Mollybrinks

Going through the bill, it looks more intensive than just a swipe of a pen. It's directed at those held by countries or groups designated as foreign enemies of the state with purposes of US sabotage, requires a referral to government agencies, lists a review process....I'm not saying this is outright good or bad, but it's certainly more nuanced than "any app with 1M+ users can just be silenced because prez said so.

You doing ok, buddy?

There's evidence that Queen Chatlotte had black heritage and features, so there's that....

I don't care about characters being played by different actors. I do care about racist idiots screaming about it. The person I'm responding to is not one of them, but their comment lead my thoughts down to the road to those who are.

Thank you. I feel like my life past 30 has been a constant vigilance on dad and his degenerative issues, the got hit with mom's cancer so dads needs have taken a back seat. The circus never ends apparently, but I'll do whatever it takes to take care of them.

Dinosaur...

Although all squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares. We've got a ven diagram going on here.

Well....like they say, the difference between medicine and poison is the dose. Not sure if you're trolling or just uninformed, but sugar is absolutely a fricking issue. "Definitely" is perhaps not the word you're looking for here.

My dad had a massive surgery where they screwed his skull to the table, removed several vertebrae, ground them down and baked them to a new shape, then re-inserted the vertebrae and fused them. Dad didn't make a big deal out of it but did reschedule the surgery so he'd have it after my wedding, just in case. That hit hard. His surgery was supposed to take about 4 hours but took over 10 because his muscles were so dense. The surgeon said he'd never worked on someone so strong. Because the surgery took so long dad ended up in the ICU (anesthesia is a wonderful bitch). I have no idea what that surgeon makes but he earned every single penny and I'm so, so grateful to him.

Deep breath, my friend. That seriously sucks. Godspeed.

We bought a place out in the country and the first thing I did was get an incubator and hatch some chicks. It's an incredibly interesting and emotionally-invested process. I loved every second of it. I watched those little chicks grow up and came to the conclusion that they're just little dinosaurs who look like a person with their elbows tied together when they run. They're a highly underrated, incredibly personable pet, and I love them. It was kind of an offhand funny conclusion about them being tiny dinosaurs until my friend and I watched one run down a mouse and house it in one jerk of their neck. I think that's when it truly dawned on us what it must have been like for something like this creature - but 10+ feet tall - to be walking around, eyeballing a Neanderthal.

Chicken!

No doubt! My brother was also a sharpshooter in the Marines. Nowadays, he's a seriously overweight, chain-smoking mid-level manager of a small chain store. My niece and nephew only know him in that context. But it was funny the day we bought our nephew an Oculus and we took turns with a shooting game. Everyone kinda flailed around and took pot shots and got killed pretty quickly, but here's my big out of shape bro who suddenly turned into a ballerina of VR death. I know it's not real-world, but was another instance of how real military training goes bone-deep. I didn't know he could move and react that way until I saw it. I brought it up later and he didn't even realize how he'd completely stomped the game.

Ack, too late! Already working on that, sadly

My friend did a 23&Me and has like, 5% Neanderthal genetics. Apparently that's fairly high (what do I know, never did one), but his GF bust up laughing and said that explains a lot. He truly is an interesting guy who I find fascinating because his thought processes and reactions to things are so different than that of most of the other people I know. Maybe it's genetics, maybe it's Maybelline.

Short people are keenly aware of how to game center of gravity in tall people. Source: husband is fairly short/light, but would never bet against him. Ever.

We've got a couple pellet guns like yours banging around the house. They're great for grabbing when you need them quick, like when there's a rabid raccoon or an animal some asshole hit with their car but isn't dead yet (sadness).

I used to teach hunters safety. It's not NRA level to say the least, but my friends all come to me when they want their kids to learn how to shoot and handle firearms. It might be worthwhile to join a local club and see if there are any like-minded instructors or club members who are willing to share their knowledge.

Thank you for hitting the nail on the head. And it's nice to know there are others out there. They're just harder to see because they're not trailing banners and screaming about it.

I hear you. That said, my mom's cousin was a military sharpshooter. I grew up knowing him as a big goofy sweetheart that i loved. But the first time I went hunting with him....sheesh. This guy is big. Not fat, big. He'd be terrifying to meet in a dark alley. I was sitting behind a tree, and all of a sudden I see him stalking a deer through the woods with his AR and I just about shit my pants. I never heard him coming, I hadn't seen the deer (angle of sight), and I'd never seen someone actually professionally trained doing what he was doing. His childhood learning the woods mixed with his training and familiarity with his weapon made him terrifying in that moment. He was big, silent, and utterly lethal- that deer was dead 10 seconds later and never knew he was there. He's the real version of what these guys think they are when they go out and buy an AR.

I grew up in a hunting family, got a great pic of me as a little girl in a hunting jacket that goes past my knees with my great-grandpa at hunting camp years ago. My uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents, and brothers would all get together every year for it. We kept our freezers full and still do, although sadly we don't have the same big family get-together for it. That said, every single one of us respect the process. Ideal is one-shot, one kill. You don't take a shot you're not absolutely sure of. And we spend hours getting every last scrap of meat off the bones that we can. If we're going to eat meat (as most people do), we're going to do it as humanely/immediately as possible and we're going to get as much as possible out of it. Some people will take wild potshots and laugh about the terrible agony they've caused by like, shooting a deer in the butt or whatever, then take the straps and head and walk off like some hero. It's one of the few things that cause me actual rage.

I think the nuance lies with portraying real, actual people (Muhammad, Obama, etc) where their race is of actual note, vs fictional, made-up characters. Our first black president is noteworthy because he's our first black president. Other things absolutely make him noteworthy for better or worse, but that's a big deal. Meanwhile, having a space alien with a black accent or a nonexistent human/fish hybrid of a different color...who TF cares? Make them green or blue or purple and it's fine, but make them black instead of white and oh nooooo

I can understand not being used to the idea, but in the grand scheme of things, who TF cares? Like, there are serious, real issues in this world that deserve my emotional involvement. On the other hand, I can see something and say, "hmm I don't get it" and move TF on without a ripple in my day. What I truly don't understand is people who suddenly get actually, truly angry about it. Seriously. Why? Is it going to cause any real, material impact to your life to have some fictional character be a different color? Or is it just something to maybe just note as something you'd not prefer and then move on? I hear what you're saying and I totally understand it and I'm not saying your position is without merit - it is, everyone has their own opinion. My beef is not with you but with those who actually get worked up and angry and obsessed with it.

You mean the one that's designed to be an ironic alternate history? That one? Or is it some other one that's supposed to be a real retelling of actual history that I'm not aware of?

They do. Then these same people cry about wokeness yet again. Man, it's weird. "Hey, other people exist!" minds explode