With the sighting of the new crescent moon, the Islamic community in New Zealand š³šæ and around the world start the holy month of Ramadan. We wish all those celebrating, and who will be undertaking prayer and fasting in the month ahead a very happy Ramadan š #RamadanMubarak pic.twitter.com/Joni9VUpG4
— New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (@MFATNZ) February 28, 2025
It begins. To those who observe, may your fast be easy and your prayers accepted.
(Other religious observances: Lent begins next Wednesday, so Mardi Gras is next Tuesday.)
How to practice healthy fasting during Ramadan https://t.co/orrv1yIVpW
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2025
Meanwhile, on Opposite World…
Economic Blackout: Will a 24-hour boycott make a difference? https://t.co/FKG1zLhE1A
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2025
Per the Associated Press, “Economic Blackout: Will a 24-hour boycott make a difference?”:
… The Peopleās Union USA calls the 24 hours of spending abstinence set to start at midnight an āeconomic blackout,ā a term that has since been shared and debated on social media. The activist movement said it also plans to promote weeklong consumer boycotts of particular companies, including Walmart and Amazon.
Other activists, faith-based leaders and consumers already are organizing boycotts to protest companies that have scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and to oppose President Donald Trumpās moves to abolish all federal DEI programs and policies. Some faith leaders are encouraging their congregations to refrain from shopping at Target, one of the companies backing off DEI efforts, during the 40 days of Lent that begin Wednesday…
The planned blackout is scheduled to run from 12 a.m. EST through 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday. The activist group advised customers to abstain from making any purchases, whether in store or online, but particularly not from big retailers or chains. It wants participants to avoid fast food and filling their car gas tanks, and says shoppers with emergencies or in need of essentials should support a local small business and try not to use a credit or debit card.
Peopleās Union plans another broad-based economic blackout on March 28, but itās also organizing boycotts targeting specific retailers ā Walmart and Amazon ā as well as global food giants Nestle and General Mills. For the boycott against Amazon, the organization is encouraging people to refrain from buying anything from Whole Foods, which the e-commerce company owns…
Some retailers may feel a slight pinch from Fridayās broad āblackout,ā which is taking place in a tough economic environment, experts said. Renewed inflation worries and Trumpās threat of tariffs on imported goods already have had an effect on consumer sentiment.
āThe (market share) pie is just so big,ā Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. āYou canāt afford to have your slices get smaller. Consumers are spending more money on food. And that means thereās more pressure on general merchandise or discretionary products.ā…
Speaking of austerity, Goddess bless my senior Senator:
@sanders.senate.gov and I have a bill to get that done, so that seniors can retire with the dignity they deserve.
www.propublica.org/article/doge…— Elizabeth Warren (@warren.senate.gov) February 27, 2025 at 5:42 PM
On The Road – Auntie Anne – Southeast Asia – Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam
Baud
It feels like Ramadan season begins earlier every year.
Nukular Biskits
Good mornin’, y’all.
Taking the day off. I’m in major need of decompression and it’s not just from the bullshit from Trump and his toady Republican enablers.
Ain’t buyin’ nothin’ today. Plan is to work in flowerbeds all day long.
Y’all?
Baud
I miss Amir.
Betty Cracker
Jesus, next Tuesday is the FAT one already? Got to stock up on some butter for lambs! I wouldnāt put it past the Orange Fart Cloud to take butter away now that heās made eggs unaffordable. ;-)
@Baud: Had the same thought when I read the post title.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@Baud: It actually does. I had to look it up because I had the same impression. Apparently, it starts 11 days earlier each year because the calendar is shorter than the Georgian calendar
ETA: Miss Amir’s thoughtful presence, too.
kalakal
Good morning all.
Have shingles*. Not happy. Blame it on stress
*have had the Shingrix shots and have a course of Valtrex
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
Every time someone mentions a Jackal who is no longer here (whether just not commenting/posting or no longer on this mortal coil), I’m reminded of the entire premise of the movie Coco; i.e., where memories of the deceased are important.
Nukular Biskits
@Betty Cracker:
Every Tuesday is FAT for me.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Betty Cracker: I can’t keep religious calendars straight (maybe because I have to deal with two at once, and the Orthodox calendar is the one that gets enforced here). All I know is that this coming Monday is Clean Monday for the Greek Orthodox church, and it’s a bank holiday.
Meanwhile, there are massive protests here regarding the second anniversary of the Tempe train crash, the deadliest in Greek history, and it’s devolved from peaceful protest into Molotov cocktails and tear gas grenades. I heard strings of booms outside my window just a few minutes ago, but they’ve died down. For now.
Nukular Biskits
@kalakal:
That sucks. Hopefully a very mild case.
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Easter is 4/20 this year.
Handy hint: don’t smoke the electric green grass in the baskets.
Nukular Biskits
@NotMax: LOL
Jackie
@Baud:
My immediate thought upon reading ALās post title. š¢
WereBear
Don’t mistake marketing for information. Proper research often shows the opposite of what they are telling you is true.
In the middle ages people bought magic from the witches the church wanted burned, but it was still the free market. The church was interfering with a competitor.
frosty
k@Nukular Biskits: Ms F and son donāt know anything about the economic blackout so we wonāt be part of it. The only shopping I know about will be Costco so thatās not too bad.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Did we find out why he is not posting anymore?
NotMax
@Betty Cracker
Speaking of butter (and other foods).
;)
Spanky
@Baud:
My thought too. We should all be so gracious in life that we evoke that kind of response when we’re gone.
Purely aspirational on my part.
Nukular Biskits
@frosty:
From a personal economic standpoint, my not buying anything today (well, not planning on it, anyway) is probably moot as I loaded up with over $300 on landscaping/gardening stuff yesterday (landscaping blocks for flowerbed border, composted cow poop for the roses, peat moss), requiring two truck loads.Ā So, on average for yesterday and today, I’m still spending money.
But … if a lot of folks are doing the same, the lack of activity today will be noted.
narya
@Nukular Biskits: Not buying anything either. It’s possible we’d take a walk and have a beer later, but the brewery is definitely on our side, locally owned, does collabs with Black brewers, etc., so I wouldn’t feel bad about that. More likely just staying home, though; lots to do and little enough energy to do it all.
prostratedragon
Buried treasure in a comment thread:
@Spanky:
That makes many of us. Thought about him just the other day.
Elizabelle
May Allah bless Amir and his cats, wherever they all are.
Glad we are all thinking of him, and missing him.
Happy Friday/not spending any money today, jackals.
schrodingers_cat
One of my favorite qawwalis because its Eid, Music composed by A. R. Rahman. IIRC AL had frontpaged it years ago.
Emperor Akbar finds God, from the movie Jodha Akbar
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone š š š
rikyrah
Happy Ramadan Mubarak
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Baud
@schrodingers_cat:
Not to my knowledge.
VeniceRiley
@narya: Now I’m thinking there should be a Netflix series about minority beer makers and ingredient suppliers.
They’d probably call it Special Forces: Black Hops.
In the land where the pint is sacred here, but they don’t make much of anything too adventurous at all. I miss Karl Strauss like woah.
Baud
@Nukular Biskits:
I’m not expecting much of an effect, but hopefully this is only the first step.
RileysEnabler
Good morning all, we made it to Friday. Started with calls to my congresscritters (Texas, they are all miserable bastards) and focused on the NOAA cuts because HURRICANES. Felt slightly better after. Will not spend anything today.
It helps my sanity to do something. Ā I hope you all have a manageable day.
NotMax
Extremely vaguely topical music time.
Near East Brass, The Uplifted Veil of a Downhearted Frail.
A Man for All Seasonings (formerly Geeno)
@kalakal: My sympathies. I had it a few weeks ago, and the pain just won’t subside. Apparently, it can do nerve damage that takes some indeterminate time (days/weeks/months) to heal.
Matt McIrvin
@prostratedragon: They’re not going to rob Fort Knox, they’re going to set off a small nuclear device to render the gold supply radioactive. I saw it in a documentary with Sean Connery and Honor Blackman.
Professor Bigfoot
Ahhh, next Friday I can hit the āall you can eatā fish special!
Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate.
Rachel Bakes
@kalakal: oh no. May it be a slight and speedy case. Stress is driving so many things lately. Second Shingrix for me next month.
Betty Cracker
@NotMax: “Kids, find yourself some real butter. Even if you have to shoplift it!”
Yep. A few years ago, I looked after two teens for a single parent friend who was in the hospital. One of the kids would only eat salted butter. The other would only eat unsalted butter. After a couple of days of trying to appease their pickiness, I just let them order whatever the hell they wanted from DoorDash.
TBone
Always tryna keep “one step ahead” like Bette Davis famously said…TBone is here to say
WE WILL NOT BE ERASED.
Paste tool not working yet brb
Trying to paste link for Womens History Month of March, but it figures I am foiled again.Ā Must unplug and plug it back in.
narya
@VeniceRiley: Turns out I went to college with two of the founders of this particular brewery. They’ve won awards for their beer, and everything is true to style; the brewmaster won the Sam Adams Longshot Award, which was the real grease to the engine. Their growth has been deliberate, their taprooms are great places to hang out, and their beer is truly exceptional. They have all kinds of stuff, from barrel-aged imperial stout to low-ABV radlers and English bitters. They did do a barleywine a few years ago that was AWFUL–they added some stuff that just made it undrinkable. Even the staff hated it. But generally, excellent stuff.
Professor Bigfoot
Never thought of it quite that way before; but this makes absolute senseā free women, free-thinking women willĀ always be a threat to patriarchy, and is there a greater proponent of patriarch than the Church?
narya
@Professor Bigfoot:Ā @WereBear: There’s a series of mysteries set in Ireland in the 7th century or so, after Christianity came to the shores but before its takeover was complete. The main character is Sister Fidelma, and, while there are formulaic aspects (as with any series), you can learn a lot about the legal and political system that Christianity replaced.
RileysEnabler
@kalakal: ugh Iām so sorry. I hope it clears quickly.
Iām due for shot #2 tomorrow.
TBone
@kalakal: oh sorry for the prickly stabbing, healing quickly best hopes to you!
Nukular Biskits
I know I mentioned this yesterday, but gonna re-up it: My employer put out the following:
They followed up yesterday evening to all employees with the updated policy providing “templates”.
I never included personal pronouns in my email sigs and it sure as hell didn’t make me curl into the fetal position whenever I received an email from someone who did.Ā I really do not understand this obsession on the part of MAGA with how other folks IDENTIFY THEMSELVES.
Fuck this administration with a rusty pitchfork.Ā Being corporate policy, however,Ā have to comply but I’m scheming on how to do so maliciously.
TBone
Had Covid booster jabs scheduled for yesterday but got so excited about Noah finally eating & possible tube removal that we both forgot about everything else.Ā CVS was forgiving though.Ā Will go next week.
narya
@kalakal: Blegh. I hope it clears quickly!
NotMax
@kalakal
Ugh. Had a case of shingles back when was in my twenties.
Cortisone cream is your friend.
TBone
@TBone:
Testing, testing, 1,2,3…
š¶
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3HwWDOQoCBM
Baud
@WereBear:
Today, that competitor is government services.
Soprano2
I’m listening to a couple of guys on the radio talk about the death of Gene Hackman and his wife. Evidently it wasn’t carbon monoxide poisoning, the fire department ruled that out, so now their deaths are being investigated as suspicious. The dog that died was in a crate, but there were two other dogs who didn’t die. Just bizarre.
ETA – I copied that cartoon and posted it on FB. Also, I’ve got to call the dentist because I’ve got a tooth twinging. Of course it has to happen on a Friday……
Miki
@Nukular Biskits: Here’s a thought – https://youtu.be/-4La5UwDcVY?si=QuHs4j1GsA2KAfZY
TBone
@Soprano2: I had an intuition about this yesterday.
zhena gogolia
@schrodingers_cat: No, WaterGirl tried, but it was not possible to find out.
sixthdoctor
My congressman (Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D, MD-7th district) is having a telephone town hall tonight at 7. Will focus on the federal workforce but will also cover (waves hands at stupid world).
Includes special guests Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley.
Streaming at https://mfume.house.gov/live .
TBone
@TBone: Sista music but much more
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0bjykX3D30
Well, you tell us that we’re wrong
And you tell us not to sing our song
Nothing we can say will make you see
You got a heart of stone, you can never feel
You say, “Oh, I’m not afraid, it can’t happen to me
I’ve lived my life as a good man
Oh no, you’re out of your mind, it won’t happen to me
‘Cause I’ve carried my weight and I’ve been a strong man”, yeah-yeah
But listen to the man in the liquor store
Yelling, “Anybody want a drink before the war?”
And your parents paid you through
You got a nice big car, nothing bothers you
Somebody cut out your eyes, you refuse to see
Ah, somebody cut out your heart, you refuse to feel
And you live in a shell
You create your own hell
You live in the past and talk about war
And you dig your own grave, yeah
But it’s a life you can save
So stop getting fussed, it’s not gonna happen
And you’ll cry but you’ll never fall, no, no, no
You’re building a wall
Gotta break it down, start again
No, no, no, it won’t happen to us
We’ve lived our lives
Basically we’ve been good men
So stop talking of war
‘Cause you know we’ve heard it all before
Why don’t you go out there
And do something useful
Oh, listen to the man in the liquor store
He yelling, “Anybody wanna drink before the war?”
“Anybody wanna drink before the war?”
“Anybody wanna drink before the war?”
dww44
@Nukular Biskits: Iām going Ā to dinner at a local restaurant ahead of attending a performance of āSleeping Beautyā by the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine.
narya
So, when I moved into this place 15 years ago (!!), there was a big tree outside the sunroom window, which blocked the sun but also provided some relief/shade. However, it was leaning out over the street a LOT, so the city cut it down, and, eventually, planted a new one. The top of that “new” one is now level w/ my windows. It doesn’t have any leaves yet, but it has lots of birbs, which I am enjoying–even saw a cardinal the other day.
Soprano2
@Nukular Biskits: I don’t get that either. My employer sent out an email a couple of years ago saying we could put the pronouns we want people to use for us in our e-mail sig if we wanted to. I deleted it and didn’t think of it anymore until a co-worker asked me about it. I said yeah, I saw it so what? She asked me what I thought about it and I said I really didn’t, because we don’t have to do it that it was something you could do if you wanted to. It creeped her out for some reason she couldn’t really explain to me. I think most people have never thought about it so when they’re asked to think about it the request makes them uneasy. It makes them aware that there are people who aren’t like them in the world, and some people react poorly to that.
Soprano2
@TBone: Yay, Noah the Miracle Cat might get his tube removed! I bet all of you will be grateful for that.
Nukular Biskits
@Miki:
LOL! Yeah, I saw that so I’ve taken to addressing the MS Governor Tate Reeves and anti-DEI/CRT crusader (in every sense of the word) State Treasurer Shad white by the pronoun “Miss” on social media.
Nukular Biskits
@Betty Cracker:
I want you to know that I shamelessly stole something from you in one of my Bluesky posts … and I regret nothing:
Betty Cracker
@Nukular Biskits: That’s annoying as shit. I hate how businesses are rolling over for these bigoted creeps.
Just for practical reasons, I like to get a heads-up on unknown people’s pronoun preferences so I can address them properly in written communication. It’s not always obvious from first names, and if you work with a lot of people remotely like I do, it can get awkward if you don’t know preferences.
Example: if I know the “Snotleigh” in the group email is “she/her,” I won’t have to avoid using pronouns in an email discussing group activities, e.g., “Snotleigh can take the lead on interviews — she can call me with any questions blah blah blah.
@Nukular Biskits: LOL! You’re welcome to it!
Nukular Biskits
@narya:
Normally, I try to meet up with my youngest son on Friday nights for a beer and appetizers.Ā Still debating about doing that tonight.
Nukular Biskits
@Betty Cracker:
BINGO!
zhena gogolia
@Betty Cracker: Common courtesy and concern for others seems to be an insurmountable obstacle for these assholes.
Nukular Biskits
@Soprano2:
This.
TBone
@Soprano2: especially Noah!Ā It is sweet, blessed relief for all of Casa TBone!Ā It is still merely a probability that we keep the tube removal appointment on Monday.Ā But I am intentional.
ETA hubby just yelled a victory cheer!Ā Noah is GOBBLING down First Breakfast right now!Ā I can hear the “atta good boy” praises from my basement lair!
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: thank you for that bullhorn, I almost missed those words of comfort!
Josie
@Baud:Ā ā
I imagine a large percentage of us thought of Amir when we saw that title. I miss him and his guitars.
Professor Bigfoot
@narya: Going on the āto readā list right now, vielen Dank!
Nukular Biskits
@TBone:
I’m so pissed to the point of being rageful. That’s why I have to wind down at night perusing stupid memes and cat pics.
Professor Bigfoot
I wish youĀ all the luckĀ in your schemes; may they all bear fruit; and may many, many, many more join in on the scheming.
WTFGhost
@tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat): Muslims use the lunar calendar for Ramadan – hence, the sighting of the crescent moon. That’s why it seems strange compared to the solar cycle year.
Did you know that the Ramadan fast is no food, or water, from sun-up to sun-down? You can break the fast, if you must, and fast another day to make up for it… but no devout Muslim wants to do *that*. They want to stay strong, and perform good works, and make Ramadan *mean* something.
Compare that to soi disant Christians who think they get eternal forgiveness for declaring their belief. No wonder evangelicals are so scared of Islam. It’s a lot more real, and a lot more powerful, than soi disant Christianity.
(Sorry – I was raised Catholic, and, while I can’t say evangelicals are *wrong*, I do know one thing: they are *not* my social equals. I care; they don’t.)
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: that’s a good way.Ā I had to have a slug of red wine last night despite being relaxed at 9pm.Ā Could nah sleep in my cozy bed, even with Noah’s paw placed thoughtfully on my cheek, so got back up and then the wine worked its magic.Ā I reserve that for rare occasions because my vape is on break due to lungs.Ā Couldn’t make the trip to get the real thing yet this year.Ā Vape is Plan B.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Betty Cracker: That’s especially true if the person has a title (such as Dr. or Professor) that’s gender neutral. As an academic, I published a couple articles under D.A. Winsor and once got a phone call from an IEEE editor who asked to speak to DA Winsor and was clearly surprised when I said it was me
ETA: Can we still use Mr., Mrs, Miss, Ms?
Nukular Biskits
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
WRT to my employer, I have yet to look at the policy to see if those are still allowed.
Malicious compliance will fuel me.
ETA:Ā Never piss off an educated redneck. He/She/They will ALWAYS find a way.
TBone
Despite being more rested in comparison to the last two months, my inner Dorothy Parker is squirming today.Ā Must investigate.
ETA yup.Ā She was right.Ā The tankies are still full bore batshit.Ā Will not link because wtf.
Quiltingfool
@Nukular Biskits: Iāve got two quilt tops to machine quilt – one for money, to support my fabric addiction, and the other to go to hospice patients.
Iām starting to look around for local fundraising outfits who do raffles and auctions – Iāve got a bunch of quilts that have been sitting in my Etsy shop that need a forever home. Ā Although Iām happy to donate quilts to raise funds here on Balloon Juice. Ā I just worry that people will tire of getting hit up for money.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
Hereās a chant for the ages:
āHey hey RFK
How many kids did you kill todayā¦.ā
Professor Bigfoot
Thatās something that has long bothered me about their movementā how much they are offended at the mereĀ existence of other people. Itās insane, itās fundamentally un-Americanā but oh, so very American.
TBone
@Quiltingfool: I actually need to replace a comforter.Ā So hubby cannot complain about my bedding addiction.Ā Need a specific color scheme, could send swatch to give you the scheme.
When ever convenient.Ā If ever.
Can you remind me how to find your Etsy things?*Emily Litella voice: never mind.Ā Found my memory brain cell.Ā No color match there though.
lowtechcyclist
@Professor Bigfoot:
Not in the Western world, as best as I can tell.
Their organizational structure is male, top to bottom.Ā Women are congregants and nuns; men are popes, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and parish priests.Ā A Mother Superior at a convent is probably on about the same level as a parish priest, IOW several steps down the hierarchy.Ā And a Mother Superior doesn’t know shit about what life is like for ordinary women, so that negates what little influence she might have.
The Church would basically have to admit that they’d been wrong for the better part of two millennia about an all-male priesthood, and admit women to the priesthood, if they ever wanted to start being less patriarchal than they are.Ā And yeah, that’s gonna happen. /s
Betty Cracker
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Great point! My first name, while not actually Betty, is as gender coded as Betty. Younger generations tend to have more gender neutral names, so the pronoun preferences thing averts many cloddish mistakes! But it triggers angry, bigoted cranks so must be forbidden. So dumb!
Soprano2
@Betty Cracker: There are a lot of names that could be male or female, and if you don’t know the people it’s awkward. Conservatives never think of any reason for this other than “OMG woke!!”.
VeniceRiley
I’ve always preferred Ms. But, clearly, there is some popular software in use by companies over here that don’t have that option. They also have an issue with accounts for both of us to be Mrs. We get Mrs. And Miss mail. It’s just a hilarious eye roll from me, but gosh, so very smooth, some brains.
Professor Bigfoot
@Nukular Biskits: Me too. I find myself constantly cussinā MFs under my breathā¦ then have to stop, take a deep breath, say the new mantra (ā<sigh> oh well. It is what it is.ā) and focus on SOMETHING ELSE.
TBone
@Soprano2: my IRL first name is unisex.
Nukular Biskits
@Quiltingfool:
Based on what you have at your website, that’s far more productive and artistic than anything I’m doing.
Professor Bigfoot
āImprovise, adapt, overcomeā is a way of life for those who grew up poor.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: I put up a big red STOP sign in front of my mind’s eye.Ā It works just like at an IRL intersection.
Most of the time.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: better, leaner, meaner, faster, smarter than the average bear.Ā Adapt or die trying.Ā Vulpine.
Nukular Biskits
@Professor Bigfoot:
I know Baud will tsk, tsk me for this (and he’d be right to do so) but if I am this pissed about how the stampede of leopards racing to eat the faces of those who voted for them are trampling the shit out of the rest of us, I can only imagine others who are FAR more pissed and less willing to restrain themselves to engage in writing/emailing/calling, protesting and civil disobedience.
Anecdotal and unverifiable, to be sure, but there are a number of what I thought were “normies” who are upset right now.Ā Whether that translates into actual action is anyone’s guess but if Congressional (and state/local) Republicans don’t start throwing up obstacles to Trump’s/Musk’s/Miller’s destruction of the federal gov’t, there will be violence, I fear.
oldgold
The worldās richest man did this:
CNNĀ āĀ
MANA Nutrition makes a special kind of peanut butter paste that many humanitarian aid workers are familiar with. It is fortified with milk and essential vitamins, packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world, including some countries in Africa.
On Wednesday afternoon the Georgia-based plant, got word from the US Agency for International Development: MANAās contracts with the agency were being canceled.
Every packet of this peanut butter paste has printing on it that says, āFrom the American people. USAID.ā
Nukular Biskits
@Professor Bigfoot:
I see you. You see me. ;>)
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: see comment #54
Quiltingfool
@Nukular Biskits: I read cat rescue stories (Love Meow) before going to bed. Ā The kittens are adorable, but I really like the stories about rescuing adult street cats.
Anyway
@Betty Cracker: My workplace has lots of international employees with non-western names and I appreciate knowing which pronoun to use
Nukular Biskits
@TBone: š
TBone
Time for some real sunshine and touching of grass.
False Spring is over too soon this weekend.
Nukular Biskits
Well. You guys have done it to me again:Ā Made me waste a perfectly good morning. Damn you all.
Time to get out and “till the land”, as Ms. Biskits calls it.
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: great minds …
Soprano2
@Betty Cracker: My first name is Erin, I’ve been called a male for my whole life because when I was a kid a lot of people thought it was actually Ernie or Erwin. It happened when I went to 4-H camp even though my mother marked on the form that I was female! So this is something I’ve had personal experience with my whole life.
Dorothy A. Winsor
It pisses me off that it’s okay (and sometimes required) to gender people in some ways (Mr.) but not others
Quiltingfool
@TBone: I can make whatever you fancy! Ā If you go to my store, you can see all the quilts Iāve sold, not just the ones currently for sale. Ā Or, I can direct you to my Pinterest page, which has most all the quilts Iāve made. Ā Which reminds me, I need to update Pinterest and add more quilts. Ā Iāve got 4 new quilts to put in my store, but I keep putting it off.
Got lots of cat fabric prints and cat patternsā¦just sayingā¦and I can custom design for you, too. Ā You can contact me through my Etsy store (just click on my nym).
Hereās my Pinterest link:
https://pin.it/2ww26B9PV
JeanneT
@Nukular Biskits:Ā I just can’t figure out how this kind of policy requirement goes along with the references to ‘free speech’ that shows up in so many new government statements.Ā Ugh!
Professor Bigfoot
@TBone: Doggone it- I saw @Quiltingfoolās comment and ran over to Etsy but couldnāt find their store but discovered I had stuff in my cart BUT I CANāT GO AHEAD AND ORDER IT BECAUSE TODAY and well, can SOMEONE point me to the quilts?
UncleEbeneezer
@Nukular Biskits: You should start referring to everyone in third-person as “it” just to be safe :p
Reboot
@Baud: Have you seen the 50501 subreddit (Ā https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/ )? Looks like a lot of info there on what’s going on. Other economic actions:
I tried to locate where I’d seen this but the above came up at the top of a Google search (mea culpa).
BC in Illinois
@Nukular Biskits:
Sometime back in the last century, Miss Manners responded to a discussion about how to make an introduction of people who were not “properly married” [sic]. As I remember it, the discussion extended from couples living together to gay or lesbian couples:
I think that the issue or confusion came up when people were uncertain as to how the couple wanted to be addressed [or defined]. Miss Manners didn’t put up with a lot of falderal on this issue. Her rule? “Introduce people by their names.” Period.
Anything more than that, you let the people themselves say how they want to be addressed. Period.
Like you, I really don’t understand why anyone should get hot and bothered about people being addressed in the way they want. There is a store I go to where people put their preferred pronouns on their nametags and on their website. There are maybe two people there where I have to keep that in mind, and I’m happy that they let me know. No big deal beyond that.
Nukular Biskits
@JeanneT:
Quickly as I’m lacin’ up mah boots:
Agreed. I don’t understand why gov’t contractors like my employer (or, for that matter, gov’t employees) aren’t pushing back on this bullshit as a 1A infringement.
Having personal pronouns in an email sig deprives no one else of any rights.
Omnes Omnibus
@Nukular Biskits:Ā ā
Corporations don’t really give a flying fuck about people’s 1st Amendment rights. Why would they?
Matt McIrvin
@Nukular Biskits:
Because their whole worldview depends on one’s responsibilities in the family, at work and in society being determined from birth according to a rigid dominance hierarchy. If you identify yourself in a nonstandard way, that implies that you’re probably trying to break down those barriers and distinctions. And they need to put a stop to it.
The whole “Big Government off your back” line that’s been part of conservative rhetoric since Reagan was always a lie. What they mean is that rigid patriarchal/racist social hierarchies of family, church, workplace and nation, with roles and responsibilities determined innately, need to be in control of everything. If the government is working against that somehow, they need to break it. But they really want the government to enforce these hierarchies. And you can see an overt pivot to statism/integralism as the old “libertarian” program achieves its goals.
Quiltingfool
@Nukular Biskits: My yard is not very exciting, though. Ā We do have some big (about 3 ft in diameter) limestone core samples my husband hauled home from his job. Ā He was working for a company that put up cell phone towers, and they had to drill through limestone so they could anchor the tower.
He knows of my love for rocks, so good yard decor. Ā We donāt have a lot of what I would call *exciting* rocks in Missouri. Ā Mostly limestone, lotsa chert (flint) where I live, and there is some granite in SE Mo. Ā Minerals, well, we do have lots of lead and some zinc.
lowtechcyclist
@Betty Cracker:
This is also useful for some of us cis types.Ā I’m male, but my given name is one that’s much more frequently a woman’s name, so anytime I’m emailing someone I don’t know, I put (he/him) after my name.Ā And as treasurer of my HOA, I have a lot of correspondence with realtors and title companies, so I am frequently sending emails to strangers.
The notion that anyone should have a problem with this is just…really??Ā And it shouldn’t matter whether one is using pronouns because one is trans, nonbinary, or just a cis person like me trying to head off confusion in advance.Ā I’m just piggybacking on the work they’ve already done, so they deserve the benefit more than I do.
Geminid
Another Spring holiday will be celebrated this month. That would be Nowruz, the Persian New Year. A source I found said Nowruz will come on March 20, at 5:02 a.m.
There will be celebrations in places including Iran and the Kurdish lands, and among both people’s far-flung diaspora. I think Parsees celebrate Nowruz.
Josie
@lowtechcyclist:Ā ā
The Episcopal church has female priests. There is one in my parish.
Matt McIrvin
@lowtechcyclist: I would not be surprised if the next step is to crack down on people having given names for which gender is not obvious (including trying to ban most non-Anglo names).
Quiltingfool
@Professor Bigfoot: Or as my husbandās cousin would say, āPoor people have poor ways.ā Ā Meaning you have no fancy tools with which to fix stuff.
Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. Ā May be our mantra.
Matt McIrvin
@Josie: The churches that allow this tend to be ones that already got over the “Roman Catholic hierarchy is wrong!” hurdle centuries ago.
Professor Bigfoot
@oldgold: I truly cannot express the rage I feel on reading that.
FuckingĀ monsters.
Professor Bigfoot
@Nukular Biskits: It was downrightĀ weird for me, after college, to be able to buy a proper set of Craftsman tools.
(ācourse, I got over it PDQ, LOL)
Matt McIrvin
@BC in Illinois: One of the reasons same-sex marriage always freaked out conservatives was that if two men or two women are married you can’t tell who’s boss.
Professor Bigfoot
@Quiltingfool: Ahhh, crimony, dinosaur that I I didnāt realize clicking on the nymā¦ ennyhoo, said link is now in Mrs. Bās tablet.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Yes Parsis celebrate Nowruz. If you ever visit India you should visit Irani cafes. They are a dying breed but the food there is great blend of the east, middle east and the west. Also their baked goods are awesome.
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
@WTFGhost: Thank you. I did know that about Ramadan. However, as another raised (poorly) Catholic, I did not know that about soi disant Christianity, which autocorrect wants to write as soy distant Christianity.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: I read that Freddie Mercury’s family were Parsi.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: There is a Nowruz tradition that I like. A person will jump over a fire, the notion being that they are leaving last year’s troubles behind them.
Quiltingfool
@Soprano2: My motherās name was LaVern. Ā However, there are men who were also āLaVern.ā Ā We mostly think that name codes as female, but not always. Ā Itās an old fashioned name.
My mother (and her family) were from NW Arkansas, and boy, howdy, people had some, shall we say, *unusual* names. Ā Like, Coy or Orphie. Ā Or, they had common names, like Pamela or Rita, but the pronunciation was wacky – PUH-Mella or Ritty. Ā I think that was due to their accent. Ā NW Arkansas accent is different than say, Ā Tennessee or Kentucky or Georgia. Ā At a convenience store, the clerk was talking to me, and I asked if she was from Kentucky. Ā She was; and was surprised I knew what southern state she was from. Ā Her accent gave her away!
kindness
@Quiltingfool: Did you see that Joann Fabrics is going out of business?Ā Not sure if you have them where you are.Ā They were one of the last remaining fabric chains out here in CA.Ā Used to be 5 big stores around here.Ā Now it’ll be 1/2 stores like Michaels.Ā If you ever go to SF, around Union Square there is the best fabric shop in the world, https://britexfabrics.com/.Ā 5 floors or stuff.
lowtechcyclist
@TBone:
Hip hip HOORAY!!!!
Quiltingfool
@Professor Bigfoot: Click on my nym. Ā If you donāt like what you see, I can make you what you want.
I like a challenge!
Madeleine
@Baud: I miss Amir, too.
TBone
@Quiltingfool: much obliged, you’ll be hearing from me soon! š
My bedroom is blue but specifical shades are necessary.
TBone
@lowtechcyclist: thank you!!!!!!
We are elated and today is Victory Day Two.Ā I am now completely certain that we have cleared the very last hurdle.Ā Something in Noah’s brain finally clicked back into gear yesterday: TUBE BAD, PLATES GOOD.
The long slog is over on Monday WOO HOO!!!!
Quiltingfool
@Professor Bigfoot: Oh, and if you click on āsalesā it shows you all the quilts I have sold. Ā I donāt have lots of quilts in my shop, it takes a Ā bit to churn one out. Ā I need to put 4 more in there, but havenāt got to it yet. Ā Too busy visiting with my peeps here!
LeftCoastYankee
This may be overkill but if youāre going to support a locally owned business today for some reason try and use cash instead of a Visa or Mastercard.
Matt McIrvin
@Dorothy A. Winsor: They don’t want Dr. or Professor to be gender-neutral, either. The world in which a Professor might be a woman is part of what they’re trying to eliminate.
Wag
@kalakal:
Glad youāve had the vax and have the right med. Ā That combination will significantly reduce your risk of long term neuralgia (nerve pain).
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: sorry I was outside getting exhilarating sunshine and grass to touch.Ā But I see that your dilemma is over.Ā No purchases today!Ā Tomorrow is good enough.
TBone
@Matt McIrvin: we SHALL overcome!
Quiltingfool
@kindness: Yes, I did see that. Ā I was planning to shop there this week (needed fabric for a commission) and when I saw the bankruptcy article Tuesday, I hightailed it to Springfield the next day.
It was a sad visit. Ā The cutters were discussing being out of a job soon. Ā However, most all the ladies waiting to get fabric cut were VERY dismissive of/or hostile to Hobby Lobby. Ā We were all wishing they would go bankrupt instead of Joannās.
TBone
@TBone: I might hafta repost this song for the lyrics every damn day for the whole month of March.
I promised to stay FIERCE.
Jeffro
(just realized I was still posting in the late-night/early morning thread…whoops!)
Mrs. Fro is down for the count with flu-like symptoms (although tested negative for both Covid and flu). Ā Such a brave new world of viruses that we live in, isn’t it?
Here’s a fun question for those who follow football: how many of the “undefeated-in-the-Super-Bowl” teams can you name? Ā Hint: two are 1-0 and two are 2-0.
Matt McIrvin
@TBone: Of course, some probably want to eliminate the notions of “Dr.” and “Professor” entirely.
During Trump’s first administration, an early draft of the big tax cut bill included taxing grad student tuition waivers as income. I pointed out in a Facebook argument that this could destroy postgraduate education as we know it, and the person I was arguing with said something like “Good! I’m tired of all these woke universities, the students don’t do anything but riot any more.” A bunch of creaky stereotypes about student agitators from the 1960s.
lowtechcyclist
@Professor Bigfoot:
This particularly bothers me about the evangelical and conservative Catholic MAGAts.Ā If their faith isn’t strong enough to handle being in a world where people they routinely encounter act differently than they do, and believe different things than they do, that’s pretty piss-poor ‘faith’ if you ask me.
TBone
@Matt McIrvin: see comment #54, says it all.
(plus leopards, faces.)
French Onion Soup
Long comment but we committed to this pretty hard.
We canceled Prime.Ā There are some shows we wanted to watch but there are other streaming channels and the majority of prime is crap.Ā Sucks to lose what we purchased on Prime which is a loss that probably clears a thousand dollars in videos, books, and more but oh well.Ā For goods we buy there is Newegg for computers and electronics, various audio stores, chewy for the cat, and I could go on.Ā There’s no reason for it outside of it being easy.Ā We did a lot of shopping at local stores anyways to physically see and handle the goods or just get used items before.Ā And streaming quality never held up to physical media on the OLED TV with our sound system.Ā We will keep Disney as they keep being attacked for being woke and Netflix as we love the international films and that’s all we watch there.
We never really shopped at Whole Foods.Ā We are blessed with all sorts of Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, African, anything you could want stores around here that are cheaper and superior.Ā If we want to spend there are actual butchers, fish markets, and more that while pricey put Whole Foods to shame.Ā Mrs. Onion Soup also hates the shoppers at Whole Foods as they are the sort of upper middle class white women she has to tolerate at work and she’s over that.Ā I was aware of her annoyance about this but not the scope of it until recently.Ā Ā I’m in a group targeted for death but nobody knows I’m one of those Jewish atheists unless I bring it up but she can’t hide who she is.
We’re looking at ditching apple completely as well.Ā Apple is there with facebook, Amazon, and the rest.Ā They also created the entire smart phone and app trend and designed it to be addictive.Ā If we are going to take a stand on this ripping out the originator of the cancer makes as much sense as anything else.Ā They put on a better fake facade than the rest but they are evil as well and worse than their competitors.Ā Ditching the Macs won’t be hard as we’ve got other devices that are much better in both Windows and Linux flavors.Ā I built all of them even the laptop.Ā I moved to a secure phone that doesn’t leak data years ago, have audiophile headphones, vinyl, an automatic watch and that sort of gear so I’m already there.Ā It will be harsh for Mrs. Onion Soup as she’s completely in that ecosystem but I have extra to share!Ā Ā She may be stuck with iOS or Android for work reasons while work supplies my work phone so we can’ change that.Ā Breaking the app addiction is going to be hard.Ā She uses a lot of these to communicate with family and friends overseas and trying to migrate them all to something else rather than facebook and instagram is something she may not be willing to give up.Ā We shall see.
Not having Alexa or HomePod will be interesting but I hated them.Ā Obnoxious home snooping that I always unplugged when working from home or she was on vacation.Ā They were mostly kitchen timers and yelled at to play music but we have better tools for both.
We never ate at chain restaurants but we are cutting down on those as well.Ā When you look deep enough a lot of smaller restaurants are actually part of larger conglomerates with a history of abuse and bad behavior at the top or in various arms.
Trying to get others involved has been a struggle and caused some at home arguments.Ā I felt bad but I told her not to mention DEI at all.Ā Everyone hates monopolies, rich people, and most of these companies to start with.Ā Ā Especially Elon and Bezos.Ā You can build on that.Ā But the moment you mention DEI you lose.Ā The right wingers are going to turn against you immediately but fuck them.Ā The issue is that average people will think this is a stalking horse for liberal social engineering and even people who agree with you will think this actually about cultural issues and not plutocrats pillaging the country.Ā Not bringing DEI up doesn’t make it not about DEI.Ā Just know your audience.Ā It’s like putting the pet medicine in the treat.Ā The result is the same but this way they will eat it.Ā She’s come around to my way of thinking.Ā I don’t like it anymore than she does but I know my countrymen and as I want this to end as rapidly and completely as possible I’m less concerned about being morally right than I am about accomplishing the mission.
I’m viewing this as sending a message on partnering with corruption and plutocracy first and hoping to hit them in the wallet.Ā I’m deluded enough to hope a back tracking on consumerism could be the start of a new trend and when these idiots break the economy that may come anyways.Ā I’m not convinced hearts are going to be changed in the way I want so I’m going to focus on what can be done.
lowtechcyclist
@Nukular Biskits:
We’re talented like that. :D
I’m thinking one possible workaround on the pronoun ban would be to sneak it in as an abbreviated middle name, like “Nukular He. Biskits.”Ā Might work, might not.
TBone
@French Onion Soup: I never got addicted to apps and never use them because we are the product being sold.Ā Nothing is free.
Quiltingfool
@kindness:If you ever go to SF, around Union Square there is the best fabric shop in the world, https://britexfabrics.com/.Ā 5 floors or stuff.
Get thee behind me, Satan!// Ā I do not need fabric for myself! Ā I have to satisfy my fabric shopping habit whenever I get a commission!
We do have a town in Missouri devoted to fabric. Ā The whole downtown area of Hamilton is basically Missouri Star Quilts. Ā What Vegas is to gamblers, Hamilton is to quilters! Ā And the amount of money you spend – you know the saying, āwhat happens in Vegas stays in Vegasā – same thing, except itās a spouse not exactly telling the other spouse how much they spent!
I never have to hide my fabric/sewing expenditures from my husband. Ā Let me tell you, that man spends way more money on tools. Ā He just loves power tools. Ā Iām a bit worried, though, because he is getting interested in big ticket items, like skid steers and backhoes. Ā Those babies aināt cheap!
TBone
@lowtechcyclist: š¶š¤š
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyBZE0kBtE
I love the jokes interspersed
Quiltingfool
@TBone: Maybe Iāll get to plan a trip to Missouri Star, lol! Ā One stop shopping for tricky colors!
TBone
@Quiltingfool: its a combo of almost fluorescent baby blue and other shades to subdue that.Ā Plus all white furniture and stainless steel lamps, ceiling light, and other accents like upholstery buttons, drawer pulls, etc.Ā I can send photos when I get my round tuit purchased. Soon!Ā I’ve got a ton of catch up work that has fallen by the wayside since Christmas because of cat horrors.
SOON is a promise!
Professor Bigfoot
@TBone: Oh, *exactly so.*
Side noteā got up this morning, walked past the office/studio/manufactory/arch-villain-lair and discovered one of my racks of filament had fallen off the wall.
I need new wall anchors (and a third rack!) but aināt going to the hardware store today, so thereās stacks of reels all over the place.
Mrs. B heard āem hit the floor, but I wasĀ blissfully unaware.Ā
Gretchen
@TBone: I couldnāt find it. I typed in Quilting Fool and got drunkardās fool quilt patterns. Hint, please?
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: what sorcery is this?Ā What is a rack of filament?Ā Do I need summa dat?
PS I initially used double sided tape to hang some stuff and some 3M no damage hangers.Ā Every single thing hung thusly has removed itself since and one almost killed a cat on its way down to the floor!
TBone
@Gretchen: just click on her nym HERE and voila!
Gretchen
@Quiltingfool: whatās your Etsy shop name?
TBone
@Gretchen: just click on her nym in any comment she’s made right here.
She also provided a link to her pinterest stuff in a reply to me.Ā Do you have a “search in page” tool?
laura
@Baud: I miss Amir
This, so much.
Professor Bigfoot
@TBone: Sorry, thatās the āmanufactoryā partā Iāve gotten heavily into 3D printing (and therefore necessarily learning to do 3D modeling) and the reels are reels of 1.75mm diameter plastic filament to feed my printers.
Itās great to be able to model and print little things, like for instance I like to use wax paper deli squares in the kitchen but didnāt have a place to put them, so I designed and printed a dispenser for āem (and really, it was the simplest model you can imagine, but I am inordinatelyĀ proud of myself for it). (breaks arm patting self on back)
lowtechcyclist
@Josie:
The Episcopalians certainly do have female priests (pro-tip to non-Episcopalians: don’t refer to them as ‘priestesses’) and good for them!Ā They also have had openly gay priests for awhile, and I’m sure they must have some openly trans priests by now, and it’s all good AFAIAC.Ā I’m not an Episcopalian, but I’ve worshipped with them off and on over the years.
Betty Cracker
@French Onion Soup:
I like that simile!
Professor Bigfoot
Seems like a missed opportunity, though. ;)
lowtechcyclist
@oldgold:
Makes me want to punch that ugly face of his.
I don’t know if the cruelty is the point for Elon, but he clearly doesn’t give a damn about who he’s hurting along the way. But as Jesus said, hardness of heart is one of the worst of all sins.Ā He moves fast and breaks people, and the wreckage of those lives means nothing to him.
Gretchen
@Quiltingfool: I had an Aunt Laverne. Thatās the only time Iāve heard that name. She would have been born early 20th century. I wonder where that name came from.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Yes his birthname was Farrokh Balsara. So his ancestors must have landed in Valsad in Gujarat when they first came to India. His grandma lived in Mumbai IIRC. And they did his last rites at the Parsi cemetery in Mumbai.
There is an old Parsi fire temple not far from where I grew up. I need to revive my blog so I can share pics from my travels
We had a family friend by the same last name. Its small but a prominent community in Mumbai.
I am hesitant these days to share these personal anecdotes here. Last time I shared something about the Bene Israel Jews of Mumbai, a commenter who I have never seen before dropped in to inform me how all Indians suck becauseĀ of some horrible Silicon Valley Techbros and the existence of the caste system.
clay
So it occurs to me that, in the spirit of malicious compliance, if your company is banning pronouns, you could go ahead and use nouns!
For example, instead of having my email sig say āClay Person, he/himā, it would say āClay Person, maleā.
They never said nuffinā about banning gender nouns, now did they?
lowtechcyclist
@Matt McIrvin:
Oh noes!!!! How awful!!!Ā Ā How can you possibly deal with a couple if you don’t know which one’s in charge?
Jesus said that when two people marry, they are no longer two individuals; they are one flesh. If they are no longer two but one, how can either one be boss?Ā There’s not supposed to be an ‘either one’ in a marriage.
“Jesus said it, I believe it, that settles it.” Or at least that’s what they say. Until they disagree with what he said, of course. Then “what he really meant was [fill in the blank].”
Geminid
@Quiltingfool: Maybe your husband can get a skid steer loader with a backhoe attachment. That might save $25,000!
JGreen
@TBone: Why would your parents name you “Unisex”?Ā Where did they get that from?Ā I can just hear it, “Unisex! Come in now–it’s time for dinner”.
Gretchen
@TBone: Got it. Thank you!
catclub
Finally!
Ash Wednesday, and Easter are almost as late as possible this year.
Fair Economist
@Betty Cracker: An ironic effect of the nutjob obsession with pronouns will be accelerating the use of singular “they”. It’s always been routine usage when the gendered pronoun is unknown; now that there will be much more of that it will be common enough it may start to displace gendered pronouns even when the gender is known.
Which is fine with me.
Betty Cracker
The smelly orange pantload is about to sign a monarchical decree, uh, executive order declaring English the official language of the U.S. WSJ has the exclusive. Here’s a gift link.
catclub
@Geminid: I started thinking about using a skid-steer to plow up ice on the driveway.Ā Fun!
Of course patience and warmer weather are too easy.
FelonyGovt
@Betty Cracker: I was once dealing with a Japanese law firm, and inquired why the person Iād been working with was missing, explaining what āheā had done so far. I got a polite response that āMs. So-and-Soā was out on maternity leave. Whoops.
Gretchen
@lowtechcyclist: I belonged to an Episcopal church for awhile when I was leaving Catholicism. My new parish actually split in two over the question of gay priests. The national organization was in favor, this local parish was so outraged they bought the building and started their own little denomination. That was the end of my association with organized religion.
lowtechcyclist
@LeftCoastYankee:
I hit the cash machine yesterday just in case.Ā (I didn’t even want to go to the bank today if I could avoid it.)Ā We might or might not do carryout from Pinky’s tonight, but if we do, I always pay cash there if I’ve got it, just so they get to keep it all, rather than have to give 3% (or whatever it is these days) to Visa or MasterCard.
Professor Bigfoot
@schrodingers_cat: Wish Iād seen that, just so I could ask him ādo you realize you live in a caste system, too?ā
catclub
@lowtechcyclist:Ā ā
Dollars to donuts a ‘faith based’ business with that name. Musk don’t care…. yet.
pieceofpeace
@kalakal: Ā Hoping you’ll experience a low threshold of complications. Ā Agree with someone else re the effects of stress!
Betty Cracker
@Fair Economist: I’m the grammar police for a living (off duty here), and referring to singular subjects as “they” was difficult for me at first. I mean, I’d do it if someone asked me to because I’m not an asshole. (Well, I am in fact an asshole, but I’m not that kind of asshole.)
Anyhoo, the singular “they” did go against my training and years of habit, but now it’s routine for me if I don’t know a person’s gender, which happens a lot online. Don’t even have to think about it.
I think you’re right about the unintended consequence. I hope the anti-woke jerks get a whole lot of unintended consequences of that nature.
lowtechcyclist
@Gretchen:
Shirley you’ve heard it somewhere else.
:d&r:
DarbysMom
@lowtechcyclist: Bwahahaha!
Betty Cracker
Sort of related to #182, I heard a fascinating discussion on PBS a while back. Wish I could remember what program, but I don’t. Anyway, one of the panelists was a linguist who talked about how some languages don’t have gender-specific pronouns, which I knew. But it turns out kids who are raised speaking a language with gender-neutral pronouns don’t have a gendered perception of themselves as quickly as peers who grow up speaking languages that use gendered pronouns.
That makes sense, but I’d never considered it. There are all sorts of implications for the kids. IIRC, those who speak languages with gender-neutral pronouns don’t tend to get shunted as hard into gender-coded toy groups, clothes, etc.
lowtechcyclist
@catclub:
My copy of the Book of Common Prayer has a table giving the dates of Easter for every year from 1900 to 2089.Ā In 1943, Easter was on April 25, and will be so again in 2038.Ā (I think that must be as late as it gets.)Ā In 2011, it was on April 24.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: I read Rata Tata’s obituary last year, and saw he was Parsi. It turns out his ancestor, Jamshedii Tata came from a line of Parsi priests. The elder Tata broke family tradition when he founded a trading company in 1870. Now the Tata group has over one million employees and operates in 100 countries.
Jamshedii Tata was a graduate of Elphinstone College in Mumbai. He was a “Green Scholar” (not quite sure what that was). I wonder if college led Tata to stray fromĀ family tradition. That can happen.
As for your ugly encounter here recently, I can say I only learned the real meaning of tbe word “Orientalism” when I started studying Turkiye. It’s just a fancy word for racism
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: I read that South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson has proposed printing a new $250 bill with Trump’s ugly mug on it.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Hating on Indians and Indian Americans has become quite fashionable even in lefty circles these days. I have got a lot of hateful comments in this space than ever before, even though I have not spent much time commenting since Jan. We were always hated by the MAGA types. So that’s not new.
Tatas are like Mitsubishi is in Japan.
Tenar Arha
@kalakal: Sorry to hear it. I know itās painful. I had one small patch on my thigh in my late 40ās, it sucked. My sympathies & best wishes for fast healing.
schrodingers_cat
@kalakal: Get well soon. I have heard it can be very painful.
prostratedragon
@schrodingers_cat:Ā Thank you. I have tried the dance on my own — years ago — and found it very calming.
prostratedragon
@VeniceRiley:
PBS has one,
Geared a bit toward wine, but brewers have also been featured.
TBone
@JGreen: bwahahaha!Ā š
Yes, my name is
You Who!
That’s how I was called in for supper at Grandma’s house each evening.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: aha!Ā I DO need them!Ā By George!Ā I think I’ve got what it takes!
TBone
@lowtechcyclist: I am a newly minted Episcopalian and couldn’t be prouder (well, that last part’s debatable hahaha)!
Ruckus
@Professor Bigfoot:
Some of them aren’t as patriarchal as others but still the concept most of them fall back on is very much so.
Glidwrith
@Nukular Biskits: Use only initials for first and middle name, tweak correspondence to using I, us, them, they.
catclub
@TBone:Ā ā
It is amazing to think that 50 years ago the Episcopal Church was referred to as ‘the Republican party at prayer’
Of course, there was a Confederate General who was an Episcopal Bishop.
Times change
TerryC
@Matt McIrvin: It is very clear to me that many MAGA-type folks do NOT like having to even think about others’ preferences. It feels to them like a constant demand that they change their own thoughts and use those suggested pronouns. And that’s too much like telling them what to do.
Ruckus
@Betty Cracker:
As a past USN member and a male who worked in machine shops most of my working life (most/not all) I learned a lot of semi normal human being’s pronouns (not all of which are their choice….) Now most of those do involve what could generously be seen as swear words. Like 98% worth of them. So I have no plans to post them here. But the concept is a lot older than I am, and I am an old…..
Kayla Rudbek
@Nukular Biskits: pull out all the logos?
Kayla Rudbek
@Quiltingfool: I have some finished knitting projects that need to find a recipient, and Iām not sure if I should try to ask the relatives again, send them to a charity that takes handknit items for LGBQTIA homeless youth, try to donate them locally, or ask WaterGirl if thereās interest here in raffling them off as a fundraiser.
Kayla Rudbek
@Betty Cracker: yeah, I was never interested in adding my pronouns to my profile because my IRL first name is also very gendered. I have spent over half a century dealing with gender/sex discrimination, why would I want to expose myself to even more of it? But if other people want to specify their preferred pronouns, fine and dandy for them, just donāt make me do it.
Kayla Rudbek
@Fair Economist: oh, the MAGA cult also hates singular they, Mr. Rudbek is having to avoid using it in work emails and presentations. If it was good enough for Shakespeare and Austen, itās good enough for me.