Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

[jugheadnaut]

Thanks for the link. Now I'm trying decide between comfort bike or hybrid. I'm thinking I'm more a hybrid guy.

Yes, I'd definitely recommend a hybrid over a comfort bike. It will give you the option to do longer rides without much sacrifice in comfort for shorter rides. A comfort bike may seem more comfortable the first time you ride it, but after a couple of weeks or riding it won't be, and then you'll still have to deal with all of its inefficiencies. I'd only recommend a comfort bike for someone who is going to ride less than 10 times per year.

[Guest]

I never believed women, for their own protection, needed to be kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, but then 4th wave feminists taught me otherwise.

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

Then back to Europe, this time Germany for the International Atheist Conference in Köln/Cologne, May 22 - 24. For which this seems to be the poster, offered here simply for amusement:

http://i.imgur.com/TvOt4Ba.png?1

Expect some complaining about travel, time zones, etc. I hope he's able to stay awake for the wedding.

The three religious caricatures depicted are a Jew, a Catholic, and a Hindu. According to the conference web site, the focus will be on a "desire for freedom from religious paternalism and for a world in which not weapons but the better arguments decide". Funny, I don't recall any Jews, Catholics, or Hindus using weapons to enforce religious paternalism lately. But there is a major religion which has adherents who do this on a regular basis. Whoops, must have slipped their minds.

Also, in a country that has a nasty history with antisemitic cartoon stereotypes, was it really a good idea to have the Jewish guy so noticeable as the only hirsute character?

Finally, I couldn't help but notice that the one female character that is classically pretty is getting pawed by a dicey looking male character. Ah, I can just see it now:

http://i.imgur.com/eknbZwh.png

Which one's the catholic? Also, I see a sikh, not a hindu. I know they wear similar head diapers, but that one screams sikh to me.

The jew, however, is an egregiously hairy and hatted caricature. As is the black man with his "peace, mon" hand gesture. They just need to be holding some money cartoonishly labeled "US debt" and "Government handouts", respectively, to be the full on racist signals.

[Service Dog]

According to SJWs:

-women are too weak to withstand college education

-black people are too angry to be asked to behave civilly

-Muslims are too easily offended and irrational to restrain themselves from violence when they see a cartoon of Muhammed

And yet we, the critics of SJWs, are the sexist and racist ones. :think:

Women are also unfit to be reporters at rowdy soccer events.

[Kirbmarc]

Which one's the catholic?

The fat one with the purple hat next to the Jew. The hat is a Catholic cardinal hat.

[Steersman]

It is a bit like wearing a shirt printed with pin-up girls while being interviewed about a satellite on global television.

Just like shouting "God hates fags" at a funeral is the EXACT SAME THING as wearing a cross while being interviewed.

Sheesh. He did say "a bit like ..." where the "like" suggests or argues that an analogy is being made. Maybe a poor analogy as the harassing of reporters with profanities looks more like a "kilroy was here" bit of graffiti, or some base jumping, rather than a supposedly sexist fashion statement. But maybe the suggested similarity is in tweaking people's sensibilities - either in language or fashion.

[Steersman]

Classical mythology? AAARGH!

What I've learned from SJW feminists: Women are too emotionally immature for college. They should be kept at home until a suitable man appears, ready to marry them and assume responsibility for overseeing their poor decision-making abilities.*

* Flagrantly stolen from Instapundit

According to SJWs:

-women are too weak to withstand college education

-black people are too angry to be asked to behave civilly

-Muslims are too easily offended and irrational to restrain themselves from violence when they see a cartoon of Muhammed

And yet we, the critics of SJWs, are the sexist and racist ones. :think:

Maybe a case of implicit if untagged slurs - that may or may not be applicable to some segments of the associated demographics - which have non-pejorative correlates? ;-)

[jugheadnaut]

Which one's the catholic? Also, I see a sikh, not a hindu. I know they wear similar head diapers, but that one screams sikh to me.

The jew, however, is an egregiously hairy and hatted caricature. As is the black man with his "peace, mon" hand gesture. They just need to be holding some money cartoonishly labeled "US debt" and "Government handouts", respectively, to be the full on racist signals.

That lavendar head covering on the fat man looks like a Catholic zucchetto. I think you're right that the other character is a Sikh, not a Hindu.

[Sulman]

This is a really weird piece in Hollywood Reporter. It's an interesting discussion about writing for shows but then steers off into this bizarre diversity purity test: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/l ... f-a-794430

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

Which one's the catholic? Also, I see a sikh, not a hindu. I know they wear similar head diapers, but that one screams sikh to me.

The jew, however, is an egregiously hairy and hatted caricature. As is the black man with his "peace, mon" hand gesture. They just need to be holding some money cartoonishly labeled "US debt" and "Government handouts", respectively, to be the full on racist signals.

That lavendar head covering on the fat man looks like a Catholic zucchetto. I think you're right that the other character is a Sikh, not a Hindu.

Gotcha. I was looking for a man who was sniffing around the boys in this cartoon, rather than a virgin with a tit on his head.

http://i.imgur.com/ck61Ru6.png

[AndrewV69]

Which one's the catholic? Also, I see a sikh, not a hindu. I know they wear similar head diapers, but that one screams sikh to me.

The jew, however, is an egregiously hairy and hatted caricature. As is the black man with his "peace, mon" hand gesture. They just need to be holding some money cartoonishly labeled "US debt" and "Government handouts", respectively, to be the full on racist signals.

Are those naked kids? Would the SJW consider the poster to be also child porn?

[jugheadnaut]

Are those naked kids? Would the SJW consider the poster to be also child porn?

And the kid whose left arm is blocking the view of the black man's giant phallus? Where is his right hand? WHERE IS HIS RIGHT HAND?

:dance:

[jugheadnaut]

Women are also unfit to be reporters at rowdy soccer events.

I'll speak up for Shauna Hunt, the reporter involved in this incident. She wasn't "triggered" and then had to take 6 months off to lay in bed with PTSD a la Hensley. She didn't have a banshee-like psychotic break a la Big Red. She calmly and rationally challenged her harassers (and make no mistake, these are actual harassers) to defend their actions. I think she was perfect.

[SoylentAtheist]

With apologies to Godfey Elfwick's penny farthing, it's the official hipster bike. They're highly impractical and quite dangerous until you have quite a bit of experience with one. Some say there's a certain joy in being so connected to the bike, but I rode one a couple of times and didn't feel it. If you're thinking about this route, a single speed is a much better option.

On your earlier question about women's bikes vs men's bikes, in addition to the top tube being more angled, it is usually shorter on a women's bike. This is because women tend to have a shorter torso relative to their leg length compared to men. So unless you have a relatively short torso, the bike likely won't fit you well.

You may want to consider bikesdirect.com. I just checked and they have this on sale for $249 and it will be a substantially better bike than what you were looking at from Target.

Any suggestions for an off-road bike?

I am a not so serious cyclist. I will be heading out with a group once a month that will do some off road biking, some road biking (for which I will use a road bike). Hilly terrain. The worst terrain is rocky rooty trails down hill. The more experienced will fly down those trails. I go slow for my own safety. We ended up nicknaming one of the more gun ho women 'Gaping Bloody Gash Wound' after her spill on such terrain.

[HoneyWagon]

Melody's website is up!
http://streetfashiondc.com/2015/05/11/hello-world/
http://i.imgur.com/IPwiA62.png
At least she is doing it, so not gonna make fun of it yet...as it is so new and not organized yet.

[Kirbmarc]

The fall of Peezus, or he used to be so reasonable:

In 2012, PZ was still siding with Jerry Coyne against appeasers of Islam and for freedom of speech!

At that time, P. Z., Eric, and I all decried Jones’s stupidity and rancor, but refused to say that he should be punished. We have freedom of speech, and if it leads to murder then that is the fault of the murdering thugs and not the Qur’an burners. Further, such cowardice, in which we abstain from criticizing Islam because it offends the tender feelings of Muslims and makes them even more prone to riots and beheadings, only empowers vile Muslim extremists and makes their faith the only one immune from criticism.

[Guest]

http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sec ... rianna-wu/

Why it’s time for the FBI to get involved in Gamergate
By Brianna Wu on May 10th, 2015
I need to tell you something terrifying. If someone threatens to murder you on the Internet, the odds are all but certain that law enforcement will do nothing. It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter how serious the threats are. Help is not coming.

I should know, I've had 49 death threats in the last six months. My name is Brianna Wu, I’m the head of development of Giant Spacekat. We are a team of mostly women that make story-based games. Since October, I've been targeted relentlessly by the hate group known as Gamergate, a mob of extremist fringe gamers hellbent on silencing prominent women in the game industry.

As my dog Crash was dying in December, Gamergate sent me pictures of mutilated puppies and kittens to emotionally terrorize me. They threatened to detonate bombs at PAX East if I attended. When I speak at colleges, I look under the stage with a flashlight. Between Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, and myself, they have sent hundreds of specific, violent death threats.

Even more disturbing than the threats is the reaction from law enforcement, which has been nothing. Justice for all does not apply when women use the Internet.

That may be about to change. My Massachusetts house representative, Katherine Clark, has had enough. A former prosecutor who has dealt with domestic violence cases, she heard my story and wondered why nothing had been done. Recently, she held a meeting with the FBI, trying to assess how seriously they were taking my case.

Her message for law enforcement is clear, “The FBI needs to make Gamergate a priority.”

The hate group Gamergate exploded in the national consciousness in October when they made threats against me that went viral. This group promising to restore ethics in game journalism vowed that my dead, mutilated corpse would be on the front page of Jezebel. They swore that I would be choked to death with my husband’s severed genitalia. Gamergate is so infamous that they’ve even made a Law and Order: SVU episode, “The Intimidation Game,“ where a character based on me, Sarkeesian, and Quinn that is kidnapped and sexually assaulted. The most surreal moment of my life was seeing a character based on me get my same death threats word for word.

You're so vain
You'll probably claim this song is about you
You're so vain
You'll probably claim this song is about you
Won't you? Won't you?

[rayshul]

Sofia Helin, who plays Saga Noren, studied autism for the part but she's never identified as an autistic in the series because as soon as you do that people start to complain if the writers do something 'wrong'.

The other (less important to the show) thing that I really liked was how they totally ignored her facial scar; they didn't write it in as backstory and no-one mentions it. (The actress fell off her bike many years ago, IIRC, and it's Zvan-in-yoga-pants noticeable.) Try to imagine an actor or actress in the US continuing to have a career under those circumstances.

Tina Fey has a large facial scar.

[SoylentAtheist]

SJWs have a Twitter petition going to increase the diversity in the second season of Marvel's Agent Carter, because nothing says Anerican spy agency in 1949 like handicapped genderqueers of color.

OK. 1946 era.

Agent Carter already has one lead handicapped person on the show.

J. Edgar Hoover was rumored to be a cross dresser (however that is false).
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/rea ... ss-dresser
But would you not expect cross dressing to still exist?

Ed Wood, famous cross dresser "years active 1947-1978" according to wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Wood

His 1953 movie "Glen or Glenda"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045826/

1942 WW2 US Soldier Drag show
http://publicdomainreview.org/collectio ... drag-show/

White Christmas "sisters" (1953)
[youtube]DDyybi7t634[/youtube]
Not to mention the cross dressing on he train.

And what about gay? No reason to think it was any less prevalent back then. Just more hush-hush and behind closed doors.
How about some Rock Hudson for you?

Alright, next up is people of color in a spy agency.
Well you can't very well have a decent spy agency with a global reach without some people of color to mix into the existing nationalities.

In 1939, Roosevelt created the Civil Rights Section of the Justice Department. It started prosecutions to combat lynching, but failed to win any convictions until 1946.[61]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching_i ... ral_action

If I am not mistaken, there were some black federal officers that investigated lynchings.

So while you are correct that people don't think of those things when they think of 1940's era government agencies, it doesn't mean that it did not exist on some level.

[rayshul]

I have a confession - Melody's fashion blog is cool. Tiny as it is so far.

[SoylentAtheist]

Melody's website is up!
http://streetfashiondc.com/2015/05/11/hello-world/
http://i.imgur.com/IPwiA62.png
At least she is doing it, so not gonna make fun of it yet...as it is so new and not organized yet.

E-begging for the camera aside, this hobby of hers has to be good for her. It gets her out of the constant fighting with people on twitter and talking about a subject she enjoys (and I assume won't mostly comprise of tearing other people down).

[Barael]

For the record; I once owned a $400 Giant brand hybrid, and I wasn't that impressed with it. the 20 something gears constantly needed to be tuned up or they would go haywire and start slipping if I was peddling up a hill.

Low-end hybrids tend to be awful; regardless of the brand they use the cheapest Shimano gear sets which like you say require constant tune-up to stay ridable. Even mid-range hybrids (like my Felt QX-85) with mid-range gear sets have the same problem, just to a lesser extent. I don't even touch the front gear switch but the 9+ rear gear pack will slowly but surely fuck itself up. Whoever came up with this 20+ gear craze should've been shot in the head straight off the womb.

So if you're not planning on longer trips and have a budget of under $500, I'd definitely get a good city bike with 7-8 gears (or maybe just 2-3).

[AndrewV69]

So guess who I ran into while doing a Dungeon?

screenshot-na finalfantasyxiv com 2015-05-13 00-25-25.png

(487.57 KiB) Downloaded 169 times

So I asked the question ... Does the name The Slymepit mean anything to you? But the answer was No ... so I left it at that.

[Søren Lilholt]

I think Buffy was meant to be one of those shows that was shit on purpose, like Xena and modern Doctor Who.

Believe it or not, the people involved in modern Doctor Who actually think they are making good television.

Dunning-Kruger, and all that.

[Søren Lilholt]

The Avengers (first movie, I haven't seen Ultron yet) was mostly saved by the excellent cast (Stark and Banner being the shinning lights). I was lukewarm to Cap Am 1 but really enjoyed Winter Soldier.

If there's one thing I'd like all those movies to stop doing, it's the boring as fuck 45+ minutes long end battle. There are other ways to put action in a plot-driven movie.

Aye. Those predictable end battles are special effects driven nonsense, and I do not use that word lightly.

The one in the new Superman was worse. So, Metropolis suffers destruction on a scale that makes 9/11 seem like a playground scuffle, but at least he saves Lois right? Abysmal.

[Talker]

For the record; I once owned a $400 Giant brand hybrid, and I wasn't that impressed with it. the 20 something gears constantly needed to be tuned up or they would go haywire and start slipping if I was peddling up a hill.

Low-end hybrids tend to be awful; regardless of the brand they use the cheapest Shimano gear sets which like you say require constant tune-up to stay ridable. Even mid-range hybrids (like my Felt QX-85) with mid-range gear sets have the same problem, just to a lesser extent. I don't even touch the front gear switch but the 9+ rear gear pack will slowly but surely fuck itself up. Whoever came up with this 20+ gear craze should've been shot in the head straight off the womb.

So if you're not planning on longer trips and have a budget of under $500, I'd definitely get a good city bike with 7-8 gears (or maybe just 2-3).

After being lent a ladies bike to encourage me to get back into cycling, about 6 months ago I bought a bottom of the range (about 400 UKP) Marin hybrid and it has been absolutely faultless despite occasional rough treatment.

I'll leave it to the experts to give advice on makes but I definitely recommend going to your local bike shop (or someone else's local bike shop if your one is too specialist). My bike choice was limited due to budget but if anything needs sorting out then I can speak to the guy that sold it to me and the chances are it will be dealt with straight away rather than a docket being raised and the bike booked in for some time in the future as will happen when dealing with larger shops.

As far as gears go, I second Barael. I saw a bike for sale the other day with 10 gears in the rear set, that is a breakdown just waiting to happen. Oddly enough it was being sold by TK Maxx, a shop known for cheap clothes not bikes.

[Scented Nectar]

Then to Denver for Skatje's wedding on May 16th.

Intriguing. I wnder what she is marrying. Then again, maybe we have an pre-nuptial explaination for Fry's nerves.

Isn't she the one who's into 'freeganism', also known as 'dumpster diving for dinner'? Makes me wonder who's catering the reception.

[Brive1987]

If so, you could put Skatje together with AlexG's mum and then stage your own hobo wars.

:think:

[paddybrown]

Classical mythology? AAARGH!

What I've learned from SJW feminists: Women are too emotionally immature for college. They should be kept at home until a suitable man appears, ready to marry them and assume responsibility for overseeing their poor decision-making abilities.*

* Flagrantly stolen from Instapundit

Not to mention, if their decision-making is this unreliable and easily-influenced, they really shouldn't be able to vote.

[Brive1987]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

"This woman’s lace blouse caught my eye. She took an ordinary black dress and made it look so elegant with the addition of this feminine lace blouse. The fit was perfect. It looked as if it had been sewn just for her."

Right-o. But yes. It's nice she has a hobby.

Of sorts.

[Brive1987]

Actually I guess she really did need her Big Professional Camera (BPC).

Going up to strangers and asking them to pose for your camera-phone would be, well, just a little creepy.

[Scented Nectar]

If so, you could put Skatje together with AlexG's mum and then stage your own hobo wars.

:think:

I'm missing the back story on Alex's mum. I remember something about him calling his grandma racist or something, but what's this about his mum?

[sp0tlight]

I have a confession - Melody's fashion blog is cool. Tiny as it is so far.

I love the fact that you can have that opinion on Pit about an "enemy". It looks quite cool. Good for her, may she continue and find inner peace. :clap:

[sp0tlight]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

Most blogs are that: inane babble. I will always have more room in my hearth for people who try and do stuff (even if it turns out to be boring and low quality) because doing is the only way to getting better. She making photos for a blog is a human being tinkering. She calling superior officers to complain about her Internet PTSD: niusance.

[Kirbmarc]

I have a confession - Melody's fashion blog is cool. Tiny as it is so far.

I love the fact that you can have that opinion on Pit about an "enemy". It looks quite cool. Good for her, may she continue and find inner peace. :clap:

I think that actually Melody might feel much better and do much better work for herself in her new hobby than sticking to Twitter.

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

I think it's more for her own sake than for everyone else. She likes taking pics of people and commenting on their fashion. It's a pretty harmless hobby to have, and she's not getting angry at veterans or attracting negative attention on herself. it might actually be therapeutic for her to do something she really enjoys.

[Brive1987]

If so, you could put Skatje together with AlexG's mum and then stage your own hobo wars.

:think:

I'm missing the back story on Alex's mum. I remember something about him calling his grandma racist or something, but what's this about his mum?

Two christmas ago (when mykeru was doing his Dayatlov Pass thing) Alex published a "woe is me", I hate Oxford Xmas special. He said he came from abject poverty which included his mum dumpster diving. About a year later he totally shit on her for being a homophobe.

Kids.

[sp0tlight]

Holly balls, I'm actually opinion-ninjed by Kirbmarc by 1 second!

[Kirbmarc]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

Most blogs are that: inane babble. I will always have more room in my hearth for people who try and do stuff (even if it turns out to be boring and low quality) because doing is the only way to getting better. She making photos for a blog is a human being tinkering. She calling superior officers to complain about her Internet PTSD: niusance.

She's already a more interesting person than McIntosh, who seems to enjoy only himself. At least Melody has hobbies that aren't feeling superior to the rest of humanity and writing boring lectures on how everything is racist or sexist on Twitter.

[Brive1987]

Like I said, I'm glad she has a hobby. Otherwise she might be temoted to actually do something like addnews items tomher CFI website or something.

It just struck me that a blog with comments turned off and posts limited to "smart gold studs" was angling close to the mutterings of the very street people she hunts.

Much like many of my ruminations here. ;)

[Brive1987]

"Tempted". Ugg.

[GenerallyFading]

I have a confession - Melody's fashion blog is cool. Tiny as it is so far.

I agree with photos 2 & 3.

"Off kilter" is what happens if you don't pin first before hemming.

[biblia]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

"This woman’s lace blouse caught my eye. She took an ordinary black dress and made it look so elegant with the addition of this feminine lace blouse. The fit was perfect. It looked as if it had been sewn just for her."

Right-o. But yes. It's nice she has a hobby.

Of sorts.

You're not a girl. Get over it.

[Scented Nectar]

If so, you could put Skatje together with AlexG's mum and then stage your own hobo wars.

:think:

I'm missing the back story on Alex's mum. I remember something about him calling his grandma racist or something, but what's this about his mum?

Two christmas ago (when mykeru was doing his Dayatlov Pass thing) Alex published a "woe is me", I hate Oxford Xmas special. He said he came from abject poverty which included his mum dumpster diving. About a year later he totally shit on her for being a homophobe.

Kids.

That must have sucked having to dumpster dive, but the ones who do it without needing to, thinking they are saving the world, are nuts. The disease risk is pretty bad. Food poisoning, contamination by nearby inedible or even toxic garbage, plus whatever colds, flus, hepatitis, herpes, etc, that the person had who ate the first half of the burger/pizza-slice/whatever.

It seems cruel to urban animals too. They rely on our food garbage to live in an otherwise difficult to forage environment.

[Charles MacGruder]

On the Pharyngula post about Massimo Pigliucci:

I wonder why people who claim this blog is so horrible never give links to the comments they take exception with. I’d truly love to know what horrors MP has seen here that popped his monocle. Why no citations? Why be so vague? Why not skewer us with our own words?
Could it be because he knows better than to point out exactly what he takes issue with? Could it be that he knows exactly what an ass he’ll look like if he’s direct in his criticisms of women responding to rape apology and the like?
He’s not too bright, but he’s knows when to obfuscate his dislike for feminism with vague tone trolling. Too bad he’s overestimated himself. He’s not fooling anyone.

[jimthepleb]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

Most blogs are that: inane babble. I will always have more room in my hearth for people who try and do stuff (even if it turns out to be boring and low quality) because doing is the only way to getting better. She making photos for a blog is a human being tinkering. She calling superior officers to complain about her Internet PTSD: niusance.

OMG you are going to burn people? DEATH THREAT!!!

[Brive1987]

Actually, checking back, I think my memory exaggerated - though he did say "I lived empty-stomached in a hole".

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... res-about/

Ill hunt down the post where he puts the hate on his mother. Compared to the efforts she put in she deserved far better from her son than to be treated as witch of the year.

[subbie1957]

On the Pharyngula post about Massimo Pigliucci:

I wonder why people who claim this blog is so horrible never give links to the comments they take exception with. I’d truly love to know what horrors MP has seen here that popped his monocle. Why no citations? Why be so vague? Why not skewer us with our own words?
Could it be because he knows better than to point out exactly what he takes issue with? Could it be that he knows exactly what an ass he’ll look like if he’s direct in his criticisms of women responding to rape apology and the like?
He’s not too bright, but he’s knows when to obfuscate his dislike for feminism with vague tone trolling. Too bad he’s overestimated himself. He’s not fooling anyone.

I think they are asking for a 2,996 word blog post carefully documenting and citing the smears and nastiness on Peezus' blog.

I think I can point them in the direction of that....

[jimthepleb]

On the Pharyngula post about Massimo Pigliucci:

I wonder why people who claim this blog is so horrible never give links to the comments they take exception with. I’d truly love to know what horrors MP has seen here that popped his monocle. Why no citations? Why be so vague? Why not skewer us with our own words?
Could it be because he knows better than to point out exactly what he takes issue with? Could it be that he knows exactly what an ass he’ll look like if he’s direct in his criticisms of women responding to rape apology and the like?
He’s not too bright, but he’s knows when to obfuscate his dislike for feminism with vague tone trolling. Too bad he’s overestimated himself. He’s not fooling anyone.

I think they are asking for a 2,996 word blog post carefully documenting and citing the smears and nastiness on Peezus' blog.

I think I can point them in the direction of that....

But fisking point by point (as they are now suggesting) is obsessive and harassy.

[screwtape]

I spent the weekend listening to bizarre one-act operas by Bartok and Schoenberg, and today at the mercy of Air Canada, moving slowly but unsurely eastwards. Thanks for the words of support a couple of pages back. "Pit love"? I'll have to see if I have some Vaseline that I haven't mixed with chromium dioxide (the green paste used on strops for honing straight razors)...

Thanks again, and please consider it a non-topic until I relapse, at which point you may all laugh and point gleefully.

Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung? Interesting. Did you like them? They are quite different from one another, and certainly quite different from standard fair. I do like both Schoenberg and Bartok (for very different reasons), though I am not much of an opera fan in general. Though not opera, I quite love Pierrot Lunaire. And et cetera.

Neither was as bad as I had expected. Quite tolerable, in fact, though the way in which Bluebeard treats Judith wouldn't quite meet with the approval of third wave feminists. I'll confess that I far preferred the version of the Barber of Seville the night before, which probably makes me unadventurous and boring. I loathed opera until about twenty years ago, when it suddenly clicked and I became an addict, so be careful with it.

[Brive1987]

Im not really sure i get the point of Melody's blog. Her iPhone quality snaps of people accompanied by inane commentary can surely amuse for only so long?

"This woman’s lace blouse caught my eye. She took an ordinary black dress and made it look so elegant with the addition of this feminine lace blouse. The fit was perfect. It looked as if it had been sewn just for her."

Right-o. But yes. It's nice she has a hobby.

Of sorts.

You're not a girl. Get over it.

I'll try, but I'd like to think I can appreciate nice lace togs in my own quiet way.

http://www.gloria-agostina.com/wordpres ... -38-40.jpg

[Brive1987]

Here is Alex writing to his mother, who got him to Oxford despite homelessness and domestic abuse. Who worked mulitple jobs to keep her boy going.

You’re doing it now. I told you above that ‘homosexual’ was a slur – like I have, again and again, for the last two years or more – and now you’ve used the word again, repeatedly. I’m telling you now, because it’s all I have left: If you ever call me a homosexual again, or allow other people to call me that, we are done talking, online or offline, indefinitely.

He then lists 16 things he wants the bitch to apologise for.

Nice.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... ueer-ally/

[Sulman]

I have a confession - Melody's fashion blog is cool. Tiny as it is so far.

I love the fact that you can have that opinion on Pit about an "enemy". It looks quite cool. Good for her, may she continue and find inner peace. :clap:

If she has something she likes and she is good at, everybody concerned would probably be a lot happier.

[Brive1987]

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/860029 ... 2i%2B7KyAw

[Kirbmarc]

Here is Alex writing to his mother, who got him to Oxford despite homelessness and domestic abuse. Who worked mulitple jobs to keep her boy going.

You’re doing it now. I told you above that ‘homosexual’ was a slur – like I have, again and again, for the last two years or more – and now you’ve used the word again, repeatedly. I’m telling you now, because it’s all I have left: If you ever call me a homosexual again, or allow other people to call me that, we are done talking, online or offline, indefinitely.

He then lists 16 things he wants the bitch to apologise for.

Nice.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... ueer-ally/

If I were Alex' mother I would have kicked him out and left him to fend for himself. What an enormous douche!

[subbie1957]

Here is Alex writing to his mother, who got him to Oxford despite homelessness and domestic abuse. Who worked mulitple jobs to keep her boy going.

You’re doing it now. I told you above that ‘homosexual’ was a slur – like I have, again and again, for the last two years or more – and now you’ve used the word again, repeatedly. I’m telling you now, because it’s all I have left: If you ever call me a homosexual again, or allow other people to call me that, we are done talking, online or offline, indefinitely.

He then lists 16 things he wants the bitch to apologise for.

Nice.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... ueer-ally/

Why is the word 'homosexual' a slur?

[Scented Nectar]

Actually, checking back, I think my memory exaggerated - though he did say "I lived empty-stomached in a hole".

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... res-about/

Ill hunt down the post where he puts the hate on his mother. Compared to the efforts she put in she deserved far better from her son than to be treated as witch of the year.

Well, being homeless probably still qualifies for the hobo fights. Dumpster diving's not a requirement. :)

Although, if homeless, where did they put that washing machine and fridge? Seems like they would be hard to lug around.

[Kirbmarc]

pronouncing it [the word homosexual] as disgustedly as possible, so the first half rhymes with ‘promo’. (You might not think you sound disgusted. You do to me.)

What a disgusting human being. His personal opinion and feelings must be THE LAW for how others should behave, otherwise he's been "gaslighted".

I really hope his mother severs any ties with him. He's an entitled bastard who cannot recognize effort or compromise with his own mother who gives him money to finance his studies. He even demands her to submit to his judgement about her intentions and intonation.

Can you imagine having him as a friend or (gasp!) a partner?

"Alex, I think you should be more careful when you do the dishes. Your nails keep scratching them. Would you please wear some gloves?"

"Are you trying to tell me how I should dress and normalizing the patriarchal expectations that men are crap in the kitchen?"

"No! I'm just worried about the dishes, that's all"

"So you care more about the dishes than about me as a person"

"No! For fuck's sake, Alex! Don't be such a cunt!"

"DID YOU JUST USE THE WORD "CUNT"? WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT WORD?"

"Sorry! Stop taking this so personally!"

"ARE YOU GASLIGHTING ME? DON'T DENY MY LIVED EXPERIENCE!"

[Brive1987]

Here is Alex writing to his mother, who got him to Oxford despite homelessness and domestic abuse. Who worked mulitple jobs to keep her boy going.

You’re doing it now. I told you above that ‘homosexual’ was a slur – like I have, again and again, for the last two years or more – and now you’ve used the word again, repeatedly. I’m telling you now, because it’s all I have left: If you ever call me a homosexual again, or allow other people to call me that, we are done talking, online or offline, indefinitely.

He then lists 16 things he wants the bitch to apologise for.

Nice.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... ueer-ally/

Why is the word 'homosexual' a slur?

Alex has a whole post about this. Apparently it is a particularly evil word when rhymed with promo.

"
‘Homosexual’ was coined in the 1880s by psychiatrists and popularised by a text called Psychopathia Sexualis, which as the name suggests didn’t propose a positive view of non-heterosexuality. (It was similarly negative about kink and asexuality.) Organised medicine referred to ‘homosexuals’ from then on as perverted and mentally ill, often subjecting to them to unethical, abusive, traumatising ‘treatment‘. It was only in 1990, the year before I was born, that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

A lot of contemporary ideas on sexuality take root in this pathologising history, I think – the idea of orientation as a fixed natural state, the idea of gay bodies and straight bodies, gay brains and straight brains; the idea we’re born with predetermined sexualities. That’s another discussion, though.

Today’s conservatives use ‘homosexual’ to conceal their queerphobia with the respectability of ‘neutral’ language, instead of using words and phrases we’ve adopted like ‘gay’, ‘queer’ and ‘LGBT’. It’s noteworthy the the first two of these were both originally straight slurs as well: queer people have been able to reclaim them, but never really attempted to do so with ‘homosexual’. That should tell you something about how powerful its history of violence is and why we use it so rarely."

http://freethoughtblogs.com/godlessness ... xual-like/

[Charles MacGruder]

Do I get another naggin of whiskey? Watching the fun Ball of Fire with the girlfriend. Running out of liquor. The pit decides!

Admit it, you know our answer, so you just wanted someone to enable your drinking. I take full responsibility for it, have at it.

Morning-after report: Your decision was a little rough, but acceptable. All I need is a little bacon.

[Phil_Giordana_FCD]

I never thought A. Gabriel could be anymore of an arse. I was wrong. He must have been punched a lot at school. On the nose, apparently.