Snowflake's Forum

Let's ignore Trump and the pro-global warming  GOP on this one Green cones are composters for food waste that run on sunlight. Green composting turns food waste into liquid or semi-liquid food for plants, not compost. The top part stays above ground in the sun. The bottom part is buried underground. The WaPo writes ( not paywalled ): What if you could make food waste disappear by throwing it into a hole in the ground and walking away. No more fouled trash. Less climate pollution. While researching ways to compost , I discovered an easy method to turn virtually any organic waste from veggie scraps to chicken bones to pet waste back into nature: solar digesters. They don’t produce compost, the rich, fluffy organic matter that turns back into soil. Instead, these biodigesters — typically little more than half-buried plastic cones within a small patch of dirt — harness microbial workhorses and the sun’s heat to transform organic matter into its elemental components, mostly carbon, wat...

  Simple one.  Something you enjoy eating or drinking, but others make evil faces.  For Bunny, it’s putting those little blocks of salad cheese into the blender with orange juice.  Yum. J.P. Bunny

Same-sex marriage New Atlas reports about an effect in the US of European nations legally recognizing same-sex marriages: Same-sex marriage recognition means  highly skilled workers avoided US The recognition of same-sex marriage across the European Union has had a negative impact on the US economy, causing the number of highly skilled foreign workers seeking visas to drop by about 21%, according to a new study. The list of countries that legally perform and recognize same-sex marriage now stands at 36 and continues to grow. Despite fears that same-sex marriage would undermine the institution of different-sex marriage, research has shown that, after 20 years, those fears were unfounded . Indeed, same-sex marriage has consistently been found to be positive for couples, their children , and the general population. Now, a new study by researchers from Washington State University (WSU) has found that marriage equality also has a major economic benefit. “This [study] just shows that ha...

Old-fashioned book control event A WaPo opinion  ( not paywalled ) discusses the current wave of attacks on libraries by America's radical right authoritarian wealth and power political movement: Libraries can help end the culture wars.  That’s why they’re under fire. Nothing threatens authoritarianism like a quiet place to explore knowledge There is an organized cultural assault on libraries in America, and the casualties are piling up. Fueled by “parents’ rights” groups like Moms for Liberty, public libraries saw the number of titles targeted for censorship surge 65 percent from 2022 to 2023, according to the American Library Association. Many school librarians have quit , exhausted by harassment and even death threats; during the 2021-2022 school year, 35 percent of districts nationwide had no librarian at all. At one library in Idaho, the situation became so dire that it announced it no longer permits minors on the premises without an adult (or a signed waiver), fearing ...

  In one of my favorite online haunts, Patheos Progressive Christian, a new hero of mine, Darrel Lackey, has posted a couple of pieces, " Pluralism for Me but Not for Thee"  and " Providence for Me... "  Here he is on pluralism and why it should prevail: "Before we go any further, I want to note that, yes, even the scholars who support pluralism recognize the idea in practice has its problems. No serious person thinks it’s perfect or without legitimate shortcomings. However, the great majority also believe the alternative would be far worse and I think they are correct. "Christian fundamentalists-evangelicals going back to the early 1900s have a strong tradition of apologetics and the idea that in the free-market place of ideas, the best ideas, the true ideas, will prevail. All they needed was a level playing field. All they needed was the same freedom enjoyed by everyone else. "Did they forget that not only did they enjoy the same freedom, but th...

  So, today on Breaking News and Religion, someone going by the name "Shaky" posted  this piece  on Trump running mate calling Kamala Harris a "miserable, childless cat lady."  They went on to point out how this will make women voters feel, and that George Washington was also childless. Enjoy the reading! Posted by Jennifer A. Nolan

Yesterday, I posted the following comment on  Dear Abby,  regarding how to shut down egregiously bad childrearing advice, from a busybody elder who just won't take no for an answer: "If LW is looking for more concrete advice on shutting down this pest, here is something from the  New South Wales Ombudsman of Australia:  "Interrupt the person’s monologue at the outset and assert control. 'If this does not work, reschedule and terminate the call – preferably for 24–48 hours or sooner..." "And if New Stepmom really keeps it up, LW can always stop socializing with these people. Sure, he's her dad, and she loves him, but baby has to come first, and so do current best practices for children's safety." Has anyone had any similar issues with relatives like this? Posted by Jennifer A. Nolan

  To get a driving license in Japan, one needs to spends weeks or months at driving school.  The test is given by the police, and very difficult to pass on the first try.    The point of this is that here, people are supposed to be professional drivers by the time they get the license.  All that soon forgotten.  People regularly drive with their kids or pets on their laps, kids wandering around the car, watching TV while driving, tailgating, and other such fun. Makes the blood boil.  What driving horrors bring out the “what the hell” in you? J.P. Bunny

People, listen up, it is time to up our salt game. The WaPo writes ( not paywalled ): Meat “When salting meat for cooking, any time is better than none, and more is better than some,” Nosrat writes. This gives the salt time to diffuse into the meat, which improves flavor, moisture retention and browning. “Aim to season meat the day before cooking when possible. … The larger, denser, or more sinewy the piece of meat, the earlier you should salt it.” As examples, oxtails, shanks and short ribs should be salted for one or two days. Salt steak more than 40 minutes or less than three minutes before cooking, J. Kenji López-Alt recommends in “The Food Lab,” noting that anything in between will leave too much moisture on the surface. Just keep in mind that salting meat too long will start to cure it (think jerky), so if you start with the best of intentions but realize you won’t get around to cooking, Nosrat suggests freezing the meat for up to two months and picking up the process from there...

Believe it or not, there are still some things that science just cannot fully explain, e.g., politics, my neighbor's cat, etc. The Gallium anomaly is one of them. When science stumbles across unpredicted results, things sometimes get very interesting and fun. Understanding unpredicted data is where new findings come from. Sometimes a Nobel Prize pops out.  Here is the Gallium anomaly explained in simple terms: One isotope of Germanium, 71 Ge, is radioactive. When a  71 Ge atom decays, it is supposed to decay into a Gallium-71 atom,  71 Ga. That is what the standard model of the universe predicts. But decades of measurements find that about 20% less  71 Ga is produced than predicted. What happened to the other 20%?  A paper in the nuclear physics journal, Phys. Rev. C 109, 055501 (May 30, 2024), has this abstract: What this research showed, with greater precision than before, is that the rate at which  71 Ge atoms decay is the same as what was previously...

Generally speaking (and please keep that in mind here),  Americans are rather wild compared to the rest of the societies in the world. Being as free as we are lends itself to such.  We’re loose with the truth, we’re loose with our sex, we’re loose with our violent-type entertainments. These type things paint a picture of a “life is cheap” mentality.  Live for today, effe the future and civility. Look at our role models: Hollywood, celebrity, rock stars, athletes, billionaires, … well, you get my point. It’s mostly the “still mentally young” who look to these types for guidance and to emulate.  But many grown-ass adults also follow suit.  These type icons are super-revered in today’s American society.  And the media, an enabler, is “all in” with it. "Give the people what they want." As Americans, what are our responsibilities/obligations?  Not many really.  Basically, follow the laws and vote every four years is pretty much all that’s expect...

Do you have a favorite one?  We used to do: I slit the sheet, The sheet I slit. Upon the slitted sheet I sit. to see if we could get caught saying the "s" word.   Then we’d giggle and with devilish eyes, cover our mouths because we knew we were being ornery.   So, list of some of your fave tongue twisters. (by PrimalSoup)

Climate scientists have posted a global warming tool that lets a person input their local big city and it outputs a place today where the climate now is like what it will be in your city in 2080. The input page looks like this: The output for my little town San Diego, CA, looks like this: For San Diego in 2080, the climate will be like it is now in Vicente Guerrero, Baja California, Mexico. Washington DC in 2080 will be like Oil City, Louisiana is today. What fun! By Germaine: Climate science accepter

  Bunny likes the theme songs you can sing along to, Gilligan`s Island or Green Acres.  The Green Hornet a dynamic one. Which ones are your favourites?

  I'm sure we've heard about President Biden calling Vladimir Zelensky "Putin," and Kamala Harris "Trump."  This is very unfortunate, but if  Beau is right , dear old Joe has always been like this, and it has not done major damage to his ability to handle his duties of statesmanship.  The video is six minutes long, but worth watching; I think Beau make a very good case for sticking with the presumptive Dem nominee.

  There are many big-cat conservation programs at our better zoos.  One reward for the keepers is getting to take care of baby jaguars and listen to their funny little  squeak roars .  It's also similar how these keepers  play with these GIANT kittens!   Baby leopards, at a month old, make even  squeakier noises !   And here are some little squawks from  lion and tiger cubs! For comparison, check out these little domestic Toyger  meow-squeaks! Posted by Jennifer A. Nolan

Here’s a common theme off my list of philosophical questions: What is the meaning of life? Is there a reason for life and what is it? Is the most important purpose in life happiness? If not, what is? Yes, philosophers have been wrestling with these same questions about life for eons.   And we’ve gotten a wide array of answers from the greatest thinkers that ever lived. So, how do you see the answers?   Do you tend to approach the answers philosophically, coldly/analytically, biologically, other?   Talk about the meaning of life. (by PrimalSoup)

How long is your longest password?   Mine is 15 alphanumerics long. How short is your shortest password?   Mine is 4 long. Is yours easily guessable (kid’s birthdays, pet’s names, the word "Password,” etc.)? Who all knows your passwords, other than the sites you use them on? Monkeys, like those who could retype Shakespear’s works if given enough time, could try to guess my longest password from here to eternity, and never guess it.   It’s that bizarre.   But my fingers know it by heart (there’s a visual). 😁  They can type it like a piano concerto.   Talk about passwords today.  Any horror stories to share? (by PrimalSoup)

You give to a charity because it touched your heart.   The next thing you know, they are pounding you with “freebees.”   Yesterday, we got a light-pen from Doctors Without Borders.   My husband, who brought in the mail said, “Look what Doctors Without Borders sent us,” as he flashed around the pen, seemingly very impressed with the bobble.   I said, “But I don’t feel right keeping that, if we don’t send in a donation.”   He said, “Do whatever you have to.”   He’s very accommodating like that. Oh, I’ve gotten tote bags, calendars, address labels, and gobs and gobs of scratch pads.   WTF?   Talk about imposing a guilt trip. 😠 I mean, what is a person supposed to do?   Just toss the so-called free item?   That doesn’t seem right.   WWYD? So, what do you do with the dot.org./charity stuff they send you?   If you send another donation in, are you just enabling the problem? Do orgs actually get the full donation, or is some ...

  By Germaine: Snarling watchdog of the public interest I'm watching you

Are you a “yup” or a “yep” person?  What’s the real difference anyway? Is “yep” the more sophisticated version of “yup”?   You know, a step up?   Or is it vice versa? 🤨 Does your “yup” show you are an Everyman?   No standing on ceremony.   Just give it to me plain and simple. Or, is "yep" more credentials-worthy?  And you have the papers to back it up. Did “yep” just devolve (or evolve) into a “yup”?   It was destined to happen, as language played itself out?    But, like the chicken and egg, which came first?   Who has seniority there? What does “yep” or “yup” really mean anyway?   What are its genealogical roots?   The less formal contraction of a “you betcha?” Do two “yeps” equal one “yup?”  You know, as Confucius say, “One 'yup' in hand worth two 'yeps' in bush.” Is "yup" or "yep" more challenging to the tongue?  That's it?  That's where the problem lies? Are you more the bi-yepper/yupper type?  You c...

  Have a tooth that is beyond help, a watch or appliance that can not be repaired because parts no longer available?  Set this MIB wannabe device for the desired time in the past, touch it to the desired object, and it will revert back to its state at that time. Bunny doesn’t like the fuss made while getting a haircut, and this always pops into mind while in the chair.  “Just put it back to the way it was two months ago.” What miracle gadget do you wish were for sale? J.P. Bunny

ROH - Run of the House. IOW, they have taken it over, like it or not.  (And you don't.) Ever try to keep a cat from climbing?  Dogs, yes, it’s possible by virtue of their size.  But cats?  No, impossible.  You can yell at them all you want; they will still do it.  It’s in their DNA, part of their m.o.  They gotta do what they gotta do. 🤷‍♀️ Still, you love them.   They are like… are … a member of the family.   When you come at them with your hand, they know it is to pet them, not hit them.   They've learned to trust you like that. So how about you?   Are your pets under control, or do they have ROH?   How about your kids, grandkids, other?   Even worse?   Tell us your horror stories. 😱 (by PrimalSoup)

 Okay, friends, start counting! Extra points if you've done it with twins.  Both at once.  Otherwise, anyone I've ever been with would get extra points. And feel free to share your adventures! AlextheKay is a slut.  

  On June 20th, 2024 PBS Storied uploaded this  Otherwords  video, by Erica   Brozovsky, Ph.D.,  on how cult leaders use linguistic tricks to convince others to join their groups and follow their dictates.  What I find frightening is how often I've heard some of the phrases and types of phrases they use: "It is what it is," "Everything happens for a reason," "Let's agree to disagree," "Stinkin' thinkin'," and "Trust the plan."  And some words that fall under the category of Loaded Language are "toxic," "patriot," and "genocide." This stuff is worth knowing, because entirely too many politicians, business people, and even humanitarians are using these tactics to garner support and commitment from the rest of us.  Brozovsky's answer to the problem is to read and absorb less loaded material from a broad variety of sources. Posted by Jennifer A. Nolan

A description of Australian compulsory voting By Tracy Brystan, formerly of the Royal Australian Air Force Comment on   Quora , 2015  " Australia has compulsory voting, and it's not particularly controversial. "The legal obligation can be fulfilled either by: 'submitting a postal vote, or: "by turning up at a polling both and having your name marked off the electoral roll, and submitting a marked vote in the ballot box. "There is no obligation for the vote to be valid. (Italics mine) "When you submit a postal vote, it is in two envelopes. The outer one gets you marked off as having voted, irrespective of what's inside. Then the inner sealed envelope is passed to the team who tally the votes; the people who mark off names never see the votes of those people. So there may be nothing in the envelope, or a blank ballot, or a defaced ballot, or whatever. "Likewise, nobody sees what's on the paper that you put in the ballot box, so it can be inv...

A 5 minute segment broadcast by local NPR (KPBS) yesterday focused on the explosion of incivility at San Diego County Board of Supervisors meetings. The rise of brutal incivility started about 1 year into the still-ongoing COVID pandemic. Some people seem to have simply lost their minds and degenerated into mindless, enraged animals. If that is happening in San Diego, I imagine it is happening in a lot of other places as well. The KPBS reporting includes this: There was a time when people addressed the supervisors with politeness, even deference, using words like “honorable” to address them. Today, public commenters might open their remarks with, “Good morning, board of tyrants,” then accuse them of murder, wish aloud they would drop dead and lob racist insults. The shift started in 2021 as supervisors became the face of COVID-related restrictions. Protestors flooded the meetings, public comment periods stretched on for hours, and the same group of commenters became meeting regul...