Pharyngula

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 27, 2011 9:47 PM

Ooh, they gives me wood. Can I nail them?

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 27, 2011 9:54 PM

Benjamin,
Very well done, but it lacked a pain slut Jesus.

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | April 27, 2011 9:54 PM

Can I nail them?

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 27, 2011 10:00 PM

I grew up in and around Syracuse (born in Cortland), where apples are pronounced "aaaiyyyples," ranch dressing is "reeeeeyyyyinch," and people ejaculate "Oh my Gaaaaaaaaaaad," pronounced as you would "gadfly."

As an immigrant, the one that stands out most to me is that they all call it "Sarah-cuse" when I would look at it and say "sear-a-cuse". There's also the complete disappearance of the letter t inside words, which my children have picked up. "Bill Clinton" would be "Bill Clin-nnn" with the last syllable kind of swallowed-guttural. (No, I know no linguistic pronunciation terms.)

It was so nice today - this is the first day I felt entirely comfortable not wearing a jacket early in the morning on the way to work.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 27, 2011 10:03 PM

PZ,
I almost never watch the fucking videos, but you fucking had me at "hunky" and "Jesus". ;)

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:06 PM

As an immigrant, the one that stands out most to me is that they all call it "Sarah-cuse" when I would look at it and say "sear-a-cuse". There's also the complete disappearance of the letter t inside words, which my children have picked up. "Bill Clinton" would be "Bill Clin-nnn" with the last syllable kind of swallowed-guttural. (No, I know no linguistic pronunciation terms.)

Yes! This. Drives me bugfuck nuts, both of those things.

I hate those glottal stops, and they're becoming more and more common among speakers everywhere, particularly young people (along with the loathsome and vile "upspeak"). Along with dropping any semblance of the "t" sound in the second syllable.

Examples:

Student = Stue'ent (or the equally irritating variation, which places the emphasis on the second syllable, particularly the short 'e' sound: "stude -Enz")

Tenants = Ten'ens

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 27, 2011 10:14 PM

Carlie:

There's also the complete disappearance of the letter t inside words, which my children have picked up. "Bill Clinton" would be "Bill Clin-nnn" with the last syllable kind of swallowed-guttural. (No, I know no linguistic pronunciation terms.)

Ugh, I fucking hate that. What's worse is that I fucking know that I talk like that unless I'm really paying attention to my pronunciation.

I never thought there was a fucking problem with the way we pronounce Syracuse, though. (But Cairo, NY, Lima, NY, and Berlin, NY... okay, I'll give you those for fucking wacky sounding town names.)

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 27, 2011 10:17 PM

@Nerd of Redhead: You're a Yooper? I am a Michigander, but from the Detroit area. Nearly 30 years out of the midwest and the people in NJ STILL complain about my accent...

@Josh: Well even though you diss my birth state, I still love you, Josh. And Vermont IS beautiful, but I plan on heading south in a few years. I need year-round motorcycle weather. I am TIRED of snow and winter. I like it warm.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 27, 2011 10:19 PM

Dhorvath, Fucking Death said

Spam bots are cheap. They might only need a sale a month to justify and they hit huge numbers of people.

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:20 PM

Triskele - what birth state? New York? That's mine too, and I'll diss it if I want to.

Oh. . . you mean Michigan? Hehehe. . .

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 27, 2011 10:24 PM

But Cairo, NY

How is that pronounced in NY? There's one in IL that's Karo like the syrup.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 27, 2011 10:27 PM

The Cairo in Wisconsin is pronounced Kay-ro.

Posted by: Lotharloo | April 27, 2011 10:29 PM

The first line in the video was also the best one. Nothing can go wrong after that.

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 27, 2011 10:30 PM

You'll have to let me know if you can imagine NatGeo sponsoring it.

Not in this reality!
-

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | April 27, 2011 10:32 PM

You're a Yooper? I am a Michigander, but from the Detroit area.

It's a ghastly thing, a hotdog on a bun with beef chili and onions. Is that an actual Michigan thing, or are Vermonters just making it up?

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:33 PM

Ah, Triskele, I wuv you too!

Oh yes, a Coney. Mustard and kraut are the only things I want on my hot dog. Back East, though, Coneys (the actual sausage) are different from ordinary franks. The name describes the meat, not the presentation and condiments. I think they're a little spicier, but it's been years since I've had one.

Most important is a quality frank. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing that equals Nathan's. Sabrett is a close second, and Hebrew National isn't bad. But nothing else. You literally cannot pay me to eat any of those mass market "hot dogs" such as Oscar Mayer or Ball Park. They are disgusting, and should be illegal.

Posted by: ohhkellee | April 27, 2011 10:35 PM

"Are you ready to piss off some Christians??"

*shrieks with laughter*

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 27, 2011 10:37 PM

To make up for it, we've got some lovely fucking place names like Coxsackie* (which is conveniently located near the unincorporated towns of Surprise and Climax).

Hm, a geographical way around fucking profanity filters...

Posted by: Lotharloo | April 27, 2011 10:38 PM

BTW, where did the fuck meme come from? Is it a reaction to the impending hammer of censorship? It fucking reminds of me the big-fucking-lebowski movie though.

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | April 27, 2011 10:40 PM

Hot dogs are disgusting. Almost as bad as turkey or peas.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 27, 2011 10:42 PM

@Gyeong Hwa Pak: I like peas as long as they are not mushy.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 27, 2011 10:42 PM

Lotharloo,

Is it a reaction to the impending hammer of censorship?

Yep, you're fucking right. It started with me at comment 455 of the last TET (which was cross posted in the Changes thread).

I wasn't expecting this to fucking catch on, but I'm fucking thrilled that it has. :D

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:44 PM

Pikachu - I love peas, in any form. Steamed with butter, sprinkled with dill and lemon, dried and split for soup. Love them.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 27, 2011 10:46 PM

Is it a reaction to the impending hammer of censorship?

In a fucking nutshell.

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:48 PM

Dhorvath:

Hot dogs are disgusting.

Serious question: Have you ever had a quality frank? Such as Nathan's or Sabrett? Or has your experience been limited to "hot dogs" like Oscar Mayer, which are disgusting.

If you haven't, you really might want to try the brands I cited above. They're a whole different beast from what you may think of as "hot dogs." They're not a pasty, tubular Meat Product, they're a nicely seasoned sausage.

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 27, 2011 10:50 PM

Hot dogs are disgusting. Almost as bad as turkey or peas.

Depends on the hot dog. Some are indeed beneath contempt, and are probably stuffed with peas and grown by horses. Either that, or stuffed with horses (which would explain the all-pervasive aura of Evil) and grown by peas. A nasty way to go, either way.
-

Sigh, I'll never win you guys over to peas, will I?

Never.

Excuse me; where are my manners? Fuckin' never!
-

I love peas, in any form. Steamed with butter, sprinkled with dill and lemon, dried and split for soup. Love them.

Josh, you really should get those symptoms checked. I fear for you, really I do.
-

Posted by: 朴競花/박경화 (Gyeong Hwa) | April 27, 2011 10:52 PM

Well Dhorvath and cicely,
I have home grown peas in my garden. I'd invite you for some soup but. . .

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:54 PM

Caine - I mentioned Hebrew National a few posts up. It comes in third in my ranking. Yes, they're good, but Nathan's are better. Really! Try them and see.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 27, 2011 10:56 PM

Dhorvath and Josh,
Or even better than Nathan's would be 'dogs made by a local meat packer.

Around here, we've got the White Eagle Packing Company that makes simply fucking divine hot dogs.

Posted by: Josh, "Raquel Dommage," Porte-parole Gay Official | April 27, 2011 10:57 PM

Triskele - I love split pea soup so much I make it several times a month, in huge batches so I can take to work for lunch every day of the week. Would love to have your recipe. Spokesgay at g mail, thank you ma'am.

Posted by: Katrina, radicales féministes athées | April 27, 2011 10:58 PM

@triskelethecat: Husband worked at St. John, too. He could walk to work - we were that close. I was still active duty Navy then, so I worked at Selfridge.

We got out of there just in time. Sold the house in '05 when we were living in Italy. The only place I've been happier to leave was Chesapeake, Virginia.

Posted by: Janine, The Little Top Of Venom, OM | April 27, 2011 11:00 PM

There is a creepy smell coming from the I get email...it's not always loons thread.

Oh, it is just that mushy headed sack of shit, Shiloh.

Reminds me why I do not miss Kenny.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 27, 2011 11:01 PM

@Fenmaniac: well, it's pretty accurate as far as I am concerned:

What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

After nearly 30 years on the East Coast, I do know enough to ask for "soda" but when I am tired, I ask for "pop". And I still think that asking for a "slice" or a "pie" is an abomination when it comes to pizza...

And I had a boss who consistently said only that I was from "one of those "M" states...

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 27, 2011 11:05 PM

Umm, hot dogs I have had: Hmm, lets see.
I won't go into the mass market stuff, I know you wouldn't like those either.
Moe's Debrazini
Freybe's
Kwinter
Pilliers
That's about all I can think of. I love most sausages so it often surprises people that I don't like hot dogs. Most BBQs end up with me sampling another version and I have yet to find one that I actually enjoy. Gimme a hot italian, chorizo, or some nice bavarian brat and I am happy. Hot dogs are unfood.
If I am ever in your neck of the woods, you can try to sway me, I am always open to arguments that revolve around eating.

Posted by: Wowbagger, Man-Hating Man of Pharyngula | April 27, 2011 11:06 PM

Hot dogs in Australia are very different - here the standard is weiner + bun + ketchup tomato sauce. A serious gourmet might have mustard as well; anything beyond that (i.e. pretty much each of the things that seem to be standard in the different parts of the US) would be considered unusual.

At one place I used to go they had what they called the 'Danish Dog', which was weiner + bun + danish relish (whatever that is) + American mustard + crispy dried onions. They were awesome.

Posted by: https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawm4LWH-6WmUGLOn0x6UxxaoM7Xk8GKIm2w | April 27, 2011 11:09 PM

... there is such a thing as a Chicago Style Hotdog. There supposedly is a sausage under all those toppings.

Never having lived in Chicago, and never having eaten a Chicago-style dog the times I've visited Chicago - I'll have to just guess that the versions I've made, thousands of miles away, are still authentic enough to represent the desires savory outcome.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 27, 2011 11:12 PM

Also Hofmann hot dogs. Mmm good.

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | April 27, 2011 11:16 PM

I think my attitude toward the impending NatGeo takeover can be summed up in words:

"Fuck, shit, cock, ass, titties, boner, bitch, muff, pussy, cunt, butthole, Barbra Streisand!"

Posted by: Jessa | April 27, 2011 11:18 PM

Grrrr....

Why do men feel that it is perfectly fine to pat short women on the head? It happened to me twice today.

Posted by: Jessa | April 27, 2011 11:23 PM

@ triskelethecat: I'd have gone with something in that vein, except that one of those instances was one of my bosses.

I seriously need a new job.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 27, 2011 11:26 PM

A boss? Then I would think about grabbing the hand and "accidentally" digging my nails in...

Posted by: Lyn M: Just Lyn M. | April 27, 2011 11:29 PM

I make a lightning fast bite motion with as deep a snarl/growl as I can manage. Then I blink, use the puppy eyes and say, "Oh gosh! You startled me."

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 27, 2011 11:32 PM

Lyn:

How many from Ala-fucking-bama?

Jules, and a couple others, I think. I'm in North Fucking Dakota, about an hour west and a little bit south of Bismarck.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 27, 2011 11:35 PM

triskelethecat:

In those instances, I tend to grab the hand and ask them if they mind if I bite...

I'm not short, but if it were me, I'd pull a knife and ask if they minded their testicles being removed. I suppose it's a good thing I'm self-employed.

Posted by: https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkbsu50FTcW-y2QCgN20AJH5MYsgFm_bFc | April 27, 2011 11:42 PM

I happen to like cheap hotdogs (I am also a fan of so called "Vienna Sausages").

As to coneys, as a kid who grew up in the north end of Appalachia while being a huge nerd who read British novels, I assumed that coneys were made of rabbit meat (due to the spelling similarity with coney as in rabbit). I was disappointed when I found out otherwise. The conversation where this happened also created a running joke in certain circles about me being the hater and killer of baby rabbits (as if I would, the little ones don't have much meat-it would be hardly worth the effort to skin them). It got even worse when I made a vegan cry with my response to his assertion that people would not eat meat if they knew where it came from (my mom raised meat rabbits and was handy with a hatchet...).

Posted by: Wowbagger, Man-Hating Man of Pharyngula | April 27, 2011 11:50 PM

Googleperson at #89 wrote:

As to coneys, as a kid who grew up in the north end of Appalachia while being a huge nerd who read British novels, I assumed that coneys were made of rabbit meat (due to the spelling similarity with coney as in rabbit).

Which was pronounced, I'm led to believe, 'cunny' (since it's spelled the same as honey, that makes some sense) - which, apparently, is why the term isn't used anymore...

Posted by: llewelly | April 27, 2011 11:54 PM

So, after refreshing the thread, Caine's making light link works for me. When I was an undergrad at the University of Utah, in 1997 or 1998, a library science professor came and gave a talk about that problem. The solution (partial) she described was, more or less, the wayback machine.

It seems to me the vast majority of what goes on on the internet is what in past ages would have been person-to-person talk, and thus never recorded at all. On the internet, we have it for a few years, sometimes more. (Thanks to google, usenet posts going back to 1979 are still available, though their search function is not as good as it once was.)

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 27, 2011 11:57 PM

llewelly, that wasn't my link, it was Becca's.

Posted by: llewelly | April 28, 2011 12:06 AM

kitten!

Posted by: Jadehawk, cascadeuse féministe | April 28, 2011 12:26 AM

I'm supposed to be writing an essay about legitimization processes. Instead, I made a list of things about former US presidents that Teabaggers would hate:

Van Buren spoke English as a second language

Both Adamses, Taft and Fillmore were Unitarians

Hoover and Nixon were Quakers

Buchanan was a life-long bachelor

Buchanan, Wilson, Hoover and possibly Johnson had one immigrant parent

Arthur’s father was an immigrant and didn’t become a US citizen until 14 years after the birth of his son

both of Jackson’s parents migrated to North America only two years before he was born

Hayes and Garfield were raised by a single mothers

Ford’s mother divorced his father and even got child support for the kid

Teddy Roosevelt was both a Republican and a Progressive

Wilson was a “pointyheaded intellectual elitist from academia” (i.e. he had a PhD)

Posted by: Janine, The Little Top Of Venom, OM | April 28, 2011 1:04 AM

I am fucking tired of fucking hearing about the fucking royal wedding. Dammit! I cannot even check my e-mail with having a fucking carriage gliding across my screen.

Fuck it all! I do not care about the British royal family. I hate all of the coverage of Chuck and Di thirty years ago. And at that time, there was not twenty four hour news channels and the internet. Now, it is so much worse.

What is the fascination with this fucking bullshit. I want no more of it.

Posted by: Wowbagger, Man-Hating Man of Pharyngula | April 28, 2011 1:25 AM

Janine wrote:

Fuck it all! I do not care about the British royal family.

Yeah, as much as I think it's ridiculous for my fellow Australians to be interested in it - and many, to my immense disappointment, are; I actually had a huge fight with a friend on Facebook about it - it must be even more disturbing in the US where your ancestors fought a war so you wouldn't have such nonsense anymore.

I'm very happy that when it's on - Friday night - I'll be somewhere that a huge spectacle is entirely appropriate: at the theatre seeing Wicked for the first time.

Posted by: ronsullivan | April 28, 2011 1:31 AM

Need better recipe for bacon soda, other than this plus fizzywater. Maybe more maple syrup and lemon?

Posted by: crowepps | April 28, 2011 1:32 AM

often can be pronounced with or without the "t" in the middle.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 1:43 AM

The only reason the royals will not be first against the wall is the competition has become so fierce in that area, of late.

That is all.

Posted by: chigau (◦_◦) | April 28, 2011 2:07 AM

I did that dialect thing twice.
Once in public and doing the pronunciation in my head.
Once alone and making sounds.
In my head I'm Boston.
Aloud I'm Inland North.
I'm really Southern Alberta.
**helpme**

Posted by: eumides | April 28, 2011 2:38 AM

*Wanders in with a large bowl of pea, ham and chorizo soup.*

*Places bowl under large metal cage propped up with a stick which has a piece of string tied off it.*

*Takes end of string and hides behind pot plant to see who goes after the soup.*

Sorry, I don't post much and this is the first in TET, since I can never keep up with this thread. I got enticed in by the promise of a fucking-gay, fucking-hunky jebus (Fuck, for good measure).

Off now for a fucking G and fucking T.

eumides

Posted by: ibyea | April 28, 2011 2:41 AM

Wow, it said that I was from the Midwest. I was actually born in Venezuela, so I wouldn't know which American English I picked up. I guess I now know.

Posted by: ibyea | April 28, 2011 2:45 AM

@jadehawk
NOOO!!! Not the pea soup!!!!! *starts crying and begs for mercy pathetically*

Posted by: eumides | April 28, 2011 2:46 AM

Jadehawk @114 said:

the effects of placing pea soup in the thread could be... interesting...

Why ? You are wearing a raincoat aren't you ?

Posted by: eumides | April 28, 2011 2:52 AM

Caine @120 said:

Hi, eumides. Thanks for the fucking soup. :D

You're more than fucking welcome!

Whilst Chigau @118 asked:

What kind of chorizo?

No idea, they're made by a local Spansh family out of I-know-not-what. But very fine, porcine and garlicky they are.

Posted by: chigau (◦_◦) | April 28, 2011 3:15 AM

We make chorizo out of an aged (pronounced age-ed) recipe.
also years decades of experimentation.
Fennel and garlic are essential, everything else can vary.

Posted by: opposablethumbstoo | April 28, 2011 3:53 AM

Yes to chorizo, no to franks (at least the ones you get around here are truly fucking awful shite). I'd really go for some of the soup if there's any left, it sounds fucking great.

@ The Fucking Sailor - you seriously worked those gigs? Fucking awesome. Something I'd like to ask you (if it's a fucking imposition you'll tell me to fuck right off, so I'm just fucking well going to ask anyway).

If you had a kid who was OK at science and maths in school, had a disability that meant they only started learning to talk half-way through primary school and now talking to people and anything with essays in it was always going to be a problem, and was pretty fucking amazing playing jazz - and pretty much seemed to want to spend their whole fucking life playing jazz - but you were hoping they might try to study something maths-and-science-maybe-physics related so they could also, you know, eat from time to time if the jazz didn't feed them - and you thought maybe the best thing that could happen to them would be to apply to unis with seriously good jazz bands - which unis should they look at when the time comes? You sound like a person who might know a shitload more more about that than the average fucker.

I'd really fucking appreciate any advice about that.

Posted by: Cath the Canberra Cook | April 28, 2011 4:00 AM

Testing this fucking nym fucking change.

Posted by: Lyn M: Just Lyn M. | April 28, 2011 4:07 AM

@ Cath the Canberra Cook #127

Don't see a change unless you took all the "fucking"s out.

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 4:11 AM

Disclaimer: This post may contain fucking profanity and should not be viewed by children under the age of 3 without parental guidance.

Aaaargggh! Nuclear fucking Bishops!

After the Fukushima nuclear accident the government of my sometimes beloved home country of Germany suddenly realized that one should have more in depth discussions about nuclear power. It so happened that, in an instance of the famous butterfly effect, our nuclear plants suddenly became more unsafe after an earthquake hit japan. As a leading dimwit said on telly: "Nothing is the same after Fukushima".

Today they launched the (partly public) discussions of a so-called ethics comission consisting of 15 people. Think of that what you like, I find it hypocritical and useless, but that's just me maybe.

Here's the thing though: three members of the comission are fucking bishops. That's Germany for you. It's got the word ethics in it, so let's have some know-nothing-about-anything pompous dimwits on the comission, who in their real job ponder about how Mary was a virgin and condoms are evil (well, two of them, one is a fucking protestant).
They probably couldn't tell uranium 233 from 235 if they had a fucking fuel rod up their asses. If you ask me there are exactly two possibilities:

- They will abstain from godbothering and dogma-shovelling and participate in the discussion and an informed and rational manner. In this case, why are they there? There is no need for fucking bishops if all they are doing is having a rational discussion - there are many more qualified people out there one should ask, for example people who spent their careers analyzing the effects of nuclear power on the environment, or its safety, or anything remotely relevant to the subject, rather than fucking theology.

- They will argue based on their faith. In this case: Are they fucking out of your mind? Get out of my telly!

Posted by: Lyn M: Just Lyn M. | April 28, 2011 4:24 AM

OK, so now I see it.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 4:28 AM

*headdesk*

I get periodic emails from a progressive group called Avaaz.org. (I have no idea how I got on their mailing list; maybe it happened when I signed a petition at some point. I couldn't be bothered to unsubscribe.)

Look what landed in my mailbox this morning:

In 4 days, the EU will ban much of herbal medicine, forcing us all to take pharmaceutical drugs that drive the profits of big Pharma.

The Directive will ban any herbal remedy that hasn't been on the European market for 30 years -- including virtually all Chinese, Ayurvedic, and African traditional medicine. It's a flawed and ignorant move that panders to drug companies and ignores thousands of years of medical knowledge.

What do you call "traditional medicine" that actually works?
Medicine.

We need a massive outcry against this. Together, our voices can press the EU Commission to repeal the directive, and push our national governments to refuse to implement it, and we'll also give legitimacy to a legal case before the courts. Sign below, forward this email to everyone, and let's get to 1 million voices to save herbal medicine:

It's hard to believe, but if a child is sick, and there is a safe and natural remedy for that illness that has been in use for 20 years, it will be impossible to find that remedy.

"Oh noes! Won't somebody please think of the children?!"

On May 1st the Directive will create major barriers to herbal remedies, requiring enormous costs, years of effort, and endless expert processes to get each and every product approved. Pharmaceutical companies have the resources to jump through these hoops but hundreds of small herbal medicine businesses, across Europe and worldwide, will go bust.

Cry me a fucking river.

If they'd said "Many of these products don't work, but we think consumers should be free to buy them if they so choose," then I'd have been on their side. As it is, their wailing about the death of herbal medicine isn't going to make me shed a tear.

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 4:32 AM

Hi Walton

Honestly, I can hardly believe that. Teutonia and some neighboring smallish countries are so woo-laden, and we sure love our herbal remedies. They'll probably just sell them as bath additives from now on, and write on the label attention: do not use as an alternative treatment for colds and cancer.

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 4:50 AM

@Cath

I actually managed it by miming the fuk when she left the room for a minute.

Man, when I was 8 years old I wouldn't even have understood that "gesture", no way. But then, back in those days the Internet was still a military operation, the Soviets were the bad guys, and we could receive only three TV stations. Where did those innocent times go...

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 5:01 AM

Kel,
> Into the Tea Party movement. ;)

Not on my continent they didn't. yet. Lack of historical precedent I suppose.
So what were we up to in that year... google... oh great, Frederick the Great became the King of Prussia. Now that's something you can base a reactionary political movement on.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 28, 2011 5:05 AM

Alex:

Man, when I was 8 years old I wouldn't even have understood that "gesture", no way.

I would have, and I turned 8 in 1965.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 28, 2011 5:09 AM

Funny thing is, in Germany they are basically obliged to print that on the package or advertisment. "This medication is a homeopathic remedy with no specific indication". People still buy it.

Same obligation in the U.S. and yes, people still buy it.

Posted by: Birger Johansson | April 28, 2011 5:12 AM

Apparently, the late pope John Paul II had the ability to cure herpes through prayer.
ERV: "Oooooooh! THATS why Teh Pope is against condoms!" http://scienceblogs.com/erv/2011/04/oooooooh_thats_why_teh_pope_is.php

What the article fails to mention, is that for prayer to be effective you have to combine it with a human sacrifice.
My empirical studies show that to cure herpes with a 95% success rate, you have to sacrifice 5-7 infants or up to a dozen adults.
My studies of curing HIV through prayer and sacrifice were cut short when P Z Myers and Greg Laden bought up the whole supply of available infants for some atheisty banquet (suggestions that tofu would be a good alternative fell on deaf ears).

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 28, 2011 5:16 AM

OK, my sister definetly need to put on a few pounds
Youngest brat just picked up the cover of "The Corpse Bride", pointed at the bride and said "There, auntie Irina!"

Well, now I need
-coffee
-choclate
-a house elf

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 5:33 AM

Well there's always the passive aggressive scare tactic that you won't get a place in the local denominational Kindergarten for your child if you're not member

In England, we have state-funded Catholic and Anglican faith schools which give a certain number of preferential places to the children of regular churchgoers.

It's an utterly silly system. (But it's rather hard to change. Denominational faith schools aren't owned by the state, so they can't be converted into secular state schools; the state could deprive them of funding, of course, but then it would have to spend a fuckton of money opening new schools to replace them.)

Part of the problem, of course, is that lots of British people reflexively tick "Christian" on their census form, despite being non-churchgoers and de facto non-believers. The 2001 census found that 71.6 percent of Brits identified as Christian; in reality, the proportion who are actually believers and church members is probably more like 40 percent, if that. Hence the British Humanist Association's slightly tongue-in-cheek slogan "If you're not religious, for God's sake say so."*

(*Many of the devout Christians I know actually agree with this. They'd say that the term "Christian" is only accurately applied to those who have a serious Christian faith, and that identifying oneself as formally "Christian" on the basis of cultural tradition, when one isn't an actual believer, is utterly meaningless.)

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 5:42 AM

@Walton

the point about kindergartens is that the funding for these comes almost entirely from the state (they are mostly "operated" by the churches), so the churches get to play the altruism card and to semi-blackmail young parents into joining using taxpayer money.

They'd say that the term "Christian" is only accurately applied to those who have a serious Christian faith,

I know what you mean, but don't you also wonder sometimes what is the fucking definition of "serious Christian faith"... Like, how divine do you have to think Jesus is before you can call your faith serious.

Posted by: Alex, adv. diab. | April 28, 2011 5:46 AM

@pteryxx

confess, I've always pronounced "often" with no t, but I blame Gilbert and Sullivan.

For you yourself have said it,
And it's greatly to your credit,
That you are an Englishman?

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 28, 2011 6:10 AM

I always thought that the proper pronunciation of often was with a silent t. Most dictionaries have the silent t as the primary pronunciation.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 6:12 AM

What does everybody think about this?

Basically... our Prime Minister, David Cameron, told a female opposition MP to "calm down, dear" during a debate on healthcare reform in the House of Commons. She interpreted this (understandably enough) as a condescending sexist putdown. He later explained that he was referencing a "well-known" TV advert (though I'd never heard of the advert personally). Evidently he was trying to be funny, but it fell flat.

It was a pretty stupid comment to make, IMO. He may not have intended to be sexist, but intent isn't magic, and saying something like that to dismiss a woman's opinion inevitably came across as sexist. I'd have a lot more respect for him if he would simply admit that it was a stupid comment, and apologize.

(Unfortunately, the Menz Brigade in the right-wing press are, of course, leaping to his defence.)

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | April 28, 2011 6:14 AM

What is NOMA?

Posted by: Birger Johansson | April 28, 2011 6:24 AM

"Swedish Olympian in coach sex abuse tell-all"
http://www.thelocal.se/33450/20110428/
This sucks. At the same time, remember to not get dragged into the paedophilia hysteria. These sick people are, fortunately, rare.
(The Aardvarchaeology blog has a thread of how the fear of paedophilia is affecting the way we view photographs -and photographers- of children)

Posted by: Moggie | April 28, 2011 6:45 AM

Walton, from memory the advert (for car insurance) goes something like this: Michael Winner, driving his huge, tasteless car, carelessly bumps into a woman's car, she reacts angrily, and he responds with "calm down, dear, it's only a commercial". It's essentially self-parody, playing on Winner's image as a dinosaur and buffoon. Whether or not one found the advert funny (I didn't), for Cameron to lift the line out of context and attempt to use it in parliament is pretty dickish behaviour, and reinforces the impression that he's out of touch. Someone ought to tell him that identifying himself with a sexist old has-been who is universally regarded as a bit of a joke is probably not good PR. Perhaps he's got too used to using the Lib Dems as a human shield.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 28, 2011 6:50 AM

Speaking of the upstate, is anyone going to see PZ in Oswego tomorrow? I'm a-gonna try to get my gumption up enough to actually go say hi to him this time.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 28, 2011 7:36 AM

I would if I could get up there, but I still have activities on Friday nights so wouldn't make it. One day...

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 28, 2011 7:38 AM

The Insane Clown Posse is on Howard Stern right now.

um

Yes they're as dumb live as they are on video.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 7:49 AM

@Walton So, quoting a condescending sexist advert is not the same as being a condescending sexist? Interesting.

I wasn't defending him. Like I said, I think it was an utterly stupid comment, and he ought to apologize.

(Several people are defending him, though. A debate is raging on my FB wall as we speak.)

Posted by: Lotharloo | April 28, 2011 7:55 AM

@Audley:

Haha, awesome! Have you seen The big Lebowski: the fucking short version?

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 28, 2011 7:58 AM

@Walton
Sorry, my fault. It wasn't adressed at you personally but "at the topic you brought up". I should have written "@Cameron being a sexist idiot" instead.
I didn't think that you were defending him.

Posted by: RemembersABeach | April 28, 2011 8:08 AM

It's fucking snowing.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 28, 2011 8:21 AM

I miss snow.

Posted by: David Marjanović | April 28, 2011 8:30 AM

Haven't caught up.

Ah, weiners/hot dogs/sausages . . . I love 'em all.

*pretending to clear throat*

Wiener. From Wien, Vienna, with "ee".

Not related to weinen, "cry", with "eye".

BTW, in Austria they're called Frankfurter. The butcher who invented them lived in Vienna, but came from Frankfurt or actually had the surname Frankfurter, or perhaps the other way around.

Yeah, just like those 20 bugs homeopathic eyedrops the apothecary sold my husband instead of the 6 bugs big pharma actually working eyedrops...

Bucks. Bugs aren't pronounced with [ks] but with [gz]. Have a look here and at the German version.

I'm a-gonna try to get my gumption up enough to actually go say hi to him this time.

"Gumption"?

You teach paleobotany, he teaches development biology. You teach biology at a university, he teaches biology at a university. You don't need gumption to talk to a colleague.

PLUS!

He's a neontologist. You can actually look down on him. <duck & cover>

Bloody continental drift!

How I love my "SUPPORT A UNITED PANGAEA" T-shirt by the Pangaean Unification Foundation.

One continent. One world.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 8:36 AM

But it's made more complex by the fact that I have enough trouble talking to people that some times in order to talk to them *I* can't. And thus they talk to an interface which has access to the same database.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 8:40 AM

Lotharloo,
Ooooo, no, I haven't seen it yet. I'll fucking watch it when I get home tonight. :)

Upstate NY is experiencing some fucking crazy weather this morning- severe thunderstorm warnings down in the Catskills with a "possibility" of a tornado forming, flash flooding and reports of tornado activity in the fucking Utica area... it's fucking scary.

(I hope Jules is fucking okay.)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 8:44 AM

Ugh... four cups of tea on an empty stomach = nausea.

Posted by: drbunsen | April 28, 2011 8:58 AM

Walton:

I thought you stated your case coherently, articulately, logically and reasonably - I didn't even get "aggression" coming through your writing voice. It was clear this is a passionately held principle you've thought a lot about, and I agree 100%, it's indefensible on justice grounds. Jules' objections on the basis of democratic resource management were the first really relevant counter-arguments I thought.

Course, getting from A to B is a whole other kettle of wax.

Posted by: Remy Martin | April 28, 2011 9:16 AM

No contest for me, Jesus fucking Christ wins it !

Posted by: llewelly | April 28, 2011 9:39 AM

Jadehawk | April 28, 2011 12:26 AM:

I'm supposed to be writing an essay about legitimization processes. Instead, I made a list of things about former US presidents that Teabaggers would hate:

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 28, 2011 9:51 AM

8 year old disabled boy denied communion because

the priest said her grandson, who suffers from cerebral palsy and has a mental age of six months, did not qualify for the Catholic initiation 'because he was not able to understand the meaning of receiving the body of Christ.

In order to believe the bullshit you need to be able to grasp the bullshit.

Posted by: KG | April 28, 2011 9:54 AM

he turned fellow union members into McCarthy - llewelly

Sorry, do you mean that there were multiple Joe McCarthys, each one a magically transformed trade unionist? Or that Joe McCarthy was a kind of Frankenstein's monster, constructed out of the severed members of several union members? :-p

Posted by: llewelly | April 28, 2011 10:16 AM

Alex, Esq. diab. | April 28, 2011 4:50 AM:

@Cath

I actually managed it by miming the fuk when she left the room for a minute.

Man, when I was 8 years old I wouldn't even have understood that "gesture", no way. But then, back in those days the Internet was still a military operation, the Soviets were the bad guys, and we could receive only three TV stations. Where did those innocent times go...

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 10:36 AM

The word "orange" has only one syllable the way I pronounce it--as in "arnge".

I think I say "OAR-anj" but my grandmother influenced the word crayon so I tend to say "crown" instead.

I almost always pronounce -ing though with the stop on the g sound.

And I just noticed I definitely hit the t in often, so hard it makes the e breathy.

I do notice that I do not pronounce the "k" in like though.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 28, 2011 10:41 AM

Another tornado story: Mr. M and I went to Philadelphia to meet with architects about building a new house. Then there was the call from the Spawn: Mom, there's a tornado 5 miles away - what do we do? Massive maternal panic, since we live in a house with no basement. They went to our next door neighbor's until the tornado had passed, the house was fine, and then they went to another neighbor for a sleepover in order to be in a house with a basement. There was a big funnel cloud near the nature center where I work as well.

The funny thing was that an hour before the tornado, we'd told the architects that any new house HAD TO HAVE a basement because of tornadoes.

Need to figure out if my family near Tuscaloosa is ok, which is more complicated than it seems because of family cut-offs. Oy.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 10:45 AM

I also say the "h" in herbal.

That's interesting. In British English it's normal to pronounce the "h" in "herb" and "herbal", but I thought Americans generally didn't.

I don't pronounce the "t" in "often", though my understanding is that either way is correct.

Oh, and as I confessed to Algernon the other day... I seem to be incapable of saying "dude" correctly. Something about the vowel sounds. It just never sounds right in an English accent. :-/

What is NOMA?

I thought it was Gould's concept of the "non-overlapping magisteria" (i.e. science and religion are separate epistemologies which deal with "different kinds of truth", and cannot be judged on one another's terms).

Posted by: Lynna, OM | April 28, 2011 11:20 AM

"Paid for by The Sixty Plus Association." That's the tag line to a new TV ad that Republicans hastily put out in response to the fury over the Ryan budget proposal. (Robo calls and mailers in 39 districts go out at the same time as the TV ad.)

You can tell that the ad comes from Republicans because:
1. There's a fake grassroots non-profit sponsoring the ad. (Actually funded by billionaires, per usual, and dropping $800,000 on ad costs like it was pocket change.)
2. The apple-pie-and-mom name is the opposite of the ad's actual goal, which is to strip people sixty years old and older of medicare benefits
3. The ad consists of a roiling stew of misleading statements, outright lies, and submissive-female voices. ("Saving medicare" or "preserves medicare" = killing medicare.)
4. The ad producers are sure that they can buy the opinions of the public (and who can argue with them after they bought Republican Governors and Republican legislators all across this great land).
5. This fake advocacy group for seniors lobbied in 2000 to prevent cheaper prescription drugs from being imported from Canada. Sounds like just what seniors would want all right.
6. Back when we used to be able to see who the contributors were to advocacy associations, 60 Plus' largest contributors were pharmaceutical companies. Now we are prevented from discovering the most essential piece of information, "consider the source," for judging the accuracy and intent of such ads.

Americans for Prosperity is another fake grassroots non-profit running ads to try to buy escape from hot water for Republicans who voted for Paul Ryan's strangle-the-elderly-the-poor-and-the-children budget. They're running the pro-Paul-Ryan radio and web ads. No donors have been disclosed. The group was funded by one of the Koch brothers. Currently spending about $400,000 to defend the Paul Ryan budget.

American Crossroads and CrossroadsGPS (Karl Rove and ilk) will be unleashing propaganda soon. These are the guys that bought a $750,000 ad package (one month's worth) to attack unions.

Other corporate donors disguised as grassroots humble folks that are trying to rescue Republicans from reality's harsh light include: Freedom Works, Heritage Action for America, and American Action Network. (Players include Wall Street executives: Fred Malek, Isaac Applbaum, Dylan Glenn, Ken Langone, B. Wayne Hughes Jr.) These guys are distributing talking points guidelines for defending Paul Ryan's budget, a budget that eviscerates most of the Wall Street reforms.

A Democratic group is fighting back with robo calls and radio ads, but they have spent $6,000. The disparity between conservative ad buys and progressive/liberal ad buys looks like a joke, but unfortunately it is real. The House Majority Pac spent more, about $100,00. So, we have $106,000 up against about $1,950,000 from Republicans -- and that's just the money we know about, and that's just this month.

There are quite a few sources for the "60 Plus" ad.
Debunking of the ad here: http://politicalcorrection.org/adcheck/201104220005
(This link also includes the soundtrack only -- that is, radio version -- of the misleading ad.)

Rachel Maddow used the complete video on her show: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42791257
The ad is at about 4:00 in the segment.

Posted by: Cannabinaceae | April 28, 2011 11:23 AM

…When your coworkers misspell words in their code…

I once worked on a spreadsheet program in which the main variable for referring to columns was spelled "colume" because the original programmer could not spell.

We pronounced the variable name, in speech, as "column-ee".

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 28, 2011 11:28 AM

Triskelthecat and Josh, I love split pea soup and have a simple recipe. It's not cheap, but it's delicious.

1. Buy a cottage roll (uncooked pink ham roll), unwrap, and cook it by boiling.

2. remove the cottage roll and dump in a whole packet of split peas. I think that would be two cups.

3. Cook until peas are soft and mushy.

The result is quite salty but hearty delicious. Of course, this leaves the problem of what to do with the cottage roll, but it's fine sliced up in sandwiches. I usually add a cup or so of chunks to the soup, as well; they reduce the average saltiness.

Posted by: Moggie | April 28, 2011 11:33 AM

I've never known a programmer worth a damn who couldn't spell. Programming demands attention to detail. If you're sloppy in your natural language, you'll be sloppy in your coding, and that won't end well.

(By a natural law, this post will contain at least one spelling or punctuation error)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 11:36 AM

Tea Party:

Your political leaders believe in taxing people without representation.

You're not hipsters. Irony doesn't suit you.

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 28, 2011 11:38 AM

I like hot dogs with cheese, mustard, ketchup, sweet relish, and chili (with beans). Inna bun! Yum!

(Yes, I know that some people claim that the presence of beans disqualifies brown slop as "chili", but I like it that way! Mmmm...kidney beans in meaty sauce....)
-
Jules, are you okay? Family and friends?
(signed)
Anxious in Missouri
-

Why do men feel that it is perfectly fine to pat short women on the head? It happened to me twice today.

You can stop any given man from making a habit of this by biting his hand. Hard. Or at least bite at the hand, hard enough to make a loud chomping noise as your teeth meet. I have never known this to fail. And should you catch his hand, hold the bite for a minute, making eye contact the whole time. If he makes to hit you with his other hand, clamp down harder, grinding your teeth as necessary.

Afterwards, explain that it was just a reflex. If the word "assault" is mentioned, tell him, "You hit me first!"
-

*Places bowl under large metal cage propped up with a stick which has a piece of string tied off it.*


*Takes end of string and hides behind pot plant to see who goes after the soup.*

*approaches cautiously and wearing a hazmat suit; posts a public health warning, then sprints away, checking specialised dosimeter for exposure level*

And welcome the fuck in, eumides.
-

Hi, eumides. Thanks for the fucking soup. :D

Ayeeeee!!! Now they're spawning!
-
And, as always, fuck.
-

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | April 28, 2011 11:48 AM

Markita Lynda:

Cartman disagrees.

Posted by: Richard Austin | April 28, 2011 12:00 PM

I was born and raised in Southern California. My mother is a SoCal native; her mother came from czec immigrants in Colorado, and her father is old Irish from Missouri. My father was born in Indiana to an Irish mother and German father, both from old US families.

Somehow, I speak quickly enough that New Yorkers often ask me to slow down. I know I tend to enunciate precisely, which apparently makes it even harder to understand me for some reason. But I definitely don't have a typical SoCal accent (though I can pronounce words like "Cahuenga" and "Tujunga" correctly).

I can't take the accent quiz, though - the site's blocked by the firewall here as "frivolous" - if only they knew.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 12:09 PM

"You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don't. Of course, that doesn't mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine."

WTF? I said the words out loud (which rhymes with the ou in about).

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 28, 2011 12:10 PM

Touching hair is feeling kindly...sometimes. To me, pats on the head feel patronizing. Grr. I dislike having my hair touched except by my spouse and spawn.

When I worked in cubicle land about 20 years ago, sexism was really overt in my office, and one had to be one one's guard. One man in particular would often look at women's breasts intead of their faces while in conversation with them, even when other people were present. When he did this to me, I would also look down at my breasts, as if to try to see what he was looking at, glancing back and forth from his face to my chest. If he persisted, so did I. It looked stupid. If he continued, then I would start brushing imaginary crumbs off my shirt, and ask, "Did I spill something? Why do you keep looking at my breasts?" That would shame him for a little while. Of course, it made everyone else uncomfortable - they hated me for it. :-)

My manager in the same office had a habit of propping his feet on his desk while talking to subordinates (such as me). I made the habit of addressing my remarks to the soles of his shoes. When he finally noticed this, he never put his feet on his desk again, at least with me.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 12:13 PM

We pronounced the variable name, in speech, as "column-ee".

Haha! Then you were columinous while we are descreptive.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | April 28, 2011 12:22 PM

I have a wonderful Cumberland Valley accent, kind of nothing except for certain statements I make and certain weird replacements for certain terms.

---

So, because I called someone out on his bigotry (lesbians are ugly and dirty) on a tech article, I got downvoted so my posts are now hidden *sigh*

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | April 28, 2011 12:29 PM

Oh, and gorgeous sandwich guy was at Potbelly again *sigh, heart aflutter*

Posted by: strange gods before me ॐ homintern radfem | April 28, 2011 12:34 PM

When he did this to me, I would also look down at my breasts, as if to try to see what he was looking at, glancing back and forth from his face to my chest. If he persisted, so did I. It looked stupid. If he continued, then I would start brushing imaginary crumbs off my shirt, and ask, "Did I spill something? Why do you keep looking at my breasts?"

Ha! That's fuckin brilliant.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 28, 2011 12:40 PM

Threadizens, I feel very guilty and need to confess. The Spawn were warned of the tornado by our former girl-scout leader who I defriended on FB because of her hypersincere "it's all good" wishy-washy liberal Christian accommodationism. Our rabbits had chewed through the cord for the weather radio alarm during a recent escape and we hadn't noticed, so her calling was the only thing that let the kids know it was time to flee to a neighbor.

Then the kids went over to our Catholic neighbors for the night so that they'd have a basement to retreat to in case of further tornadoes. These are very good neighbors, and I feel slightly guilty being so irritated by the religious stuff. But then I remember the sexism and the damage Catholicism did to me as a child and the priest-sex-abuse-coverup and...

I hate the complexity of real life. So here are my questions: am I a hypocrite for being irritated by the religious stuff while being genuinely grateful for and admiring of the compassion and generosity of our Catholic neighbors? And should I refriend my harmlessly nice "it's all good" acquaintance, since she seems to value my weird pictures and stories and will just be liberally tolerant of my atheist postings?

Obviously I am not adding my Catholic neighbors back to my FB list, since the Jesus content was simply overwhelming and I was way to likely to go into hulk-smash mode when that stuff showed up.

Yes, I know FB is an evil scourge, but it's much more fun now that 90% of the people on the list are from Pharyngula.

Posted by: A. Noyd | April 28, 2011 12:43 PM

Amidst dreams of reviewing DNA replication (I study in my sleep when I'm anxious), my brain subjected me to the most fucked up thing this morning.

I dreamed there was this guy who was doing an experiment to see how many times someone could shoot himself in the head with pistols, each loaded with a single bullet, before death prevented him from continuing. I wasn't actually there in person but was still somehow watching from over his right shoulder. On the table in front of where he sat he had each gun laid out on a sheet of numbered copy paper. He got through two shots and was groping after the third gun before he died. Other than the absurdity of the situation it was all very sober and realistic. Just... what the fuck?!

Posted by: Psych-Oh | April 28, 2011 12:45 PM

I almost went out for a hot dog for lunch - but the place that I like is more of I drive than I am up for right now.

Cicely - there is nothing better than going camping and roasting a hot dog right in the fire. Well charred!

Onion Girl - I get so angry at the conservative mantra. They seem to think that people like being poor. Here's the news: They don't fucking like it! It is no bed of roses. And homelessness is so much fun, too. I think we need a "Conservative Exchange Program" where we place them into the lives of the poor and see how long they last. They need to get some freakin' empathy.

Posted by: Richard Austin | April 28, 2011 12:50 PM

Mattir @ # 239:

There's a difference between being a good neighbor (or even a decent human being) and having personality or cultural traits that just don't mix.

I assume if the situation were reversed - that you had a basement and the Catholic children needed a safe harbor for the night - you'd let them in unquestioned.

I think it's a good sign that basic decency extends even to those with whom we don't get along.

As far as what goes on in Facebook - that depends. I have people on FB I've "friended" specifically so I can make sure their friends have some kind of alternate perspective to the wingnuts. I also simply ignore a lot.

Posted by: strange gods before me ॐ homintern radfem | April 28, 2011 12:53 PM

Anybody who used to be a liberal Christian, or even a conservative Christian who wasn't a literalist, Kenneth has the arrogance to say you didn't stand up for what he you believed in.

They are people who are throwing away Genesis, and when you do that, you must throw away the rest of the Bible. The majority of persons who accept evolution as the mechanism God used are uneducated and just don't want to stand up for what they believe.

In this case a round thumping may be fun and profitable.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 12:57 PM

Mattir: Speaking for myself... my family are liberal Christians. And I have lots of deeply religious friends, some of whom are Catholic. (Including a few who like to post quotations from the Latin Mass in their status updates.) It doesn't really get to me. The fact that I don't share a person's beliefs about the Nature of the Universe^TM doesn't make him or her a bad person. Really, I'm predisposed to get along well with pretty much everyone, provided they don't behave obnoxiously.

The only thing I do find difficult to tolerate is sexist/racist/homophobic bigotry. And IME, this comes as often from other atheists as it does from religious people. (Indeed, the last person I defriended was an atheist Randian-libertarian, who had a habit of filling my news feed with tasteless misogynistic "jokes".) Unfortunately, bigoted and malicious people are found in all quarters, and I've acquired a few of them as acquaintances over the years.

(That's the nice thing about Pharyngula. It isn't just an atheist community; it's also a socially progressive, feminist, anti-racist and pro-LGBT community, and being here has helped educate me in many of these areas.)

Posted by: Dianne | April 28, 2011 1:00 PM

I think we need a "Conservative Exchange Program" where we place them into the lives of the poor and see how long they last. They need to get some freakin' empathy.

Every time I come across a conservative ranting about how poor people are taking advantage of the system (welfare, food stamps, medicaid, whatever), I point out to them that nothing is preventing them from joining in: Just quit your job, spend down your savings, sell your assets and in no time, you too will be eligible for the glories of food stamps, unemployment (temporarily), free housing in homeless shelters, free food from food pantries, etc. So far no one has said, "Great idea! I'm going for it! Next year at this time you'll be supporting me!" My favorite response so far has been, "I can't. I'm far too responsible to do that."

Posted by: Ing: PhD Trollologist | April 28, 2011 1:03 PM

@Diane

To be fair, that is a fair statement. Who here hasn't said "I could make a lot in reilgion if I wasn't too ethical?"

Posted by: strange gods before me ॐ homintern radfem | April 28, 2011 1:11 PM

And should I refriend my harmlessly nice "it's all good" acquaintance, since she seems to value my weird pictures and stories and will just be liberally tolerant of my atheist postings?

I find that people value the opinions of their friends most of all, so if you feel like arguing occasionally, in the hope of changing her mind about anything, keeping in touch on FB might be an asset for you.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 1:18 PM

In British English it's normal to pronounce the "h" in "herb" and "herbal", but I thought Americans generally didn't.

Depends on where you're fucking from. I do not pronounce the "h". The funniest thing is to hear someone from the fucking Boston area say "herb"- no "h" and no "r". Eh-b doesn't really do it justice. XD

(The only reaon I know this is 'cos of fucking Passover seder with Mr fucking Darkheart's family- his cousins are from Beantown and it's a fucking hoot to hear them say "bittah ehb".)

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 1:22 PM

...Just heard from Jules. She and all are fine but without power and the prediction is that she will be so for 4-5 days.

Wait... Sooo... Does that also mean...

(Voice drops to shocked whisper...)

No internet for four to five days?

But... But... People have survived that, right? I mean, there must be something they can do...

Like maybe a medically-induced coma or somethin'? Just 'til they can get the routers up again?

(/Seriously, say hi to her for us.)

Posted by: Cannabinaceae | April 28, 2011 1:30 PM

@Rev: Nice photo-essay! Stylin' hive set-up as well. Good luck on the new queen!

Posted by: Richard Austin | April 28, 2011 1:30 PM

AJ's post @259 got me thinking...

... if you've got solar panels on your house, how much would that mitigate grid outages like Jules is suffering? I realize that it does basically no good at night, but (assuming decent weather) I assume the panels still work even if they can't feed back to the grid.

Posted by: drbunsen | April 28, 2011 1:34 PM

So, accents.

There are three basic Australian accents: broad (Steve Irwin & our current Proime Ministah), general (can't think of an example) and cultivated. Then there are variations by state, city vs rural, and class. They're nowhere near as diverse as the variety of USAnian accents, I gather, but they're noticeable to a local.

I have a Melbourne/Victorian educated Australian accent, which sounds about as much like Steve Irwin as Frasier Crane sounds like the good ole boys from Deliverance. I'm told this is a local flavour of something called the "Empire" accent - Bostonians, upper middle class Britishers, ditto Indians, and white Johannesburgers apparently share this. I'm often asked by other Australians, especially from interstate, if I am English.

That, or a poof.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 28, 2011 1:40 PM

Yeah, I know that one can have two feelings at the same time - in the therapeutic nursery school I used to work at, we called them double decker ice cream cone feelings. It just feels awkward to be at someone's house, grateful that they drove over to get your kids out of potential danger, and also severely irritated at the "We love priests" and anti-abortion bumperstickers, the ginormous rosary and shrine in the kitchen, the certificate of congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Male-Name Catholic on their wedding anniversary from the local bishop, etc., etc., etc. And the crucifix was particularly disturbing, since I'd just watched the hunky jesus video. (The level of clueless homoeroticism in this house and in the conversations of the male family members is really astonishing, actually.)

Innocuous nice-friend phone caller refriended out of gratitude and puzzlement that she seems to value my friendship as much as she does when I'm such a cynical mean-person sometimes.

Also amused that my Catholic friend hollered down the laundry chute at 2 am: This is God - it's 2 am - go to sleep NOW. I'm proud of the Spawn for not hollering back that they didn't take orders from invisible sky fairies.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 1:45 PM

Damn. I'm trying to remember the last time I went four to five days without the net...

I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in the early nineties.

Anyway, echoing: it's good to know she's okay.

... in related news, we're now being warned about gusts of up to 100 km/h up here, too. And it is pretty lively out there... I only happened to check the warnings after there was this sound at the back of the place like something had actually hit the roof... And I'm pretty sure now that was just some very fast-moving air.

Weird, tho'. It's also beautiful, clear, sunny... It's like 'gorgeous day... just watch for the flying debris.*'

(/*/Probably mostly bits of people's houses, just now arriving here after having been blown off the rest of the continent.)

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 1:49 PM

Theopontes:

If NatGeo ban profanity we should use the opportunity to develop a whole series of subversive approaches to circumvent this.

I'm dropping fuck-bombs to make my point that a move to fucking NatGeo would be terrible for everything about Pharyngula.

Anyway, should PZ stay on (instead of starting a different blog or whatever), I will not be commenting here anymore (provided that the fucking commenting rules change, which I bet they fucking will). So, if you all would like to think up clever ways around the fucking profanity filter, I think that's a fucking great idea, but I will not be participating.

Posted by: chigau (◦_◦) | April 28, 2011 1:53 PM

Mattir
How boring would life be if you and your friends agreed on everything?
People with bone-deep opposite viewpoints on life can still discuss knitting recipes.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 28, 2011 1:53 PM

Re head-patting. I really like the suggestion to snap and growl.

Posted by: Menyambal: Making sambal (it isn't dragon magic). | April 28, 2011 1:55 PM

Just wanting to point out that tomorrow's royal wedding is going to take place where Charles Darwin is buried--Westminster Abbey. I know it is mostly a coincidence, but it's fun to tell American fundamentalists that British royalty makes a pilgrimage to the building that holds Darwin's tomb for coronations, weddings and funerals. (You have to get the phrasing just right, of course.)

And they have Darwin's picture on their money. (The back of the ten-pound note.)

R. I. P., Charles Darwin.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 28, 2011 1:57 PM

I'll send her a text, Audley. She hasn't been answering very often (I am sure to save phone battery) but I will keep you in the know. Email me @ triskelethecat at gmail dot com and I'll send you updates via email.

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 28, 2011 1:59 PM

blf, I am in awe. Here I've wasted the entire morning trying to organise an air-strike, and in the meantime the MDP has solved the problem with direct action!
-

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 28, 2011 2:03 PM

Kev,
Then is the site really worth your attention? If anything worthwhile that you post there will just get hidden anyways, who are you reaching?

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 2:04 PM

There's a reason why outside of a select few spaces, atheists arguing that religion should be opposed for its misogyny make me twitch/explode with rage.

Indeed. While religion is certainly a major source of misogyny in current society, it isn't the only one, by a long shot. Indeed, the most obnoxious misogynists - those who rely on faux-evolutionary pseudo-sciencey just-so stories to justify their contempt for women (exhibit A: Hyperon), and who think it's ok to make tasteless "jokes" about sexual assault - are often atheists or agnostics, IME. This is particularly true here in Britain, where organized Christianity is gradually dying, but misogyny is sadly alive and kicking.

(I never hung around RDF or JREF, but from what I've heard, there were lots of the evo-psych-misogynist types on there.)

And, conversely, there are plenty of liberal Christian feminists and LGBT rights activists, Muslim feminists, and so on. While we can rightly point out that they're conveniently ignoring bits of their respective scriptures (as almost all religious believers do, in practice), that doesn't mean that their activism for social justice isn't sincere. A person can be wrong on some issues and yet, on balance, be doing good for society.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 2:08 PM

Meh... if nat geo makes us all trolls then I say we show them how it's done.

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 28, 2011 2:08 PM

The thing about FB is that I doubt that their coders are competent enough to figure out how to take advantage of owning every letter of the alphabet. Also, I'm a lot more circumspect over there.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | April 28, 2011 2:10 PM

Facebook thinks they own everything posted? That's got to be interesting, seeing how much of what I've posted was other people's videos...

Also, hilarious bad news:
Paradise Lost is going to be made as an action movie. True, nobody here cares about the content of it, but... WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Motherfucker, Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. Oh, and it's in 3-D!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118024218?refCatId=13

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 2:14 PM

Or perhaps, in the spirit of Santorum, we could adopt the names of some deserving public figures. "Wow... that post was a steaming pile of gingrich," for instance.

That's Koching brilliant, Walton.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 2:15 PM

Markita,
With profanity filters and fucking moderation of comments to keep the fucking tone respectful, I doubt we'd have much influence over at fucking Nat Geo. I won't stop reading Pharyngula, but I have no interest in commenting somewhere when I can't fucking say what I want, how I want.

As I said on the "Changes" thread, this isn't a "I'm taking my ball and going home! Nyah!" threat, just a simple fact.

(There are very few other places where I comment. I'm active occasionally over at fucking Wonkette (just look for SpeedoFart), but that's about it.)

Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space, OM, A little FUCKING ray of sunshine | April 28, 2011 2:16 PM

Mattir,

Ultimately, everyone has to decide their level of tolerance for idiocy. I have a sister-in-law that I love very dearly, who is into homeopathy, auras, etc. She's actually a very smart woman, just a nut on some subjects.

I have friends who are deeply religious. I'm tolerant but don't hide my view that I think religion does more harm than good.

The thing is that a good heart is not necessarily correlated with a rational mind or an ability or desire to think deeply about things or to be intolerant of lies.

I remember being very surprised when I got to my Peace Corps training group only to find I had no more in common with my fellow volunteers than I did with the average kid on my undergrad campus. We were all adventurous romantics, and beyond that, we had little in common. Ultimately, we decide what the minumum criterion is we need to apply in order to be able to tolerate each other.

My least common denominator has been for many years that the person demonstrate the ability to grow. Most humans can, and it conveniently excludes alcoholics, drug abusers, sex abusers and libertarians.

Posted by: Cannabinaceae | April 28, 2011 2:18 PM

Re:PDFs

You can definitely copy text out of them, so in many cases they are not just an image.

I've found various converters that claim to reformat them.

I'm just looking for a simple solution as I described.

Clearly, though, the underlying structure of most PDFs I've looked at lack a notion of text flow. To wit: selecting multiple lines in a multi-column PDF selects lines in both columns rather than continuous text.

I'll keep looking. Maybe a Threadizen with better knowledge will have made a suggestion after I've walked the Noodlius.

Posted by: chigau (◦_◦) | April 28, 2011 2:20 PM

Paradise Lost 3D action movie!!!111!11
I'm lining up for tickets NOW!!!11!!!
let's start casting
Satan - Tom Cruise
Adam & Eve - the Olsen Twins
.....

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 2:22 PM

With profanity filters and fucking moderation of comments to keep the fucking tone respectful

Speaking for myself, it's the idea of moderation that worries me much more. An automated profanity filter is pointless and irritating, but tolerable; it doesn't affect the substance of comments.

But if comments have to be reviewed to determine whether their "tone" is sufficiently "respectful", this amounts in practice to the censorship of "unacceptable" views - which would ruin everything that's valuable about Pharyngula, and completely destroy the Pharyngula culture. If comment moderation is implemented here, I won't be posting any more, and I imagine the community will fall apart very quickly.

Posted by: consciousness razor | April 28, 2011 2:24 PM

opposablethumbstoo #125

but you were hoping they might try to study something maths-and-science-maybe-physics related so they could also, you know, eat from time to time if the jazz didn't feed them - and you thought maybe the best thing that could happen to them would be to apply to unis with seriously good jazz bands - which unis should they look at when the time comes?

Following up on The Fucking Sailor's recommendation of Indiana University (an excellent choice), I'd say your best option is with a fairly fucking large university with good graduate research programs in music (not just jazz or performance but various sub-disciplines) as well as the sciences (not an expert on that). I suppose most large universities (not conservatories) with decent grad programs in music, especially ones including ethnomusicology or jazz studies, will also have good science and engineering programs because that's where all the fucking research money goes anyway. I could get more fucking specific if you like. Somewhere reasonably fucking close to a large jazz-loving population would be a good fucking idea, since that's really where some of the best exposure and fucking performance opportunities occur. UCLA or USC, Univs. of Washington or Oregen, Univ of IL Urbana-Champaign, Univ of Chicago, Northwestern, Univ of Michigan, Florida State, lots of places on the East coast and Ivy Leagues, blah blah fucking blah. If he or she is that fucking good at jazz and the sciences, I'm sure it will work out some fucking way or another.

FUCK!

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 2:25 PM

I would argue that organized religion promotes misogyny more so than stuff like animism.

Of course, yes.

My least common denominator has been for many years that the person demonstrate the ability to grow. Most humans can, and it conveniently excludes alcoholics, drug abusers, sex abusers and libertarians.

I used to be a libertarian. Did I grow?

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 2:27 PM

Moderation worries me too, Walton.

There's a lot to lose in the fucking NatGeo deal. I don't like it one bit.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 2:31 PM

I used to be a libertarian. Did I grow?

Yes. Now, here's a cookie. Go write your essay.

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 28, 2011 2:35 PM

If someone from NatGeo is reading everything that gets posted, death will ensue, if for no other reason than the flow will be altered and this will cease to be a social outlet. If there is instead a list of keywords that trigger holding a comment, writing and reading this site will be a shallower experience as we avoid or work around the restricted terms. I find kludges like F*** abysmal, no one who can read doesn't know what that says, the shapes of the letters are different, but the word is the same. Don't even start with Frik and Frak, if you want to be vulgar these don't satisfy.

Posted by: Psych-Oh | April 28, 2011 2:39 PM

Pharyngulic Moderation. There's an oxymoron for ya. Nothing here is moderate. Moderation = death.

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 28, 2011 2:43 PM

Walton,
It makes me wonder if Seed had been making money would this have happened sooner? Big buck advertisers start flexing their muscles about content and suddenly established practice matters for naught.

Posted by: consciousness razor | April 28, 2011 2:54 PM

Josh, Official SpokesFuck:

I don't think any of these other fuckers have answered your fucking question about your fucking voice type. You're a fucking countertenor.

Cannabinaceae:

I don't know what the fucking file requirements are for your fucking iPod. PDFcreator is a good program. I use it to convert my (fucking music) scores into fucking PDFs, but it can save to the following fucking formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, BMP, PCX, TIFF, PS, EPS, TXT, PSD, PCL, Raw (image), SVG. I don't know what it would do to fucking columns when it converts to filetypes like fucking TXT, PS or EPS. If nothing else, I fucking doubt the image filetypes would change the fucking formatting at all.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | April 28, 2011 2:59 PM

Those are bog standard ToS conditions, btw. If you post something on the internet that you thought you could reasonably be called yours, it tends to belong to wherever you posted it.

None of this means that NatGeo won't actually moderate. It means Seed always had the right to.

Posted by: Ring Tailed Lemurian | April 28, 2011 3:05 PM

Algernon -

Meh... if nat geo makes us all trolls then I say we show them how it's done.

I fucking love your mind. Most of the time I don't understand it at all, but I always fucking love it.

I think I'd pay to see a gang of the regulars trolling somewhere. Scary.

Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space, OM, A little FUCKING ray of sunshine | April 28, 2011 3:09 PM

Walton: "I used to be a libertarian. Did I grow?"

Walton, you are the poster child for growth. You not only outgrew libertarianism, but also (mostly) self-pity, narcissism and just being a general pain in the tuckus. ;-) You put up with no end of abuse here--and Pharyngula can be a source of truly high-quality abuse. You atuck it out. You examined what you though you believed and turned into a decent human.

Now if we could just get you over that math-phobia...

Posted by: Benjamin "pardon my French" Geiger | April 28, 2011 3:10 PM

I'd buy PZ a fucking beer if he came back to Florida. (If I can fucking afford it at the time, that is. Fucking grad school, how does it work? PS: I can has?)

Posted by: The Sailor | April 28, 2011 3:23 PM

Regarding hot dogs and sausage; in LA ( the left coast) there are 2 great places. Pinks in Hollywood, and Jody Maroni's in Venice. Duck sausage, mmmmmm [/drool]
+++++++++++++++++++
my accent is bland Midwest, but I've lived all over the country so I've picked up a bunch of regional colloquialisms. Pop and soda are interchangeable to me.

Posted by: onion girl, OM - Social Workers: Fixing Fuck-ups Since 1880 | April 28, 2011 3:29 PM

cicely:
(That's the nice thing about Pharyngula. It isn't just an atheist community; it's also a socially progressive, feminist, anti-racist and pro-LGBT community,[...])

...and a dessert topping!

And chocolate! And porcupines and flaming goats! And ghey secks! We're just chock full of awesome! ;)

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
blf: Runs away, actually. There's a thunderstorm coming and so a desire to shutdown to avoid risking the electronics(have had problems before at this location)… Cheers!

Yes, please--if you were electrocuted, WE would have to deal with the MDP.

And we really don't want that.

_{(not that we don't love the MDP to bits and pieces of course. *proffers a nice fresh local organic chevre*)}

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
AJ: (/*/Probably mostly bits of people's houses, just now arriving here after having been blown off the rest of the continent.)

Where are you again, AJ? I really hope those winds aren't going to be come our way any time soon...

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Audley: So, if you all would like to think up clever ways around the fucking profanity filter, I think that's a fucking great idea, but I will not be participating.

Oh noes! :((( I hope things work out so you can stay, it wouldn't be the same without you!

I'm trying not to think about the possible impending doom of whatever until it happens, because I don't know what I'd decide to do.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Walton, *hugs*. And I hope you remain an idealist for years and years. Seriously--you give me hope for the future. :)

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
That's Koching brilliant, Walton.

Seconded!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
arids: I remember being very surprised when I got to my Peace Corps training group only to find I had no more in common with my fellow volunteers than I did with the average kid on my undergrad campus.

I had this experience when I went to grad school. I went in expecting that a bunch of future social workers would be very progressive--yeah, not.

This was during Bush's first term, two years into the Iraq/Afghanistan war, and one day in class we were talking about Bush and his policies, particularly relating to the war, and the professor, myself, and several other students were expressing our displeasure at the situation. And then one student spoke up:

"I don't get this, you know, you guys questioning him. I mean, he's, like, the President and all. Isn't he automatically right?"

There was this absolutely stunned silence, and the professor had this completely shocked look on his face as he tried to figure out a way to respond. Poor man.

There was racism, sexism & homophobia just as much there as anywhere else. It was really disappointing--but definitely educational.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Mattir: I've spent years of effort on some of these relationships and am realizing that they are completely dependent on my keeping quiet.

I've been having that same experience, particularly at work. And it's hard to break the habit--I keep finding myself shutting up when I really want to speak up. But I keep practicing. :)

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Also:

Fucking the fucking fuckers, fuck the fucking fuckers, fucking the fucking fuckers he's a major motherfucker.
If you cover for another motherfucker - who's a kiddie fucker - fuck you, you're no better than the motherfucking rapist!

Posted by: Rey Fox, Bird Caller Guy | April 28, 2011 3:40 PM

I'm pretty fuckin' fond of a good loud "That is BECKED UP" in public.

I WILL NOT STAND BY AND HAVE A GOOD MAN'S NAME SLANDERED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 3:54 PM

*hugs* in return for cicely and onion girl.

And best wishes to Jules and the other Pharyngulites trapped in tornado-country. I hope everyone's ok.

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 3:55 PM

Onion girl:

Oh noes! :((( I hope things work out so you can stay, it wouldn't be the same without you!

Awe, fuck. Thanks, onion girl!

I'm really hoping that we don't have to fucking change how we fucking roll, 'cos I don't want to stop commenting. But I'm girding my fucking loins in case of impending doom, anyway.

Posted by: The Sailor | April 28, 2011 4:00 PM

the GOP hatin' on the wemmez, the blax, and the dreaded gheyz

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 28, 2011 4:06 PM

TFS,
And this is the face put forwards, this is a popular person, this is an idea in the heads of her constituents. It's not the first time she has championed idiocy. 59:17 is a shame.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 4:31 PM

... 'kay, I guess 'nothing serious' isn't quite right. One serious head injury, now, and a coupla leg fractures. No deaths, tho'. We're really not talking tornado level stuff, here.

Tho' apparently it's been a bit nastier just a bit south of here, especially around the great lakes. Some guy in SW Ontario was apparently killed--hit by a flying garage door.

Posted by: Protoplasmoid | April 28, 2011 4:42 PM

@Walton
heh. I stumbled across that vid in a FB argument with a fuckwit Austrian economics, Ron Paul fan. He still has yet to provide any link between the Fed and higher food/ gas prices. But's a good vid.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 4:52 PM

heh. I stumbled across that vid in a FB argument with a fuckwit Austrian economics, Ron Paul fan. He still has yet to provide any link between the Fed and higher food/ gas prices. But's a good vid.

Well, the video's rather biased towards the Hayekian perspective, which isn't surprising: Russ Roberts is listed as the co-creator, and if it's this Russell Roberts, he's a staunch advocate of Hayek's theories.

Posted by: CJO | April 28, 2011 5:07 PM

Heh. (re: the video) SFW, for certain values of "Work". A guy who works in the office here was in the thing, so I think I'm cool watching it here. Fox News, now, that's NSFW, if you ever want to be invited to an office happy hour again.

Posted by: Silič O'Nopolitanopoulos, Färschdbischuf Beesknees aus Ulm und Klein Elguth, Elector Pharynguline. | April 28, 2011 5:08 PM

I gather this is a thing now ^

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 28, 2011 5:14 PM

Now, I'm off to bed
Take care, all of you.

Posted by: ButchKitties | April 28, 2011 5:17 PM

I don't generally like hotdogs, but I really liked Dirty Frank's in Columbus, OH. They make something called the Octodog, which a hotdog sliced and then deep-fried so it looks like an octopus, served on some awesome mac 'n cheese.

Even if the food wasn't that great, I am automatically going to like a place that loudly proclaims on the menu: "We only play local music. Don't like it? Make your own!"

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 5:29 PM

By the way, Walton, it's not the same guy. The are links in the description.

Actually, , according to the creators' website:

Russell Roberts is a professor of economics at George Mason University, the J. Fish and Lillian F. Smith Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center, and a research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Roberts is the host of the weekly podcast series, EconTalk and blogs at Cafe Hayek.

His latest book is The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity (Princeton University Press, 2008). Told in the form of a novel, it’s the story of how prosperity is created and sustained, and the unseen order and harmony that shape our daily lives.

He is also the author of The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (MIT Press, 2001) a novel on public policy issues.

And a cursory perusal of his blog reveals that he is, indeed, a staunch Hayekian.

Posted by: Dhorvath, OM | April 28, 2011 5:39 PM

Algernon,
Would it help people be better? It's hard for me to call such a thing evil. Maybe misguided, but evil seems a stretch. I suppose it would depend on the content.

Posted by: The Sailor | April 28, 2011 5:40 PM

opposablethumbstoo, you're fucking welcome. I emailed and old bandmate of mine and he recommended Oxford. Seriously. I wrote him back and said "that's like asking to recommend a law school and someone says 'try that Harvard place, I hear that's OK.'"

You might also consider a tech school for live and recording engineering, it helps as a player to have those skills and it expands the options for a career in music.

Wanna know how to make a small fortune as a jazz musician? Start out with a large one.

I would never recommend anyone pursue a career in sex, drugs and rock & roll, but it always worked for me;-) (paraphrasing Hunter S. Thompson)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 5:41 PM

Would it help people be better?

I dunno. I suppose I could write it. Put it out there. See if people liked it...

and if not, well no harm no foul right?

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 28, 2011 5:50 PM

Actually, , according to the creators' website:

The words "...it seems to be the same guy..." should have appeared here between the two comments. Must have been eaten by a stray HTML tag. :-/

Posted by: Becca the Over Socialized | April 28, 2011 5:52 PM

After reading a suggestion to act as if I were going to meet my Creator

well, at the end of May, I'm going to visit my creators, at least the only meaningful creators I can think of... that is, my parents. if I can find a train or nerve myself up to brave TSA and fly.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 5:55 PM

Would it be evil to write one?

Wait.. Are you writing a parody of an air-headed/fluffy/work-friendly how-to-live-your-life manual? Or a rebuttal?

The former is a necessary evil, seems to me.

Or... wait... possibly more an entertaining evil.

On the Venn diagram of evils, I often find these overlap, anyway, truth is.

The latter is just more richly deserved. As it's possibly slightly less evil, however, I'm not sure I can be quite as enthusiastically approving.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 5:59 PM

...After reading a suggestion to act as if I were going to meet my Creator...

'So... umm... why do you carry those nails and two pieces of wood everywhere, again?'

'Just trying to be accommodating. I've heard he's into that kinda thing.'

Posted by: Ing: PhD Trollologist | April 28, 2011 6:05 PM

@Walton

What the immune system needs is, like Windows and Mac settings, the ability to set preference to override suggested settings

"SYSTEM HAS DETECTED PATHOGEN //POLLEN//ROSE/TYPE@ DO YOU WISH TO ALLOW THIS PATHOGEN!?"

Posted by: Richard Austin | April 28, 2011 6:14 PM

I've always thought one of the worst aspects of human anatomy was (as one author put it) "putting the playground between the sewers."

Posted by: Paul | April 28, 2011 6:18 PM

First about my problems with the idea that morality comes from anything outside of individual human beings

And here my problem is with the idea that morality comes from anything outside of agreed-upon behaviors between groups of human beings. Assuming an individual devoid of cultural context, whence comes morality? But then, I'm not a very good thinker.

The Audience Shrugged.

Not where I am. The audience stood up and applauded at several points during the movie. I lack words to describe how depressing it was (and I'm not using the d-word lightly). And it was offensive how it sounded like they tried to get a bad Obama impersonator to voice the president, even though he was white (although that could have just been my impression of the sound of his voice).

Posted by: opposablethumbstoo | April 28, 2011 6:21 PM

Wanna know how to make a small fortune as a jazz musician? Start out with a large one.

That's what I'm afraid of! :)
Good point about the tech side; I'm kind of hoping something like that might be a good fit.

And yes, I hear that good ol' Oxbridge and that Harvard place are not too shabby ... ¦-D

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 28, 2011 6:29 PM

triskelethecat:

Yeah, unless she can get someplace with electricity, it does mean (whispers back) no internet.

That's what generators are for. Ours isn't huge, but it allows the fridge, freezer, a few lights and net access, which I found to be absolutely vital in last year's blackout, which went on for quite a while.

Posted by: opposablethumbstoo | April 28, 2011 6:36 PM

Wanna know how to make a small fortune as a jazz musician? Start out with a large one.

That's what I'm afraid of! :)
Good point about the tech side; I'm kind of hoping something like that might be a good fit.

(Oxbridge? If only!!! You said it, that Harvard place is not too shabby ¦-D )

A very good (mid)night from the Other side of the (fucking) pond.

Posted by: Becca the Over Socialized | April 28, 2011 6:43 PM

opposablethumbstoo - at least you've got jazz music and physics. My daugher really, really wants to go into tech theater, but also loves biology. There's even a pretty good school near us (but alas not commuting distance) that has both. But how she'll ever make a living at either, I don't know. And she's bipolar, so whatever she does has to come with good insurance for her meds. *sigh*

Posted by: Brother Ogvorbis, Apropos of Nada | April 28, 2011 7:03 PM

triskelethecat:

In 2000, we took a family vacation to Yellowstone. We left around noon and drove to Toledo for our first night. For dinner, we found Packo's and they were, bar none, the best hot dogs I ever had.

And it wasn't Radar; he was from Ottumwa, Iowa. Klinger was from Toledo. He's the one who waxed eloquent on the subject of Packos.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 7:04 PM

The problem with a parody is that Poe's law would apply I think.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 7:07 PM

Melvin from Milton Keynes

WTF!?

Poor Melvin!

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | April 28, 2011 7:13 PM

Sailor, those comments were fucking fantastic. BUt you missed the best one:

Part 3, the Speech of Dooooooom, as a Musical. That would be fucking /sweet/

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 28, 2011 7:15 PM

I am now even more embarrassed than usual about being a Milton Keynesian.

Wow! So have you met Melvin?

(/Yes, I kid. But still cackling. Hard.)

Posted by: The Sailor | April 28, 2011 7:16 PM

Markita, MLK hit a 1000 RPMs when the rethugs said he was a republican. He wasn't, his Dad was until LBJ.

Talk about your 'white flight', every southerner racist went from Dem to Rethug in a New York second. (NYC second is defined by the time it takes for the light to turn green and the cabbie behind you to honk.)
++++++++++++
Becca, sorry about the affording the meds shit (so I assume you live in the US) but theatre tech and biology aren't as hard to find in the same school.

It won't be within driving distance for a daily commute, but maybe a weekend commute?

I hope it works out. I hate to tell you this, but you're not gonna be around forever and it's better if she tries her wings while you're still around. [/Captain Obvious is obvious]

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 28, 2011 7:27 PM

I think Melvin sounds like a faker who just wanted to be on tv. There was yelling, but it didn't seem to have real passion behind it.

Posted by: Becca the Over Socialized | April 28, 2011 7:33 PM

oh, yeah, TFS: as far as the commute thing: it's more what we can afford (cheaper to live at home) than it is my hovering. In a lot of ways, I can't wait to kick the birdlets out of the nest. (husband wants to expand the libraries to their rooms. We literally have no more room for book shelves.) (and we have a big house)

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 28, 2011 7:33 PM

@Brother Ogvorbis, I stand (well, actually, I'm lounging) corrected. Klinger is correct, not Radar. I just was in love with Radar...

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 28, 2011 7:40 PM

I loved Radar too!

(used to watch reruns of the tv show)

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 28, 2011 7:50 PM

MrFire:

[*Let's just forget 'Knowing', shall we?]

And fucking Dark City while we're at it.

Posted by: llewelly | April 28, 2011 7:59 PM

ibyea | April 28, 2011 2:45 AM:

@jadehawk
NOOO!!! Not the pea soup!!!!! *starts crying and begs for mercy pathetically*

Posted by: a_ray_in_dilbert_space, OM, A little FUCKING ray of sunshine | April 28, 2011 8:00 PM

Free market my fucking ass. If the free market works so damn well, then why couldn't Ron Paul go trade names with someone like Taylor Caldwell so both could have proper first and last names, huh?

Posted by: crowepps | April 28, 2011 8:04 PM

There are much worse things today that can happen to a child than not getting a full education.

Posted by: Rutee, Shrieking Harpy of Dooooom | April 28, 2011 8:29 PM

My only Radar complaint is that he lost the excuse for the nickname later on :

I have... mixed feelings about Klinger now.

I'm sorry, I know it's a little wrong to like the Mary Sue, but I really did like Pierce.

Posted by: Brother Ogvorbis, Apropos of Nada | April 28, 2011 8:36 PM

Rutee:

Oddly, I always like Father Mulcahy. His character managed to be a rather secular priest; more of a psychologist than a priest.

I also liked Colonel Flagg and Dr. Friedman -- especially when they were in the same episode. Sanity versus idiocy can be quite amusing.

Posted by: Liriodendron, Latin macaronique sous le soleil | April 28, 2011 8:42 PM

Did I not post right... again? Well, I will avoid double-posting by saying that I has a sad that maybe Audley et al will leave.

[-------------------------------------------------]
That is how big my sad is.

Posted by: SallyStrange, Spawn of Cthulhu | April 28, 2011 9:16 PM

Guys, check this out! It is SO AWESOME.

Arizona’s attempt to dismantle Tucson’s ethnic studies program was dealt a blow Tuesday when students rose up and took over a school board meeting where a resolution to determine the fate of the program was up for discussion. The Tucson school board was set to consider a resolution by Tucson Unified School District board president Mark Stegemen that would have effectively dismantled the program.

Currently, the school district offers history and English courses in Mexican-American studies that can satisfy students’ required credits for the state’s core Social Science requirements. Stegeman’s called on the district to weaken the program so the Mexican-American history courses could only count as elective credit.

Fifteen minutes before the board meeting was set to start, Tucson’s KVOA reported, nine students stormed the stage and chained themselves to the board members’ chairs as protesters filled the room and chanted: “Our education is under attack, what do we do? Fight back!”

The protest lasted for hours, and was successful enough that they shut down the meeting. District officials vowed to reschedule the meeting and take up Stegeman’s resolution at a later date, but students have vowed to continue to pressure the district to back off the resolution.

Video and full story at the linky.

Posted by: SallyStrange, Spawn of Cthulhu | April 28, 2011 9:38 PM

The comments are depressing, so I'm pretending like I didn't see them. And drinking. :)

Posted by: Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan | April 28, 2011 10:00 PM

Ugh... don't read the comments unless you want to see the the inside of your head.

Hrm, must be why I couldn't see them even after I told NoScript to allow the site.
----------------------------

OK, so I've decided what to do once I've gotten a good job and have enough money to live on my own: I'm going to buy a house, with just enough room for me and my pets, a guest room or two, and a room large enough to turn into a library/studio/place for a telescope. And I will have one room dedicated to my weapons and armor collection.....and some other...um...stuff.

Maybe I'll need to remodel a house for this.
---------------------------

In other news, Astroglide is not made for extended periods of masturbation. Unless you enjoy reapplying every so often, and even then you run a good chance of ending up sore.

Posted by: Becca the Over Socialized | April 28, 2011 10:11 PM

a foodie friend taught me a couple of good recipes that we had for dinner tonight.

lightly (that's the key word - I had too heavy a hand tonight) toss baby carrots and cut up potatoes and sliced red onion (only cos the red looks pretty) with olive oil and spices (I used rosemary and sea salt and pepper), and roast at 400 F for 40 minutes.

take jumbo shrimp in the shell, and toss with small amount more olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 400F for 5 minutes (or so, depending on the size of the shrimp)

we had this with a wild rice mix tonight, and it was 1) very good, 2) filling, and 3) an easy clean up. If you vary the seasonings, I imagine it could be different every time.

Posted by: MrFire | April 28, 2011 10:22 PM

(I made some chicken and potatoes, but they have to bake and that just takes too long.)

So...they're just kind of sitting there now?

I'd be happy to take that off your hands, and my fees are reasonable.

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 28, 2011 11:03 PM

I also had a hot dog tonight. Not *burp* bad, if not ideal. No heartburn, which is the penance for eating a bad dog.
-

Posted by: llewelly | April 28, 2011 11:24 PM

Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan | April 28, 2011 10:00 PM:

In other news, Astroglide is not made for extended periods of masturbation. Unless you enjoy reapplying every so often, and even then you run a good chance of ending up sore.

Posted by: Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan | April 28, 2011 11:30 PM

A widow's walk...........can I have garden doors with that? Partly because I've always liked doors like that for some reason. Would probably make taking the telescope in on a rainy or windy night much easier.

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | April 28, 2011 11:35 PM

Homemade meatball subs with pasta/broccoli salad for dinner. *burp*

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 28, 2011 11:56 PM

PZ, people are going to start sending you money orders if you don't give the Horde some guidance here. Not that you really need this aggravation at semester's end, but there you are.

The guidance can be "wait for the squidly overlord to get through grading but we'll have some resolution by May 31" if you'd like. And since May 31 is my birthday, I think resolving the Change Question is what I most want as a present.

Posted by: Melvin Dios | April 29, 2011 1:01 AM

hiya Bill

Posted by: Xenithrys | April 29, 2011 2:48 AM

I remember when I was 14 (nearly 50 years ago) I was very aware that almost every issue of National Geographic had bare-breasted women in Africa doing the laundry in the river. So I hope they don't come on all prissy about the language on Science Blogs.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 4:54 AM

I even had a dream about the Royal Wedding last night.

Yes, really.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 29, 2011 5:03 AM

Ah, Walton. You are SO cute. Watch the wedding for me. I will be at work and trying to keep sane. But thank (fuck) it's FRIDAY!

(I just don't use that word very much).

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 29, 2011 5:30 AM

Walton, you're unbridled enthusiasm for the wedding is really taking the fun out of mocking it. Now it feels like drowning puppies...

Posted by: John Morales | April 29, 2011 5:36 AM

ODS:

Anyway, should PZ stay on (instead of starting a different blog or whatever), I will not be commenting here anymore (provided that the fucking commenting rules change, which I bet they fucking will).

I think you're prejudging matters. I also think you're making it too easy on those pretend prudes.

I guess I'm lucky—no word or grammar filters can weaken my tone or circumscribe my expressiveness—so I plan on hanging around as usual until I get banned.

Basically, I'm not that fashed by this predicted prudish and petty prohibition.

Posted by: opposablethumbstoo | April 29, 2011 6:01 AM

@ Becca, hi. If I've got this right, in the US it's not unusual to study a couple of completely different subjects at university level? If so, at least she doesn't have to burn all her boats one way or the other at a very early age, as most people have to do in the UK. I would have imagined that biology at least is very employable (this may just be my ignorance of what kind of course that means, and the situation where you are). Aren't biology graduates wanted in a range of areas surrounding medicine? (jazzspawn's elder sibling, biospawn, wants to read biochemistry and then maybe try to get into drugs. Well, I think the idea is to do with making them rather than taking them... :) (I am somewhat amused by the fact that over here in Blighty you can "read" a subject at uni. I am easily amused)

When I read about people having to worry about paying for essential healthcare, it's just fucking frightening. Thank fatherfucking dog for the NHS, such as it still is. Jazzspawn's disability isn't a meds issue (just a major fucking barrier to almost everything. Not starting to learn to speak until half-way through primary school casts a loooong fucking shadow. But I take my hat off to jazzspawn for having worked really fucking hard at partially overcoming it).
.

I loved Radar, he was my favourite. But I hated the scene in the film where they pull the tent down while O'Houlihan is showering, that was a really fucking awful piece of misogynist shite.
.

I am going to have a fucking wedding-free day if it kills someone. We all have to help pay for this crap!?!? FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frankly about the only positive thing about it seems to be that it gives Walton pleasure. Since we can't stop it and make all the fatherfucking parasites pay for their own fucking weddings and shit and taxes, I hope you enjoy! :)

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 29, 2011 6:13 AM

We're watching the wedding, but mainly because my younger son loves glitz and glamour and has said before he wants to see a wedding someday. Here you go, kid, this is the weddingest wedding you can get!

Posted by: John Morales | April 29, 2011 6:16 AM

What a difference a letter makes!

Imagine if there were a Royal Weeding.

Posted by: theophontes (θεός γαμώτο) | April 29, 2011 6:20 AM

@ Audley Fucking Darkheart (ODS) #271

You are right Audley.^*** We should deal with the real problem first. And yes, it is actually intolerable like you say. Why should we be restricted in this way? Probably the best solution is like Nerd says @ # 380: Just go private.

Having said that, we could also work on that emergency parachute I suggested. You never know when it might come in handy. We could, over time build a beautiful "Garden of Profanity" for all frolic in.

With regard to "THAT WORD THAT MAY NOT BE SAID", I do think it should be trimmed back a bit so that we can give some of the other delightful swearwords and bawdy expressions the chance to grow.... ;)

^{*** I immediately notice, for example, that in a simple discussion in which I argue against TWTMNBS, all my comments would be blocked just for referring to you by your nym. Even though I did not swear once.}

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 6:32 AM

So she won't be a princess? Or she just doesn't have it as the main part of her title people use?

In the British Royal Family, the wives of princes traditionally take their husbands' names and titles (in the feminine form), and lose their own personal names. So, for example, the wife of HRH Prince Michael of Kent is styled ; it would be wrong to call her "Princess Marie-Christine".

As such, if Prince William had not been given a dukedom, Catherine's style would now be "HRH Princess William of Wales". However, since he has been made a duke, she will be styled "HRH the Duchess of Cambridge".

In practice, people will probably refer to her as "Princess Catherine", but this is, strictly speaking, wrong. Such a style is only correct for someone who is a princess by birth (such as Princess Anne or the late Princess Margaret).

(Another oddity is that it doesn't work the other way round; the husbands of princesses aren't entitled to any royal style or title at all, and neither are their children. So Princess Anne's husband is simply "Admiral Timothy Laurence", and remains a commoner with no royal or noble title; similarly, her children from her previous marriage, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips, don't have any royal titles, despite being in line to the throne.)

Don't worry if this is confusing. Most Brits don't understand it either. :-)

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 6:35 AM

the wife of HRH Prince Michael of Kent is styled ; it would be wrong to call her "Princess Marie-Christine".

...is styled Princess Michael of Kent.

I don't know why HTML tags keep eating my comments. It's the second time in two days. :-(

Posted by: Moggie | April 29, 2011 6:42 AM

Why would they? Peerage titles don't really have anything to do with the places they're named after.* Nor do they entail any power (since 1999, royal dukes no longer have a right to sit in the House of Lords), or any additional wealth or property. Rather, these ducal titles are purely honorary dignities, given out at the discretion of the Sovereign.

Meaningless flummery, in other words. A LARP, minus the foam rubber swords. Isn't it rather embarrassing for grown adults to go along with this let's-pretend bullshit? At least RPG players admit that they play just for fun.

Mind you, if we must play this game, let's at least use a bit more imagination. I mean, Cambridge, Strathearn and Carrickfergus... perfectly lovely places in their own way, I'm sure, but the titles sound a little pedestrian. If I were William, I'd hold out for Archpope of Albion and Emperor of Space.

Posted by: Katherine Lorraine, Chaton de la Mort | April 29, 2011 6:44 AM

Absolutely no interest in the wedding here. I don't understand the reason everyone in America is all 'squee, royal wedding!!' Who cares?!

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | April 29, 2011 6:47 AM

The stuff deemed too innappropriate by some old stuck-up git with an undeserved reputation and title

Posted by: opposablethumbstoo | April 29, 2011 6:53 AM

@ theophontes #460

fashed - = bothered. Totally normal standard parlance in Scotland; comes from French fâcher to annoy ("se fâcher" - to get annoyed).

dinnae fash yersel', pal.

Actually there are a fair few words in Scots that are of French origin (dating from the Auld Alliance against the English, or so I'm told), but this might be the most used.

Posted by: John Morales | April 29, 2011 6:55 AM

Walton:

Most countries, republics included, bestow honorary titles and decorations of some kind or another. What's wrong with that?

Are they hereditary?

--

Sheesh, Walton.

On this topic, your mind is mushy.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 6:59 AM

I mean, Cambridge, Strathearn and Carrickfergus... perfectly lovely places in their own way, I'm sure, but the titles sound a little pedestrian. If I were William, I'd hold out for Archpope of Albion and Emperor of Space.

Those would be somewhat beyond the power of the Queen to bestow, since both Pope and Emperor are foreign sovereign titles.

It is, however, possible for a British peer to be given a title referring to somewhere outside the UK (e.g. Viscount Nelson of the Nile, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein). So there is no reason in law why the Queen couldn't create someone Duke of Space, Earl of Mars, Marquess of the Moon, and so on. However, it might look a bit silly.

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | April 29, 2011 7:03 AM

Those would be somewhat beyond the power of the Queen to bestow, since both Pope and Emperor are foreign sovereign titles.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 29, 2011 7:05 AM

However, it might look a bit silly.

What looks silly is whatever that is on the head of whoever it it is sitting behind the queen. It's a big pink stand-up ribbon.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 29, 2011 7:06 AM

@ Rorschach:

I just sent a 25yo with meningitis to ICU.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 29, 2011 7:09 AM

Did they kiss? I never saw a kiss. Boo! Sterile wedding!

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 7:10 AM

Seriously, Walton, go read up on tu quoque.

I repeat what I just said...

I wasn't suggesting that it's ipso facto a good thing because other countries do it. Merely pointing out that most people don't have a problem in principle with governments handing out honorary titles and decorations...

If you think it's a silly practice, then that's fine; I won't argue the point.

If you think all honorary styles, titles, awards and decorations are pointless flummery and should be abolished everywhere, then that's fine. It's a matter of personal opinion, and one I don't share. I'm simply pointing out that such titles are not exclusively a characteristic of monarchy.

Posted by: John Morales | April 29, 2011 7:13 AM

Walton:

I think the last bit deserves emphasis.

More mush.

Worthless or wrong, there's a reason for such honors other than accident of birth, nor shall that person's male children ipso facto be equally honoured.

You're against nationalism, but you support classism, and you're not just comfortable with that, but apologetic.

Bah.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 7:18 AM

The correct way is "Mr XYZ" because there are no fucking earls and dukes in Germany, it's just a name.

Unfortunately, that's true... after the abolition of the Hohenzollern monarchy, the German nobility were allowed to keep their titles as part of their personal names, but the titles themselves are no longer recognized legally in Germany. (Though they continue to be recognized by foreign royal courts, and are used socially.)

Austria went even further, and outlawed all noble titles completely. So His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke Otto of Austria, heir to the thrones of Austria and Hungary, is officially known in his own country simply as "Otto Habsburg-Lothringen". It's very sad. Like tearing down a beautiful medieval cathedral and replacing it with a car park. :-(

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 29, 2011 7:20 AM

I wasn't suggesting that it's ipso facto a good thing because other countries do it. Merely pointing out that most people don't have a problem in principle with governments handing out honorary titles and decorations...

Posted by: RemembersABeach | April 29, 2011 7:25 AM

"However, it might look a bit silly."

Walton, remember your audience here. Most of us think it already looks a bit silly. And speaking just for myself, Duke of Mars would at least be evidence that someone has the sense not to take this whole thing too seriously.

Posted by: Birger Johansson | April 29, 2011 7:30 AM

"If you are looking for some light funny reading one day, I recommend Terry Pratchett's "Wee Free Men" ;) "

I like the way the girl who is protagonist in this book (or was it the preceding one in the series?) use her annoying kid brother as bait to fish out a nasty river monster.

--- --- --- --- --- ---
BTW, I give the royal wedding the same level of interest as I would have given the self-styled "Emperor of California" street person who used to live in San Fransisco in the 19th century.

Hmmm... OK, so nutters looking for someone famous to murder might ignore someone who does something important in favour of the royal people. It is like those lizards who throw away a part of the tail to distract predators. That is one worthwhile function.
And... kings and queens take care of much of the tedious stuff with new bridges/buildings/ships that require ceremonies. So the Real Power Bloke can have more time doing governing stuff.

Posted by: queentakesrook | April 29, 2011 7:35 AM

And to think I didn't go because I didn't want to walk to BART in the rain. Damn my broken umbrella.

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | April 29, 2011 7:37 AM

Posted by: John Morales | April 29, 2011 7:39 AM

Fucking wedding.

I recall I was unable to restrain my glee when the Dianne carked it; I even kind of enjoyed the morbid media circus attending that occasion, knowing that was the end of that irritation.

Now this. It hasn't been long enough!

Bah.

--

Anyway, to elevate the tone from such sleaze, some news: Nude Olympians take crack at 'best bum' title.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 29, 2011 7:43 AM

John, that's heinous.

Posted by: Moggie | April 29, 2011 7:44 AM

Ok, maybe Emperor of Space wouldn't work. So, by the power vested in me, I hereby dub Wiliam Duke Nukem Forever, a title steeped in history, and guaranteed to give him a loyal following.

Posted by: triskelethecat | April 29, 2011 7:49 AM

@Rorschach: best luck to your patient. I hope xe recovers to full health. (now I really want to leave and go hug my kids...)

Posted by: broboxley OT | April 29, 2011 7:51 AM

New game for the TET
watching the wedding with a few co-workers
Black co-worker goes "there are no black folk in the crowd"
game, trying to find an african face in the mass
so far no winners.
Are they that much smarter than we are?

Posted by: Giliell, connaiseuse des choses bonnes | April 29, 2011 8:02 AM

@broboxley
You're not fooling me into that, no, no.
It's just another attempt to make me watch the stupid thing ;)

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 8:04 AM

(You're fucking religious about this shite, ain't ya?)

*dingdingdingding*

We have a winner!

Posted by: Liriodendron, Latin macaronique sous le soleil | April 29, 2011 8:14 AM

Heehee- I'm listening to "Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire" to celebrate today. At least the Kinks know how to treat the British royal family properly!

Also: I build dream houses with the Sims regularly. It's all I do with that game, in fact.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 8:16 AM

NPR just played the wedding vows. Anyone else think there is something silly about Kate vowing "for richer or for poorer?"

Find me something not silly about the whole thing!

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 8:27 AM

triskelethecat @ #

I am SO thankful the universities here in the states strongly suggest students get the vaccine.

Oh, I'm grateful to you for bringing that up. I must be sure the daughter's vaccines are up to date before she heads off to college this fall. Thanks.

======================

re: the wedding vows - I have not been following the news on this event, but I, too, heard the vows on NPR as I was doing the dishes. The part that galls me is that they were pronounced to be "man and wife" which seems overtly possessive, with the man as owner. And "husband and wife" is just as bad, since etymologically, "husband" = "house + master" and "wife" = "woman"

I've come to like "spouses and partners for life" as I heard at the recent wedding of two men I know. "Spouse" comes from the word for "betrothal" or "promise" (I like that) - it defines the relationship as one of equal commitment and equal roles, not of ownership or mastery.

Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | April 29, 2011 8:34 AM

argagrgagraghrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 29, 2011 8:39 AM

For fuck's sake, the royal fucking wedding isn't over yet??

Didn't we fight a fucking war to get away from those people?

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 8:45 AM

No, I disagree. It's still relevant. Unless we NEVER saw women as the possession and extension of her owner "man" (also used for human) "and wife" (not quite human?) will always be bullshit that ought to go in a cave some where and disembowel itself.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 8:47 AM

*sigh* OK. I promise I won't mention the R-word or the W-word any further. :-(

Posted by: Kel, The Privileged View From Nowhere | April 29, 2011 8:49 AM

No, I disagree. It's still relevant.

The problem is the attitude, not the word itself. If the word goes away and the attitude remains, what's been achieved? Meanwhile if the attitude goes away and the word remains, is that really a bad thing?

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 8:53 AM

It is? I'm pretty sure if my wife realised that when in our wedding ceremony it really meant that I was now the house master, I don't think she would have gotten married.

Relevant to the people who take it that way. Relevant isn't something that your wife alone gets to decide.

If it's relevant to some people then it is relevant.

Posted by: Caine, ghetto féministe | April 29, 2011 8:53 AM

Audley:

As for being "too easy on the pretend prudes": 1) I have no desire to fight that battle-- those of us that want free expression will always be painted as depraved and 2) Commenters hold none of the power in a moderated system. In my opinion, it's a losing proposition.

Yep. Looking around last night, Ed Brayton's not saying too much, as he hasn't had the chance to yak with NG yet, but he's said he has other ideas going as well, so he's not tossing out the idea of going independent or starting up a different blogging network.

In the water is wet department, Laden is already kissing NG arse, smooch, smooch, smoochity smooch. I did laugh over his statement that he knows just how important it his for his anonymous commenters to remain anonymous...idiot.

Ah well, at this point, I'm trusting in PZ, I don't think he wants to see an end to what he's built here anymore than we do. However, a disneyfied Pharyngula is not something I'll be a part of, so I really hope that doesn't happen.

Oh yes, fuckety fuck fuck. By the way, the fucking zombie is done and I'm seriously happy with the way she turned out.

Walton, please, can't you take your squealing, squeeing and whatnot to facebook? There are those of us who honestly don't give one shit about the whole wedding business, let alone getting to see you argue the whole fucking title nonsense yet again.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 8:57 AM

@Quodlibet: Yep. The traditional Anglican marriage service is loaded with weapons-grade patriarchal bullshit. (Not surprisingly, since it dates back to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, with a few modifications.) Not to mention the stern warnings about "the dreadful day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed." It's not pleasant.

(It used to be worse, in fact. Until relatively recently, the bride had to promise to "love, honour and obey" her husband. Ick.)

Thankfully, most churches and register offices today use more modern and less objectionable wedding vows.

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 9:01 AM

Algernon:

And really, fuck marriage entirely until gays can get married in all states and nations; and as easily and freely as straight couples can; and without fear that some bigoted legislators will change the laws and invalidate their marriages; and when we can all agree that love is good in all its forms and expressions.

Hope it was OK for me to tag on, there.

Here in CT, my gay friends can marry.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 9:05 AM

Commenters hold none of the power in a moderated system. In my opinion, it's a losing proposition.

Agreed. Like I said last subThread, comment moderation would kill everything that's worthwhile about this place. Being able to speak one's mind, irrespective of whether others find one's views offensive, is the hallmark of what Pharyngula is about. If it's implemented, the community will likely fall apart pretty quickly.

Walton, please, can't you take your squealing, squeeing and whatnot to facebook? There are those of us who honestly don't give one shit about the whole wedding business, let alone getting to see you argue the whole fucking title nonsense yet again.

I apologize, and I won't say anything more about it. I guess my enthusiasm got the better of me. :-(

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | April 29, 2011 9:08 AM

A LARP?

The confusion actually woke me from wedding induced torpor.
I thought you meant ALARP

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 29, 2011 9:11 AM

Theophontes:

Having said that, we could also work on that emergency parachute I suggested. You never know when it might come in handy. We could, over time build a beautiful "Garden of Profanity" for all frolic in.

I actually think that your idea is a fucking good one and I'd love to fucking see what the fucking Horde comes up with. :)

With regard to "THAT WORD THAT MAY NOT BE SAID", I do think it should be trimmed back a bit so that we can give some of the other delightful swearwords and bawdy expressions the chance to grow.... ;)

You'll have to pry my "fucks" out of my fucking cold, dead hands. :P

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 9:14 AM

Moggie @ #540:

Is it? Is it really?

Well, in the context of a conversation about marriage, which is, in modern times, between two consenting adults, I would say yes, yes it is.

I sometimes forget that in an online conversation such as this one needs to be explicitly clear and not rely on implied understandings. I was expanding my comments on marriage between consenting adults.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | April 29, 2011 9:17 AM

Iain M Banks' "The State of the Art" is on BBC Radio 4 RIGHT FUCKING NOW!

Posted by: Audley Z. Darkheart OM, purveyor of candy and lies | April 29, 2011 9:32 AM

Caine:

Oh yes, fuckety fuck fuck. By the way, the fucking zombie is done and I'm seriously happy with the way she turned out.

!! That is so fucking awesome! You have made my fucking day!

Ah well, at this point, I'm trusting in PZ, I don't think he wants to see an end to what he's built here anymore than we do. However, a disneyfied Pharyngula is not something I'll be a part of, so I really hope that doesn't happen.

Honestly, I was heartened by the "FUCK YOU, REPUBLICANS!" thread-- PZ got pretty much everyone to drop the fuck-bomb.

If I didn't trust PZ, I would have gotten the fuck out after I posted in the "Changes" thread. It's that fucking little bit of niggling doubt that is driving me fucking nuts.

Not only that, but he asked us for our opinions, instead of just fucking dropping changes on us no matter what we fucking want. Even though things might not go the fucking way I want them to, I still really fucking appreciate the level of respect that PZ has shown us.

Posted by: Carlie of the lacy, gently wafting adjectives | April 29, 2011 9:37 AM

A LARP?

A PARP?

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | April 29, 2011 9:45 AM

Ugh, that is not how I imagined Diziet Sma to sound like

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | April 29, 2011 9:56 AM

Thanks Carlie!

MUCH funnier than my link!

And now an Alien from Planet Essex

Posted by: Rorschach | April 29, 2011 9:58 AM

I didn't hear the vows live because I had a little medical situation going on, but the BBC service over here played it while I was driving back from work just now, and OMFG did the Kook of Canterbury sound like Rowan Atkinson !! "Holy matrimony", ROFL !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QswCZJfB2hA

Oh, and did you all see this ?

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 10:08 AM

Dianne,

As I understand, it was a series of many, many tornados, not just one. And some of them were enormous - a mile wide - and slow-moving. I;m sure that others can offer better information?

===

Unrelated topic --

If you like raptors, you might enjoy this short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyqijh2sMao

It was filmed at Parker River NWR on Plum Isand, Mass. A college ornithology class visiting this great birding area was watching a White-Faced Ibis, a relatively rare bird for this area. An unexpected guest swooped in...a Peregrine Falcon.

Best to watch with the volume off, as the horrified squeals of the students just spoil the whole thing.

FYI, the falcon, which has been banded, is blind in one eye and is known to area birders. (Info from local birding listserves.)

I love raptors, esp falcons, esp Peregrines. I am also glad that our local kestrels have set up housekeeping (husbandry?) :-) in the meadow nearby.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 10:14 AM

The tornadoes are just that bad and really there's only so much you can do about them anyway. Some of these things will rip trees out roots and all, wreck buildings that stood for 80 years without issue downtown, etc.

It's not like an earthquake.

We've had some scares, and east of me got hit pretty bad, but nothing like Alabama.

The thing is one tornado tends not to kill that many people, but we've had lots of them.

Can you get to a basement? Do you have a basement?

A few years ago I was on the road when one hit. Driving maybe 2 miles and hour in the rain thinking there was no where I *could* pull of that was low because I'd drown when I saw the funnel in the distance and thought "oh fuck" to myself.

So you see, it's not really that simple. Each one has the potential to be really bad. It's not surprising that when you have several of them you see a lot of death then.

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 10:16 AM

Kev, maybe you can squint when you watch the video and pretend it's a winged dinosaur raptor. The take-down technique is probably similar. :-)

Posted by: Psych-Oh | April 29, 2011 10:17 AM

Diane - the tornadoes hit very populated areas, and they were very big tornadoes. I am also not sure how many of the homes/places that were hit had basements. We were on tornado warning for most of the evening (until 2 am). I stayed awake and watched the news so that I could get everybody up and into the basement if the tornado sirens went off. I also don't know if all of the areas hit had the tornado warning system. We are pretty used to it here.

Posted by: Birger Johansson | April 29, 2011 10:23 AM

Rev.BigDumbChimp: "What's your opinion of the word vandal?"

MAD Magazine (ca. 1979):
AD 401: "A new word is born when the Vandals, a German tribe, migrate from Germany to southern France. Hereafter, all journeys from Germany to southern France will be known as "vandalism".

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Is it all right if I declare myself "Archduke of Luna, prince-regent of Mars"? I have already printed the cards.

And I am thinking of claiming the title of sovereign of the Neanderthal human race (the few N. genes we have make me a bona fide descendant).
--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Re. Iain Banks-style space opera and hardass fighting:
Peter Watts ("Blindsight") has pulled off the impossible by writing a novelization of a computer game ("Chrysis; Legion") that is actually *readable* (note flock of flying pigs going past outside).

In the process, he also retromade some background to fill in several logical gaps (mainly the same logical gaps you see in every "aliens invade Earth" story).
(No spoilers, so feel free to get frustrated by the lack of explanations)
-For instance, he came up with the only plausible reason why aliens might be remotely interested in Earth. Or, why the technology gap between invaders and humans is not impossibly large.
Or why the aggressors show up NOW when statistically you would expect them to show up, say, 50 million years ago.

But my favourites among hardass fighters are the de-mobilised (and not always sane) AI war drones in the novels of Neal Asher.

Posted by: Dianne | April 29, 2011 10:26 AM

Can you get to a basement? Do you have a basement?

When I lived in tornado alley, we never had a basement. Possibly something to do with the water table. Or maybe just cheap building.

I can easily believe that you simply can't build a building that will stand up to a major tornado, but still wonder if the damage could have been minimized with better buildings, i.e. were the small tornados accompanying the big ones knocking down buildings that should have stood? And if we are indeed going to get more tornados due to global warming* then maybe more work needs to go into making the buildings stronger or at least putting in more basements.

I know it's evil of me, but I do wonder why the fundamentalists don't see the tornados as a sign from god that they're doing things wrong and should rethink their views on, oh, gay marriage, for example. Massachusetts and Vermont haven't been hit at all and Iowa got off fairly lightly compared to Alabama. If one believes that natural disasters are god's way of saying that you're doing something wrong, isn't this a sign that god favors equality? Yet no one seems to be making this argument. Yes, I know that's not what causes tornados but the fundies spouted on about Katrina being New Orleans' punishment. Where are they now?

*Which may or may not be true. I'm speculating. Wildly. It could be just the regular every so often bad weather.

Posted by: Dianne | April 29, 2011 10:31 AM

And what's this royal wedding people keep talking about? Mary and Fredrik of Denmark got married in 2010: it's a bit late to get all excited about it. Is there some other minor country out there that maintains a monarchy or what?

Posted by: Dianne | April 29, 2011 10:32 AM

Oops, silly me. 2004. Where did I get 2010? Anyway, it's completely over.

Posted by: Birger Johansson | April 29, 2011 10:35 AM

Ing: "But I hear JPIII can cure your herpes!"

First you have to bring him back from the dead long enough for him to work an incantation.
-Have you any idea of how many human sacrifices that would take? I mean, just to keep him going for five minutes you would have to use up the infants of every orphanage in the state.

"nuclear fucking bishops"
Monthy Python crime fighter: "The Bishop!!"
A fucking bishop with nuclear powers? Have you read Garth Ennis' "The Pro" about a superheroine with an unusual job on the side?

Posted by: Mattir-ritated | April 29, 2011 10:42 AM

Not that I watched the wedding (sorry Walton, not my fetish - I was too busy with the Astroglide and the strugglingly uncooperative lemur), I do hope that the happy couple is not planning on using birth control so that we can know, by the baby bump, that the couple is copulating as much as possible and we don't need to intervene in any problems. After all, we, the wedding-viewing-public, are owners of their sexual relationship and need to know. (Remember this?)

Off to re-register the Minivan of Chaos and Doom™ and head to a Boy Scout event for the weekend, spreading subversion and godlessness wherever I go. With the Spawns' help, of course. Also, since the event is at Gettysburg, I get to go to Gettysburg, which I've never done before, despite living most of my life within a 3 hour drive of the battlefield.

Posted by: Nerd of Redhead, OM | April 29, 2011 10:45 AM

The Trib article mentions more than 600 tornados reported in April to date. Previous record set in 1974 was 267 reported in April. The article also downplayed La Nina and AGW as major contributing factors. The conclusion was random spring weather with all the "right stuff", along with with better means of identifying tornados

Posted by: Brother Ogvorbis, Apropos of Nada | April 29, 2011 10:51 AM

Broboxley:

A good argument can be (and has been) made that the additional energy (heat), greater temperature gradients, and more moisture in the atmosphere will make events such as this, and all extremes of weather, more likely -- floods, droughts, blizzards, heat waves, deep freezes. More energy in the atmosphere means more energy available for storms. Which should keep the TV weather folk happy as it gives them more to talk about.

Posted by: Rorschach | April 29, 2011 10:59 AM

300 or more people seems like a lot of deaths for a tornado in a first world country.

Yeah, but they happened in the USA. A third world factual theocracy, in case you hadn't noticed.

Posted by: Quodlibet | April 29, 2011 11:02 AM

Another factor in the extent of storm damage that must be acknowledged is the increasing concentration of development. More buildings = more damage. More people = more deaths and injuries. I'm sure that in past decades and centuries there were also periods of intense tornado activity, with dozens or hundreds of tornadoes, but when populations and towns were sparser, there was naturally less damage to humans and their constructions. We have also witnessed higher levels of destruction in hurricane zones. Whereas a hurricane used to be able to sweep over a coastal area, now it crashes into high rises, countless vacation homes, and all the businesses that support them. The coastal marshes that used to dampen storm surges have been filled and developed. [speaking from my perspective as risk management research consultant to the insurance industry]

Posted by: Rorschach | April 29, 2011 11:05 AM

I should add that also, whatever world country, sometimes a Tornado is just such a wild force of nature that it doesn't matter if it's Bangladesh, Alabama or Germany, it will just cause havoc and death and destruction whatever you do. These current tornadoes seem to be of that variety.

Posted by: Algernon, elle sans chapeau | April 29, 2011 11:09 AM

I really hope all the Pharyngulites in tornado country are ok.

Me too. I'm worried about the people all to the east right now. It seems to be hitting them particularly hard this time around.

Posted by: trinioler | April 29, 2011 11:16 AM

Ugh, more Canada politics. The Greens have revealed an anti-nuclear stance that borders on technophobia.

Link: http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-04-28/canada-still-has-not-learned-ghosts-chernobyl

Fuck that. Its just so anti-science it scares me. I'm still voting green, but this annoys me.

Posted by: drbunsen | April 29, 2011 11:17 AM

Bill Dauphin

the magazine my spawn helped spawn last semester at Yale finally has a website, and I just couldn't not brag. Here's her article from the current issue. She insists it's been brutally edited, but I'm proud just the same.

Excellent article Bill. Be proud all you want :)

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 11:25 AM

Ugh, more Canada politics. The Greens have revealed an anti-nuclear stance that borders on technophobia.

We have the same problem with the Greens here in the UK. They tend to have a knee-jerk anti-science and anti-tech attitude. Their manifesto expressly supports homeopathy and other "alternative medicine" bullshit, for instance, and they strongly favour providing "alternative therapies" on the NHS. They're also fanatically anti-nuclear. (Not that there aren't legitimate concerns about the nuclear industry, but their uncompromising opposition is completely unrealistic, IMO.)

I may still vote Green in 2015 though. I want to protest against the three main parties, and I very much like some of the Greens' other policies (in particular, legalizing cannabis). But I wouldn't really want to see them forming a government.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 11:45 AM

Cannabinaceae, it might be easier to go back to the source and see if they have a mobile-enabled version or simpler formatted one (draft version, MS Word doc, single page, Windows reader, plain text).

Posted by: cicely (Inadvertent Phytocidal Maniac) | April 29, 2011 12:10 PM

I mean, Cambridge, Strathearn and Carrickfergus... perfectly lovely places in their own way, I'm sure, but the titles sound a little pedestrian.

I suspect that the point is that here we have titles for England, Scotland, and Ireland. The happy couple are now all titled up and ready to go in any of those countries.

What I don't quite get, since the titles are admitted flummery, and since a number of other places acknowledge the same sovereign, is why they don't also hand around titles like Duke of Saskatchewan, or Earl of Barbados. Walton?
-

(Though I've never understood why he chose his surname as his regnal name. He should have been Emperor Joshua I, surely?)

On the other hand, British royalty seem to issue their heirs a superfluity of names, and they get to pick one out of that cloud that they like, when coronation time rolls around. Maybe His Imperialisity just liked "Norton" better.
-

Posted by: trinioler | April 29, 2011 12:16 PM

cicely: Canada is part of the commonwealth, but not a titled annex of the UK. There used to be noble land estates in Canada, but those shrunk over time and were eventually bought out by the government before repatriation of our charter iirc.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 12:19 PM

Jadehawk, George Washington was born a citizen of the British Empire, and from the British point of view, was a traitor. He also enriched himself by price-gouging the army on provisions that he supplied.

Posted by: SteveV, Death's Pissant Haberdasher | April 29, 2011 12:27 PM

I had a thought re The Commune:

HQ

Troll Wing


Shouldn't be too expensive.

Posted by: Lynna, OM | April 29, 2011 12:34 PM

Some people still think it's a good idea to give oil companies billions of dollars in tax breaks and other subsidies.

I think those companies would keep on keepin' on even if we took away their tax breaks. They would continue to drill even if we took away subsidies for drilling new wells.

Why? Because there's that much money to be made.

Exxon Mobile's profits, that's profits, are about $5 million dollars per hour. That's $119 million dollars per day in profits.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42810042

It snowed here today. It's April 29th and there's snow on the ground. I have my furnace turned off to save on the cost of natural gas that is piped to my house. I'm working hard on several projects so that I can earn enough money to pay the mortgage and the gas bill next month. Hopefully May will be warmer.

Posted by: Walton, Marquis of Carabas | April 29, 2011 12:36 PM

What I don't quite get, since the titles are admitted flummery, and since a number of other places acknowledge the same sovereign, is why they don't also hand around titles like Duke of Saskatchewan, or Earl of Barbados. Walton?

As far as I know, by convention, such titles could only be created on the recommendation of the governments of the Commonwealth Realms in question. Though I'm not honestly sure, since I don't think anyone's ever suggested it. :-/

In Canada's case, there have been specifically-Canadian peerages in the past, but such titles are not created any more because of the Nickle Resolution. Though this convention only prevents the Queen from bestowing peerages on Canadian citizens; I'm not sure how it would apply if she wanted to grant a Canadian peerage title to a member of the Royal Family.

Posted by: Becca the Over Socialized | April 29, 2011 12:41 PM

Oh, I love Jerusalem - have ever since I saw the movie Chariots of Fire (which, I understand, wasn't all that historically accurate, but was visually beautiful)

it's one of those songs that, for what ever reason, moves me to tears.

Posted by: broboxley OT | April 29, 2011 12:45 PM

larn yerself how to sing death metal
http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=17371

Posted by: Lynna, OM | April 29, 2011 12:49 PM

More bad news from Michigan. Republicans there are planning unilateral takeovers of 23 school districts.

You will remember the takeover of the entire town of Benton Harbor. That was just the beginning.

There's horrifying tape of the Emergency Financial Manager for Benton Harbor bragging about his autocratic and sweeping powers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#42809941

We don't need no stinkin' elected officials!

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 12:53 PM

Brainwaves:

1. God is punishing the southern states for voting Republican.

2. Since what happens is God's will, then God wants Barack Obama to be U.S. President.

3. Proof of 2? See 1.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 12:57 PM

Thanks for the clarification of "sting" vs. "entrapment."

SteveV, nice location! Where is it?

Posted by: Lynna, OM | April 29, 2011 1:01 PM

More coverage of the changing educational landscape in Wisconsin, where anti-union big wigs are being put in charge of schools.

Controversial Wisconsin Educator... (story from CBS news)

Meanwhile, right-wing press sources are calling the takeovers, even the takeover of Benton Harbor, "rumors." Example.

That's some "rumor" -- a rumor that's powerful enough to replace city governments and school administrators with Emergency Financial Managers from private companies.

Thirty-six hours after Public Act 4 was enacted, Snyder gave complete control of the Detroit Public School System to a "financial emergency manager," Robert Bobb. Now Bobb has sent layoff notices to more than 5,000 teachers. It is unclear how many teachers will actually be laid off -- but what is clear is that local elected officials have been stripped of the powers that voters intended for them to have.

Posted by: AJ Milne OM | April 29, 2011 1:05 PM

... also sorta related to Fuck the Republicans, and 'cos he had an hourlong feature guest spot on CBC's Q this morning, and 'cos I'd forgotten how generally awesome he is, we now bring you Steve Earle's Copperhead Road.

Posted by: Richard Austin | April 29, 2011 1:07 PM

So, I get to spend this afternoon and all tomorrow at a work "retreat", holding hands and singing kum-bah-yah with my coworkers. As the resident Aspie, this is not going to go over well. I'm taking my slate so I can "check out" as much as possible.

Oh well, on a happier note I got a check from the company paying me for consulting services - only, they delayed so long in sending me the check (this is for March) that they also paid me most of April without me having to ask. Yay for early payment!

I've been waiting on this check to start looking for a new apartment, so, it's time we kick this (housing) revolution into overdrive! (to paraphrase Jim Raynor from Starcraft II)

Posted by: trinioler | April 29, 2011 1:08 PM

Walton,

From your link, looks like Canada DOES have one remaining noble title left. Interesting!

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 1:11 PM

Cicely, it's because both of your 'nyms are filed under plants.

Oddly enough, Exxon is supposedly the only company that has the know-how and resources to make a big investment in alternative energy sources.

Posted by: Markita Lynda: Healthcare is a damn right | April 29, 2011 1:19 PM

I forgot to mention that the Wikipedia article on George Washington is incredibly hagiographic and violates the need for neutral point of view and citations all over the place. He is strong, brave, eager to get back to the army; the British forces are called "the enemy," etc. Could someone with Wikipedia credentials mark it for evaluation?