bladders made from kimchi (kimchee?) are inextricably linked in my mind.
Careful hugs to Cicely. Wife went through that. Got it removed. Fun was had by all.
blf:
No. Kroos Control.
The gall bother would be much more entertaining.
Oh, dear, the “I’m too good looking to be a rapist” defense may have worked in one case.
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/21/too_handsome_to_be_a_rapist/
The Kimchi Gall Bladders Band would be a kazoo orchestra.
Even wilder theories about the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, this time from Fox News guest and WorldNetDaily commentator Erik Rush.
Right Wing Watch link.
Obama did it, or rather, Obama ordered his minions to do it. Sheesh. What a load of bull picky.
With bagpipes.
The kazoo band, that is.
re: Flight 370
Isn’t it a shame that Sylvia Browne is no longer with us?
In the USA black and brown preschool children are suspended at a much greater rate than are white children. First, can I just say, “Suspending preschoolers? WTF?” And next, way to start discrimination early. That’s depressing as hell.
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/suspending-preschoolers
From our Ooops . . . Oh, Shit, How’d That Happen? desk comes this encouraging and amusing news out of Turkey:
This news item has a very large “tee hee heeee” factor. Power to the people!
Behold the mighty
And learn, my child.
In their minds they rise high.
Patience, my child,
And you will see
How far they do fall
With your very own eye.
Here’s the link to the AP story via myway dot com*.
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*”No banners, no popups, no kidding” goes their tag line. This is my go to source for your average, everyday, “what everybody else is learning today” headline news. Multiple (well known, pedestrian) news sources, reasonably broad range of topics, not a memory hog, no self running media un-necessities and, thank His Noodly Appendage, NO COMMERCIALS!!!!
I recommend it even though I get no kick back for doing so (sniff). ‘At’s OK. What I do get is in the previous paragraph. Plus news and very fast page loads and news.
Once more the idea that majority rule should trump civil rights gets a swift kick in the ass.
Detroit Free Press link.
Lynna, as you know (and thank you sincerely for tirelessly pointing this out) a judge does not have a right to drown the voice of the majority or the minority.
A judge has a responsibility, a commission, to interpret the law of the land. Full stop.
That responsibility is independent of whim, whimsey, popularity and, most importantly, independent of common sense, common wisdom, fashion and tribal or revelatory tradition.
Because of this, no one (ideally no one; I acknowledge that ideals are mostly in our eyes and are the usual source of disagreement and claims of privilege) has prior claim on benefiting from or claiming pain due to, the equal application of law.
It’s a hard thing, but so are our heads. Without the law and its equitable application civilization would itself remain an ideal instead of trembling, as it does, on the knife edge of actuality.
NEW THREAD.