Pharyngula

Posted by: Katrina, radicales féministes athées | July 25, 2010 12:10 AM

I love this video. But it doesn't explain PYGMIES + DWARFS or GOATS ON FIRE!

Posted by: MrFire | July 25, 2010 12:11 AM

This comment made for no other reason than to be early in the thread.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 25, 2010 12:13 AM

But what about Teh Menz?

Posted by: Pygmy Loris | July 25, 2010 12:15 AM

John M,

Joints are rolled using regular sized rolling papers (the same kind you would use for a hand-rolled cigarette). No one I know puts anything other than pure pot in a joint. Blunts are made using an empty cigar tube. I have heard that you cut the cigar open and remove half the tobacco, then you replace it with pot and seal that sucker up. This is done with both full-size cigars and things like cigarillos. I have never heard of a blunt without tobacco in it (that would be a lot of pot if you take out all of the tobacco!).

Like I said, I don't smoke pot, though I will not comment on my younger days. This is just what my friends do. Perhaps the nomenclature is different elsewhere.

Warning, this comment contains a link to tvtropes!

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | July 25, 2010 12:17 AM

But what about Teh Menz?

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-HA!

You owe me a keyboard, batch.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 12:18 AM

Pygmy Loris:

I have heard that you cut the cigar open and remove half the tobacco, then you replace it with pot and seal that sucker up.

That practice started as a way to avoid getting busted if pulled over by the cops, frinst., and having what looked like cigars in your vehicle/house/whatever.

I've never known anyone to mix tobacco & weed in a joint. That doesn't mean some people don't do that, of course.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 12:20 AM

Please tell me that was this person:

Some things can not be explained by science. Take for example, rainbows. Rainbows are a mystery and you can not touch them, just like god. Despite this fact, they are still there even though there is no scientific explanation for them. So next time you find yourself doubting your faith, think of god as a rainbow. I know that this can be a difficult concept for some of you to grasp. It is just like air you can't see it but you know its there

It would greatly sadden me if there were more than one of these people out there.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 25, 2010 12:23 AM

I hate to disappoint you, Feynmaniac, but there are actually A LOT of those people out there. Where are you that you manage not to run into them on a daily basis?

Posted by: James F | July 25, 2010 12:24 AM

#14

*Quickly slips in the Auto-Tune version*

Posted by: Pygmy Loris | July 25, 2010 12:26 AM

Caine,

Thanks for that tidbit. I had no idea. :)

Anyway, good night all. I must away to bed.

Posted by: Andyo | July 25, 2010 12:29 AM

#17, Now that is what auto-tune is FOR!

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 12:34 AM

I hate to disappoint you, Feynmaniac, but there are actually A LOT of those people out there. Where are you that you manage not to run into them on a daily basis?

Canada.

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 25, 2010 12:43 AM

A month and a half ago I saw a patch of rainbow in a wispy cloud shaped like a pair of angel wings. Never seen any rainbow like that before, so it made me curious how it worked. Apparently they're called sun dogs. (The second external link on Wikipedia has some good photos of what I was seeing.) And since I was in the Bible Belt at the time, I wondered how many other people were looking at it and thinking it was some religious sign.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Caine (#790)

What would be really helpful...would be more support from anti-smokers on alternatives such as E-cigs, and help from that side on keeping them legal.

If you have any specific suggestions regarding e-cig support, please do share. Naturally, my vote will already go in favor of e-cigs (just like I was against the completely usless law here criminalizing smoking near building entrances).

~*~*~*~*~*~

Pygmy Loris (#769)

So the choice between not breathing and having smokers all switch to non-cigarette nicotine sources is a false dichotomy. It is.

Which is where it goes into comparitive quality of life issues, which is what I'm trying (and apparently failing) to focus on. Me not being dead isn't an acceptable line, and not smoking won't kill smokers, either. Where do the conflicting quality of life issues for a smoker take precedence over the quality of life issues for an athsmatic? (And if you don't want to get into this, this is the last I'll say of it to you.)

(#800)

Sometimes I feel irrationally cheated having English as a first language.

Same, and then my lazy nature makes me glad I didn't have to learn English as as second language after all. Especially the damn verbs.

(#804)

I'm feeling kinda bad about our little tiff here. I really like you, and don't want there to be any hard feelings.

Tsk, no apologies needed. (I hope the same goes for me.) I like to argue and people here are good to argue with. You'd have to congratulate yourself for winning an argument after consistently misrepresenting what I say in order to earn my hard feelings.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 12:52 AM

Speaking of stupid, this thread is one for The Persecution Files.

Posted by: Glen Davidson | July 25, 2010 12:58 AM

I'm pretty sure that it's either God promising never to send another sprinkler to idiots like this woman, or, more likely, he's gay.

And, if 20 years ago this didn't happen, the water there must have been hideously polluted.

Glen Davidson

Posted by: John Morales | July 25, 2010 1:03 AM

andrew h,

i don't know how i didn't notice it earlier, since i've been here a week. pondered the meaning of it for about 60 seconds, reflected on old days, resisted a disgusting temptation, and dropped it in the trash.

I really hope you're not alluding to any orifices.

Posted by: Chgo_Liz | July 25, 2010 1:04 AM

James @ #17:

That was excellent!

cicely:

So sorry to hear about the loss of your kitty. Here's a hug from me too.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 1:06 AM

Speaking of stupid, this thread is one for The Persecution Files.

Ah yes, that one. I mean it's not enough that I have six bibles, I see bible quotes where ever I go, I get offered a bible when I go to school, I get a bible passage when I go to pride, there's bible quotes on my hamburger, fries, shopping bag, and cup, it's persecution if the bible isn't on my mind at all times.

Oh and do warn us when directing us to Rapture Ready, Caine. I need some wine before facing the amount of stupid there.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 1:14 AM

Gyeong Hwa:

Oh and do warn us when directing us to Rapture Ready, Caine. I need some wine before facing the amount of stupid there.

I'm sorry, I should have known better! RR is a blackhole of stupid.

Ah yes, that one. I mean it's not enough that I have six bibles, I see bible quotes where ever I go, I get offered a bible when I go to school, I get a bible passage when I go to pride, there's bible quotes on my hamburger, fries, shopping bag, and cup, it's persecution if the bible isn't on my mind at all times.

QFT. Yet, according to the raptureheads, xianity is always a mere breath away from being illegalized. They take anyone refusing a bible or tract as major persecution and a solid sign that it soon be illegal to be a xian. It's difficult to find a sinkhole filled with more stupidity than RR.

Posted by: the Turtle Hypatia | July 25, 2010 1:30 AM

@cicely: Belated condolences on the loss of Midnight. Hugs from one cat owner(?) to another.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 1:42 AM

Bus driver claims abortion views led to his firing

A former bus driver has sued the Capital Area Rural Transportation System, charging that the nine-county transit service discriminated against him based on his religion when he was fired for refusing to drive a woman to a Planned Parenthood clinic in January.

Edwin Graning, who was hired as a driver on April 1, 2009, was “concerned that he might be transporting a client to undergo an abortion” when he was assigned to transport two women to Planned Parenthood, according to his lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Austin.

Graning is seeking re-instatement, back pay and undisclosed damages for pain, suffering and emotion distress. He is represented by lawyers from the American Center for Law & Justice, founded by evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 1:50 AM

Hmmm, http://vigilantcitizen.com/ is a serious sinkhole of stupid, occult meanings are embedded everywhere!

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 2:01 AM

I think this quote sums up Rapture Ready nicely:

That's the beauty of Heaven... we can leave our brains behind.

And with that I'm off to bed. Night all.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 2:06 AM

Bus driver claims abortion views led to his firing

Or it could be that you didn't do your job.

But here's something, Planned Parenthood offers more than just abortion. They provide many health care options, especially for women. I personally have used their service and am not ashamed to admit it either (no matter how much you try to slut shame me with pictures of the Virgin Mary).

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 2:26 AM

It's been a while since I read FSTDT, however, this one, holy cow, all kinds of nasty:

When my boys were in public school, one little gay wanted to hug my son. In this school all the students were hugging each other, due to the fact that the school was being run by women and they forced the boys to hug each other. My boy told him to get lost, so the gay grabbed my son and hugged him. My boy punched him in the mouth. (I raise my boys good). Of course the girls running the school immediately kicked my son out. Even after my son said he was sexually assaulted. So I told my other son to do the same thing the gay did to his brother, to a girl there. Guess what. The feminazi kicked him out too. I homeschool my boys now. The poor boys who have to go to these schools need to protect themselves all they can against these predators who won't take no for an answer.

This was a comment on this article from The Advocate.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 2:44 AM

When my boys were in public school, one little gay wanted to hug my son.

That's just stupid. Conflating hugs with feminine with homosexuality with inferiority: Wow.

1. Hugs are not feminine. In some society hugs are masculine.
2. There is nothing wrong with being feminine.
3. Being feminine and male doesn't make you gay.
4. There is nothing wrong with a feminine gay male either.

My boy told him to get lost, so the gay grabbed my son and hugged him. My boy punched him in the mouth. (I raise my boys good).

So when your son is in prison for multiple assault or murder even, we know who to thank.

So I told my other son to do the same thing the gay did to his brother, to a girl there. Guess what. The feminazi kicked him out too.

So you're raising a rapist too?

The poor boys who have to go to these schools need to protect themselves all they can against these predators who won't take no for an answer.

Are you saying all boys should be violent potential rapists?

Posted by: rippingrich | July 25, 2010 3:00 AM

I thing I know,Americans make for interesting entertainment.
It's one big crazy ass experiment gone bad.

Posted by: DLC | July 25, 2010 4:03 AM

hm... new Atheist retort: "God?" Screens or STFU"

Posted by: kev_s | July 25, 2010 4:20 AM

Rainbows are caused by light leaking through from other quantum dimensions. They are associated with water because, as very fool know, when homoeopathic cures are repeatedly diluted they leave an impression in the water (at the quantum level of course). Over time, the accumulation of all these dislocations in the fabric of the water causes our space-time itself to rupture allowing the light in from other parallel dimensions. The rainbows are curved because homoeopathic remedies are always shaken in containers that have a curved surface and this is remembered by the space-time dislocation when it forms. It is imperative that we stop making homoeopathic remedies right now else the entire universe will fragment and be consumed by a population explosion of rainbows that will be impossible to control.

Posted by: KG | July 25, 2010 4:35 AM

Rainbows are caused by the horn of the Invisible Pink Unicorn (Praise Her Holy Hooves), cleaving spacetime and thus spreading the light. The time of her Appearance is nigh, so the number of rainbows has increased. Simple.

Posted by: Cody Lawson | July 25, 2010 4:50 AM

I think the biggerest question to ask is what are our oozing toxins doing on the other side of the rainbow? Everyone knows rainbows are beautiful on one side, but what are they on the other? Evidence points us to evil and horrible, just like Mel Gibson. One side is loving, caring, and sort of romantic; while the other tries visciously to kill his enemies. I just pray we can all accept rainbows for their true selves before Mel can assert his wrath on such abomidable occurences. Mel has much acceptance in the old testament versions of The Patriot, Braveheart, Signs, and the LW series, but once he obtains new information he goes crazy and kills everyone. That is the ultimate sacrifice to America in this rainbow infested nation of do-gooding finger-pointing yet fervently shame stroking citizens. May the otherside of the rainbow smite you evil-doers!!!!

Oh and being drunk and still reading good wholesome science/atheist material at 4:37 (4:49 now after way too much editing) = good times. I love you guys :)

Posted by: KG | July 25, 2010 5:12 AM

I was disappointed that the deep thinker in the video did not remark on the threat to our precious bodily fluids.

Posted by: Travis | July 25, 2010 5:20 AM

and this video, I really hope it is a joke. I just, I am shocked by it. And that is rare. This person does not sound young, how did they never notice this before when growing up?

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 6:18 AM

This person does not sound young, how did they never notice this before when growing up?

This person is not sane. And I mean sane as in mentally healthy. I believe that in this case it's the American mental health care system we should be blaming, not this person and not her education (though that may have contributed too, I don't know).

It's just sad. I can't help feeling sorry for her.

Posted by: John Morales | July 25, 2010 6:49 AM

Now I feel bad for the person in question

I can't help feeling sorry for her.

Making fun of/feeling superior to someone who is clearly an untreated full-blown schizophrenic (yes, she is. Look at her other videos, look at the things she writes) is pretty weak.

--

Yes, yes. I feel sorry for her too.

--

There. Can we resume the ridicule now?

Posted by: Haruhiist | July 25, 2010 7:51 AM

@Caine, Fleur du Mal, #11:

Sorry to drag this up so late in the thread, but this looks to be a cultural thing.

Where I'm from (Netherlands), as well as what I know from Spain and the UK, a joint contains mostly tobacco and a little weed or hash, and is usually made with extra large paper. I've never seen anything done with cigars or cigarillos.

At least in NL, a stickie is what you would call a joint, made from small paper. I think, but I'm not sure, that a 'stickie' needs to be lit constantly if made with soft hash, thus the practice of using tobacco as well.

Furthermore, stickies with only weed or hash are thought of as too strong for most casual smokers, as you get the thc very concentrated.

Posted by: MosesZD | July 25, 2010 8:29 AM

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show

The other technique relied on DNA profiles, stored in law enforcement databases as a series of numbers and letters corresponding to variations at 13 spots in a person’s genome.

From a pooled sample of many people’s DNA, the scientists cloned tiny DNA snippets representing the common variants at each spot, creating a library of such snippets. To prepare a DNA sample matching any profile, they just mixed the proper snippets together. They said that a library of 425 different DNA snippets would be enough to cover every conceivable profile.

I guess we shouldn't have taught our daughter how to make DNA for the science fair... Next thing we'll know, she'll be on America's Most Wanted...

Posted by: llewelly | July 25, 2010 8:50 AM

Rainbows are caused by evil atheists, who steal the pure white light of God and use the strength of Satan to shatter it. The colors are the purity of angels, broken.

Posted by: MosesZD | July 25, 2010 9:17 AM

Mooney is revisiting the Tom Johnson fiasco. I finally decided to say something. I bet it doesn't get through seeing as he has such a sensitive skin:

The problem, as I see it Chris, wasn't the liar that caused this problem. It was your jumping for some sort of confirmation of YOUR strawman arguments about the so-called "New Atheists."

And, just so you know, I think your position is bunk because it is a capitulation to second-class status. What you say to us New Athiests is the same thing said to the black-man for a hundred years after the civil war. The same, functionally equivalent, thing that Martin Luther King addresses in so many of his speeches -- the PEACE OF SUBJUGATION AND IN-EQUALITY.

That's your accommodationist peace. That's what the accommodationist white liberals, whom MLK railed against, many times, wanted. They'd sympathize with what he was doing, but would not help him in the cause. Because PEACE was more important than Justice.

...and Jesus looked at them and said, in no uncertain terms, "Brethren, I come not to bring peace, but a sword." He didn't mean, "I come to bring a physical sword. He didn't mean, "I come not to bring positive peace." What Jesus is saying, "I come not to bring this old negative peace which makes for deadening passivity and stagnant complacently. And whenever I come a conflict is precipitated between the old and the new. (Yes) Whenever I come, (Yes) there is a lashing out between justice and injustice. (Yes) Whenever I come, (Yes) there is a division between the forces of light and the forces of darkness." (Yes) Peace is not merely the absence of tension, but it is the presence of justice. (Yes) [applause] And the peace which existed at that time was a negative, obnoxious peace devoid of any positive meaning.

And that is accommodationist result. You want PEACE. You think, magically, things will get better. You ignore at least 100 years of American history that say things won't.

If blacks didn't fight for equal rights, they'd still be living as third-class citizens. If women didn't fight for equal rights, they'd still be the chattel of their husbands without the right to vote. If unions didn't fight for the right to organize, we'd still be slaves to the Company Store. At no time in history do those in power surrender their privilege without discord.

And I'm not going to shut up until I can go to my grandchildren's graduations and not be subject to illegal commencement prayers. When my grandchildren can go to public schools and not be harassed by teachers e-mailing Christian prayers and parables while using "search-and-replace" to remove God and Jesus and replace those words with "a wiseman." Where if you don't pray to the Flag, you're un-American. Where if you don't have a church when the teacher is asking people what faith they were, (which happened to my younger daughter in 5th grade), you're ostracized.

Of course, I guess it's just your being young. You lack of relevent experience about the crappy way things were before you became semi-aware. You grew up after the upheavals of the 60's. You didn't march on any lines. You weren't, like I was, forced to see the evil of your "peace." To see how your belief in societal "peace" was a tool used by those who wish to oppress others through social pressure.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 25, 2010 9:33 AM

Rainbows are just a tool of the evil homosexual agenda used to lure our children into mass drug fueled orgies.

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, Quel Dommage | July 25, 2010 9:41 AM

Rainbows are just a tool of the evil homosexual agenda used to lure our children into mass drug fueled orgies.

I didn't know this. I live such a sheltered life.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | July 25, 2010 9:47 AM

Rev. BDC:

Rainbows are just a tool of the evil homosexual agenda used to lure our children into mass drug fueled orgies.

Aren't there Christians out there that are angry that TEH GHEYZ!!1! co-opted the rainbow?

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 25, 2010 9:55 AM

Aren't there Christians out there that are angry that TEH GHEYZ!!1! co-opted the rainbow?

Yeah that sounds familiar

GIVE US OUR RAINBOWS BACK!!

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 10:09 AM

Aren't there Christians out there that are angry that TEH GHEYZ!!1! co-opted the rainbow?

I remember some Christian saying somewhere (can't remember) that Teh Gheys were bringing the apocalypse because they stole the symbol of God's promise of never flooding the Earth again, or something like that. Now God would be forced to break his promise (?) by flooding the Earth again (but now for realz), thereby ending the world.

No, it didn't make any sense.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 25, 2010 10:17 AM

It appears the whole Rainbow issue has spawned a facebook page as well.

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 10:24 AM

Jadehawk

hi, I'm back; and I absolutely refuse to catch upon 2 weeks of Pharyngula. Anything really interesting happened while I was gone?

Welcome back. Nope, nothing happened while you were gone.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | July 25, 2010 10:28 AM

Re #49:

(Cringes...)

That's... truly awful. To borrow a phrase: what chance do these kids have?

(/Also, correct response to this, if you're in the thread at the right time: 'Aww, man, that's just terrible... C'mere and let me give ya a hug, big fella...')

Posted by: Moggie | July 25, 2010 10:30 AM

#88:

hi, I'm back; and I absolutely refuse to catch upon 2 weeks of Pharyngula. Anything really interesting happened while I was gone?

We realised Mooney was right all along, and we're all accommodationists now. Do you have a set of pearls?

Posted by: JackC | July 25, 2010 10:34 AM

My TV just started doing this very thing yesterday. See - it is the hottest (normally unoccupied) room of the house. The spouse went up and turned on the AC, then turned on the TV.

OK - it is kind of old - a 42" projection LCD unit - been great for the past 9 or so years, but apparently they used cheaper audio amps for the video drivers.

The hot run of the amp combined with the 100+ temp in the room has caused the drivers to misalign. The result is....

RAINBOWS!

So - it is easy to follow - one does not use a water sprinkler unless it is hot outside - QED - so it is rather obvious that the colour drivers for her sprinkler need replacing and possibly, aligning as well. It shouldn't cost more than perhaps $450 to accomplish.

JC

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 10:36 AM

Thanks Moggie, forgot that part. Also, PZ and kw*k have made up and PZ bought him a Leica; ma*us is the new system admin for Seed.

Posted by: MrFire | July 25, 2010 10:39 AM

Welcome back. Nope, nothing happened while you were gone.

Yep. Absolutely boring and eventless.

*innocent whistling*

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | July 25, 2010 10:42 AM

To add to the list of things that happened while Jadehawk was gone:

MrFire thought he brought home a beautiful baby Fire from the hospital, but she turned out to be a Godzilla monster.

He is currently apologizing to everyone in his neighborhood and fending off attacks from Mothra.

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 10:52 AM

Mmmm, yes... bring on the young men that I can corrupt!

I suddenly have an image of a small room and a large bed, ODS leading in a coffle of Pharyngula virgins...and right there I resolutely turn my mind's eye to something else.
(humming the Gilligan's tune)

Posted by: Weed Monkey | July 25, 2010 11:10 AM

Mmmm, yes... bring on the young men that I can corrupt!

*feverishly trying to regain virginity*

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 11:13 AM

Welcome back, Jadehawk!

You missed the STRIKE.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | July 25, 2010 11:22 AM

JeffreyD:

I suddenly have an image of a small room and a large bed, ODS leading in a coffle of Pharyngula virgins...

I can dig this.

Get in line, boys!

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 11:34 AM

Dania - plenty of Pharynvirginuls to go around, my dear. :^}

Posted by: otrame | July 25, 2010 11:37 AM

Having read the list of things that happened while Jadehawk was Busy Elsewhere, I have to say. I love you all. All of you.

And I am sober and it's 10 am. Go figure.

Posted by: Givesgoodemail | July 25, 2010 11:38 AM

To hell with rainbows!

What about the children...at Home Depot???

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 11:43 AM

ODS:

you can be my tag-team partner.

Awesome. I'm in.

Posted by: AreUNorml | July 25, 2010 11:59 AM

in the Netherlands, pot is often smoked as a mixture with tobacco. I did not care for it; I prefer my weed pure. it definitely makes the locals raise an eyebrow.

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 25, 2010 12:15 PM

OurDeadSelves (#80)

Friends?

Yes, indeedy. And I shall endeavor to reserve my visible wrath for the obvious asshole smokers like the dumbasses who take over a bus shelter and complain at top volume about how unfair it is they've gotten tickets for doing that before (which I have seen more than once). Perhaps I'll also print up some mini informational fliers about e-cigs to offer to smokers trying to be courteous, too.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 25, 2010 12:23 PM

I hear there is going to be an auction of uncorrupted young Pharyngula men, and I'm wondering if I can phone in my bids. Yes, "bids" plural. The vibrating lingerie given to me so long ago by Smoggy Batzrubble has finally ceased to function, and I need a substitute. (Okay, I stole that lingerie from Smoggy's basement, but that's another story.)

Regarding rainbows, I once worked in a company in which the graphics department was run by a god-fearing, woo-soaked, well-educated woman. (I know, cognitive dissonance overload.) She once told me that, as an artist, she would be unable to properly depict light in her paintings and in her graphic art projects if she reduced light to a scientific explanation. This subject came up when she pointed out a rainbow outside her office window and I started to explain the science behind it. She said she'd gotten this far as an artist by ignoring explanations for rainbows and she didn't want the wonder and the mystery ruined now.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 25, 2010 12:33 PM

Josh as a straight mormon missionary just doesn't interest me. I want a divorce.

Posted by: llewelly | July 25, 2010 12:53 PM

Lynna, OM | July 25, 2010 12:33 PM:

Josh as a straight mormon missionary just doesn't interest me. I want a divorce.

Posted by: Moggie | July 25, 2010 1:48 PM

#125:

Regarding rainbows, I once worked in a company in which the graphics department was run by a god-fearing, woo-soaked, well-educated woman. (I know, cognitive dissonance overload.) She once told me that, as an artist, she would be unable to properly depict light in her paintings and in her graphic art projects if she reduced light to a scientific explanation. This subject came up when she pointed out a rainbow outside her office window and I started to explain the science behind it. She said she'd gotten this far as an artist by ignoring explanations for rainbows and she didn't want the wonder and the mystery ruined now.

Are you sure she wasn't John Keats?

...Do not all charms fly
At the mere touch of cold philosophy?
There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:
We know her woof, her texture; she is given
In the dull catalogue of common things.
Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine—-
Unweave a rainbow, as it erewhile made
The tender-person'd Lamia melt into a shade.

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 25, 2010 2:17 PM

Hello, I'm Sven, and I'm...I'm a tr...*gulp*...I'm a troll.

Sometimes--really, not often, I swear!--I go fishing. But it's too damn easy to be any fun.

I sighted a ripple.

Set the bait.

Got a hard strike right away! Now I don't even feel like reeling it in. It's like engaging J*hn Kw*k; you push the buttons and watch the dancing.

Posted by: Givesgoodemail | July 25, 2010 2:30 PM

Well, it's time for a little NOM wingnuttery again. The asshats will be in St. Paul the day before my birthday, so I think it's time for a visit and spirited discussion.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 2:41 PM

Welcome back Jadehawk!

I shudder to think how many screeners David M.'s returning comment will be.

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 3:21 PM

I shudder to think how many screeners David M.'s returning comment will be.

I confess, I miss those comments. It's great for when you're feeling too lazy to catch up... you can get the highlights just from reading his comments. :D

Posted by: naddyfive | July 25, 2010 3:33 PM

Psychiatrists like to call this word salad.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 3:47 PM

Mmmm, yes... bring on the young men that I can corrupt!

Mind you, ODS, that I'm a quasi-virgin. So I'm already quasi-corrupt.

Posted by: Akira MacKenzie | July 25, 2010 4:31 PM

Blunts are made using an empty cigar tube. I have heard that you cut the cigar open and remove half the tobacco, then you replace it with pot and seal that sucker up.

Oh man! A few years back, during college, we had a unseasonably warm March day, so I bought a good cigar and took a walk along the the lakefront in Milwaukee. After lighting my cigar, two other 20-somethings came up to me and asked "Dude, is that blunt?"I thought a "blunt" was cigar brand or type (e.g. Churchill, Torpedo, Ascott, etc.).

I feel so unhip!

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 25, 2010 4:43 PM

Holy Crap, Rev - that's so far North, it's South.

Yep. Been wanting to go there since I was a big climber. I don't climb any more but it still fascinates me. Its the largest collection of monster sheer rock faces in the world.

Unfortunately it appears that Global Warming is taking a huge toll on the area.

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 25, 2010 4:46 PM

Dammit, misclicked in preview before I could add the attribution: Tim Minchin, "Ten Foot Cock and a Few Hundred Virgins"

Posted by: Crudely Wrott , Drinking Solo Since Death's Back On The Wagon | July 25, 2010 4:59 PM

This book was most helpful in helping me understand what happens when light and droplets dance before my eyes.

I am very glad to know that the visible spectrum is still a rainbow. Not only does it make mathematical sense and confirm the science of optics it is just so nice to look at . . .

*Someday I must tell you the tale of Frank Pyle and the Rainbow and how it damn near killed him*

Posted by: Weed Monkey | July 25, 2010 5:08 PM

Sooooo... why are we yet again talking about virginity? :-/

Oh, damn.

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 5:25 PM

Knowing why enhances my appreciation of these phenomena.

This conversation reminded me of a comment from last year by Josh. So I went looking for it and found it. It's a must read.

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 25, 2010 5:30 PM

Unweaving the rainbow

Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline. | July 25, 2010 5:36 PM

Interesting. I'd assumed that "joints" were so called because they joined hash and tobacco.

The More You Know™.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | July 25, 2010 5:50 PM

Take a sprinkling of incompetent semi-literate journalism and a double dose of misogyny, add a skim-read and misunderstood study, and you get...

"Daily dose of housework could cut risk of breast cancer", says Daily Mail

The Mail: Britain's answer to Fox News.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | July 25, 2010 5:58 PM

Btw, to those involved in the discussion on the last subThread regarding penalties in the criminal justice system: I am catching up, and will respond to your posts tomorrow morning when I have more energy.

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 6:06 PM

"Daily dose of housework could cut risk of breast cancer"

"See, this study shows physical exercise could cut risk of breast cancer. As a woman, you're expected to clean your house, not to do some other activity you may enjoy doing. So stop complaining and asking your husband to help you with the housework, woman. It's good for you."

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 6:23 PM

This is one of those jokes like bacon, yes?

What do you mean, bacon is a joke?

That said, yes, it's exactly like bacon.

:P

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 25, 2010 6:31 PM

Walton (#161)

"Daily dose of housework could cut risk of breast cancer", says Daily Mail

Haven't read the article, but since men also get breast cancer, and we know that such things are always a far greater tragedy when they happen to men, this seems only to prove men should do all the housework in the world.

And if they still don't want to, they can hire a substitute, like this guy.

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 25, 2010 6:34 PM

My Google-fu is weak.

Who supplies 7-Eleven with their gas? (Specifically, is it BP?)

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 6:44 PM

Can vegetarians be Pharyngulites?

Well, if you're a vegetarian and a Pharyngulite that means... you're both. So, yeah.

(And frankly, I rarely eat any pork. So I rarely eat bacon, even though I do sort of like it. Hell, I don't eat meat that often either. So I guess I'm an almost-vegetarian... who likes bacon.)

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 6:49 PM

All non-pork bacon is blasphemy! And I for one welcome the sweet, sweet taste of blasphemy.

Exactly! I like you.

Um... are you sure you're not a virgin? :P

Posted by: heatherly | July 25, 2010 6:57 PM

@Dania

Honestly...I don't even like soy-bacon. :) I never really liked any kind of pork when I was a carnivore, and I've been veggie for so long I really don't even like meat-substitutes that taste like meat.

Mmm...blasphemy!

(Though I love my Tofurkey. And Quorn Turkey, which is actually better.

...I think I need to have dinner...)

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, Quel Dommage | July 25, 2010 7:05 PM

soy-bacon

Soy bacon is like alcohol-free beer, a wimpy imitation of the real thing.

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 25, 2010 7:08 PM

My opinion on soy-anything:

Soy should never be used to make fake meats or dairy. I have no problem with soy products; I love tofu and edamame. But soy-meat and soy-milk are soy-nasty.

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 7:10 PM

but you're so late

Well, that's too bad then. Where's the fun if I cannot corrupt you?

Unless... well, a virginal fantasy game could be fun, couldn't it? ;D

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 7:24 PM

Bacon Pie!

12 slices bacon
1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup of chopped onion
2 cups of milk
4 eggs
1 cup of baking mix
1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease glass pie plate, 10x1-1/2 inches. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion in pie plate.
In a medium bowl, stir milk, eggs, baking mix, and pepper with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 7:33 PM

I can't drink any alcohol either. Ever. I suppose I must resign myself to being wimpy. :)

I don't like alcohol. If I say I like a certain alcohol beverage it's because I like it despite the alcohol.

But I like the effects of alcohol (is there anyone who doesn't?). So when I drink (not that often), it's gotta be strong stuff. I want to feel the effects, but I don't want to spend much time drinking.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 7:58 PM

Dudes, if you guys haven't tried it, I sugggest you get some soy juice.

On a more serious note, it's been three months since I've had my last "exam" and I'm afraid to get the follow up exam because I'm afraid of the potential results. (And sorry to euphamise it but I'm still not comfortable with it.)

Posted by: Dania | July 25, 2010 8:02 PM

I never drink alone because I don't see the point. I drink when I go out with friends because 1) it makes it easier for me to socialise; 2) it's the only way I can stand the crappy music being played at bars nowadays; and 3) it's the only way you will ever see me on a dance floor. I can't dance to crappy music if I'm sober, but I do enjoy doing it from time to time.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 8:07 PM

Gyeong Hwa:

On a more serious note, it's been three months since I've had my last "exam" and I'm afraid to get the follow up exam because I'm afraid of the potential results.

I understand the fear, but the potential for things to get much worse if you don't follow up is greater. You have a whole lot of support here, (hugs) to you, now do what you have to do.

Posted by: heatherly | July 25, 2010 8:14 PM

If I drink alcohol, even the tiniest amount, I pass out and have a migraine. Sometimes in reverse. :)

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 8:20 PM

I was once invited to a "pancake kegger". One Saturday morning you get up and then precede to a party where you drink a lot of beer. I declined. It just sounded way too disgusting.

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 8:23 PM

Gyeong Hwa - I am the poster boy for putting things off so don't step on my schtick. :^} Get the exam done and talk about it here - lots of people to listen. Hell, people accept my crap all of the time.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 8:25 PM

I understand the fear, but the potential for things to get much worse if you don't follow up is greater. You have a whole lot of support here, (hugs) to you, now do what you have to do.

Thanks for the support. Part of me wants the "ignorance is bliss" approach, but I know that too often ignorance isn't blissful.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 8:33 PM

I do not regret the breaking, just surprised at how little thought went into it. Spouse is good with it and sees it as a good sign overall.

Good. Better than not showing emotion. Sometimes expressing anger releases pressure off you.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | July 25, 2010 8:47 PM

GHP #143:

Mind you, ODS, that I'm a quasi-virgin. So I'm already quasi-corrupt.

Oh, sweetheart, you've no idea what I've got in store for you.

:P

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 25, 2010 8:54 PM

Could someone come by my apartment and basically autoclave the whole damn thing? I've been cleaning all day and the mess is multiplying.

(Most of my dishes are done, at least, and most of the trash---five bags---is ready to be taken to the dumpster.)

Posted by: Pygmy Loris | July 25, 2010 9:03 PM

JeffreyD,

*hugs*

GHP,

We will drown you in guilt to get you to that appt. Take care of yourself.

Jadehawk,

Welcome back!

Walton,

Virginity is just so alluring. Haven't you read your Bible?

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 9:04 PM

ODS - hugs back.

Well, knocked off a bottle of wine (sparkling Muscatel, Idaho's finest vintage) so think I will sign off. Nite all.

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 25, 2010 9:08 PM

Pygmy Loris - just caught this on my way out. Nite and hugs back.

Posted by: Weed Monkey | July 25, 2010 9:18 PM

How time flies, it's almost 420 (in the morning) already. I'll slouch on the sofa and listen to Lungfish for a while.

Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | July 25, 2010 9:20 PM

Pikachu, get to it! You know you have to. Oh yeah, that reminds me, it's time for my pap smear :(

But while we're gloating, I just now put in my form to reduce my work hours to 30 per week, starting mid-August. Yay! I can has long weekend EVERY weekend!!!

Posted by: John Morales | July 25, 2010 9:23 PM

Cath, that sounds great.

Both my wife and I work 3 days per week, it's darn good. A nice balance of work, income and leisure.

(But then, we're relatively abstemious consumerist-wise, and have no children.)

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 25, 2010 9:38 PM

Catharsis and the idea that you can store up anger are relics of Freudian psychoanalysis that have maintained popularity in the mainstream, but the book 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology says they're not supported scientifically. I haven't read the book yet, but this was one of the 50 myths excerpted as follows in Skeptic magazine vol 15 no 3:

If you're like most people, you believe that releasing anger is healthier than bottling it up. In one survey, 66% of undergraduates agreed that expressing pent-up anger--sometimes called "catharsis"--is an effective means of reducing one's risk for aggression. ... John Lee suggested [in the book Facing the Fire] that rather than "holding in poisonous anger," it's better to "Punch a pillow or a punching bag." Some psychotherapies encourage clients to scream or throw balls against walls when they become angry. Proponents of primal therapy, popularly called "primal scream therapy" believe that psychologically troubled adults must release the emotional pain produced by infant trauma by discharging it, often by yelling at the top of their lungs.

Yet more than 40 years of research reveals that expressing anger directly toward another person or indrectly toward an object actually turns up the heat on aggression. In an early study, people who pounded nails after someone insulted them were more critical of that person. Moreover, playing aggressive sports like football results in an increase in aggression, and playing violent videogames like Manhunt, in which participants rate bloody assassinations on a 5-point scale, is associated with heightened aggression. [I'm skeptical of any causation regarding sports and video games since I don't know whether the relevant studies were controlled enough to counteract self-selection.] Research suggests that expressing anger is helpful only when it's accompanied by constructive problem-solving designed to address the source of the anger.

Why is this myth so popular? In all likelihood, people often mistakenly attribute the fact that they feel better after they express anger to catharsis, rather than the fact that anger usually subsides on its own after awhile.

I can put up the citations that go with this excerpt if anyone's interested.

Posted by: Chaos | July 25, 2010 9:44 PM

@ODS:

So where is this line to get corrupted, and can I join in?

(I say that, but while being technically a virgin, I am already very, very corrupted...)

And that sounds awesome Wowbagger.

Posted by: John Morales | July 25, 2010 10:00 PM

Chaos,

... while being technically a virgin ...

I know that for some, oral, anal or digital sexual congress doesn't count towards de-virginisation status.

Go figure.

--

(Disclaimer: This is not in reference to you, but to what you wrote).

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | July 25, 2010 10:08 PM

Oh, and rainbows are clearly caused by virgins drinking bacon flavoured, soy based alcohol while really angry.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 10:14 PM

Dhorvath:

Virgins? Sounds boring to me. Experience is a trump card.

Isn't it better, though, to have an extended play/learning time with a virgin, rather than have their first experience be a dull, boring, bad one? Yes, it's a responsibility dealing with a virgin, but it can be one hella lot of fun! ;D

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 25, 2010 10:20 PM

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

Did you know that if you're gay and proud, you're a Gay Communist Zombie?

These gay paraders are all communists. The gay blade who lives their life and keeps their queerness to themselves might be all right. However, once they take to the streets and bare themselves in gay parades, they are communists. They are communist zombies.

I can't seem to close FSTDT.

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 25, 2010 10:21 PM

Caine (#222)

are you aware of Jeffrey's particular situation?

I am not, but if Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, and Beyerstein are correct, would JeffreyD's situation matter to whether catharsis is a scientifically justified way of dealing with anger? I'm not trying to put down what he shared. I don't doubt it was shocking and frightening--the mind is a strange territory, and reminders that we don't have as much control of ourselves as we'd like to think are upsetting. But several people's responses have drawn on a concept that might very well be complete pseudoscience.

(#224)

Once that anger started to be expressed (in a non-damaging way for either of us) we dealt much better in general and both of us calmed down.

Which is entirely anedcotal, but I'll repeat the last sentence from the 2nd paragraph of the excerpt: "Research suggests that expressing anger is helpful only when it's accompanied by constructive problem-solving designed to address the source of the anger." The accompanying citation is: Littrell, J. 1998. "Is the Re-Experience of Painful Emotion Theraputic? Clinical Psychology Review, 18, 71-102. (Abstract here.)

I think it's silly to generalize either way.

I'm not sure I see how the authors were generalizing. Rather, if they're trying to make a determination based on scientific study, wouldn't that be the opposite?

Posted by: 'Tis Himself, Quel Dommage | July 25, 2010 10:36 PM

Virgins, "technical" virgins, non-virgins, and the sleazy can all join the fun!

Since I qualify under the last two categories may I jump the line?

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 25, 2010 10:43 PM

I can't seem to close FSTDT.

It's a mixture of headbanging madness and wild entertainment.

For example:

im christian if we came from apes how come were not hairy and have a big mouth and did we end up looking like we do know and besides there isnt any serious proof of apes they showd a video saying an ape was wondering around in the forest that thing looked exactly like a costume that i had saw at a store know one ever cought an ape

Often it's just puzzling:

if evolution was real humans, and animals alike would not need reproductive organs.

Posted by: John Morales | July 25, 2010 10:48 PM

BTW, am I the only one to whom the "Double Rainbow" dude seemed reminiscent of Elliot when he was granted his wish to be the most emotionally sensitive guy in Bedazzled?

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 25, 2010 10:53 PM

Sooooo... why are we yet again talking about virginity? :-/

'Cos Dania and I are here to corrupt you. Get in line, boy!

I'm not so sure Walton can be corrupted so much as... released.

*returns to the shadows to watch*

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 25, 2010 10:59 PM

Wow. Weedmonkey. Just wow.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 25, 2010 11:06 PM

Weed Monkey:

Seriously, I have no idea what's it about.

It's a bad hair band. What's the big deal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kajagoogoo

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 25, 2010 11:12 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avwXET5ippQ

Posted by: Weed Monkey | July 25, 2010 11:19 PM

I spent most of the eighties learning how not to shit my pants and how to masturbate. Flashbacks like that make me confused.

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 25, 2010 11:21 PM

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=9805677

Posted by: heatherly | July 25, 2010 11:29 PM

@Benjamin Geiger

Yeah, but someone has to step up to the plate, so to speak, to give a virgin the experience they need... (hint?)

Well...you might have a point. ;)

And I'm off. G'nite all!

Posted by: Hekuni Cat, Champion of Oriana | July 25, 2010 11:32 PM

Hell, whoever wants to be corrupted just has to queue up. Virgins, "technical" virgins, non-virgins, and the sleazy can all join the fun!

Count me in!

Posted by: Weed Monkey | July 25, 2010 11:38 PM

Red Fang - Prehistoric Dog

Posted by: 34jlg34 | July 25, 2010 11:59 PM

Would like to second Hekuni Cat.

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 26, 2010 12:27 AM

Caine (#248)

You aren't familiar with Jeffrey's situation, but feel your crap is justified.

What is it you think I saying is justified? I'm questioning the justification of the value of catharsis. I don't even know for certain that the authors of 50 Myths are correct in this, but at least they're making an effort at a scientific approach rather than buying into the cultural assumption.

some of us, through familiarity with his situation and how he's dealt with it and experience of our own, yeah, we know what we're talking about.

Knowing what he's talking about and speaking of catharsis as though its benefits are scientifically valid are two completely different things. In 200, you said, "I see it as healthy that anger is coming out and not being buried." In 203, Gyeong Hwa Pak said, "Sometimes expressing anger releases pressure off you." In 208, OurDeadSelves said, "I feel that an emotional outburst is probably way healthier than burying the pain." In 212, John Morales said, "I guess you had what I call 'a moment', but at least it was cathartic." What I see, aside from the compassionate and admirable act of being supportive of JeffreyD, is a cultural assumption talking. One that's had doubt cast upon it--perhaps enough that it should be abandoned as we've done with penis envy and the universal Oedipus complex.

~*~*~*~*~*~

heatherly (#252)

First of all, the term catharsis has changed in meaning over the years and is no longer explicitly tied to Freud's theories.

See the above quotes.

Secondly, whether or not the people supporting Jeffery were correctly using a word is irrelevant. They were providing support.

I never brought up the correctness of the term, only the validity of the concept.

But a thread where someone has vented a personal experience and is seeking support is not the place.

For real? Venting and support seeking goes on all the time in the neverending thread, so I guess discussions of psychology are forever off limits? If JeffreyD finds what I said upsetting, he can tell me that and I'll apologize to him, but I figured that Pharyngula regulars could both offer someone support and skeptically examine the way they did it. Which was a poor assumption since some people seem to have personal feelings tied up in this which I'm lacking. But then, I have personal feelings tied up in people hanging on to outdated psychological notions.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Off to bed, so I won't be replying further till tomorrow afternoon.

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 12:43 AM

in the Netherlands, pot is often smoked as a mixture with tobacco. I did not care for it; I prefer my weed pure. it definitely makes the locals raise an eyebrow.

In the US, or at least here in CA, we call those spliffs. My roommate smokes about five a day. Legally, at least under state law.

Hope this doesn't get lost all the way down here.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 12:50 AM

A. Noyd,

In 212, John Morales said, "I guess you had what I call 'a moment', but at least it was cathartic."

I hereby clarify that I don't think much of Freudian psychoanalysis¹, and wasn't using 'cathartic' in that sense, anymore than I would use the term 'hysterical' in its original sense.

Regardless of its original connotations or etymology, I still think it was an appropriate term for that circumstance, in modern parlance (a.k.a. 'the vernacular').

--

¹ Litotes.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 26, 2010 1:13 AM

I'm not saying that it's wrong, just that it is awkward and invites pedants. In the Language Log post I linked to above, out of a sample of 20 instances of "beg the question" 4 of them were people complaining about the phrase being used improperly.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 26, 2010 1:32 AM

lol, very well.

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 1:41 AM

The fact is that common usage does not conform to your interpretation of my remarks. In fact, I have never heard a single person use them in such a way. If you would care to cite sources where people have in fact done so I would gladly peruse said sources. In the absence of sources I must assume that common usage conforms to the meaning I ascribed to the phrase.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 26, 2010 1:44 AM

Steve Pinker hypothesized that "could care less" was being used sarcastically. I don't buy it. Talk to the people who say "could care less" and it's clear they aren't being ironic.

Posted by: Owlmirror | July 26, 2010 2:20 AM

Fuckin' magnets. How do they work?

Rainbows, obviously. Duh!

Posted by: Owlmirror | July 26, 2010 2:25 AM

Kbuntu just updated FireFox (to 3.6.7 (from 3.5.something, I think)) and decided the all-important Text Formatting Toolbar is incompatible, so disabled it.

I think the last time this came up it was suggested that you download directly from the maintainer's site:

  http://codefisher.org/format_toolbar/

Posted by: Owlmirror | July 26, 2010 2:39 AM

I recently saw Inception, and I have to agree with everyone that it was a great film. Fascinating and novel storytelling; great acting; beautiful locations, all around win.

This is something of a spoiler, so if you aren't JeffreyD, and you haven't seen the film (and want to), skip reading the rest of this comment.

.
.
.
.
.

@JeffreyD: If you decide to go see Inception, you may find that it will trigger Bad Stuff. Or... it might be very cathartic; I honestly can't say. But I think you should be warned about that before going in and having certain plot stuff sprung on you.

.
.
.
.
.
.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 4:14 AM

I dunno, I once got sucked into watching Gladiator on the basis of fervent recommendation from a number of friends and generally positive reviews.

Boy, was I ever disappointed!

There is not a single good thing I can say about that POS.
Well before it finished, I was livid with resentment.

I don't take well to having my expectations dashed (I know, it's a character flaw¹).

Never again. Lesson learnt.

--

¹ I'm pretty sure I lost at least one friend (well, friendly acquaintance) over my subsequent bitter tirade.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 5:16 AM

Crossthreadulated to avoid OT on the relevant thread.

Jadehawk:

Unless of course you're just overall pessimistic about the ability of humans to get thru the current resource/energy crises

What crises?

There's no energy crisis, IMO, only a political unwillingness to (for example) make and use breeder reactors.
(Or, if you like, accessing the abundant renewable sources this planet has (solar, geo, tidal, wind).¹

As for resources, only a few rare elements are problematic. Remember, stuff that is mined or harvested is generally not transmuted into a different element! ;)

--

¹ How much closer might we be to practical space-based solar power had the resources that went into the Iraq war been spent on R&D?

I suggest a fair bit.

Posted by: Nepenthe | July 26, 2010 5:31 AM

Unless that breeder reactor is going to spit out chicken, something is going to have to give. Food itself, and the arable land that produces it, is the resource in question. While theoretically we could have machines make raw carbon, hydrogen and oxygen into steak (no transmutation, after all), right now we grow it in the ground and eat it. Or we can grow it in the ground, feed it to something else and eat that. If you passed high school biology, you know which one is more efficient.

Posted by: Moggie | July 26, 2010 5:48 AM

On "I could care less", I think you ought to know that the queen wants you to stop that.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 5:55 AM

Nepenthe

Or we can grow it in the ground, feed it to something else and eat that. If you passed high school biology, you know which one is more efficient.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 6:01 AM

Moggie, thanks!

I really enjoyed that.

Posted by: Nepenthe | July 26, 2010 6:07 AM

@SteveV

Indeed, I'm aware that it's not as simple as that. I live in the USian Midwest though, where vast stretches of land are used to grow food for cows. If the meat available to me was being raised on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops, that would be another situation.

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 6:15 AM

Well, of animal-sourced cheese. There'll still be lotsa people around, we're mammals too.

It's still animal-sourced cheese, John. ;)

Posted by: Nepenthe | July 26, 2010 6:24 AM

John, I'll gladly partake, but only if you milk the rats. ;-)

I guess I oughtn't have been so flip. No, I've never heard of the Club of Rome and I'm unsure what point you're making by bringing them up. The wiki article just isn't giving me enough to connect those dots.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 6:42 AM

Not sure if this is connected with John's reference to The Club of Rome, but, for what it's worth - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon-Ehrlich_wager

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 6:54 AM

Nepenthe, the CoR published an influential book called The Limits to Growth in 1972, which noted that exponential growth (and consequent demand) will eventually exceed finite resources, leading to a Malthusian catastrophe.

Clearly, this is inarguable.

However, it led to a lot of alarmist predictions (not present in the work) and (unjustified) expectations of resource depletion, widespread starvation, conflict and chaos within readers' lifetimes.

It was a warning, not a prediction, however — and I don't think it took (well, it couldn't, could it?) account of advances in technology or changing social trends.

I guess my message is that it's premature to be alarmist or despondent about our future, and (much like weather forecasting) unwise to extrapolate existing trends (e.g. birthrate) into the indefinite future.

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 6:58 AM

pendant

Ha. Awesome. Just awesome.

*shakes head*

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 7:07 AM

Speaking of rats: Scientists discover world's largest rat.

Australian archaeologists have uncovered the remains of the world's largest rat in East Timor.

With an estimated body weight of about six kilograms, the mega-sized rodent was three times bigger than today's largest rat species and about the weight of a small dog.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 7:17 AM

I have a far, far more negative view of the fur trade than I do about the meat trade; there is no excuse for it, IMO.

I like to think things are better than they were, but fear this may be illusory, and so shan't look into it. Too depressing.

(My version of plugging my ears and singing "la la la". I should harden up, I know.)

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 7:22 AM

But as has been pointed out by other commenters, lot of meat is grown on land which is otherwise unsuitable for food crops, or comes from the sea.

I think the ideal would be to reduce meat consumption by only raising it on non-arable land in the most humane way possible, and by exploring sea resources in the most sustainable way possible.

Posted by: Jadehawk, cascadeuse féministe | July 26, 2010 7:44 AM

But as has been pointed out by other commenters, lot of meat is grown on land which is otherwise unsuitable for food crops, or comes from the sea.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 7:56 AM

PS

unless your reactors start producing topsoil and potable water

Topsoil can be produced with access to water, organic material and microbial organisms (but yes, it takes time).

Potable water can be produced by desalination.

Organic material is not in short supply, and neither is water.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 26, 2010 8:12 AM

Isn't Desalinization ludicrously expensive to set up and maintain?

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 8:24 AM

"Isn't Desalinization ludicrously expensive to set up and maintain?"

Given enough power "ludicrously expensive" becomes meaningless.

Posted by: Pastor Farm | July 26, 2010 8:34 AM

Being both a pedant and prescritivist, I am ashamed and saddened at my error and hereby remove my honorary grammarian badge I bought at a thrift store.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 26, 2010 8:41 AM

Given enough power "ludicrously expensive" becomes meaningless.

I'm not happy with the idea of replacing carbon with nuclear waste yet. And this is having read your responses. Perhaps you have more, but your links did not engender any measure of confidence. The wikipedia article even notes that we've seen leaking at a site that wasn't reported for 20 years.

I have no comment on the /rest/, but I think that Jadehawk is correct to be worried about water.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 8:55 AM

Rutee,

I'm not happy with the idea of replacing carbon with nuclear waste yet.

Coal ain't clean, even leaving aside all pollutants other than radioactive ones.

Human-caused background radiation:
--- begin quote ---
Older coal-fired power plants without effective fly ash capture are one of the largest sources of human-caused background radiation exposure. When coal is burned, uranium, thorium and all the uranium daughters accumulated by disintegration — radium, radon, polonium — are released. The release of nuclear components from coal combustion far exceeds the entire U.S. consumption of nuclear fuels in nuclear generating plants.[18] According to a 1978 article in Science magazine, "coal-fired power plants throughout the world are the major sources of radioactive materials released to the environment".[19] Radioactive materials previously buried underground in coal deposits are released as fly ash or, if fly ash is captured, may be incorporated into concrete manufactured with fly ash. Radioactive materials are also released in gaseous emissions.
--- end quote ---

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 26, 2010 9:03 AM

Appreciate the hugs folks. (smile) I do seem to have turned another little corner in dealing with my issues.

Gyeong Hwa -

These gay paraders are all communists. The gay blade who lives their life and keeps their queerness to themselves might be all right. However, once they take to the streets and bare themselves in gay parades, they are communists. They are communist zombies.

Well, hell. I have taken part in Pride events and marches and such. I thought I was a married heterosexual liberal vet who abhors communism and spent his work life in government service. The things you learn from the internet. ;^}

Regarding virginity - I had the good luck as a very young man to have an older woman introduce me to the “mystery and the muscle of love”*. It was slow, thorough, delightful, and frequent. She also helped me understand the differences between love and lust and fondness and yearning. Fondness and yearning are kind of out of style, but I still like them. No, cannot explain it any better than that right now. :^}

Owlmirror at #279 - thanks for the tip.

Ben at #214 - Good catch! One of my favourite movies.

Speaking of rats: Scientists discover world's largest rat...in East Timor

Too early, up late with physical pain, off to another round of Dr things so need caffeine and nicotine boosters.

*Meatloaf reference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37GrbCUvZEM

Posted by: Aratina Cage | July 26, 2010 9:37 AM

Should 'International Piss Off A Pedant Day' (IPOAPD) be in the warmer or colder months? Hijack a religious holiday? What's your pleasure?

I don't have any suggestions. Anyone?

Don't we already piss off pedants on holidays like Turkey Day, Halloween, and Xmas?

Posted by: Jessie | July 26, 2010 10:23 AM

For those in the UK who might be interested, there is a programme on Channel 4 at 8pm tonight on children being accused of witchcraft by preachers in Britain.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 10:50 AM

Givesgoodemail @135:

Well, it's time for a little NOM wingnuttery again. The asshats will be in St. Paul the day before my birthday, so I think it's time for a visit and spirited discussion.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 11:11 AM

Dania @155, thanks for the link back to Josh's mini-essay on scientific knowledge and beauty. That was a beauty!

I agree with 'Tis Himself that it is hard to understand people who assume they are protecting their appreciation of the wonders of nature by carefully maintaining their ignorance. I suspect that such people (like my friend the graphic artist who didn't want rainbows explained), such people have not troubled to learn any scientific explanation of observable phenomena. They prize superficiality and ignorance out of ignorance.

It really irritates me when they take this worship of ignorance one step further and start talking about "getting back to nature" and "getting closer to god" by removing technology from their lives. "We would be better off if ...." [insert technology that supposedly takes up time that would be better spent tilling the soil and worshipping god]. Of course, they never get rid of any modern technology. They are blowing smoke up their own asses.

BTW, thanks for posting the poem by Keats. The agenda behind the poem sucks, but it's always nice to see Keats having his way with the English language. Also nice to be reminded of the source for "unweaving the rainbow". Keats would have benefitted from more science. Lessons on preserving ignorance in amber -- sheesh.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 11:25 AM

Walton @161 and 162: Are you trying to raise my blood pressure? That was awful.

And it was in the same category as a mormon-produced drama that aired last night on our local mormon TV channel. Scene: A matronly woman with virtue shining from every pore is working in her kitchen, making bread. She wears an apron over her modest dress. A younger woman, dressed for working in an office in a figure-revealing dress is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, arguing with the older woman. Older woman says, "There is love in this bread. There is joy in keeping a good home."

Admittedly, this scene was set in the early 1900s, and the drama went on to reconcile the viewpoints of the two women, but the implication was that the younger woman would see the light once she got married.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 26, 2010 11:31 AM

Well Lynna, I kneaded some bread dough this morning. While wearing my "revealing" office dress too!

And now I'm at work, while my yeast of love is happily noshing on flour paste.

But some how I think that's not what they were hoping for...

lol

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 11:37 AM

Virgins are deciduous. Virginity is renewed every spring. That's right, isn't it?

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 11:55 AM

You know, right, that your 'we' includes all of the fucking idiots that comment on Youtube vids, etc.? This is the boiling cesspit of "common usage". I'll be over here with the pedants who give a shit.

It is a sad truth that people of thesort that comment on youtube vids(I assume you mean 'videos') are of the same kind as I, if not to the same extent. Yes, change in English is driven often by idiots and fools, but I'd note again that policing a language is a losing game, best spend your time doing something more useful, like herding cats.

For the record, I never use 'begging the question' to refer to anything but the logical fallacy.

So, you insist there is only one IPOAP Day, and that the people who do it every day are wrong?

The difference is doing it *on purpose* as opposed to it simply being a side effect of one's normal use of language.

I humbly suggest Easter as IPOAP.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 12:01 PM

"A few more pounds lost and I'll look like my younger self, instead of like a plump thing suitable for rolling down hillsides."

Cheese

(blind link - at work)

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 26, 2010 12:06 PM

Venting -

Been a while since my eyes were fully examined so had an eye Dr appointment today. Got there early, had already filled out paperwork at home and passed it in on arrival. Waiting room was over full. We sat an hour then overheard a woman tell her another patient she had been there 90 minutes. We walked. Politely told the office person we were leaving and why. Her response was a cross between indifference and lack of surprise. Told her it would be best if I received no bill. Several people seemed to be leaving from the office as we drove away, not sure if they also gave up.

I can find another Dr, will look for one now. I resent getting out on my bad foot and then being treated like an encumbrance. I am understanding if the Dr is late or there is an emergency. What are other people's views on this? How long will you wait?

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 12:10 PM

Loving the vision of Ol'Greg in her figure-revealing office dress, kneading bread. Love.

Re the discussion about meat and veggies and veggie-fed meat: there's lots and lots of non-corn-fed meat in my area. Cows and sheep are grazed on public land all over Idaho. Cows, elk, sheep, buffalo, etc. are grazed on private ranches all over Idaho. Very little corn, or no corn, is used for free-range animals. Cow manure fucking up all the primitive camping sites and fucking up all the streams is not good. The cow-damage situation has improved somewhat in the past decade. Land managers, conservation groups and ranchers have gotten together to fence off riparian areas and to control grazing more sensibly. Improvement is slow, but far better than the worsening I used to see.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 26, 2010 12:15 PM

Who's buying Starcraft II tonight? I know I am.

@Ol'Greg:

Pics or it didn't happen :D

@JeffreyD:

See, this is all because of your bacon. If you didn't have so much, you'd not be waiting in an office for an eye exam.

In reaction to your questions, I don't know how long I would wait, but I'm sure it wouldn't be that long - the most I've ever had to wait on an appointment was fifteen minutes, but I'm indifferent to it because I usually am listening to music on my iPod or distracting myself by playing PvZ on the same iPod.

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 12:21 PM

But what about the "data is"/"data are" skirmish?

:P

Was that ever really a skirmish? More like a couple pedants with slingshots shooting randomly at an angry mob.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 26, 2010 12:23 PM

LOL! I had heard of cheese rolling. I didn't know it was real :P

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 12:35 PM

LOL! I had heard of cheese rolling. I didn't know it was real :P

I still dream of someday owning a cheese wheel. Someday.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | July 26, 2010 12:39 PM

Of course every virgin deserves a helpful and comprehensive introduction to pleasure.

Um... does anyone really "deserve" sex? I didn't think it worked that way. :-/

Speaking for myself, I've learned to cope with a celibate and romance-free life, and to accept that it's not really likely to change. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and so on.

(To be honest, I doubt having a relationship would make me happy anyway. Few things do. Even when something goes well for me, I relapse into wallowing in melancholy and compulsive self-pity sooner or later. I guess it's just the way I'm wired.)

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 26, 2010 12:46 PM

@JeffreyD:

It's true... my jealousy of your consumption of cured pig belly has caused me to lie :( Forgive my silly emotions.

Posted by: Q.E.D | July 26, 2010 12:50 PM

May I ask the Pharyngula horde to pharyngulate a poll for good instead of evil?

My mate Alison Naftalin founded and runs an NGO Charity for Children in Uganda and Ghana called Lively Minds. There is a facebook competition run by Vodafone which will award 1 full year's salary and expenses to the winner to work for their charity.

Please vote for Alison Naftalin only once (wouldn't want to invalidate it or anything)

Link to Facebook Poll

My apologies in advance if I have breached endless thread etiquette.

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | July 26, 2010 12:52 PM

@Walton,
Sorry mate. Didn't mean it to sound that way. I was merely agreeing with Caine's noble sentiment above. It seems deserve was a poor choice of words.

Posted by: Paul W., OM | July 26, 2010 1:05 PM

Isis on the Huge Atheist FAIL:

http://scienceblogs.com/isisthescientist/2010/07/va_emblems_of_belief_and_the_h.php

She's simply breathtaking.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 26, 2010 1:24 PM

Lynna,

Have you or your brother ever made it up to Baffin island?

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 26, 2010 1:45 PM

hope the rhetorical malaria doesn't get you

gin & tonics

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 1:51 PM

Good plan.

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 2:00 PM

The food riots from a couple years back didn't register with you?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/opinion/16iht-edpfaff.3.12052202.html

Posted by: casey.oneill.is | July 26, 2010 2:13 PM

The article on food speculation doesn't actually say that speculation is to blame, it just kind of throws a bunch of information about food price speculation out there and hopes that something sticks. I don't doubt that speculation played some role, but to say that it was the only thing seems a bit simple.

Posted by: DominEditrix | July 26, 2010 2:33 PM

Totally off any topic hereinabove: This morning I received an email from Barnes & Noble with recommendations: "Because you enjoy reading Christian books..."

Say what? I've never bought one from their website, nor bought one from their bricks&mortar stores. Unless their database assumes that books by atheists are "Christian books". I somehow don't think the author of Atheist"s Guide to Christmas would agree, but who knows. [A friend gave me that for xmas, via B&N.]

And I agree with Aquaria. If I wear high heels and frilly silk underwear, my date damn well better put out. But men, always wanting to develop a "relationship", wanting to "get to know you", always being coy, lest they be thought of as "easy". Worried one won't respect them in the morning. Silly things!

Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space, OM, A little FUCKING ray of sunshine | July 26, 2010 2:52 PM

FWIW, the crisis we are looking at is not just one of "cheap energy". The globe has been well past carrying capacity for 3 or 4 decades now. The only reason we haven't had a serious dieback before this is because we've learned to eat petroleum (deftly converted into corn and soy beans by pumping the aquifers dry).

By 2050 we are expecting to have 9-10 billion people on the planet. That's when we can start to really expect to see the effects of climate change kicking in, too. I suspect we'll be able to keep a semblance of a civilization going by consuming less traditional fossil fuels--first coal, then tar sands, oil shale, etc. This will bring up atmospheric CO2 to aroung 1000 ppmv--sufficient to raise global average temperatures by ~10 degrees C. At this point, the balance will shift away from oxygen-producing bacteria in the oceans and toward H2S producing bacteria. This was the main cause of the mass extinction of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).

I doubt that humans will go extinct at this time, but we will likely be reduced to hunter-gatherers in small groups, and that will likely be all she wrote for civilization.

I think that's the most likely way things will go--and it would have been 100% avoidable if we'd taken Club of Rome, et al. seriously and started developing a new sustainable economy in the 1970s. Hell, we could still avoid the worst of it if we started now. I suspect we won't and will thereby provide our own empirical answer to the Fermi Paradox.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 26, 2010 2:53 PM

@Rutee:

Ahh, that stinks. Sorry to hear.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 26, 2010 2:56 PM

Lynna, Have you or your brother ever made it up to Baffin island?

Unfortunately, I have never been there. I spent several summers on Kodiak Island. I'll ask my brother, Robert, who lives in Alaska if he's been there. If so, he'll be a reliable source. Will let you know.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 26, 2010 3:01 PM

my generation's lifetime I think that should have said. Else it doesn't make much sense what I just typed there.

Meh... distractions. Gotta get back to work.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 26, 2010 3:04 PM

Oh, and how do I do "Citation Needed" like Wikipedia text in html? Taht guy in the Wikileaks thread reminded me of this painful limitation on my painfully limited html.

Yes, I have applied at the Redundant Department of Redundancies, why do you ask?

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 3:15 PM

I don't doubt that speculation played some role, but to say that it was the only thing seems a bit simple.

As Professor Ghosh points out, some vital crops are not traded on the futures markets, including millet, cassava, and potatoes. Their price rose a little during this period - but only a fraction as much as the ones affected by speculation. Her research shows that speculation was "the main cause" of the rise.

http://www.alternet.org/news/147414/how_goldman_sachs_caused_a_%27silent_mass_murder%2C%27_gambling_on_starvation_in_the_developing_world?page=2

Posted by: KG | July 26, 2010 3:28 PM

Nuclear power seems to be better tested and more reliable.

- Rutee, SHoD

"Chernobyl" ring any bells? "Three Mile Island"? Nuclear power plant construction seems always to go badly over time and over budget. For a current example, look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olkiluoto_Nuclear_Power_Plant.
Nuclear power plant are inherently much more complex and dangerous than any renewables apart from large-scale hydro.

Posted by: KG | July 26, 2010 3:31 PM

BTW, Rutee, look at the figures for new generating capacity: the majority of that installed in the US and EU in 2009 was renewable. Not nuclear. We have something better.

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 3:49 PM

How do you apply to the Redundant Department of Redundancies?

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 26, 2010 4:13 PM

"Chernobyl" ring any bells? "Three Mile Island"? Nuclear power plant construction seems always to go badly over time and over budget. For a current example, look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olkiluoto_Nuclear_Power_Plant. Nuclear power plant are inherently much more complex and dangerous than any renewables apart from large-scale hydro.

BTW, Rutee, look at the figures for new generating capacity: the majority of that installed in the US and EU in 2009 was renewable. Not nuclear. We have something better.

Alright then. Just don't tear down our current ones until we don't need them. Not that my opinion matters for shit, but I am indeed convinced by this point.

Twice? In duplicate?

Unrelated to any nonsense originating in-thread, the local Tea Party seems to have a meeting set for today. I'm considering attending for a laugh. Thoughts?

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 4:37 PM

KG
I said upthread that I would link to this again, but didn't expect it to so soon.
But "I'm not proud. Or tired"

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 26, 2010 4:56 PM

I saw you were considering a trip to Baffin Island. I'm jealous.

Unfortunately, I have never been there. I spent several summers on Kodiak Island. I'll ask my brother, Robert, who lives in Alaska if he's been there. If so, he'll be a reliable source. Will let you know.

Thanks. It looks fairly feasible if we can swing the monetary cost. But it would just be nice to speak to someone who has actually made the trip into Auyuittuq.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 26, 2010 5:48 PM

The discussion of peak oil armageddon has me almost as gloomy as a good dose of Rapture Ready.

Someone wake me when we've moved back to discussions about virgins and cigarettes.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 26, 2010 5:58 PM

[gloom]Won't be able to afford virgins or ciggys when teh oils gone.[/gloom]

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 6:02 PM

Won't be able to afford virgins or ciggys when teh oils gone.

All Pharyngula virgins should be corrupted before that. That's what ODS and I are here for. Isn't that right, tag-team partner? ;)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 6:07 PM

For all those on Facebook, do you think you could help out a good charity? See http://moblog.net/view/935195/lively-minds?ac=1 and the vote is at http://livelyminds.org/vote

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 26, 2010 6:18 PM

In order to deal with the gloom of the above discussion (I live with a global warming lawyer - I really do not require any additional gloom), I am going to go make peach jam. It's also part of my plan to totally dominate the local county fair with my godless liberalism. So far I have several skeins of handspun to enter, plus a crocheted Lorenz manifold. Don't think the local county fair has ever had a crocheted Lorenz manifold entry.

I might give Bill D a jar of jam if he really shows up at Murphy's next week.

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | July 26, 2010 6:21 PM

@ Mattir,
Peach jam? Now that sounds like a plan to lift just about anyone's gloom.
@ Dania
Well, some parrots are pretty smart, maybe it knows how farcical it must appear.

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 26, 2010 6:31 PM

John Morales (#265)

I hereby clarify that I don't think much of Freudian psychoanalysis, and wasn't using 'cathartic' in that sense, anymore than I would use the term 'hysterical' in its original sense.

I don't think anyone here does think much of Freud, actually, which is why I brought up the excerpt. I thought people probably didn't know the origin of the idea because it's now carried along by cultural popularity. But I am curious what you meant by what you said then. Not that I'd hold it against you if you don't care to explain.

~*~*~*~*~*~

heatherly (#394)

But bringing up the debate immediately following the post in question and the supportive responses gave the impression that you were dismissing Jeffery's feelings as less important than discussions of psychology.

Well, in retrospect, I can see that. However, I don't appreciate being told I'm being insensitive by people after they've engaged my point. Your suggestion in this post on how to go about things differently in the future is well taken, though.

Also, as I mentioned before, in all the professional circles I know of the strict Freudian concept of catharsis IS outdated and very rarely used.

Yes, thankfully most of the pros avoid it now. It's still retained in popular culture, though, hence its inclusion in the 50 Myths book along with even more discredited but popular ideas like all sociopaths having low self esteem. (How many cop shows ever go without invoking the latter?) I didn't know myself till recently either where the notion came from (in theraputic terms) or that it was in doubt.

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 6:43 PM

OurDeadSelves @414 -- since logic suggests the parrot learned to say "Hey Harley" and "Come here Harley" by listening to you say both, the temptation must be extreme to assist it expand its phraseology --

Posted by: A. Noyd | July 26, 2010 6:47 PM

Lynna (#338)

My bacon-lust is aroused. However, I've lost 18 pounds and don't want to gain it back.

If only things like these weren't guaranteed to be revolting, eh?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Walton (#357)

To be honest, I doubt having a relationship would make me happy anyway.

Don't see why you'd need a relationship to have sex. No, really.

~*~*~*~*~*~

DominEditrix (#377)

This morning I received an email from Barnes & Noble with recommendations: "Because you enjoy reading Christian books..."

I get really weird suggestions from Amazon all the time (like this pile of bollocks by charismatic cult leader Dr. Sha) because I look up reviews and publication info for all sorts of books on their site.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ol'Greg (#380)

I don't expect my date to interpret my clothing. I'd prefer they don't try too hard. It's a good show.

Oh man, back when I thought I wanted relationships and sex with other people, I went out with a few fellows who thought they were being so clever by interpreting my appearance out loud, to my face. Like being analyzed was the sort of attention that intelligent women want.

(#385)

my generation's lifetime I think that should have said. Else it doesn't make much sense what I just typed there.

Well, I wouldn't mind living past my lifetime. Hehe.

~*~*~*~*~*~

crowepps (#417)

since logic suggests the parrot learned to say "Hey Harley" and "Come here Harley" by listening to you say both, the temptation must be extreme to assist it expand its phraseology --

Or charge the owner a small fee for your restraint in doing just that. Mwahahahaha.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 6:57 PM

A. Noyd, such explanation as I can give I wrote in #265: I just felt it was the right word to use.

I might sometimes employ the term 'lunatic'; if I should do so, I don't expect people to think I subscribe to the theory of lunacy (i.e. that the moon causes insanity).

Speaking of which, I take this opportunity to name another book I enjoyed in my youth: The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson.

(I've always liked Lovecraftian horror.)

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 26, 2010 6:59 PM

A bird calling a cat? How suicidal is that?

Rather depends on the bird.
And also depends on the cat.

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 7:01 PM

OurDeadSelves at #420 -- you sure the owner's husband /son /dog isn't named Harvey?

Posted by: crowepps | July 26, 2010 7:13 PM

Sven @ $426 -- THAT explains it! I thought I was having a bad trip.

Posted by: heatherly | July 26, 2010 7:19 PM

@A.Noyd:

However, I don't appreciate being told I'm being insensitive by people after they've engaged my point.

Fair point! :)

@ODS: Definitely a death wish. I adore parrots though, when they're not being annoying. My friend Jenna had an African Grey that was incredibly vocal. Whenever her boyfriend would come over Katie would yell at him and say: "No! Bad!" If he tried to kiss her Katie would say: "No bite!" ;)

Apropos of nothing: I have Oh my darling, Clementine STUCK IN MY HEAD. For the love of all things geekish, somebody shoot me!

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 7:24 PM

so but still I guess it's not impossible...

It's not! My uncle had a crow that said, among other things, "hey you, drunk man". It was a hilarious bird.

Posted by: Dania | July 26, 2010 7:36 PM

Other birds that, in my experience, can be taught say things are blackbirds, eurasian jays and magpies.

Posted by: Rorschach | July 26, 2010 8:41 PM

Sorry, bit busy with meatspace stuff right now, but here's something I read in Dennett's "Breaking the spell" :

Those who practice a folk religion(shamanism etc) don't think of themselves as practicing a religion at all.Their religious practices are a seamless part of their practical lives, alongside their hunting and gathering or tilling and harvesting.And one way to tell that they really believe in the deities to which they make their sacrifices is that they aren't forever talking about how much they believe in their deities-any more than you and I go around assuring each other that we believe in germs and atoms.Where there is no ambient doubt to speak of, there is no need to speak of faith.

Posted by: Jules, Bride of Death | July 26, 2010 8:54 PM

My cats used to get into all-out wars with the jays in my backyard. The cats were usually the first to retreat. Birds may seem meek, but try having one--even a small one--dive at your face. *shudder*

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 26, 2010 9:03 PM

7 half-pint jars of peach jam are now cooling in the kitchen, and I need to run out and buy more sugar.

Sometimes a jar of jam is just a jar of jam.

Posted by: Rorschach | July 26, 2010 9:14 PM

Here's a taste of the book, if you have an hour to spare :

Breaking the spell

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 26, 2010 9:16 PM

Caine:

What lens were you using for that shot? That's impressive.

Posted by: Katrina, radicales féministes athées | July 26, 2010 9:20 PM

Jules said:

My cats used to get into all-out wars with the jays in my backyard.

That big old ring-necked pheasant did his best rooster impression and sent everybody scurrying for cover.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | July 26, 2010 9:27 PM

A bird calling a cat? How suicidal is that?

Would you rather it sound like a chainsaw or a camera?

(In my perverted mind, I wonder if the bird would immitate people's orgasm)

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 9:37 PM

Caine,

Birds aren't remotely meek.

QFT.

Once were dinosaurs¹.

--

¹ I, of course, am playing with the powerful title Once Were Warriors.

--

Anyone who's kept chickens (especially with at least one cock in the flock) knows all about how meek they are. There's a reason why 'cocky' has entered the language.

Posted by: John Morales | July 26, 2010 9:56 PM

Jules,

There's nothing like lines of birds resting on telephone wires as far as the eye can see.

'Tis indeed an exalting sight.

I work at a site on the plains that's a few kilometers away from hilly terrain; there are ocassionally rather strong easterly winds, as cooler air spills down the hillface.

I have more than once seen birds flying backwards, which is wondrously amusing.

I have also seen birds pushed off their vertical stance whilst perching on (in this case) power-lines, and hanging on for dear life with their feet alone, parallel to the ground.
That too was rather amusing.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 10:01 PM

Jules, they are amazing. I spend a lot of time photographing them, there's an abundance of them on our property and I keep them well fed. (Downright spoiled, if you ask me). Of the raptors, vultures are my favourite, I love it when I have an opportunity to shoot them. (With a camera!)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 10:03 PM

Katrina, I think you did, now I think on it. I'm still jealous.

Posted by: Jules, Bride of Death | July 26, 2010 10:13 PM

John Morales
When I lived in Oklahoma, I often got to see birds battling the elements. The wind in that state can be quite intense. There were times when I'd watch massive flocks all changing course in unison, and I'd wonder if the wind wasn't throwing them around.

Now I live in a foothills valley, and I'm not regularly confronted with a huge expanse of sky. My experience with birds these days has shifted somewhat from the grandeur of the flock to the quiet awe of watching a single bird going about its business.

That's one reason I love going up on the mountain here. If I want to be buried in the trees, I can focus on the little things. If I want to remember my insignificance in the universe, I can just walk to the edge and look out.

Caine
I'll have to check out your photographs. And I'm happy that you spoil your birds. I try, but I think I end up spoiling the damn squirrels instead.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 10:27 PM

Jules:

I'll have to check out your photographs. And I'm happy that you spoil your birds. I try, but I think I end up spoiling the damn squirrels instead.

The birds and squirrels share at Chez Caine. It all works out fine. If you're looking for bird specific shots, these will help:

http://moblog.net/tag/Caine/bird

http://moblog.net/tag/Caine/birds

There's a squirrel shot from today at my moblog too; and birds/wildlife have their own gallery at my zenfolio (link in my name.)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 10:35 PM

Oh, and of course, there's a bird group at Moblog: http://moblog.net/thebirds/

Posted by: lorigb | July 26, 2010 10:52 PM

So you guys want to hear a funny story?

My friends and I were at the bar last night, and there was that guy there. You know the one. The guy who's going to talk to you regardless of whether you want him to or not. The bartender texted all the females in our group that this guy is insistent, especially when it comes to women, so we were all trying to ignore him.

At one point, either someone mentioned god or it was brought up on the tv. And this guy, completely unaware that he's surrounded by a group of nerdy atheists/agnostics, goes, "You know how it's proven that God exists?" Seven heads swing in his direction. Thinking he's finally being paid attention, he goes on.

Him: "See, God told us that we're all going to live for eternity. And you know what's the smallest thing, that we're all made of? The atom. And atoms can't be broken up."

Me: "Uh, yeah they can. That's how the atomic bomb worked."

Him: "I mean, they can't be broken up naturally."

My roommate (former chemistry major): "Uh, yeah. They can." *says something about isotopes that I didn't entirely understand because I last took a chemistry class over ten years ago in high school and have never taken a physics class*

Him: *mumbles something about the law of conservation of matter*

Roommate's boyfriend: "Yeah, that doesn't prove your point either."

I just thought it was hilarious that, out of all the groups of morons hanging out in bars, he happened to spew that at one group of morons who could actually explain why his theory was bullshit.

Posted by: Jules, Bride of Death | July 26, 2010 10:59 PM

Caine
Those are absolutely beautiful. Stunning. I must now go spend hours looking through all of them.

Mattir
Ooooo...pretty fossil. I'm a fan of trilobites. They hit me in the so-old-I-feel-overwhelmed way, as opposed to the my-word-I-could-fit-inside-its-toe way. The main impediment to trilobites inducing a sense of awe for me is their resemblance to silverfish. Actually, now that I think of it, if a silverfish the size of some of those trilobites came out of my bathtub drain, I'm sure I'd have a strong reaction, to say the least.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 11:08 PM

Jules, thank you. What you said about trilobites resembling silverfish giving you a bad moment, I had one of those last night watching Life in the Canopy and a poisonous (and huge) earwig was found wandering about the treehouse. Man, I would have been thinking about swinging from the nearest vine. ;D

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 26, 2010 11:17 PM

Caine, as always, you bring a smile to my face...and a slight blush.

Good night, dear lady.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 26, 2010 11:21 PM

I maintain that if the military wants me to not think poorly of it, the grunts (and researchers) at Eglin, Hurlburt, and Duke AFBs should at least put up a better show.

If you find it offensive that I don't have a glowing opinion of people in general, or the military in particular, than let me remind you that people find it offensive we don't worship Christ.

I passed on visiting the tea party in the area. I decided at hte last minute I'd probably spontaneously combust rather than laugh.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 11:32 PM

Rutee:

If you find it offensive that I don't have a glowing opinion of people in general, or the military in particular

That's not the problem. Jeffrey is a very reasonable person, with considerable experience when it comes to the military and a very balanced viewpoint.

You can't talk with someone when all they're busy doing is flinging flaming rhetoric.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 26, 2010 11:43 PM

I think I need to go to sleep. And perhaps gaze at my little bit of meteorite that an astronomer friend gave me, and my little Cambrian trilobite, and put the whole grumpy day behind me.

And I have both peach jam and peach-ginger conserves. So there.

I think my standards about arguing on internet lists have been skewed by participation here. I'm for it.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 26, 2010 11:47 PM

If this is coming down to jams, apricot is my fave, hands down. G'night Nerd, G'night, Mattir. (Are we the Waltons yet?)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 12:19 AM

Katrina, your Bathing Beauty shots are terrific! So cute.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 12:23 AM

Rutee:

I am on Pharyngula, not the Intersection, right?

Yes, you are. For what it's worth, I found your statement that everyone who joins the military is a racist killer all gung-ho to go do them some killin'! was offensive too. The fact that you can't figure out that you were being offensive, as well as painting with a very broad brush says a lot about you.

Also, one of the signs that you're on Pharyngula? Your comments aren't taken for fucking gospel.

Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | July 27, 2010 12:35 AM

Mmm, peach jam.

Angle Kaida, "canning" is much harder than making jam. Jam is easy. I have a few remarks on the process here: http://thecanberracook.blogspot.com/2010/05/feijoa-time-again.html and also here: http://thecanberracook.blogspot.com/2008/04/strawberry-jam-and-clotted-cream.html (2 links is OK for spam filter I think?)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 12:41 AM

Katrina:

After seeing the venom you spewed on us, I'm glad they weren't here to see it.

I'll second, third, fourth, whatever that. I miss GeoJosh and Broken Soldier too. I think of them often and miss them. I'm very glad they missed that nasty little statement.

BTW, Rutee, Otrame just took exception to your little statement as well. Perhaps you should take a break from shrieking and consider what you said.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 1:10 AM

Katrina:

I'm not going back to the wikileaks thread anymore. I missed most of it today, and what I saw tonight just put my teeth on edge.

That's for the best. Rutee just said her blanket statement was right based on some idiots from the county where she lives. I'm outta there too.

G'night, Katrina. I'm going to watch James May's Toy Stories (trains!) then head out myself.

G'night all.

Posted by: John Morales | July 27, 2010 1:32 AM

Rutee,

And either way, I'm wasting my time on all of this, when even putting aside my statement, nothing I write here will ever change a damn thing.

Almost certainly so, but you can't know that.

(Butterfly effect, last straw, tipping point, first glimmer — that sort of thing.)

--

This is not to say I support your view; I just don't like defeatism.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 27, 2010 1:39 AM

Almost certainly so, but you can't know that.

This is not to say I support your view

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | July 27, 2010 1:52 AM

Unrelatedly, TDS has made me sad tonight. I did not catch the earlier broadcast.

Eh, maybe I'm off. Seems to be treating accusations of racism as either obvious, or patently absurd, truth claims, rather then taking on patently racist structure of society.

I expect too much of my comedians. It's not right.

Posted by: John Morales | July 27, 2010 2:02 AM

Rutee,

Pink Celestial Teapot.

That's an inappropriate and hyperbolic comparison.

There's good reason to believe people have the capacity to change their minds when exposed to ideas differing from their existing ones; there's no good reason to believe in Russell's Teapot.

Posted by: monado | July 27, 2010 2:22 AM

I'm looking for a good devilled egg recipe, if anyone happens to know one.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 2:36 AM

John, I mix the yolks with a spoonful of mayo, a spoonful of good mustard (I use a stone ground), a healthy dash of white vinegar, salt to taste, then spooned or piped back into egg halves and generously topped with paprika (preferably Hungarian).*

*The amounts depending on how many eggs are being done, of course. Taste the mix frequently and adjust accordingly.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 2:57 AM

I don't think I can get more tired. And I've finally *gathered* my research materials here.

So much for getting an outline done by this evening.

Phew... fourth night closed past 2 am (although this weekend was different) and now the second morning to begin at 6:30. Delicious. I'm soooo euphoric. I have an important decision! To sleep and get nothing more done and feel no less tired or to have a drink and try and line up these numbers with the research I just pulled until I start seeing patterns in stock fluctuations and line my walls with this year's insurance claims in a desperate cold-sweat-on-gooseflesh effort to block out the nanobots the government sprayed my house with under the guise of a friendly termite exterminator.

Posted by: John Morales | July 27, 2010 2:59 AM

Caine, quite so. I rushed, and was thinking of curried eggs.

--

Re mayo: I grew up with mayonaisse being an emulsion of egg yolks and oil (my grannie could beat those suckers like a machine with one hand (using only a fork!!) whilst using the other to dribble in olive oil) and a dash of either vinegar or lemon juice.
There was no sugar in it.

<rant>
Needless to say, I cannot eat the stuff they sell here in Oz; I recently looked at the ingredients in a bottle purporting to be mayonaisse (no egg, no olive oil).
And WTF is it with the sugar? Bleagh.
</rant>

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | July 27, 2010 3:03 AM

John, I'm with you on the mayo front. I'm fussy about mayo. I usually keep Hellman's mayo in the house, but I generally make my own. Not by hand though, but using a blender or food processor. It's so easy, I don't know why more people don't do it. I have a recipe for garlic mayo that I use for potato salad and such, that I really like.

Posted by: John Morales | July 27, 2010 3:17 AM

Caine, from Hellman's website:

Real Mayonnaise:
INGREDIENTS: SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY).

What a misnomer.

Were I to be fed fed me that muck, I'd gag and quickly reach for a napkin into which I could spit out the disgusting stuff.

Then I'd repeatedly rinse my mouth.

Posted by: John Morales | July 27, 2010 3:28 AM

It's bloody hard to find any tinned or packet product without both salt and sugar in it.

I love sugar, but only on sweets. I love sweets.

Basically, I don't eat canned or packet stuff or take-away. Probably a major reason I'm fairly lean.

Go look at the ingredients on any such foods in your pantry.

Meat? Has sugar in it.
Fish? Has sugar in it.
Soup? Has sugar in it.
Veg? Has sugar in it.
Stew? Has sugar in it.
Condiments? Have sugar in them.
Crisps? Have sugar in them¹

It's gotten worse over time, too. There was a time I could buy mustard without fucking sugar in it². These days, finding such is like finding teeth on a chicken.

Of course, being exposed to this from childhood means most people find food bland unless it has generous helpings of sugar and salt in it.

--

¹ Except the salted-only flavour. Thank Dog for small mercies, eh?

² Well, only the Hot English. Was nice while it lasted.

Posted by: First Approximation, L'esprit de l'escalier | July 27, 2010 4:08 AM

A nice math video (don't worry, nothing heavy):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX3VmDgiFnY

Also, I just noticed the authors are from the University of Minnesota.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 27, 2010 7:30 AM

*WARNING! RANT ABOUT WORK FOLLOWS! WARNING!*

Yesterday really tore it for me at work here. My position is not at all respected. I basically am pushing papers trying to get a quota. Nothing I write is important and even if I write something that I think is important, upper management decides to downgrade it from a group-wide notice "HEY PAY ATTENTION TO THIS" to more of a memo, "if you want, you can read this."

I know no one reads anything I produce, and even if they did, it's not going to do anything in the end. Nothing will change, it's an FYI to people. I'm ready to transfer out of this job into another one, but I know the same exact stuff will happen there.

I guess I just keep trying to finish my book and get it published.

Posted by: Rorschach | July 27, 2010 7:40 AM

Some light music to entertain the thread :

Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 27, 2010 7:43 AM

John, I'm with you on the mayo front. I'm fussy about mayo. I usually keep Hellman's mayo in the house, but I generally make my own.

Dukes if not homemade.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 27, 2010 7:46 AM

Oh, but the digital keys aren't available for purchase until 10 AM PDT *facepalm* So, I don't know how it is cause I can't play it yet.

Yeah I saw that. I went ahead and downloaded the client to save time today though I'm still not sure I'm going to buy it. I barely have time to get out and shoot let alone play games.

But if history tells me anything, I'll probably get it and try it.

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 8:35 AM

AAANNNDDD another thing. Why is everone else asleep during my lunch break? Don't give me any of that 'time Zone' malarky either!

I was, you know, having lunch. ;)

Posted by: Antiochus Epiphanes | July 27, 2010 9:03 AM

Feynmaniac, Chimerical Toad Superhero, #511.

F-yeah! I sometimes wish I were more math-y. This shit is rad.

Posted by: llewelly | July 27, 2010 9:13 AM

SteveV | July 27, 2010 7:45 AM:

Why is everone else asleep during my lunch break?

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | July 27, 2010 9:20 AM

"I would often spend the other 25 or 55 minutes of my lunch break asleep."

Heh. Me too. A lifetime ago, when I was 17, I fell asleep (after lunch) in the carpenter's shop.
The buggers crept around, didn't swich on a machine or use a hammer for nearly 20 miniutes after start time just so they give a HUGE jeer when I did eventually awake. I was 'Sleeping Beauty' for months.

Posted by: JeffreyD | July 27, 2010 9:36 AM

Rutee - I went to bed before you posted on this thread last night. This is a courtesy reply to acknowledge your post, I was not ignoring you. I had no intention of bringing that discussion to the endless thread. If you feel my comment here was directed solely at you then you are wrong. Both sides of the debate, to be charitable with the term, had high level of hyperbolic nonsense. I still see no reason to bring the Wikileaks discussion to the endless thread and only posting here because I have intention of returning to the original thread. If you want to discuss this issue with me then you are welcome to email me at, sans the spaces, k e l t i x x @ yahoo.

Posted by: monado | July 27, 2010 9:43 AM

If you want to reduce population growth--which is already slowing its rate of change--support education for women, women's rights, women's choices to own property and control their own fertility. When women become educated, they start to take control of their destiny, and the birth rate drops. It's the single most effective demographic change.

A close second in reducing misery would be the right for women to own property, work, and control their share of the family finances. When men get money, in many cultures they spend it on something for themselves. When women get money, they spend it on putting a roof over their children's heads.

I know these are generalizations, but there's enough truth in these patterns to affect a region's economy and people's health. So if you want to save the world, empower women!

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 27, 2010 9:58 AM

I saw a silverfish not that much smaller than a trilobite in a previous apartment. Though fear may be coloring my memory. ;) Those bastards are freaking huge and move so fast! I know they eat other insects, but...*shudder*

huh?
You seem to be describing a house centipede, not a silverfish. Google Images suggests others are similarly confused.

Centipedes are awesome tiger-like predators in their world, and they're good to have around in part because they'll eat your silverfish. Silverfish are very small, and eat starchy carbs (like, famously, book-binding stuff), never other insects. They're actually very interesting from a phylogenetic POV, as they are primitively wingless--among the most basally branching insects, none of their ancestors ever invented wings.

Posted by: Ring Tailed Lemurian | July 27, 2010 9:59 AM

I know you've missed me so I've made up for it with an even longer than usual post.

Each year I look forward to the migrations with eagerness and dread. There's nothing like lines of birds resting on telephone wires as far as the eye can see.

I was once trapped (bear with me, I'll get there, eventually - The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is my favourite novel, and the model for all my posts) for four days at a small eastern border crossing between Thailand and Malayasia. Friday was a Malay Muslim holiday, the crossing was closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and Monday was a Thai holiday. I arrived on Thursday afternoon, half an hour after the border had closed (early) for the day.

Small town. Nothing to see. Only exists becuase of the border. Crap hotels. This was going to be fun. Raining too much to go for a walk. In fact, when on the Tuesday my companion was denied entry to Malaysia and we had to make our wack back to Bangkok for more paperwork, we were stuck on a train for two days in floods. The train stuck on the next track had the severed top half of a dog on the footplate next to my window. I spent two days trying not to look at it. Our cabin companion was a Thai plastic surgeon who specialised in penis-to-vagina surgery, and told us about it in such lengthy detail, and showed us so many photos of his work, that I could probably still perform one nearly forty years later. ("It's just like peeling an orange!" You make two cuts just through the skin the lenght of the penis, meeting at the tip, peel back the skin, scoop out everything inside, chuck it away, sew the penis back up and push it up, now inverted, between some muscles, apparently).

Anyway, back to the boring border town. I'd once been stuck (due to engine seizure folling a fan belt breakage) for a long holiday weekend (why do these things always happen over holidays, like getting toothache on Xmas Eve?) in a town which, even in the mind-numbingly boring Transvaal, was locally famous for being mind-numbingly boring, and I wasn't looking forward to being four days in this one. Not even a cinema here. At least in that Tranvaal dorp I'd been able to occupy some time by going to the cinema and watching Hayley Mills and Burl Ives in Summer Magic three times, which is three viewing it wouldn't have got from me in normal circumstances. (And, wouldn't you just know it, Summer Magic was the only film onboard on the two week ship journey from Cape Town to Southampton that we took a few weeks later?)

Oh yes, that border town. Right. Then, as evening approached, the birds came. (See? We got there in the end, or almost the end, still a way to go). It was the end of October and millions (and I mean millions of birds were migrating south down the peninsula and I had arrived on the first "big" day of the migration. The sky was black with birds coming down to perch for the night. Every inch of every telephone wire "as far as the eye could see" was occupied. Every tree, every house, every fence was totally covered in birds (mostly finches, but many varieties - I wasn't a bird watcher then, unfortunately, or I could probably have ticked off almost every bird in SE Asia). Every pole, every possible perch was occupied. They were perched on chairs outside peoples' houses, on shop signs, on windowsills, on bags of rubbish, on anything vaguely higher than the ground. You had to keep your windows shut to stop them from flying in and perching. And the noise was incredible. Then the sun set and they all went quiet.
In the morning, before dawn, the racket started again as millions of birds woke up, had a shit, a preen, and then continued south. It took hours until they had all gone. Followed by huge numbers of raptors. The streets and roofs were littered with thousands of dead birds that had died in the night (and the market was full of people with birds, in little grass cages, that you were supposed to buy in order to release the bird, and thus gain "good fortune" for yourself). That evening, the influx started again, and the spectacle was repeated each day I was there, but the numbers of birds declined each day after the first, until there were just "hundreds of thousands".
As you can imagine, by the end of the weekend the town was white with birdshit, which the locals were busy scraping up and bagging during the day.

Now, I've seen lots of impressive nature documetaries about various spectacular animal migrations - Monarch butterflies, locusts, caribou, wilderbeest, penguins, anchovies, crabs, etc, and in RL I've seen flocks of queleas that number in their millions and take an hour to fly past you, I've seen (40 years ago) tens of thousands of dolphins migrating down the west Indian coast, and I've watched C beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate, but this was on another scale altogether.

It's still a pretty spectacular planet, but just imagine what it must have been like only a few thousands of years ago. Or even just a few hundred years ago, in the case of North America with the "buffalo" and Passenger Pigeon, and all the oceans.
It's not fair! I want to see a world with all those half ton carniverous geese, mammoths and mastadons, wooly rhinos, giant sloths and giant bears, moas, elephant birds and dodos. Bloody humans! I want the skies to be so full of birds that I need an umbrella to go out. I want the oceans to once again be so full of whales that I could walk to Australia. What have I got instead? A planet overfull with people quite prepared to slaughter anyone "different", and who like talent shows. Grrr :)

Editor's note : Apart from looking for suitable new accomodation for his now wheelchair-bound (and currently trapped in her upstairs appartment) mother and thus having spent a lot of time recently with estate agents (spit), RTL has mostly been reading a signed copy (found in a charity shop) of Arkady Babchenko's One Soldier's War In Chechnya. Which may explain his current jaundiced opinion of humans.

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 27, 2010 10:03 AM

link borked
house centipede

Posted by: monado | July 27, 2010 10:07 AM

I was brought up on Miracle Whip. When I tasted mayonnaise, I thought it was strangely bland. Now I'm used to it. I've been using Hellman's olive oil mayo plus a little lemon juice for tartness in most things. Now I'm accustomed to luxury and Miracle Whip tastes funny.

I haven't tried making my mayo, but if it's really just egg yolks and oil, maybe I should try it. John, you too can beat eggs like a machine. Just hold a fork horizontal in your dominant hand between thumb and forefinger, then relax your wrist and move it in horizontal ovals. Put the fork just below the surface of your liquid (eggs, batter), so that each movement picks up a bit of your mixture and drops it back into the main body. That incorporates air into the mixture. Aim for a regular rhythm of about five beats per second or faster. In no time you'll be hand-walloping your own mayo.

The devilled eggs aren't for me, although I do like them. They're for someone who was going to "choke down" a few hard-boiled eggs, so I volunteered to make them more palatable. That person thinks ordinary mayo is too high in fat; I guess I won't mention the 9g of fat in an egg yolk. I'm trying to recall an old recipe that I think used soy sauce or Worcester sauce for liquid. Your recipes are a big help.

Posted by: Jules, Bride of Death | July 27, 2010 10:28 AM

Sven
That is definitely not what I was talking about (though it does sound like Heatherly's creature), and holy shit that thing is fucking creepy-looking and awesome.

monado
Making mayo in a food processor takes all of 5 minutes. It's really easy and well worth it. I would recommend against using olive oil exclusively as your oil. It makes it a bit delicate, and the flavor can be overwhelming. Me, I tend to let the yolks come to room temp, and then I use cooled bacon fat. It makes for a rather stout mayo when chilled, unless you go part bacon fat, part veg. oil. It's a beautiful thing.

Ok. I should probably stop blowing off my first hour at work and put my nose to the grindstone.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 10:36 AM

RTL... I'm awaiting your memoirs.

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 10:59 AM

Also, I won't let anyone kill one of those on my walls or floor. Unless I'm not there and you clean it all before I get there. It's not pretty. It's pretty disgusting, actually.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 11:18 AM

I'm curious about your reaction to deviled eggs: They're really just hardboiled eggs tarted up with a little flavoring; is it the mushed-up texture of the yolk mixture that you find disgusting, or do you just not like eggs?

They are nine kinds of nasty.

First off they are boiled eggs. Already gross. Egg yolk when boiled is horrible. Smell, taste, texture, color... they all combine to say DON'T EAT THIS! Actually egg yolk is nasty in general unless it's beaten into a cake or something where you don't taste it.

Then they have the nasty gritty mushy boiled yolks back in them. If that isn't already enough to make me vomit then they have a tangy mayo-tastic funk added to the already disgusting texture. Oh hell let's add some pimento-tasting stuff in there.

All stuffed back into rubbery cold egg flesh. It has a slimy texture that still requires chewing and therefore time in the mouth while the stink of boiled egg yolk and the tang of mayo fills the senses. Slimy and slick on the outside, gritty and mushy on the inside.

Oh man I could go on...

I guess the thing is I don't like eggs much! Fried is ok.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 27, 2010 11:27 AM

So, a student at Georgia University is studying to become a counselor -- only problem is that she believes being gay or transgender is a choice, ... and an immoral, anti-god choice at that. So the University wants her to do some remedial work, and she wants to sue the University and make the case about religious freedom.

graduate student in Georgia is suing her university after she was told she must undergo a remediation program due to her beliefs on homosexuality and transgendered persons.
     The student, Jennifer Keeton, 24, has been pursuing a master's degree in school counseling at Augusta State University since 2009, but school officials have informed her that she'll be dismissed from the program unless she alters her "central religious beliefs on human nature and conduct," according to a civil complaint filed last week.
     "Augusta State University] faculty have promised to expel Miss Keeton from the graduate Counselor Education Program not because of poor academic showing or demonstrated deficiencies in clinical performance, but simply because she has communicated both inside and outside the classroom that she holds to Christian ethical convictions on matters of human sexuality and gender identity," the 43-page lawsuit reads....

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 27, 2010 11:45 AM

Cath the Canberra Cook, is that you nipping at my heels on Facebook's "Scramble" game? No one is really giving me much in the way of competition, but you look like you could.

Posted by: rubberband | July 27, 2010 12:01 PM

What can the crowd tell me about "Science Advisory Board" http://technical.scienceboard.net/ ? Is this a reputable source, and if so, why does it not link or list to the research somewhere? Has the work mentioned there been peer reviewed or published anywhere?

I need to know, because I plan on using the posts on it in a High School Bio class to generate interest and discussion.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the hijack/troll-like behavior. (but if ever there were a thread where I think I could get away with it, it's this one!)

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 27, 2010 12:07 PM

@Dania:

Eww eww eww... no. House centipedes are the one critter that makes me scream - before I smash it into oblivion.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 27, 2010 12:08 PM

House Centipedes and Mayo

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmgrgrgrlrglgrrrrlgl

/homer

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 27, 2010 12:14 PM

Truffle omelette ftw

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 12:19 PM

JOOC, do you also dislike grits? Or am I still the only Texican who thinks they're disgusting?

Grits depend. They're kind of ick unless they're almost dried out so that they have some chewyness. They're not something I crave, or ever make, but not on my shit list. There's a lot of food I'd rather eat though.

I dislike whipped potatoes. Same texture as egg mush, although usually less nasty in taste unless they've been made into that nasty cold abomination called "potato salad" around here... which incidentally tastes an awful lot like deviled eggs.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 27, 2010 12:20 PM

Rev BDC, my brother that lives in Alaska has never been to Baffin Island

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 27, 2010 12:22 PM

Damn. I've found a few folks that have their email addresses out there that I'm going to contact.

I REALLY hope the big flooding / erosion they had in 2008 didn't completely wreck the Weasel valley.

Thanks for asking.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 27, 2010 12:24 PM

@Dania:

Yes - it does make no sense. But I'm highly irrational and violent when I get really frightened. The later thought of 'now you gotta clean it up' doesn't even pass through my head.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 27, 2010 12:31 PM

The New Yorker has posted an article by Atul Gawande titled "Letting Go." What should medicine do when it can't save your life? Well-worth the time it takes to read 13 (short) pages.

Posted by: Bill Dauphin, avec fromage | July 27, 2010 12:32 PM

Ol'Greg:

I dislike whipped potatoes. Same texture as egg mush, although usually less nasty in taste unless they've been made into that nasty cold abomination called "potato salad" around here... which incidentally tastes an awful lot like deviled eggs.

Ahh, the light dawns! What you really dislike is... church picnics! 8^)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 12:38 PM

LOL Bill. Who knew... it was the food that turned me from religion!?

Posted by: Matt "Nora" Penfold | July 27, 2010 12:39 PM

As my Pharyngulan Phacebook Phriends know, I've recently discovered a motherlode of wild blackberries growing in the untamed edge of my yard; maybe making jam would be the perfect way to use them. Do you strain out the seeds or leave them in? (And would straining out the seed make it a jelly rather than a jam? I always lose track of the technical distinctions between jellies, jams, preserves, marmalades, etc.)

Yeah, removing the seeds would make it a blackberry jelly rather than a jam. Jams are made with the whole fruit (less stones obviously!) whereas jellies are passed through a sieve.

Preserves are simply fruit/vegetables that have been preserved using sugar as a mould/bacteria inhibitor.

Jams are normally made using fruit, although there is an onion marmalade.

Marmalades are like jams, but should be considerably sharper and made with citrus fruit.

Jellies can either be like jams but without the seeds, or they can more like the kind of jelly you get at kids parties.

Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space, OM, A little FUCKING ray of sunshine | July 27, 2010 12:47 PM

Regarding house centipedes and other crawlies--I find them fascinating. Would never hurt one--but then I'm the guy who spends 5 minutes trying to capture a spider in a bathtub so I can release it unharmed ourside. I'll risk a wasp sting to try and rescue it. Weird, I realize, but my wife is exactly the same way. I'll stop the mower and move a praying mantis out of the way.

Ticks, Mosquitoes and anything else going after my blood--that's fair game. I'll kill flies if they won't leave me alone. Anything else, I'll not only live and let live, I'll try to rescue it if I can.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 12:49 PM

Oh wow. I think we call crane flies mayflies here and a daddy long legs is a weird spider-like thing (is it a spider?) with a tiny body and long long legs.

Or so we say :P

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | July 27, 2010 12:53 PM

@a_ray_in_dilbert_space:

See, it's only certain bugs I destroy: centipedes, millipedes, earwigs, and silverfish - or very similar bugs. All others I will rescue from drowning, put outside and save. I also will watch ants and spiders doing their stuff.

@Ol'Greg:

Daddy Long Legs are not spiders, but they are arachnids.

Posted by: Katrina, radicales féministes athées | July 27, 2010 1:01 PM

While I'm thinking about it, I wonder if blackberries and hot peppers would make an interesting flavor blend....

Posted by: Classical Cipher | July 27, 2010 1:07 PM

I just need to tell you, Thread, that house centipedes are the monsters that haunt my nightmares. And I don't ever, ever, ev er want to see one in person ever again.

I have similar feelings about hardboiled eggs to Ol'Greg (the texture of the white is the worrrrrrrrst), though I suppose I will have to check up on that since last time I tried one I think I was in fourth grade and at that point I didn't like any eggs at all.

Thanks also to all who offered jelly-making/canning tips. To Bill Dauphin, I will definitely look into getting that book (both books, in fact :P) when I can afford it. To Mattir, thanks, that recipe (blinding as its font may be) cleared up some confusion about what that entailed. I'm still going to give the apple jelly a shot, but I'm going to skip getting the canner for now, as the jars themselves and the jar tongs are pretty much going to break my budget at the moment. (We're saving up for a trip!)

Also, apparently there's a skunk chasing people around up by my friend's house, and now there's like a mob looking for this skunk. I find that pretty funny.

Posted by: Janine, The Little Top Of Venom, OM | July 27, 2010 1:12 PM

Walton, you are now playing with the old truism that England and the US are two countries separated by a common tongue.

Posted by: Bill Dauphin, avec fromage | July 27, 2010 1:22 PM

Katrina (@583):

I was actually thinking of a homemade blackberry-jalapeno (or red pepper or habanero) jelly¹, but that roasted blackberry chipotle sauce looks awesome; I've definitely saved that link!


¹ Apparently, what I (and the recipe I've used) have been calling jalapeno jelly is technically a jam, since it uses the whole pod including skins and seeds... but it has the relatively tighter consistency that I associate with a jelly rather than a jam. I guess it just is what it is, eh?

Posted by: rubberband | July 27, 2010 1:24 PM

My spouse has heard my rant about grits, which is that most folks have no idea how to prepare them.
See, grits are corn, so you most definitely do not add sugar or milk (they are nothing like cream of wheat).
You put butter and salt on 'em, just like popcorn.
What I find curious is that there are folks who claim grits are gross, but if you offer the european equivalent (polenta) they think it's yummy and chic.

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | July 27, 2010 1:34 PM

I like grits the northern way (sugar) and the southern way (pepper and butter).

Posted by: Bill Dauphin, avec fromage | July 27, 2010 1:42 PM

rubberband:

What I find curious is that there are folks who claim grits are gross, but if you offer the european equivalent (polenta) they think it's yummy and chic.

What I dislike about grits is not the flavor, but that soft, runny texture that is also the reason I dislike cream of wheat, oatmeal, and loose mashed potatoes. I'm sure I would feel the same about soft polenta, although when I see (on foodie TV shows) polenta served in firm cakes, sometimes grilled, I do indeed think it looks "yummy and chic."

Posted by: Celtic_Evolution | July 27, 2010 1:52 PM

the texture of the white is the worrrrrrrrst

Texture is far more a determining factor than taste in foods in like and dislike.

For instance, I love peach flavored things, but the texture of peaches, I just can't stand, so I don't eat peaches.

Same goes for beets, cauliflower... and some kinds of fish...

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | July 27, 2010 1:57 PM

What can the crowd tell me about "Science Advisory Board"

afaict "The Science Advisory Board" is aka "some guy named Amit Bafana". Lots of it seems to be paraphrased from 'kipedia but it's not pure cut-&-paste.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 27, 2010 2:06 PM

The texture of food discussion is funny - that was one of the worst bits of having a sensory integration problem kid. "I can't eat that, wear that, touch that, it feels funny." I'm the same way with clothes - sometimes I'll change my shirt 3 or 4 times a day because suddenly it just doesn't "feel right."

Southpaw has a lot of really really fun stuff for alleviating such sensitivities.

Posted by: Classical Cipher | July 27, 2010 2:26 PM

Um, Thread? What the FUCK is wrong with the Things that are backwards thread? Where the fuck did all these troglodytes come from?
*staying the fuck away*

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 2:31 PM

What the FUCK is wrong with the Things that are backwards thread?

Uh, I wasn't following the comments on that thread so not sure what you're talking about, but now I don't know if I want discover by going there. Is it really that bad?

Posted by: Celtic_Evolution | July 27, 2010 2:40 PM

What the FUCK is wrong with the Things that are backwards thread?

dunno... I saw the ruckus a few miles out and took the next exit to go around... didn't want to get caught up in that 64 car pile-up.

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 2:48 PM

Ok, I peeked from a safe distance and my conclusion is that the whole thread is a big mess not worth of even trying to figure out what the hell is going on here. Not going there.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | July 27, 2010 3:00 PM

Dear Utah Supreme Court, WTF!?

The Utah Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs’ conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice and sent the case back for a new trial, saying there were “serious errors” in instructions given to the jury that deprived Jeffs of a fair hearing.
     The justices unanimously ruled 5th District Judge James Shumate erred when he rejected a defense request to instruct jurors that in order to convict, they must find that in performing a marriage Jeffs knew unwanted sex would take place and intended for a rape to occur.
     In its opinion, the high court acknowledged the controversy surrounding the case.
     “We regret the effect our opinion today may have on the victim of the underlying crime, to whom we do not wish to cause additional pain,” wrote Justice Jill Parrish for the court. “However, we must ensure that the laws are applied evenly and appropriately, in this case as in every case, in order to protect the constitutional principles on which our legal system is based. We must guarantee justice, not just for this defendant, but for all who may be accused of a crime and subjected to the State’s power to deprive them of life, liberty, or property hereafter.”
     Jeffs is the ecclesiastical leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The sect has about 10,000 members, mostly located in Utah, Arizona, Texas and British Columbia.
     Jeffs was convicted in September 2007 on two counts of being an accomplice to rape for a marriage he conducted between Allen G. Steed and Elissa Wall, then 14. Wall testified during Jeffs’ trial that she objected to the union and, initially, to having sex with her husband but Jeffs ignored her requests to be let out of the marriage....

It seems more likely that this decision is a move by the mormon-dominated Utah Supreme Court to protect traditional marriage and to deny rights to women. It sounds like they are afraid of setting a precedent that would open mormons up to charges of undue pressure being brought to bear on young women to marry and bear children.

Also, we see over and over again that Utah mormons talk a good PR game about polygamy (that it is not condoned, not allowed, that they excommunicate practitioners, etc.); but their actions, or inactions, tell a different story. They tolerate it whenever possible, and they expect to practice polygamy when they get to the Celestial Kingdom. I would feel somewhat better about the whole polygamy setup if mormon women had equal status with mormon men, and if the State of Utah would stop approving of 14 year old girls being married with parental consent (parents who are under the thumb of a prophet like Jess consent to have their daughters married off against the daughter's will).

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 3:12 PM

LOL. I had a similar reaction Angel Kaida. Opened the door on the backwards thread, realized I'm sleepy and busy at work and just don't have the stamina to even figure out what's going on in there, and closed the door on it.

I dunno WTH is up with that thread. I also hate the googlemess and yahoomess names. I can't tell who those people are. Might as well just have an anon designation.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 3:25 PM

Mattir? Why bring it here?

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | July 27, 2010 3:29 PM

I wasn't trying to bring the argument here, actually. Also, I love Cerberus.

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 3:35 PM

Wouldn't they have to be attacking truth statements for their tone, to be concern trolls? Wasn't that the whole point of the slur? That "2 + 2 = 4, Mother Fucker" is more accurate then "2 + 2 = 22", and all that?

No, those would tone trolls. Originally, a concern troll is someone who pretends to be on your side and offers advice while in reality holding the opposite position.

Posted by: Dania | July 27, 2010 3:39 PM

Crap. I wish I could write today. "Those would be tone trolls". And, well, I think you can understand what I meant there. Anyway:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=concern+troll

Posted by: heatherly | July 27, 2010 3:46 PM

On a completely different note: Can someone please explain why I keep attracting on the crazy Christians on OK Cupid? Despite having very clear information about my religious positions?

"My favorite books: Bible! The only book you need!"

Oy vey iz mir.

@Mattir: Does your Spawn also have issues with textures of clothes? Sweaters, for example? I'm still struggling with that one.

(Ha! Kitchen floor is clean!)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | July 27, 2010 3:55 PM

Yeah, wasn't trying to snark at you Mattir. Just that I'm here because I don't *want* to deal with that mess.

I suppose I could just go kick it somewhere else while I wait for us to go to this meeting that we're supposedly going to... any... minute.... now for like an hour.

I have problems with certain physical textures, btw. Always have. I can't stand touching newspaper with my hands.

I know. Neurotic.