Scarlet Pimpernel

1 hour ago, ErinInTheSky said:

I actually am Irish so that's fine

Well, being part Bastard-Irish myself (that's Scots-Irish to most people!), I approve! 

1 hour ago, C.A.P.E. said:

Stopped and picked up a few singles on my way back from donating blood.

DFH High Gravity trifecta.

Quite the fine looking three-some!

1 hour ago, ErinInTheSky said:

Everyone always pronounced it wrong anyway. It was Supernova Sky. Not Super Novasky (Super Russian).

 

I surprised more than my fair few people showing up to gatherings, both here and in other forums, without a russian accent.

No longer Russian...but now Irish!! 

Just now, mappy said:

and thats it. thanks for coming to my TED talk lol

As always...thanks for the updates!!

20 hours ago, ErinInTheSky said:

In the middle of the skywarn class. Ya girl is gonna get her spotter ID 

Yay...congrats to you!! 

1 hour ago, psuhoffman said:

Ok I know this is teetering on the edge and could fly off into way over the line if we aren't careful...but I find it somewhat "disingenuous" that most of the people making this argument right now for why we need to get back to work don't seem to care a lick about the negative effects of poverty under normal circumstances.   Many of the people using poverty as a reason for their policy advocacy now try to block any attempt at social programs to deal with poverty when they are proposed in every other situation.  I am NOT saying that is you...I have no idea what your stance on this stuff is...but in general my twitter feed and fb wall is filled with people ive argued with for years and who never gave a single F about doing a thing about poverty suddenly all upset about it now.  

This is very true.  My cynical side says that concern for those in poverty or on the low end of the wage scale only shows up when it affects those financially much better off (and the companies that hire the workers).  Such as during this COVID emergency.  And even then, it's only a tacit acknowledgement.  NOW there's concern, because businesses are losing money or supplies are short...with a "voice" of concern for those who cannot work due to shut downs.  Yet no concern for living wage, sick leave, etc., in relatively better times.  And even now, in this current situation...there are apparently some states contemplating that they will "require" certain industries to re-open, while stating that those employees who are nervous about going back and refuse, will be deemed as "voluntarily" not working.  And they will thus be ineligible for unemployment benefits.  That is truly sh*tty and back-handed.  Really low.  So yeah, where's the "concern" for those who are having it the roughest economically?

1 hour ago, wxtrix said:

we saw this coming last month and bought into a CSA for chickens throughout the summer. and last week we bought half a pig from a local farm.

Good thinking.  My brother has a big freezer in his basement and does something similar.  He's gone to a local butcher (in the Cleveland area) who sells stuff in bulk or large quantities, pre-cut.  So for instance he can get fillets or chicken breasts and the like for relatively cheaper than you'd buy in the store, but he buys a lot of them.  He vacuum packs and freezes that, and it keeps quite awhile in that freezer.

3 hours ago, Baltimorewx said:

That’s one purple beer! Creative arts blueberry sour w/cacao nibs

1 hour ago, C.A.P.E. said:

Very Ravens!

Well, I was going to say maybe that purple beer is in honor of Prince, but it could be the Ravens too!

Just now, nw baltimore wx said:

Thanks for coming through. There are less and less people here that understand my lack of humor.

Good snark and humor are fine arts these days!!  Thanks for that!!  Too FEW people seem to understand how our lives are LESS fulfilling without that! 

15 minutes ago, George BM said:

Eggs, Green Leaves, Mushrooms, Meatballs (Pieces?), Cheese. 

How far off was I?

7 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

Sausage, mushrooms, basil leaves and mozzarella cheese. 

So in other words...he was pretty far off!!  Well, except for the 'shrooms! 

Just now, nw baltimore wx said:

It’s about time!! That was the point!!!

Ha, but of course!! 

3 hours ago, nw baltimore wx said:

There are less geniuses in here than there used to be.  And even far less stable ones.

...or FEWER, for that matter!!! 

5 minutes ago, wxtrix said:

co-signed 

I'm glad what I said was tangentially relevant! 

(Ducks for cover after a bad math pun...!)

25 minutes ago, wxtrix said:

this simply isn't true.

and *fewer

Ha!  For some reason, the incorrect use of "fewer" vs. "more" has always somewhat bothered me, and I'm guilty of it myself at times.  Even in supermarket checkout lines, "12 items or less", should really be "fewer"...though I get they're probably just trying to be short about it.  I've always heard you should use "fewer" for a discrete, integer number ("there are fewer people..."), and "less" for a non-integer or non-discrete value, or an abstract idea ("I payed less money for gas this past week", or "There is less confusion..."). 

Sorry to be off-topic and a bit pedantic here!

1 hour ago, Mrs.J said:

No healthy here today. Happy National Pretzel day! 

Oh hell yeah! Now that looks tasty and sufficiently unhealthy! I myself am making a split pea soup today using leftover ham bone from Easter for the broth. (There's the old joke about what's the definition of eternity? Two people and a ham!) 

22 minutes ago, mappy said:

Friendly reminder, don’t feed the trolls. They stink, leave shit behind and don’t bother cleaning up after themselves. 
 

-management 

Suddenly, a variant of that Mary Poppins song went through my head...

Feed the trolls, tuppence a bag!

Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag! 

But why even waste that little on trolls!

Just now, mappy said:

Never change 

I'll take that as a compliment! 

1 minute ago, mappy said:

@snowfan is really going to hate the banter thread today and all the wordy posts lol

I'm not wordy!  I say exactly what I mean in exactly the number of words I intend to use! 

Maybe a few more than necessary.

But hey, when the pen flows (or keyboard), what are you going to do?

Shall I continue...?

Nahhh!

19 minutes ago, C.A.P.E. said:

Taking a break from the beer today..

 

 

 

Having some wine instead.

I just finished my first glass of the evening, myself!  Time for a refill...ring, ring!!

1 hour ago, RDM said:

Just finished reading the banter generated since yesterday.  Wow...  This is not directed towards anyone, nor any group on "either side of the aisle" - just an observation from a long time lurker, occasional contributor and voracious reader going back to the days of Eastern...   

 The intolerance generated on both sides of the liberal/conservative debate is saddening.  I wish there was some way for us to assume a little more noble intent and extend more tolerance to each other regardless of which side of the aisle we're entrenched. (a LOT more noble intent would go a very long way).  In the days of Eastern and early days here it wasn't nearly so edgy, ever.  

On matters of opinion, everyone has the inherent option to share one's views - at least we do here in the USA.  Doing so should be presented with respect and consideration that others may not share in the same view; and that it's ok to disagree.  Again; it is ok to disagree, at least it should be, provided it is exercised respectfully on both sides.  Any conversation without mutual respect is hardly a conversation worth having.  

We must be able to disagree if we ever have the chance to learn from one another.  If everyone else were to think the same way any of think as individuals, what a sad state we'd be in.  As I used to tell my subordinates, none of us ever learn anything when we're talking.  Likewise, a key characteristic of a great leader is those who can actively seek out and respect opinions from others who think differently in order to obtain the best vantage point from which to make an informed decision.

We live in the greatest country this world has every known.  Most of us don't fully appreciate the freedoms living in the USA provides us; and take the same for granted.  Unless you've lived in another country for extended periods of time where the same freedoms are only dreams; it's just not possible to comprehend how great we have it here.  I've had the honor of serving our country in multiple other  countries for extended periods throughout in my 35+ year career.  This included traveling to countless different countries and remote  destinations where many facets of our freedoms are not only a pipe dream, but exercising anything remotely resembling our level of freedom will get you incarcerated or worse.   

One of the things my wife and I were recently discussing is the heightened level of intolerance in the USA that's grown in recent years.  We are and will remain hopeful the potential existed for the current situation with COVID to serve as unifying force for our country.  COVID represents one of the greatest challenges in modern history for the USA and for the world.  We must find the courage to put differences aside and muster the best possible response and it starts with respectful dialogue and debate.  Without the underlying premise of respect; it's difficult to build anything constructive.  

The eternal optimist in me has not dulled the hope the potential is still there to rise above whatever may divide us to bring ourselves more together; not apart.  Somehow, I hope we're able to exercise the same unifying potential here in this forum to look ahead, be a little more tolerant of one another and extend the noble intent everyone deserves.

Sincerely to all. 

@RDM...thanks for this, overall I agree with your sentiment, though not all that you say.  That's fine, as you say here one is free to disagree but at least politely.  And I must respect you as a fellow native Ohioan!!  I do find the divisiveness in general in this country to be harmful and depressing, and I'm sure most anyone would feel the same.  As I've said in other comments in the past, my views definitely lean solidly left, and always have.  Without getting too much into the weeds here, I'll say that I never cared for "both-siderism", thus letting one group off the hook by saying another one "does the same thing".  With that in mind, I'll state it is my belief that the divisiveness is heavily weighted on one side these days.  The current administration is a perfect example of this, and it is not only divisive, but actively promotes and incites such.  I know that wades into being very political, but it's also simple fact.  There was a very good Washington Post article some years back by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein (not exactly flaming liberals) that went into this problem in some detail.

Though my views are more liberal, I have always felt that, give me a conservative party (call it Republican, call it Whig, or whatever) that remains grounded in fact, does not deny science, does not constantly fight the culture wars, and does not view their political opponents as illegitimate.  I may still disagree with most of their policy, but at least it would be possible to have a discussion and even come to some kind of middle ground and mutual respect.  When it's simply impossible to hold a logical, intelligent discussion because they cannot even respect you, that's a real problem for me.  I feel, unfortunately, that that's where the current "conservative" party is today.  Heck, my older brother is more conservative than I am.  We talk a lot, and we argue at times, sure...but he's also reasonable and not an ideologue.  We agree on a fair number of things, though to varying degrees.  And what we don't agree on, we still respect that.  Likewise, there are some liberal friends where I just cannot go with some of what they think, or they may be too "purist" in their views, refusing to see that compromise is part of how stuff gets done...and that there are reasonable conservatives out there.

Part of the problem may be that in this country, we have two parties and that's it (yes, there are 3rd party candidates, but other than on a local or state level at most, they don't go anywhere).  We don't have anything like a parliamentary system as they have in Great Britain or elsewhere.  So when you are presented with candidates, they are realistically one party or the other...that's your only choice if you want a chance to get one or the other into office.  There's no "coalition" type of government in the legislature, really.  I'm not by any means saying that going to such a system is a panacea or will cure all our political ills, but just an observation.

21 minutes ago, yoda said:

Woah woah there... where else would you get your warnings from the second they are issued from LWX without me?  I c&p them in here within the minute they are issued so you don't have to go looking yourself.  Plus my model discussion and play by play... definitely would be missed.  I'm not accepting any trade from you the GM unless it's for a better severe weather round pick, and even then I might decline to take your call.

Hmmm, I see some tough free agency negotiations coming up!!

Just now, Mrs.J said:

Bitchin'! 

Can I still call shot gun. 

Don't forget to bring that margarita recipe to the club...the one you showed a picture of some time ago.

10 minutes ago, WxWatcher007 said:

I’m ready for the draft.

Working on my Big Board now.

 

@yoda is an asset I’d rather not trade but given the limited value I get with the others I needed to put someone valuable on the me trading block. 

For a moment, I though these were your draft picks for next winter's reaper list.  The Reaper going after Don S.???

6 minutes ago, supernovasky said:

If I remember my Latin, you usually change -us to -i. So Prii.

Made me think of that line from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", where Indy's father (Sean Connery) said "...but in the Latin alphabet, Jehova starts with an I"!!

3 minutes ago, H2O said:

i think the one thing that might unite this forum and all of the country is the hate for Priuses.  Is that the correct spelling of the plural for Prius?  Is it Priusi?  

 

Goddammit.  Even more reason to hate them.

At least the plural isn't "priapism"!