Snowflake's Forum

By Best in Moderation The United States is often discussed, politically, as a place comprised of mostly Republicans and Democrats, with a small subset of parties that make up the rest. According to our elections, that is only half the story (literally, as often less that half the USA votes, and only slightly more than half the eligible people vote when they can at maximum). While there are many parties to discuss, as well as unaffiliated people, one of the most discussed and well known groups are Libertarians. Often placing themselves as the logical middle ground, they are in actuality on a different scale entirely, being generally opposed to the concept of government intervention in the lives of citizens, and being only a slight step up from anarchists in terms of individualism vs collectivism. Libertarians often describe themselves as socially liberal and fiscally conservative, but that isn’t quite accurate; they are socially anarchists and fiscally anti-regulation or central monetar...

A feel good story for a change. I am sure we all remember one of the most iconic pictures of the last century: 'Afghan Girl' from 1985 National Geographic cover is evacuated to Italy at age 49 The "Afghan Girl" with piercing green eyes who gained worldwide recognition after appearing on a  1985 National Geographic  cover has fled her home country and arrived in Rome. The girl, Sharbat Gula, now 49, was photographed in a Pakistani refugee camp during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1984. At the time, Gula was roughly 12 years old and  sitting in a tent being used as a classroom . After her picture was taken, she grew up, left the refugee camp in the early 1990s, started a family, and remained largely anonymous until the American photographer who took her photo, Steve McCurry, tracked her down again in 2002. More on this story: https://news.yahoo.com/afghan-girl-1985-national-geographic-000959000.html

 Please be patient, I have to vent. I will get around to making an Earth shattering and totally unexpected announcement below, but please don't skip ahead and miss the rest of my tirade. GRRRR, at Disqus, I wanted to make my announcement Thursday or Friday, but Disqus was glitching at my end, couldn't even get into the Admin Panel to clear all the spam that was collecting. Finally did get them cleared and at least for now, Disqus seems to be working OK. NOW, for the big announcement, and I suggest you strap yourself in, as it will be a major one. Ready? I am moving to Canada finally, no, not yet, though I wish. I am closing down my forum, well no, not yet either. Geri has left me, nah, she knows a good thing when she's got it. So Snowy, what is it already? It's this: I am giving up the weed, both in smoking or edible form. Period. The end. (No wonder I am in a bad mood) .

🦃🦃🦃 Over the years turkeys got to be too bland and dry. For a couple of years roasted prime rib was the replacement of choice. Lately Kadu, a sweet squash dish from Afghanistan has bubbled up into prominence. It's on the menu today. KADU (sweet pumpkin) 3-4 lb butternut squash – ~ ½ - ⅔  inch cubes & pieces (pumpkin and other squashes can be used, but butternut squash tastes best for us) ~ ¼ cup vegetable oil, or a little less White rice (preferably basmati) cooked with oil and salt Sweet tomato sauce 1 – 1½ can tomato sauce, preferably unsalted (~ 16-24 oz) ¾ cup water 3-4 garlic cloves crushed 3-4 tsp coriander powder ~3-4 tbsp ginger chopped fine ⅓ - ½ cup brown sugar (or sweeten to taste) ½ tsp baking soda (neutralizes tomato acid) ~ ¾ tsp black pepper Garlic & ginger yogurt 32 oz plain whole milk yogurt 2-3 garlic cloves crushed 1-2 tbsp ginger chopped fine 1 tsp coriander (optional)   ~ ¼ tsp salt or a bit more Optional garnish: chopped mint leaves...

 That's right!  When Thanksgiving Day ends, Black Friday is here! The best shopping day of the year, they tell us.  But is it really?  In my experience, it is the absolutely worst shopping day.    Crowds! Screaming kids!  Demonstrations!  and parking?   Parking's a damn joke! So get out there and have a wunnerful, wunnerful time, but me?  I'm staying home with my cats! AlextheKay is mildly curious what you're shopping for, mind you. Tell us all!

I know holidays are coming and most everyone has their minds occupied with those activities. So, I don’t expect a lot of input here. But here’s something to ponder while you anticipate your upcoming “over-eating to the point of belly pain” event. 😓 I could use some advice/help on punctuation rules for my particular problem areas. (Yeah, I know… just Google it.)  No! I get mixed messages on Google.   I want to know what your learned opinions are.   Seems punctuation rules can be up for debate these days.   Times, like punctuation rules, change. Here are four problem areas that I wonder about.   Which of the following is technically correct? Case 1: Capitalization   For example, is it: Republican *or* republican    Democrat *or* democrat   I know proper names must be capitalized but I see this label done both ways.   When to capitalize such words, and when not to?   [Your Answer here] Case 2: Quotation mark...