ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 04, 2022 at 15:36#6386600 likes
@Shawn unenlightened is around I just haven't read him lately. Come to think of it he has been a bit mia on other platforms. @unenlightened
We are talking about you. Are you doing ok my friend, my mentor, my sage? :heart:
I've been reading quite a few of his books lately. Now I'm reading "Billy Summers." I'd forgotten how good a writer he is. I've been comparing him with Elmore Leonard, one of my favorites.
I've been reading quite a few of his books lately. Now I'm reading "Billy Summers." I'd forgotten how good a writer he is. I've been comparing him with Elmore Leonard, one of my favorites.
Is Billy Summers good? I was reading his stuff and discovered he was a fan of Shirley Jackson. I'm reading The Haunting of Hill House. Holy shit it's good.
Tomorrow I will be getting my booster shot. Somehow the booster shot made me wonder whereas the vaccine didn't. Will getting a yearly or maybe half yearly shot become part of our daily everydayness?
I fantasize about that kind of thing sometimes, but then I realize that almost any change I made that long ago would make it so my children would never have been born. Can't do anything like that.
I wonder how much difference it would really make. All I need to do is make sure that I do not pay attention to my mates when they tell me to show then how fast the monkey bike I built would go. I skidded and lost a piece of shin bone when I hit a tree. 50 years of pain is a lot and it seems to be getting worse when the temperature drops.
Tomorrow I will be getting my booster shot. Somehow the booster shot made me wonder whereas the vaccine didn't. Will getting a yearly or maybe half yearly shot become part of our daily everydayness?
Yep, for a couple of years at least. I had the third shot about two months ago and they say I will be getting another in February. I am supposed to be having the influence shot in the next week or so before I go back to work.
And I hate needles!!!!!
have a time travelling machine on order but I got word that it is on a shipping container off the shore of Long Beach, CA.
Trust me you will be the second to know once I get it! :party:
You shouldn't have to wait. If someone owned a time machine they could travel back in time and manipulate the past to make time machine delivery Next Day Air. :nerd:
I have a time travelling machine on order but I got word that it is on a shipping container off the shore of Long Beach, CA.
There is no such thing as a "time machine stuck in line" as @Praxis explained. You probably have it already, but the manual IS boat off Long Beach. There are 15 levers on the top, any one of which could plunge the world into a very, very bad situation. For our sake, wait until the manual arrives.
You shouldn't have to wait. If someone owned a time machine they could travel back in time and manipulate the past to make time machine delivery Next Day Air. :nerd:
There are 15 levers on the top, any one of which could plunge the world into a very, very bad situation. For our sake, wait until the manual arrives.
But no one would know that it’s a very very bad situation, or rather that in a different timeline it was a better situation. It would just be the way it is, except for the time traveler. They would know what they had done, though they could not know if the situation would have been even worse, a very very very bad situation, had they not been an incompetent time traveler.
Somehow the booster shot made me wonder whereas the vaccine didn't. Will getting a yearly or maybe half yearly shot become part of our daily everydayness?
I wonder how much difference it would really make.
How much change would there have to be? If you changed anything that would make it so your life was delayed or sped up even a second, you might have children, but they wouldn't be the same ones. A normal ejaculation might have 500,000,000 sperm. That's how unlikely it was that your children turned out to be who they are. How much of a change would it take for different one to fertilize the egg.
You shouldn't have to wait. If someone owned a time machine they could travel back in time and manipulate the past to make time machine delivery Next Day Air. :nerd:
— praxis
That would cause a paradox
The grandfather paradox. It is whispered that Stephen Hawking secretly visited Einstein, by a private wormhole, to inform him about his theory.
I think it will be like the flu shot. It'll be mandatory for some, strongly advised for others like elders, cancer patients, diabetes, obese people, and what not. Probably yearly.
My Mom and I are vicious on the golf course. :fire:
We play more of a polo golf game after we get tired of those that we are with and take the not so competitive route and make our own fun!
Gotta love a Mom who is willing to take a boring game and make it a blast!
Do people know about Libby? It's an app you can get for your computer or phone that let's you see what electronic books are available at your library in Kindle or other format. If your library is associated with others, you should also be able to look at their catalogues. Even better, there is another app called Library Extension that will consolidate all that information. If you go on Amazon or, I think, other book websites and go to the book you are interested in, it will tell you which libraries have it available to borrow and you can request it by pushing a button.
Easy and free. You will need a library card to use it. I don't know if this or something similar is available outside the US.
Sounds great. Unfortunately, despite being a millennial, I have an old man streak and only read by buying used physical copies of books. :groan: the clutter is problematic.
Sounds great. Unfortunately, despite being a millennial, I have an old man streak and only read by buying used physical copies of books. :groan: the clutter is problematic.
I'm reading a book book right now. It's hard. I can't push on the page when I want to know a definition or some background. Well, I can, but it doesn't do any good.
Sounds great. Unfortunately, despite being a millennial, I have an old man streak and only read by buying used physical copies of books. :groan: the clutter is problematic.
I am an old man (almost) and while I don't own many things, I have a lot of books. I can't use screens, they shit me.
I always felt bad reading when I didn't know a word or get a reference but was too lazy to look them up. Now I judge a book by how much time I spend outside in Wikipedia, dictionaries, or Google Earth. I go off on tangents that make the book bigger and deeper.
I mean "old man streak" as a positive trait, by the way, in this context. There's actually something therapeutic about occasionally arriving at the realization that I need to sell some books that, if I'm being honest with myself, I'll never read, in order to make space for the ones I think I might read...
I always felt bad reading when I didn't know a word or get a reference but was too lazy to look them up.
For sure. For me, I find that if I don't know a word, my subconscious files it away, and sometimes, when the word comes up again, I look it up and whatever sense I thought I had of the word was wrong, but just as often, I find the sense of the word I got was more or less right (I think through the process of lots of reading?). I like that about reading without context. Then again, I'm maybe a bit more laissez-faire about that than perhaps your average TPF member.
As for references, yeah, those are a bit more rough.
For sure. For me, I find that if I don't know a word, my subconscious files it away, and sometimes, when the word comes up again, I look it up and whatever sense I thought I had of the word was wrong, but just as often, I find the sense of the word I got was more or less right (I think through the process of lots of reading?). I like that about reading without context. Then again, I'm maybe a bit more laissez-faire about that than perhaps your average TPF member.
A for references, yeah, those are a bit more rough.
I wasn't implying that there is anything wrong with the way you and @Tom Storm read. I love books too and I love seeing a wall of books to run my fingers and eyes over. I spent a lot of time in libraries over the years just walking up and down the aisles until a title jumped out and told me to read it. It was a process I really enjoyed.
I just love the new depth that reading an electronic version gives me.
I just love the new depth that reading an electronic version gives me.
Yeah, it sounds great to be able to quickly dive into different words or concepts. I guess, as a millennial, if I want to do that, I'll try to make a mental note and then google it later. But in reality, I rarely remember to do that. So I can see the value in being able to do it on a Kindle or whatever, in real time. No need to make mental notes I'll then forget.
I did so much of my work on computers when I was working that it comes naturally to me. I feel at home there.
Me too; hours every day but with the opposite effect. I have 15 separate reporting databases and endless report reviews. That's why I want a book when I choose to be me. Apart from the internet, I've always resented computers and most things attached to IT but I recognise it's an irrational phobia. :wink:
My dad has an entire basement room full of old books..
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 06, 2022 at 15:20#6394580 likes
And the Fiancé of our eldest indian is Covid positive. Unvaccinated and right now my indian is still with her, in the bedroom where they are isolating, and he is coming up negative. However, her employer wants a PCR test which is understandable because they think it is an easy way for people to get out of work.
We managed to find her a PCR test for the 11th! Umm.... that isn't going to be sufficient.
I scoured the valley looking for the at home test and that isn't going to be enough for the employer.
I said I will drive you down there and you can do a self-administered test while they wait for the results. She has already offered to do that on Facetime with her employer but no, that isn't enough.
Look, I get that you are understaffed and don't want people taking advantage of the Covid reason but it's not even logical to ask her to keep working until the 11th...come on people....
It's 2022, we can do better than this.
Ps...Nick isn't vaccinated but whatever...he is no longer my concern.
~Shaking my head~ I just don't get it...
If they want a PCR, they should provide one. Maybe this would be a good time to change jobs
That is my point. How can they know she cannot get one and still penalize her at work?
The job she has pays very well considering there is no college education.
Their lives, their choices, Momma Bear is always standing by :wink:
Speaking of which, how are you? Back to normal? :pray:
I have gotten back my sense of taste and smell which I was worried about but no, I am doing fine!
(knocking on wood) Now am I back to "normal"?
I would say that normal might be at the end of this divorce but it's the bottom of the 4th inning in my guestimation. I'm hanging out in the dugout while I wait for my next turn at bat. Just pray this doesn't go into extra innings.
But will you reinvent yourself? So a new normal? That might take a while. Journey vs destination?
Transformation is well under way. It is not easy work, and it is deeply personal, but I have people I trust that I can talk to. The destination is the journey, no? A new normal will be with me in school continuing my trajectory of life onward and upward!
I'm not a fool to believe that I have no fault in this unwinding of a 30 year relationship and I am trying to take it all in and god bless it here come the tears...there is a grieving process that hits me at odd times I am sorry. One moment I am strong as a rock and the next I am on my knees praying this would go as smoothly as possible and least number of casualties in the process.
I'm sorry...I am just not unbreakable.
and btw....I need a fucking hug and someone to tell me it's going to be okay
The star of 90 Day: The Single Life allegedly farted in 50 jars a week in order to keep up with the demand for her jars. As we previously reported, Matto sold each jar for $100 and had amassed somewhere in the ballpark of $100k in mid-December. At the time of her alleged retirement, Matto walked away with around $200k in profit.
The swim suit drier at the YMCA, which I love, has been broken for three weeks. Today there was progress toward resolution. They put up an "out of order" sign.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 06, 2022 at 21:56#6395750 likes
The swim suit drier at the YMCA, which I love, has been broken for three weeks. Today there was progress toward resolution. They put up an "out of order" sign.
The swimsuit drier at the YMCA, which I love, has been broken for three weeks. Today there was progress toward resolution. They put up an "out of order" sign.
I hate it when that happens.
Pro tip: if you kinda close the lid firmly once or twice and hold it down you can get the spinny thing working sometimes.
The swim suit drier at the YMCA, which I love, has been broken for three weeks. Today there was progress toward resolution. They put up an "out of order" sign.
How about you just walk up, undress by the side of the pool, throw your clothes in a corner, swim your naked ass until you've swum your swim, get out, shake off like a dog, and then put your wet clothes back on your bad ass self. That's what I'd do if they made swimsuit wearing impossible.
How about you just walk up, undress by the side of the pool, throw your clothes in a corner, swim your naked ass until you've swum your swim, get out, shake off like a dog, and then put your wet clothes back on your bad ass self.
Yes, I'm aware that's how they do things down at the cement pond in Georgia.
Does wisdom work? I keep trying to conform myself to an intelligent/rational way of life, but it doesn't seem to be working... It's only resulted in a perpetual sense of lying to myself.
Does wisdom work? I keep trying to conform myself to an intelligent/rational way of life, but it doesn't seem to be working... It's only resulted in a perpetual sense of lying to myself.
Does wisdom work?
Excellent question! If "wisdom" is what philosophy is perpetually in pursuit of then I would suggest that it will work, if you apply the 'right' strand of wisdom you are trying to attain.
For me, some 20 years into this pursuit of wisdom, I have found a bit of backtracking can be helpful if you find yourself feeling a sort of self-betrayal by the tool of philosophy you were trying to apply to the chaos, we lovingly call life.
My problem with trying to "conform myself" into an "intelligent/rational" way of life is that my hard wiring as a woman often leaves me trying as a 'swirly brain' to conform to a logical, grid way of thinking. That is no easier than trying to force a wooden block into a circular hole.
Whose form of philosophical theories are appealing to you depends on the individual as well as where they find themselves on this path of 'thinkers'. I myself began some 30 years ago finding a lot in common with Jung but soon grew bored with him when I completed my Philosophy class my freshman year of college, laid down my thinking cap and life took my over most of my free time and then came our first indian. I would say that I was somewhat captivated by this man the MSN Philosophy and Absurdity talked about quite a bit, but I had only skimmed over in class, Friedrich Nietzsche.
I was confused enough by everyone's either love or hate of the man's philosophy to look further into what he was saying. There was a group of Hellenistica members that extended off of that Philosophy chat and I was asked to join while they read "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". That was really when I fell in love with "Freddy" and he and I walked and talked for a while. I dropped out of that group back into the main chatroom with Freddy and tried to apply what I had learned about his philosophical thoughts. They seemed to fit me better when I was in discussion with others, but he didn't serve me well once I was alone again in my pursuit. I think part of it was that the leader of the Hellenistica group had got a little too much of Alexander the Great under his skin and the rest of the group was females and that mmmmm level of control was not what I was looking for.
At that point I settled down next to Socrates for a good long while because he always spoke to the core me but was never as elegant as some of the other Philosophers seemed to be. I guess I gave up on what others thought about who appealed to me and be okay with who I found most common ground with. At the same time, I felt no challenge or that I was 'settling' with Socrates and went back into the lake of 'thinkers' looking for another philosophy to try on and wear for a little while, which is when I chose to spend time with Aristotle.
Aristotle has served me well because many of my challenges I was facing in life and a new way of handling them, Aristotle's way of handling them and I found a gold mine. Aristotle taught me about the emotions I was experiencing, not very different from what I was looking for from Socrates. The difference for me was Socrates always felt observational in nature where Aristotle's work actually gave me 'tools' to work with, at that time in my life, I needed actionable theories. True Socrates might have had them as well, but his reflection was where I found most of my "nuggets" of wisdom to carry with me and did not possess them in an actionable approach.
However, I have used Aristotle's theories, challenges, philosophical "tools" and they have served me well to this day. Having said that, I think once you invest a bit of time with one Philosopher, you cannot help but become a bit of a 'mixer' of the theories of all the Philosophers you have danced with. At times it is possible, upon closer examination, to pull on one thread of the tapestry you are weaving called life, that we can only see the underside of, rather than the beauty of our weaving, which can only be seen from the top, upon completion of life. As you pull on that one thread, you realize that there are other threads affected, positively or negatively is for the weaver (yourself) to decide and either pull the tension tighter or to loosen by hand as you try not to leave any string hanging from the underside.
We as "thinkers" are in a constant push and pull as we move through our lives, but one thing remains relatively the same and that is that you will always have people ahead of you on the path of "Philosophy" and there will always be up and coming thinkers who are just breaking through the brush to the path, and they will likely walk behind you in their pursuit. What matters to me is that I will never walk alone, as I always have my family and friends here to come back home to. To the beautiful mix of thinkers who challenge you and then sit down and talk with you about current events. Perhaps that is not your mood at the moment so there are all the various subforums we have here that you can escape to, to hear what others are saying and thinking about.
Bottom line, once you are on the path you are, you will never be alone. :flower:
As you pull on that one thread, you realize that there are other threads affected, positively or negatively is for the weaver (yourself) to decide and either pull the tension tighter or to loosen by hand as you try not to leave any string hanging from the underside.
I'm not shitting you, as books little screens shit me off, no shit, sorry if this shits you.
I thought you might be shitting me, but I knew it didn't shit me. It's all the same shit to me, whether I read it on paper or screen. At least if text on paper shits you, it can be used to wipe your the shit off your arse I guess.
Does wisdom work? I keep trying to conform myself to an intelligent/rational way of life, but it doesn't seem to be working... It's only resulted in a perpetual sense of lying to myself.
I am not convinced that 'conforming' to intelligent/rational ways of life necessarily equate with wisdom. There could be a whole universe of flaws in such an approach. J Krishnamurti said that wisdom came through an understanding of suffering.
In all seriousness, thats some food for thought right there. hmmm....
I think he means the nature of suffering, not just our own. That of our brothers and sisters. And the most extreme, enduring form of suffering for my money is psychological. That which may drive a person to philosophy in an attempt to find 'solutions' or distractions.
And the most extreme, enduring form of suffering for my money is psychological. That which may drive a person to philosophy in an attempt to find 'solutions' or distractions.
Perhaps. I would say that physical suffering and psychological suffering tend to become linked, should it reach its extremity, one way or another.
And the most extreme, enduring form of suffering for my money is psychological. That which may drive a person to philosophy in an attempt to find 'solutions' or distractions.
On the one hand, one has severe anxiety and depression and on the other hand one has a crushed femur and torn muscles. On the one hand, psycho-active meds have not worked; and on the other hand one has access to surgery but not to pain relief. Compare and contrast.
I'm not sure distinguishing the differences of psychological suffering and physical suffering makes a difference. It's suffering, either way. Further, at the end of the disease--despite deep contemplation--there is no great wisdom gained. Suffering is over-rated.
Prior to effective treatment, some guys with AIDS claimed that their suffering had taught them the meaning of life. The highly impolite response would be, "Bullshit! What kind of life has one led that only proximity to the grave has provided a glimpse of meaning?"
The dismissive response is to "wisdom gained from the disease", not to the suffering experienced. That is very real, and Lord have mercy.
I regret that people suffer; I don't much like it myself. It might be inevitable (given we are tender flesh in a sometimes very harsh world). It certain varies in intensity and kind. It is alway a relief when the pain ceases.
Perhaps it is the cessation of pain that is instructive?
I'm not sure distinguishing the differences of psychological suffering and physical suffering makes a difference. It's suffering, either way.
It makes a big difference. We have some capacity (sometimes great) to change/ameliorate psychological suffering just by how we think - hence philosophy (amongst other remedies). Not much can be done, on the other hand, about, say, inoperable cancer, a chronic back injury or gangrene. Having provided suicide intervention for many years, it's one thing I reckon I can bank on.
Reply to Tom Storm I believe we (can, may, often do) have considerable resources to cope with pain and suffering, be it cancer, be it chronic MI, whatever. It's hard to predict who will find the wherewithal to cope the best, who will not. Religion and/or philosophy certainly can help--some more than others.
As for differences in kind, it's the same person who suffers whether it's MI or physical disease.
Reply to Bitter Crank It's not generally what I've seen in the field but in theory you may be correct.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 08, 2022 at 22:36#6402800 likes
@Tom Storm
Curious about something but please don't feel obligated to answer if don't wish to.
What is your position on what I refer to as the eleveation of suffering and proactively ceasing that suffering by passing onto the next...
Can you expand on that a little not sure what you mean?
Thank you for asking.
I think the idea of calling assisted cessation of living to get out of end of life pain is more accurate. People say that is the same as assisted suicide but I believe it is very different and words are heavily loaded.
The reason I see it different than assisted suicide is because people who are in last days of life, should be able to call it. Choose when, with whom and they pass on peacefully at a time of their chosing and most likely at home. People who wish the pain to cease are not suicidal. They are in pain and fear of how much worse they are going to have uendure to pass naturally.
The USA is very much behind the times in comparison to countries like the Netherlands when it comes to compassionate care.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 08, 2022 at 22:53#6402860 likes
Hmmm. . two moderators and two admins are here.
Alright who did what? :chin:
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff I'm in favour of people having the right to suicide (assisted or not) in a range of situations. People who are in the early to mid phase of a degenerative disease may well want to make this choice.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 08, 2022 at 23:07#6402900 likes
I'm in favour of people having the right to suicide (assisted or not) in a range of situations. People who are in the early to mid phase of a degenerative disease may well want to make this choice.
There is the perspective I was asking about and privately hoping for yours to be. No expectations, rather a nice surprise.
Respect :up:
Come on, come on. We've got a bunch of crummy played out discussions on the forum. Somebody start something interesting and different. I've got some ideas - free will, consciousness, quantum mechanics as an explanation for psoriasis, why [Your name here] hates religion, the paradox paradox, or antinatalism for god sake.
Don't make me start one. It will be some bullshit about metaphysics or something.
Done. I don't know if it'll live up to your standards though.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 09, 2022 at 20:34#6405560 likes
@Hanover
I skimmed over the feeling Jewish and now I am going to skim over Buddhism after getting my nails done yesterday by a Vietnamese man named Brian who just bought the place and did a beautiful job. :heart:
Anyway, back to religion, in their lobby is an altar, within a shrine and I am guessing they leave tokens for the Buddha because there were flowers, sodas, oranges, apples.
At first I thought about snagging the Dr. Pepper, as I had to wait beyond my appointment time that I made an hour before going.
I am fully aware that these are first world problems.
But I do wonder about the little shrine enough to think about finding out why it would be rude as a client to help themselves to a snack. :eyes:
I could start a thread on free will. This is my view: we are compelled to talk about free will 'till the cows come home, about every 12 hours. Paradoxically, we must talk about free will. That's all I have to say on the matter. Were I to post this as a new thread, it would be (I predict on the basis of past experience) DOA.
I am not one of those people like John XXVII, who can post flimsy paradoxes and get numerous replies. Either my OPs are too flimsy or not flimsy enough. Whatever the case, they don't seem to meet with much success. Entirely too mediocre, way above average.
Philosophers are phickle about what they will go phor. Pfuck 'em, I say.
Reply to T Clark I started a thread under Philosophy o Fart about a defaced painting, It won't go anywhere. Maybe if I included a story about the crudely defaced petroglyph in Texas it would arouse more response. The petroglyph in that case wasn't much of an art work either, in my humble opinion.
I started a thread under Philosophy o Fart about a defaced painting, It won't go anywhere. Maybe if I included a story about the crudely defaced petroglyph in Texas it would arouse more response. The petroglyph in that case wasn't much of an art work either, in my humble opinion.
How many people have read the short stories ? Then voted ?
Answer: 15.
There are 15 stories. Most authors won't vote for their own, so others have shown support :up:
If you haven't read the stories, can you say why not ?
With intense pain, one is already gone in a sense, for when one is in intense pain, pain is what you are. Intense pain is a little like an orgasm, in orgasm, this is all you are.
unenlightenedJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:28#6408140 likes
If you haven't read the stories, can you say why not ?
I am terminally disgusted by the reduction of every human activity to a competition. Deadline for submissions, deadline for votes, it's all fucking dead.
Also, my brain is full of crap already, and full of the wife's literary outpourings, and I want to dig a pond before Spring.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:30#6408150 likes
With intense pain, one is already gone in a sense, for when one is in intense pain, pain is what you are. Intense pain is a little like an orgasm, in orgasm, this is all you are.
Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!
What on God's Earth are you talking about? :confused:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:37#6408170 likes
if you haven't read the stories, can you say why not ?
I could say why not but is that necessary for me to disclose?
Sorry just woke up on a Monday morning @4am and already feel taxed. I read for critical thinking and write for pleasure.
I think that's about all I can handle about now.
Sorry for falling short if that's the assumption.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:39#6408190 likes
I am terminally disgusted by the reduction of every human activity to a competition. Deadline for submissions, deadline for votes, it's all fucking dead.
Understood. I'm not a fan of competitions and voting either. However, I swallowed my distaste and gave it a few second chances. Overall, I've enjoyed it.
Making and reading comments in the discussion. Looking forward to the authors feedback.
I'm wondering if people see any value in short stories at all ?
What place they have in philosophy ?
I've been surprised at what I've learned; the revelations, new ideas and discoveries.
About the way I read, the assumptions I trip over.
How many people have read the short stories ? Then voted ?
Answer: 15.
There are 15 stories. Most authors won't vote for their own, so others have shown support :up:
If you haven't read the stories, can you say why not ?
NEW POLL CLOSING DEADLINE = WEDNESDAY 12 JAN at 12AM UTC
My guess is most people just aren't interested. And that's ok, cos this is a philosophy forum. And, judging by what I know of the attitudes of people who are interested in philosophy, a few of these uninterested members might regard fiction as trivial rubbish, but they can go to hell. :razz:
I could say why not but is that necessary for me to disclose?
...
Sorry for falling short if that's the assumption.
No. There is no assumption about anyone falling short.
Just curious about the seeming lack of interest and support for 15 authors.
I wonder about the value of short stories in philosophy...
That's all.
My guess is most people just aren't interested. And that's ok, cos this is a philosophy forum. And, judging by what I know of the attitudes of people who are interested in philosophy, a few of these uninterested members might regard fiction as trivial rubbish, but they can go to hell
Yes. I think that it's obvious that most people aren't interested.
I don't want them to go to hell, I want to know why they don't see the value.
Reply to Amity Devil's advocate: why should I read short stories written by amateurs when I don't have time to get through more than a fraction of the great works of literature in my lifetime?
Devil's advocate: why should I read short stories written by amateurs when I don't have time to get through more than a fraction of the great works of literature in my lifetime?
You're right. It's about priorities of time and energy devoted to whatever projects you have in mind.
The short stories distracted me from a whole lot of everything.
The thing is. TPF is addictive. Following certain discussions, often leading nowhere.
The competition is a self-contained exploration by thinking writers, TPF posters, for TPF readers.
For enjoyment. Sharing thoughts, ideas with people you know, even if initially anonymous.
We get to see if we 'get' them. And they will, hopefully, give feedback.
It's personal and it's worth it. Or so I think.
It can open eyes gently and creatively to philosophical aspects compared to the cacophony of argument.
Both worthwhile, if done well...
I've tried to take a break from all of this with little success.
Am I so determined or can I choose...
Where did my willpower go ?
I find exercise is a good way to abstain from any sort of addiction. Once you start thinking, "hm, I think i'll check tpf again" just go for a run. You'll come back a new man/woman.
No. There is no assumption about anyone falling short.
Just curious about the seeming lack of interest and support for 15 authors.
I wonder about the value of short stories in philosophy...
That's all.
For what it is worth, I was wandering the old halls of the prior sandbox, looking at art in the Gallery and Essays and prior writings and I found one that was likely years old when I got to it, but it didn't take away from its impact on me.
Shrugs~ Everyone is at a different point in life.
I will be back in school soon and I won't have the luxury of time to do such extra reading.
Please don't take it personally.
No. There is no assumption about anyone falling short.
Just curious about the seeming lack of interest and support for 15 authors.
I wonder about the value of short stories in philosophy...
That's all.
The relationships between short stories and philosophy is a complicated one from the beginning. Plato used a dialogical form, a bit like a story. Nietzsche's 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' is rather like a long short story. I think there is a place for the short story in philosophy, at least I am fond of exploring this method. Short stories can gesture at something, something which reason or deduction cannot quite grasp. It is a different way of saying what cannot be said. I find some poetry can do the same thing.
Short stories can gesture at something, something which reason or deduction cannot quite grasp.
And to me this implies precisely that they are not philosophy. Isn't philosophy reason all the way down?
On the other hand, stories do sometimes contain philosophy, because stories can contain rational discussion and argument. And as you say, they can also generate philosophical thoughts. A poem can make you think of something that you can philosophize about, even though the poem isn't in itself philosophy.
So stories can contain philosophy but usually don't. But even when they don't, they can still be philosophical, even if they are not philosophy as such.
I don't think I'm disagreeing, just throwing my thoughts out.
In response to your dialogue about an assisted end to life, or the morality thereof. I've never posted in this thread, I take it, it is inappropriate? Out of context?
And to me this implies precisely that they are not philosophy. Isn't philosophy reason all the way down?
On the other hand, stories do sometimes contain philosophy, because stories can contain rational discussion and argument. And as you say, they can also generate philosophical thoughts. A poem can make you think of something that you can philosophize about, even though the poem isn't in itself philosophy.
So stories can contain philosophy but usually don't. But even when they don't, they can still be philosophical, even if they are not philosophy as such.
I don't think I'm disagreeing, just throwing my thoughts out.
Yes, sure and I understand you... it is a bit of a question for me actually and therefore something that I wish to inquire. I think philosophy has an 'erotic' dimension for lack of a better world. It discovers a world, it lays it bare so to speak. Now reason is one of our tried and tested methods to do it. However, it is a direct way, very blunt also. Maybe this erotic quality the world has in my opinion, could also be approached by a different method, the method of the story, or the poem. It is not altogether uncommon in philosophy. Descartes' meditations for instance also contain storytelling elements. And read the mystic Theresa d'Avila and her ecstatic experience of God.
That is a very erotic description but at the same time, it is theology. So I wonder whether there are not other ways to explore the question of fundamental structures of reality. It does not have to be this graphic or bombastic of course, and can be done in other ways as well. See also Albert Camus's books which might be aiming at such a thing.
I think there is a place for the short story in philosophy, at least I am fond of exploring this method. Short stories can gesture at something, something which reason or deduction cannot quite grasp. It is a different way of saying what cannot be said. I find some poetry can do the same thing.
Just what I was looking for, thanks :fire:
It sounds like you have knowledge and experience re philosophy and literature ?
Philosophy of Literature...of Fiction...Philosophy of Art? Books and Papers? Aesthetics?
Where can TPF creative authors and other recommendations find a permanent home ?
Somewhere other than a one-off competition relegated to The Lounge.
The Lounge where discussions deemed unworthy are binned.
[ I know there is a Creativity thread out there somewhere but stuff gets lost ]
Getting a bit obsessed again :nerd:
Time for that run in the sun...
it is a bit of a question for me actually and therefore something that I wish to inquire. I think philosophy has an 'erotic' dimension for lack of a better world. It discovers a world, it lays it bare so to speak. Now reason is one of our tried and tested methods to do it. However, it is a direct way, very blunt also. Maybe this erotic quality the world has in my opinion, could also be approached by a different method
Yes, sure and I understand you... it is a bit of a question for me actually and therefore something that I wish to inquire. I think philosophy has an 'erotic' dimension for lack of a better world. It discovers a world, it lays it bare so to speak. Now reason is one of our tried and tested methods to do it. However, it is a direct way, very blunt also. Maybe this erotic quality the world has in my opinion, could also be approached by a different method, the method of the story, or the poem.
I think sometimes a poem can be philosophy explicitly. We have a whole thread of philosophical poems that include some like that. I always turn to my favorite Frost poem, "The Black Cottage." My favorite lines:
[i]As I sit here, and oftentimes, I wish
I could be monarch of a desert land
I could devote and dedicate forever
To the truths we keep coming back and back to.
So desert it would have to be, so walled
By mountain ranges half in summer snow,
No one would covet it or think it worth
The pains of conquering to force change on.
Scattered oases where men dwelt, but mostly
Sand dunes held loosely in tamarisk
Blown over and over themselves in idleness.
Sand grains should sugar in the natal dew
The babe born to the desert, the sand storm
Retard mid-waste my cowering caravans-[/i]
Here's a link to the whole poem, which is wonderful.
In response to your dialogue about an assisted end to life, or the morality thereof. I've never posted in this thread, I take it, it is inappropriate? Out of context?
It is neither out of context nor inappropriate for this thread. I am sorry for coming off a little confuzzled as to what you were referring to. The topic of "orgasm" is a bit hyper loaded for me at the moment, please forgive my bite if that is how I came across, I am sorry. Now to your actual suggestion...
With intense pain, one is already gone in a sense, for when one is in intense pain, pain is what you are. Intense pain is a little like an orgasm, in orgasm, this is all you are.
Where do you draw such conclusions from if I may be so bold to ask?
I have been with people in their 11th hour here on this Earth and I think that maybe what you are suggesting is valid in regard to pain being what they become...though I will have to ponder on that one a bit.
As far as an orgasm is concerned, if in orgasm, that is all that I am.
I am excited about the present and my future, for they are all I can really have an effect on, right?
Looks like it will be less "competitive" the next time the way the votes are done? Or not? Don't see how we can disregard deadlines though; how would that work? "Send in a story peeps, anytime between now and the heat death of the universe be fine, no hurry"...
unenlightenedJanuary 10, 2022 at 18:57#6409460 likes
What? Publish stuff as it comes in? That's ridiculous because, because ... well actually why not?
We could actually do that, have a short story section were anyone can post anytime, but that's more or less already catered for on the "Get Creative" thread, and it seems like we get more participation when we put some extra structure in.
unenlightenedJanuary 10, 2022 at 19:16#6409500 likes
it seems like we get more participation when we put some extra structure in.
Yeah, pathetic isn't it. How about a post of the week competition, or thread of the year, or something related to what we are supposed to be interested in? I would leave, of course, but it would encourage the proletariat.
Just what I was looking for, thanks :fire:
It sounds like you have knowledge and experience re philosophy and literature ?
:D unfortunately not... hence probably my enthusiastic foray into this subject. If I see the threads on literature here on the forum I am not even particularly well read. But a kind of reexamination of philosophy is a pet project of mine now for ages. A pet project because at work they want me to think about other things all the time. @T Clark thanks for the poem! It is beautiful. Poetry for me is difficult in English. I love rather abstract work and my favorite poet writes very lyrically, but even in Dutch it is nigh un-intelligible, making up words along the way, but for me they are surrealist masterpieces. Actually another philosophy/literary figure for me is Borges, but even in the tragedies I think philosophy is buried, just approached from a different perspective. In legal theory for instance the Greek play Antigone is still read and inspires commentaries.
We could actually do that, have a short story section were anyone can post anytime, but that's more or less already catered for on the "Get Creative" thread,
.
:up: Wonder what the story writers think ? As well as the competition - an opportunity all year round ?
I would like to see a distinct Short Story section. To include threads or discussions of stories by TPF writers and the more well-known and published. Recommendations as in 'Currently Reading' with short comments or analyses as in the competition.
The 'Get Creative' thread caters for all kinds of creativity. It's good but not enough.
Philosophy of Literature...of Fiction...Philosophy of Art? Books and Papers? Aesthetics?
Where can TPF creative authors and other recommendations find a permanent home ?
Somewhere other than a one-off competition relegated to The Lounge.
The Lounge where discussions deemed unworthy are binned.
I know there is a Creativity thread out there somewhere but stuff gets lost.
It has been my personal experience and my observation of others in intense pain. Pain has the power to wipe the mind clean. Being is that which experiences, thinks, and has feelings about said experiences, is this not the process of having an identity. other than that which is pain? The Upanishads come to mind, " Thou art that", meaning you are part of what you perceive- no separation, but with INTENSE pain you become pain because that is all you perceive, you do not think about it or have negative feelings being processed through the understanding, you are pain. The same process occurs when one is in orgasm, only it is INTENSE pleasure that one becomes very briefly, where are you/ the individual at that time, you do not exist, you are INTENSE pleasure. I suggest that if you were thinking of the future at the time of orgasm, you were not in orgasm, perhaps a delightful feeling, but definitely NOT orgasm. Identity becomes oblivion, through pain or pleasure.
Pain has the power to wipe the mind clean. Being is that which experiences, thinks, and has feelings about said experiences, is this not the process of having an identity. other than that which is pain? The Upanishads come to mind, " Thou art that", meaning you are part of what you perceive- no separation, but with INTENSE pain you become pain because that is all you perceive, you do not think about it or have negative feelings being processed through the understanding, you are pain
I have been in intense pain and the way I was able control going in and out of shock in a helicopter ride after I broke my back, in a high speed, high impact horseback riding accident. I remember the paramedical telling me I could not have any form of pain control till we were at the hospital, and I made the choice to allow my spirit to rise above me. I could literally see myself on the backboard, but I was very okay with it. Till they started yelling my name and I came back and asked them if I could have some pain control, they said no. I left and went right back up, this time a lot easier and decided to look the other way and maybe take a fork in the path. The next thing I remember was a whole lot of intense pain, but I think mine was shock, wasn't it?
Maybe you can figure it out.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 11, 2022 at 01:28#6410800 likes
The same process occurs when one is in orgasm, only it is INTENSE pleasure that one becomes very briefly, where are you/ the individual at that time, you do not exist, you are INTENSE pleasure. I suggest that if you were thinking of the future at the time of orgasm, you were not in orgasm, perhaps a delightful feeling, but definitely NOT orgasm. Identity becomes oblivion, through pain or pleasure.
It is sad for the people of Alabama. They are poor, dirty, stupid, and toothless. All they had was football. Now they don't even have that.
Gracious in victory as always.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 11, 2022 at 21:45#6413830 likes
I0 days in and daughter in law to be is still testing Covid positive and is symptomatic.
Is she still transmissible? I need to get the flock outta this ranch for a bit to clear my mind but they need me to help them since they (my indian and her) are in isolation. @frank@Hanover@Baden@unenlightened
ANYBODY but Fauci
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 11, 2022 at 21:48#6413850 likes
Whose idea is that the wheels of justice turn slowly.
Names please :brow:
unenlightenedJanuary 11, 2022 at 21:54#6413900 likes
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff I'm not the expert, but I think the lateral flow test is better at telling you if you're infectious, versus the other one, pcb that is a better detector of infection.
But you have your own problems and they are adults; get them a big shop and then look after yourself.
And I think the wheels have mostly fallen off justice.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 11, 2022 at 22:10#6413940 likes
Yes, Fauci is wrong. Immunization is a government mind control plot. Masks are a violation of our constitutional rights. Trump was actually elected president.
unenlightenedJanuary 11, 2022 at 23:04#6414110 likes
Good morning all. I don't usually come in here just to say hello, but I'm feeling cordial today and trying to avoid my work.
I have a mug of fresh coffee and three small slices of toasted rye bread, the dark thin kind of rye bread with bits in it. Atop this toast I have slices of smoked trout. Atop the trout I have slices of fresh cucumber. It could do with sour cream or butter but since my blood test results a few days ago I'm reducing my cholesterol.
Had to google trout and didn't realize it's also red-fleshed; I wonder if the two are pretty similar. I'm embarrassingly behind on making my way to the legendary Russ & Daughters here; they have tons of different varieties.
I think in NYC, with lox, there's some confusion on what constitutes "real" lox (I think smoked?) versus the type that's cured but not smoked. I don't know, I read something about it once but then forgot the details. I think if you get lox at a random bagel place here it's not smoked. @Maw?
Is that what we have? I have no idea. Are there smoked but unsalted fishes? That seems weird. I know Gravlax is a weird variation here that also involves sugar. I've never tried it. I think it's a favorite of the older generation.
Random bagels in NYC are usually pretty good, yes. Best to ask if anything's hot out of the oven, rather than be picky about which variety you want.
Random bagels in NYC are usually pretty good, yes. Best to ask if anything's hot out of the oven, rather than be picky about which variety you want.
In my list of things to try in New York, if I ever go, is bagels, pastrami sandwiches, and a range of pizzas to determine the average quality of New York pizza, which I hear so much about. I'm quite sure it beats Moscow pizza.
Bagels you can have very good luck with; [s]just go wherever is nearby.[/s]... nah, you have to know what to look for. Katz's really is worth the hype for Pastrami, in my mind. Especially for a foodie. Pizza, I would need to start a whole separate thread about. Joe's is a must. If you had 24 hours in NY, I would say go to Joe's. It won't change your life, but it's the platonic ideal. In the year 2022 there's too many good pizza spots at this point.
I mean, there are four or five places here that make decent Neapolitan pizza, but that's not many in a city this size. Kind of surprising considering how crazy Russians are for Italian culture.
I mean, there are four or five places here that make decent Neapolitan pizza, but that's not many in a city this size. Kind of surprising considering how crazy Russians are for Italian culture.
Interesting, didn't know that. 4-5 doesn't sound like much for a large city, true.
Platonic ideal of pizza, or of New York pizza, which I get the impression is its own genre?
The platonic ideal of a New York slice (i.e. you order it by the slice and they re-heat it.) But it's also kind of the platonic ideal of pizza, at least in the Ninja Turtles sense.
Btw, I stumbled upon the article about Lox, if you're interested. Not surprisingly, I had it backwards.
Pizza, I would need to start a whole separate thread about...
...The platonic ideal of a New York slice (i.e. you order it by the slice and they re-heat it.) But it's also kind of the platonic ideal of pizza, at least in the Ninja Turtles sense.
...it's the platonic ideal. In the year 2022 there's too many good pizza spots at this point.
Pizza on A Plate with Plato ?
In the year 2022, not everyone has access to 'too many good pizza spots' :sad:
Indeed, many have a masochistic desire to make their own.
Some already are well-practised in both Plato and Pizza.
A DIY Pizza Project - where do you start ?
What kind of crust ? Thin/crispy or deep/doughy ? A mix of both ?
How simple and natural do you knead it to be ? How authentic ?
How much technology and energy ? With or without yeast ?
What kind of oven and how clean does it have to be?
Choice of topping...with or without a Ninja Turtle ?
Make Your Own: Pepperoni Pizza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCAPjIVOdJw
I have looked at the way we Dutch smoke eels, it is a Dutch delicacy, from the north of my Province, known for both smoked fish and creating a painstakingly mediocre brand of pop music. But also heir method uses salt first, before the smoking.
@jamalrob
I vote for another philo category called 'The Foodbox' ! :cool:
Well-beingnessness an' all that, no ?
What would a Symposium be without one...oh, and drink :party:
I'm overwhelmed by the questions, but I'll let my inner pizza speak. Yes, I'm disgustingly spoiled by how much good pizza exists within an hours commute of my residence. That being as it may,
Crispy crust.
Dough leavened by a sourdough starter is often advantageous, and a bit of a hipster fad at the mo'.
The oven depends on the dough.
A pure pizza is dough (crust), sauce, and cheese. Other toppings are optional, sometimes welcomed, but not needed.
Hm. As a fan of Neapolitan pizza I like the crust to be slightly crispy on the surface, but chewy and softer within. I hate full crispiness on a pizza.
Judging by your post earlier, if you haven't been to NY, the traditional style is a crust that's crispier than Neapolitan, thinner, broader, but still has a chew. It's very different than Neapolitan, though.
:lol:
I wanna go wiv da flow and make my own pizza. Don't think it would work...
Have you made one in a state of being at One with the World ?
Or otherwise...
Judging by your post earlier, if you haven't been to NY, the traditional style is a crust that's crispier than Neapolitan, thinner, broader, but still has a chew. It's very different than Neapolitan, though.
I'm open-minded and I'd like to try it, but right now I can't imagine anything better than the traditional Italian kind.
At the risk of opening a worm can, what is your opinion of Chicago pizza?
Have you made one in a state of being at One with the World ?
Or otherwise...
I only tried to make my own pizza as adult once, and I used a recipe given in a youtube video and subsequently written down by a youtube commenter, who incorrectly listed the 2 teaspoons of salt as 2 tablespoons, so because of the stupidity of the youtube commenter that I so intelligently relied on for the recipe, I made salty dough that didn't rise.
I know you're well traveled, and I'm assuming you've had it in Naples, which I haven't. The best Neapolitan pizza I've had has been here in NY, but I prefer the NY style over American Neapolitan, if that makes sense. I'm getting technical, dammit.
Chicago Pizza tastes great but isn't pizza. There's also the "real" Chicago style which is a thin, crackery crust cut into square little nibbles, which is almost somehow better whilst also being pathetic. I love Chicago as a city though.
There are SO many youtube vids out there.
I watched an American one the other day. It shoulda been X-rated on a gay porn site :scream:
Can't find it now...
I'm pretty serious about this pizza-making business.
On look-out for a simple recipe...
I vote for another philo category called 'The Foodbox' !
Not a bad idea. I know from experience that non-food people are bemused by or contemptuous of food talk, so we need a safe space.
But some of my best friends are non-food people. One of them hates cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil, and for some reason he went on a month long holiday to Italy.
Yeah I had one in Sorrento, near Naples, and one in Rome too. I've been seeking to match those experiences since.
That reminds me of a lasagne I had in Padua/Padova, Italy.
A small, quaint, family-run restaurant in the Jewish quarter.
It was the best but god alone knows what was in it - a mix of meats. Horse, pig, lamb, cow, offal ?
No other lasagne since then has matched the pure perfection... *sighs*
Aw...that's what I really, really want... :cool:
Wonder when travel will open up again...
I've had my 4th vaccination. How special am I ?
But I still can't go anywhere, dammit all :naughty:
Edit: Actually 5 vaccinations if you include the flu.
I thought they were 2 covid and 2 boosters - turns out they're all the same !
Renamed: 3 covid and 1 booster...
Talk about confusing!
I vote for another philo category called 'The Foodbox' ! :cool:
Well-beingnessness an' all that, no ?
What would a Symposium be without one...oh, and drink :party:
I'm not a big eel fan, but had it as the final piece in an Omakase recently, and did enjoy it. It was still the same strange flavor I remember, though (something like the smell of a small brook in the Midwest of the US, maybe??) any tips on eel appreciation?
I'm not a big eel fan, but had it as the final piece in an Omakase recently, and did enjoy it. It was still the same strange flavor I remember, though (something like the smell of a small brook in the Midwest of the US, maybe??) any tips on eel appreciation?
Difficult... Actually I am not really an eel man myself. I have had it smoked the Dutch way once and it was delicious... I had it smoked the same way and I thought meh, and I had eel in South America and while I normally love South American cooking it was bland and the caldo de congrio tasted greasy. I found eel worked strongly salted, smoked and dried in order for the grease not to be overwhelming. I was thinking of doing a gravad lax type thing with eel once. However, I was dissuaded when I read that eel should never be eaten raw as it is poisonous.... The Belgians do something lovely with it called 'eel in the green'. The eel is simmered for a long time in a mixture of different green herbs. I had it once and was lovely.
The Belgians do something lovely with it called 'eel in the green'. The eel is simmered for a long time in a mixture of different green herbs. I had it once and was lovely.
If it truly is so lovely, I'm on board. How to try it in NY... :chin:
If it truly is so lovely, I'm on board. How to try it in NY... :chin:
Well there must be a Belgian restaurant in New York, their cuisine is renowned. But then... for us in the Netherlands the cuisine of just about everyone else is renowned... :worry:
What do you mean ?
I just never, ever did Facebook or any other twitter-ish thing.
If TPF ever goes in that direction, I'd be outta here.
I prefer emails, phone calls to any of this new-fangled stuff.
A real Slow Movement person am I :wink:
@Amity Ohh I just thought you were telling me off for using such an old fashioned platform that the kids these days snub you for. I am not a fan much ether actually. However been on it for years and quitting it seems like... such a pompous thing to do, while I am also not bothered with it. Actually it is interesting for posting some things that do not fall in any other category. I rather talk here though, as evince by my steadily increasing post count. Twitter is a sewer. I like e-mails and phone conversations too, as well as the PM. Work related the academia and research gate pages, linkedin... Against my will or better judgment I happen to be on many platforms it seems...
Thinking of that actually, does anyone know where the place "Mountain View" is? Some time ago I received a notification that someone from there was reading articles of mine for two days it seemed. I was puzzled... and the name of the place sounds intriguing. I imagined a hill top in a far away never never land... edit: Actually I found it, between Stanford and Berkeley, so probably a town for hip academics :D Still, must be a wonderful place, since it is close to a location named Sunnyvale as well... :)
Those names give a delightful Game of Thrones feeling.. Maybe Tirion is browsing my stuff...
I need someone to write my story for me. It's about a guy who wakes up and can't understand what his wife is saying. He assumes he's having a stroke, so he goes to the hospital. They keep him for observation, but the guy eventually starts noticing he can sort of understand his wife. He records her with his phone and plays it backwards, and to his astonishment, realizes she's talking backward. He does this with others and it's confirmed. He records himself and plays it backward, and people understand him
It goes on to develop into an amazing philosophical exploration of some crap. The End.
I0 days in and daughter in law to be is still testing Covid positive and is symptomatic.
Is she still transmissible? I need to get the flock outta this ranch for a bit to clear my mind but they need me to help them since they (my indian and her) are in isolation
Why do they need you?
HeracloitusJanuary 12, 2022 at 15:24#6418050 likes
I need someone to write my story for me. It's about a guy who wakes up and can't understand what his wife is saying. He assumes he's having a stroke, so he goes to the hospital. They keep him for observation, but the guy eventually starts noticing he can sort of understand his wife. He records her with his phone and plays it backwards, and to his astonishment, realizes she's talking backward. He does this with others and it's confirmed. He records himself and plays it backward, and people understand him
It goes on to develop into an amazing philosophical exploration of some crap. The End.
Kafkaesque!
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 12, 2022 at 15:49#6418170 likes
Where I grew up, the name of the town next door is Hardscrabble.
The name of my hometown was Shithole, Georgia just across the Dung River from Happyville. When it got cold, the shit mist would freeze and block the sun, turning day into a frozen outhouse reeking night.
If not for my mother's delicious homemade chocolate pudding, that place would have been intolerable.
Hardscrabble... I like that! I immediately imagine two gunslingers, staring each other down. One Mexican in a colorful poncho, the other looking like Lee van Cleef wearing an old Stetson hat. They lay their heavy colts on the table and sit themselves down opposite one another... between them just a board of colorful squares and a little standard on which they each have 12 letters.... The disadvantage laying clearly with the mustached Mexican as he starts with both and X and a Q....
The name of my hometown was Shithole, Georgia just across the Dung River from Happyville.
To clarify - I was indicating that my understanding of your character is limited, not your character itself. On the other hand, my statement is probably correct either way you interpret it.
Based on my understanding of your character; as limited as it may be, and Google Earth; I believe this is not true
How dare you deny the existence of my ancestral homeland, where Jebidiah Hanover first settled with his sister and the 12 children God blessed them with.
Hardscrabble... I like that! I immediately imagine two gunslingers, staring each other down. One Mexican in a colorful poncho, the other looking like Lee van Cleef wearing an old Stetson hat. They lay their heavy colts on the table and sit themselves down opposite one another... between them just a board of colorful squares and a little standard on which they each have 12 letters.... The disadvantage laying clearly with the mustached Mexican as he starts with both and X and a Q....
Yes. That's exactly it. The reason it's hard is that van Cleef speaks English, the Mexican speaks Spanish, and the scrabble set is in Russian using the Cyrillic alphabet.
How dare you deny the existence of my ancestral homeland, where Jebidiah Hanover first settled with his sister and the 12 children God blessed them with.
Your knowledge of history embiggens us all.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 12, 2022 at 16:58#6419310 likes
This sounds like a psychological situation I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. :grimace:
Yeah, but they are Monkeys in My Circus.
Nick is no longer ring leader, if he ever was.
Maybe I am a fool for giving to my kids but I can deal with that kind of foolishness rather than being a fool to believe someone loved me.
:broken:
So, Boris, as I was saying, you're screwed.
— Baden
But then again, so are we :sad:
Did you read this:
Rory Kinnear: On the day of No 10’s lockdown party, I buried my sister
Pain like ours was tearing through families the world over. It felt like we were all in it together. Not all of us, it turned out.
No, but I heard several similar stories. What's worse than Boris though are the Tories who defend him. Utterly cynical. It's got to the stage now where the wally has to argue he doesn't know what he's doing, where he is, and the difference between wine and apple juice, but that he's qualified to run the country, and he's got minions soulless enough to stand behind that.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 12, 2022 at 18:55#6420130 likes
I've been an idle waster for most of my life, but even I can tell the difference between a work meeting and a party. But this government needs an inquiry to find out, and Boris cannot tell after being there for half an hour. But Boris has apologised for people being angry at him and for other people thinking it was a party.
Fortunately, I resigned from his governance a long time ago.
Also, can I suggest 'Lunchbox', 'Hamper', or possibly, to align with the lounge, 'dining room'.
Where I live, we have to go to the yard and live in a small box for 30 days if we get Covid. We call it the hotbox. Once I did 60 days for talking back to the man. Didn't learn my lesson though. I'm gonna do how I'm gonna do.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 12, 2022 at 21:47#6420650 likes
Dad fell and hit his head. Went to the Dr and they sent him for a Cat scan. Dad is 100% paced, insulin resistant diabetic. Anyway the scan shows no bleed.
However there is a mass at the base of his skull. They tried to admit him for an MRI today. Mom said umnmm you can't put a pace in an MRI. Signed Dad out against medical advice.
Mom has been scouring the planet for an MRI machine that is compatible with his pacemaker. No dice.
Anyone around here know of any?
I'm truly asking God if he is seriously telling me now?
Now? I'm already in a battle and he is going to take me to my knees? Are you freaking kidding me?
Reply to Caldwell Baden closed the ongoing discussion so as to close the poll, and the Symposium is closed to new discussions.
I thought he would have created a new discussion for us to continue the general short story chat and play "guess the authors". I guess we can do it here or create a thread in the Lounge.
I thought he would have created a new discussion for us to continue the general short story chat and play "guess the authors". I guess we can do it here or create a thread in the Lounge.
Guess the authors -- you mean authors from here? Is this open to the forum members?
Reply to Caldwell I don't follow. A short story competition has just closed and the authors are so far anonymous. Now that it's closed, we can openly guess who the authors are for a day or so before their identities are revealed by @Baden.
A short story competition has just closed and the authors are so far anonymous. Now that it's closed, we can openly guess who the authors are for a day or so before their identities are revealed by Baden.
Ahhh!
Okay, that sounds like fun. As I have no clue who these people are. Where is the guess the author thread?
Reply to Caldwell Well, not sure whether to put it in the Lounge or the Symposium, also waiting for input from short story boss @Baden, also I’m on a phone so somewhat hampered.
Yes. That's exactly it. The reason it's hard is that van Cleef speaks English, the Mexican speaks Spanish, and the scrabble set is in Russian using the Cyrillic alphabet.
Sorry to hear that. When it rains it fucking pours, huh?
Been in the fuckin storm too long my friend.
They are seeing his neurologist 2 hrs from now. I told Mom not to go. That what good and bad comes with a diagnosis.
The good? He is not a surgical canidate. What good is a dx when he is DNI, DNR, signed refusal of dialysis, blood sugars are going up and not down.
Mom was head RN at Hospice impatient for 15 years. She knows where Dad is headed but in the end we are humans and many of us hold on hope.
No. Diagnosis is caustic at this point because people like my Dad will let their dx define them.
There is a switch in the tracks ahead, unfortunately I have been there before and that is when you move from selfish prayers for the person to live and move to a place where you pray for painless and easy passage.
I don't think we are there yet but I could be tragically wrong.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 13, 2022 at 14:50#6423530 likes
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 13, 2022 at 14:53#6423540 likes
In my own child I ways I have to wonder if my divorce is giving him enough comfort to know that I will be out from under nick's control.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 13, 2022 at 17:12#6423910 likes
I really wish my biological Dad was still here to say "Sweetheart...." :broken:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 13, 2022 at 21:19#6425810 likes
Thank you for your prayers :heart:
My Dad has a "bundle of veins" @frank probably knows the scientific name at the base of his skull.
Bottom line is the ER freaked when they saw what was going on. Today his neurologist compared a scan he had done 5 years ago and it is unchanged. :party:
That doesn't explain the dizziness but it also rules out a ton of scary things that keeps me awake at night.
The choice he has to make has it's own consequences
A) stay on the blood thinners he is on but if he were to fall again and hit his head it could be catastrophic.
B) go off the blood thinners and increase his risk of stroke
I think he is going to go with A.
I cannot Thank you guys for being here for me again in life.
My Mom said that she and my Dad are going to come clean with my siblings that live out of state.
Thank God in Heaven for my Dad :flower: :flower: :flower:
Ziteng Wang:The strangest property of this new signal is that it is has a very high polarization. This means its light oscillates in only one direction, but that direction rotates with time.
The brightness of the object also varies dramatically, by a factor of 100, and the signal switches on and off apparently at random. We've never seen anything like it.
At first we thought it could be a pulsar—a very dense type of spinning dead star—or else a type of star that emits huge solar flares. But the signals from this new source don't match what we expect from these types of celestial objects.
Tara Murphy:We have been surveying the sky with ASKAP to find unusual new objects with a project known as Variables and Slow Transients (VAST), throughout 2020 and 2021.
Looking towards the center of the Galaxy, we found ASKAP J173608.2-321635, named after its coordinates. This object was unique in that it started out invisible, became bright, faded away and then reappeared. This behavior was extraordinary.
We then tried the more sensitive MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. Because the signal was intermittent, we observed it for 15 minutes every few weeks, hoping that we would see it again.
Luckily, the signal returned, but we found that the behavior of the source was dramatically different—the source disappeared in a single day, even though it had lasted for weeks in our previous ASKAP observations.
Within the next decade, the transcontinental Square Kilometer Array (SKA) radio telescope will come online. It will be able to make sensitive maps of the sky every day. We expect the power of this telescope will help us solve mysteries such as this latest discovery, but it will also open vast new swathes of the cosmos to exploration in the radio spectrum.
David Kaplan:The information we do have has some parallels with another emerging class of mysterious objects known as Galactic Center Radio Transients, including one dubbed the 'cosmic burper'.
While our new object, ASKAP J173608.2-321635, does share some properties with GCRTs there are also differences. And we don't really understand those sources, anyway, so this adds to the mystery.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 13, 2022 at 22:53#6426060 likes
In case anyone is interested, I finally was able to get my favorite Chomsky article articulating his so called "mysterianism" online for free, without the need to send a personal email from me, in case anyone prefers privacy in these matters.
It's longish - 32 or so pages, but if anyone is interested in the topic, let me know so I can start a reading group and we can discuss it. There's a lot of interesting stuff in it.
Just an FYI.
StreetlightJanuary 14, 2022 at 02:22#6426470 likes
Alright, I'll start the thread and post the article, I'll give an introduction and then proceed as you wish, it can be a comment after a reading few pages, or taking issue with a detail that you want to discuss or it can be after you read it all, it's all OK with me.
Does anyone else think there's a connection between aliens and fantasy beings... that they are the same thing? It's just now in the scientific age that we think of them as aliens?
Does anyone else think there's a connection between aliens and fantasy beings are the same thing? It's just now in the scientific age that we think of them as aliens?
Why not? Decades back Carl Jung postulated that UFO and alien visitation stories were the beginnings of a new religion in the creative flux of its formative mythmaking years. There's a Jungian academic and philosopher David Halperin (now retired) who holds the same view.
Good morning. Breakfast today is porridge made with oats and milk and a pinch of salt. Fresh coffee.
Here in Russia their porridge (kasha) can be made with many different types of grain--millet, spelt, buckwheat, oats etc--and then they add berries and whatever. Normally I like to try new things but when it comes to porridge I'll always be a dour Scotsman. Oats, milk, salt.
Weather today is shit. It's one of those rare and unpleasant winter days when it goes above zero celsius, which means rain and snow-melt and dirt. Yuck.
In the US we just call porridge "oatmeal", presumably because we're too uncreative to use anything other than oats. Except for "Cream of Wheat", which is apparently an actual brand of wheat-based porridge. I haven't had it in years, but now that I'm thinking about it I think might try to find some. I used to love it.
Yeh I was aware of that. Basically, for you and me porridge = oatmeal. It's always oats. That's one reason I was confused here when I saw a whole porridge section of a menu, and another time when my beef cheeks came with porridge on the side (buckwheat, it must have been).
At any rate, I'm perpetually bored with my breakfast options (and I need low maintenance breakfasts), so you've put porridge/oatmeal/cream of wheat back on my radar.
My parents mostly drink instant coffee. It was all instant coffee when I was growing up and most average British folks drink instant coffee if they don't drink tea, although I guess things have changed a bit now with the influence of Starbucks and the affordability of ersatz espresso machines.
My parents' name for coffee made with ground beans is "posh coffee". I said to them that this is like calling real potatoes "posh potatoes" as opposed to instant mash, that drinking instant coffee is like eating instant mash. My Mum was offended by this and denied it vehemently. It's amazing how class issues are still totally bound up with food in Britain.
@Noble Dust I get the impression from movies and TV that Americans are far in advance of the Brits on this. Am I right?
Oh my word, the coffee culture here is insane. So much so that I learned about it, joined in, and am already out. I still buy whole beans and grind them myself before brewing, but people are cultish about the origins of the beans, roast times, and brewing techniques. People write tasting notes akin to wine. It's mental, as you brits would say. And it's not just NYC; in fact, NY is pretty average when it comes to coffee. The craze began on the west coast and seems to have sort of spread gradually to the east. The coffee scene in the midwest where I'm from is better than it is here in NY honestly.
I still buy whole beans and grind them myself before brewing, but people are cultish about the origins of the beans, roast times, and brewing techniques. People write tasting notes akin to wine. It's mental, as you brits would say.
:lol: Yeah, I've been close to getting into it a couple of times but luckily saw sense at the last minute. I spent hours watching some coffee guy on YouTube and later regretted it. There was a point when I realized that once you've got some decent beans and a grinder, it's vastly diminishing returns after that.
I get beans and grind them at home, but I don't care otherwise.
Yeah, that's basically it. At the risk of going back on what I said, though, a few things I've noticed is that a burr grinder is the best type of grinder (but I bought the cheapest one with a giftcard). Also, I used to only make coffee with an aeropress, which supposedly makes the least bitter coffee, but I got fed up with it when the suction stopped working properly, so I then bought an old school drip machine for the convenience. Turns out, everyone was right. Aeropress coffee is quite smooth, while coffee made in a normal drip machine is way more bitter.
I've seen a lot of people say that but it looks like it's just about the evenness of the grind. Me, I don't really mind if some of the coffee is too fine and some too coarse, so I've got a cheaper one.
I've seen a lot of people say that but it looks like it's just about the evenness of the grind. Me, I don't really mind if some of the coffee is too fine and some too coarse, so I've got a cheaper one.
All I know is I noticed a difference in the taste when I upgraded. Again, I'm sounding like the coffee hipster I claimed to not be.
I just use a French press and I always add some milk so it doesn't matter if it's bitter. The milk sweetens it. No doubt you think I'm a barbarian.
Not at all. I had a French press once. Then I broke it. I love the unique taste. It's just not something I can drink every day. The oily mouthfeel and all. Oh, barbarian because of the milk? Nah whatever.
By the way, is there some unwritten rule of the short story competition that prevents us from responding to feeback before the names are all up?
There's not an unwritten rule, but there is an unwritten rule. :lol: On the other hand, you own this website, and you won the fucking contest, so who gives a shit? (conspiracy theory forthcoming).
All I know is I noticed a difference in the taste when I upgraded. Again, I'm sounding like the coffee hipster I claimed to not be.
Yes, you are :grin:
On the other hand, you can't argue with an improvement in taste. But my coffee tastes great enough so I'm not gonna add any more complexity to my life or buy more shit.
Coffee hipsterism reminds me of vape hipsterism. The vape shop guys are like the record shop owners of my youth. Unfriendly judgmental assholes. All I want is inhaleable nicotine without the smoke, ok? I don't care about anything else.
On the other hand, you can't argue with an improvement in taste. But my coffee tastes great enough so I'm not gonna add any more complexity to my life or buy more shit.
I just need to stop lying to myself; I spent the $20 on the drip machine but I secretly hate it. I just need to cough up the $30 on a brand new Aeropress. And then acknowledge that I'm a full-blown Brooklyn coffee snob. :vomit:
The weird thing is that the only reason I bought a drip machine is that my old dad makes great coffee out of a drip machine. I just saw him for Christmas, and his coffee tastes exactly the same as it always has. It's not bitter, it's balanced, and super earthy. I'm not one to be biased towards family, or insist on some special mojo or whatever. But I literally don't know how he makes it, and how my drip coffee is so bad in comparison.
Normally I like to try new things but when it comes to porridge I'll always be a dour Scotsman. Oats, milk, salt.
Nowt dour about it ! The question is: What kind of oats and how do you prepare/cook them ?
Different people in different parts of Scotland do it... different.
As with dialects, so with de dish, deelish!
Again, I think it depends on where and who.
My friend told me about this screechy, demanding American lady who brought down her jar of instant Nescafe to breakfast. In an Italian hotel which served the best coffee !
Well, at least she had a passport and was willing to travel abroad...
The question is: What kind of oats and how do you prepare/cook them ?
I know that some are bigger and rougher and more ... meaty? ... than others. Some are too refined and dusty. Sorry, I don't know the porridge terminology :grin:
I like the rough stuff. Oats and milk in a pan on the cooker, make coffee, serve porridge, enjoy while reading TPF.
Reply to Noble Dust If you are using the same coffee, and the same coffee machine, then the difference could be the water. Water does vary from place to place. It doesn't all have the same flavor.
One thing that might make a difference is the temperature of the water that the coffee maker supplies to the grounds. I reduced the temperature by 10ºF and the resulting coffee had a significantly different flavor--maybe better, or worse... depending on preference. Water for drip coffee should not be boiling, I have been told for years. 190º seems pretty good.
Coffee made the same way doesn't always taste the same, either. Sooo, sometimes it's me.
If you are using the same coffee, and the same coffee machine, then the difference could be the water. Water does vary from place to place. It doesn't all have the same flavor.
You are very right. "Dirty water dogs" are a big deal here in NY. People say the NY water affects the bagels and the pizza too. I dunno if I buy it, but I'm also open minded about it. Who knows. I certainly don't.
One thing that might make a difference is the temperature of the water that the coffee maker supplies to the grounds. I reduced the temperature by 10ºF and the resulting coffee had a significantly different flavor
Are you my dad in disguise? I know his secret, by the way, which I didn't mention. He combines room temperature water with ice cubes.
I like the rough stuff. Oats and milk in a pan on the cooker, make coffee, serve porridge, enjoy while reading TPF.
That's no right, at a' mon !!!
This conversation needs a special spot for the edumacation of the wurrrld.
So, the best way but not my lazy way is:
How I experienced it up North (Scotland). Uncle soaked oats overnight. In morning, cooked them in water in a pan and stirred with wooden spurtle. Served in a bowl, keeping milk separate in a small cup in front. A spoon of porridge then dipped into the milk before travelling to the mouth.
I still do this but cheat with easy porridge. And it's Irish :yikes:
Flahavan's Original microwavable in 2 minutes.
2 scoops of oats, 4 scoops of cold water/milk in a deep bowl, microwave for 2 mins.
https://www.flahavans.co.uk/product/flahavans-irish-quick-oats/
Traditional way:
https://www.movementandnutrition.co.uk/how-to-make-porridge-recipe/
The midwest's Malt'o Meal company makes a variety of 'cream of wheat' that has malt in it. It tastes better than Cream of Wheat. Cream of wheat is food for sick people/
The best oatmeal is called "Irish Oatmeal" or "steel cut oats". It's an unprocessed, unrolled, piece of oat kernel without bran. It takes quite a while to cook--30 minutes. I cook it in a pan, then in a double boiler with milk--about 45 minutes altogether. Very good.
Millet makes a good porridge too. Rinse the dust off the millet grain. Bring to a boil (usual ratio of 1 measure of grain, 3 measures of water, salt to taste) bring to boil, then simmer till water is absorbed. Put millet in double boiler, add milk (generous) and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. (Maybe an hour, altogether. It's a long cooking time compared to cream of wheat (1 minute), but porridge will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, at least, so you don't have to cook it everyday.
Just don't leave it in the pot till it's 9 days old. ("Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold; some like it in the pot 9 days old." 9 day old pea porridge is probably an acquired taste. Might also give one a dose of ptomaine or botulism.
Reply to Amity Now you're making me feel ashamed. Hey it works for me. I don't have time for all that porridge malarkey. I'm too busy writing about it on TPF.
Reply to Amity Sadly, they haven't starting canning oatmeal. They can cooked rice; cooked noodles; bread (B & M Brown Bread). Why not canned porridge? Cream of wheat in a squeeze tube.
but porridge will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, at least, so you don't have to cook it everyday.
Just don't leave it in the pot till it's 9 days old. ("Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold; some like it in the pot 9 days old." 9 day old pea porridge is probably an acquired taste. Might also give one a dose of ptomaine or botulism.
Whatever gets you going :gasp:
I've heard some kept it in a block in their drawers and sliced bits off...
I think that died off :death:
I'm told the potassium in bananas keeps your muscles from spasming, but what I find more interesting is how it is pronounced. I say bu-na-nuh whereas the British say bu-nah-nah.
Assuming you can see past the shameless sexuality of this video, this is the way British people say "banana":
Collins used to be a great dictionary, and they made a point of saying that their IPA pronunciations were based on Received Pronunciation. Back then they'd never claim that was representative of British English. Garbage.
More importantly, the audio file I uploaded has now given me the idea of endless entertainment of things I can upload. Maybe I'll share talking to my cat, reciting Shakespeare, singing about my day, who really knows. I'm limited only by my time and creativity.
Collins used to be a great dictionary, and they made a point of saying that their IPA pronunciations were based on Received Pronunciation. Back then they'd never clain that was representative of British English. Garbage.
I thought Brits said "rubbish" and not garbage. I'm beginning to question your Britishness. Just exactly who are you?
Good point actually. Oddly enough I've been Americanized by Russians, because English-speaking Russians have been taught the American words and idioms and not the British.
I say cilantro and eggplant these days, but my pronunciation remains authentic.
Reply to jamalrob I don't believe it. Especially in Russia where the cows' fodder consists of bales of pre-collapse Pravda and lengthy texts on dialectics.
Oh, your comment on not needing sugar on porridge is several hours old. That's how all these other comments popped up since you said that.
Bananas add the perfect sweetness to oatmeal. :yum:
Do you have any idea how many carbs are in a Banana let alone wait for it to go brown and then use it!
With oatmeal? Good Lord! :gasp:
Why not just put a couple of teaspoons of Honey on it and go for broke! :roll:
More importantly, the audio file I uploaded has now given me the idea of endless entertainment of things I can upload. Maybe I'll share talking to my cat, reciting Shakespeare, singing about my day, who really knows. I'm limited only by my time and creativity.
I was just surprised that your voice was so high and squeeky.
Do you have any idea how many carbs are in a Banana let alone wait for it to go brown and then use it!
With oatmeal? Good Lord! :gasp:
Why not just put a couple of teaspoons of Honey on it an
About a hundred calories in a banana, which isn’t too bad, though surprisingly, a teaspoon of honey is only 21 calories. I would have never guessed that. How did Winnie the Pooh get so chubby? Anyway, blueberries are good too, but they can vary in sweetness or sourness, and some too far gone can have that dreaded mushyness. Half a cup is only 30 calories.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 15, 2022 at 00:53#6432120 likes
About a hundred calories in a banana, which isn’t too bad, though surprisingly, a teaspoon of honey is only 21 calories. I would have never guessed that. How did Winnie the Pooh get so chubby? Anyway, blueberries are good too, but they can vary in sweetness or sourness, and some too far gone can have that dreaded mushyness. Half a cup is only 30 calories.
Carbs darlin, carbs. If you are on a keto diet ideally you stay under 12 carbs to 20 carbs in a day, depending on if you are wanting to maintain your weight or lose.
26.95 carbs in the nana
11 for a half cup blueberries
5.71 for 1 tsp honey
roughly 40 total without the carbs in the oats
Reply to Shawn Things in Krakatoa are always a blast. I've had my most successful thread in years -- maybe a decade: "Can this Art Work Even be Defaced?" It started off as a joke directed at T Clark. it produced a serious discussion of art -- something I've tried before and failed with. So that's all to the good.
It snowed here today -- not much. It's cold (normal). All is well for now.
I've been thinking about the 2424 election, and how the results could end up being terribly bad. A coups d'etat? An election really and truly embezzled by the bitter and resentful rancid Republican rats? A plunge into right-wing hooliganism worse than January 6? A period of serious retrograde dysfunction? Total Corruption? Or...?
I now regret my unfavourable reaction to the South East English accent and my rant about Collins, for which I blame the Georgian wine I was drinking last night.
now regret my unfavourable reaction to the South East English accent and my rant about Collins, for which I blame the Georgian wine I was drinking last night.
I did think your attack on the humorless Ms. Collins was a bit over the top, considering her low station in life as a banana pronouncer.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 15, 2022 at 14:38#6434010 likes
Okay this is our state of affairs right now in college:
My "Women in Transition" class was cancelled. Why? Who the F knows. Maybe we are done transitioning in this area of life?
Yes!!! No???
But, please rest assured they opened up more classes for "Stress Management"!!!!
And before someone even tries to suggest that I enroll in Stress Management, I already AM! :shade:
I read once that the founder of Honda had an accent that sounds low class in Japan. Supposedly his wife would try to get him to sound more sophisticated, even when the audience couldn't speak Japanese and needed a translator.
Reply to Hanover He talks too fast. The Scottish accent is actually quite mild, but his delivery is so clumsy, breathless and fast that it sounds like gibberish. I had difficulty with it myself and I've been deeply embedded in the most notorious underworld gangs of Glasgow.
He talks too fast. The Scottish accent is actually quite mild, but his delivery is so clumsy, breathless and fast that it sounds like gibberish. I had difficulty with it myself and I've been deeply embedded in the most notorious underworld gangs of Glasgow.
Wow, what a terrible example for any MP, never mind a Scottish one.
Obviously, a bit nervous but could have been helped by a K.I.S.S.
Short and simple, like:
"What are the plans to improve access for disabled colleagues during refurbishment ?"
Ian Blackford, SNP Parliamentary leader should kick him up the arse and show him the way.
Blackford's performance always clear, cutting and comprehensible...
I had difficulty with it myself and I've been deeply embedded in the most notorious underworld gangs of Glasgow.
There is another great story in there I am sure....
I must say I loved the debates in the House of Commons. For my research into air pollution regulation I have studied the parliamentary debate on air quality by reading the Hansard from the early 1990s'. I must say I love the wit and the back handed insults. Even those debates on a decidedly unsexy topic made me snicker and chuckle at times.
A keto diet,
if you can actually live by it,
will make your body go numb.
Only a lifestyle change,
if it can be arranged,
will end in not feeling short-changed.
Fiddly-dee, fiddly-bum,
the end of a diet will never come.
Get on a bike,
or dance with a dike,
whatever makes your heart race anew!
Eat a carrot,
or sing with a parrot,
… and whatever the hell else.
I've had my most successful thread in years -- maybe a decade: "Can this Art Work Even be Defaced?" It started off as a joke directed at T Clark. it produced a serious discussion of art -- something I've tried before and failed with. So that's all to the good.
Yes, well, we all knew it was a joke so we only pretended to be interested. We got together on PM and planned out how to present the stupidest ideas about art we could think of so you'd think you were all smart and stuff. Really, can you possibly think anyone actually believes baloney like this:
I at least have come to an understanding of what it means for me to call something "art." I have two partially overlapping definitions that I like:
[1] Art is anything offered by someone for evaluation on the basis of aesthetic standards.
[2] Art is something artificial for which the only meaning is the experience it elicits from the user/viewer/reader/listener.
planned out how to present the stupidest ideas about art we could think of so you'd think you were all smart and stuff
So it seemed.
Reply to T Clark Who was it that said, "There is nothing so stupid that a philosopher hasn't said it."? Probably one of the pre-socratics who anticipated the tsunami of baloney that would soon inundate the freshly painted walls of academe.
Reply to T Clark A big Botticelli bash is coming to the Minneapolis Institute of Art this fall. I will definitely attend expensive tickets or not,
What is Minerva planning to do with the Centaur's hair? Given the battle-ax she is carrying, I would be concerned if I were them (they, them, the preferred pronouns of Centaurs). Whatever it is, they seem to be dreading it. Note the centaur's bow: extra curves for more power. On the other hand, Minerva's boots cum sandles (spellcheck doesn't know that sandles is spelled correctly. It thinks I mean candles.) would seem to be unsuited for outdoor wear, what with horse/goat/bull/centaur fecal matter oozing between her toes.
I like how the greenery on her arm becomes, and doesn't become, the design in the fabric; or is it the other way around? A bit of early magic realism?
What is Minerva planning to do with the Centaur's hair? Given the battle-ax she is carrying, I would be concerned if I were them
Nothing to worry about. The Centaur is not groomed -- long hairs, or hairs out of place, is a sign of a bad character (during their time). A warrior has closed-cropped hair.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 15, 2022 at 23:02#6435980 likes
He should have used that bow when he had the chance, poor fool.
Many people around my ranch are retired police and there is one safe house down at the end of police row, so everyone who lives in the valley of our foothill have to pass our ranch going in and out.
I told you that because of the density of retired law enforcement, who are not only armed but they put up signs as such. When in reality if you are trained and practiced with a bow, of which there are three of on our office walls, of which I am being denied access to, are as lethal and sometimes moreso.
The theory is that a bow is much more accurate within defending you, your livestock and property because if you kill something with a bow and arrow, there is plenty of time to make the choice to let go of that arrow.
To me they are a threat because that is why I was told they were for...
Long story short, never underestimate the power of a bow and arrow.
god must be atheistJanuary 15, 2022 at 23:07#6436020 likes
What is Minerva planning to do with the Centaur's hair?
I think she is looking for headlice. He is shaking in fear, because he knows that if she finds some, he'll become stigmatized. It's a bit like getting the fact you have bedbugs out into the community. Or that you snitched on Petersen to Mr. Roth, the geography teacher.
Reply to Bitter Crank Coinkidinkily I'm watching a Netflix documentary on Marla Olmstead, a former 4 year old abstract art "prodigy," who might have gotten some help from dad.
god must be atheistJanuary 16, 2022 at 03:22#6436830 likes
"The man is father to the child." - traditional.
"The child is father to the man." - Shakespeare.
"The man is child to the father." - GMBA.
"The father is man to the child." - ibid.
"The child is man to the father." - RC Priest.
"Food and Sex are Human Nature." Old Japanese proverb. (It is. I am not making this up.)
The problem is... this is the nature of all living animals. Not at all exclusive to humans. So there, so much for ancient Japanese wisdom. But as truth goes, it is true. It is just not outstandingish-true.
Ah, but that's the point. It undermines the very concept of human nature.
If you want to look at it that way. There is plenty human nature left that is not known to be freely occurring in the rest of nature outside of humans.
Got our first day of snow this year. It'll be gone tomorrow and we'll be back driving around . But if not, I still have 300 rolls of toilet paper from the last hoarding event, so no worries.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 16, 2022 at 19:24#6438750 likes
Since I am keeping maiden name, as I did though our 30 years together, easy for the paperwork.
Anyway I read the perfect new name for him. He is no longer "NicK" he is now "Cosmic Wanker".
Onward and Upward!
Waxing gibbous moon already. Jeez. Seems like it was waning just yesterday.
I saw it when I was out tonight and thought "I guess it's waxing gibbous but it's so close to full that there should be another name for it".
When I was working on a software project in the French countryside some years ago, I'd see the full moon and it would get me down, cos I'd think shit, I've hardly made any progress since the last one. Then I'd go down a pointless mental rabbit hole about the passage of time and all that.
Then the work got done and it was all ok. And then new projects happened and the cycle began again, and I realized it's just going to be like this forever, so I need to change my attitude.
Reply to jamalrob Next time you look at the moon and note the passage of time, look back upon your life into the unobtainable past, recalling those simple moments with friends and family, and then provide yourself with a romanticized narrative of perfection of those times, losing yourself into an inescapable sentimentality.
That's a good trap I like. I let the holidays do that to me, but moon phases would work too.
Sporcle is a quiz webpage that sometimes is really interesting. They have quizzes about everything. I especially like the language, science, and geography ones. It's a good way to learn the nations of the world and where they are, their capitals, the periodic table, and anything that takes rote learning. Here's a link to a language quiz that I found interesting - 27 most common English verbs.
The thing I found interesting was that most of the verbs weren't about specific actions but about states of being or general types of action. I kept thinking while trying to get answers "What do I do without actually doing anything." I got one of those philosophyish feelings while doing it, so I thought others might be interested.
I got 18 out of the 27.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 16, 2022 at 23:34#6439860 likes
Doc said to go to the gym once or twice a week to do ropes.
Joined the gym, they said it will be fun, it will be good for you.
MMMmmmmm I am a tad sore from the Elliptical machine but at least they had the game on while I was on it.
They open at 430 am...who's with me?
Oh and they weren't talking about jump ropes...they have beginner ropes and BIG guy ropes but I don't get a session with my personal trainer until Thursday and I truly could hurt myself with some of this equipment.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 16, 2022 at 23:39#6439900 likes
So what is the difference between being a voyeur or someone who just happens upon people being intimate and stopping to watch?
One is chance? The other intentional?
god must be atheistJanuary 16, 2022 at 23:46#6439970 likes
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff DIfference between voyeurism and being an interested member of the pubic, I mean, the public: I think it's a matter of arousal. If you like what you see, you are guilty as charged. If you pretend you are disgusted by it, and you claim you just wanted to see what technique they used, for future reference, you're off Scott free.
I think it's a matter of arousal. If you like what you see, you are guilty as charged. If you pretend you are disgusted by it, and you claim you just wanted to see what technique they used, for future reference, you're off Scott free.
Come on now we are all adults here. Are you saying that if I shield myself from the truth that absolves me of what? Self imposed guilt?
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 16, 2022 at 23:58#6440060 likes
Wouldn't it then just be a delayed sense of arousal? All paths lead to intimacy; once you arrive on set, you can't help it, you're already doomed.
I agree with the idea of a delay of arousal, but I ask if that is really a healthy way of looking at it.
And then you say you are "doomed". How can arousal be doomed?
Outside of pedif
I agree with the idea of a delay of arousal, but I ask if that is really a healthy way of looking at it.
And then you say you are "doomed". How can arousal be doomed?
Just a matter of perspective. I guess Blessed, "once you arrive on set, you're already blessed", would be a better way to put it.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 17, 2022 at 00:01#6440090 likes
I am still confused. Is that a way of saying that once you are aroused, you are blessed?
Blessed by the encounter! the encounter blesses you in some way or another, for a fit of satisfying ecstasy somewhere down the road. At least that's the way I see it.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 17, 2022 at 00:04#6440120 likes
@Tobias@Benkei
I have been thinking about the writing you two collaborated on "The Blessed Life" and if maybe you have access to it. It absolutely belongs here, maybe in the short story area.
Powerful writing
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 17, 2022 at 00:06#6440140 likes
Blessed by the encounter! the encounter blesses you in some way or another, for a fit of satisfying ecstasy somewhere down the road. At least that's the way I see it.
I like your perspective and I can understand the spirit of what you are saying.
Thank you for sharing :flower:
Are you saying that if I shield myself from the truth that absolves me of what? Self imposed guilt?
By pretend I meant to pretend in front of others. In other words, I was using irony mixed with a satirical depiction of hypocrisy. As if in court, since "guilty as charged" hints at court sentences; and "Scott free" means discharged. So if in court you can convince the jury that you were disgusted... then why on earth were you looking for a possibly useful technique? This whole post of mine used three poles that were contradicting the other two. I know it was a stretch, and I am glad you asked so I could uncover the static dynamics of the scenario.
By pretend I meant to pretend in front of others. In other words, I was using irony mixed with a satirical depiction of hypocrisy. As if in court, since "guilty as charged" hints at court sentences; and "Scott free" means discharged. So if in court you can convince the jury that you were disgusted... then why on earth were you looking for a possibly useful technique?
This whole post of mine used three poles that were contradicting the other two. I know it was a stretch, and I am glad you asked so I could uncover the static dynamics of the scenario.
I know; don't worry Mr./Ms GMBA, It was actually a pretty good joke. I was just playing hard ball. Or maybe I was just being hard boiled. Or maybe I was playing a hard boiled audience.
god must be atheistJanuary 17, 2022 at 02:28#6440680 likes
Come on now we are all adults here. Are you saying that if I shield myself from the truth that absolves me of what? Self imposed guilt?
Brilliant, Tiff.
Scott Adams in his book "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy" has an entry quoted from the Guide.
"The ravenously vicious predator scrumplewolf of planet Trudgeborp pretends that if you can't see it, then it can't see you. That's one of the many reasons to carry a towel in intergalactic space, so you can wrap it around your head to escape its attack."
Completely parallel defense for both (eat--be eaten) vs (commit criminal or sinful act--consumed by guilt)
god must be atheistJanuary 17, 2022 at 02:32#6440710 likes
For the record, I'm Mr. GMBA. The missus is actually god-fearing. And we are not quite married... a strong bond, yes. But not having the certificate keeps both of us on our toes, we could never take the other completely for granted. This is a darn good arrangement.
Come on now we are all adults here. Are you saying that if I shield myself from the truth that absolves me of what? Self imposed guilt?
I had a thing for a while, seeing what I could get away with in public. What I learned is that whatever thrill there is at getting away with it is dwarfed by the weirdness of getting caught.
god must be atheistJanuary 17, 2022 at 03:52#6440910 likes
It was actually a pretty good joke. I was just playing hard ball.
My apologies. I used to have a super friend, with a skewed and very funny sense of humour, and I used to explain to him his own jokes in the first year of our friendship.
god must be atheistJanuary 17, 2022 at 03:54#6440920 likes
I had a thing for a while, seeing what I could get away with in public. What I learned is that whatever thrill there is at getting away with it is dwarfed by the weirdness of getting caught.
@T ClarkReply to Noble Dust If it's tl, then shorten it. If it's dr, then don't post it. tldr is redundant. ; doesn't help. Off with their heads. Next. (No emoji for that, ether.) Little guillotine? Tiny ax in log next to severed head? Itsy bitsy evered head by itself, tiny stream of blood? pyramid of severed heads next to guillotine? Neck, air space, head? That last might be the graphically easiest route.
Reply to Noble Dust "infinitely" scalable, it said. That seems like a stretch -- an infinitely scaled emoji? What does that even mean? I have no idea how to do that.
I had a thing for a while, seeing what I could get away with in public. What I learned is that whatever thrill there is at getting away with it is dwarfed by the weirdness of getting caught.
Reply to Shawn The thing I don't like about your choice is that the pig's legs and head are minimized to an extreme degree, and the body is maximized to an extreme degree. This negates the possibility of swine expressiveness. it emphasizes bacon and wallowing.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 17, 2022 at 21:16#6443770 likes
I'm looking for some grace. Anyone seen any lying around not being used?
And then you say you are "doomed". How can arousal be doomed?
— ArguingWAristotleTiff
Just a matter of perspective. I
Which way the thing is pointing at. In the shower scene in a prison movie, for instance. Perspective is more powerful than timing in some forms of art.
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff Pastor Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran pastor executed for his involvement in the plot against Hitler) advises us to beware of [i]cheap grace[/I], the kind just laying around unused. In The Cost of Discipleship he asserts that the grace we desire is costly.
Mostly those British naturalist one's like, which I will get:
Those don't look like "natural" or "naturalist" pigs. Of course, the pigs are not naturalists. Pigs are generally hard edged realists of the crassest sort. By the way, am reading a most enjoyable novel, Terlmination Shock by Neal Stephenson. Pigs figure centrally in the opening chapters. A very, very large domestic / wild hybrid boar eats the young daughter of a farmer--Bill. Bill makes it his business (until it is an actual business) to track and kill wild pigs, looking for the one who killed his daughter. He's very good at it. Ex-military.
Meanwhile, Queen Fredericka of the Netherlands is piloting a private jet from the Netherlands to Houston, TX to attend a secret meeting about the environment. A hurricane diverts her landing location to Waco. As she comes down for a perfect touchdown, a herd of pigs runs onto the runway, ruining the landing and causing a crash. The pig herd was being chased by an extra large alligator out of the swamps next to the Waco Airport.
It turns out that the killer boar that Bill had been tracking was injured by the landing gear of the jet. Bill shows up on the scene (coincidentally) and kills the boar, and the big gator as well. The big boar hand slashed the leg of the Queen's advisor, and Bill applies much needed first aid to prevent him for exsanguinating (bleeding out). Queen Fredericka is grateful for his assistance. Eventually (several days later) she offers to give him a bow job in gratitude. (They may have oral sex, but they also have vaginal intercourse. The queen has condoms on hand. Safe sex all the way.)
Definitely a good read -- and actually, very little sex in it for the first half of the book, anyway. It's an environmental sci fi novel, not a bodice ripper.
Add it to your bedside (or wallow side) reading list of Pigs in Literature.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 18, 2022 at 02:19#6445370 likes
Last week I had a dream in which I found out that my wife was already married, to a woman, and that she visited her a couple of times each week. I demanded to know why she hadn't told me about it and for her to end the relationship, but she just said "I don't want to talk about it", and the more I pressed, the more angry and resistant she became. This seemed very unfair.
Back in reality I told her about this dream and now she jokes about going to see her wife. She also thinks that this dream wife of hers represented her mother, my mother-in-law.
unenlightenedJanuary 18, 2022 at 08:36#6447180 likes
Last week I had a dream in which I found out that my wife was already married, to a woman, and that she visited her a couple of times each week. I demanded to know why she hadn't told me about it and for her to end the relationship, but she just said "I don't want to talk about it", and the more I pressed, the more angry and resistant she became. This seemed very unfair.
Back in reality I told her about this dream and now she jokes about going to see her wife. She also thinks that this dream wife of hers represented her mother, my mother-in-law.
So there are two possibilities here: (1) she is correct and you see her mother as an all consuming entity, like what a second wife of hers might be, and she feels no obligation to apologize or discuss her relationship with her, like one might expect a daughter to say of her mother. Or, (2), you think your wife leads a double life and your subconscious is offering you that warning, so your wife, being obviously more clever than you, created a comical diversion from the truth and brought up her mother, who you will eagerly accept as the personification for all that annoys you.
Help me out with my dream now that I helped you out with yours.
I had a dream that @Baden had this really long snake that he carried around his waist and the snake kept darting back and forth toward me, spewing forth his venom at me. I had to keep my mouth tightly shut to avoid it passing through my lips. As I ran away, I fell down onto my knees before the enraged snake and thought I would soon meet my death, only to have a kitty cat appear from no where and attack the snake and save me.
I had a dream that Baden had this really long snake that he carried around his waist and the snake kept darting back and forth toward me, spewing forth his venom at me. I had to keep my mouth tightly shut to avoid it passing through my lips. As I ran away, I fell down onto my knees before the enraged snake and thought I would soon meet my death, only to have a kitty cat appear from no where and attack the snake and save me.
That's actually funny 'cos I wrote this today:
"Up through the planks beneath my feet slide suddenly a swarm of sea tentacles, living weeds curl my ankles, suckle-cup my thighs, slip-circle my waist and squeeze me to the spot. I arch and scream skywards."
Reply to BadenYou guys use "fanny" to mean vagina, but to us, it's a nice way to refer to the buttocks. In the US, a fanny pack wouldn't be a pack hanging deep beneath the legs of a woman riding up into her crotch, chaffing her legs as she walked, but it'd be a pack on your lower back on your waist.
On the other hand, a dick pack would be a pack in the front of the male that he could unzip and surprise passers by who thought he was going to give them a mint or something. I've never seen or heard of dick pack, but that's what I suspect it'd be.
An asshole pack, maybe that would be something like a dick pack. I don't know. I've never heard of that either.
You guys use "fanny" to mean vagina, but to us, it's a nice way to refer to the buttocks
The use of "fanny" to refer to vulvas has faded under the irresistible pressure of American culture, but it is still used as a mild term of abuse in some corners of Britain, including Scotland. In fact, I think "fanny" might be the new "wally".
What I object to is the use of "vagina" to refer to vulvas.
I've been having trouble with Ireland lately, finding no easy way of referring to Britain and Ireland collectively without using the problematic "British Isles".
Turns out there are a few alternatives suggested on the Wikipedia page about the British Isles naming dispute. I like "The Atlantic Archipelago" and "the Anglo-Celtic Isles".
Reply to jamalrob American usage applies fanny to the buttocks. "She fell on her fanny". Fanny is also the short form of Frances (female name) now rare. I've never heard it used in any other way. According to Google Ngram (appearance of words in print), peak fanny was just a few years. ago.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 09:22#6450510 likes
Reply to jamalrob
In Scotland and in the UK as a whole (I think) 'Fanny' still very much means vagina.
I am Scottish and live in Scotland
Reply to jamalrob
You should not say Britain and Ireland or The British Isles. It's Britain and Northern Ireland.
An aside question, I was reading the guidelines for this site.
I do oil paintings, just as a hobby. I was going to post a photo of one of my paintings to help illustrate a point I was making but had second thoughts after reading the guidelines. Would this be seen as self-promotion? especially as it appears to me that the only way the site allows you to load images is to link to a global web address, so the only way I could load an image of one of my paintings would be to link to a website that I use to display all of them. This would also reveal more of my personal identity details available on said website. So would the advice be 'dont load an image of one of your paintings?'
You should not say Britain and Ireland or The British Isles. It's Britain and Northern Ireland.
You have misunderstood. I was not talking about the United Kingdom. I was talking, as I said, about Britain and Ireland collectively, i.e., the geographic collection of islands mostly known as the British Isles. Since this is a problematic term, I was wondering about the best alternative.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 09:51#6450600 likes
Reply to jamalrob
Well, perhaps you mix in a younger age group than I. I have noticed no such change amongst those I mix with.
There is no term for Britain and Ireland collectively as there is no Island called Ireland. There is Northern Ireland and there is Éire. I have certainly seen 'Ireland' printed on maps depicting that particular geographical island but only to the annoyance of many people who live there. I have heard Irish people talk about Éire, Northern Ireland or 'The North' and I have heard Southern Ireland or (The South) used on occasion. I have heard people who want a united Ireland refuse to use any term other than Ireland for that island. It remains a very emotive subject for many. I personally have no preference and defer to the views of the Irish.
It's going to be even more confusing when/if Scotland leaves the UK.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:09#6450710 likes
Reply to jamalrob
Well it seems I still don't understand your question, I also don't see any relevance in your link to a wikipedia article with an incorrect title to the geographical landmass it depicts.
Well it seems I still don't understand your question
There is a group of islands known as the British Isles. I was wondering which alternative term I could use. I was very clear about that, and whether or not you like the name "Ireland" for the island is irrelevant.
Welcome to the forum, universeness. This is definitely the place to help improve your skills of argumentation.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:20#6450740 likes
Nah, if that happens and I personally hope it does, then I think there will be (eventually) the follow up consequences of a united Ireland and an independent Wales. Then we will have 4 easy to say Nation names Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Then if they just all become part of a nation called Europe and then Europe joins with all the others and then we truly become Earthlings and can drop all country names and have one world socialist 'peoples senate' to administer world affairs, then get rid of money...and have peace and joy and......then..... Oh......yawn...stretch.....yawn......aw! I was only dreaming!!!
I do oil paintings, just as a hobby. I was going to post a photo of one of my paintings to help illustrate a point I was making but had second thoughts after reading the guidelines. Would this be seen as self-promotion? especially as it appears to me that the only way the site allows you to load images is to link to a global web address, so the only way I could load an image of one of my paintings would be to link to a website that I use to display all of them. This would also reveal more of my personal identity details available on said website. So would the advice be 'dont load an image of one of your paintings?'
You can upload images if you become a subscriber. Otherwise, we have nothing against someone posting images of their paintings to illustrate points they are making, within reason. And there's also a thread dedicated to creative stuff:
I was wondering which alternative term I could use
[s]"Britain and Ireland" is the simplest group alternative, I think. I don't really see a need for the use of a term like "Anglo-Celtic Isles". And "British Isles" is, politically, a clear misnomer. [/s]
EDIT: The alternatives all seem awkward. So, there are no good options in my view.
There is a group of islands known as the British Isles. I was wondering which alternative term I could use. I was very clear about that, and whether or not you like the name "Ireland" for the island is irrelevant.
Then I guess whether or not you like the name "British Isles" is irrelevant?
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:31#6450810 likes
There is a group of islands known as the British Isles. I was wondering which alternative term I could use. I was very clear about that, and whether or not you like the name "Ireland" for the island is irrelevant.
Yeah, 'British Isles', another misnomer! The Orkneys and Shetlands hardly consider themselves Scottish
Are you sure your Scottish?
Welcome to the forum, universes. This is definitely the place to help improve your skills of argumentation.
Thanks for the welcome and I hope what you say is true but then I need people who have the skill to present a logical posit and for example, understand the nuances which exist between the external nomenclature used to name landmasses and the views of the real people who live there.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:33#6450830 likes
You did go on a bit of a tangent regarding how Irish people refer to the North and South etc. which is not relevant to @jamalrob's question. Anyhow, I'm Irish and my main priority would be not to confuse people who aren't.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:36#6450850 likes
You did go on a bit of a tangent regarding how Irish people refer to the North and South etc. which is not relevant to jamalrob's question. Anyhow, I'm Irish and my main priority would be not to confuse people who aren't
I like to explain my background thinking when I put forward a view. I appreciate that some readers might find this to be 'going off on a tangent and might feel inner impatience. I think background thinking can be very relevant to 'the question' and can result in a more detailed analysis of the issue, such as is happening now, even if it's a little 'prideful' in the parts of jamalrob and I but then we are not little gentle snowflakes are we?
From the standpoint of being Irish, I accept your main priority.
universenessJanuary 19, 2022 at 10:48#6450890 likes
I've been having trouble with Ireland lately, finding no easy way of referring to Britain and Ireland collectively without using the problematic "British Isles".
You should not say Britain and Ireland or The British Isles. It's Britain and Northern Ireland.
The stupidity is not just in this first very silly response of yours ("Britain and Northern Ireland" obviously doesn't refer to the group of islands I was talking about), but also in your refusal to back down. I think of stupidity primarily as the inability to change your mind, which is connected with the inability to learn.
As it is, Baden, our token Irishman, says that "Britain and Ireland" is the best alternative, so I will be strictly enforcing that from now on.
BTW I'm open to reducing the charge of stupidity to the charge of being a fanny.
As it is, Baden, our token Irishman, says that "Britain and Ireland" is the best alternative, so I will be strictly enforcing that from now on.
Only, strictly, it's not even an alternative because it's not a collective term as such. More accurate to say there's no good alternative, so I would just group the two countries as I would any two countries that didn't have an obvious and acceptable collective name.
Only, strictly, it's not even an alternative because it's not a collective term as such. More accurate to say there's no good alternative, so I would just group the two countries as I would any two countries that didn't have an obvious and acceptable collective name.
Yep, that's why I was looking for a collective term: "Britain and Ireland" doesn't work in the same way.
So I'll stick with "the North Atlantic Anglo-Celtic Archipelago" for convenience.
A guy, Bill, makes a clone. The clone starts spending time with Bill's wife. In a greenhouse, the clone starts taking the wife's gloves off. She has about five pairs of gloves on, one over the other. When the clone gets down to her skin, he looks up to see she's crying and they kiss. When they look up, Bill is watching them.
Incidentally I do think it's fair to want a collective term, because of how much we have in common.
Collectiveness is tricky when the historical relationship is marred by colonialism. If it weren't, it'd be a lot easier. Hopefully, we can get over that at some point and have a neutral term that we're all happy with. It's still 'awkward' for want of a better word.
Reply to Baden Yes, but is that always relevant? The problem cropped up for me when we were discussing "wally", and then again when I was going on about fanny. With regard to "wally", your experience seemed to be the same as mine and I wanted to say something about British and Irish English speakers collectively, i.e., English speakers in Britain and Ireland.
Very nice of you! and you talk about my inability to back down? Ha! The proud fool speaks ever thus.
And....as far as fanny is concerned....right back at you.....a fanny at least has a useful purpose...unlike the cheeky components of your replies to me but I can take it as well as dish it.....If you are a moderator for this site then you are a very poor one. If you are you should apply for some extra training...if your not then I accept you as just another arse in the wind.
I've argued with my brother once or twice but never with my sisters. That would be awful. So maybe there is a different dynamic? Sorry, just thinking out loud.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 19, 2022 at 18:41#6452570 likes
This makes sense but my family in Chicago run on this kind of "gossip", so order of notification matters a shit ton. Their Social score is just as important as their credit score.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 19, 2022 at 18:42#6452580 likes
@Baden
If you tell me I upset you because of "insert reason here", I could do something about it.
When you don't say anything? What does that help?
Yeah, I remember I sent my bruv this one where I said I was kidnapped and he had to pay a ransom in Bitcoin but it was my Bitcoin address and he paid it. And, uh, I think I forgot to tell him that was a joke.
If you live in the southern part of North Ireland, you'd say "South North Ireland is where I live. " If you live in the northern part of Ireland, you'd say, "North Ireland is where I live." If, however, you live in the northern part of North Ireland, you'd say, "North North Ireland is where I live. "
If you just want to tell me you live in North Ireland, you'd tell me that "North Ireland is where I live," but that's ambiguous if you insist on talking like I do.
It's like if you're traveling from North to South Carolina. When near the border, you'd be at north South Carolina/south North Carolina.
Reply to Baden I'm just saying to be careful. If you're supposed to meet in northwest Virginia, but you go to north West Virginia, you'll be in the wrong place.
god must be atheistJanuary 19, 2022 at 22:55#6453590 likes
Baden: Hangover:
About geography. About the east-west and north-south divides.
After the first world war ended, they redrew the map of Europe for the Nth time. A Russian diplomat and a Polish diplomat, as was the wont in those times, were painting the landscape with black paint, where the new border between Russia and Poland was supposed to be.
As they came down, they came to hut which housed an old muzhik. His hut was directly in the way of the line. They had to decide which country to have the area of the hut where it was built. They asked the man: "Sir, (more like, "hey, you, loser", but never mind) where would you rather live: in Poland or in Russia?" The old man answered without hesitation: "In Poland." The Polish diplomat was pleased, but the Russian's feelings of national pride were hurt. So he asked: "Why, serf, why do you choose Poland?" "Because," answered the old man, "I've had enough of the long, cold, bitter Russian winters."
The event about to be described came to pass, of course. An old school storytelling tool; of course, I'm still riding the buzz from the short story competition.
I guess I've had the non-fried type? Wasn't a huge fan...I'll have to look out for them. I'm behind on Vietnamese food. Been too obsessed with Thai and Chinese recently.
Pho is a medium-deal (not big deal?) around these parts. I do love it, but don't eat it often. Same for Bahn Mi. I've had some really good Pho though; seems to be all about the broth, and then the fresh fixin's.
Yeah. I thought you needed winding - the music box was slooow. :heart:
It is soo slow un, so slow.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 20, 2022 at 14:37#6456060 likes
So I joined the gym because a birdie said that would be a good way to be productive like spinning my wheels in life isn't enough, go pay for it.
So far in the last 4 days I have managed to take a whole 30 seconds off the mile I am timing.
The Doc said "Go to the gym and do the ropes twice a week".
The good-looking lad that took my money set me up for this afternoon for me to have an hour with a trainer. My guess is this lad will be good looking as well since he will be selling me on personal trainer time. I just want to learn the ropes.... :rofl:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 20, 2022 at 14:40#6456080 likes
Okay so I am being asked once again on The Philosophy Forum Facebook page if @Gus Lamarch is here. A person by the name of David Russell is looking to connect with you.
David Russell said he has done a rewrite of a famous metaphysical poem.
Okay 20 days since Gus was actively here.
Keep an eye out for a David Russell
unenlightenedJanuary 20, 2022 at 14:44#6456120 likes
Have you ever tried to whisper to a stallion to behave?
I have and they don't always hear it quite as clearly as a good cinch up grabs their attention. :wink:
Wait a second that's the official music video for born this way?! What the hell, thank god I didn't like that song when I was younger. Video would've gave me nightmares.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 21, 2022 at 01:26#6458290 likes
A rebuttal to your constant disrespect for the good people of Georgia:
Judge: Georgia county can move ahead on land for spaceport.
WOODBINE, Ga. (AP) — A judge has denied a request to stop a county from buying land for a planned spaceport near the Georgia coast, dealing the latest blow to opponents of the project.
Why has Plato influenced so many people so fundamentally; but, yet, his greatest aspiration was never applied in practice of there arising a philosopher king?
Reply to T Clark That's very insightful. Yes, it probably is the horse's account. The rider here is a horse servant in traditional livery, kept around for his dainty button-pushing digits. It's a thrilling story of revolution how the horses finally got the upper hand.
Actually, you can read all about genteel Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's travels. Part IV.
The Houyhnhnms are rational equine beings and are masters of the land, contrasting strongly with the Yahoos, savage humanoid creatures who are no better than beasts of burden, or livestock. Whereas the Yahoos represent all that is bad about humans, Houyhnhnms have a settled, calm, reliable and rational society. Gulliver much prefers the Houyhnhnms' company to the Yahoos', even though the latter are biologically closer to him.
The Houyhnhnms are rational equine beings and are masters of the land, contrasting strongly with the Yahoos, savage humanoid creatures who are no better than beasts of burden, or livestock.
Did Swift indicate how the Houyhnhnms pushed the buttons on their ATMs?
The Houyhnhnms designed ATMs with big buttons located on the ground.
A larger, more intriguing question, however, is [i]where did they put the money the machine dispensed[/I]?
We don't know a lot about the Houyhnhnms because the exact location of their domain has been lost amongst all the hoof prints of succeeding civilizations.
Reply to T Clark The ravens that I saw in England are very large birds, bigger than the crows I see around here. They are accustomed to humans milling around, like urban pigeons are.
Reply to Bitter Crank I've recently been told that all the crows I thought I had been looking at over the years here in Australia were actually ravens... I've been living a lie.
Reply to jamalrob Yes, it was in the Tower of London. One of them pecked on my boot.
I don't think I've ever seen a raven in the US -- if I did, I didn't know it. I have heard crows making sounds quite unlike their familiar 'caw'. I've read that they have a repertoire of sounds for various purposes. Ravens are found in Northern Minnesota forested areas and along Lake Superior, (and I suppose southern Canada). They eat insects, carrion, fruit, garbage -- whatever is on the menu.
Most of the videos and recordings I've found are of perching ravens, but in my experience you hear them more often when they're flying overhead, usually a couple calling to each other with a deep short croak, deeper than in that video.
Here's an anecdote that birders will appreciate. Last summer I went to the kremlin in Vladimir and noticed that the belltower was being used as a roost by different kinds of corvids, segregated neatly by species, the smallest species at the bottom, the biggest at the top. Moving up the tower, first it was jackdaws, then rooks, then carrion crows and hooded crows, and then perched on the very top was the King Corvid, a raven, which occasionally drowned out the calls of the others with its plangent roar.
I saw some in a grocery store parking lot in Arizona.
Ravens, Crows, Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Roadrunners, WoodPeckers, Quail, Vultures, Doves ect are all within sight of the ranch. I love watching them soar on wind currents in the heat of the summer, barely if ever flapping, they can just glide forever. :heart:
The ravens that I saw in England are very large birds, bigger than the crows I see around here. They are accustomed to humans milling around, like urban pigeons are.
I've recently been told that all the crows I thought I had been looking at over the years here in Australia were actually ravens... I've been living a lie.
I don't know if I've ever seen a raven, but I do love crows. Both biological and mechanical.
In general, I like all raucous, feisty animals - crows, blue jays, mockingbirds, red squirrels, chipmunks. Jays are also Corvidae. Crows in verse:
The way a crow
Shook down on me
A dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Yes, I've posted that before.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 23, 2022 at 16:23#6467980 likes
I started filling a bird feeder in my front yard and it ended up being a squirrel feeder.
Yeah, I can only toss out grain-based feed and scraps but if there is even a hint of meat on the bread, the Coyotes come on in and the Javelinas, just to make a mess. Bob Cats can be pretty brave when they are hungry, but they usually stay in the dry riverbeds.
Did you watch? Details please. How did the hawk go about it? How big was the hawk?
It was pretty horrifying actually. Hawk held squirrel on the ground and squirrel was wiggling. Hawk picked chunks of fur out and spat them away, occasionally jamming its claws into squirrel repeatedly like it was dancing on it. Finally squirrel stopped moving and the fur tossing continued. I got out of the car to go inside and hawk jumped up and flew off with squirrel in its claws.
Ah, nature, so restful.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 23, 2022 at 20:38#6468760 likes
It was pretty horrifying actually. Hawk held squirrel on the ground and squirrel was wiggling. Hawk picked chunks of fur out and spat them away, occasionally jamming its claws into squirrel repeatedly like it was dancing on it. Finally squirrel stopped moving and the fur tossing continued. I got out of the car to go inside and hawk jumped up and flew off with squirrel in its claws.
Dude...that kinda stuff should be put under "reveal"...
Now I have a warped image of Hanover's tooth in feet, decapitated rodents, fur flying with a pig somewhere in the middle of it all!
Is this necessary? :monkey:
Well so think about our ancestors who were always gutting people and having plagues and just generally getting all up in the blood and gore on the regular. I'm guessing they were a little numb to all of it?
Which is better? Sheltered and sensitive? Or exposed and numb?
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 23, 2022 at 21:07#6468900 likes
Well so think about our ancestors who were always gutting people and having plagues and just generally getting all up in the blood and gore on the regular. I'm guessing they were a little numb to all of it?
Which is better? Sheltered and sensitive? Or exposed and numb?
New way to ruin the children's lives: show them films of predators eating prey that is alive--ideally, the Big Bad Wolf eating Bambi without benefit of death. Thankfully, I was not really aware of this until relatively recently. I naively thought the predator killed quickly. But no. The prey is at best only disabled.
Nature red in tooth and claw.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 23, 2022 at 23:07#6469210 likes
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff it was, but how do ravens relate to werewolves? (Other than showing up in a dreary midnight hour while one is weak and weary, pondering over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore like the history of economics--the dismal science--for instance.)
it was, but how do ravens relate to werewolves? (Other than showing up in a dreary midnight hour while one is weak and weary, pondering over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore like the history of economics--the dismal science--for instance.)
It was a long stretch that my fellow lyric lovers to pick up on. You see the Werewolves of London is by the Grateful Dead and well when you spoke of the Ravens of London, my mind went to the Dead song.
Anyway, I'm going to go and get me a bowl of beef chow mien.
My literacy in pop kulcha (as some in London pronounce it) is not very good. That's too bad, because the older I get, the more interesting some of it becomes.
It was a long stretch that my fellow lyric lovers to pick up on. You see the Werewolves of London is by the Grateful Dead and well when you spoke of the Ravens of London, my mind went to the Dead song.
Anyway, I'm going to go and get me a bowl of beef chow mien.
GD covered "Werewolves of London," but the song was by Warren Zevon, the excitable boy.
Reply to T Clark I just discovered all of this via YouTube and Wikipedia. So much to learn, so little time.
Here's the Grateful Dead's version; I think Zevon's is better. Of course, if you like to hear the GD play, they do that at great length--10 minutes. Life is too short (at this point).
Reply to T Clark The GD is like in church when they decide to sing all 8 verses of some dragass hymn. Look, Jesus is too busy for all 8 verses. Just do the first 3, then cut to the benediction.
The GD is like in church when they decide to sing all 8 verses of some dragass hymn. Look, Jesus is too busy for all 8 verses. Just do the first 3, then cut to the benediction.
I've never been a fan of the Grateful Dead, but a whole lot of people are, including my 31 year old son. We're driving down to DC soon and he has the full GD CD set, so I'll be listening to some. As we discussed in your art thread, just because I don't especially like it doesn't mean it's not good.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 24, 2022 at 02:36#6469940 likes
I have found that most towns have werewolves. As you walk back to your room late at night, if you howl, you most often receive a return howl from one of the distant werewolves. It's not just particular to London.
I'm baaaaack! New computer - same bad attitude! So, what's happened in the world of philosophy while I've been away? Anything? Nothing? Sitting back on a heap of Greek and Roman laurels masturbating lazily? Or furiously progressing a critical theory based, post modernist, neo marxist, politically correct identity politics agenda beyond all semblance of sanity?
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 14:32#6474620 likes
I'm baaaaack! New computer - same bad attitude! So, what's happened in the world of philosophy while I've been away? Anything? Nothing? Sitting back on a heap of Greek and Roman laurels masturbating lazily? Or furiously progressing a critical theory based, post modernist, neo marxist, politically correct identity politics agenda beyond all semblance of sanity?
I got the 'you're back thing' but the rest seems like a string of words.
Maybe I need coffee...
Welcome back :sparkle:
Do you use the term "furiously" to mean energetically or angrily?
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 14:47#6474710 likes
Alright, could someone please explain to me the membership gyms female to male ratio?
Not that I was paying attention or anything but it's on average 80% female...what gives?
Did ya'll just grow to accept the Dad bod?
Something is definitely out of whack.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 14:48#6474720 likes
Reply to Hanover With regard to advancing the politically correct agenda, it's both energetic and angry. Did anyone here see what happened to J.K. Rowling - for posting some innocuous tweet mocking OTT PC terminology? Twitter went into meltdown - she was insulted, threatened and doxed; and that painted a target on her back for the right-on Stalins, who weighed in until Harry Potter was being accused of antisemitism ffs!
Incidentally, because Russians usually turn an English "H" into a hard "G" sound, they say "gamburger", "Prince Gary", "Gary Potter", etc. It's hard to explain to Russians why this is funny.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 15:09#6474780 likes
Reply to jamalrob A Russian with a lisp would turn his r's into w's, and h's into g's. Can't help thinking there's a sketch in that - hilarious, but only to a very select audience!
Reply to jamalrob I've never read War and Peace. I've always meant to, but it's just too long. I can commit to a Dostoevsky or a Kafka, but Tolstoy didn't know when to stop!
I confess I've never understood why long books should be off-putting. So it takes two or three times longer to read than most books. So what? It's way better than most books. If the author can pull it off, there's no problem.
This is true though. His wife, who helped him put it all together, really should have made him put the pen down before he wrote the tedious second epilogue.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 16:10#6474970 likes
Not that I was paying attention or anything but it's on average 80% female...what gives?
I go to the local YMCA. I'd say it's about even. Maybe a few more men. They, unlike me, are all old. That comes from going in the middle of the day. If I go on the weekend, there are a lot more young people. That's, again, about evenly split with a few more men.
Maybe you're going to one of those all-women gyms like Curves and there are just 20% really ugly women.
With regard to advancing the politically correct agenda, it's both energetic and angry. Did anyone here see what happened to J.K. Rowling - for posting some innocuous tweet mocking OTT PC terminology? Twitter went into meltdown - she was insulted, threatened and doxed; and that painted a target on her back for the right-on Stalins, who weighed in until Harry Potter was being accused of antisemitism ffs!
Hey... look...I think that's a horse lying there on the ground. It looks like it's dead. I'll check... Yup, dead. Watch me shoot it.
This is true though. His wife, who helped him put it all together, really should have made him put the pen down before he wrote the tedious second epilogue.
I read "War and Peace" except for the last chapter. I can't explain why I didn't finish. Thank you for giving me an excuse.
I really liked it. I remember thinking when I was done that it is a very modern novel. More like something from the 1940s than Jane Austen.
Since you gave me this opportunity, I'll retread the old Woody Allen joke - I took a speed reading course. I read "War and Peace" in 20 minutes. It involves Russia.
New polling data show that for the first time in a long time there’s a notable decline in the percentage of Americans — including Christians — who hold to the “Young Earth” creationist view that humankind was created in its present form in the past 10,000 years, evolution playing no part.
According to a Gallup poll conducted in May, the portion of the American public taking this position now stands at 38%, a new low in Gallup’s periodic surveys. Fifty-seven percent accept the validity of the scientific consensus that human beings evolved from less advanced forms of life over millions of years.
1 in 3 Americans are young-Earth'ers...? :o
Thought it was a joke at first, but it wasn't posted on Apr 1st.
I confess I've never understood why long books should be off-putting. So it takes two or three times longer to read than most books. So what? It's way better than most books. If the author can pull it off, there's no problem.
Try carrying War and Peace around all day, to read on the train on the way home!
1 in 3 Americans are young-Earth'ers...? :o
Thought it was a joke at first, but it wasn't posted on Apr 1st.
I was curious about how that stacked up against the rest of the world. This from a summary of a Reuters poll:
The "evolutionist" view was most popular in Sweden (68%), Germany (65%), and China (64%), with the United States ranking 18th (28%), between Mexico (34%) and Russia (26%); the "creationist" view was most popular in Saudi Arabia (75%), Turkey (60%), and Indonesia (57%), with the United States ranking 6th (40%), between Brazil (47%) and Russia (34%).
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 19:55#6475720 likes
@Hanover
Could you please pick up a white paging phone?
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 19:59#6475760 likes
Interesting...we have two attorneys in a staff of 8. Not bad representation, not bad at all.
And NO I don't need bail....yet...
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 25, 2022 at 20:00#6475770 likes
Alright, could someone please explain to me the membership gyms female to male ratio?
Not that I was paying attention or anything but it's on average 80% female...what gives?
Did ya'll just grow to accept the Dad bod?
Something is definitely out of whack.
Whatever the marketing geniuses have done to get your money and the money of other women has worked, as you have chosen that gym like a moth to a flame. My gym is all guys, although I doubt you'd have given it a second look. It's $10 a month, no pool, no classes, and pretty basic equipment. The only girls are girlfriends who got dragged there.
If you want to meet guys, you should join a jiu jitsu gym and they'll let you roll around on the floor with a bunch of 20 year old guys. I did that for a while, but I forgot to wear protection and got preggers.
There was also this guy on the side masturbating furiously. I totally get needing the occasional relief. I just didn't understand why he was so mad.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 27, 2022 at 01:44#6481290 likes
Okay so the males must have found their passes for the gym because there were more today. I keep seeing this one guy that I swear is one of the EMTs that saved Cosmic Wankers life. I know the guys name but what if it isn't him?
Would he take it as a compliment that I thought he was a firefighter/EMT?
My post was not hand written and the type is legible so anyone who's literate enough, TC, can read that I've only written y'all are "working on" an empty concept (re: "theism") without a single word for or against "the existence of God".
I've looked up definitions of "theism" from eight sources on the web. This one is typical - "Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world."
Would he take it as a compliment that I thought he was a firefighter/EMT?
Being called a firefighter is a pretty good compliment. I'd say shoot your shot, least you can laugh it off afterwards if it turns out he's just some firefighting looking dude.
Being called a firefighter is a pretty good compliment. I'd say shoot your shot, least you can laugh it off afterwards if it turns out he's just some firefighting looking dude.
Alright john, I'll shoot my shot and let ya'll know how it is received. :up:
Wish me luck!
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 27, 2022 at 15:04#6483230 likes
@john27
Crap! No dice. He wasn't there today.
However, when I got there, I was on a machine behind a guy and OMG he must have run 20 four-minute miles before I even turned my machine on. He came up to grab some wipes and I told him he rocked it! He was very nice in return telling me that hey we are both here kicking it!
Oh well, maybe he will be there next time. The dude that responded to me is much more attractive than the FireFighter/EMT I was trying to confirm that he had helped with Cosmic Wanker.
The interest in that gentleman is more of a Thank you Hugg for .....well they did save his life.
Whatcha gonna do?
What I would give for a freakin hugg about now
However, when I got there, I was on a machine behind a guy and OMG he must have run 20 four-minute miles before I even turned my machine on
I understand the hyperbole in making your point that he was running fast and hard (as is often the preferred way, (as opposed to fast and furious)), but you've encountered a mathematical problem here because in order for him to have done as you've said, 20 miles at 4 minutes a mile would mean that 80 minutes (1 hour and 20 minutes) would have had to elapsed between your approach to the machine and your having begun your running. This speaks less to his speed in running as in your sloth in mounting (again, as is often the preferred way) the machine.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 28, 2022 at 14:42#6486320 likes
I understand the hyperbole in making your point that he was running fast and hard (as is often the preferred way, (as opposed to fast and furious)), but you've encountered a mathematical problem here because in order for him to have done as you've said, 20 miles at 4 minutes a mile would mean that 80 minutes (1 hour and 20 minutes) would have had to elapsed between your approach to the machine and your having begun your running. This speaks less to his speed in running as in your sloth in mounting (again, as is often the preferred way) the machine.
Hanover, it's almost like you enjoy stats! :razz: Hard habit to break I know! :lol:
Maybe if I were to sloth mount him instead, we could get somewhere faster together? :rofl:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 29, 2022 at 21:09#6490540 likes
Pfft! he says. So what that the average snowfall in Moscow is 152 cm? The winter should be bad, seeing as how bad weather is Moscow's moat to stop random Napoleons and Hitlers from successfully capturing the frost pile.
Buffalo, New York is even better protected with 236 cm of snow per year on average. That's 7 1/2 feet, 2 1/2 ft more than Moscow. Napoleon and Hitler failed to capture Buffalo, as well.
Minneapolis isn't in the running for snow totals. We're a sitting duck for either Napoleon or Hitler.
Yesterday they were forecasting as much as 30 inches for Boston, weren't they? Maybe you have lucked out. 30" is definitely bad. One year there was so much snow in buffalo (maybe Boston too) that by mid-summer the pile of snow from the streets and parking lots hadn't melted yet, and grass / weeds were growing on the top--lots of dirt picked up off the street.
If Buffalo, New York gets so much snow and presumably deals with it fine, how come New York, New York is crippled by a mere 8 inches?
The difference between beer-bellied football fanatics and hardened mafia bosses on one hand, and rich, spoiled college kids and woke hipsters on the other? I don't know.
One year there was so much snow in buffalo (maybe Boston too) that by mid-summer the pile of snow from the streets and parking lots hadn't melted yet, and grass / weeds were growing on the top--lots of dirt picked up off the street.
Buffalo gets lake-effect snow from the winds blowing across the Great Lakes. I remember they got seven feet a few years ago. I always wondered how anywhere could handle that much.
When I was a kid, we more often than not got 8 to 9 yards of snow on any given winter day. I'd shovel frantically in front of my dad's car as he coasted behind me running up against my heels trying to get to the coal mines.
When I was a kid, we more often than not got 8 to 9 yards of snow on any given winter day. I'd shovel frantically in front of my dad's car as he coasted behind me running up against my heels trying to get to the coal mines.
You guys have it so easy now with global warming
I'm beginning to think that some of these stories you tell us aren't completely accurate. If I remember correctly, you told us that your father was a nuclear physicist who worked on cold fusion with Pons and Fleischmann. Following the scientific scandal, he left Utah in disgrace and had to get a job, ironically enough, selling refrigerators at Sears.
I'm beginning to think that some of these stories you tell us aren't completely accurate. If I remember correctly, you told us that your father was a nuclear physicist who worked on cold fusion with Pons and Fleischmann. Following the scientific scandal, he left Utah in disgrace and had to get a job, ironically enough, selling refrigerators at Sears.
Get your stories straight.
Hanover has two fathers obviously. Get with the times.
Hanover has two fathers obviously. Get with the times.
I'm a panpaternalist, accepting everyone (except you) as my father and as my child (including you, but not your brother). The binarianism of the dualparental oppressive Westernmandated subjugation process has historically disenfranchised the us for which we were intended.
Thank you for pointing that out to that backwoods yokel.
unenlightenedJanuary 30, 2022 at 17:29#6493890 likes
Reply to unenlightened Chicago has the "El" (elevated) but part of it is underground. It even has a paradoxical aboveground tunnel (it runs above the Illinois Institute of Technology). Above, below, up, down, in, out -- all very confusing.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 30, 2022 at 20:39#6494460 likes
Chicago has the "El" (elevated) but part of it is underground. It even has a paradoxical aboveground tunnel (it runs above the Illinois Institute of Technology). Above, below, up, down, in, out -- all very confusing.
Please take the L train carefully as half the cars are occupied with lots of different residents. Additionally, it feels unsafe as fuck as it goes up and down, in and out , over and through, the city furiously and angerly. This is coming from someone who LOVES the train..
Now, the Metra? If you are a people watcher, it's worth buying the ticket to ride. It has Wifi, heated cars, conductors, the whole nine. In the same train there is an upper deck that you can go up to and drink the whole way, provided you bring your own. Not to fret, they have cheers kinds of bars, hole in the wall dives alongside the tracks but they put bars in the middle of the tracks so you can eat and drink on your way home.
Flipping brilliant!
In fact if you watch Risky Business, Tom Cruise takes a beautiful woman on the L but not before removing some of the residents. God Tom Cruise and a train?
Sighs~ maybe there is a man out there that likes trains like I do but I doubt it. I have it pretty bad for trains.
It's genetic I imagine because my Great Grampa Kasmier was a conductor on the El but that was a long time ago. I remember as a kid us getting to ride and jumping up in the air with my brother to see if we would land in the same spot or further back because of the time we were in the air.
Now I understand why my Mom got upset, we.were acting like monkeys.
I think she should go down to the Greyhound station and get a ticket to ride, find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side...
Change the shape thar she's in, get back in the game, and start playing again.
That my friend means allowing myself to be vulnerable again... Not sure my heart is ready for that with a stranger.
It's a bitch of a place to be. As I have said, I am in desperate need of a hugg again. :broken:
Reply to jamalrob For some reason, I hadn't heard of John Prine until recently. One of Dylan's favorites I'm to learn. https://bob-dylan.org.uk/archives/13786
That my friend means allowing myself to be vulnerable again... Not sure my heart is ready for that with a stranger.
It's a bitch of a place to be. As I have said, I am in desperate need of a hugg again. :broken:
He's just letting you know the Greyhound station is there waiting for you whenever you're ready.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 30, 2022 at 21:46#6494750 likes
I think she should go down to the Greyhound station and get a ticket to ride, find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side...
Here's the whole verse:
[i]I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side
Ride 'til the sun comes up and down around me 'bout two or three times
Smokin' cigarettes in the last seat
Tryin' to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all[/i]
So, he's getting on the bus, sitting next to a woman with two or three kids, and then lighting up his smokes.
Reply to T Clark Not sure where you got those lyrics from. Here's how it goes:
"]I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with two or three dead kids and sit down on her thigh
Ride her 'til the sun comes up and I come over and over again, 'bout two or three times,
Smokin' cigarettes before I fall asleep
Tryin' to hide my raging erection from the people I meet
And get along with it all"
Your song was some weird sappy sentimental shit. Mine just a humdrum fuck fest with a mourning mother on a bus.
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 30, 2022 at 23:02#6495170 likes
Sighs~ maybe there is a man out there that likes trains like I do but I doubt it. I have it pretty bad for trains.
I like trains very much--freight, light rail, commuter, elevated, subway, narrow gauge, trans-continental passenger, whatever. But... I'm gay AND old, so there is that. We could sit together in coach, but that would be about it. No exciting Tom-Cruise-style-dalliance for you in the luxury suite located in the sleeping car, complete with champaign and dinner brought by the discreet porter.
jumping up in the air with my brother to see if we would land in the same spot or further back
You would have landed further back, but by the time you were old enough to jump up and down on a an L train, the CTA had already installed inertial dampeners--an obscure invention that would find wider use on warp speed space ships, without which everyone on board the ship would have ended up as a red stain on the back bulkhead. (See any episode of Star Trek for a demo.).
I'm sure Freud had interesting things to say about people who really like trains a lot -- phallic engines penetrating tunnels, all that.
Actually, most people masturbate on long-distance bus routes, though maybe not while sitting on the fat lady's ample thigh. What else is there to do during such a long time? One could read Ulysses or listen to endless tails of woe from strangers, like the lady with three dead kids--neither one very enjoyable. People tend not to talk to you while your are jerking off. One way to get some peace and quiet.
Quality people just don't ride the Hound any more.
I would have linked to this song by the children's poet, Shel Silverstein. Polly in a Porny must be one of the few songs that hasn't been uploaded to YouTube.
Haha I kissed Polly goodnight haha as we stood at her front door
Now she's quite a proper lady so I didn't ask for anything more
But haha I was feeling oh so groovie that I went down to the movie
And I sat down and guess just what I saw
I saw Polly in a porny down at the dirty flicks
I saw Polly in a porny I didn't know she knew them tricks and more
People tend not to talk to you while your are jerking off. One way to get some peace and quiet.
Would it not be even more disturbing if the wanker was a chatty Cathy, insisting upon talking about his tomato garden and stamp collection as he rubbed vigorously inside his sweatpants?
I hope to one day do that on a bus ride through the mountain ranges of Colorado. It'll be my version of the poor lonely man's mile high club.
"Tunnel" in Icelandic is göng. I learned that because it said göng before every tunnel.. They could have been fucking with me though, so I'm not 100% on that.
Reply to T Clark and this is how Hollywood represents an unwanted coital interloper, thinking somebody's condom broke, and wondering if that was a birth control pill or an aspirin she took.
Is that how we got Mel Gibson? I thought he was planned and came from good right-wing Catholic stock...
"I am a planned child." It almost sounds like I've been delivered to pre-ordered specifications.
"We planned this child. Instead of doing some dirty sex, and leaving it to the seemingly random zygote to have its way with the egg... no, we did not leave it to that chance. We have had a plan, and we stuck to it all the way to the bitter end. Or should we say... very, very, bitter end. My spouse here said perhaps we should have tried the sweet end... but now it's too late. The dice have been thrown... or rather, the plan has been thrown."
god must be atheistJanuary 31, 2022 at 05:48#6496810 likes
One of the gross mistakes in the evolving etymology of English words. It should be "how vulvar", but it isn't.
god must be atheistJanuary 31, 2022 at 05:51#6496830 likes
With all this stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness, or unconscionable nessnessness) I sound like a mouse-sized lion let out of the match box for five minutes to see what reality really is like, before it is stuffed back into the flute of the matchbox.
The physics and chemistry of the universe gave rise to biology, and eventually intelligent life. It's inevitable, therefore - there are other intelligent lifeforms in a more or less infinite universe where the same physics and chemistry applies. The real question is how long they were able to persist.
like trains very much--freight, light rail, commuter, elevated, subway, narrow gauge, trans-continental passenger, whatever. But... I'm gay AND old, so there is that. We could sit together in coach, but that would be about it.
BC,
And.....? What because your gay and old it means I cannot share the love of trains with you?
I have ALWAYS wanted a gay friend! What makes you think I would pass you up on the train?
I LOVE people watching and I bet we would have quite the time together!
Geez, don't count me out so quickly!
Tiffers :flower:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 31, 2022 at 15:04#6497550 likes
Super quick dude at the gym said Hi and asked how I was doing. I responded good. He said have a good workout! I said enjoy your week!
And now I am icing a glute and starting class.... :smile:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 31, 2022 at 15:05#6497560 likes
With all this stream of consciousness (or unconsciousness, or unconscionable nessnessness) I sound like a mouse-sized lion let out of the match box for five minutes to see what reality really is like, before it is stuffed back into the flute of the matchbox.
I'm pretty good with getting fires to start if you ever want out of that matchbox for good. :wink:
"Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel, I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well. And as he handed me a drink, he began to sing a song, and all the boys in the bar began to sing along."
"Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel, I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well. And as he handed me a drink, he began to sing a song, and all the boys in the bar began to sing along."
What does this mean? I have to hang out in hotels? Help!
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 31, 2022 at 17:30#6497910 likes
Okay y'all...here's a funny one that I doubt many here can appreciate the full scope of...
Here in the valley, when you go into an adult toy store AND purchase something, the store assistant who rings you up has to make sure the product you are buying WORKS! :cool:
Okay, I have YET to have a female assistant ring me up, instead I have had all males and usually 10 years younger than me.
Well, things haven't changed much in my last encounter...
I take my choices of purchase up to the front of the store and he actually carries them for me as though they are too heavy,,,,omg... okay I am already embarrassed as fuck, he has gloves on for Covid and takes the toy out of the packaging, explains the functions and then tries to turn it on. The gloves don't work with a soft contact, I am literally dying at this point and he FINALLY gets it too work! :monkey:
I am like, yeah, got it, THANK YOU, could you please put it back in the packaging! He gets it put away and I am thinking cool take my CASH and let me go please! :cheer:
Then he hits me up with a new one...do I want to purchase their extended warranty on the toy for $15.00 and it's a no questions asked return with a gift card for the purchase price.
Sliced through any embarrassment and I said Dave, hook me up! :100:
ArguingWAristotleTiffJanuary 31, 2022 at 17:39#6497930 likes
rut roo...who did it this time?
Both admins on and two moderators...
Did @Banno stir something up? :eyes:
I don't know if the universe is actually infinite - but it might be, and so everything that can occur, does occur. It's impossible to suppose, in a universe so very, very big it might be infinitely large, intelligent life has only occurred once. Wouldn't you agree?
Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel, I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well. And as he handed me a drink, he began to sing a song, and all the boys in the bar began to sing along."
— frank
What does this mean? I have to hang out in hotels? Help!
I don't know if the universe is actually infinite - but it might be, and so everything that can occur, does occur. It's impossible to suppose, in a universe so very, very big it might be infinitely large, intelligent life has only occurred once. Wouldn't you agree?
I did a calculation once. I arrived at a universe that has a size of 10exp11 times the size of the present observable universe right after inflation. Already at the dawn of time! The universe has expanded since then, so...
It shrinks into insignificance considering the zoom in here:
If it's more or less infinite, it's only more or less inevitable.
I'm not sure actual infinity is necessary to the same physics acting upon the same chemistry, to produce similar biology. Only similar conditions that allow that to happen - which seemingly, are fairly common. Earth doesn't seem to be remarkable in size, distance from star, in composition. Nor is the sun of an unusual type, size or duration. Life seems to occur in conditions on earth, fairly common in the universe. So presumably, life should be fairly common????
I'm not sure actual infinity is necessary to the same physics acting upon the same chemistry, to produce similar biology
I'm convinced there are people on planets around most stars in the universe, Why should the right conditions have existed around the Sun only? A rotating planet with day and night, water, amino acids, soil... No doubt! The universe is teeming with life!
I'm convinced there are people on planets around most stars in the universe, Why should the right conditions have existed around the Sun only? A rotating planet with day and night, water, amino acids, soil... No doubt! The universe is teeming with life!
I'm inclined to think life exists everywhere it can exist - but intelligent life? Maybe that's relatively rare; but even then, I don't believe we are unique.
Here's a great quote from William James I intend to use whenever I can in the future:
The unwillingness of some of our critics to read any but the silliest of possible meanings into our statements is as discreditable to their imaginations as anything I know in recent philosophic history.
god must be atheistJanuary 31, 2022 at 22:43#6499300 likes
I think "twerp" is the perfect insult. You can't complain about it, because complaining is what twerps do. It also sounds just right for an insult. If you didn't know what it meant, you'd still know it was something you didn't want to be. It's almost onomatopoeic. When you say it you automatically sneer.
Ah, I have the opportunity to comment on that, given my grandiose notions of personal maturity in my ever more amazing life. See below what I used to feel about growing up:
Eventually it happened after I realized that I had to stop reading into things too much.
Of course, Bitter Crank is the most mature hereabouts. Or even @unenlightened.
If by mature you mean "wise", I would agree (in regards to both subjects). On the other hand, we're all at various levels of maturity, as are various wines. Some too young, some drinking quite well, some spoiled and past their peak. Some even completely corked and undrinkable.
unenlightenedFebruary 01, 2022 at 10:07#6500830 likes
Reply to Shawn Maturity is all very well for cheese and wine, and even beef to a degree, but pork and horse should be eaten young or it becomes dog food.
Mayor of SimpletonFebruary 01, 2022 at 10:37#6500900 likes
Sliced through any embarrassment and I said Dave, hook me up! :100:
I have to question the extent to which you were embarrassed in your recent purchase of diddling devices based upon your publication of your experience here.
Reply to ArguingWAristotleTiff It has taken a long time for stores selling adult merchandise to improve the sales experience. The shopping experience prior to the sale, has always been pretty much up to the customer. You know, you stand there, looking, picking up the plastic wrapped mags, checking out the front and back, trying to estimate how well the two covers might represent the content therein. If one was interested in a dildo, well, those were in a case and one would have to ask to see one. Over time they got more realistic. Eventually they bore the likeness of a particular person's peninsular organ (or more useful, the namesake's gros bâton.
The clerk was almost always behind the counter on a slightly elevated counter--the better to intercept a shy customer performing a 5-fingered discount on the embarrassing goods, and the better to look down (literally and figuratively) on the customers who supported the store.
The absolute minimum of conversation took place between anyone in the store. Silence reigned. .
The friendliest place in the adult stores was the large dimly lit room where the 8mm and later video machines played clips, 25¢ a pop, in very small booths. There were often several guys, sometimes a dozen, hanging around in this room. Just standing there. "What are these people doing here? What is the attraction?" I asked no one in particular. Myself, I have always preferred retail over rental.
Because I know I come from the impoverished culture of small-town Minnesota, I never expected to understand everything that happened in the big city. I don't remember exactly how I came to understand just what the guys were standing around waiting for, but it was something of an epiphany (shock!) when I did discover it. Oh, THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!!!
ArguingWAristotleTiffFebruary 02, 2022 at 04:21#6504010 likes
I have to question the extent to which you were embarrassed in your recent purchase of diddling devices based upon your publication of your experie here.
ArguingWAristotleTiffFebruary 02, 2022 at 14:55#6505070 likes
Getting on a jet plane to go from clear, sunny skies with a high of chilly 57* to Chicago which is under snow right now!!!!!!!!!! Yippppppppppppppeeeeee :party: :party: :party:
I love you guys!
Tiff :flower:
unenlightenedFebruary 02, 2022 at 17:38#6505640 likes
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Luke 6:34
It might be that the idols of Christ (the unchristlike Christs) are the Antichrists now a days.
unenlightenedFebruary 02, 2022 at 18:31#6505770 likes
ChangelingFebruary 03, 2022 at 05:29#6507120 likes
Has anyone else noted how we build houses in our own image? The front door is the mouth where food is taken in (from the supermarket). Following this, through the toilet food waste is expunged, sphincter-esque (down into the sewer system).
Reply to The Opposite A different way of putting it is that we extend our bodies outwards. The extended body, like the extended mind. The gastrointestinal tract extends out from the mouth, through the outer mouth that we call the front door, to the supermarket and beyond; and out from the arsehole to the sewer.
But where do you draw the line? Of course, you can't. This means that all of our digestive systems are intermingled in a web of intestinal intimacy.
Here's what's been stuck in my brain for about a week, but it takes some explanation, maybe better for the music thread (although no one talks about music there). The change is around 3:45 here:
Noble DustFebruary 03, 2022 at 07:07#6507490 likes
But for real, I was really inspired today to read this page from Micaela Haslam, the eminent expert on this particular Reich piece. Reading about how exactly ensembles should approach it invigorated me and reminded me that I love music. You do NOT have to be a musician to appreciate what's said here, I don't think:
Nice, a change from minor to major lydian (same home note but changes from minor to major with the perfect fourth going up a half step, which is actually a lot of changes).
Noble DustFebruary 03, 2022 at 08:19#6507760 likes
As to Coltrane, love jazz but have no training. Listening now, but will probably have no insight.
That change I was talking about is around 9:59 btw. Happens first in his first solo at 1 minute, then in McCoy's solo at 3:25, and then the last one is the most powerful.
Noble DustFebruary 03, 2022 at 08:35#6507800 likes
E minor to E major! Crazy how simple it is, and how good it sounds and, to me, it shouldn't, but it does. I also enjoyed listening more closely to Coltrane sololing at this point in his career, and charting it to his final days; guess I've spent less time in his early stuff vs. late.
Reply to Noble Dust The more I listen to it, the more I listen to McCoy's piano solo. Reflecting the structure, it sounds really simple, in a good way.
My favourite Coltrane is between his hard bop stuff and his late post-Love Supreme (and Transition) stuff. So 1959-1965 inclusive, I guess.
A great album that get's overlooked for obvious reasons. Cool to imagine someone transitioning from death metal to this. Listening closely in headphones right now, I'm reminded that this record rips hard.
There's my favorite 'Trane and then there's my favorite 'Trane. As to my favorite 'Trane...
Reply to Noble Dust Yes, "Welcome" was on the Transition CD (not the original album release, apparently), and it's a favourite of mine, although I was usually too exhausted after listening to the title track to listen to any more of the album.
Noble DustFebruary 03, 2022 at 08:57#6507890 likes
Reply to god must be atheist I'm surprised you have one. I've always imagined you crouching over the cadavers of old rats, picking at the scraps of flesh left by the crows.
god must be atheistFebruary 03, 2022 at 09:36#6508020 likes
Reply to jamalrob
what do you suppose is in my fridge
keeps dead stuff deader than pavement
+ dont need to constantly dodge the traffic
god must be atheistFebruary 03, 2022 at 13:12#6508340 likes
Welcome" was on the Transition CD (not the original album release, apparently), and it's a favourite of mine, although I was usually too exhausted after listening to the title track to listen to any more of the album.
I know the feeling. I listen to "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and I am on life support for a week from extreme exertion.
You should never try work, Jamalrob. It's deadly. Some boss of mine at work suggested Philosophy to me, so that's why that is what I do now.
I remember the first time I heard the Beatles. Driving down the street with my mother in Seaford, Delaware. "I want to hold your hand came on" and I was transfixed. "She loves you" came out a few weeks later. It's still my favorite of their songs.
I remember the first time I heard the Beatles. Driving down the street with my mother in Seaford, Delaware. "I want to hold your hand came on" and I was transfixed. "She loves you" came out a few weeks later. It's still my favorite of their songs.
I remember the first time I heard you talk about the first time you heard the Beatles just a few minutes ago. I do love to reminisce.
I remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. I was driving to the beach with my older brother, who I sort of looked up to and sort of detested, and he put the cassette in the dash and it came on, and I looked at him in amazement, and he was like "yeah, that's what makes Pink Floyd great." It was like the first time I did heroine, if I had ever done heroine.
To be honest, the greatest works of humans are born out of idle coincidences.
As luck would have it, I may be offered the Nobel Prize for this three-liner, but in effect I was typing using the on-screen keyboard, and its awkwardness made me make my text terse.
A philosophical question about the song. In an infinite number of universes in the infinite multiverse, there is a third verse to the song. What do you think it is? Further, in an infinite number of universes, there are an infinite number of verses to the song. Can you tell me what they all are?
god must be atheistFebruary 04, 2022 at 17:06#6512500 likes
Further, in an infinite number of universes, there are an infinite number of verses to the song. Can you tell me what they all are?
Yes. Absolutely.
In the universe with one more verse, the next verse is the third verse.
In a universe with infinite number of verses to the song are precisely the third verse and more verses, up to and including an infinite number of verses.
This question was too easy. Please give me a harder one.
Actually, that has inspired me to turn our universe into one where "I'm Henry the Eighth I am" has an infinite number of verses. Here are the lyrics:
[1] [print] - I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry, she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam. I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry. Henry the Eighth I am. [line space] [line space] Second verse, same as the first.[2]N=1[3] N=N+1[4] [print] - I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry, she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam. I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry. Henry the Eighth I am. [line space] [line space] [N]th verse, same as the first.[5] [go to 3]
It's been a long time since I've done any programming, so I'm sure there are bugs.
god must be atheistFebruary 04, 2022 at 17:24#6512550 likes
It's been a long time since I've done any programming, so I'm sure there are bugs.
||: I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry, she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam. So the rightful Henry am I am... Henry the Eighth I am.:||
This is the thing put to music, too.
Just a small caveat. If you are Henry the Eighth You Are then you cannot also be One of the Ruins that Cromwell Knocked About a Bit. You can't have it both ways.
WAaaa, I'm going to cry. My only dream has been (until now) to live in a universe in which Henry the Eighth You Are coexists with One of the Ruins that Cromwell Knocked About a Bit
god must be atheistFebruary 04, 2022 at 18:51#6512820 likes
"Hano. Hanoverse, hannoverse... hano. Hannoverse hanoverse. Hano. Hanoverse Hano. Hanoverse, hano, a hano, hanooooo..." Sang to the whistling tune of "Bridge Over The River Kwai."
unenlightenedFebruary 04, 2022 at 20:25#6513110 likes
Stuart C. Ray, MD, professor of Medicine and Oncology in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, says. "It seems compelling, even for skeptics, that unvaccinated people represent 99% of those now dying from COVID-19, when they represent less than 50% of the adult population in the USA."
what do you suppose is in my fridge
keeps dead stuff deader than pavement
+ dont need to constantly dodge the traffic
Here we have someone exhibiting his proximity to the breaking point, scraping the very bottom of his creative barrel to keep the shoutbox from shriveling up.
karl stoneFebruary 05, 2022 at 13:13#6515550 likes
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there!
He wasn't there again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away!
I've been really happy with how things have gone since the Shoutbox was reestablished. Lots of interesting stuff, although it is true I get antsy when I see the same post sitting up there for more than 10 hours. @jamalrob actually talks to us instead of sitting on his throne in heaven with @Baden on his right hand judging the quick and the dead, I mean the members and the banned.
Reply to T Clark Are you sure Baden is on the right hand of the throne? On the left hand side, I would think, with the damned and the banned--but in a management position.
karl stoneFebruary 06, 2022 at 06:55#6519520 likes
Said Pussy to Owl, "You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
Noble DustFebruary 06, 2022 at 07:21#6519690 likes
I see @Baden on the right side. Proper, correct in so many ways, but secretly longing for the keys to the left hand path. Keys revoked from him by none other than @Hanover, that saint designed from the very beginning to represent all that is conserved, all that is pragmatic, all that is "within the law", and yet...and yet. @Hanover in his left-hand position, is the key to the dark side of the forum, and represents all that @Baden so desperately wants, but can only have in phantasmagorical bacchanaliac visions. Baden's only recourse is to fanstastical visions expressed through visionary yet illusory and depressing short stories. Ahhhhh
Noble DustFebruary 06, 2022 at 07:23#6519710 likes
I see Baden on the right side. Proper, correct in so many ways, but secretly longing for the keys to the left hand path. Keys revoked from him by none other than @Hanover, that saint designed from the very beginning to represent all that is conserved, all that is pragmatic, all that is "within the law", and yet...and yet. @Hanover in his left-hand position, is the key to the dark side of the forum, and represents all that @Baden so desperately wants, but can only have in phantasmagorical bacchanaliac visions. Baden's only recourse is to fanstastical visions expressed through visionary yet illusory and depressing short stories. Ahhhhh
Accurate.
Noble DustFebruary 06, 2022 at 07:31#6519760 likes
James Armistead Lafayette was born into slavery in the mid-1700s in Virginia. He joined the colonial army during the American revolution and was a double agent for Lafayette. He would pretend to be a runaway slave and provided false information to British forces and accurate information to the colonial army.
After the war, though other slaves were freed for service in the military, Armistead-Lafayette was not because he was a spy instead of a soldier. His owner and Lafayette worked to get him freed (freeing slaves was illegal at the time without special permission).
karl stoneFebruary 06, 2022 at 16:19#6520880 likes
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
Funny thing about the vid is the guy is a comedian, apparently mocking the news media for their ignorance and stupidity re Satanism. Nooootice me, Sempai! :lol:
god must be atheistFebruary 07, 2022 at 22:26#6524780 likes
8% of the human genome is viral material, specifically from retro viruses.
6 Kg of me is tiny DNAs foreign to me. 6Kg is not me, my family or the postman. It weighs more than all the sperm I ever produced, all the thoughts that ever occurred, all the love I ever got. Without viruses I'd be a trilobite, an octopus or a platypus. My beliefs are rectified: now I know I ain't the type that counts as an archetype.
Noble DustFebruary 08, 2022 at 05:47#6525420 likes
My beliefs are rectified: now I know I ain't the type that counts as an archetype.
:heart:
ArguingWAristotleTiffFebruary 08, 2022 at 12:46#6526000 likes
Has anyone noticed that half the Valentine's Day cards are "Happy Hearts Day"? :heart:
I guess that is all we humans have in common anymore.
Maybe Hallmark is ahead of the times in good wishes to your preferred gender, special friend who you are not in love with but share the idea of having a body organ in common...
I'm going to stay with the bloody Valentine's Day cards but happy hearts day cards are available my friends :flower:
god must be atheistFebruary 08, 2022 at 13:08#6526010 likes
For Valentine's Day, I got an email from a Moroccan restaurant where they have belly dancers and you sit on the floor and eat with your hands. I was sitting next to my wife when I got it, and I suggested going there as if I had that original thought, and she said yes, as if I were so original, and then I made a reservation for 6:00 because I said I knew how much she liked to get back early, but that was also the cheapest time you could go because for some reason the later times were progressively more expensive, so she was appreciative of my thoughtfulness, but, little did she know, all I did was read an email and then save a buck.
For my last wife, I would send flowers every Valentines Day through their automated system so that I wouldn't forget. I wonder if I ever turned that off.
For my last wife, I would send flowers every Valentines Day through their automated system so that I wouldn't forget. I wonder if I ever turned that off.
I asked my wife to let me know of the birthday of her two children two weeks prior on an annual basis; and I asked her daughter to tell me on an ongoing bases when my wife's birthday comes up two weeks prior. After much deliberation, I asked her daughter to tell me also when the anniversary comes up, each year, again, with two weeks forenotice.
My sister always gives me notice of my brother's birthday, and vice versa. Both give me notice of our parents' birthdays, diedays, and interment days.
And I'm supposed to be the genius of the family.
god must be atheistFebruary 08, 2022 at 18:16#6526630 likes
For my last wife, I would send flowers every Valentines Day through their automated system so that I wouldn't forget. I wonder if I ever turned that off.
A few years back my brother called me up.
He just got home from work, and there was a huge bouquet of flowers on his porch. He got angry, "Who is the bastard who sends flowers to my wife?" He goes in, sees his wife beat-red with anger, "Who do you think you are, to spend so much of our money on flowers?" She's quite the frugal kind.
Then he called me to see if it had been me.
Next day he called again, saying it was their son, who had sent it for Mothers' Day.
dimosthenis9February 08, 2022 at 21:53#6527410 likes
I have a question and I didn't know where else to put it. Not a thread worthy one though.
Where the fuck is TheMadFool??
As I remember he was an old member with very vivid action. I mean he wasn't one of many that appear here for just a couple of weeks or month and then disappear into the dark.
Though I didn't agree with anything he was posting I kind of liked this guy. He seemed like a genuine philosophical enthusiastic and his general attitude wasn't playing Philosophy God who had all the answers. He was fun.
So anyone know? Or maybe is he still posting and I just don't cross into his posts? Anyway hope he is fine though at any case.
If that question doesn't belong here, Admins can transfer it or even totally delete it.
Reply to dimosthenis9
Sometimes people change their names. Sometimes to avoid prosecution. Maybe debts, Maybe boredom. Or perhaps they were hounded by demons who only knew them through a name.
Everybody has their reasons.
Maybe Hallmark is ahead of the times in good wishes to your preferred gender, special friend who you are not in love with but share the idea of having a body organ in common...
I think all holidays are created by Hallmark. We're just too scared to question their authority.
I think all holidays are created by Hallmark. We're just too scared to question their authority.
Yes, Hallmark is, of course, the ancient Babylonian triple-breasted goddess of schmaltz and self-satisfaction. She bites the heads off misanthropes.
Jack CumminsFebruary 08, 2022 at 23:52#6527910 likes
Reply to dimosthenis9
I already asked the question about the Madfool and was given a fairly decent answer. You would find that if you look back to pages on this thread, about 3 weeks ago. But, what I will say is that it seems highly likely that he has been reincarnated as a new being. But his soul still bears resemblance to when he lived as the Madfool.
Really? I mean, is it verified or you just suppose it? Is he reincarnated via Agent's account? I m not so sure, I don't find their way of posting very similar.
And as to be honest I thought of Agent as one of Prishon's many reincarnations..
dimosthenis9February 09, 2022 at 01:55#6528270 likes
I can't find the question you posted, if you could help me and linked it. Well if he did reincarnated indeed via another account then for me MadFool's spirit has gone forever then.I want people to stand for their (nick)names..
Agent SmithFebruary 09, 2022 at 04:46#6528580 likes
:broken:
L'éléphantFebruary 09, 2022 at 04:52#6528600 likes
Well if he did reincarnated indeed via another account then for me MadFool's spirit has gone forever then.
What is the meaning of this?
Jack CumminsFebruary 09, 2022 at 06:00#6528710 likes
Reply to dimosthenis9
I don't think that the Madfool's spirit is gone. You just need to look for clues, even hidden in this thread. You are almost being a physicalist by thnking of people as names. If I reincarnated here as JackDaydream would I be a different person? Names,like bodies, have significance. Strangely, even though I have never met or seen photos of most people on site, I feel that I know them.
Jack CumminsFebruary 09, 2022 at 06:10#6528740 likes
Reply to Tom Storm
Individual awareness is likely to survive the death of the avatar but our awareness may be affected by it. Both you and I have human names and mine is the same as the one I have in real life. I wonder if having an identity like the Madfool affects life, or what does it mean to be 'Agent Smith'? Identity and awareness may change through the experiences of identity of reincarnation of avatars.
Noble DustFebruary 09, 2022 at 06:26#6528760 likes
Well exactly cause names here are the only way to know each other,the "character" you build here is represented by that name also.
If for example you change your name and you state it that from now on my name will be "that" still I will know that Jack is the one who wrote that some time, Jack who is an idealist (just saying) or Jack who we had a cool conversation at one thread etc. So still there will be a continue as to know to whom I m talking too. But to appear all from the start with a new name and be presented as a new here well I don't know,I find it weird and I m not a fan of it as to be honest.
Well I don't judge though, it's just a matter of preference.
Jack CumminsFebruary 09, 2022 at 09:48#6528970 likes
Reply to dimosthenis9
Part of the problem may be that online we are disembodied characters. Online identity is so different from people meeting. We build and construct our identities so differently. I guess when I realised that @Agent Smith was the Madfool I was relieved to know that he was okay and still online and I still see him as the same person. The name difference does seem so different though because the Madfool conjures up more of an eccentric professor whereas Agent Smith seems more like a detective in a thriller. I imagine him to be a combination of the two. I remember how startling it seemed when @Banno changed his avatar to a pretty blonde girl.
But definitely the names people use is likely to alter the character that comes across. It may be that character construction online is an essential aspect of identity after postmodernism and the age of post truth.
dimosthenis9February 09, 2022 at 10:13#6529020 likes
. I guess when I realised that Agent Smith was the Madfool I was relieved to know that he was okay and still online and I still see him as the same person.
Oh so it's true indeed that Madfool is AgentSmith at the end. Well in any case it's good to know that he is fine. Even If m not a fan of it, I m sure he had his reasons for changing his TPF identity. So I will leave it there, just glad he is okay.
Jack CumminsFebruary 09, 2022 at 10:44#6529110 likes
Reply to dimosthenis9
Yes, I am glad he is okay. Names and nicknames are significant though. I can remember being called ET when I was school, which was probably because I was small and strange. When I was going through a time of spotty adolescence, and wearing glasses, I got called Adrian Mole by a group of girls in a shopping centre. These names bothered me then but it seems funny now. I am sure that most people have been all sorts of names...
unenlightenedFebruary 09, 2022 at 15:05#6529620 likes
Hesperus is Phosphorus is the morning-star is the evening-star.
unenlightenedFebruary 10, 2022 at 12:15#6533220 likes
A conservative, and British patriot, an ex-prime-minister, a long way from my politics; nevertheless, I commend this speech to you all. The particulars are local, but the principles are universal.
Comments (61561)
@unenlightened
We are talking about you. Are you doing ok my friend, my mentor, my sage? :heart:
Stephen King
I've been reading quite a few of his books lately. Now I'm reading "Billy Summers." I'd forgotten how good a writer he is. I've been comparing him with Elmore Leonard, one of my favorites.
Monster crab attacks Australian golfers on Christmas Island (Jan 3, 2022)
Let's make it so :up: :)
Together nothing can stop us!
Wonder Twin powers activate!
In the form of love and patience :heart:
Is Billy Summers good? I was reading his stuff and discovered he was a fan of Shirley Jackson. I'm reading The Haunting of Hill House. Holy shit it's good.
I'm about half way through and I'm enjoying it.
That's the only book that has made me genuinely terrified.
yep. it's scary.
I am already scared.
The stories remind me of work.
I wonder how much difference it would really make. All I need to do is make sure that I do not pay attention to my mates when they tell me to show then how fast the monkey bike I built would go. I skidded and lost a piece of shin bone when I hit a tree. 50 years of pain is a lot and it seems to be getting worse when the temperature drops.
Yep, for a couple of years at least. I had the third shot about two months ago and they say I will be getting another in February. I am supposed to be having the influence shot in the next week or so before I go back to work.
And I hate needles!!!!!
Can't wait.
You shouldn't have to wait. If someone owned a time machine they could travel back in time and manipulate the past to make time machine delivery Next Day Air. :nerd:
As well it should have.
There is no such thing as a "time machine stuck in line" as @Praxis explained. You probably have it already, but the manual IS boat off Long Beach. There are 15 levers on the top, any one of which could plunge the world into a very, very bad situation. For our sake, wait until the manual arrives.
Analemma Tower (Jun 2018)
[sup](a bit like The Fountains of Paradise (1979) by Clarke)[/sup]
That would cause a paradox.
Hey that's golf-club-hatred! :)
But no one would know that it’s a very very bad situation, or rather that in a different timeline it was a better situation. It would just be the way it is, except for the time traveler. They would know what they had done, though they could not know if the situation would have been even worse, a very very very bad situation, had they not been an incompetent time traveler.
Who knows. Some articles I found informative...
Oct 29, 2021 · COVID's endgame: Scientists have a clue about where SARS-CoV-2 is headed
Nov 03, 2021 · What the Future May Hold for the Coronavirus and Us · Viral evolution is a long game. Here’s where scientists think we could be headed.
Dec 06, 2021 · We’re Not at Endemicity Yet · Too many people still have no protection against the coronavirus.
Dec 07, 2021 · Beyond Omicron: what’s next for COVID’s viral evolution · The rapid spread of new variants offers clues to how SARS-CoV-2 is adapting and how the pandemic will play out over the next several months.
The people doing that stuff are still learning. Hopefully we'll all learn, like a rehearsal for a worse one.
How much change would there have to be? If you changed anything that would make it so your life was delayed or sped up even a second, you might have children, but they wouldn't be the same ones. A normal ejaculation might have 500,000,000 sperm. That's how unlikely it was that your children turned out to be who they are. How much of a change would it take for different one to fertilize the egg.
Finished it. Really good.
The grandfather paradox. It is whispered that Stephen Hawking secretly visited Einstein, by a private wormhole, to inform him about his theory.
I think it will be like the flu shot. It'll be mandatory for some, strongly advised for others like elders, cancer patients, diabetes, obese people, and what not. Probably yearly.
My Mom and I are vicious on the golf course. :fire:
We play more of a polo golf game after we get tired of those that we are with and take the not so competitive route and make our own fun!
Gotta love a Mom who is willing to take a boring game and make it a blast!
Easy and free. You will need a library card to use it. I don't know if this or something similar is available outside the US.
Or...
Whaddya think?
Sounds great. Unfortunately, despite being a millennial, I have an old man streak and only read by buying used physical copies of books. :groan: the clutter is problematic.
Kill them with kindness. If it helped the gun fanatic redneck guy process his emotions it should work just as well for any other emotional idiot. :up:
I'm reading a book book right now. It's hard. I can't push on the page when I want to know a definition or some background. Well, I can, but it doesn't do any good.
Sounds like a more focused reading process. :chin:
I am an old man (almost) and while I don't own many things, I have a lot of books. I can't use screens, they shit me.
I always felt bad reading when I didn't know a word or get a reference but was too lazy to look them up. Now I judge a book by how much time I spend outside in Wikipedia, dictionaries, or Google Earth. I go off on tangents that make the book bigger and deeper.
I did so much of my work on computers when I was working that it comes naturally to me. I feel at home there.
I mean "old man streak" as a positive trait, by the way, in this context. There's actually something therapeutic about occasionally arriving at the realization that I need to sell some books that, if I'm being honest with myself, I'll never read, in order to make space for the ones I think I might read...
For sure. For me, I find that if I don't know a word, my subconscious files it away, and sometimes, when the word comes up again, I look it up and whatever sense I thought I had of the word was wrong, but just as often, I find the sense of the word I got was more or less right (I think through the process of lots of reading?). I like that about reading without context. Then again, I'm maybe a bit more laissez-faire about that than perhaps your average TPF member.
As for references, yeah, those are a bit more rough.
I wasn't implying that there is anything wrong with the way you and @Tom Storm read. I love books too and I love seeing a wall of books to run my fingers and eyes over. I spent a lot of time in libraries over the years just walking up and down the aisles until a title jumped out and told me to read it. It was a process I really enjoyed.
I just love the new depth that reading an electronic version gives me.
I didn't think so. :smile: Just pontificating about the experience of words.
Quoting T Clark
Yeah, it sounds great to be able to quickly dive into different words or concepts. I guess, as a millennial, if I want to do that, I'll try to make a mental note and then google it later. But in reality, I rarely remember to do that. So I can see the value in being able to do it on a Kindle or whatever, in real time. No need to make mental notes I'll then forget.
Me too; hours every day but with the opposite effect. I have 15 separate reporting databases and endless report reviews. That's why I want a book when I choose to be me. Apart from the internet, I've always resented computers and most things attached to IT but I recognise it's an irrational phobia. :wink:
Quoting Noble Dust
Me too.
Quoting T Clark
Never took it as criticism. I'd like to read electronically but I can't do it despite years of trying.
:groan:
My dad has an entire basement room full of old books..
We managed to find her a PCR test for the 11th! Umm.... that isn't going to be sufficient.
I scoured the valley looking for the at home test and that isn't going to be enough for the employer.
I said I will drive you down there and you can do a self-administered test while they wait for the results. She has already offered to do that on Facetime with her employer but no, that isn't enough.
Look, I get that you are understaffed and don't want people taking advantage of the Covid reason but it's not even logical to ask her to keep working until the 11th...come on people....
It's 2022, we can do better than this.
Ps...Nick isn't vaccinated but whatever...he is no longer my concern.
~Shaking my head~ I just don't get it...
If they want a PCR, they should provide one. Maybe this would be a good time to change jobs
That is my point. How can they know she cannot get one and still penalize her at work?
The job she has pays very well considering there is no college education.
Their lives, their choices, Momma Bear is always standing by :wink:
I see. Well, she should be better in a week or so.
Speaking of which, how are you? Back to normal? :pray:
I have gotten back my sense of taste and smell which I was worried about but no, I am doing fine!
(knocking on wood) Now am I back to "normal"?
I would say that normal might be at the end of this divorce but it's the bottom of the 4th inning in my guestimation. I'm hanging out in the dugout while I wait for my next turn at bat. Just pray this doesn't go into extra innings.
But will you reinvent yourself? So a new normal? That might take a while. Journey vs destination?
Transformation is well under way. It is not easy work, and it is deeply personal, but I have people I trust that I can talk to. The destination is the journey, no? A new normal will be with me in school continuing my trajectory of life onward and upward!
I'm not a fool to believe that I have no fault in this unwinding of a 30 year relationship and I am trying to take it all in and god bless it here come the tears...there is a grieving process that hits me at odd times I am sorry. One moment I am strong as a rock and the next I am on my knees praying this would go as smoothly as possible and least number of casualties in the process.
I'm sorry...I am just not unbreakable.
and btw....I need a fucking hug and someone to tell me it's going to be okay
*big hug*. It's going to be ok. :cool:
Thank you so much :heart: I can feel your hug :flower:
Quoting 90 Day Fiancé Star Has Medical Emergency After Farting In Jars Too Much For Side Business (Jan 5, 2021)
So the sun rises, so the sun sets. :sparkle:
I hate it when that happens.
Pro tip: if you kinda close the lid firmly once or twice and hold it down you can get the spinny thing working sometimes.
How about you just walk up, undress by the side of the pool, throw your clothes in a corner, swim your naked ass until you've swum your swim, get out, shake off like a dog, and then put your wet clothes back on your bad ass self. That's what I'd do if they made swimsuit wearing impossible.
Yes, I'm aware that's how they do things down at the cement pond in Georgia.
Is it the swim suit dryer or the YMCA that you love? (Affection for either one makes sense.) The speedo spinner is nice, and
per the Village People.
Probably the Y doesn't do for you what it does (did in ages past) for me.
Eating at the Y means something probably different for you than me as well.
Yes, you caught me with an ambiguous reference. I like the YMCA a lot. I love the suit dryer.
Quoting Bitter Crank
I certainly hope not.
Are you shitting me?
I'm not shitting you, as books little screens shit me off, no shit, sorry if this shits you.
You mean the screen takes a shit and you come out of the recharging jack?
Does wisdom work?
Excellent question! If "wisdom" is what philosophy is perpetually in pursuit of then I would suggest that it will work, if you apply the 'right' strand of wisdom you are trying to attain.
For me, some 20 years into this pursuit of wisdom, I have found a bit of backtracking can be helpful if you find yourself feeling a sort of self-betrayal by the tool of philosophy you were trying to apply to the chaos, we lovingly call life.
My problem with trying to "conform myself" into an "intelligent/rational" way of life is that my hard wiring as a woman often leaves me trying as a 'swirly brain' to conform to a logical, grid way of thinking. That is no easier than trying to force a wooden block into a circular hole.
Whose form of philosophical theories are appealing to you depends on the individual as well as where they find themselves on this path of 'thinkers'. I myself began some 30 years ago finding a lot in common with Jung but soon grew bored with him when I completed my Philosophy class my freshman year of college, laid down my thinking cap and life took my over most of my free time and then came our first indian. I would say that I was somewhat captivated by this man the MSN Philosophy and Absurdity talked about quite a bit, but I had only skimmed over in class, Friedrich Nietzsche.
I was confused enough by everyone's either love or hate of the man's philosophy to look further into what he was saying. There was a group of Hellenistica members that extended off of that Philosophy chat and I was asked to join while they read "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". That was really when I fell in love with "Freddy" and he and I walked and talked for a while. I dropped out of that group back into the main chatroom with Freddy and tried to apply what I had learned about his philosophical thoughts. They seemed to fit me better when I was in discussion with others, but he didn't serve me well once I was alone again in my pursuit. I think part of it was that the leader of the Hellenistica group had got a little too much of Alexander the Great under his skin and the rest of the group was females and that mmmmm level of control was not what I was looking for.
At that point I settled down next to Socrates for a good long while because he always spoke to the core me but was never as elegant as some of the other Philosophers seemed to be. I guess I gave up on what others thought about who appealed to me and be okay with who I found most common ground with. At the same time, I felt no challenge or that I was 'settling' with Socrates and went back into the lake of 'thinkers' looking for another philosophy to try on and wear for a little while, which is when I chose to spend time with Aristotle.
Aristotle has served me well because many of my challenges I was facing in life and a new way of handling them, Aristotle's way of handling them and I found a gold mine. Aristotle taught me about the emotions I was experiencing, not very different from what I was looking for from Socrates. The difference for me was Socrates always felt observational in nature where Aristotle's work actually gave me 'tools' to work with, at that time in my life, I needed actionable theories. True Socrates might have had them as well, but his reflection was where I found most of my "nuggets" of wisdom to carry with me and did not possess them in an actionable approach.
However, I have used Aristotle's theories, challenges, philosophical "tools" and they have served me well to this day. Having said that, I think once you invest a bit of time with one Philosopher, you cannot help but become a bit of a 'mixer' of the theories of all the Philosophers you have danced with. At times it is possible, upon closer examination, to pull on one thread of the tapestry you are weaving called life, that we can only see the underside of, rather than the beauty of our weaving, which can only be seen from the top, upon completion of life. As you pull on that one thread, you realize that there are other threads affected, positively or negatively is for the weaver (yourself) to decide and either pull the tension tighter or to loosen by hand as you try not to leave any string hanging from the underside.
We as "thinkers" are in a constant push and pull as we move through our lives, but one thing remains relatively the same and that is that you will always have people ahead of you on the path of "Philosophy" and there will always be up and coming thinkers who are just breaking through the brush to the path, and they will likely walk behind you in their pursuit. What matters to me is that I will never walk alone, as I always have my family and friends here to come back home to. To the beautiful mix of thinkers who challenge you and then sit down and talk with you about current events. Perhaps that is not your mood at the moment so there are all the various subforums we have here that you can escape to, to hear what others are saying and thinking about.
Bottom line, once you are on the path you are, you will never be alone. :flower:
Beautiful illustration.
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
That's the thing maybe. I've always been pretty alone in my subsequent thoughts, so maybe they aren't as logical as they seem.
You are never alone in your thoughts unless you want to be as we are a pretty judgmental free jury to sit with. :flower:
True. :yikes:
I thought you might be shitting me, but I knew it didn't shit me. It's all the same shit to me, whether I read it on paper or screen. At least if text on paper shits you, it can be used to wipe your the shit off your arse I guess.
Nice twist!
:gasp: We need a poo emoji.
I am not convinced that 'conforming' to intelligent/rational ways of life necessarily equate with wisdom. There could be a whole universe of flaws in such an approach. J Krishnamurti said that wisdom came through an understanding of suffering.
Well I don't know if basking in a bucket of boiling oil and saying "hm, yes, I am indeed in pain" is a necessary step in wisdom, but i'll try it out.
In all seriousness, thats some food for thought right there. hmmm....
I think he means the nature of suffering, not just our own. That of our brothers and sisters. And the most extreme, enduring form of suffering for my money is psychological. That which may drive a person to philosophy in an attempt to find 'solutions' or distractions.
Perhaps. I would say that physical suffering and psychological suffering tend to become linked, should it reach its extremity, one way or another.
No. Please. We do not.
On the one hand, one has severe anxiety and depression and on the other hand one has a crushed femur and torn muscles. On the one hand, psycho-active meds have not worked; and on the other hand one has access to surgery but not to pain relief. Compare and contrast.
I'm not sure distinguishing the differences of psychological suffering and physical suffering makes a difference. It's suffering, either way. Further, at the end of the disease--despite deep contemplation--there is no great wisdom gained. Suffering is over-rated.
Prior to effective treatment, some guys with AIDS claimed that their suffering had taught them the meaning of life. The highly impolite response would be, "Bullshit! What kind of life has one led that only proximity to the grave has provided a glimpse of meaning?"
The dismissive response is to "wisdom gained from the disease", not to the suffering experienced. That is very real, and Lord have mercy.
I regret that people suffer; I don't much like it myself. It might be inevitable (given we are tender flesh in a sometimes very harsh world). It certain varies in intensity and kind. It is alway a relief when the pain ceases.
Perhaps it is the cessation of pain that is instructive?
Maybe too heavy for the Shoutbox?
It makes a big difference. We have some capacity (sometimes great) to change/ameliorate psychological suffering just by how we think - hence philosophy (amongst other remedies). Not much can be done, on the other hand, about, say, inoperable cancer, a chronic back injury or gangrene. Having provided suicide intervention for many years, it's one thing I reckon I can bank on.
As for differences in kind, it's the same person who suffers whether it's MI or physical disease.
Curious about something but please don't feel obligated to answer if don't wish to.
What is your position on what I refer to as the eleveation of suffering and proactively ceasing that suffering by passing onto the next...
Can you expand on that a little not sure what you mean?
Thank you for asking.
I think the idea of calling assisted cessation of living to get out of end of life pain is more accurate. People say that is the same as assisted suicide but I believe it is very different and words are heavily loaded.
The reason I see it different than assisted suicide is because people who are in last days of life, should be able to call it. Choose when, with whom and they pass on peacefully at a time of their chosing and most likely at home. People who wish the pain to cease are not suicidal. They are in pain and fear of how much worse they are going to have uendure to pass naturally.
The USA is very much behind the times in comparison to countries like the Netherlands when it comes to compassionate care.
Alright who did what? :chin:
It's Saturday and we're lifers. I expect.
Yes, as I am. It's been such an important part of my journey. :flower:
There is the perspective I was asking about and privately hoping for yours to be. No expectations, rather a nice surprise.
Respect :up:
Don't make me start one. It will be some bullshit about metaphysics or something.
I'm on it, hold on.
Done. I don't know if it'll live up to your standards though.
I skimmed over the feeling Jewish and now I am going to skim over Buddhism after getting my nails done yesterday by a Vietnamese man named Brian who just bought the place and did a beautiful job. :heart:
Anyway, back to religion, in their lobby is an altar, within a shrine and I am guessing they leave tokens for the Buddha because there were flowers, sodas, oranges, apples.
At first I thought about snagging the Dr. Pepper, as I had to wait beyond my appointment time that I made an hour before going.
I am fully aware that these are first world problems.
But I do wonder about the little shrine enough to think about finding out why it would be rude as a client to help themselves to a snack. :eyes:
I could start a thread on free will. This is my view: we are compelled to talk about free will 'till the cows come home, about every 12 hours. Paradoxically, we must talk about free will. That's all I have to say on the matter. Were I to post this as a new thread, it would be (I predict on the basis of past experience) DOA.
I am not one of those people like John XXVII, who can post flimsy paradoxes and get numerous replies. Either my OPs are too flimsy or not flimsy enough. Whatever the case, they don't seem to meet with much success. Entirely too mediocre, way above average.
Philosophers are phickle about what they will go phor. Pfuck 'em, I say.
I already responded to your thread.
For no good reason, your question made me think of this:
[i]They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues[/i]
Yes, but it is of interest to everyone except you. At least that's the case if the dead are really dead and not just alive someplace else.
Answer: 15.
There are 15 stories. Most authors won't vote for their own, so others have shown support :up:
If you haven't read the stories, can you say why not ?
https://thephilosophyforum.com/categories/38/short-story-competition-2
Voting here:
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/12143/holiday-short-story-competition-discussion-and-poll/p1
NEW POLL CLOSING DEADLINE = WEDNESDAY 12 JAN at 12AM UTC
With intense pain, one is already gone in a sense, for when one is in intense pain, pain is what you are. Intense pain is a little like an orgasm, in orgasm, this is all you are.
I am terminally disgusted by the reduction of every human activity to a competition. Deadline for submissions, deadline for votes, it's all fucking dead.
Also, my brain is full of crap already, and full of the wife's literary outpourings, and I want to dig a pond before Spring.
Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!
What on God's Earth are you talking about? :confused:
I could say why not but is that necessary for me to disclose?
Sorry just woke up on a Monday morning @4am and already feel taxed. I read for critical thinking and write for pleasure.
I think that's about all I can handle about now.
Sorry for falling short if that's the assumption.
Roll tide!!!! :party:
Understood. I'm not a fan of competitions and voting either. However, I swallowed my distaste and gave it a few second chances. Overall, I've enjoyed it.
Making and reading comments in the discussion. Looking forward to the authors feedback.
I'm wondering if people see any value in short stories at all ?
What place they have in philosophy ?
I've been surprised at what I've learned; the revelations, new ideas and discoveries.
About the way I read, the assumptions I trip over.
My guess is most people just aren't interested. And that's ok, cos this is a philosophy forum. And, judging by what I know of the attitudes of people who are interested in philosophy, a few of these uninterested members might regard fiction as trivial rubbish, but they can go to hell. :razz:
No. There is no assumption about anyone falling short.
Just curious about the seeming lack of interest and support for 15 authors.
I wonder about the value of short stories in philosophy...
That's all.
Yes. I think that it's obvious that most people aren't interested.
I don't want them to go to hell, I want to know why they don't see the value.
You're right. It's about priorities of time and energy devoted to whatever projects you have in mind.
The short stories distracted me from a whole lot of everything.
The thing is. TPF is addictive. Following certain discussions, often leading nowhere.
The competition is a self-contained exploration by thinking writers, TPF posters, for TPF readers.
For enjoyment. Sharing thoughts, ideas with people you know, even if initially anonymous.
We get to see if we 'get' them. And they will, hopefully, give feedback.
It's personal and it's worth it. Or so I think.
It can open eyes gently and creatively to philosophical aspects compared to the cacophony of argument.
Both worthwhile, if done well...
I've tried to take a break from all of this with little success.
Am I so determined or can I choose...
Where did my willpower go ?
That's all for now.
Don't go!
I guess that's not helping you. :grin:
Ya wee de'il :naughty:
I find exercise is a good way to abstain from any sort of addiction. Once you start thinking, "hm, I think i'll check tpf again" just go for a run. You'll come back a new man/woman.
You're right. Glad I checked in for that :wink:
For what it is worth, I was wandering the old halls of the prior sandbox, looking at art in the Gallery and Essays and prior writings and I found one that was likely years old when I got to it, but it didn't take away from its impact on me.
Shrugs~ Everyone is at a different point in life.
I will be back in school soon and I won't have the luxury of time to do such extra reading.
Please don't take it personally.
:cool: :clap:
I don't.
The relationships between short stories and philosophy is a complicated one from the beginning. Plato used a dialogical form, a bit like a story. Nietzsche's 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' is rather like a long short story. I think there is a place for the short story in philosophy, at least I am fond of exploring this method. Short stories can gesture at something, something which reason or deduction cannot quite grasp. It is a different way of saying what cannot be said. I find some poetry can do the same thing.
And to me this implies precisely that they are not philosophy. Isn't philosophy reason all the way down?
On the other hand, stories do sometimes contain philosophy, because stories can contain rational discussion and argument. And as you say, they can also generate philosophical thoughts. A poem can make you think of something that you can philosophize about, even though the poem isn't in itself philosophy.
So stories can contain philosophy but usually don't. But even when they don't, they can still be philosophical, even if they are not philosophy as such.
I don't think I'm disagreeing, just throwing my thoughts out.
In response to your dialogue about an assisted end to life, or the morality thereof. I've never posted in this thread, I take it, it is inappropriate? Out of context?
Yes, sure and I understand you... it is a bit of a question for me actually and therefore something that I wish to inquire. I think philosophy has an 'erotic' dimension for lack of a better world. It discovers a world, it lays it bare so to speak. Now reason is one of our tried and tested methods to do it. However, it is a direct way, very blunt also. Maybe this erotic quality the world has in my opinion, could also be approached by a different method, the method of the story, or the poem. It is not altogether uncommon in philosophy. Descartes' meditations for instance also contain storytelling elements. And read the mystic Theresa d'Avila and her ecstatic experience of God.
probably the naughtiest tidbits of text to grace the 'learn religions' website...
That is a very erotic description but at the same time, it is theology. So I wonder whether there are not other ways to explore the question of fundamental structures of reality. It does not have to be this graphic or bombastic of course, and can be done in other ways as well. See also Albert Camus's books which might be aiming at such a thing.
Just what I was looking for, thanks :fire:
It sounds like you have knowledge and experience re philosophy and literature ?
Philosophy of Literature...of Fiction...Philosophy of Art? Books and Papers? Aesthetics?
Where can TPF creative authors and other recommendations find a permanent home ?
Somewhere other than a one-off competition relegated to The Lounge.
The Lounge where discussions deemed unworthy are binned.
[ I know there is a Creativity thread out there somewhere but stuff gets lost ]
Getting a bit obsessed again :nerd:
Time for that run in the sun...
Your thoughts welcome.
Let's do it :up:
But where...?
I believe @boagie is responding to the earlier discussion about pain that BitterCrank and others were having.
Certainly not, unless you think all knowledge and truth is only accessible through reason. Spoiler alert - I don't.
Quoting Tobias
I think sometimes a poem can be philosophy explicitly. We have a whole thread of philosophical poems that include some like that. I always turn to my favorite Frost poem, "The Black Cottage." My favorite lines:
[i]As I sit here, and oftentimes, I wish
I could be monarch of a desert land
I could devote and dedicate forever
To the truths we keep coming back and back to.
So desert it would have to be, so walled
By mountain ranges half in summer snow,
No one would covet it or think it worth
The pains of conquering to force change on.
Scattered oases where men dwelt, but mostly
Sand dunes held loosely in tamarisk
Blown over and over themselves in idleness.
Sand grains should sugar in the natal dew
The babe born to the desert, the sand storm
Retard mid-waste my cowering caravans-[/i]
Here's a link to the whole poem, which is wonderful.
https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-black-cottage/
It is neither out of context nor inappropriate for this thread. I am sorry for coming off a little confuzzled as to what you were referring to. The topic of "orgasm" is a bit hyper loaded for me at the moment, please forgive my bite if that is how I came across, I am sorry. Now to your actual suggestion...
Quoting boagie
Where do you draw such conclusions from if I may be so bold to ask?
I have been with people in their 11th hour here on this Earth and I think that maybe what you are suggesting is valid in regard to pain being what they become...though I will have to ponder on that one a bit.
As far as an orgasm is concerned, if in orgasm, that is all that I am.
I am excited about the present and my future, for they are all I can really have an effect on, right?
@unenlightened Let us have our fun you grumpy bastard. :razz:
Looking forward to watching you on The Great British Fuck off, or Britain's got Wankers. "There can only be one orgasm."
Quoting Baden
What? Publish stuff as it comes in? That's ridiculous because, because ... well actually why not?
Sorry, I'm already booked in for "I'm an Obscenity, Get Me Out of Here!"
Quoting unenlightened
We could actually do that, have a short story section were anyone can post anytime, but that's more or less already catered for on the "Get Creative" thread, and it seems like we get more participation when we put some extra structure in.
Yeah, pathetic isn't it. How about a post of the week competition, or thread of the year, or something related to what we are supposed to be interested in? I would leave, of course, but it would encourage the proletariat.
:D unfortunately not... hence probably my enthusiastic foray into this subject. If I see the threads on literature here on the forum I am not even particularly well read. But a kind of reexamination of philosophy is a pet project of mine now for ages. A pet project because at work they want me to think about other things all the time. @T Clark thanks for the poem! It is beautiful. Poetry for me is difficult in English. I love rather abstract work and my favorite poet writes very lyrically, but even in Dutch it is nigh un-intelligible, making up words along the way, but for me they are surrealist masterpieces. Actually another philosophy/literary figure for me is Borges, but even in the tragedies I think philosophy is buried, just approached from a different perspective. In legal theory for instance the Greek play Antigone is still read and inspires commentaries.
Lack of time and interest.
:up: Wonder what the story writers think ? As well as the competition - an opportunity all year round ?
I would like to see a distinct Short Story section. To include threads or discussions of stories by TPF writers and the more well-known and published. Recommendations as in 'Currently Reading' with short comments or analyses as in the competition.
The 'Get Creative' thread caters for all kinds of creativity. It's good but not enough.
See earlier post:
Quoting Amity
Short and sweet. Neither was I much. Now I am.
Such is life.
:up:
Admirable :smile:
It has been my personal experience and my observation of others in intense pain. Pain has the power to wipe the mind clean. Being is that which experiences, thinks, and has feelings about said experiences, is this not the process of having an identity. other than that which is pain? The Upanishads come to mind, " Thou art that", meaning you are part of what you perceive- no separation, but with INTENSE pain you become pain because that is all you perceive, you do not think about it or have negative feelings being processed through the understanding, you are pain. The same process occurs when one is in orgasm, only it is INTENSE pleasure that one becomes very briefly, where are you/ the individual at that time, you do not exist, you are INTENSE pleasure. I suggest that if you were thinking of the future at the time of orgasm, you were not in orgasm, perhaps a delightful feeling, but definitely NOT orgasm. Identity becomes oblivion, through pain or pleasure.
I have been in intense pain and the way I was able control going in and out of shock in a helicopter ride after I broke my back, in a high speed, high impact horseback riding accident. I remember the paramedical telling me I could not have any form of pain control till we were at the hospital, and I made the choice to allow my spirit to rise above me. I could literally see myself on the backboard, but I was very okay with it. Till they started yelling my name and I came back and asked them if I could have some pain control, they said no. I left and went right back up, this time a lot easier and decided to look the other way and maybe take a fork in the path. The next thing I remember was a whole lot of intense pain, but I think mine was shock, wasn't it?
Maybe you can figure it out.
Perhaps :flower:
NATIONAL CHAMPS!!
It's all my fault because when I went to bed Alabama was rocking it!
Sorry Alabama :pray:
Congratulations. You're having a Boston sports year. I like Alabama, but it's nice to see someone else win from time to time.
It is sad for the people of Alabama. They are poor, dirty, stupid, and toothless. All they had was football. Now they don't even have that.
Gracious in victory as always.
Is she still transmissible? I need to get the flock outta this ranch for a bit to clear my mind but they need me to help them since they (my indian and her) are in isolation.
@frank @Hanover @Baden @unenlightened
ANYBODY but Fauci
Names please :brow:
But you have your own problems and they are adults; get them a big shop and then look after yourself.
And I think the wheels have mostly fallen off justice.
I am a giver my friend and as a Mother, they will be my children. Though I have been reminded that I cannot pour from an empty cup.
Yes, Fauci is wrong. Immunization is a government mind control plot. Masks are a violation of our constitutional rights. Trump was actually elected president.
https://news.mongabay.com/2014/07/the-worlds-best-mother-meet-the-octopus-that-guards-its-eggs-for-over-four-years/
Whoa
I have a mug of fresh coffee and three small slices of toasted rye bread, the dark thin kind of rye bread with bits in it. Atop this toast I have slices of smoked trout. Atop the trout I have slices of fresh cucumber. It could do with sour cream or butter but since my blood test results a few days ago I'm reducing my cholesterol.
Does anyone here drink gimlets?
I think fish? You just have to play Russian roulette with that mercury poisoning.
Pretty low mercury too.
You'll be whistling a cheery tune in no time.
I love smoked/cured fish, but not sure if I've had trout. Plenty of lox around here.
I had to google it. :yum:
Yeah lots of big trouts here, thanks to all the rivers and lakes I suppose.
Had to google trout and didn't realize it's also red-fleshed; I wonder if the two are pretty similar. I'm embarrassingly behind on making my way to the legendary Russ & Daughters here; they have tons of different varieties.
Yeah the trout is part of the salmon family and the meat looks similar, especially here, where they're often around the same size.
Aha. Now I know.
I think in NYC, with lox, there's some confusion on what constitutes "real" lox (I think smoked?) versus the type that's cured but not smoked. I don't know, I read something about it once but then forgot the details. I think if you get lox at a random bagel place here it's not smoked. @Maw?
And within salted there are variations. I prefer lightly salted.
They sound good.
Is that what we have? I have no idea. Are there smoked but unsalted fishes? That seems weird. I know Gravlax is a weird variation here that also involves sugar. I've never tried it. I think it's a favorite of the older generation.
Random bagels in NYC are usually pretty good, yes. Best to ask if anything's hot out of the oven, rather than be picky about which variety you want.
That's what I was wondering. I wouldn't be surprised.
Quoting Noble Dust
I've had that. Nordic innit.
Quoting Noble Dust
In my list of things to try in New York, if I ever go, is bagels, pastrami sandwiches, and a range of pizzas to determine the average quality of New York pizza, which I hear so much about. I'm quite sure it beats Moscow pizza.
:lol:
Bagels you can have very good luck with; [s]just go wherever is nearby.[/s]... nah, you have to know what to look for. Katz's really is worth the hype for Pastrami, in my mind. Especially for a foodie. Pizza, I would need to start a whole separate thread about. Joe's is a must. If you had 24 hours in NY, I would say go to Joe's. It won't change your life, but it's the platonic ideal. In the year 2022 there's too many good pizza spots at this point.
I mean, there are four or five places here that make decent Neapolitan pizza, but that's not many in a city this size. Kind of surprising considering how crazy Russians are for Italian culture.
Quoting Noble Dust
Platonic ideal of pizza, or of New York pizza, which I get the impression is its own genre?
Interesting, didn't know that. 4-5 doesn't sound like much for a large city, true.
Quoting jamalrob
The platonic ideal of a New York slice (i.e. you order it by the slice and they re-heat it.) But it's also kind of the platonic ideal of pizza, at least in the Ninja Turtles sense.
Btw, I stumbled upon the article about Lox, if you're interested. Not surprisingly, I had it backwards.
https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/difference-between-lox-and-smoked-salmon-gravlax-kippered-salmon-recipes-article
[quote=epicurious]Lox is cured, but not smoked[/quote]
I thought that's what you said.
Anyway thanks, I may read that article in my continuing effort to avoid work today.
Not surprisingly, I had what I said backwards.
Happy to help your quest to not work.
Sorry to hear it was sick.
Pizza on A Plate with Plato ?
In the year 2022, not everyone has access to 'too many good pizza spots' :sad:
Indeed, many have a masochistic desire to make their own.
Some already are well-practised in both Plato and Pizza.
A DIY Pizza Project - where do you start ?
What kind of crust ? Thin/crispy or deep/doughy ? A mix of both ?
How simple and natural do you knead it to be ? How authentic ?
How much technology and energy ? With or without yeast ?
What kind of oven and how clean does it have to be?
Choice of topping...with or without a Ninja Turtle ?
Make Your Own: Pepperoni Pizza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCAPjIVOdJw
The Perfect Pizza ? Plato's Predicament :chin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZJy5O6lN7k
@jamalrob
I vote for another philo category called 'The Foodbox' ! :cool:
Well-beingnessness an' all that, no ?
What would a Symposium be without one...oh, and drink :party:
I'm overwhelmed by the questions, but I'll let my inner pizza speak. Yes, I'm disgustingly spoiled by how much good pizza exists within an hours commute of my residence. That being as it may,
Crispy crust.
Dough leavened by a sourdough starter is often advantageous, and a bit of a hipster fad at the mo'.
The oven depends on the dough.
A pure pizza is dough (crust), sauce, and cheese. Other toppings are optional, sometimes welcomed, but not needed.
Quoting Bitter Crank
I LOL'd. But wouldn't it have been better like this: "Sorry to hear he was sick"
:grin: Go wiv da flow, baby...
Hm. As a fan of Neapolitan pizza I like the crust to be slightly crispy on the surface, but chewy and softer within. I hate full crispiness on a pizza.
If poor boy Lox was cured but didn't get smoked up, is he really good? (pending dialectical understanding/misunderstanding)
:cool: Have you tried to make your own ?
Judging by your post earlier, if you haven't been to NY, the traditional style is a crust that's crispier than Neapolitan, thinner, broader, but still has a chew. It's very different than Neapolitan, though.
Pure Pizza !
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186525-d23041578-Reviews-Pure_Pizza-Edinburgh_Scotland.html
Oh I did
:groan:
:lol:
I wanna go wiv da flow and make my own pizza. Don't think it would work...
Have you made one in a state of being at One with the World ?
Or otherwise...
I'm open-minded and I'd like to try it, but right now I can't imagine anything better than the traditional Italian kind.
At the risk of opening a worm can, what is your opinion of Chicago pizza?
:clap:
I only tried to make my own pizza as adult once, and I used a recipe given in a youtube video and subsequently written down by a youtube commenter, who incorrectly listed the 2 teaspoons of salt as 2 tablespoons, so because of the stupidity of the youtube commenter that I so intelligently relied on for the recipe, I made salty dough that didn't rise.
I know you're well traveled, and I'm assuming you've had it in Naples, which I haven't. The best Neapolitan pizza I've had has been here in NY, but I prefer the NY style over American Neapolitan, if that makes sense. I'm getting technical, dammit.
Chicago Pizza tastes great but isn't pizza. There's also the "real" Chicago style which is a thin, crackery crust cut into square little nibbles, which is almost somehow better whilst also being pathetic. I love Chicago as a city though.
Yeah I had one in Sorrento, near Naples, and one in Rome too. I've been seeking to match those experiences since.
Quoting Noble Dust
I was kinda hoping for a crazed rant.
That sounds lovely ! Shame you don't have, or remember, her recipe ?
Quoting Noble Dust
There are SO many youtube vids out there.
I watched an American one the other day. It shoulda been X-rated on a gay porn site :scream:
Can't find it now...
I'm pretty serious about this pizza-making business.
On look-out for a simple recipe...
Not a bad idea. I know from experience that non-food people are bemused by or contemptuous of food talk, so we need a safe space.
But some of my best friends are non-food people. One of them hates cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil, and for some reason he went on a month long holiday to Italy.
EDIT: I almost forgot: he hates pasta too.
There's not really a recipe, but she still makes it.
Quoting Amity
Here's the video. Just be sure to use 2 teaspoons of salt rather than 2 tablespoons....
https://youtu.be/whnvQBhXh3A
That reminds me of a lasagne I had in Padua/Padova, Italy.
A small, quaint, family-run restaurant in the Jewish quarter.
It was the best but god alone knows what was in it - a mix of meats. Horse, pig, lamb, cow, offal ?
No other lasagne since then has matched the pure perfection... *sighs*
:gasp:
He must have survived on il gelato and fresh fruit. Wine.
Bread, cakes and pastries :cool:
Italians do a lot of good meat and fish main dishes too though, following the pasta course.
Esattamente :cool:
Not to mention the salads !
Oh, I want to be there. This is so unfair :sad:
I once had a kosher carbonara in the Jewish quarter of Rome.
Thanks :up:
Here:
Recipe with beef cheek ?!
https://www.bellacarne.it/en/blog-en/kosher-carbonara-recipe/
I know right? Gotta love it! Dutch culinary culture at its best! :rofl:
Aw...that's what I really, really want... :cool:
Wonder when travel will open up again...
I've had my 4th vaccination. How special am I ?
But I still can't go anywhere, dammit all :naughty:
Edit: Actually 5 vaccinations if you include the flu.
I thought they were 2 covid and 2 boosters - turns out they're all the same !
Renamed: 3 covid and 1 booster...
Talk about confusing!
:starstruck: Amity
I'm not a big eel fan, but had it as the final piece in an Omakase recently, and did enjoy it. It was still the same strange flavor I remember, though (something like the smell of a small brook in the Midwest of the US, maybe??) any tips on eel appreciation?
Yuckety, yuck :vomit:
@jamalrob
That's another vote :up:
Difficult... Actually I am not really an eel man myself. I have had it smoked the Dutch way once and it was delicious... I had it smoked the same way and I thought meh, and I had eel in South America and while I normally love South American cooking it was bland and the caldo de congrio tasted greasy. I found eel worked strongly salted, smoked and dried in order for the grease not to be overwhelming. I was thinking of doing a gravad lax type thing with eel once. However, I was dissuaded when I read that eel should never be eaten raw as it is poisonous.... The Belgians do something lovely with it called 'eel in the green'. The eel is simmered for a long time in a mixture of different green herbs. I had it once and was lovely.
I am all for it. Keeps me from going to facebook when I want to share cooking pics or recipes... (Yeah, facebook, I know, I am old...)
I never even got started with Facebook !
If it truly is so lovely, I'm on board. How to try it in NY... :chin:
Yes, yes rub it in Amity!
Quoting Noble Dust
Well there must be a Belgian restaurant in New York, their cuisine is renowned. But then... for us in the Netherlands the cuisine of just about everyone else is renowned... :worry:
Here is the recipe... https://leeksandhighheels.com/recipes/belgian-classics/belgian-classics-17-eel-in-green-sauce/
What do you mean ?
I just never, ever did Facebook or any other twitter-ish thing.
If TPF ever goes in that direction, I'd be outta here.
I prefer emails, phone calls to any of this new-fangled stuff.
A real Slow Movement person am I :wink:
Those names give a delightful Game of Thrones feeling.. Maybe Tirion is browsing my stuff...
Where are your articles ?
Here it is:
How to Make Homemade Pizza (with Nick Scarpino) - Cooking with Greggy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnuL8WCPfk0
But then again, so are we :sad:
Quoting Baden
Best I can do.
It goes on to develop into an amazing philosophical exploration of some crap. The End.
Why do they need you?
Kafkaesque!
One they are my children.
Two I am a Momma Bear.
Three Nick could give a flying fuck.
Four I am a giver.
Five...
Yeah. He goes on to wonder if any of it is real, so tries to devise reality tests. Did the Kafka roach do that? I don't remember.
This sounds like a psychological situation I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. :grimace:
Where I grew up, the name of the town next door is Hardscrabble.
Actually, sounds a bit more Oliver Sacksian.
The forum in a nutshell.
I think you need to get either Oliver Sacks or Rod Serling to write your story. Unfortunately, they're both dead.
The name of my hometown was Shithole, Georgia just across the Dung River from Happyville. When it got cold, the shit mist would freeze and block the sun, turning day into a frozen outhouse reeking night.
If not for my mother's delicious homemade chocolate pudding, that place would have been intolerable.
Hardscrabble... I like that! I immediately imagine two gunslingers, staring each other down. One Mexican in a colorful poncho, the other looking like Lee van Cleef wearing an old Stetson hat. They lay their heavy colts on the table and sit themselves down opposite one another... between them just a board of colorful squares and a little standard on which they each have 12 letters.... The disadvantage laying clearly with the mustached Mexican as he starts with both and X and a Q....
Based on my understanding of your character; as limited as it may be, and Google Earth; I believe this is not true
To clarify - I was indicating that my understanding of your character is limited, not your character itself. On the other hand, my statement is probably correct either way you interpret it.
How dare you deny the existence of my ancestral homeland, where Jebidiah Hanover first settled with his sister and the 12 children God blessed them with.
Yes. That's exactly it. The reason it's hard is that van Cleef speaks English, the Mexican speaks Spanish, and the scrabble set is in Russian using the Cyrillic alphabet.
Your knowledge of history embiggens us all.
Yeah, but they are Monkeys in My Circus.
Nick is no longer ring leader, if he ever was.
Maybe I am a fool for giving to my kids but I can deal with that kind of foolishness rather than being a fool to believe someone loved me.
:broken:
Did you read this:
Rory Kinnear: On the day of No 10’s lockdown party, I buried my sister
Pain like ours was tearing through families the world over. It felt like we were all in it together. Not all of us, it turned out.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/12/rory-kinnear-no-10-lockdown-party-buried-sister
For what it's worth, we take people off covid isolation at 21 days from diagnosis.
No, but I heard several similar stories. What's worse than Boris though are the Tories who defend him. Utterly cynical. It's got to the stage now where the wally has to argue he doesn't know what he's doing, where he is, and the difference between wine and apple juice, but that he's qualified to run the country, and he's got minions soulless enough to stand behind that.
Even if they are still testing positive?
I've been an idle waster for most of my life, but even I can tell the difference between a work meeting and a party. But this government needs an inquiry to find out, and Boris cannot tell after being there for half an hour. But Boris has apologised for people being angry at him and for other people thinking it was a party.
Fortunately, I resigned from his governance a long time ago.
Also, can I suggest 'Lunchbox', 'Hamper', or possibly, to align with the lounge, 'dining room'.
We don't test them again. An antibody test would show up positive.
We send people back to work 7 days after a positive test result - as long as symptoms have stopped.
The people I'm talking about still have symptoms, but after 21 days we assume we're looking at long term effects, not an active infection.
However there is a mass at the base of his skull. They tried to admit him for an MRI today. Mom said umnmm you can't put a pace in an MRI. Signed Dad out against medical advice.
Mom has been scouring the planet for an MRI machine that is compatible with his pacemaker. No dice.
Anyone around here know of any?
I'm truly asking God if he is seriously telling me now?
Now? I'm already in a battle and he is going to take me to my knees? Are you freaking kidding me?
And by "the man," you mean your wife, is that correct?
Yep. I spent 60 days in "the hole" with "the man." Would've killed a weaker person.
I thought he would have created a new discussion for us to continue the general short story chat and play "guess the authors". I guess we can do it here or create a thread in the Lounge.
Guess the authors -- you mean authors from here? Is this open to the forum members?
Ahhh!
Okay, that sounds like fun. As I have no clue who these people are. Where is the guess the author thread?
I could create one of course...
Okay. Cool. :up:
Do you need help creating a thread for it?
Okay, I'll wait.
Ok, the short story discussion can continue here:
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/11340/short-story-competition-discussion
??????! That is one helluva tough game gringo!
:chin:
Sorry to hear that. When it rains it fucking pours, huh?
Stay strong, Tiff. :heart:
Been in the fuckin storm too long my friend.
They are seeing his neurologist 2 hrs from now. I told Mom not to go. That what good and bad comes with a diagnosis.
The good? He is not a surgical canidate. What good is a dx when he is DNI, DNR, signed refusal of dialysis, blood sugars are going up and not down.
Mom was head RN at Hospice impatient for 15 years. She knows where Dad is headed but in the end we are humans and many of us hold on hope.
No. Diagnosis is caustic at this point because people like my Dad will let their dx define them.
There is a switch in the tracks ahead, unfortunately I have been there before and that is when you move from selfish prayers for the person to live and move to a place where you pray for painless and easy passage.
I don't think we are there yet but I could be tragically wrong.
:cry:
My Dad has a "bundle of veins" @frank probably knows the scientific name at the base of his skull.
Bottom line is the ER freaked when they saw what was going on. Today his neurologist compared a scan he had done 5 years ago and it is unchanged. :party:
That doesn't explain the dizziness but it also rules out a ton of scary things that keeps me awake at night.
The choice he has to make has it's own consequences
A) stay on the blood thinners he is on but if he were to fall again and hit his head it could be catastrophic.
B) go off the blood thinners and increase his risk of stroke
I think he is going to go with A.
I cannot Thank you guys for being here for me again in life.
My Mom said that she and my Dad are going to come clean with my siblings that live out of state.
Thank God in Heaven for my Dad :flower: :flower: :flower:
Did they say it's an AVM?
Who doesn't love a good mystery? :)
Discovery of ASKAP J173608.2–321635 as a Highly Polarized Transient Point Source with the Australian SKA Pathfinder (Oct 12, 2021)
I'm asking...
Yes. What does that mean?
Hmmm....
He checks almost all of the signs
It's a birth defect. I guess he's always had it. That's good news, though.
I guess... my emotions are a mess right now. I am tired but not the go and get a goodnight sleep tired.
It's a soul tired.
Hope you find some soul rest.
It's longish - 32 or so pages, but if anyone is interested in the topic, let me know so I can start a reading group and we can discuss it. There's a lot of interesting stuff in it.
Just an FYI.
That's going to require a LOT of barbecue sauce packets.
Old Australian joke:
"How do you like your meat?"
"Just wipe it's arse."
Sorry....
Alright, I'll start the thread and post the article, I'll give an introduction and then proceed as you wish, it can be a comment after a reading few pages, or taking issue with a detail that you want to discuss or it can be after you read it all, it's all OK with me.
Why is the stock market like a hooker's drawers?
Up down up down.
Haven't heard anybody calling underwear 'drawers' lately, and this isn't particularly inappropriate, or crude. It just popped into my head.
This is too distressing.
*Pig squeals and runs away.*
Why not? Decades back Carl Jung postulated that UFO and alien visitation stories were the beginnings of a new religion in the creative flux of its formative mythmaking years. There's a Jungian academic and philosopher David Halperin (now retired) who holds the same view.
Here in Russia their porridge (kasha) can be made with many different types of grain--millet, spelt, buckwheat, oats etc--and then they add berries and whatever. Normally I like to try new things but when it comes to porridge I'll always be a dour Scotsman. Oats, milk, salt.
Weather today is shit. It's one of those rare and unpleasant winter days when it goes above zero celsius, which means rain and snow-melt and dirt. Yuck.
In the US we just call porridge "oatmeal", presumably because we're too uncreative to use anything other than oats. Except for "Cream of Wheat", which is apparently an actual brand of wheat-based porridge. I haven't had it in years, but now that I'm thinking about it I think might try to find some. I used to love it.
Yeh I was aware of that. Basically, for you and me porridge = oatmeal. It's always oats. That's one reason I was confused here when I saw a whole porridge section of a menu, and another time when my beef cheeks came with porridge on the side (buckwheat, it must have been).
At any rate, I'm perpetually bored with my breakfast options (and I need low maintenance breakfasts), so you've put porridge/oatmeal/cream of wheat back on my radar.
My parents mostly drink instant coffee. It was all instant coffee when I was growing up and most average British folks drink instant coffee if they don't drink tea, although I guess things have changed a bit now with the influence of Starbucks and the affordability of ersatz espresso machines.
My parents' name for coffee made with ground beans is "posh coffee". I said to them that this is like calling real potatoes "posh potatoes" as opposed to instant mash, that drinking instant coffee is like eating instant mash. My Mum was offended by this and denied it vehemently. It's amazing how class issues are still totally bound up with food in Britain.
@Noble Dust I get the impression from movies and TV that Americans are far in advance of the Brits on this. Am I right?
Oh my word, the coffee culture here is insane. So much so that I learned about it, joined in, and am already out. I still buy whole beans and grind them myself before brewing, but people are cultish about the origins of the beans, roast times, and brewing techniques. People write tasting notes akin to wine. It's mental, as you brits would say. And it's not just NYC; in fact, NY is pretty average when it comes to coffee. The craze began on the west coast and seems to have sort of spread gradually to the east. The coffee scene in the midwest where I'm from is better than it is here in NY honestly.
:lol: Yeah, I've been close to getting into it a couple of times but luckily saw sense at the last minute. I spent hours watching some coffee guy on YouTube and later regretted it. There was a point when I realized that once you've got some decent beans and a grinder, it's vastly diminishing returns after that.
I get beans and grind them at home, but I don't care otherwise.
Yeah, that's basically it. At the risk of going back on what I said, though, a few things I've noticed is that a burr grinder is the best type of grinder (but I bought the cheapest one with a giftcard). Also, I used to only make coffee with an aeropress, which supposedly makes the least bitter coffee, but I got fed up with it when the suction stopped working properly, so I then bought an old school drip machine for the convenience. Turns out, everyone was right. Aeropress coffee is quite smooth, while coffee made in a normal drip machine is way more bitter.
I've seen a lot of people say that but it looks like it's just about the evenness of the grind. Me, I don't really mind if some of the coffee is too fine and some too coarse, so I've got a cheaper one.
Quoting Noble Dust
I just use a French press and I always add some milk so it doesn't matter if it's bitter. The milk sweetens it. No doubt you think I'm a barbarian.
By the way, is there some unwritten rule of the short story competition that prevents us from responding to feeback before the names are all up?
All I know is I noticed a difference in the taste when I upgraded. Again, I'm sounding like the coffee hipster I claimed to not be.
Quoting jamalrob
Not at all. I had a French press once. Then I broke it. I love the unique taste. It's just not something I can drink every day. The oily mouthfeel and all. Oh, barbarian because of the milk? Nah whatever.
Quoting jamalrob
There's not an unwritten rule, but there is an unwritten rule. :lol: On the other hand, you own this website, and you won the fucking contest, so who gives a shit? (conspiracy theory forthcoming).
Yes, you are :grin:
On the other hand, you can't argue with an improvement in taste. But my coffee tastes great enough so I'm not gonna add any more complexity to my life or buy more shit.
Quoting Noble Dust
True. I guess I feel like a timid outsider cos I didn't take part in the first contest.
I just need to stop lying to myself; I spent the $20 on the drip machine but I secretly hate it. I just need to cough up the $30 on a brand new Aeropress. And then acknowledge that I'm a full-blown Brooklyn coffee snob. :vomit:
The weird thing is that the only reason I bought a drip machine is that my old dad makes great coffee out of a drip machine. I just saw him for Christmas, and his coffee tastes exactly the same as it always has. It's not bitter, it's balanced, and super earthy. I'm not one to be biased towards family, or insist on some special mojo or whatever. But I literally don't know how he makes it, and how my drip coffee is so bad in comparison.
:chin:
Nowt dour about it ! The question is: What kind of oats and how do you prepare/cook them ?
Different people in different parts of Scotland do it... different.
As with dialects, so with de dish, deelish!
Quoting Noble Dust
Again, I think it depends on where and who.
My friend told me about this screechy, demanding American lady who brought down her jar of instant Nescafe to breakfast. In an Italian hotel which served the best coffee !
Well, at least she had a passport and was willing to travel abroad...
:yikes:
I know that some are bigger and rougher and more ... meaty? ... than others. Some are too refined and dusty. Sorry, I don't know the porridge terminology :grin:
I like the rough stuff. Oats and milk in a pan on the cooker, make coffee, serve porridge, enjoy while reading TPF.
One thing that might make a difference is the temperature of the water that the coffee maker supplies to the grounds. I reduced the temperature by 10ºF and the resulting coffee had a significantly different flavor--maybe better, or worse... depending on preference. Water for drip coffee should not be boiling, I have been told for years. 190º seems pretty good.
Coffee made the same way doesn't always taste the same, either. Sooo, sometimes it's me.
You are very right. "Dirty water dogs" are a big deal here in NY. People say the NY water affects the bagels and the pizza too. I dunno if I buy it, but I'm also open minded about it. Who knows. I certainly don't.
Quoting Bitter Crank
Are you my dad in disguise? I know his secret, by the way, which I didn't mention. He combines room temperature water with ice cubes.
That's no right, at a' mon !!!
This conversation needs a special spot for the edumacation of the wurrrld.
So, the best way but not my lazy way is:
How I experienced it up North (Scotland). Uncle soaked oats overnight. In morning, cooked them in water in a pan and stirred with wooden spurtle. Served in a bowl, keeping milk separate in a small cup in front. A spoon of porridge then dipped into the milk before travelling to the mouth.
I still do this but cheat with easy porridge. And it's Irish :yikes:
Flahavan's Original microwavable in 2 minutes.
2 scoops of oats, 4 scoops of cold water/milk in a deep bowl, microwave for 2 mins.
https://www.flahavans.co.uk/product/flahavans-irish-quick-oats/
Traditional way:
https://www.movementandnutrition.co.uk/how-to-make-porridge-recipe/
I don't do toppings :vomit:
Och aye, the noo :cool:
Porrige issues:
The midwest's Malt'o Meal company makes a variety of 'cream of wheat' that has malt in it. It tastes better than Cream of Wheat. Cream of wheat is food for sick people/
The best oatmeal is called "Irish Oatmeal" or "steel cut oats". It's an unprocessed, unrolled, piece of oat kernel without bran. It takes quite a while to cook--30 minutes. I cook it in a pan, then in a double boiler with milk--about 45 minutes altogether. Very good.
Millet makes a good porridge too. Rinse the dust off the millet grain. Bring to a boil (usual ratio of 1 measure of grain, 3 measures of water, salt to taste) bring to boil, then simmer till water is absorbed. Put millet in double boiler, add milk (generous) and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. (Maybe an hour, altogether. It's a long cooking time compared to cream of wheat (1 minute), but porridge will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, at least, so you don't have to cook it everyday.
Just don't leave it in the pot till it's 9 days old. ("Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold; some like it in the pot 9 days old." 9 day old pea porridge is probably an acquired taste. Might also give one a dose of ptomaine or botulism.
Quoting Amity
:brow:
You can soak overnight, I believe...making it quicker to cook in morning.
Workers couldn't afford that time !
I love this phrase. I think this could become a meme. BC, you could become a star.
Quoting Bitter Crank
How long does it take you ?
I propose a Porridge Making Competition :smile:
10 or 15 minutes. That's the last porridge question I'm answering.
Such a celeb. :roll:
Whatever gets you going :gasp:
I've heard some kept it in a block in their drawers and sliced bits off...
I think that died off :death:
I beat you. So there. End of :razz:
Wait, where's the sugar?
Damn you and your perfect argument. Everyone needs more sugar.
Having said that, I won't say no to a banana.
I knew a guy who ate bananas for breakfast for 20 years or something like that. Apparently, his immune system is super good and he goes on marathons.
Edit: Not to say eating banana's for breakfast is going to magically make you ready for marathons, but y'know.
Haha, I guess so. Well not too bad of a sacrifice, at least it wasn't apples. Or mangos. Or oranges.
You should start a thread, but then @jamalrob would just move it to the Lounge. Although maybe on something like the Philosophy of Food...
Assuming you can see past the shameless sexuality of this video, this is the way British people say "banana":
If you want to know how Americans say banana, I've recorded myself saying it for you.
I say it more like you than like that woman. She is representing south eastern English only.
I thought Brits said "rubbish" and not garbage. I'm beginning to question your Britishness. Just exactly who are you?
Good point actually. Oddly enough I've been Americanized by Russians, because English-speaking Russians have been taught the American words and idioms and not the British.
I say cilantro and eggplant these days, but my pronunciation remains authentic.
Oh, your comment on not needing sugar on porridge is several hours old. That's how all these other comments popped up since you said that.
Makes for the best milk!
Do you have any idea how many carbs are in a Banana let alone wait for it to go brown and then use it!
With oatmeal? Good Lord! :gasp:
Why not just put a couple of teaspoons of Honey on it and go for broke! :roll:
I was just surprised that your voice was so high and squeeky.
:yum:
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/comment/642934
You should hear him after walking in heels all night! :roll:
About a hundred calories in a banana, which isn’t too bad, though surprisingly, a teaspoon of honey is only 21 calories. I would have never guessed that. How did Winnie the Pooh get so chubby? Anyway, blueberries are good too, but they can vary in sweetness or sourness, and some too far gone can have that dreaded mushyness. Half a cup is only 30 calories.
Carbs darlin, carbs. If you are on a keto diet ideally you stay under 12 carbs to 20 carbs in a day, depending on if you are wanting to maintain your weight or lose.
26.95 carbs in the nana
11 for a half cup blueberries
5.71 for 1 tsp honey
roughly 40 total without the carbs in the oats
That would be nice. How are you doing in general my fellow philosopher?
And our capacity to endure it... :wink:
Feel free to upload your own audio file.
Not gonna say exactly how I'll respond, but this is the SHOUT box, so you figure out where this is headed.
La banane.
Hope this answers your question.
I ENJOYED IT!!!
I was shouting there, no one's here. :starstruck:
You sound like a human from Earth.
It snowed here today -- not much. It's cold (normal). All is well for now.
I've been thinking about the 2424 election, and how the results could end up being terribly bad. A coups d'etat? An election really and truly embezzled by the bitter and resentful rancid Republican rats? A plunge into right-wing hooliganism worse than January 6? A period of serious retrograde dysfunction? Total Corruption? Or...?
I did think your attack on the humorless Ms. Collins was a bit over the top, considering her low station in life as a banana pronouncer.
My "Women in Transition" class was cancelled. Why? Who the F knows. Maybe we are done transitioning in this area of life?
Yes!!! No???
But, please rest assured they opened up more classes for "Stress Management"!!!!
And before someone even tries to suggest that I enroll in Stress Management, I already AM! :shade:
I read once that the founder of Honda had an accent that sounds low class in Japan. Supposedly his wife would try to get him to sound more sophisticated, even when the audience couldn't speak Japanese and needed a translator.
That is utterly inexcusable. Even I could follow the Scottish MP and I am not a native speaker.
Maybe you're a cryptologist and you didn't know it.
"I am a poet and don't even know it...." Johnny Bravo
Wow, what a terrible example for any MP, never mind a Scottish one.
Obviously, a bit nervous but could have been helped by a K.I.S.S.
Short and simple, like:
"What are the plans to improve access for disabled colleagues during refurbishment ?"
Ian Blackford, SNP Parliamentary leader should kick him up the arse and show him the way.
Blackford's performance always clear, cutting and comprehensible...
@jamalrob I knew it. You are a spy :scream:
Exactly.
There is another great story in there I am sure....
I must say I loved the debates in the House of Commons. For my research into air pollution regulation I have studied the parliamentary debate on air quality by reading the Hansard from the early 1990s'. I must say I love the wit and the back handed insults. Even those debates on a decidedly unsexy topic made me snicker and chuckle at times.
Keto shmeto, diets never work!
A keto diet,
if you can actually live by it,
will make your body go numb.
Only a lifestyle change,
if it can be arranged,
will end in not feeling short-changed.
Fiddly-dee, fiddly-bum,
the end of a diet will never come.
Get on a bike,
or dance with a dike,
whatever makes your heart race anew!
Eat a carrot,
or sing with a parrot,
… and whatever the hell else.
This is the poetry of eating, me darlin’
That is hilarious! :rofl: :rofl:
Poor guy!
Yes, well, we all knew it was a joke so we only pretended to be interested. We got together on PM and planned out how to present the stupidest ideas about art we could think of so you'd think you were all smart and stuff. Really, can you possibly think anyone actually believes baloney like this:
Quoting T Clark
So it seemed.
Who was it that said, "There is nothing so stupid that a philosopher hasn't said it."? Probably one of the pre-socratics who anticipated the tsunami of baloney that would soon inundate the freshly painted walls of academe.
What is Minerva planning to do with the Centaur's hair? Given the battle-ax she is carrying, I would be concerned if I were them (they, them, the preferred pronouns of Centaurs). Whatever it is, they seem to be dreading it. Note the centaur's bow: extra curves for more power. On the other hand, Minerva's boots cum sandles (spellcheck doesn't know that sandles is spelled correctly. It thinks I mean candles.) would seem to be unsuited for outdoor wear, what with horse/goat/bull/centaur fecal matter oozing between her toes.
I like how the greenery on her arm becomes, and doesn't become, the design in the fabric; or is it the other way around? A bit of early magic realism?
He should have used that bow when he had the chance, poor fool.
Perhaps the centaur is about to be poleaxed.
Quoting Bitter Crank
She's a god, isn't she?
Nothing to worry about. The Centaur is not groomed -- long hairs, or hairs out of place, is a sign of a bad character (during their time). A warrior has closed-cropped hair.
Many people around my ranch are retired police and there is one safe house down at the end of police row, so everyone who lives in the valley of our foothill have to pass our ranch going in and out.
I told you that because of the density of retired law enforcement, who are not only armed but they put up signs as such. When in reality if you are trained and practiced with a bow, of which there are three of on our office walls, of which I am being denied access to, are as lethal and sometimes moreso.
The theory is that a bow is much more accurate within defending you, your livestock and property because if you kill something with a bow and arrow, there is plenty of time to make the choice to let go of that arrow.
To me they are a threat because that is why I was told they were for...
Long story short, never underestimate the power of a bow and arrow.
I think she is looking for headlice. He is shaking in fear, because he knows that if she finds some, he'll become stigmatized. It's a bit like getting the fact you have bedbugs out into the community. Or that you snitched on Petersen to Mr. Roth, the geography teacher.
In 1914, Max Scheler Described Much of the Next 107 Years (2021)
Seems this sort of thing has become more explicit in the last decade or so?
If so, then perhaps looking for anti-dotes would be worthwhile.
Ressentiment (1915) by Max Scheler translated to English by Louis A Coser
[sub]About:
Ressentiment (review) (W H Werkmeister; 1974)
What's Ressentiment Got to Do with It (Martin E Marty (not Tina Turner); 2017)
Ressentiment and Rationality (Elizabeth Murray Morelli; 2021)
[/sub]
So, there is such a thing as lousy art, after all!
:sweat:
at age 3 i could read in seven languages. not aloud, though.
at 68, im hoping to become a future child prodigy
People should make a bigger fuss over us geriatric prodigies.
Network upgrades are interrupting us today. I hope it will all be fine shortly.
"The man is father to the child." - traditional.
"The child is father to the man." - Shakespeare.
"The man is child to the father." - GMBA.
"The father is man to the child." - ibid.
"The child is man to the father." - RC Priest.
"Is the child the father to Man"
"The child is the father to Man"
"To the man child is the father"
Could have been shortened to " More/(missible mutations)"
Depends, of course, whether your perform lingual connections in left-to-right or in dominant operand order.
I got caught in the net but I made it out.
Have you seen the movie Dune?
It's a fin past five am here.
Dogs woke me and I am going back to sleep.
But after all, is brevity really the soul of wit?
If that were true, half a wit would be worth more than a whole wit.
If that were true, I would be eating my hat right now.
Don't forget the Tabasco sauce. And the vinegar. Mm-mm. Yummy.
It always comes back to food eh.
"Food and Sex are Human Nature." Old Japanese proverb. (It is. I am not making this up.)
The problem is... this is the nature of all living animals. Not at all exclusive to humans. So there, so much for ancient Japanese wisdom. But as truth goes, it is true. It is just not outstandingish-true.
Ah, but that's the point. It undermines the very concept of human nature.
If you want to look at it that way. There is plenty human nature left that is not known to be freely occurring in the rest of nature outside of humans.
I get a rush every time you so outright agree with me.
Part of my nature.
You can take the boy out of nature, but you can't take his nature out of the boy.
You do it one more time and I pass out in a fit of ecstasy.
Just please wait five minutes... I need to get comfortable. You don't want me to pass out with my bladder full.
(I know I am just bladdering now.)
Oh my what a line! :razz:
See? I'm not the only one trying to be bold this year!
Vaccinated gibbon monkeys are mooning you already? It's not even noon yet.
Vaxxed gibbon mooners. I like it. :party:
Anyway I read the perfect new name for him. He is no longer "NicK" he is now "Cosmic Wanker".
Onward and Upward!
Don't like the hair or the face, but I love what she's wearing.
I saw it when I was out tonight and thought "I guess it's waxing gibbous but it's so close to full that there should be another name for it".
When I was working on a software project in the French countryside some years ago, I'd see the full moon and it would get me down, cos I'd think shit, I've hardly made any progress since the last one. Then I'd go down a pointless mental rabbit hole about the passage of time and all that.
Then the work got done and it was all ok. And then new projects happened and the cycle began again, and I realized it's just going to be like this forever, so I need to change my attitude.
That's a good trap I like. I let the holidays do that to me, but moon phases would work too.
@Noble Dust - :smile:
T Clark - tl;dr
@Hanover - [Place any Hanover comment here]
T Clark - tl;dr
tl;dr
By which I mean "thanks."
https://www.sporcle.com/games/mikschmvlg/english_verbs
The thing I found interesting was that most of the verbs weren't about specific actions but about states of being or general types of action. I kept thinking while trying to get answers "What do I do without actually doing anything." I got one of those philosophyish feelings while doing it, so I thought others might be interested.
I got 18 out of the 27.
Joined the gym, they said it will be fun, it will be good for you.
MMMmmmmm I am a tad sore from the Elliptical machine but at least they had the game on while I was on it.
They open at 430 am...who's with me?
Oh and they weren't talking about jump ropes...they have beginner ropes and BIG guy ropes but I don't get a session with my personal trainer until Thursday and I truly could hurt myself with some of this equipment.
Count me in.
Woo Hoo! :strong:
:strong: :cool: :up:
One is chance? The other intentional?
Wouldn't it then just be a delayed sense of arousal? All paths lead to intimacy; once you arrive on set, you can't help it, you're already doomed.
Come on now we are all adults here. Are you saying that if I shield myself from the truth that absolves me of what? Self imposed guilt?
I agree with the idea of a delay of arousal, but I ask if that is really a healthy way of looking at it.
And then you say you are "doomed". How can arousal be doomed?
Outside of pedif
Just a matter of perspective. I guess Blessed, "once you arrive on set, you're already blessed", would be a better way to put it.
I am still confused. Is that a way of saying that once you are aroused, you are blessed?
Blessed by the encounter! the encounter blesses you in some way or another, for a fit of satisfying ecstasy somewhere down the road. At least that's the way I see it.
I have been thinking about the writing you two collaborated on "The Blessed Life" and if maybe you have access to it. It absolutely belongs here, maybe in the short story area.
Powerful writing
I like your perspective and I can understand the spirit of what you are saying.
Thank you for sharing :flower:
I don’t think I’ve ever used that emoji in my life.
:up:
tl;dr
I need a tl;dr emoji.
Yep
:yawn:
By pretend I meant to pretend in front of others. In other words, I was using irony mixed with a satirical depiction of hypocrisy. As if in court, since "guilty as charged" hints at court sentences; and "Scott free" means discharged. So if in court you can convince the jury that you were disgusted... then why on earth were you looking for a possibly useful technique? This whole post of mine used three poles that were contradicting the other two. I know it was a stretch, and I am glad you asked so I could uncover the static dynamics of the scenario.
Order! Order!
Quoting god must be atheist
I know; don't worry Mr./Ms GMBA, It was actually a pretty good joke. I was just playing hard ball. Or maybe I was just being hard boiled. Or maybe I was playing a hard boiled audience.
Brilliant, Tiff.
Scott Adams in his book "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy" has an entry quoted from the Guide.
"The ravenously vicious predator scrumplewolf of planet Trudgeborp pretends that if you can't see it, then it can't see you. That's one of the many reasons to carry a towel in intergalactic space, so you can wrap it around your head to escape its attack."
Completely parallel defense for both (eat--be eaten) vs (commit criminal or sinful act--consumed by guilt)
For the record, I'm Mr. GMBA. The missus is actually god-fearing. And we are not quite married... a strong bond, yes. But not having the certificate keeps both of us on our toes, we could never take the other completely for granted. This is a darn good arrangement.
At least not yet!
I'm kidding Mr. GMBA; I'd have to agree.
Douglas Adams. :wink:
I had a thing for a while, seeing what I could get away with in public. What I learned is that whatever thrill there is at getting away with it is dwarfed by the weirdness of getting caught.
My apologies. I used to have a super friend, with a skewed and very funny sense of humour, and I used to explain to him his own jokes in the first year of our friendship.
I always mix up the two. Scott Adams was Dilbert's creator, was he not?
I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure tl;dr has evolved to mean "here's a short summary"...
:grin:
My favorite out of the choices.
I guess "little" is relative, eh?
Oh no, did you think it would infinitely scale to TPF?
Quoting Bitter Crank
tl;dr
Like what?
Tardigrade!
Where’s your tldr?
Hinke Posthuma, Pig- 21st Century $1106.00
So, what kind of pig pix do you want?
Not sure. this?
Which way the thing is pointing at. In the shower scene in a prison movie, for instance. Perspective is more powerful than timing in some forms of art.
Perspective is mans superpower. I haven't wielded it since that one break up, but I can attest to its strength.
What's the back story on that painting? It's cool.
It's a portrait of Prince Andrew before the Epstein allegations.
Short story shorter, the pig is revered because it'll eat anything, including annoying twats.
Mostly those British naturalist one's like, which I will get:
Telling you that is probably not very helpful.
Hanover ain't never gonna get a pig.
Those don't look like "natural" or "naturalist" pigs. Of course, the pigs are not naturalists. Pigs are generally hard edged realists of the crassest sort. By the way, am reading a most enjoyable novel, Terlmination Shock by Neal Stephenson. Pigs figure centrally in the opening chapters. A very, very large domestic / wild hybrid boar eats the young daughter of a farmer--Bill. Bill makes it his business (until it is an actual business) to track and kill wild pigs, looking for the one who killed his daughter. He's very good at it. Ex-military.
Meanwhile, Queen Fredericka of the Netherlands is piloting a private jet from the Netherlands to Houston, TX to attend a secret meeting about the environment. A hurricane diverts her landing location to Waco. As she comes down for a perfect touchdown, a herd of pigs runs onto the runway, ruining the landing and causing a crash. The pig herd was being chased by an extra large alligator out of the swamps next to the Waco Airport.
It turns out that the killer boar that Bill had been tracking was injured by the landing gear of the jet. Bill shows up on the scene (coincidentally) and kills the boar, and the big gator as well. The big boar hand slashed the leg of the Queen's advisor, and Bill applies much needed first aid to prevent him for exsanguinating (bleeding out). Queen Fredericka is grateful for his assistance. Eventually (several days later) she offers to give him a bow job in gratitude. (They may have oral sex, but they also have vaginal intercourse. The queen has condoms on hand. Safe sex all the way.)
Definitely a good read -- and actually, very little sex in it for the first half of the book, anyway. It's an environmental sci fi novel, not a bodice ripper.
Add it to your bedside (or wallow side) reading list of Pigs in Literature.
Yes a little bit of that please.
:rofl:
Back in reality I told her about this dream and now she jokes about going to see her wife. She also thinks that this dream wife of hers represented her mother, my mother-in-law.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_raXzIRgsA
Thank you.
unenlightened, hoooowwww much longgggggger is this going to take?
:shade:
So there are two possibilities here: (1) she is correct and you see her mother as an all consuming entity, like what a second wife of hers might be, and she feels no obligation to apologize or discuss her relationship with her, like one might expect a daughter to say of her mother. Or, (2), you think your wife leads a double life and your subconscious is offering you that warning, so your wife, being obviously more clever than you, created a comical diversion from the truth and brought up her mother, who you will eagerly accept as the personification for all that annoys you.
Help me out with my dream now that I helped you out with yours.
I had a dream that @Baden had this really long snake that he carried around his waist and the snake kept darting back and forth toward me, spewing forth his venom at me. I had to keep my mouth tightly shut to avoid it passing through my lips. As I ran away, I fell down onto my knees before the enraged snake and thought I would soon meet my death, only to have a kitty cat appear from no where and attack the snake and save me.
I'm not sure what it might mean.
That's actually funny 'cos I wrote this today:
"Up through the planks beneath my feet slide suddenly a swarm of sea tentacles, living weeds curl my ankles, suckle-cup my thighs, slip-circle my waist and squeeze me to the spot. I arch and scream skywards."
Nothing to do with dicks though.
Yeah, newsflash, everything to do with dicks.
I thought they called them "dangly bits" in the UK and Ireland.
Langers.
On the other hand, a dick pack would be a pack in the front of the male that he could unzip and surprise passers by who thought he was going to give them a mint or something. I've never seen or heard of dick pack, but that's what I suspect it'd be.
An asshole pack, maybe that would be something like a dick pack. I don't know. I've never heard of that either.
You are so accurate in so many ways.
You understand why covid is spreading in Australia, right?
The use of "fanny" to refer to vulvas has faded under the irresistible pressure of American culture, but it is still used as a mild term of abuse in some corners of Britain, including Scotland. In fact, I think "fanny" might be the new "wally".
What I object to is the use of "vagina" to refer to vulvas.
I've been having trouble with Ireland lately, finding no easy way of referring to Britain and Ireland collectively without using the problematic "British Isles".
Turns out there are a few alternatives suggested on the Wikipedia page about the British Isles naming dispute. I like "The Atlantic Archipelago" and "the Anglo-Celtic Isles".
In Scotland and in the UK as a whole (I think) 'Fanny' still very much means vagina.
I am Scottish and live in Scotland
You should not say Britain and Ireland or The British Isles. It's Britain and Northern Ireland.
An aside question, I was reading the guidelines for this site.
I do oil paintings, just as a hobby. I was going to post a photo of one of my paintings to help illustrate a point I was making but had second thoughts after reading the guidelines. Would this be seen as self-promotion? especially as it appears to me that the only way the site allows you to load images is to link to a global web address, so the only way I could load an image of one of my paintings would be to link to a website that I use to display all of them. This would also reveal more of my personal identity details available on said website. So would the advice be 'dont load an image of one of your paintings?'
I'm Scottish too and have noticed a change.
Quoting universeness
You have misunderstood. I was not talking about the United Kingdom. I was talking, as I said, about Britain and Ireland collectively, i.e., the geographic collection of islands mostly known as the British Isles. Since this is a problematic term, I was wondering about the best alternative.
Note that this uses the controversial term "British Isles", which I do not endorse.
Bernhard Langer
Well, perhaps you mix in a younger age group than I. I have noticed no such change amongst those I mix with.
There is no term for Britain and Ireland collectively as there is no Island called Ireland. There is Northern Ireland and there is Éire. I have certainly seen 'Ireland' printed on maps depicting that particular geographical island but only to the annoyance of many people who live there. I have heard Irish people talk about Éire, Northern Ireland or 'The North' and I have heard Southern Ireland or (The South) used on occasion. I have heard people who want a united Ireland refuse to use any term other than Ireland for that island. It remains a very emotive subject for many. I personally have no preference and defer to the views of the Irish.
I was referring to the island: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland
Call the island what you like.
Colonial hangover. But it's hard to shift.
Well it seems I still don't understand your question, I also don't see any relevance in your link to a wikipedia article with an incorrect title to the geographical landmass it depicts.
Quoting jamalrob
Well based on that logic why don't you use the reference.
Britain and the island you can call anything you like
There is a group of islands known as the British Isles. I was wondering which alternative term I could use. I was very clear about that, and whether or not you like the name "Ireland" for the island is irrelevant.
Welcome to the forum, universeness. This is definitely the place to help improve your skills of argumentation.
Nah, if that happens and I personally hope it does, then I think there will be (eventually) the follow up consequences of a united Ireland and an independent Wales. Then we will have 4 easy to say Nation names Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Then if they just all become part of a nation called Europe and then Europe joins with all the others and then we truly become Earthlings and can drop all country names and have one world socialist 'peoples senate' to administer world affairs, then get rid of money...and have peace and joy and......then..... Oh......yawn...stretch.....yawn......aw! I was only dreaming!!!
You can upload images if you become a subscriber. Otherwise, we have nothing against someone posting images of their paintings to illustrate points they are making, within reason. And there's also a thread dedicated to creative stuff:
https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/89/get-creative
[s]"Britain and Ireland" is the simplest group alternative, I think. I don't really see a need for the use of a term like "Anglo-Celtic Isles". And "British Isles" is, politically, a clear misnomer. [/s]
EDIT: The alternatives all seem awkward. So, there are no good options in my view.
Then I guess whether or not you like the name "British Isles" is irrelevant?
Quoting jamalrob
Yeah, 'British Isles', another misnomer! The Orkneys and Shetlands hardly consider themselves Scottish
Are you sure your Scottish?
Quoting jamalrob
Did you even read my responses? I refer you back to my words:
I personally have no preference and defer to the views of the Irish.
Quoting jamalrob
Thanks for the welcome and I hope what you say is true but then I need people who have the skill to present a logical posit and for example, understand the nuances which exist between the external nomenclature used to name landmasses and the views of the real people who live there.
meant to say:
The Orkneys and Shetlands hardly consider themselves Scottish, never mind British.
You did go on a bit of a tangent regarding how Irish people refer to the North and South etc. which is not relevant to @jamalrob's question. Anyhow, I'm Irish and my main priority would be not to confuse people who aren't.
Ok thanks for the info.
I like to explain my background thinking when I put forward a view. I appreciate that some readers might find this to be 'going off on a tangent and might feel inner impatience. I think background thinking can be very relevant to 'the question' and can result in a more detailed analysis of the issue, such as is happening now, even if it's a little 'prideful' in the parts of jamalrob and I but then we are not little gentle snowflakes are we?
From the standpoint of being Irish, I accept your main priority.
I hope your condition of 'stupid' subsides soon.
Quoting jamalrob
Quoting universeness
The stupidity is not just in this first very silly response of yours ("Britain and Northern Ireland" obviously doesn't refer to the group of islands I was talking about), but also in your refusal to back down. I think of stupidity primarily as the inability to change your mind, which is connected with the inability to learn.
As it is, Baden, our token Irishman, says that "Britain and Ireland" is the best alternative, so I will be strictly enforcing that from now on.
BTW I'm open to reducing the charge of stupidity to the charge of being a fanny.
Only, strictly, it's not even an alternative because it's not a collective term as such. More accurate to say there's no good alternative, so I would just group the two countries as I would any two countries that didn't have an obvious and acceptable collective name.
Yep, that's why I was looking for a collective term: "Britain and Ireland" doesn't work in the same way.
So I'll stick with "the North Atlantic Anglo-Celtic Archipelago" for convenience.
Collectiveness is tricky when the historical relationship is marred by colonialism. If it weren't, it'd be a lot easier. Hopefully, we can get over that at some point and have a neutral term that we're all happy with. It's still 'awkward' for want of a better word.
But now I feel like I've jumped the shark.
Ah, yeah. I see what you mean. I'd maybe refer to 'Anglo-Irish' slang or speakers of British English as a shorthand there.
:cheer:
My response to this was "but there's a massive crime in there, be sensitive." I thought maybe mine was just an American view til Baden responded.
That's weird because until only has one L.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/%27til
:up:
Very nice of you! and you talk about my inability to back down? Ha! The proud fool speaks ever thus.
And....as far as fanny is concerned....right back at you.....a fanny at least has a useful purpose...unlike the cheeky components of your replies to me but I can take it as well as dish it.....If you are a moderator for this site then you are a very poor one. If you are you should apply for some extra training...if your not then I accept you as just another arse in the wind.
:blush:
I assumed that was a photo of you. That's pretty much how I've always pictured you.
Males please advise
Too confused. Advise on what?
Who's angry, your son or your ex?
My older brother is pissed
This is the take away !!
But I am just really low on tolerance at the moment.
Ah, right. Is it really a male/female thing though? Or more of a sibling trust thing?
This makes sense but my family in Chicago run on this kind of "gossip", so order of notification matters a shit ton. Their Social score is just as important as their credit score.
If you tell me I upset you because of "insert reason here", I could do something about it.
When you don't say anything? What does that help?
It might not be meant to help. Maybe helping isn't everyone's priority all the time, I guess.
I send my brother texts all day long that are even stupider than my posts here. It's a full time job sending stupid shit around around the world.
What does that even mean?
Please add him to your text subscription. Never mind, he wouldn't get our sense of humor.
AND he claims that he doesn't like confrontation!
What is happening to men? :meh: Give your balls a tug my lad :roll:
Yeah, I remember I sent my bruv this one where I said I was kidnapped and he had to pay a ransom in Bitcoin but it was my Bitcoin address and he paid it. And, uh, I think I forgot to tell him that was a joke.
Sorry, I don't think I've been much help. And I don't have enough background on what's going on to help, really.
I can't say British Isles anymore? :sad:
He means with himself. 'British Isles' ain't a mod issue.
If you just want to tell me you live in North Ireland, you'd tell me that "North Ireland is where I live," but that's ambiguous if you insist on talking like I do.
It's like if you're traveling from North to South Carolina. When near the border, you'd be at north South Carolina/south North Carolina.
Can you just text this shit to your brother next time, man? Fuckin' hell. :monkey:
About geography. About the east-west and north-south divides.
After the first world war ended, they redrew the map of Europe for the Nth time. A Russian diplomat and a Polish diplomat, as was the wont in those times, were painting the landscape with black paint, where the new border between Russia and Poland was supposed to be.
As they came down, they came to hut which housed an old muzhik. His hut was directly in the way of the line. They had to decide which country to have the area of the hut where it was built. They asked the man: "Sir, (more like, "hey, you, loser", but never mind) where would you rather live: in Poland or in Russia?" The old man answered without hesitation: "In Poland." The Polish diplomat was pleased, but the Russian's feelings of national pride were hurt. So he asked: "Why, serf, why do you choose Poland?" "Because," answered the old man, "I've had enough of the long, cold, bitter Russian winters."
You are always a help Baden. :flower:
:rofl:
Like passing a kidney stone? Or did it come to pass in the form of bourbon?
What is "it"?
And so help me if one of you reply that I should ask Bill Clinton since he did such a fantastic job defining "is".
The event about to be described came to pass, of course. An old school storytelling tool; of course, I'm still riding the buzz from the short story competition.
I've crashed hard.
However, I have leftover cha gio for breakfast so it's not all bad.
Winners tend to. :razz:
I've never had cha gio, but sounds like a good crash breakfast. I ordered sushi tonight; a surprisingly solid local spot.
:gasp:
I guess I've had the non-fried type? Wasn't a huge fan...I'll have to look out for them. I'm behind on Vietnamese food. Been too obsessed with Thai and Chinese recently.
:groan:
Pho is a medium-deal (not big deal?) around these parts. I do love it, but don't eat it often. Same for Bahn Mi. I've had some really good Pho though; seems to be all about the broth, and then the fresh fixin's.
Yes, the magical broth. And I'm not even a soup guy.
What can I do to change this??
Anit-soup-boy
"That"s what I'm talking about, and "It"s the next best thing.
The next best thing to what? :chin:
un, are you spinning me in circles? :sparkle:
I think it's a case where there's no way to say that precisely in English, so they just borrowed the whole phrase.
Happen not.
Yeah. I thought you needed winding - the music box was slooow. :heart:
It is soo slow un, so slow.
So far in the last 4 days I have managed to take a whole 30 seconds off the mile I am timing.
The Doc said "Go to the gym and do the ropes twice a week".
The good-looking lad that took my money set me up for this afternoon for me to have an hour with a trainer. My guess is this lad will be good looking as well since he will be selling me on personal trainer time. I just want to learn the ropes.... :rofl:
Nope
David Russell said he has done a rewrite of a famous metaphysical poem.
Okay 20 days since Gus was actively here.
Keep an eye out for a David Russell
Yeah, yeah. "Teach me the ropes, o strong young man, I'm eager to learn". I'm not even wondering which of you is going to end tied up.
I tie a mean knot my friend. You have to keep those stallions in their place.
Have you ever tried to whisper to a stallion to behave?
I have and they don't always hear it quite as clearly as a good cinch up grabs their attention. :wink:
I'm more milkmaid than cowboy. Give the girls something nice to eat, and don't let them put their foot in the milk-pail.
Wait a second that's the official music video for born this way?! What the hell, thank god I didn't like that song when I was younger. Video would've gave me nightmares.
And that is why you are my mentor, my sage, my dear friend :flower:
A rebuttal to your constant disrespect for the good people of Georgia:
Judge: Georgia county can move ahead on land for spaceport.
WOODBINE, Ga. (AP) — A judge has denied a request to stop a county from buying land for a planned spaceport near the Georgia coast, dealing the latest blow to opponents of the project.
About as fun as a ride on the divorce spinwheel! :zip:
Or perhaps it is the horse's account. He brings the rider because he can't push the buttons on the ATM.
Actually, you can read all about genteel Houyhnhnms in Gulliver's travels. Part IV.
The Houyhnhnms are rational equine beings and are masters of the land, contrasting strongly with the Yahoos, savage humanoid creatures who are no better than beasts of burden, or livestock. Whereas the Yahoos represent all that is bad about humans, Houyhnhnms have a settled, calm, reliable and rational society. Gulliver much prefers the Houyhnhnms' company to the Yahoos', even though the latter are biologically closer to him.
Did Swift indicate how the Houyhnhnms pushed the buttons on their ATMs?
A larger, more intriguing question, however, is [i]where did they put the money the machine dispensed[/I]?
We don't know a lot about the Houyhnhnms because the exact location of their domain has been lost amongst all the hoof prints of succeeding civilizations.
There is absolutely a joke in there to be made!
Perhaps humanity.
They used humans as integration aids.
Crows, although I don't know if I could tell the difference if I saw them both together.
Quoting Bitter Crank
Must have been at the Tower of London, because ravens in Europe are usually extremely wary of humans.
Depends on where you are in America. Ravens are quite rare in Ohio. I've known this since I was a kid.
I don't think I've ever seen a raven in the US -- if I did, I didn't know it. I have heard crows making sounds quite unlike their familiar 'caw'. I've read that they have a repertoire of sounds for various purposes. Ravens are found in Northern Minnesota forested areas and along Lake Superior, (and I suppose southern Canada). They eat insects, carrion, fruit, garbage -- whatever is on the menu.
I've heard the gnarly croak of a raven versus the normal croak of a crow.
Bahahaha, nice try BC. Here's da breaks:
Raven:
Crow:
Here's an anecdote that birders will appreciate. Last summer I went to the kremlin in Vladimir and noticed that the belltower was being used as a roost by different kinds of corvids, segregated neatly by species, the smallest species at the bottom, the biggest at the top. Moving up the tower, first it was jackdaws, then rooks, then carrion crows and hooded crows, and then perched on the very top was the King Corvid, a raven, which occasionally drowned out the calls of the others with its plangent roar.
EDIT: in fact it was Suzdal, not Vladimir.
The best time to see Ravens is on a midnight dreary.
Ravens, Crows, Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Roadrunners, WoodPeckers, Quail, Vultures, Doves ect are all within sight of the ranch. I love watching them soar on wind currents in the heat of the summer, barely if ever flapping, they can just glide forever. :heart:
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
Sceptical.
Right. Vladimir has been focused on fucking Ukrainians lately.
By the way, congratulations are in order. You are the first person to use "plangent" on The Philosophy Forum.
I started filling a bird feeder in my front yard and it ended up being a squirrel feeder.
Last week a hawk got a big fat squirrel and ate it in the driveway.
So it was a bird feeder after all.
You should jam a bunch of squirrels in your bird feeder so you can have a hawk feeder.
Or babies, if you prefer an even darker joke.
Quoting Tom Storm
I don't know if I've ever seen a raven, but I do love crows. Both biological and mechanical.
In general, I like all raucous, feisty animals - crows, blue jays, mockingbirds, red squirrels, chipmunks. Jays are also Corvidae. Crows in verse:
The way a crow
Shook down on me
A dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Yes, I've posted that before.
Forever is a mighty long time
Quoting frank
Yeah, I can only toss out grain-based feed and scraps but if there is even a hint of meat on the bread, the Coyotes come on in and the Javelinas, just to make a mess. Bob Cats can be pretty brave when they are hungry, but they usually stay in the dry riverbeds.
Quoting Hanover
How can birds become so dark, so fast? :razz:
I believe Gnarly Croak was a character in one of the Harry Potter books.
It was pretty horrifying actually. Hawk held squirrel on the ground and squirrel was wiggling. Hawk picked chunks of fur out and spat them away, occasionally jamming its claws into squirrel repeatedly like it was dancing on it. Finally squirrel stopped moving and the fur tossing continued. I got out of the car to go inside and hawk jumped up and flew off with squirrel in its claws.
Ah, nature, so restful.
Dude...that kinda stuff should be put under "reveal"...
Now I have a warped image of Hanover's tooth in feet, decapitated rodents, fur flying with a pig somewhere in the middle of it all!
Is this necessary? :monkey:
Well so think about our ancestors who were always gutting people and having plagues and just generally getting all up in the blood and gore on the regular. I'm guessing they were a little numb to all of it?
Which is better? Sheltered and sensitive? Or exposed and numb?
There HAS to be middle ground to that
No, it's either swinging a battle-ax into some idiot's head or drinking tea with your pinky up. One or the other.
You are my kind of people. :up:
So that your soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted—nevermore!
New way to ruin the children's lives: show them films of predators eating prey that is alive--ideally, the Big Bad Wolf eating Bambi without benefit of death. Thankfully, I was not really aware of this until relatively recently. I naively thought the predator killed quickly. But no. The prey is at best only disabled.
Nature red in tooth and claw.
Was it a full moon that called out the Werewolves of London?
As a child, I saw a cat presenting a half dead mouse to her kittens. They tortured it for a while and then ate it.
I think most people are profoundly and pervasively deluded... Jung's shadow and what not
It was a long stretch that my fellow lyric lovers to pick up on. You see the Werewolves of London is by the Grateful Dead and well when you spoke of the Ravens of London, my mind went to the Dead song.
Anyway, I'm going to go and get me a bowl of beef chow mien.
Ok, I had to look it up on YouTube.
My literacy in pop kulcha (as some in London pronounce it) is not very good. That's too bad, because the older I get, the more interesting some of it becomes.
GD covered "Werewolves of London," but the song was by Warren Zevon, the excitable boy.
Here's the Grateful Dead's version; I think Zevon's is better. Of course, if you like to hear the GD play, they do that at great length--10 minutes. Life is too short (at this point).
I've never been a fan of the Grateful Dead, but a whole lot of people are, including my 31 year old son. We're driving down to DC soon and he has the full GD CD set, so I'll be listening to some. As we discussed in your art thread, just because I don't especially like it doesn't mean it's not good.
Aww crap. @Banno is going to be so disappointed in me. :scream:
oh, tIff, tiff, tiff...
Let me guess: Black Betty is by Spiderbait...
:grimace:
:gasp:
Really interesting. Thanks.
When I woke up I started wondering why not.
One of the main reasons, I think, is the bread and circuses of our time. They keep people fat and stagnant.
A vision of world domination obtained by inactivity visualized when sound asleep.
That might be the laziest revolution ever.
I got the 'you're back thing' but the rest seems like a string of words.
Maybe I need coffee...
Welcome back :sparkle:
Furiously.
You are quite welcome :flower:
Do you use the term "furiously" to mean energetically or angrily?
Not that I was paying attention or anything but it's on average 80% female...what gives?
Did ya'll just grow to accept the Dad bod?
Something is definitely out of whack.
:rofl: Did you have to go there?
Or did you have to go there, to know how to go there?
:lol:
Yes.
yes
Incidentally, because Russians usually turn an English "H" into a hard "G" sound, they say "gamburger", "Prince Gary", "Gary Potter", etc. It's hard to explain to Russians why this is funny.
I'm going to guess here... Over The Top Political Correctness?
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
BOTM!
I confess I've never understood why long books should be off-putting. So it takes two or three times longer to read than most books. So what? It's way better than most books. If the author can pull it off, there's no problem.
Quoting karl stone
This is true though. His wife, who helped him put it all together, really should have made him put the pen down before he wrote the tedious second epilogue.
Ya got me there....
@Banno
Is this Twitter talk? :chin:
Hey... I resemble that remark.
I think he means "often."
I go to the local YMCA. I'd say it's about even. Maybe a few more men. They, unlike me, are all old. That comes from going in the middle of the day. If I go on the weekend, there are a lot more young people. That's, again, about evenly split with a few more men.
Maybe you're going to one of those all-women gyms like Curves and there are just 20% really ugly women.
Bang On The Money, or alternatively, book of the month - which I think I'm going to start using as an affirmative exclamation, as in:
'Hey Karl, dinner's ready!"
'Book of the month!'
Hey... look...I think that's a horse lying there on the ground. It looks like it's dead. I'll check... Yup, dead. Watch me shoot it.
Ask them to say "moose and squirrel," then laugh.
Quoting T Clark
Either that, or you might direct me to the thread where it was discussed - so I can see your various takes on the issue.
I read "War and Peace" except for the last chapter. I can't explain why I didn't finish. Thank you for giving me an excuse.
I really liked it. I remember thinking when I was done that it is a very modern novel. More like something from the 1940s than Jane Austen.
Since you gave me this opportunity, I'll retread the old Woody Allen joke - I took a speed reading course. I read "War and Peace" in 20 minutes. It involves Russia.
Absolutely. I hadn't expected that when I started it.
I tried it with my wife and she did OK. I think it's the Germans who have trouble with squirrel.
1 in 3 Americans are young-Earth'ers...? :o
Thought it was a joke at first, but it wasn't posted on Apr 1st.
In U.S., Belief in Creationist View of Humans at New Low (Art Swift · Gallup, Inc · May 22, 2017)
Try carrying War and Peace around all day, to read on the train on the way home!
I was curious about how that stacked up against the rest of the world. This from a summary of a Reuters poll:
The "evolutionist" view was most popular in Sweden (68%), Germany (65%), and China (64%), with the United States ranking 18th (28%), between Mexico (34%) and Russia (26%); the "creationist" view was most popular in Saudi Arabia (75%), Turkey (60%), and Indonesia (57%), with the United States ranking 6th (40%), between Brazil (47%) and Russia (34%).
Could you please pick up a white paging phone?
And NO I don't need bail....yet...
Largely Biblical, e.g. Ussher.
"God created humans in present form within last 10,000 years" (Gallup)
The web page I looked at didn't do that breakdown.
Whatever the marketing geniuses have done to get your money and the money of other women has worked, as you have chosen that gym like a moth to a flame. My gym is all guys, although I doubt you'd have given it a second look. It's $10 a month, no pool, no classes, and pretty basic equipment. The only girls are girlfriends who got dragged there.
If you want to meet guys, you should join a jiu jitsu gym and they'll let you roll around on the floor with a bunch of 20 year old guys. I did that for a while, but I forgot to wear protection and got preggers.
There was also this guy on the side masturbating furiously. I totally get needing the occasional relief. I just didn't understand why he was so mad.
Not at all, we grow to be proud of it!
Thanks. That's the one.
Would he take it as a compliment that I thought he was a firefighter/EMT?
Quoting 180 Proof
I've looked up definitions of "theism" from eight sources on the web. This one is typical - "Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world."
Being called a firefighter is a pretty good compliment. I'd say shoot your shot, least you can laugh it off afterwards if it turns out he's just some firefighting looking dude.
I walked into a gym once in 1985. I bought an ice cream from the cafeteria section.
:up:
A conservative would point out that; insofar as that's true, justifying selfishness is one of man's oldest exercises in moral philsophy for a reason.
Alright john, I'll shoot my shot and let ya'll know how it is received. :up:
Wish me luck!
Crap! No dice. He wasn't there today.
However, when I got there, I was on a machine behind a guy and OMG he must have run 20 four-minute miles before I even turned my machine on. He came up to grab some wipes and I told him he rocked it! He was very nice in return telling me that hey we are both here kicking it!
Oh well, maybe he will be there next time. The dude that responded to me is much more attractive than the FireFighter/EMT I was trying to confirm that he had helped with Cosmic Wanker.
The interest in that gentleman is more of a Thank you Hugg for .....well they did save his life.
Whatcha gonna do?
What I would give for a freakin hugg about now
Gym bro mentality at its finest. :up:
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
:yikes:
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
*gives a virtual hug*
Really? Interesting... this is all new to me. :sparkle:
Quoting john27
How sweet are you? Thank you! :flower:
{{{{{john}}}}} <<<
I understand the hyperbole in making your point that he was running fast and hard (as is often the preferred way, (as opposed to fast and furious)), but you've encountered a mathematical problem here because in order for him to have done as you've said, 20 miles at 4 minutes a mile would mean that 80 minutes (1 hour and 20 minutes) would have had to elapsed between your approach to the machine and your having begun your running. This speaks less to his speed in running as in your sloth in mounting (again, as is often the preferred way) the machine.
Hanover, it's almost like you enjoy stats! :razz: Hard habit to break I know! :lol:
Maybe if I were to sloth mount him instead, we could get somewhere faster together? :rofl:
We're shoveling snow.
True, that.
OHHhH. It's probably not the right time for me to ask you to bring the sunscreen when you come back out? :joke:
It's really hard to tell, the wind's blowing so hard. There's lots of drifts and bare patches. Guess - 1.5 feet.
Quoting T Clark
Pfft!
Snow in NYC can shut the city down; over half of the subway system is above ground. How many stories tall is the snow in mother Russia?
Pfft! he says. So what that the average snowfall in Moscow is 152 cm? The winter should be bad, seeing as how bad weather is Moscow's moat to stop random Napoleons and Hitlers from successfully capturing the frost pile.
Buffalo, New York is even better protected with 236 cm of snow per year on average. That's 7 1/2 feet, 2 1/2 ft more than Moscow. Napoleon and Hitler failed to capture Buffalo, as well.
Minneapolis isn't in the running for snow totals. We're a sitting duck for either Napoleon or Hitler.
Yeh, it's pretty manageable in Moscow to be honest. Worst is March when it all melts.
Yesterday they were forecasting as much as 30 inches for Boston, weren't they? Maybe you have lucked out. 30" is definitely bad. One year there was so much snow in buffalo (maybe Boston too) that by mid-summer the pile of snow from the streets and parking lots hadn't melted yet, and grass / weeds were growing on the top--lots of dirt picked up off the street.
Forgot about that. Pray for more snow, then.
Didn't Genghis Khan take Buffalo for a hot sec?
Another guy who invaded Russia. I get the impression that bad weather wouldn't have bothered him much.
If Buffalo, New York gets so much snow and presumably deals with it fine, how come New York, New York is crippled by a mere 8 inches?
The difference between beer-bellied football fanatics and hardened mafia bosses on one hand, and rich, spoiled college kids and woke hipsters on the other? I don't know.
I don't know what Boston got. We don't always get the same amount.
Quoting Bitter Crank
Buffalo gets lake-effect snow from the winds blowing across the Great Lakes. I remember they got seven feet a few years ago. I always wondered how anywhere could handle that much.
You guys have it so easy now with global warming
I'm beginning to think that some of these stories you tell us aren't completely accurate. If I remember correctly, you told us that your father was a nuclear physicist who worked on cold fusion with Pons and Fleischmann. Following the scientific scandal, he left Utah in disgrace and had to get a job, ironically enough, selling refrigerators at Sears.
Get your stories straight.
You know the last time we got 8"s was a lonnnnggg time ago :rofl:
Hanover has two fathers obviously. Get with the times.
I'm a panpaternalist, accepting everyone (except you) as my father and as my child (including you, but not your brother). The binarianism of the dualparental oppressive Westernmandated subjugation process has historically disenfranchised the us for which we were intended.
Thank you for pointing that out to that backwoods yokel.
It walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but it's a mole.
Please take the L train carefully as half the cars are occupied with lots of different residents. Additionally, it feels unsafe as fuck as it goes up and down, in and out , over and through, the city furiously and angerly. This is coming from someone who LOVES the train..
Now, the Metra? If you are a people watcher, it's worth buying the ticket to ride. It has Wifi, heated cars, conductors, the whole nine. In the same train there is an upper deck that you can go up to and drink the whole way, provided you bring your own. Not to fret, they have cheers kinds of bars, hole in the wall dives alongside the tracks but they put bars in the middle of the tracks so you can eat and drink on your way home.
Flipping brilliant!
In fact if you watch Risky Business, Tom Cruise takes a beautiful woman on the L but not before removing some of the residents. God Tom Cruise and a train?
Sighs~ maybe there is a man out there that likes trains like I do but I doubt it. I have it pretty bad for trains.
It's genetic I imagine because my Great Grampa Kasmier was a conductor on the El but that was a long time ago. I remember as a kid us getting to ride and jumping up in the air with my brother to see if we would land in the same spot or further back because of the time we were in the air.
Now I understand why my Mom got upset, we.were acting like monkeys.
I think you should take the Trans Canadian train from BC to Toronto and see who you meet.
Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!
Are the Canadians letting Americans in again?
Oh, I forgot about that. The pandemic is like an Alzheimer's of the world itself. The piano has been drinking, not me.
What kind of music is the piano playing?
The disc turning now:
I think she should go down to the Greyhound station and get a ticket to ride, find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side...
Change the shape thar she's in, get back in the game, and start playing again.
Reminds me of a song.
https://youtu.be/ZpDQJnI4OhU
Mary Jo Blige is part of the Halftime show of the Superbowl this year :flower:
I can't say I have heard this tune but I am more of a brass led band. I did perk up once I heard the brass :cool:
Nice. Very different but has an epic EDM feel to it. :sparkle:
That my friend means allowing myself to be vulnerable again... Not sure my heart is ready for that with a stranger.
It's a bitch of a place to be. As I have said, I am in desperate need of a hugg again. :broken:
He's just letting you know the Greyhound station is there waiting for you whenever you're ready.
:cry: You will likely never understand how very thankful I am to have you as such a good friend. :heart:
Here's the whole verse:
[i]I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side
Ride 'til the sun comes up and down around me 'bout two or three times
Smokin' cigarettes in the last seat
Tryin' to hide my sorrow from the people I meet
And get along with it all[/i]
So, he's getting on the bus, sitting next to a woman with two or three kids, and then lighting up his smokes.
"]I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride
Gonna find that lady with two or three dead kids and sit down on her thigh
Ride her 'til the sun comes up and I come over and over again, 'bout two or three times,
Smokin' cigarettes before I fall asleep
Tryin' to hide my raging erection from the people I meet
And get along with it all"
Your song was some weird sappy sentimental shit. Mine just a humdrum fuck fest with a mourning mother on a bus.
OMG! This is why I don't want to date just anyone!
It's going to be a long ride
I like trains very much--freight, light rail, commuter, elevated, subway, narrow gauge, trans-continental passenger, whatever. But... I'm gay AND old, so there is that. We could sit together in coach, but that would be about it. No exciting Tom-Cruise-style-dalliance for you in the luxury suite located in the sleeping car, complete with champaign and dinner brought by the discreet porter.
Quoting ArguingWAristotleTiff
You would have landed further back, but by the time you were old enough to jump up and down on a an L train, the CTA had already installed inertial dampeners--an obscure invention that would find wider use on warp speed space ships, without which everyone on board the ship would have ended up as a red stain on the back bulkhead. (See any episode of Star Trek for a demo.).
I'm sure Freud had interesting things to say about people who really like trains a lot -- phallic engines penetrating tunnels, all that.
Actually, most people masturbate on long-distance bus routes, though maybe not while sitting on the fat lady's ample thigh. What else is there to do during such a long time? One could read Ulysses or listen to endless tails of woe from strangers, like the lady with three dead kids--neither one very enjoyable. People tend not to talk to you while your are jerking off. One way to get some peace and quiet.
Quality people just don't ride the Hound any more.
I would have linked to this song by the children's poet, Shel Silverstein. Polly in a Porny must be one of the few songs that hasn't been uploaded to YouTube.
Haha I kissed Polly goodnight haha as we stood at her front door
Now she's quite a proper lady so I didn't ask for anything more
But haha I was feeling oh so groovie that I went down to the movie
And I sat down and guess just what I saw
I saw Polly in a porny down at the dirty flicks
I saw Polly in a porny I didn't know she knew them tricks
and more
Would it not be even more disturbing if the wanker was a chatty Cathy, insisting upon talking about his tomato garden and stamp collection as he rubbed vigorously inside his sweatpants?
I hope to one day do that on a bus ride through the mountain ranges of Colorado. It'll be my version of the poor lonely man's mile high club.
Pretty sure that footage of a train entering a tunnel was used in old British movies to suggest coitus.
Sometimes a train going into a tunnel is just a symbol of fucking.
Yep.
Is that how we got Mel Gibson? I thought he was planned and came from good right-wing Catholic stock...
"I am a planned child." It almost sounds like I've been delivered to pre-ordered specifications.
"We planned this child. Instead of doing some dirty sex, and leaving it to the seemingly random zygote to have its way with the egg... no, we did not leave it to that chance. We have had a plan, and we stuck to it all the way to the bitter end. Or should we say... very, very, bitter end. My spouse here said perhaps we should have tried the sweet end... but now it's too late. The dice have been thrown... or rather, the plan has been thrown."
One of the gross mistakes in the evolving etymology of English words. It should be "how vulvar", but it isn't.
?
BC,
And.....? What because your gay and old it means I cannot share the love of trains with you?
I have ALWAYS wanted a gay friend! What makes you think I would pass you up on the train?
I LOVE people watching and I bet we would have quite the time together!
Geez, don't count me out so quickly!
Tiffers :flower:
And now I am icing a glute and starting class.... :smile:
I'm pretty good with getting fires to start if you ever want out of that matchbox for good. :wink:
"Then one night in the lobby of the Commodore Hotel, I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well. And as he handed me a drink, he began to sing a song, and all the boys in the bar began to sing along."
In the balance book, does Cate Blanchett make up for Mel Gibson?
If it's more or less infinite, it's only more or less inevitable.
What does this mean? I have to hang out in hotels? Help!
Here in the valley, when you go into an adult toy store AND purchase something, the store assistant who rings you up has to make sure the product you are buying WORKS! :cool:
Okay, I have YET to have a female assistant ring me up, instead I have had all males and usually 10 years younger than me.
Well, things haven't changed much in my last encounter...
I take my choices of purchase up to the front of the store and he actually carries them for me as though they are too heavy,,,,omg... okay I am already embarrassed as fuck, he has gloves on for Covid and takes the toy out of the packaging, explains the functions and then tries to turn it on. The gloves don't work with a soft contact, I am literally dying at this point and he FINALLY gets it too work! :monkey:
I am like, yeah, got it, THANK YOU, could you please put it back in the packaging! He gets it put away and I am thinking cool take my CASH and let me go please! :cheer:
Then he hits me up with a new one...do I want to purchase their extended warranty on the toy for $15.00 and it's a no questions asked return with a gift card for the purchase price.
Sliced through any embarrassment and I said Dave, hook me up! :100:
Both admins on and two moderators...
Did @Banno stir something up? :eyes:
Quoting Cornwell1
To be fair, that should be your every reply!
I don't know if the universe is actually infinite - but it might be, and so everything that can occur, does occur. It's impossible to suppose, in a universe so very, very big it might be infinitely large, intelligent life has only occurred once. Wouldn't you agree?
No, you're supposed to guess the song!
????!
Quoting karl stone
I did a calculation once. I arrived at a universe that has a size of 10exp11 times the size of the present observable universe right after inflation. Already at the dawn of time! The universe has expanded since then, so...
It shrinks into insignificance considering the zoom in here:
The size of the start reaches far beyond the limits of the universe, at the end of the trip.
Almost infinite...
The end is a bit disappointing. Would be nice to stumble on a sign. "The end"
I'm not sure actual infinity is necessary to the same physics acting upon the same chemistry, to produce similar biology. Only similar conditions that allow that to happen - which seemingly, are fairly common. Earth doesn't seem to be remarkable in size, distance from star, in composition. Nor is the sun of an unusual type, size or duration. Life seems to occur in conditions on earth, fairly common in the universe. So presumably, life should be fairly common????
That's what the universe was before the big bang!
I'm convinced there are people on planets around most stars in the universe, Why should the right conditions have existed around the Sun only? A rotating planet with day and night, water, amino acids, soil... No doubt! The universe is teeming with life!
I'm inclined to think life exists everywhere it can exist - but intelligent life? Maybe that's relatively rare; but even then, I don't believe we are unique.
All life is intelligent.
One does what one can...
Shit no.
The unwillingness of some of our critics to read any but the silliest of possible meanings into our statements is as discreditable to their imaginations as anything I know in recent philosophic history.
Sure. I have a comfy little matchbox.
Twerp, twerp, twerp. Perfect.
It means you need to be someone's dixie chicken.
an amoeba says what?
Let me think about that. Take a look at my mental processes:
Ah, I have the opportunity to comment on that, given my grandiose notions of personal maturity in my ever more amazing life. See below what I used to feel about growing up:
Eventually it happened after I realized that I had to stop reading into things too much.
Of course, @Bitter Crank is the most mature hereabouts. Or even @unenlightened.
If by mature you mean "wise", I would agree (in regards to both subjects). On the other hand, we're all at various levels of maturity, as are various wines. Some too young, some drinking quite well, some spoiled and past their peak. Some even completely corked and undrinkable.
I have to question the extent to which you were embarrassed in your recent purchase of diddling devices based upon your publication of your experience here.
The clerk was almost always behind the counter on a slightly elevated counter--the better to intercept a shy customer performing a 5-fingered discount on the embarrassing goods, and the better to look down (literally and figuratively) on the customers who supported the store.
The absolute minimum of conversation took place between anyone in the store. Silence reigned. .
The friendliest place in the adult stores was the large dimly lit room where the 8mm and later video machines played clips, 25¢ a pop, in very small booths. There were often several guys, sometimes a dozen, hanging around in this room. Just standing there. "What are these people doing here? What is the attraction?" I asked no one in particular. Myself, I have always preferred retail over rental.
Because I know I come from the impoverished culture of small-town Minnesota, I never expected to understand everything that happened in the big city. I don't remember exactly how I came to understand just what the guys were standing around waiting for, but it was something of an epiphany (shock!) when I did discover it. Oh, THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!!!
Who else would tell you this kind of information?
Kansas man traveled to D.C. to kill ‘Antichrist’ Biden: report
And another one to be added to the list.
14 People Accused of Being the AntiChrist
I love you guys!
Tiff :flower:
It might be that the idols of Christ (the unchristlike Christs) are the Antichrists now a days.
But where do you draw the line? Of course, you can't. This means that all of our digestive systems are intermingled in a web of intestinal intimacy.
Anyway, thanks for "sphincter-esque" :up:
Here's what's been stuck in my brain for about a week, but it takes some explanation, maybe better for the music thread (although no one talks about music there). The change is around 3:45 here:
But of course you should listen from the beginning for the context.
A testament to my larvae-infested brain.
https://18musicians.com/about-micaela/
More than interesting...
Anyway, what about yourself? Sorry for taking the spotlight, as always.
This is like me when I'm with a group of friends or family and I suddenly realize I've been dominating the conversation for the past hour.
Don't worry, you're worth it.
Quoting Noble Dust
I was wondering the same thing.
:yikes:
Quoting jamalrob
Just wondering if there's an example of a chord change you liked, I reckon.
It's more of a complete rupture than a regular change though I guess.
A more famous one is in John Coltrane's "My Favorite Things", the last modal change from minor to major in JC's second solo (as I recall).
Nice, a change from minor to major lydian (same home note but changes from minor to major with the perfect fourth going up a half step, which is actually a lot of changes).
As to Coltrane, love jazz but have no training. Listening now, but will probably have no insight.
Same. :up:
That change I was talking about is around 9:59 btw. Happens first in his first solo at 1 minute, then in McCoy's solo at 3:25, and then the last one is the most powerful.
E minor to E major! Crazy how simple it is, and how good it sounds and, to me, it shouldn't, but it does. I also enjoyed listening more closely to Coltrane sololing at this point in his career, and charting it to his final days; guess I've spent less time in his early stuff vs. late.
My favourite Coltrane is between his hard bop stuff and his late post-Love Supreme (and Transition) stuff. So 1959-1965 inclusive, I guess.
It's intense, so you gotta be in the mood, but it makes a lot more sense to me than his even later, and less controlled, stuff.
POLL
Which is the worst of the three?
1. AntiChrist (the real mccoy)
2. Hitler
3. Banno ignoring my arguments. (I do NOT mean Banno's persona per se.)
A great album that get's overlooked for obvious reasons. Cool to imagine someone transitioning from death metal to this. Listening closely in headphones right now, I'm reminded that this record rips hard.
There's my favorite 'Trane and then there's my favorite 'Trane. As to my favorite 'Trane...
I actually forgot Welcome was on there, and thought I was ripping you a new fav track.
The second track where John and Elvin fight for 9 minutes is also a favorite track for me.
usually between myself and the fridge.
what do you suppose is in my fridge
keeps dead stuff deader than pavement
+ dont need to constantly dodge the traffic
I know the feeling. I listen to "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and I am on life support for a week from extreme exertion.
You should never try work, Jamalrob. It's deadly. Some boss of mine at work suggested Philosophy to me, so that's why that is what I do now.
I remember the first time I heard the Beatles. Driving down the street with my mother in Seaford, Delaware. "I want to hold your hand came on" and I was transfixed. "She loves you" came out a few weeks later. It's still my favorite of their songs.
I remember the first time I heard you talk about the first time you heard the Beatles just a few minutes ago. I do love to reminisce.
I remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. I was driving to the beach with my older brother, who I sort of looked up to and sort of detested, and he put the cassette in the dash and it came on, and I looked at him in amazement, and he was like "yeah, that's what makes Pink Floyd great." It was like the first time I did heroine, if I had ever done heroine.
Ah, a poem for the ages.
That was a poem, right?
The use of + signals an avant garde poem ushering in a new era.
To be honest, the greatest works of humans are born out of idle coincidences.
As luck would have it, I may be offered the Nobel Prize for this three-liner, but in effect I was typing using the on-screen keyboard, and its awkwardness made me make my text terse.
Of course, I remember the first time I heard "I'm Henry the Eighth I am" too.
me too
I'm still waiting for the next sequel
A philosophical question about the song. In an infinite number of universes in the infinite multiverse, there is a third verse to the song. What do you think it is? Further, in an infinite number of universes, there are an infinite number of verses to the song. Can you tell me what they all are?
Yes. Absolutely.
In the universe with one more verse, the next verse is the third verse.
In a universe with infinite number of verses to the song are precisely the third verse and more verses, up to and including an infinite number of verses.
This question was too easy. Please give me a harder one.
It's been a long time since I've done any programming, so I'm sure there are bugs.
||: I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am, I am. I got married to the widow next door. She's been married seven times before, and every one was an Henry, she wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam. So the rightful Henry am I am... Henry the Eighth I am.:||
This is the thing put to music, too.
In an infinite number of infinite multiverses where all that can be has been, the non-existence of the third verse occurs.
In an infinite whatever, blah, blah, blah, there is one or more in which Hanover occurs on a philosophy website.
This could be good or bad, depending on which side of Hanover you are on.
Yeah, but in an infinite number of blah, blah, blah, there are an infinite number of blah blahs blahs that have no Hanover.
No. I think this is the only universe in the infinite multiverse where @Hanover exists.
Not even in an infinite number of universes???
WAaaa, I'm going to cry. My only dream has been (until now) to live in a universe in which Henry the Eighth You Are coexists with One of the Ruins that Cromwell Knocked About a Bit
Quoting T Clark
By which I mean, this is the Hanoververse...Hanoverse.
:100:
I believe I am on the outside. That's the good side, right?
Stuart C. Ray, MD, professor of Medicine and Oncology in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, says. "It seems compelling, even for skeptics, that unvaccinated people represent 99% of those now dying from COVID-19, when they represent less than 50% of the adult population in the USA."
Come on, people! What do you think this is--a country club?
T Clark and god-must-be-atheist can't carry so heavy a burden.
Just look at this:
Quoting god must be atheist
Here we have someone exhibiting his proximity to the breaking point, scraping the very bottom of his creative barrel to keep the shoutbox from shriveling up.
I met a man who wasn't there!
He wasn't there again today,
Oh how I wish he'd go away!
– Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, founder of the first black owned hospital and performed the world's first heart surgery in 1893. Here.
That's right, it's Black History Month!
I've been really happy with how things have gone since the Shoutbox was reestablished. Lots of interesting stuff, although it is true I get antsy when I see the same post sitting up there for more than 10 hours. @jamalrob actually talks to us instead of sitting on his throne in heaven with @Baden on his right hand judging the quick and the dead, I mean the members and the banned.
• Startling Trump interference points to GoFundMe convoy campaign manipulation (Feb 4, 2022)
• Trump calls Trudeau “far left lunatic” as siege continues in Ottawa (Feb 4, 2022)
• Trump calls Justin Trudeau a 'far-left lunatic' as trucker-led COVID-19 vaccine protests continue in Canada (Feb 5, 2022)
Without traffic to Trump's site:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/AdrianMorrow/status/1489661479561437186[/tweet]
Maybe it's time Canada built a wall to the south?
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-Tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
I see @Baden on the right side. Proper, correct in so many ways, but secretly longing for the keys to the left hand path. Keys revoked from him by none other than @Hanover, that saint designed from the very beginning to represent all that is conserved, all that is pragmatic, all that is "within the law", and yet...and yet. @Hanover in his left-hand position, is the key to the dark side of the forum, and represents all that @Baden so desperately wants, but can only have in phantasmagorical bacchanaliac visions. Baden's only recourse is to fanstastical visions expressed through visionary yet illusory and depressing short stories. Ahhhhh
I seem to recall you asking for "shoutbox production"? I'm sorry...
Accurate.
:yikes:
After the war, though other slaves were freed for service in the military, Armistead-Lafayette was not because he was a spy instead of a soldier. His owner and Lafayette worked to get him freed (freeing slaves was illegal at the time without special permission).
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where—” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
Yeah, wanna be like Hanny. :naughty:
Mammals have the ability to have live births (instead of eggs) because of placental structures that result from virus DNA.
:gasp:
Hanover, is that you?
They're from outer space.
Funny thing about the vid is the guy is a comedian, apparently mocking the news media for their ignorance and stupidity re Satanism. Nooootice me, Sempai! :lol:
6 Kg of me is tiny DNAs foreign to me. 6Kg is not me, my family or the postman. It weighs more than all the sperm I ever produced, all the thoughts that ever occurred, all the love I ever got. Without viruses I'd be a trilobite, an octopus or a platypus. My beliefs are rectified: now I know I ain't the type that counts as an archetype.
Haha, yeah I watched some of his other videos. Funny dude.
:heart:
I guess that is all we humans have in common anymore.
Maybe Hallmark is ahead of the times in good wishes to your preferred gender, special friend who you are not in love with but share the idea of having a body organ in common...
I'm going to stay with the bloody Valentine's Day cards but happy hearts day cards are available my friends :flower:
I must be a guy. I never noticed that, because I haven't made it a habit to browse Valentine Day cards at drugstores.
Ask me again, Tiff, after my gender redefinition operation.
Happy Kidney Day to you, Tiff.
Let me know when you have decided on your redefinition! We could have a gender reveal party! :party:
Quoting god must be atheist
:lol: Happy Kidney Day to you, god must be atheist! :flower:
And that, my friends, is how it's done.
I think it means 8% of your DNA, not 8% of your body weight. I looked it up - the web says the average human has about 3kg of DNA.
Coincidentally, you've also answered definitively the most often discussed philosophical question - Is there free will?
I have 6 kg of virus-originated DNA.
I asked my wife to let me know of the birthday of her two children two weeks prior on an annual basis; and I asked her daughter to tell me on an ongoing bases when my wife's birthday comes up two weeks prior. After much deliberation, I asked her daughter to tell me also when the anniversary comes up, each year, again, with two weeks forenotice.
My sister always gives me notice of my brother's birthday, and vice versa. Both give me notice of our parents' birthdays, diedays, and interment days.
And I'm supposed to be the genius of the family.
A few years back my brother called me up.
He just got home from work, and there was a huge bouquet of flowers on his porch. He got angry, "Who is the bastard who sends flowers to my wife?" He goes in, sees his wife beat-red with anger, "Who do you think you are, to spend so much of our money on flowers?" She's quite the frugal kind.
Then he called me to see if it had been me.
Next day he called again, saying it was their son, who had sent it for Mothers' Day.
Where the fuck is TheMadFool??
As I remember he was an old member with very vivid action. I mean he wasn't one of many that appear here for just a couple of weeks or month and then disappear into the dark.
Though I didn't agree with anything he was posting I kind of liked this guy. He seemed like a genuine philosophical enthusiastic and his general attitude wasn't playing Philosophy God who had all the answers. He was fun.
So anyone know? Or maybe is he still posting and I just don't cross into his posts? Anyway hope he is fine though at any case.
If that question doesn't belong here, Admins can transfer it or even totally delete it.
Sometimes people change their names. Sometimes to avoid prosecution. Maybe debts, Maybe boredom. Or perhaps they were hounded by demons who only knew them through a name.
Everybody has their reasons.
I think all holidays are created by Hallmark. We're just too scared to question their authority.
Yes, Hallmark is, of course, the ancient Babylonian triple-breasted goddess of schmaltz and self-satisfaction. She bites the heads off misanthropes.
I already asked the question about the Madfool and was given a fairly decent answer. You would find that if you look back to pages on this thread, about 3 weeks ago. But, what I will say is that it seems highly likely that he has been reincarnated as a new being. But his soul still bears resemblance to when he lived as the Madfool.
Really? I mean, is it verified or you just suppose it? Is he reincarnated via Agent's account? I m not so sure, I don't find their way of posting very similar.
And as to be honest I thought of Agent as one of Prishon's many reincarnations..
I can't find the question you posted, if you could help me and linked it. Well if he did reincarnated indeed via another account then for me MadFool's spirit has gone forever then.I want people to stand for their (nick)names..
What is the meaning of this?
I don't think that the Madfool's spirit is gone. You just need to look for clues, even hidden in this thread. You are almost being a physicalist by thnking of people as names. If I reincarnated here as JackDaydream would I be a different person? Names,like bodies, have significance. Strangely, even though I have never met or seen photos of most people on site, I feel that I know them.
Individual awareness is likely to survive the death of the avatar but our awareness may be affected by it. Both you and I have human names and mine is the same as the one I have in real life. I wonder if having an identity like the Madfool affects life, or what does it mean to be 'Agent Smith'? Identity and awareness may change through the experiences of identity of reincarnation of avatars.
A question for @Shawn, perhaps.
Well exactly cause names here are the only way to know each other,the "character" you build here is represented by that name also.
If for example you change your name and you state it that from now on my name will be "that" still I will know that Jack is the one who wrote that some time, Jack who is an idealist (just saying) or Jack who we had a cool conversation at one thread etc. So still there will be a continue as to know to whom I m talking too. But to appear all from the start with a new name and be presented as a new here well I don't know,I find it weird and I m not a fan of it as to be honest.
Well I don't judge though, it's just a matter of preference.
Part of the problem may be that online we are disembodied characters. Online identity is so different from people meeting. We build and construct our identities so differently. I guess when I realised that @Agent Smith was the Madfool I was relieved to know that he was okay and still online and I still see him as the same person. The name difference does seem so different though because the Madfool conjures up more of an eccentric professor whereas Agent Smith seems more like a detective in a thriller. I imagine him to be a combination of the two. I remember how startling it seemed when @Banno changed his avatar to a pretty blonde girl.
But definitely the names people use is likely to alter the character that comes across. It may be that character construction online is an essential aspect of identity after postmodernism and the age of post truth.
Oh so it's true indeed that Madfool is AgentSmith at the end. Well in any case it's good to know that he is fine. Even If m not a fan of it, I m sure he had his reasons for changing his TPF identity. So I will leave it there, just glad he is okay.
Yes, I am glad he is okay. Names and nicknames are significant though. I can remember being called ET when I was school, which was probably because I was small and strange. When I was going through a time of spotty adolescence, and wearing glasses, I got called Adrian Mole by a group of girls in a shopping centre. These names bothered me then but it seems funny now. I am sure that most people have been all sorts of names...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60331189
or
https://news.sky.com/story/downing-street-parties-sir-john-major-says-brazen-excuses-were-dreamed-up-and-deliberate-lies-to-parliament-must-be-fatal-to-careers-12538111
Send Boris to America, we could use another wacky haired person to run for President! :clap: