Snowflake's Forum

  https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/status/1508455762254872583 In a video posted to social media Monday, largely unknown local Republican Oklahoma state Senate hopeful Jarrin Jackson opened fire on a home printer while pretending it was a  Dominion voting machine . “Who owns this?” the candidate asked himself before opening the printer’s lid, which read: “Property of: Godless Commies.” Jackson ransacked the printer, on which he had drawn a series of bogus phrases with a black marker. “Burn the Bible,” one of the printer pages read. After getting off the “horn” with the “Constitution,” he then declared that the inanimate machine was a “major threat” before opening fire on it with an assault rifle. “We’re going to dispense with some justice,” he concluded, “don’t tell anyone.” Responding to the video, a Dominion spokesperson told The Daily Beast: “Election misinformation is dangerous on its own, but violent demonstrations directly endanger our employees and customers who have been targe

  Tomorrow is the perfect chance to be naughty.   Yes, it’s April Fools' Day tomorrow, here in the U.S.   In case you’ve never heard of it (unlikely, unless you live a sheltered life, far, far away), it’s the day we here in the U.S. play an innocent prank on an unsuspecting victim.   I get my husband every year!  Poor thing (ha-ha). I’ve used the “Guess what, the car has a flat tire” more than once.   He, of course, goes running to the car to check it out, as I follow him and meet him with a big grin when he turns around, looking confused.   He immediately knows the date.  Feeling kind of foolish (that's the goal) he then tries to get me back the rest of the day, but it never works. Then, there was my “OMG, there are two kittens on the front porch!” prank.    Well, needless to say, I’ve done many such silly pranks on that day. 😈 So, here are the fun questions: Have you ever pulled April Fools' jokes on anyone?   If yes, what were they? Have you ever had anyone pull

 I was trawling the boards the other day and ran into this gem: The American republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's money - Alexis De Tocqueville "Fascinating!" I thought to myself.  Except I actually read his classic Democracy in America back in high school, and, um....I recall that this ran counter to pretty much everything in that book (which spent a lot of time talking about how popular pressure could corrupt government, not the opposite). What is it about the internet that makes the promulgation of phony "quotations" so attractive?  Here are some of my favorites: Nooope. Also nope. Nope once again. And still nope! So keep those skeptical antenna quivering, folks, and when in doubt remember the wisdom of Honest Abe: What whoppers have you enjoyed?  Share! AlextheKay has learned to make this line larger! 

There is something I have wanted to do for a while now, but wasn't sure if there would be enough interest or enthusiasm for my idea. Most of us are more or less strangers to each other, and some prefer it that way, the whole anonymity thing. Some others have talked about their lives and told us stories of their past and shared experiences. I certainly have. Some, dare I say, I would consider friends on here. A few, not including myself so far, have shared pictures of themselves. Others never have, and that is their choice. I have also talked to a few on here via email and a few have shared pictures of themselves via email. I have a picture of me posted on my email account that is like 20 years old, so no longer how I look. So my idea is to share pictures with each other. Unfortunately I never had a lot of pictures taken of me, but do have a few, and I am not a Facebooker or a Twitterer or take any Selfies. But I am sure, from time to time, some of you must have mused "I wonder

With a Stolen Fragment Restored, This Stunning 17th-Century Tapestry Is Made Whole Spanish authorities had all but given up the search for the missing piece, which was lost in a heist carried out by notorious art thief “Erik the Belgian” Nora McGreevy March 22, 2022 This 17th-century Flemish tapestry, titled  The Apotheosis of the Arts,  is the largest of a six-part series that was stolen from the Church of Santo Domingo in Castrojeriz, Spain, in 1980. (Note the missing two-by-two-foot square in the lower left corner.)  Public domain via Wikimedia Commons Police in Spain discovered the missing piece in an art history puzzle 42 years in the making, reported Spanish news outlet  Agencia EFE  last month. The saga begins with a high-stakes heist that took place on November 7, 1980, in the remote town of Castrojeriz in northern Spain. In the early dawn hours, a notorious art thief snuck into town’s historic Catholic church and single-handedly stole six 17th-century Flemish tapestries create

What’s in a name?   That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet. -Shakespeare Okay, not really into Shakespeare, but here are today's sermon questions for you to reflect on: To your understanding, what is the definition of "Christian"? What is the difference between a regular Christian and a super-Christian?  Do super-Christians even exist?  Or, in Christianity, is it "one size fits all?"  Explain. (by Primordial “🙏” Soup)

  S o, a friend asked me why I won't discuss politics with him anymore. I decided to stop beating around the bush. And I explained: In the past several years, the right-wing has gone from advocating conservatism to believing: an election was stolen, even though there is no evidence for the claim.... the current president, clearly quite nimble intellectually, is suffering from dementia... the Democratic Party (which they insist on referring to by another name) is a nest of Satan-worshippers who prey on and murder children... the CDC deliberately created an illness that wiped out millions and has been able to keep this a secret. Et cetera . Look, I don't need a "political discussion" to consider insane fantasies. Due to the nature of my career, my friends include a number of professional writers who can top all that and routinely do so for a living. And they do it entertainingly, too. In short, when "political discussion" means "I'm going to ma

Loves me “the big salad” (a la Elaine Benes, “Seinfeld”).   About three times a year I crave one. I always make ‘em myself, since I can build according to my faves. So, that happened yesterday. It's takes about 1 ½ hours to put it all together (I'm a "slow Pope," as my husband would say), but so worth it! 😋 My salad favorites include: Red and green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, celery, carrots, green pepper, red onion, green onion, mushrooms, dark red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cheese, egg, ranch dressing. Of course, in order to include all that, I end up with 6 big salads! So we are "saladed-out" after three or four days of salad overdose.   🤢   But oh that first one!     Okay, a pretty lame OP, I grant you. Hey, it’s the weekend (in my neck of the woods), so most everyone is off today and not at work, checking out the blogs. 😉 You know, having better things to do, places to go, people to meet.  So here’s the silly Saturday salad (say that five

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about childhood trauma. Of course those of you who know me know that I’ve had more than my share. In trying to become more functional I’ve been doing some research, and there is quite a lot written about it, more than I expected to find. A lot of it was not news to me exactly, but it was organized enough that I could start to understand that even though I am dysfunctional, I am a normal person who had to react to some very abnormal conditions and situations in order to survive. Those survival mechanisms have lasted into middle age and I still struggle to understand how to deal with the curveballs life throws me and with the whole concept and process of making and keeping friends. The biggest of those survival mechanisms is my sense of humor. It’s one of those things that if you can’t laugh you will cry or do something worse, and that’s actually a very common strategy. One question that I keep coming around to is this: Why can two people experien

 In 1917 three Portuguese shepherd children claimed to have been visited by the virgin Mary and received three secrets, the second of which is: ...  Consecration of Russia  to my Immaculate Heart, and the  Communion  of  reparation  on the  First Saturdays . If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph... Tomorrow, March 26, the Pope will consecrate Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and all will be right in the world. The amazing thing about this is that the Pope and many Catholics actually believe in this nonsense. This is not the first consecration, but previous failures have been explained away by Marian scholars as failing, because the exact conditions in Mary's instruction h

  Cat owners are known for sometimes spoiling  feline  members of the household with expensive toys. However, many have realised kitties are often more attracted to the box the gift arrived in than what's inside. And as countless videos on  YouTube  and social media have attested, this infatuation with cornered objects extends to sinks, suitcases and  plastic containers . So why do  cats  like boxes or box shaped objects so much?  Newsweek  have asked feline experts to explain this peculiar habit. Why Do Cats Love Boxes? The Hiding Places Zazie Todd, author of the upcoming book Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy, believes a key explanation for cats' box compulsion is because " hiding is a natural behavior for cats. " She told  Newsweek : "When something stressful happens, they like to be able to hide. A cardboard box is a great hiding place (especially if it is the right size, just for them to fit into). "They can feel more secure when they are in a

 Over the weekend, I had a "health event" that landed me in the hospital. Not to worry, it turned out to be nothing more than food poisoning with a side of dehydration.  Still, it was one more visit to those sterile hallways, first one since Trump's visit to the Cleveland Clinic back in 2020, and I decided, "Hell, why not post about it?"  Because, why not, right?  Of course, right!   It's a big hospital campus.  Here's the view from the room I was in.  This is just about a third of the total establishment.  All those buildings are parts of the Clinic.  This means, of course, that people arrive to visit you and take half an hour to figure out where the hell you're stationed! Then they stick you in a modern hospital bed.  Full of gizmos, buttons to summon help, buttons to accidentally fold you in half like a broken stick-figure, alarms to tell the nurse you (eek!) got out of bed without permission, et cetera ad infinitum.  Then they roll you to your r

 NO! This isn't about me! You know the one I mean, the arch nemesis of Batman. Every Actor Who's Played The Joker In Live-Action https://screenrant.com/joker-movie-tv-show-every-actor-batman/ I know  Heath Ledger  and  Joaquin Phoenix  both won Oscars for their roles, but I found their versions TOO demented, I preferred  Jack Nicholson  for his twisted and sadistic role as the Joker. So, whose Version of the Joker is your favorite?

I usually cringe when I hear the word “expert” since that word is thrown around willy-nilly these days.  I used to work with a man whose business card read “Computer Expert.”  My cousin used to have a beauty shop selling Merle Norman cosmetics.  Her business card read “Beauty Expert.”  Hey, attitude is everything! I also remember the word “craftsmanship”, now also a lost art.   Things are slapped together nowadays and often (I think of it as) “built to fail”.   Go commercialism!!   But these subjects are for another OP, another day.   Anyway… Q1: If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?   You can pick up to three fields. Q2. Are you currently an expert on anything? If so, explain and give us/list your credentials. Q3. Do you believe that one day science will be able to download knowledge into one’s brain for an instant understanding of some subject? Thanks for posting and recommending. (by Primal “wannabe an expert” Soup)

  25 FEBRUARY 2022 Humanity’s impact on our planet has profound and far-reaching consequences, some of which are less obvious than others. A new UN report shines a light on emerging environmental threats, including noise pollution, wildfires and shifts in the timing of key seasonal events. Our current geological epoch is called  the Anthropocene  because of how significantly our species is altering the natural world, from causing a  climate crisis  to precipitating a  sixth mass extinction  event. There are countless ways in which the current scale of human activity negatively influences our environment and some of these are rapidly growing in importance, yet remain largely ignored. Through its ‘Frontiers’ report, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) draws attention to these emerging issues of environmental concern. Previous editions have highlighted topics from microplastics to antimicrobial resistance to melting permafrost. The 2022 report,  Noise, Blazes and Mismatches ,