Snowflake's Forum

It took me a week to spot this in the news.  Leslie Van Houten, one of the original Charles Manson "Family" of murderers, is up for parole again. This has been going on for many years.  She comes before the parole board.  They recommend release. And the governor of California says, "The hell with that! "  And back to her cell she goes. I must admit to a tiny frisson o f happiness about that.  I'm not proud of that, but it really is how I feel.  You see, a friend of mine lost his lover to those slaughter-happy fiends.  And I know it hurt my friend so deeply that even now, several decades later, he's never really healed.  No, I won't give details.  You've got to give her credit for perseverance.  As CNN noted, " Thursday's hearing was her 23rd since she became eligible for parole in 1977. Van Houten has been in prison for nearly five decades."   So, what do you think?  Should she remain behind bars?  Shoul...

This video conveys some honest and revealing things about how some Americans think about politics. These are exciting times. Update: This is not representative of all Trump supporters. My estimate is that about 15% are similar in their knowledge, reasoning and/or beliefs. That estimate is based on my personal experience with engaging with conservatives online for about the last 17 years or so. By: Germaine

Ever notice how much a human is exactly like a car? Think about it: The eyes are the windshield. The eyelids are the wiper blades (they even come with wiper fluid). The head and arms are the steering wheel. The butt is the front seat (literally). The heart is the engine. The larynx is the horn. The lungs are the air filter. The esophagus is the entry point for the gas. The stomach is the gas tank. The exhaust pipe is the … well … you know. The feet are the wheels.   Add the tires and they have “shoes.” The endocrine system is the oil that keeps things lubricated and running smoothly. The nervous system is the electrical system and other wiring. The brain is the GPS location system and (bonus material) the satellite radio (thinking about songs and ideas). We can be one of those “top of the line” Cadillac models (Snowy would call those the “40-24-36’s”) We can have bad paint jobs (makeup, plastic surgery). We can be fresh from the showroom floor (babies). We...

Stonehenge mystery solved : Scientists work out where huge stones came from Researchers studied the chemical composition of the stones James Rogers 20 hours ago Evidence of larger version of Stonehenge discovered Contained as many as 90 stones standing 15 feet high The huge stones at Stonehenge in Southern England came from just 15.5 miles away, according to new research. Most of the sarsens, or sandstone boulders, came from West Woods in the English county of Wiltshire, researchers explain, citing the chemical composition of the stones. The sarsens are up to 30 feet tall and can weigh as much as 25 tons. The research is published in the journal  Science Advances . STONEHENGE WAS LIKE ANCIENT 'LEGO,' EXPERTS SAY "Until recently we did not know it was possible to provenance a stone like sarsen," said David Nash, the study’s lead author, in a  statement . "It has been really exciting to use 21st century science to understa...

Canada will ban "harmful" single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to reduce ocean waste, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced. This initiative is modelled on similar legislation passed last year by the European Union and other nations. Canada will also establish "targets" for companies that manufacture or sell plastics to be responsible for their plastic waste. Currently less than 10% of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. Mr Trudeau called the issue of plastic pollution a "global challenge". In May, the United Nations said 180 countries reached a deal to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans, where it can harm fish, sea turtles, whales and other wildlife. Marine animals can become entangled in larger plastics - particularly cord, nets and ropes from fishing. While European and North American countries tend to produce a lot of plastic waste per capita, their management of that waste limits the impa...

Vallejo police held parties, bent badges after fatal shootings, shocking report says By Katie Dowd, SFGATE Updated 9:39 am PDT, Wednesday, July 29, 2020 https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Vallejo-police-held-parties-marked-badges-report-15442661.php Excerpts: "The Vallejo Police Department, already under scrutiny for a series of fatal shootings, is now facing shocking allegations from a former captain, reports Open Vallejo. John Whitney, a former SWAT commander, says he learned in 2019 of the existence of a secret fellowship within the department. According to Whitney, some police officers who killed someone in the line of duty were thrown a barbecue and initiated into a kind of club by bending one of the points of their badge to commemorate the killing. Whitney says he was fired after he began probing the alleged misconduct. He filed a retaliation claim in February which went unanswered by the city, meaning Whitney is now free to file a lawsuit. His lawyer indicated to ...

Hands off! Sex parties and the spread of coronavirus Sirin Kale A sex-party promoter in the US is still planning to hold orgies in New York and Los Angeles. But sexual contact is an almost guaranteed method of catching the virus Kissing … a highly contagious act.  Photograph: Nikada/Getty Images Published on  Wed 11 Mar 2020 11.59 EDT As offices, schools and public buildings close around the world, the organisers of two US orgies are planning to push on with their events – despite the risk from coronavirus. The New York Post  reports that  high-end sex party promoters Snctm plan to throw an orgy in Los Angeles this weekend, and another in Manhattan next month. “Snctm events are going on as planned,” an organiser told the Post, before emphasising that there would be extra soap and sanitiser on hand at the venue. Los Angeles  currently has  17 confirmed cases of coronavirus, although more people may be infec...

Posted by Collectivist "The Covid-19 pandemic has upended our world. It has laid bare the inequity, the limits, and the failures of capitalism. The door to a better future beyond capitalism, already cracked open by the Great Recession, has been pushed open a little wider. Things that seemed impossible a few months ago now seem both possible and necessary. This historic moment calls for us to push hard and through that door to build a world that centers people and planet. To do so, we need to be clear about what we’re trying to leave behind (capitalism) to have greater clarity about what it is that we’re moving towards (post-capitalism and solidarity economy). Alternatives to capitalism are gaining adherents. Indeed, a recent Gallup poll found  43 percent of the respondents expressing support for socialism  propelled by the candidacy of Bernie Sanders and his platform of democratic socialism. And yet, there is a great deal of confusion about both what socialism and cap...

(If 'Good White People' Exist) by Michael Harriot, filed to: White People https://www.theroot.com/10-ways-good-white-people-can-help-black-america-if-go-1844526507 “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.” — Anne Frank,  Diary of a Young Girl I disagree with Anne Frank. I do not believe that most people are good at heart because I live in America, and in America, most people are white, which would mean that most white people are good, which is impossible for me to believe. Whenever I publicly dispute the notion that ...