Need more smarm 'n schmalz in '17.
I just read "Here's to more LOVE this year." I just about tossed my cookies. If there's ONE thing we need less of, it's FlowerChildism-Gone-To-Seed. What we need MORE of is realism: facing facts, facing reality, dealing with what's really true.
Down with PollyAnnaism. Down with Disneyism. Because those, ultimately, are nothing more than debilitating spiritual and political crack. Let's detoxify from them this coming year. Make the world a better place that way.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
As Ever, Facts Left Out
Found this @ CBS News (re George Michael's death):
“Very few things cause healthy people to die suddenly. I suspect he may have had a serious underlying health issue that led to his acute heart issue,” said Bensimhon [medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure & Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Cone Health System in Greensboro, North Carolina], who also had no involvement in Michael’s case.
“People don’t typically die suddenly from heart failure. Progressive heart failure is a slow, insidious process through which people are very symptomatic with shortness of breath, weakness and swelling,” Bensimhon explained. “That said, people with weak hearts which cause heart failure are predisposed to dangerous heart rhythms which can kill them suddenly and that is why we place implantable defibrillators (ICDs) in these patients. I suspect the announcement that he died from heart failure is not the complete story.”
His former "lover" died of AIDs-related complications.
AIDS makes heart disease more likely...
“Very few things cause healthy people to die suddenly. I suspect he may have had a serious underlying health issue that led to his acute heart issue,” said Bensimhon [medical director of the Advanced Heart Failure & Mechanical Circulatory Support Program at Cone Health System in Greensboro, North Carolina], who also had no involvement in Michael’s case.
“People don’t typically die suddenly from heart failure. Progressive heart failure is a slow, insidious process through which people are very symptomatic with shortness of breath, weakness and swelling,” Bensimhon explained. “That said, people with weak hearts which cause heart failure are predisposed to dangerous heart rhythms which can kill them suddenly and that is why we place implantable defibrillators (ICDs) in these patients. I suspect the announcement that he died from heart failure is not the complete story.”
His former "lover" died of AIDs-related complications.
AIDS makes heart disease more likely...
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Never Heard Of Him {Shrugs}
I participate daily @ a writing site that sort of doubles as a forum. They always immediately post about any famous musician/singer who dies, so just now, it was this Michael George guy. I never even was exposed to his name, much less have I heard anything he performed. Sounds like his death might've been a rerun of "Prince's" (another guy I'd never heard of either, till the writing pack went on and on about his demise).
Personally speaking, none of these "greats" made music worth beans. So whhhhat's all the snivelling about? Sheesh!
Personally speaking, none of these "greats" made music worth beans. So whhhhat's all the snivelling about? Sheesh!
Addressing Some Fine Print
So, if you've been mulling over the "may/might" issue (isn't that the sort of thing people love to do on Christmas Eve?), you might've come up with a scenario something like this:
A friend is way overdue to arrive at your Christmas Eve party up in the mountains. You and all your friends who did arrive OK are worried he might've had a mishap on icy roads.
"Ya think he might've crashed?"
"He may have simply decided to turn back."
"Ah, he might still show up: he may just be taking it real slow on those treacherous roads."
So, on that 2nd possibility, you're objecting, "I thought you said, Verbi, that 'may' is verboten in the past tense?" (Refer back to the previous entry, and the "definite past" reference.) Great question! I'm glad you asked.
Notice that in the 2nd example, the speaker is in the present, talking about a possible/hypothetical action in the past. So it's not the definite past (i.e. it hasn't been established yet. Maybe a day later, or a month later, they'll find out what really happened, and then, the whole episode will lie in the definite past.) The speaker is conjecturing about something that's still in limbo. In such a case, you may use "may." (But you could also use "might" there.)
A friend is way overdue to arrive at your Christmas Eve party up in the mountains. You and all your friends who did arrive OK are worried he might've had a mishap on icy roads.
"Ya think he might've crashed?"
"He may have simply decided to turn back."
"Ah, he might still show up: he may just be taking it real slow on those treacherous roads."
So, on that 2nd possibility, you're objecting, "I thought you said, Verbi, that 'may' is verboten in the past tense?" (Refer back to the previous entry, and the "definite past" reference.) Great question! I'm glad you asked.
Notice that in the 2nd example, the speaker is in the present, talking about a possible/hypothetical action in the past. So it's not the definite past (i.e. it hasn't been established yet. Maybe a day later, or a month later, they'll find out what really happened, and then, the whole episode will lie in the definite past.) The speaker is conjecturing about something that's still in limbo. In such a case, you may use "may." (But you could also use "might" there.)
Major Calamity! "No" Whipped Cream!
When I first read the headlines about this shortage, I thought, "WHAT?!? Did the cows all take a long Christmas vacation? Or did they all have to be slaughtered for health reasons (a la the chickens a year or two ago)?" Turns out, it's merely the canned whipped cream that's "endangered" (the kind as a gradeschooler, I used to put on my Christmas wish list, and spray directly into my mouth with gusto, much to my mother's hilarity).
So, when I proposed to a fellow writer that she simply beat her own from the liquid version, the reply was, "That takes too much effort to beat the liquid kind." Ah, these life-threatening First World problems! (Never mind that she spends ALL her free time---and then some---jetskiing or snowskiing {snort}.)
So, if you're not averse to taking some of your daily workout in the form of beating some cream, *you can easily make stabilised whipped cream that will hold in the fridge for up to 3 days. No drooping, no separation and it's actually just a little stiffer than regular whipped cream, so it's great to pipe into fancy shapes on desserts.
For stabilised whipped cream:
*1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatine
*4 teaspoons cold water
*1 cup double (also called heavy or whipping) cream
*sugar and/or other flavourants to taste
Put cold water into a microwaveable dish and sprinkle the dry gelatine over the top. When the gelatine has completely melted (about 5 minutes), put into the microwave and zap in 10 second bursts until the gelatine melts into a smooth fluid.
Whip cream until it starts to form mounds. Add the sugar and/or flavourants and then start whipping again as you dribble in the melted gelatine. Continue whipping until it forms stiff peaks.
This does not change the flavour of the whipped cream and it can be piped and will hold any shape that a more conventional piped frosting like buttercream will hold. It withstands being left out in a warm room longer than whipped cream does, for instance if you put it on the side table at the beginning of serving the meal.
It will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days.
[*All info from that asterisk on borrowed from a commenter at a whipped cream dearth article online.]
So, when I proposed to a fellow writer that she simply beat her own from the liquid version, the reply was, "That takes too much effort to beat the liquid kind." Ah, these life-threatening First World problems! (Never mind that she spends ALL her free time---and then some---jetskiing or snowskiing {snort}.)
So, if you're not averse to taking some of your daily workout in the form of beating some cream, *you can easily make stabilised whipped cream that will hold in the fridge for up to 3 days. No drooping, no separation and it's actually just a little stiffer than regular whipped cream, so it's great to pipe into fancy shapes on desserts.
For stabilised whipped cream:
*1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatine
*4 teaspoons cold water
*1 cup double (also called heavy or whipping) cream
*sugar and/or other flavourants to taste
Put cold water into a microwaveable dish and sprinkle the dry gelatine over the top. When the gelatine has completely melted (about 5 minutes), put into the microwave and zap in 10 second bursts until the gelatine melts into a smooth fluid.
Whip cream until it starts to form mounds. Add the sugar and/or flavourants and then start whipping again as you dribble in the melted gelatine. Continue whipping until it forms stiff peaks.
This does not change the flavour of the whipped cream and it can be piped and will hold any shape that a more conventional piped frosting like buttercream will hold. It withstands being left out in a warm room longer than whipped cream does, for instance if you put it on the side table at the beginning of serving the meal.
It will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days.
[*All info from that asterisk on borrowed from a commenter at a whipped cream dearth article online.]
Friday, December 23, 2016
Might Want To Avoid "May" In The Past ;)
"Had he treated her with respect and dignity, she may not have cut him off." "May" is incorrect here. Notice that the cutting off lies in the definite past, as does his not having treated her right. So, the correct verb is "might."
Here are examples where "may" is correct:
If he treats her with respect and dignity, she may put up with some of his quirks.
If they built that nuclear power station near the military facility, in the event of war, it may easily become the target of an attack.
Contrast that 2nd example with this: If they had built that nuclear power station near the military facility, in the event of war, it might have easily become the target of an attack.
Justifying Their Existence? Or Worse?
Ever since the unnerving vape shooting incident (which happened not too many blocks from my house), I've had the pohleece send me any and all of their notifications. The latest one just exponentially "increased" my holiday cheer. I'm all for cops nabbing offenders, but as one of my fellow bloggers has repeatedly pointed out, THIS sort of behavior is utterly unconstitutional.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
The Leftist Virus Is More Pervasive Than Syphilis
"According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal,
since Obama took office, Google representatives have visited the White
House ten times as frequently as representatives from comparable
companies—once a week, on average." (source)
And you think your Google searches are gonna be objective?
And you think your Google searches are gonna be objective?
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Lay Off The PollyAnna Kool-ade, Lady
"May 2017 bring healing and unite us in a common vision for our world. "
This is just one of countless smarmy comments that writer has made over the past 16 months. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't advocate sowing terror and misery. But the moronic rosy-lensed misperception that a common vision is possible for humanity short of a total reformatting of the race (and the planet) is sheer lunacy.
How're you going to achieve a "common vision" for people who believe, variously, Mohammed, Christ, Krishna, Marx and sundry other "prophets"? How will there ever be peace in a nation where one side thinks that the various putrid behaviors of perversion should be foisted on even kindergartners, while the other side is appalled, and rightly seeks to protect youngsters from any and all intellectual and moral carrion?
Truth divides.
This is just one of countless smarmy comments that writer has made over the past 16 months. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't advocate sowing terror and misery. But the moronic rosy-lensed misperception that a common vision is possible for humanity short of a total reformatting of the race (and the planet) is sheer lunacy.
How're you going to achieve a "common vision" for people who believe, variously, Mohammed, Christ, Krishna, Marx and sundry other "prophets"? How will there ever be peace in a nation where one side thinks that the various putrid behaviors of perversion should be foisted on even kindergartners, while the other side is appalled, and rightly seeks to protect youngsters from any and all intellectual and moral carrion?
Truth divides.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Insanity At the Steering Wheel
Well, gee, ya don't say! I've been maintaining for decades that women have no biz being soldiers (& ***I'm*** a woman)!
Things that neither feelings, nor hormones, nor surgery can change:
"The differences between the sexes affect all kinds of major and minor components about our bodies. Men have stronger bones than women, as well as stronger tendons and ligaments. Males have more muscle fibers, and because of this have greater muscle mass. Men have about 40 percent more muscle mass than women. Things like calorie intake also affect the sexes differently: men tend to convert extra calories into muscle and energy reserves. Females tend to convert them into fat deposits.
Things that neither feelings, nor hormones, nor surgery can change:
"The differences between the sexes affect all kinds of major and minor components about our bodies. Men have stronger bones than women, as well as stronger tendons and ligaments. Males have more muscle fibers, and because of this have greater muscle mass. Men have about 40 percent more muscle mass than women. Things like calorie intake also affect the sexes differently: men tend to convert extra calories into muscle and energy reserves. Females tend to convert them into fat deposits.
Men
also have higher levels of testosterone that allow a greater capacity
for hypertrophy (muscle growth). While testosterone exists in both men
and women, most men produce 6-8 mg of testosterone daily, while women
might produce 0.5 mg at the same rate. Because of this, high-T females
are nowhere near the testosterone level of even low-T males. Your
average female’s T range is from 8-60 ng/dL, while adult males range
from 240-950 ng/dL.
Men are bathed in testosterone from the womb. Exposure to higher amounts of testosterone over a lifetime is why men are the way they are (the same can be said for women and estrogen). Higher testosterone levels in men make them more aggressive. Higher testosterone also allows men to endure greater amounts of, and recover faster from, physically strenuous activities. They can do all of this at much higher rates than women can."
It's fatuous to ignore basic scientific realities. Worse, it's DANNNNNgerous! Will this society ever recover from careening around in relativistic space outside the safety of truth's gravity? Have we passed the point of no return?
Men are bathed in testosterone from the womb. Exposure to higher amounts of testosterone over a lifetime is why men are the way they are (the same can be said for women and estrogen). Higher testosterone levels in men make them more aggressive. Higher testosterone also allows men to endure greater amounts of, and recover faster from, physically strenuous activities. They can do all of this at much higher rates than women can."
It's fatuous to ignore basic scientific realities. Worse, it's DANNNNNgerous! Will this society ever recover from careening around in relativistic space outside the safety of truth's gravity? Have we passed the point of no return?
Sunday, December 4, 2016
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