Rowdy football games and the Testicle Festival. Sure, right. » « Saying you should abort is as wrong as saying you may not abort

[Lounge #473]

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This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly.

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Rowdy football games and the Testicle Festival. Sure, right. » « Saying you should abort is as wrong as saying you may not abort

Comments

  1. A. Noyd says

    @chigau
    You’ve never had fried sage before? It’s yummy. A place near my house sticks it on top of their fig, caramelized onion and blue cheese tart. Some people batter it, but it’s best when the leaves are fried naked.

  2. chigau (違う) says

    A. Noyd
    No. I have never heard of frying and eating sage leaves.
    But there is a plant in the herb bed…

  4. Ichthyic says

    finished another UFO, finally, the endless bead embroidery project.

    your interest suggests you might like to check out “Lazy Stupid and Godless” group in Ravelry, if you like Pharyngula.

    it’s a lot of the same kinds of people, but with more knitting.

  6. says

    Ichthyic, thanks, I’ll look into that, if I can remember my login on Ravelry. Knitting isn’t one of my most favorite activities, but I do have a few things on my list of projects.

  8. A. Noyd says

    @carlie (#7)
    All the more reason to try it fried. It crisps up like bacon. The flavor is turned down to manageable levels, too.

  9. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    Carlie: if the soup is still giving you trouble, with that ingredient list some Italian Seasoning blend would be a viable quick fix. I recommend about a teaspoon (dried) per quart of soup, but you might want to try it with half that first…

  11. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Good morning!

    I want to send an alert regarding the troll in A logical argument…, but I don’t have anything firm on which to report him, just my intense dislike of him.

  12. rq says

    Beatrice
    He’s doing the boring trolling with nothing new to offer. And he’s being an ass. I would like to report him, too.
    contrarygymnosperm at least read and apologized (to some people).

  15. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Following rq’s second link, there was also an article about Doctor Who ( link – a tiny little spoiler there, didn’t bother me), where I found this excerpt:

    AA Gill, The Sunday Times’ TV critic, said Capaldi’s version of the Doctor was “not unlike Richard Dawkins (the scientist), madly science-fictive and theophobic, with selective amnesia and vague formless feelings of charity“.

    (emphasis mine)

  17. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    rq,
    No, not a surprise, sadly.
    This was a bit of a suprise, though:

    Those who read all three books in the series were 65 per cent more likely than non-readers to binge drink and two thirds more likely to have five or more sexual partners during their lifetime.

    Is this promiscuous? That seems to be the implication.

    I don’t know where I expected promiscuity line to be, but I would never think it would be at 5.

  18. rq says

    Beatrice
    I guess that means promiscuous, because women shouldn’t go around having sex at all, never mind with 5 different people (it is a low threshold).
    Also, I guess I’m promiscuous. Oops!

  19. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Portia raised the Horde signal for CaitieCat on the previous page:

    [Portia]
    I’m raising the Horde signal on CaitieCat’s behalf. She needs her phone, and if anyone is able to chip in to help her keep it, please consider it. We need about $150 to keep it connected. You can paypal me at bravoportia with the service of the all-knowing g-thingy. If you donate, please put your nym in the memo section. Thanks.

  21. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    I forgot my paypal password. I can’t change it because of the stupid security question. I don’r remember what answers I made up!

  22. rq says

    They’re kind of annoying, but I’m going to post anyway.

    Beatrice
    I hate when that happens. I had an amaaaaazing security question for one of my sites, I think it was the online taxes one, and it was so secure, even I couldn’t get past it. (It was an obscure reference to an old children’s song… :/ )

  23. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    Thanks for reposting it Beatrice!
    –
    I realized it was rude of me to apparently demand a nym with a donation – I should have said if you’d like to, put your nym in there. Silly Portia. Hope my brain kicks on within a couple of hours.

    –

    Good morning, Europeans:)

  24. rq says

    Portia
    What are you doing up so early??
    (Also, it’s early afternoon by now. ;) Hope work doesn’t swamp you completely!)

  25. rq says

    Also also, I will most likely be using the snail method to contribute. With bonus features, of course. :)

  26. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    I’m getting ready for work, to try to get ahead of the swamping:)

  27. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    rq
    Yay, snail mail:D
    DOUBLE yay bonus features:)
    You are awesome.

  28. birgerjohansson says

    Links:
    -Comedian Offers To Fly Westboro Baptist Church To Iraq In Response To Planned Robin Williams Protest http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/adam-hills-westboro-baptist-church-iraq-robin-williams_n_5692172.html?cps=gravity

    .
    Garfunkel And Oates Explain What Goes Through Your Head When You’re Giving A Blow Job http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/20/garfunkel-oates-blow-job-stream-consciousness_n_5692682.html

    .
    Patrick Stewart’s Ice Bucket Challenge Is A Lesson In Class, Dignity, Humor

  31. birgerjohansson says

    “In Oslo, I Have Never Met a Stay-at-Home Mom”: Is Norway the Best Place to Be a Working Parent?
    http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/08/21/child_care_in_norway_an_oslo_mom_on_how_working_parents_manage.html
    .
    How you pronounce “Bárðarbunga”. (the Icelandic volcano)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=413V0bmjvBg
    .— — — — —
    Bored Kim Jong-Un Stacks Entire North Korean Populace Into Human Pyramid To Kill Time http://www.theonion.com/articles/bored-kim-jongun-stacks-entire-north-korean-popula,36754/
    .
    Battleship Awkwardly Propped Up Against Ferguson Police Department http://www.theonion.com/articles/battleship-awkwardly-propped-up-against-ferguson-p,36719/

  32. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    After opening a new paypal account with another email, I realized I’ve been walking around with an expired card for almost a month. :(

  34. Saad says

    Good morning, good folk!

    Hope all had a great weekend. I’m stoked about the extra long weekend coming up (got Friday off to close on my house and celebrate).

  35. says

    Thank you all so much. Just…yeah.

    Anybody else read Sinfest? Interesting case of someone who started the strip as a straight-out dudebro fantasyland, and at some point had a feminist awakening, and since then has been awesomely feminist all the way along, with some badass women characters – including WOC, and a fierce granny – and the creator’s stand-in having his own awakening. It’s out every day, and though it’s only sometimes “funny”, it’s generally thought-provoking. His comics about what it’s like to move through the world as a woman (reflected in the experiences of Mo’nique, the stand-up comedian) are really illustrative, if you don’t mind the pun. The Sunday strip is a big one every week, and always wordless; this week’s is about the cult of masculinity.

    Watched the rest of Noragami last night, that is one weird, weird show, but I kinda liked it. A Noyd, I’ll give Psycho-Pass another try, on your recommendation, thanks for the deeper look.

    I love this community.

  41. says

    I don’t know where else to turn, and I really need help.

    I don’t usually post, but I’ve been a lurker since Pharyngula was on scienceblogs. I know people are usually supportive of other people’s issues, and I really need support.

    The last time I asked, I was accused of trolling because someone apparently had used the same approach to make someone else vulnerable. Please believe that I am not trolling. I am desperate.

    I am bipolar and at the moment I am severely depressed and suicidal. I have been under tremendous levels of stress over the past several years, emotionally, professionally, financially. I have used every local resource to find help, including spending time in a local mental hospital, which only made things worse. It is essentially a prison, where no help is offered.) I have been to multiple therapists with no lasting change, and that’s only in the past 10 years. I am on medications that are not helping, and my health issues make it difficult to move to other meds that have serious side effects. I can no longer be around people, and have no local support networks except friends with their own problems, or who do not want to be reminded of mine.

    I need to be reminded that I’m not alone. I have spent my whole life believing I was no good, but now I’m turning my hostility outward because I’ve “filled myself up” with the inner kind. I am cracking. Maybe if I could believe in some kind of nice afterlife, killing myself would be easier. But there are still a few things, a very few things, I am reluctant to leave behind. I just don’t know when the balance will finally tip, because living this way is unbearable.

    Please, tell me I’m not alone.

  42. says

    sueinnm, you’re not alone. I struggle badly with depression – though I’m fortunate that suicidality isn’t part of my constellation of issues – and I get it, really do. One of the things I value the most about this community is that they help me feel not alone. I hope the spate of messages you’re about to get helps.

    If I were a bunch closer, I’d say come on over and we’ll have some $HOT_BEVERAGE and chat, but it’s a long way to NM from here in Ontario.

    Hugs offered, if wanted. And you’re not alone. I hear you.

  47. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    hello, sueinnm!

    You’re not alone.

    I can’t remember a concrete discussion, but I remember seeing your nym&avatar around.

  48. says

    Thank you, everyone. Would it be okay if I talk about my issues in more detail? My poor husband has heard it all and I’m afraid I’ve made his life pretty miserable. I don’t have anyone else to talk to about it and I feel so alienated from the rest of humanity that I don’t know where to turn.

    I want to change my avatar but I have trouble logging in at times . . . that person there is so far gone, and my beloved Brownie left us five years ago . . .

  49. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Sure, write whatever you are comfortable with sharing.

  50. thunk: Prater arcade winnings says

    Moin moin! I’m doing all right.

    CaitieCat:

    I’ve read and am familiar with sinfest; I think it’s okay, but comes across as too ham-fisted for me. Especially the xanthe references; those who don’t know xir might find them confusing and off-putting. In this case though, the anviliciousness is excusable.

  51. rq says

    sueinnm
    Feel free to share as much as you are comfortable with – you may not receive a reply immediately, but rest assured someone is always reading/listening, and willing to offer a supportive word.

  52. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    sueinnm
    You are not alone. I wish I were closer. I’d take you outside for a walk with me. Please share as much or as little as you wish. So many of us here have fought these mind wars and have great empathy for our fellow travelers. Hugs if you want them.

  53. toska says

    sueinnm
    You are not alone. I also suffer from depression and have had suicidal periods of my life. I know what it’s like to close myself off from people just when I need them the most. I’ll add my hugs if you want them to the pile of hugs for you.

  54. Brony says

    Can the world stop doing depressingly immoral and cruel things for one day? It’s hard enough finding the willpower to try to look for a job without wondering how I can find the energy to beat back at least some BS. (those of you posting the immoral and cruel things carry on, this is targeted at the people you are posting about). I’m worn down and don’t feel like I deserve to be.
    In less depressing news my wife and I discovered that you can grow villages in minecraft. One wall and 30 buildings later the place is full of villagers and iron golems. For extra fun we shoved a couple of villagers into minecarts and moved them back to where we live in the game to make that into a village too.
    …and I just spilled my coffee in my lap.

    @ sueinnm
    I wish I knew more about Bi-Polar and could offer specific advice there. I’m familiar with how crappy mental health services can be. When my wife was suicidal we tried to get help like you did it was essentially prison-like and basically just made us want to avoid mental health services.
    The best thing that can help you is community if you can find a good one. Places like this can help, the people here are great and won’t bash you for talking about your problems. Whatever the mental issue is having good community that can help you reinforce good things and let you work though the bad things is critical to being human. I also had a hard time only having my wife and my psychiatrist to talk to so I can sympathize.
    While the internet can be a good help, real-life community and getting functional at finding it is critical (both are perfect). I’m in the same boat as you and working on it. Have you considered support groups for other Bi-Polar folks? That can help while you get on your feet at far as other types of community is concerned.
    Feel free to bring up as much detail as you are comfortable with. I did the same these folks were wonderful. I might not be able to help but someone might.
    @ cicely 304

    I’m seeing a lot of claims for Einstein as having had ADHD.

    I read that too. I also read that Feynman had it as well. I’m mulling over the usefulness of it because the culture in which their science was done matters and I’m not sure that the culture that I will have to deal with will be similar enough so I’m looking for scientists that are working with ADHD now so I can find coping mechanisms, best practices, and other things that they are doing to functionally deal with the ADHD.
    Also the thought that I need to be brilliant to survive in science with ADHD is a bit depressing.
    @Nick Gotts
    Yay for working toilets! I’m sorry you had to put up with that. Also foreign slang is awesome.
    @rq343
    That video reminded me of this one with Christopher Walken for some reason. The weirdness starts about halfway through (the whole thing is amusing though).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ7z57qrZU8
    (How do I embed html links? I see the tags but am unsure how to use it.)
    rq 16
    That is interesting, especially paired with Wes Aaron’s Minchin video. I often wonder about the functional difference between slurs that get reclaimed and those that don’t. Maybe it’s just time and real-world functional improvements in rooting out bigotry.
    @thunk
    Hello!
    @Tony 390
    The psychological defense mechanisms in that article are amazing. Projection, prejudice, misplaced outrage. The people are “living in fear”? The things people will go to in order to hide what they world is really like…
    Tony 494
    Ignoring means they can’t answer you, or won’t answer you (or did not see you, which can be an excuse sometimes). Figuring out which can be fun when the energy and time is there.
    @Lynna 398
    The word needs to be spread that escalation is not policing. Why is this not psychologically obvious? Oh yeah, defense mechanisms…
    @CaitieCat
    Good anime on netflix to check out? Noted. Death Note was very interesting.
    @Wes Aaron 498
    Interesting video (fun actually). I can hear the people wondering why they can’t call people “Ginger” or other words that get used as weapons already.

    As for the rest. There is too much important stuff to comment on.

  55. carlie says

    Either there’s a lot of overlap between AVClub readers and atheosphere followers, or the word is really getting out:

    On a post about the awful new Spider-Woman art, commenters snark on Dawkins. Look for “patchfacethefool” comment and subsequent replies.

    A controversy about women and Islam? And Richard Dawkins hasn’t weighed in? The fuck you say.
    (reply): He’s more of a DC guy. (reply): Oh yeah, it’s a whole thing with people like him. Say ridiculous, inflammatory things, roll your eyes at how anyone who points out that you’re awful is “arguing from emotion.”

    (etc)

  60. rq says

    Going to fall asleep to taht one in my head, no matter how late I stay up tonight. Thanks, carlie. :P ;)

  61. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    “…burned, burned, burned, and we’re the ones that did it.”

  63. rq says

    I like that quote about Upper Canada holding out for two years against the force of democracy. I guess Americans have been spreading democracy since time immemorial.

  65. cicely says

    Mildly ‘rupt, yet again.
    –
    Earthquakes scary.
    Tornadoes scarier.
    Flesh-eating bacteria even scarier.
    –
    Anne, Old Gumbie Cat:

    Feed peas to horses. Peas go away, fed horses go away, end of problem.

    Alas, it is not so.
    Horses are immune to peas.
    Fools plant moar peas.
    Perhaps even fertilizing them with Horse manure.
    –
    birgerjohannson, I’m looking forward to seeing what Stross means to make of Spooky, who I don’t suspect of being “just some civilian”.
    –
    rq:

    Whoever thought it was a good idea to have three whole children?

    Not as messy as the fractional pieces of children almost always involved in “average number of children born per woman“. Apparently, in Latvia your allotment is 1.35 children, which means you are over quota.
     
    (Later)
    I’m sorry that Youngest (whole child) is barfy.
    –
    CaitieCat, I’m sorry to hear that Her Ex-Cellency is suffering relationship viscitudes with her partner.
    –
    Alexandra!
    *pouncehug*
    –
    Dalillama:

    So, in support of his parents’ wishes, he fucked off away from white people and went off to go see if the Kiowa would have him. The Indian Wars had a very different outcome in that world.

    :)
    So I would imagine!
    –
    I like nutmeg sprinkled on deviled eggs.
    Mmmmmmm….
    Teeny-tiny bits of pecans, also good.
    –
    Fried sage?
    Won’t the sage object?
    –
    Page 2!
    Onward!
    –

  66. cicely says

    sueinnm, do you accept *hugs* from Strangers on the Internet? If so, then please accept this *massive hug-dump*; if not, then perhaps this *pile of other-and-non-intrusive gestures of support* may be more to your liking.
    You are by no means alone.
    You are Legion.
    (As it were.)
    Feel free to unload. At the least, you can be sure of sympathetic eyeballs.
    –
    *hugs* for Brony.
    Sometimes, perhaps by accident, there are pleasant and/or useful things just beyond the Oncoming Train.
     

    Also the thought that I need to be brilliant to survive in science with ADHD is a bit depressing.

    I think that it’s important to remember that any ‘List of Scientists with ADHD’ will, by its nature, be likely to only include the most brilliant lights, the best known, the notorious—as with any ‘List of _______’. It’s Artificial Selection at work, in other words. Tips of icebergs.
    –
    Caught up!
    Huzzah!
    –

  67. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Just got a call from the Redhead. Bring in shoes for therapy. All shoes, as she doesn’t know her shoe size after this long. So 8 and 8.5 medium black, and wide white from 8.0-11.0. Plus socks. The therapist can determine what fits each foot…. Dinner for the nerd after the shoes in the basket.

  68. Pteryxx says

    Leaving a message for Radium Coyote from the Good Morning America thread. My email’s my nym at g m a i l dot com and I’m slow. <_<

  69. chimera says

    Hi Folks,

    I was just checking out all the other blogs here on FtB and I think there’s one missing. “Between a Veil and a Dark Place” is new. But wasn’t there a second new blog by a young woman from a Muslim background?

    Did I just imagine there was or did it disappear???

    Anybody know anything?

    Signed,

    Confused

  73. A. Noyd says

    Jesus Fucking Christ, but I hate Milo Manara and the hideous Voldemort noses he gives all his female characters.

  74. chimera says

    And Tony I never told you how moved I was by reading your contribution — quoted by PZ — about racism and walking home at night from your boyfriend’s house.

  75. says

    chimera:
    The last three blogs added were Heinous Dealings (Heina’s blog), Between a Veil and a Dark Place (Marwa’s blog), and Consider the Tea Cosy (Aoife’s blog). AFAIK, only the first two women are ex-Muslim. All three are still here.

  76. chimera says

    And don’t you all forget about Reem the Egyptian Asylum seeker who has an Indiegogo fundraiser to raise money for college. She’s very worthy of any contribution if you can right here. Her story is worth your time even if you can’t contribute right now.

  78. says

    A. Noyd:
    I’ve seen a few panels of a comic Manara did with writer Chris Claremont back in 2010, and what I saw looked nice, but I don’t have much exposure to his work. His cover for the upcoming Spiderwoman #1 has gotten a lot of bad exposure. Given that Marvel has been trying to reach out to female comic book readers, the choice to go with an artist who specializes in porn and who clearly has some anatomy issues is mindboggling.

    This CBR article shows 14 alternate covers (including the Spiderwoman one), all by Manara. I don’t care for any of them bc his art is not to my liking.

    ****
    chimera @74:
    Thank you.
    (incidentally, he’s not my boyfriend. We’re just at the talking stage, and *that’s* not going where I’d like it to, as there is an absence of the talking part).

  79. chimera says

    Tony!

    Ooooh, sorry it’s disapointing you. It’s never easy to find someone you can do more than one thing with. That’s why I always had many. Hugs if you will accept them.

  80. A. Noyd says

    Tony (#78) [#578]

    I’ve seen a few panels of a comic Manara did with writer Chris Claremont back in 2010, and what I saw looked nice, but I don’t have much exposure to his work.

    You mean the one that had this cover? Because, ewww. Look at their Voldemort noses and about-to-give-a-blow-job lips. And then there was this going on in the interior.

    It’s not like the guy doesn’t have skills. He clearly has a lot of artistic training, unlike too many American comic artists. But his lack of respect for women beyond our boner-generating potential is clear in everything he illustrates and thus he should not be drawing anything that isn’t meant to be cheesecake or outright porn.

  81. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Gack, it’s 8 o’clock, and my body says sleep….That means waking at 3-4 in the morning. I guess the Redhead might get her wish of an early arrival….

  82. says

    rq @13

    Yep glorify dependency on an abusive male and look what happens. I really love that they tied Twilight to it as well, just too funny.

    @14

    Yep and their population were wiped out by explorers bringing disease with them. Kinda gives you that naseaous feeling.

    @16

    If anyone is up for a history lesson, I suggest reading “I am a red-skin” a 2005 study by Ives Goddard Native American Language Scholar of the Smithsonian Institute.

    birgerjohansson @28

    Definitely agree that the Westboro Baptist Church should leave his funeral alone, but while we’re at it they should leave all funerals alone.

    Bravo Patrick Stuart!

    sueinnm @41

    You’re not alone. And I hope you can find a way to cope with or treat the bipolar problem. I worked with a gentlemen for quite some time that had severe issues with it.

    I can sympathize with your suicidal thoughts situation. I have actually spent the long lonely night deciding whether I should die and how I should do it. At the time I was prepared with tool in hand to end it all, it truly was my darkest day. Years later when I reflect on what happened that night, it still shocks me how close I came to dying by my own hand, the worst part is that I didn’t hold any value in myself, there was no amount of self worth not to do it. And the only thing that stopped me from doing it at the time was that I couldn’t do it if it was going to hurt people that I cared about, so I chose the pain of life over the suffering of my friends and family. Strangely to this day whenever I have these thoughts, I am comforted that there are people who still care about me, even if at times when I cannot see value in living. Very few people know about this, and even my own family knows nothing of it. In reality I should probably see a psychiatrist, but I just don’t have the money and make too much to qualify for assistance. So I can either live in perpetual debt which leads to depression or stay depressed and not have the burden of debt.

    A couple of ways I have found to cope with bouts of depression are tons of comedy (movies, comedians, and CD’s), a good hobby that you can lose yourself in (I found assembling and painting model cars and figures a way to release stress), and strangely the last one I cannot explain why it helps. I have lots of little statues of Happy Buddas around my home and whenever I need a reason to smile or just to cheer up, looking at that fat and happy statue, somehow it always brings a smile to my face and all the ills seem to fade, even though I know their just resin (nothing supernatural) it works every time. I know everyone is different and I do hope you find solutions that work.

  88. Brony says

    Awwww. Poor puppy. Those e-collars are an unfortunate necessity. I’ve seen more than one animal do damage on themselves.

  90. says

    I figured something out today.

    Part of my mental illness?

    Not believing that I, and by extension my problems, are worth attention.

    There’s always something bigger, something more important, going on in the world.

  91. chigau (違う) says

    WMDKitty — Survivor #90
    “Dear Muslima”
    I believe you got it.
    There is always something more worthy of attention.
    Especially if you ain’t the victim.

  92. says

    Looking for a postapocalyptic paranormal samurai western?

    Dead Bushi is a story of a physically handicapped girl. She has some telekinetic and telepathic powers but she is still unaware of them. There is that guardian- ghoul who is travelling with her. He is not a regular ghoul, he stinks and occasionally falls apart but beside that he is an embodiment of one of seven eternals, who are playing some kind of game, using humanity to achieve their goals. Our hero is the one that got bored with that game. He tries to back out but it is not an easy thing to do.

    It’s a bimonthly webcomic from Comixology.

  93. says

    Has anyone ever participated in the CFI sponsored pen pal program?

    In addition to sending donated books to inmates, the Freethought Books Project operates a pen pal program, allowing freethinkers outside of prison to correspond with inmates. Since starting our work with the initiative in December 2013, the Freethought Books Project has received over 40 requests for pen pals.

    Currently, we are in need of more freethinking volunteers. You can qualify if you identify as an atheist, agnostic, humanist, skeptic, or the like, and would be willing to correspond with an imprisoned individual on a regular (approximately monthly) basis.

    In order to protect volunteers’ privacy, and the privacy of our inmates, we send all letters through a PO Box at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, NY.

  98. rq says

    Beatrice
    Thanks, it’s someone on the logical thread telling me that.
    I’d make a much bigger fuss if family was doing that to me. :/

  99. opposablethumbs says

    rq, you are so not. Anyone who says that is either selectively blind or selectively stupid (at least at the time of saying it); we have evidence that says you’re amazing.

  100. birgerjohansson says

    Cicely, Spooky has opposable thumbs, which is not something I have noticed in “civilian” cats.
    Looking forward to more mayhem in the next instalment :-)
    “Earthquakes scary.
    Tornadoes scarier.
    Flesh-eating bacteria even scarier.”

    -just wait until the Bardarbunga eruption triggers a “jökulhlapn”, sweeping literally house-sized pieces of glacier along with the meltwater.
    (I don’t know if the Icelanders give a damn. they have so much of that shit going on, it is hardly worth mentioning in the newspaper)

  101. birgerjohansson says

    rq @ 56: I approve of burning down anything with kitschy neoclassic style elements.
    Canada has been invaded by USA twice -during the revolutionary war and in 1814.
    (The silly buggers in the state department thought Canada had banana plantations?)

  102. Esteleth is Groot says

    I return from a weekend away, where – other than occasionally checking Twitter and the book of faces, I pretended that the internet did not exist.

    I believe I have said this before, but every person should embark as soon as possible on the following expedition:
    (1) Meet the Spokesgay
    (2) Make him cook
    (3) Enjoy the result.

  103. Pteryxx says

    Rawstory – States with legalized medical marijuana had 25 percent fewer prescription OD deaths: study

    A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found the 13 states where medical marijuana is legal had 24.8 percent fewer annual opioid overdose mortality rates.

    The results indicate alternative treatments may be safer for patients suffering from chronic pain, researchers said.

    About 60 percent of all deaths from opioid overdoses happen in patients who have legitimate prescriptions, and the number of patients who are prescribed opioids for non-cancer pain has nearly doubled over the last decade.

  104. says

    Pteryxx, if I could stop puking, I’d give that a thumbs up.

    Thank fuck I have a…ahem…friend…coming over this aft, with something to help with that. Something which is, of course, totally unrelated to the substance you mentioned, because that would be illegal. Seriously, though, there is no other thing that helps with the pain-inspired pukeyness. Great weight-loss plan, of course, “getting no nutrition from your food because you can’t keep it down long enough to digest it at all, plus you get to taste it twice!”

    I just wish that “the banning of this substance is historically a racist/nativist act” would have any positive effect toward decriminalization, but given the last two weeks, I’m not sure I’d want to see the result of making that argument in the public sphere in the US. :(

  105. says

    Also, I heartily endorse Esteleth’s policy of “meeting Tony and begging him to cook for me”. I intend to lobby my government to provide a grant to study the possibility. This will require a fact-finding junket to Florida, which I will (reluctantly, but patriotically) assume the responsibility for taking. Also, I believe it will require providing Tony with an indefinite visitor’s visa, and a series of extended trips to various parts of Canada to meet with elected officials and show them why he should be financed by FoodCan, the ministry of getting yummy food into Canadian bellies, which I just made up.

    I stand ready to serve my country.

  107. Esteleth is Groot says

    Plainly, what needs to happen is for the Spokesgay to cook while the Queer Shoop brings boozes.

    And then, Esteleth and CaitieCat get to eat and drink.

  109. The Mellow Monkey: Singular They says

    Apparently the powers of Wonder Woman’s invisible jet also apply to my posts when trying to talk to gamer bros. I had no idea this gravatar would have such power! Maybe I should switch to Batman and see if my posts are suddenly accepted as gritty and realistic.

  110. Esteleth is Groot says

    Maybe I’ll cook seagull.

    I do have a recipe for this.

    Granted, it is a 4-day cooking process and involves a brick, but whatever.

  112. The Mellow Monkey: Singular They says

    Whoa. I couldn’t remember the name of the artist who made my Wonder Woman, so I went hunting around to try to find him. And then I found this on his Tumblr:

    It’s been brought to my attention that yesterday’s apology was partly phrased in such a way that was blaming, evasive, or exclusionary.

    The most glaring instance is that I mentioned that the women whom I’ve sent photos to were women I was in a sexual relationship with. However, I did not clarify that I believe I sent photos after that relationship had run its course.

    He sent sexually explicit pictures to his former partners.

    Sigh. Humanity, stop sucking so bad.

  113. says

    Dear taxpaying citizens of the USA, $350,000 of your tax dollars will be spent prosecuting a specious lawsuit brought by House Republicans against President Obama.

    D.C. law firm BakerHostetler will handle the House Republicans’ lawsuit against President Barack Obama.

    House Administration Chairwoman Candice S. Miller, R-Mich., said the firm has been contracted to represent the House in the district court civil suit. According to the contract, the lawsuit will cost the House up to $350,000, billed at a rate of $500/hour.

    Yeah, the $350,000 is not much in the grand scheme of things, but it is a lot money to me, and it is being wasted, flushed down the toilet.

    This $350,000, by the way, is just for this one lawsuit. It does not include the millions of dollars House Republicans intend to spend on a new Benghazi committee or the millions of dollars House Republicans have already spent to investigate an IRS “scandal” that does exist in reality.

    This pointless lawsuit is also a big waste of time. There’s real work to be done, and none of it is getting done.

    In case anyone’s forgotten, after months of rhetoric about a lawless, out-of-control White House, GOP leaders decided to sue – over a delayed deadline for an obscure Affordable Care Act provision.

    Making matters slightly worse, when the Bush/Cheney administration delayed comparable deadlines while implementing Medicare Part D, no one cared, and certainly no one thought to literally make a federal case out of it. Worse still, the Republicans are suing to require the Obama administration to immediately implement a policy the GOP lawmakers themselves do not actually want to see implemented. […]

    when GOP officials want to undermine the White House – or launch missiles in the Middle East – they discover some money hiding between the congressional couch cushions […]

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/house-gops-anti-obama-lawsuit-gets-price-tag

    http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/house-lawsuit-against-obama-billed-at-500hour/?dcz=

  114. says

    If the SpokesGay is cooking, and the Queer Shoop is mixing, can I do the baking, even though I’m not queer?

    I make a mean chocolate chip Rice Krispy treat and chocolate angel food cake /bribe

  117. says

    If I had my way, every one of you would be invited. We’d probably need to rent out a nice sized space somewhere.
    Also, let’s not forget that I’m sure morgan would like to contribute to some of the food preparation.

  118. says

    […] Douglas McAuthur McCain, of San Diego, California, was killed over the weekend fighting for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), according to the Free Syrian Army. Photos of McCain’s passport and of his body — which feature a distinctive neck tattoo — have been seen by NBC News. According to an activist linked to the Free Syrian Army who also saw the body and travel document, McCain was among three foreign jihadis fighting with ISIS who died during the battle.

    McCain, 33, called himself “Duale ThaslaveofAllah” on Facebook and his Twitter bio reads: “It’s Islam over everything.” […]

    http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-douglas-mcauthur-mccain-dies-fighting-isis-syria-n189081

  119. says

    Police detain and handcuff the wrong black man in Beverly Hills, CA:

    On Friday afternoon, August 22nd around 5:20pm, while innocently walking by myself from a restaurant on Wilshire Blvd, to my car up LaCienega Blvd my freedom was taken from me by the Beverly Hills Police Department. […]

    Within minutes, I was surrounded by 6 police cars, handcuffed very tightly, fully searched for weapons, and placed back on the curb.

    Within an hour, I was transported to the Beverly Hills Police Headquarters, photographed, finger printed and put under a $100,000 bail and accused of armed bank robbery and accessory to robbery of a Citibank.

    Within an evening, I was wrongly arrested, locked up, denied a phone call, denied explanation of charges against me, denied ever being read my rights, denied being able to speak to my lawyer for a lengthy time, and denied being told that my car had been impounded…..All because I was mis-indentified as the wrong “tall, bald head, black male,” … “fitting the description.”[…]

    I get that the Beverly Hills Police Department didn’t know that I was an award nominated and awarding winning business professional,[…]

    I get that the Beverly Hills Police Department didn’t know that I was a well educated American citizen that had received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an MBA from Indiana University (including a full Consortium Fellowship to business school) and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard Business School. Hey, I was “tall”, “bald”, a “male” and “black”, so I fit the description. […]

    What I don’t get………WHAT I DON”T GET, is, why, during the 45 minutes that they had me on the curb, handcuffed in the sun, before they locked me up and took away my civil rights, that they could not simply review the ATM and bank’s HD video footage to clearly see that the “tall, bald headed, black male”… did not fit MY description. […]

    Time has come for a change in the way OUR law enforcement officers “serve and protect” us. […[

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/25/1324522/–When-you-fit-the-description

  120. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    The Mellow Monkey,
    Did you change the avatar because of finding out the artist sent out those pictures? Anyway, I really like the new one.

  122. says

    Atheists Get The Shaft In New York Town After Supreme Court Ruling.

    […] Less than four months later, the town of Greece has adopted an invocation policy that excludes non-religious citizens and potentially shuts out faiths that aren’t well-established in the town, according to a top secular group.

    Seeking to “avail itself of the Supreme Court’s recognition” that government prayer is constitutional, the new policy restricts opening remarks to “assemblies with an established presence in the Town of Greece that regularly meet for the primary purpose of sharing a religious perspective.”

    Translation: atheists and agnostics need not apply. And unless the board clerk decides that your faith has an “established presence” in the New York town of fewer than 100,000, you may not deliver an invocation. […]

    Yeah, right. That’s what they wanted all along, to exclude citizens who were not “religious” enough. They claimed that the invocation period would be “open to anybody.” It is not. It is open to christians to whom they give a stamp of approval.

    […] The Democrat & Chronicle also spoke to an atheist in the town, Dan Courtney, who had delivered a secular invocation at the town board meeting in July, and fretted that he would no longer be able to do so. He expressed shock that the town would be “quite so blatant about the discrimination they wish to impose.”

    The new rules adopted by Greece reflect a policy proposed by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian law group based on Scottsdale, Ariz. which is pitching the same idea to other towns and cities.

    Justice Elena Kagan warned that the decision in Greece v. Galloway could lead to the discrimination against minority faiths. In her dissent for the minority, she accused the conservative justices of “blindness” to the “essential meaning of the religious worship in Greece’s town hall, along with its capacity to exclude and divide.” […]

  124. Esteleth is Groot says

    Greece might well be a town of less than 100,000, but it is also a suburb of a medium-sized city. Isolated rural town it ain’t.

  125. says

    Far right fundie christians are stocking up on rhetorical ammo to further damage the public school system, and to encourage voters to elect candidates that will pass legislation friendly to christian-religion-based schools.

    The right-wing group Truth In Action Ministries is out with a new film warning parents that public schools are run by gay rights activists who are out to destroy religious freedom. […]

    http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/truth-action-ministries-gays-run-public-schools

  126. opposablethumbs says

    I can peelz a unyun an a garlic an a carrotz an stuff.

    Under supervision.

    … um, would you mind sharpening the knife for me? ‘kyou.

  127. rq says

    Tony
    I’ll have to let you know once I get home, work internet is not letting me through to buzzfeed. :(
    (Also, it usually blocks of blogs because ‘social networking’ or something, but Pharyngula gets through jsut fine – I just can’t post comments from any blogs but PZ’s and Dana’s while at work. Weird, how that works.)

  128. Pteryxx says

    Breaking news via MSNBC television – crowds in Gaza celebrating on the streets, as Israel and Hamas have brokered a new, open-ended, cease-fire.

  130. The Mellow Monkey: Singular They says

    Beatrice, thanks! I did. I loved the WW drawing, but didn’t want to appear to be supporting him now that I found that out.

    And now I have an awesome tentacle picture.

  131. rq says

    So I had to transfer my condensed milk to another container due to the can not having a lid. It is now in two large plastic vials, looking more like a large amount of a certain bodily fluid sample. Looks a bit funny in the food fridge, but then, all the blood samples are in there, too. *shrug* *immature cackle*

  135. says

    Azkyroth:
    Turn that frown upside down.
    There’s more than enough room in the kitchen for everyone. Ok, maybe not *everyone*, there are a lot of us round here; but there’s enough room for multiple cooks. Ooh, I know, we can do something like ‘Chopped’, except none of you gets chopped. You do the chopping. Each of you will get a mini kitchen all to yourself, to prepare whatever meal you want (or meals), to be presented to a group of hungry, non-judgmental Loungers who want nothing more than good company, good food, and good drinks.

  137. says

    Oooh! Monster movie!

    http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/08/exclusive-james-stokoes-movie-poster-for-ragnarok/
    Magnolia Pictures has provided ROBOT 6 with the exclusive first look at Wonton Soup creator James Stokoe‘s poster for the Norwegian action adventure Ragnarok.

    Directed by Mikkel Brænne Sandemose, the film centers on Sigurd Svendsen, an archaeologist obsessed with the Oseberg Viking ship and its enigmatic inscription “Man Knows Little” written in runes. Convinced the ship holds the answer to the mystery of Ragnarok, the end of days in Norse mythology, he and his colleague and two children mount an expedition to the deserted “No Man’s Land” between Norway and Russia to uncover the true meaning of the runes — and to discover a secret more terrifying than they could imagine.

    There’s a trailer and poster art at the link.

  138. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    *happy dance for Palestinian people*
    I just hope Israel will hold its part of the deal instead of finding some loophole so that they could avoid letting humanitarian aid and building matterial in again.

  140. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Spokesgay cooking leads to Israel/Hamas cease fire?

    Josh! Have us all over! World peace will inevitably ensue!

    How could you do less??????

  141. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Beatrice:

    I noted it was a bit of a homosexualy-T.

  142. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    What did I hear? Food? Drinks? Horde? Yea!!!!!!! Me too, me too, me too!

    Esteleth, I’m curious about this cooked seagull. Everything carbon based is potential food.

    What shall I cook? Your request is my command. I do drool-worthy, authentic Mexican food….. or I can make a venison salami as long as I don’t have to shoot the deer. I suppose I could do any number of things with road kill, but I’d rather leave that for the vultures. Birds gotta eat too. One of my favorite beasties is a Black Vulture named Buttercup who is a resident of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

    rq, I told some friends about your Killer Cheesecake. They have requested that I transform it into a sugar-free, low-carb version and bring it for the Labor Day Barbeque this weekend. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  143. rq says

    Crip Dyke
    Be specific, here – Spokesgay (food) and Tony (drinks) co-hosting large Lounge dinner event. We should include the Thunderdome, then I think your World Peace might be achieved.
    Or maybe racism will end, I’m not sure.

  144. says

    Crip Dyke:
    Ouch. Bad pun was bad.

    ****

    Hmmm, morgan on killer mexican food, Azkyroth on killer curry dish (?), opposablethumbs on carrot/onion chopping, me on drinks…who else. Anyone doing hoer d’oerves? Who’s on dessert?

  145. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    *pops in*
    I love making appetizers
    Desserts: Didn’t rq volunteer cheesecake at some point? :)
    *pops out*

  146. rq says

    Morgan
    Oooh, good luck with that, and if you come up with a viable solution, please share with me!
    (By ‘sugar-free’ they mean none of that granulated stuff, right? Syrups are still a go? Because if yes, then maple syrup is usually my default non-sugar sugar, and I’ve been meaning to try it out. But anyway, intriguing, let me know the results! Also, the low-carb thing should be reasonably simple, since there’s practically no carbs in it, and those that are, can be replaced by something non-carb like nuts (unless nuts are carb?), the whole thing is dairy fats and dairy fats. ;) I’m excited for you!)

  148. carlie says

    I make a killer greens’n’beans soup.

    Also, it has nothing to do with cooking skills, but I have found that brownies with ice cream taste ever so much better when soaked in scotch first.

  149. says

    I haz request-for those interested in dessert, can someone fix a relatively plain cake (not a fan of carrot cake or german chocolate), or cookies (Mellow Monkey’s CCC’s in the last thread would be great), or lemon creme cake, or fudge brownies? I like dessert, but I think I’m in the minority, since I don’t like pies, cheesecakes, flan, or anything like that. If not, I’ll just pick up a cake from the store while I buy the liquor…hmm, I wonder how much of that will be needed.

  150. dianne says

    I can also do souffle, but it must be eaten within 10 minutes of being pulled from the oven or there’s no point.

  151. rq says

    I also do non-cheesecake desserts, like fruit crumbles and crisps and fruit/berry pies, which have been lauded at all ends of the world (well, Canada and Latvia, mostly). I do a Mean Chocolate Brownie (allergen-free only available via internetz, sadly), plus assorted cakes that I make up by combining or adjusting known recipes.
    I can do things like ‘ķīselis’, which is kind of like a fruit soup / sauce (goes well on ice cream and oatmeal crisp), plus alcoholized non-rumtopf fruit syrup thingies. And I have this amazing Jello/yoghurt/fruit mousse thingie.
    And Pavlova, and a Pavlova-style layer cake with nuts and whipped cream.
    Oh, and cookies. I have a huge repertory of all kinds of cookies.
    The one thing I want to try but am nervous about is my mom’s Bizet cake, so I’ll reserve that for the post-WP-celebrations.

    tl;dr: So I can do dessert.

  152. rq says

    Tony
    I have your fudge brownie covered.
    Oh, and while not quite a carrot cake, I do have a recipe for a spice-type cake that might suit you non-fancy-dessert fans out there. What am I saying, I just laid out my entire dessert menu above. Pick and choose.

  154. The Mellow Monkey: Singular They says

    Who’s on dessert?

    My dessert specialties are sea-salt caramel popcorn, cream puffs with homemade custard topped in caramel drizzles, flan de leche and…well, I’m starting to see a pattern here.

  156. dianne says

    Does anyone else do italian cream cake? It’s one of my favorite non-chocolate desserts and I never get to make it because the recipe is simply too large for the number of people available to eat it around here. Also, chocolate chip cookies.

  157. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    Caramel….drooool.
    Fudge brownie…drooool.

    rq: I request a peach pie with almond crumble topping. Thanks :)

  158. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    Caramel…. yummmmmmmm. I love caramel much more than chocolate. I’m not anti-chocolate, just not a huge fan. I must be part alien.

  159. dianne says

    Also, Kirche Kruemelkuchen. Same problem. Needs a group of at least 10-20 to be worth making.

  160. says

    Also, chocolate chip cookies.

    warm, out of the oven, with some vanilla Ice Cream…wait, I’m on drinks. Screw the Ice Cream. I’m fixing Bushwackers made with ice cream. For those that don’t know, Bushwackers are frozen drinks prepared with a vanilla flavored powder mix (and water). You add creme de cacao (light or dark), rum, and kahlua. Vanilla ice cream can be subbed for the powder for an even tastier drink.

    ****

    If we invite PZ, I wonder what he’ll cook…

  163. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    When I die I want to be transported to a Viennese coffee house for all eternity.

  166. says

    Morgan:
    LOL. Probably not :)

    ****
    on a different note, this is something I’ve seen around here in the past, and I don’t know what it means. From SallyStrange in the stupid questions thread:

    Inequalities against women qua women exist.
    Inequalities against men qua men do not.

    What does the ‘qua’ mean? I feel dumb. As if this is something I should know, or is so obvious that I’m missing it.

  167. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    Tony!
    Ever been in a coffee house in Vienna? The pastries are beyond heavenly and the coffee is dark and rich (and not burnt like Starbuck’s). Phooey, I need to go to Europe again. Haven’t been in the longest time.

  168. The Mellow Monkey: Singular They says

    Tony!

    What are these cream puffs you speak of?

    Basically like an eclair, only ball shaped instead of long. It’s a very light, puffy dough that’s baked and usually ends up forming a nice big hollow in the middle because of all the air. I make a hole in the top and pipe in the custard filling, then close it again and drizzle on the caramel. It has a different consistency from a filled doughnut.

  169. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    I’m glad Tony brought up the bad pun first so I didn’t have to. :)

    I mainly make fruit cakes (go on, Crip Dyke, do your best) or crumbles, variations on chocolate cake and cookies.
    I’ll just eat if you are all fine with that, but I volunteer to make something nice from the leftovers when everyone rests the day after the first feast.

  173. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    Tony:
    It’s Latin. It has an extra connotation beyond its literal translation, the way a lot of Latin phrases do. It sort of because “Inequalities against women because they are women.”
    Make a little more sense?

    rq:
    Emphatically, yes.

  174. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    (Please, anyone, correct my Latin explanations if I’m off).

  175. Portia (aka Smokey the Advocate) says

    *It sort of means, not sort of because. Sheesh. I should get back to work and make typos in documents, not comments.: /

  176. dianne says

    Does the news recently make anyone else want to simply climb into the internet and make (or eat) desserts all day? Because I’d really like to right now.

  177. opposablethumbs says

    inequities against women qua women = against women not for being (any other qualities they happen to have, such as short/tall/French/working-class/blue-eyed women etc) but specifically and just for being women, irrespective of those other qualities.

    I hope PZ brings the non-sapient seafood. We could have shrimp, right?

  178. says

    dianne, I hear you loud and clear. Between the current Aged Parental stress and the horrible news of the world, it’s been Eat All The Things time, all the time.

    Also, hugs if you want ’em.

  179. dianne says

    Thanks, Anne! Hugs back to you, if wanted. Sorry you’re having parental stress on top of everything.

  180. says

    My guy came by! Thank fuck for dudes who deliver (in my case, one of my son’s friends since they were 13).

    An end to pukeyness – well, for ten days or so, til I run out again, but that’s so far in the future I can’t imagine it. One of the things about poverty is how it shortens your horizons so much: I hear news items bemoaning people who aren’t saving enough for their retirement, and I just have to laugh, because the biggest savings qua savings I ever managed was $200, once. Retirement is for rich people.

    Loving the talk of a big Loungey meal. I can make killer honey-garlic wings, with my very own recipe. Take a bunch of honey and garlic, mix ’em, spread it on the chicken wings, and cook ’em til they’re cooked. Also goes nicely on tofu, for those who prefer a meatless version.

  182. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    Mellow Monkey,

    cream puffs with homemade custard topped in caramel drizzles

    Want!

  183. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    I know what I wanna make. Remember those big fluffy biscuits that you can get in some restaurants but can’t seem to duplicate at home? Well, I have the secret, but I’m not telling. And I’m going to make a huge pan of ’em and serve ’em warm with honey butter made with sage honey and very fresh sweet butter. Enjoy!

  185. rq says

    CaitieCat
    *fluffy hugs*

    dianne
    Yup. Especially desserts with cream and/or condensed milk. Or heck, just the cream and condensed milk, thank you. Never mind the honey.

    Morgan
    I’m not sure I know which biscuits you’re talking about, but yours sound melt-wateringly mouthy.
    Or, you know. :)

    +++

    This is the age of miracles and wonder,
    A loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires and bay-beh.

  186. Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says

    For dessert, I suggest splicing my lasagna-structure fixation with the ingredients of s’mores….

  190. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    With all the food talk and remembering that Nutella chocolate cake I ate on Sunday, I am now crawing pancakes with Nutella.

  192. Morgan!? Militant Pacifist says

    I have to confess that I have never tasted Nutella. This must be remedied.

  193. rq says

    Morgan
    Nutella is pretty much the elixir of the gods. Some here may try to convince you otherwise, but they are wrong, wrong, wrong.

  196. dianne says

    I suggest splicing my lasagna-structure fixation with the ingredients of s’mores…

    I like this plan. I know where to get really good graham crackers.

  198. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @everyone, on the occasion of new knowledge of Beatrice, #169/669
    <blockquote
    I mainly make fruit cakes

    wherein she revealed that her off-line identity is either Honoré [see, for example, one of his creations here, or Echidna [see, for example, one of her creations here].

    Of course, there is one more possibility, someone who created one of the most famous collections of fruitcakes in the world…

  199. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    .. I don’t get it.
    But that monster sure is cute.

    In the last case… Well, we are all PZ’s sockpuppets, everyone knows that.

  200. rq says

    The Simon (and Garfunkel) from the playlist seems to be sticking in the mind tonight. For instance, I was also mystified by this:
    Yes, we speak of things that matter
    With words that must be said:
    Can analysis be worthwhile?
    Is the theatre really dead?

  202. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    analysis = psychoanalysis.

    He’s not connecting the lines between analysis and theater/theatre. Those lines are independent examples of words that must be spoken on topics that matter.

  203. carlie says

    On Nutella: I tried to give some to a class of freshmen once, during a section about food. None of them would try it. I couldn’t believe it. Not that I wasn’t happy to then have the whole jar to myself, but they were all nope, never heard of it, won’t try it. I was all BUT IT IS FOOD OF THE GODS. Nope.

    Best thing to eat Nutella with – a spoon.

    On pies: I can make a damned good crust. It’s just my fillings that need work. So I’ll make crusts and someone else can fill them.

    ::wonders what greens n beans soup is::

    The easiest and bestest soup. White beans of some sort, kale/spinach, onion, good broth.

  204. Beatrice, an amateur cynic looking for a happy thought says

    carlie,

    You can just slap some marmelade or slices of [insert fruit] in there, I live for the crusts.

  205. rq says

    Crip Dyke
    Oh, I know that – it’s still a weird combination of lines. To me.

    Wes
    Thanks, I’ll have to try that sometime. :)

    carlie
    I can help you with the filling, too – classic: 4 apples, chopped; 1/4 cup flour; 1/2 cup sugar (pref. brown); juice of 1 lemon (or half, if it’s a huge one); teaspoon each: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger; some salt; stick inside crust, bake. :) Can add handfuls of cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, and/or plums. Pretty much never fails.

  206. rq says

    Also, 4 apples can be kind of much, so adjust for size of crust, and downscale other ingredients (not necessarily with mathematical precision).

  207. rq says

    Also, can add nuts, and my sister swears by adding a good, strong cheddar (though not too much), grated. Haven’t tried it myself, though.

  208. says

    Here’s a Moment of Mormon Madness that is revealing. Some mormon women have been getting uppity lately, demanding more leadership roles and whatnot. As a result, feminism has been a major topic among mormons.

    So what do the mormon leaders in the United Kingdom and Ireland do? They advertise a meeting for all “Europe Area Sisters” and they have only male speakers. The poster itself, all pastel silliness in a horrific display of graphic design ineptitude, is an insult to women.

    http://lds.org.uk/sisters-meeting-broadcast

  210. says

    @208

    Did anyone else catch the irony of the sisters broadcast? All the speakers are male. (Where did I leave that weapons grade facepalm?)

  211. Desert Son, OM says

    Buenas tardes, Lounge,

    I need to let go of the idea that—even were I to visit hourly—I can keep up with all that transpires in the Lounge (much less Pharyngula, much less FtB). Instead, I tender apologies that I miss so much. I’m not saying no one can keep up, but I find it beyond my power, at least.

    Ever have one of those days when so caught up in other things that forgot to do the number 1 item on the to do list—in this case, ring pharmacy to refill prescription—until 10 minutes before pharmacy closes?

    “Every day takes figuring out all over again, how to fucking live.” -Jane Canary, HBO’s Deadwood, 2005

    So, greetings and cheers to all. Rather than futilely fight the wave of *threadrupt* I seem to surf in perpetuity, I’m just going to try and send a few messages in corked bottles of special digital glass that are totally biodegradable and not at all destined to shatter and harm beach-goer feet, or litter the waters, or choke and injure other life. In general I try to type post numbers, but I don’t necessarily have post numbers for some of these.

    ****

    Dalillama:

    Hope this finds you well. I took a break for some months due to many other commitments, and with apologies for my lack of information, I was wondering if your Weird West GURPS game was still active, and if so how it is going? Also how are work and school?

    ****

    sueinnm:

    Late to reading, but wanted to echo others and offer another voice saying you are not alone.

    I offer a *hug* if you want it, or a *stands in quiet solidarity with* if you want it, or both if you prefer.

    ****

    WMDKitty at #90:

    I figured something out today.

    Part of my mental illness?

    Not believing that I, and by extension my problems, are worth attention.

    Thank you for posting this. This is also something I have had to learn about my mental illness, as well. *stands in quiet solidarity with,* if you want it.

    ****

    Good wishes to all. Talk to you soon.

    Still learning,

    Robert

  212. carlie says

    Robert – I love seeing your writing no matter the frequency or coverage. :)

    So we’re getting a house insulation estimate tomorrow, and I’m a-scared. We won’t be able to afford it in any case (turns out we just miss the cutoff for federal subsidies), but at least we’ll know what we’re looking at. Have been putting it off for not wanting to know the scope of the problem. Eek.

  213. says

    dianne, thank you, and yes, please, I appreciate the hug. We’re in the midst of an Aged Mum financial crisis, on top of her usual needs. Come to think of it, I should call BiL who is working through the reverse mortgage application process, and see if he’s made any progress.

    Desert Son, yeppers, I have those days a lot. Usually they start with failing to execute all the steps in the making of morning tea. I’ve considered doing a flowchart and posting it in the kitchen, but I’d just forget to read it. Anyway, I offer hugs, and the hope that things improve for you soon.

    I’m working on a Very Silly Project, but I have to wait for the glue to dry on the dowels before I can go on to the next stage, so I think I’ll just hang around here for a bit. Cup of tea, anyone? I have various leaded, unleaded and herbal varieties.

  215. says

    I have been slow in coming back, but I want to thank everyone again, so much, for being sympathetic. Sometimes it helps just to know there are other people who understand how bad it can get when you have a severe mental illness, that you’re not an alien creature for feeling the way you do.

    Since I continually forget how to block quote:

    CaitieCat, I actually lived in Ontario for three years. I am married to a French Canadian who still has his accent but is fluent in colloquial English. In the end, coming from California, I couldn’t take the winters! Now that I live in NM, I wish it would snow more. I appreciate the offer!

    RQ, Anne, Rob, Beatrice, thank you. Morgan, Toska, and Brony, thank you. Brony, New Mexico is a state with very few specialists and long waiting lists to see them. I have been looking for a psychopharmacologist to help me with mymeds and there is ONE in Albuquerque who only works at the VA. No others with that specialty in the state. I am now trying, with the help of my sisters in CA, to find someone with similar experience here. If not, my sisters, one of who is a clinical social worker, are going to fly me out there to see someone whom they hope can supervise me remotely after I’ve seen him/her a few times. The thing is, my husband’s employer switched to a much worse insurance (United Health Care) just before Obamacare was to begin taking effect, and a large number of doctors refuse to take it. WE also have a $3,000 family deductible, which means it’s all me since my husband is healthy as a horse. It’s really hard to negotiate the system, as you said.

    I am very lucky to have a family who are willing to actually help me not only emotionally but financially. I feel better today because I know I have help, someone guiding me so I’m not doing it all on my own.

    Chimera, Dalillama, Cicely–yes, I accept remote hugs, sometimes they’re a little less scary–and Wes, thank you. Wes, I so understand. When I go through suicidal periods, though, I’m selfish enough not to care how it will hurt others. Sometimes, I feel as if I want to punish them. That’s a big part of my illness, serious anger issues. It’s probably what I find most shameful of all my issues, because we’re taught that anger is wrong and mine all too often gets out of control (not enough to hurt anyone, but it causes recklessness and lashing out if I feel I’m being belittled or ignored.) I know that I can never, never have a gun anywhere near me, because there are times when I literally get out of control mentally and am unable to be rational.

    Tony, thank you. I always enjoy reading your comments even though I seldom comment myself.

    I have never spent a lot of time in the lounge but think I’ll do so more now. I need to get to know people, though.

    As far as desserts go, I make very good cheesecakes.

  216. cicely says

    For starters: No Means Force
    (Hat-tip to Making Light
    –
    rq:

    Apparently, I am an imbecile. *sigh*

    Nope.
    We’d’ve noticed.
    You simply don’t have the symptoms.
    –
    Esteleth:

    Plainly, what needs to happen is for the Spokesgay to cook while the Queer Shoop brings boozes.

    I agree.
    A Motion has been placed before the Committee.
    Show of hands, those in favor?
     
    And I promise to Stay Out Of The Kitchen.
    (It’s for the best. Truly.)
     
    (Well…I can do a yummy black olive and bacon and cream cheese dip/sandwich spread…provided I rigorously follow the recipe.)
    –
    Pteryxx:

    Breaking news via MSNBC television – crowds in Gaza celebrating on the streets, as Israel and Hamas have brokered a new, open-ended, cease-fire.

    Long may it wave.
    But cynicism suggests that chances of that are poor.
    –
    CaitieCat:

    One of the things about poverty is how it shortens your horizons so much: I hear news items bemoaning people who aren’t saving enough for their retirement, and I just have to laugh, because the biggest savings qua savings I ever managed was $200, once. Retirement is for rich people.

    I hear ya, loud and clear! Like, “What is this “re-tie-er-mint” of which they speak?”
    One day, I expect to envy people who live in cardboard boxes.
     
    Meanwhile, enjoy All Meds Available!
    :)
     
    (Later)
    “Sweet and savioury“???
    Is this you talking, or All Meds Available?
    –
    Morgan !?:

    I know what I wanna make. Remember those big fluffy biscuits that you can get in some restaurants but can’t seem to duplicate at home? Well, I have the secret, but I’m not telling. And I’m going to make a huge pan of ‘em and serve ‘em warm with honey butter made with sage honey and very fresh sweet butter. Enjoy!

    Tony!:

    I suspect the following will be the same reaction many others have: YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMYY!

    me:
    *whimpering and broken-hearted sobs*
    –
    Nutella is Made of Awesome. It makes a great frosting for a chocolate cake.
    (I don’t suspect that it goes well with Miracle Whip™, though.)
    –

  217. Esteleth is Groot says

    A request has been made for the seagull recipe. It is as follows:

    (1) Clean and dress one seagull.
    (2) Place in a pot and cover with water.
    (3) Boil briskly.
    (4) Keep adding water as necessary to keep the bird covered with water.
    (5) When the water is grey and there’s an oily sheen on top of the water, dump the water out and refill the pot.
    (6) Repeat steps (3) through (5) twice more.
    (7) Take a brick small enough to fit in the cavity of the bird and place it inside.
    (8) Place bird and brick in a broiling pan and broil at 400 F.
    (9) Periodically check progress until the brick is soft.
    (10) When the brick is soft, throw the bird away and eat the brick, as it probably will taste better.