Snowflake's Forum

Roxanna Lopez: I was trying to think of a topic, I went to clean my toilet and came back. I love a clean toilet; I hate to clean the toilet. Toilet cleaning, love it (?), hate it (?), neutral (?). Tips for removing limescale? Are you one of those privileged persons that never has/had to clean their own toilets? Reminds me of that joke that went around back in my programming days, of how a computer can be a lot like a toilet: So, tell us about your toilet’s hygiene.   What’s its (let’s just call it) “status”? (Posted for Roxanna Lopez by PrimalSoup)

  In between dropping slurs at his sermon, Pastor Tommy McMurtry of the Liberty Baptist Church in Rock Falls, Illinois said that he would give up Dr. Pepper if he found out that the doctor was a woman. https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/04/hate-preacher-says-if-he-finds-out-dr-pepper-is-a-woman-then-hell-stop-drinking-it/ “I can’t imagine a straight man drinking Bud Light right now,” McMurtry continued. “There is not a drink out there… You all know how much I like Ghost [Energy Drink]? They put a tr**ny on their can, I’ll be cured. Done.” We should send this preacher a mug: Or maybe a bottle of red whine: Or simply send him a can of Dr. Pepper like this one:

  R ight now, it's April. Bucolic April, month of religious holidays with matzoh ball soup and Easter eggs.  Month of new beginnings and joy.  Okay, T.S. Eliot thought it was "the cruelest month," but what do poets know, eh? On Monday, it's May.  Evil, riot-torn, violent, silly May. May 1st is "May Day," a celebration of socialism and the Haymarket riots that typified the conflicts between entrenched power and the nascent American workers' movement.   May 4th is, variously, the anniversary of the Kent State killings  or "Star Wars Day" (may the fourth be with you -- seriously, that's a thing). May 5th is "Cinco de Mayo," which means, literally, "May 5th."  Apparently, Mexicans beat the hell out of some Spaniards that day.  Everyone in America knows it's a holiday, though no one seems to know why. May 9th is "Victory Day" in Russia, celebrating their winning out over their erstwhile Nazi allies.  An...

  Discussion on Religion and Politics: Ibram X. Kendi: Racism Isn't An Identity, It's What You're Doing In The Moment (August 13th, 2019, WAMU) Jennifer A. Nolan  to  Food for thought: “and nobody said life was fair.” Well, enjoy your crowd of naysayers. Anybody who uses this cliche is just copping out of their duty to try to play fair. Systematic abuses are well worth complaining about, no matter what you or I think of the complainers!

  I wrote the follwing comment on another blog about two years ago; I would like to share it with the gang, with a few pertinent additions. "It's just occurred to me right now that the really important thing about marginalization isn't the victim's identity, whatever that might be, but the perpetrator's attitude and behavior.  Women get into trouble because men can't stop obsessing about various female "attributes."  People of color get into trouble because we white people can't get over the fact that some people don't look like us.  Poor people keep running into attitudes about "not pulling one's own weight;" and LGBTQ's run into cut-and-dried views on the complexities of human gender and sexuality.    The real issue isn't identity; it's manners and morals.  The finger-pointers and bigots are being nasty and abusive, in a way the Constitution, and in particular the Bill of Rights, aspires to abolish.  You don't h...

  Have you ever been associated with someone who is famous, like as a friend, neighbor, or relative? Or have you found yourself suddenly face to face with someone who is famous?  Have you been famous yourself, even briefly? I'll go first. In my high school years I found out my prom date's grandfather was 1920s boxing champion, Gene Tunney. Dining at a California wine country restaurant I found myself seated at a table near that of retired NFL quarterback Joe Montana. At a house party of friends of my parents in Hawaii a few years ago I finally recognized the identity of a vaguely familiar figure conversing with others on the outdoor patio: Rocker Neil Young. I've been featured on multiple local TV and national news network broadcasts over the past 20 years.  How about you? Posted by: e_monster

  Here’s a fun question to get ready for the weekend. Thunder asks : Images left to right, top to bottom: tarp, sunscreen, toilet paper, pot (the kind the natives cook White man in 😲), iPod,  hiking boots, hand saw, flare gun, inflatable raft, flashlight,  insect repellent, hammock, compass, mirror, vitamins,  water purifier, fishing pole, rope, hunting rifle, 5 oz. of weed,  first aid kit, tent, knife, matches, volleyball (a la “Castaway”) PrimalSoup’s follow up BONUS question : Now prioritize them (or at least chunk them off in importance to you).   I would add a 26 th item: razor blades to slit your wrist and get it all over with. 😁 ‘Course, there’s always the hunting rifle.   Is there anything missing from the choices that you just gotta have… you know, like Pepsi?? (Posted for Thunder by PrimalSoup)

  While we may search for the signs of intelligence in those around us, we often associate intellect with a high IQ, book smarts, and wanting to learn endless knowledge. But new research has found a link between people who are sarcastic and intelligence. That's right, if you're fluent in sarcasm, all of those years you've spent making snarky remarks have apparently been paying off. Because according to the results of  a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology , being able to understand sarcasm and use it like a pro, is actually a sign that you are super-intelligent and highly creative. Yes, you can now add being a smart-a** to the list of your all-time greatest strengths! https://www.yourtango.com/2015272644/sarcastic-people-are-smarter-says-science Btw. Something I've know all along 😁

Getting ready to start the posting of your questions, fellow bloggers.  Thanks again for the input.  That week-old  "suggestions thread"  is now closed.   I’m thinking I’ll post one of your requests every other day, in order to space them out and not overwhelm.  But that may change. TBD. BUT… as point of privilege, I’m starting out with a topic near and dear to me, suggested by our fearless leader, SNOWFLAKE.   He asks: I have a GREAT idea for a topic: What would we do if we didn't have Susan? 😏 What say you?   Do I: Post too much, and too often Have a warped sense of humor Complain too much A know-it-all Has interesting topics Too nice, I don’t trust the b**** Gets too vulgar Granny is full of it She's driving me crazy with those freakin' frackin' bubbles.  Enough already! Posts are too long (yeah, I agree with that one! 😜   Hey, I got a lot to say!) A little of her can go a LONG way [Your analysis...

I’d say most of us here do well enough, financially.  We have a roof over our head, food in the belly, and are staying above water, moneywise.  And we each have our personal story as to how that came about, whether a lot of hard work, right places at the right times with right decisions, luck-of-the-draw, inheritances, White privilege, [your financial journey here].  We also know that not everyone has been as lucky as we have.  There are many out there who still struggle daily.  I know virtually all of us here feel for them. Okay, all that aside (and recognized), I want to talk about the best way to teach kids about “handling money”; the best way to get them to understand its worth, its responsibility, its benefits and dangers.    As a parent, you may already have faced these questions.   You will be able to tell us how it all worked out for your family.  Would you, for example, have done anything differently? Questions: At what age sho...

  https://lgbpsychology.org/html/facts_molestation.html Rather lengthy, so here are a few snippets: Members of disliked minority groups are often stereotyped as representing a danger to the majority's most vulnerable members. For example, Jews in the Middle Ages were accused of murdering Christian babies in ritual sacrifices. Black men in the United States were often lynched after being falsely accused of raping White women. In a similar fashion, gay people have often been portrayed as a threat to children In recent years, antigay activists have routinely asserted that gay people are child molesters. This argument was often made in debates about the Boy Scouts of America's policy to exclude gay scouts and scoutmasters. It has also been raised in connection with scandals about the Catholic church's attempts to cover up the abuse of young males by priests. Indeed, the Vatican's early response to the 2002 revelations of widespread Church cover-ups of sexual abuse by priest...

A recent Nature Microbiology research paper reports the finding of ~10,000 previously unknown viruses inside the guts of human babies. Science Daily comments : Babies tumble about with more than 200 previously unknown viral families within their intestines. This large number comes as a surprise to researchers, who closely studied the diapers of 647 Danish babies and made this mapping. These viruses most likely play an important role in protecting children from chronic diseases.  Ninety percent of the viruses found by the researchers are bacterial viruses -- known as bacteriophages. These viruses have bacteria as their hosts and do not attack the children's own cells, meaning that they do not cause disease.   The hypothesis is that bacteriophages primarily serve as allies. As Shiraz Shah points out, the entire field of research speaks to a huge global health problem: "A lot of research suggests that the majority of chronic diseases that we're familiar with -- from arthrit...

  Whales stop by Gold Coast bay for day spa fix with full body scrubs Bottom contact behaviour documented with CATS camera. Screen shots showing an accompanying whale on its back during sand rolling (a1) and an accompanying whale moving its pectoral fin over the substrate from tag a (a2). Sand rolling performed by an accompanying whale during deployment of tag (b) and the tagged individual using its pectoral fin before rolling on its back from tag (c) Marine ecologist Dr Olaf Meynecke, from the Griffith-led Whales and Climate Research Program and Coastal and Marine Research Centre, used suction cup tags to track southward migrating whales between August 2021 and October 2022. The CATS tags are fitted with integrated high-definition video, magnesium release system, a VHF transmitter for retrieval, magnetometers, a hydrophone and light, pressure, temperature and GPS sensors. Using data and footage collected from the tags, whales were observed performing full and side rolls in up to 4...

So, what did you do yesterday?  I cooked.  I made homemade fried rice (forgot the peas, dang it), and big salads (4 of them).  We're good for a couple of days.   What are you doing today? (by Primal "Food, glorious food!" 🎵 Soup)  Yeah, I said soup. 😁

 THIS TIME, not by White Nationalists, Ultra Conservatives, Raging American Bigots or Christian Extremists. _______________________________________________________ QUEEN CLEOPATRA: Netflix sued by Egyptian lawyer for blackwashing history An Egyptian lawyer has filed a case with the Public Prosecutor to close the Netflix platform after the trailer of “Queen Cleopatra" was released, which depicts the Greek historical figure as a black-skinned woman. According to  Egypt Independent , Mahmoud al-Semary demanded that all legal measures be taken against those responsible for the documentary and the management of the streaming platform for its participation in “this crime.” He also called for an investigation and for Netflix to be blocked in Egypt. https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/04/18/queen-cleopatra-netflix-sued/ Cleopatra race controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_race_controversy Whatcha all think? Netflix gone woke? Does any of this matter? Should historical portra...

 I have never been what most people would consider heavy. I used to sink because I had so little body fat. As a pole vaulter in high school, I couldn't make the lightest pole bend--so I straight poled it. When I was working in a mental health clinic, I realized that based on my BMI, if I were anorexic the default recommendation would be to hospitalize me. I wasn't just thin. I was. . .really. . .skinny. You could see my ribs. It wasn't intentional. That's just what my body was. Then I gained about ten pounds per decade. I'd keep a size of clothes below me just in case, but it really was a one way journey. Until a year and a half ago when I decided maybe I could stand to lose a little weight. I was 156 at the time and figured it would be good to get down to the 145-150 range.  I didn't think drastic action was needed. Exercise a little more regularly, cut down the beer a little bit. Watch the chocolate intake. I also thought it would be an interesting experiment....

  Happy 4/20! How a group of teens getting high spawned a global cannabis-lovers event Popular lore  ties the birth of "4/20" to a group of high schoolers attending Northern California's San Rafael High School in the early 1970s. The cohort which dubbed itself the "Waldos" used to gather at 4:20 pm to toke up.  “We weren’t stupid stoners,” Steve Capper, 68, an original Waldo said, pointing to a certificate for exceptional achievement and citizenship he received in school.. The point being, the Waldos engaged in after-school activities like sports and studying, so 4:20 was chosen as the time the group could all meet up.  Who was the messenger? None other than The Grateful Dead.  Dave Reddix, a member of the "Waldos,"  told TIME Magazine in 2017  that the band helped popularize the term during his tenure working as a roadie for bassist Phil Lesh. TIME reports that during a December show in 1990 some Deadh...

Lost parrot makes it back home because he started talking to strangers at Easter party Mon, April 17, 2023, 10:04 AM PDT Screengrab from Brent Chadwell on Facebook Brent Chadwell felt one overwhelming emotion when his wife called to tell him that his beloved bird, Tiki, had flown out of the house — devastated. “I thought, ‘There’s a 50% chance that something eats him,’ ” Chadwell told McClatchy News. Chadwell, who lives in Cape Coral, Florida, about 130 miles south of Tampa, had owned Tiki for five years. He started caring for the bird when he was just 4-5 weeks old and still needed to be fed with a dropper. “He’s super friendly and super sweet,” Chadwell said. “He doesn’t scream, he doesn’t fight. He talks and makes cute little noises all day. He’s really hard to dislike.” So when his wife called on April 6 to say that Tiki had flown out of the house when she went outside to sweep the deck, he feared for the safety of his sweet bird who’d spent his whole life in captivity. “He would j...

 It's like this folks: sometimes your mind goes blank. Happens more than usual with me of course. Take this forum for instance. I wanted to post something today and couldn't think of a topic. At least not a non-sexual one and we know sexual ones lately have been frowned upon.  Then along comes one of our regulars and complains about something. Well, they might not say it was a complaint, just an observation, but it was a complaint. A minor one. It has something to do about being able to make something out of nothing. Sort of like me this morning, how to make a thread out of an empty head? But they (notice I am using the correct pronoun, not saying he or she), by what they said got me thinking. What I thought was: Not sure if that is the actual saying, if I remember correctly, I remember the saying going something like this: Umm, no, I don't think the saying I am thinking of goes that way either, maybe ONE of you good folks can remind me how the saying goes. Either way, when...

Well, there’s just the one line and this is it. 😉   It’s time to again submit your blog questions you’d like to see turned into an OP/thread, courtesy of me, PrimalSoup (but you can just call me Susan 😊 ).   If I missed you from the last round, most humble apologies.   Sometimes questions can get buried pretty deeply in an ongoing “disqussion” and get overlooked.   So please submit your question(s) again, preferably as a main post (not buried in a sub-post). In the posting section below, please tell me the subject matter(s) you’d like to discuss with your fellow bloggers.   Include an actual question(s) if you can.   Otherwise, I’ll take your ball and run with it.   (Hey, no wisecracks from the peanut gallery!)   I will make it so.   Remember, as in life itself, any entity is only as strong as its weakest links.   So when you don’t try, we don’t try.   This effort is especially expected from our regulars here.   Just sa...

We have a septuagenarian birthday in our ranks today.  It’s our AlextheKay’s 71 st birthday! 🎉🎈🍰🎁 Alex’s Disqus bio: Writer and editor, journalism, engineering, tech, nuclear reactor documentation, short fiction, horror comics, poetry, etc. CompuServe/America Online content manager 1981-2016. Retired. And all-around good guy, if I might add. 😊 So, let’s all wish Alex a Happy Birthday with this virtual card.   And feel free to include some “virtual presents” while you’re at it (pics, songs, book/movie suggestions, poems, etc.).   Here’s a little ditty from me, Alex: 71 huh? Well, Boo-hoo, pish-tosh, and whoop-tee-dee. When you’re 90, looking back 71 will sound GREAT to thee… you’ll see. 😜   Something tells me he would appreciate those gag gifts too (you know, for old people 😁 ). (by Primal “Hey, I’m old too!” Soup)

 Which sentence is correct? His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project. His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project. According to the AP Stylebook, which phrase is correct? Iris’ dog Iris’s dog "Ain't" is a contraction of which words? am not are not is not all of the above Which sentence is correct? She is laying on the couch. She is lying on the couch. Is the word "stupider" grammatically correct? no yes Which version of the following sentence makes sense? We went caroling with our dogs, grandma and grandpa. We went caroling with our dogs, grandma, and grandpa. Bonus! What was added to the sentence that made sense from the previous question? an apostrophe the Oxford comma "whom" instead of "who" a period If you want to 2nd guess your answers: https://www.dictionary.com/games/quizzes/can-you-answer-these-common-grammar-debates Hey it's Sunday night, I am home alone, and bor...

Our blogger, Roxanna, has moved from Qatar to London in the past year or so.   If my armchair psychiatry is up to speed (and it usually is), she is still bothered by as-of-yet unpacked moving boxes!   😱 Rox asks:   House moving. How long does it take you to unpack all the boxes, and I mean absolutely all? In your moving experience, are you the “live out of the boxes as long as possible” type, unpacking over many months, and/or only when some item is finally needed?   Or are you the stickler for order and devote the time needed to unpack?   Or are you something in between?   Maybe you are a traveler type and are sent here and there so it’s not worth the monumental effort it takes to pack, unpack, pack, unpack, etc. And while we’re at it, if you go on vacation, do you live out of your suitcase, or hang your items and/or fold them neatly in the hotel/motel/resort drawers? Explain yourself! (by PrimalSoup for Roxanna López)