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Greetings, Quotaholics:
Sex for sale!
That idea has been around for a long time now. Sex in all its varieties
has been for sale since men realized buying something might be easier
than actually earning something. And sometimes, you just aren’t close
to home when the thought enters your cute little head. So, buy it; you
might like it.
Playboy has been around since 1953 and Penthouse has
been around since 1965. I don’t know the names of girlie magazines from
World War II, but I know they had them. I bet some of the pictures found
among cave paintings were some sort of sexual drawings.
Anything so powerful can always be abused and abased. So, too, with the
human form. Men are more visual than women and have been stimulated by
pictures of beautiful women (and other beautiful men) since the dawn of
time. Sometimes this is called erotica and sometimes it is called porn.
Porn is a matter of taste in that it doesn’t require any while erotica
is supposed to have some merit regarding the arts of one sort or another.
There is a line between the two types of material and all of us can point
at one item and put it into one category or another, although we will
probably not all agree which category. A problem arises when designations
need to be made for all of us, saying this is erotica; this is porn.
Porn is one of the biggest market sectors on the Internet. At one time,
it was said that porn was the only successful business model across the
world wide web. I don’t know if that was really true, but I do know that
lots of money exchanges places in order for people to see images (either
still or moving) here on the web. Porn is big business.
ICANN is the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. They
are the people in charge of the “phone book” for the Internet, allowing
us to find webpages. They developed naming conventions making it possible
to find things using a bit more order without a search engine. When the
Internet was young, people didn’t have Google. Very early search engines
weren’t used the same way we use search engines today. Northern Lights,
Alta Vista and Yahoo existed, but people were not inundated with millions
of choices and so would type in what they thought a domain name might
be. This often worked. If the name of a company was followed by a dot
com designation, one often got the page one was looking for. That still
happens today with longstanding businesses. Microsoft.com leads you to
Microsoft’s webpage.
The problem was, some of those pesky porn purveyors would get domain names
and trick people onto their webpage. I remember the most famous one here
in the US. Whitehouse dot com did not get you to the place the President
lives. That would have been whitehouse dot gov, since it is a government
site. The commercial site was a porn site.
According to PC
Magazine, even before the Internet actually existed, back in
the early 1980s and 1990s, there were ads in their magazine for adult-only
BBS service. Before that, you had to buy magazines and hide them under
the mattress or in the back of the closet.
So ICANN has finally gotten around to making a dot xxx domain. This seems
to be irritating everyone.
David McKay, a porn industry exec, told ICANN, "To force us off to
a separate part of the internet would be devastating to the industry and
to my company in terms of cost, stigma, and the potential for additional
regulation of this name space."
PC Magazine goes on to say, “More surprising was the opposition
from the far right. Some conservative leaders have been quoted arguing
that a porn-only domain would only serve to validate the porn industry.
In other words, this multi-billion dollar business with thousands of employees,
print services, video production operations and its own trade show is
not already ‘validated as an actual business’.”
The dot xxx is still tentative and has no real teeth. It is not going
to be used by any but those who choose to use the domain. There is no
plan to force anyone into using it. So setting your browser to keep from
displaying .xxx domains won’t be as effective as it might be.
Neither will searching for all the .xxx domains and thinking you are getting
all the porn places in one handy search from your favorite search engine.
So for now, the ICANN is making the domain available, but not forcing
the use. The conservatives are worried about “validating” a business that
has been around since before they were. The porn industry is worried about
losing their market share. And if you are trying to keep the kids away
from porn, the job didn’t get any easier.
Did you know the ICANN has been debating this for years? Do you think
having .xxx will increase porn usage? Decrease it? Does it matter? Would
it make it easier to find porn? How difficult is it to find the stuff
now? (Without anything other than “porn” as my search word, I got 319
million hits at Google.)
Do you have to worry about kids using your computers? How do you keep
them from accidentally or purposefully accessing porn sites? How effective
is your current method of filtering?
Purely,
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“Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in
philosophy only ridiculous.” - David Hume
“Remember likewise there are persons who love fewer words, an inoffensive
sort of people, and who deserve some regard, though of too still and
composed tempers for you.” - Joseph Butler
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Geography Lesson
[Thanks Noella]
GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN
Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa - half discovered, half
wild, fertile and naturally beautiful.
Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe - well developed and open
to trade, especially for someone of real value.
Between 31 and 35, a woman is like Spain - very hot, relaxed and convinced
of her own beauty.
Between 36 and 40, a woman is like Greece - gently aging but still
a warm and desirable place to visit.
Between 41 and 50, a woman is like Great Britain - with a glorious
and all-conquering past.
Between 51 and 60, a woman is like Israel - has been through war,
doesn’t make the same mistakes twice, takes care of business.
Between 61 and 70, a woman is like Canada - self-preserving, but open
to meeting new people.
After 70, she becomes like Tibet - wildly beautiful, with a mysterious
past and the wisdom of the ages - an adventurous spirit and a thirst
for spiritual knowledge.
GEOGRAPHY OF A MAN
Between 1 and 80, a man is like Iran - ruled by nuts.
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“Always be smarter than the people who hire you.”
“Don’t be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when
you feel nothing, it’s just death.”
“You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way.”
- All from American singer and actress Lena Horne born on this day in
1917
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Speak right up!
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Black Holes
I have a tree in my yard. That in itself isn’t very note worthy.
The fact that it eats birds is more interesting.
Let me explain a bit. We have an ash tree that sits within 10
feet of our deck. It stands between the deck and a feeder for
small birds. The feeder contains thistle seeds so we can attract
orioles, finches, chickadees, and the like. We have another feeder
in plain view for larger birds in another corner of the garden.
As I stand on the deck, leaning on the railing watching the goings-on
in the back yard, I watch as this ash tree eats birds. OK, I see
I need to do a bit more explaining.
We can see this particular tree from various angles, depending on where
on the deck or patio we choose to be. Apparently, so can the birds.
As it has ample foliage in which to hide, if necessary, and enough branches
of various sizes on which to perch.
As we watch, we see several birds flying into the tree. They seem
to be coming at such a speed that they will simply pop out the other
side and continue on their way. But that’s not what happens.
They simply disappear. The tree eats them. It must.
We can stand there for a while and watch 20-30 birds get eaten by the
tree. A few lucky ones will escape and will take their turn on
the feeder. But they aren’t smart. They fly back into the
black hole of a tree, never to be seen again.
How these little creatures can approach this tree at such a velocity
and not emerge on the other side is amazing. I would expect to
hear a thud as one hits a branch or the trunk of the tree, but it’s
silent except for the chirping and sometimes the occasioal squawking
as the tree devours them. That’s my observation as I have yet
found a carcass, or even a wayward bone at the base of that tree.
Here’s your quiz:
Do you have a popular tree that seems to eat birds?
How do those little birds fly in so fast and land on their spindly little
legs without breaking something?
How do those little birds fly into a tree without hitting anthing?
Black Holes - Sometimes They Are Green
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
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Email Kirsten
“So
much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness.”
~ Sidney Poitier ~
I didn’t have time to write a proper article this evening, but someone
challenged me to come up with twenty random facts about myself that
are not commonly known. This was indeed a challenge, since I am an open
book. However, I gave it a shot and actually managed to come up with
stuff!
1. I was once hospitalized due to an allergy to mangoes.
2. I am afraid of ladders, and can only cope with being on them by counting
out loud.
3. I was evacuated from a movie theatre while watching The Santa
Clause because of a bomb scare, and I’ve spent the last fifteen
years wondering how the movie ends.
4. I hate olives.
5. I can kill two flies with one swish of the fly swatter.
6. I am anti-Apple and I’m not really sure why. I use a BlackBerry instead
of an iPhone, an MP3 player instead of an iPod, and a PC instead of
an iMac. I think the iPad is a badly named waste of time. I have no
desire to own any electronic gadgets starting with “i”.
7. I don’t know what “co-dependant” means.
8. I have this mild but irrational fear that when the subway train goes
into the tunnel approaching Kennedy Station, it will simply cease to
exist, along with all the passengers.
9. I never use umbrellas. When I do, I’m always the one whose umbrella
gets turned inside out by the wind, so I’ve given up on them completely.
10. I quit smoking fourteen years ago. It was surprisingly easy, but
since then I have these dreams - only once a year or so - in which I
smoke lots of cigarettes. I always wake up feeling horribly guilty,
even though I never have any desire to smoke during my waking hours.
11. I told Gerard’s mother that I don’t want to wear a veil at my wedding
next year, and for some reason this has got her in a flap.
12. On these “get to know your friends” quizzes they always ask what
colour crayon you’d be, and I think this is the oddest question. If
I was a crayon I’d be broken in half and ground into a nice clean carpet
by a four-year-old. I wouldn’t be any colour.
13. On our recent trip to Indiana, we had to listen to the same children’s
CD all the way from Toronto to Elkhart, and all the way back. If I have
to listen to that CD one more time I think my head will explode, like
those aliens in Mars Attacks.
14. I cannot work a manual can opener because I’m left-handed.
15. I completely failed to notice the 5.5 earthquake that apparently
shook Toronto a week ago. I feel like I missed out on an event.
16. For some reason that I cannot explain, I have always been fascinated
by the number 4.
17. When I was ten I fell off my bike and hurt myself badly. I haven’t
owned a bike since then.
18. If there was any healthy way to do so, I could quite happily live
on cheesecake.
19. Telephone conversations make me anxious. I don’t know why.
20. I once bought a bag of dried tea-leaves from a Bedouin in the Sinai
Desert and tried to smoke them.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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Chef Gets Life For Killing Wife?
The judge said that Peter Wallner was sneaky. He didn’t say anything
about his cooking, and he was after all, a chef.
The article I link to today doesn’t mention his culenary skills, either.
They’re probably fine. Indeed, I would guess that Pete was capable of
gourmet offerings. But, Judge Stephen Kramer was much more interested
in his creative use of his cooking implements.
It appears that Pete told his in-laws that his wife, Melanie, had died
from a brain aneurysm. He even transported her ashes so that they could
lay her to rest at their home in South Africa. What he had really done
was whack her in the head with a frying pan, put her body in a sleeping
bag, and keep her in his freezer — until –.
Maybe there was a sale on blueberries, or green beans and Pete wanted
to save some for future use. Maybe he decided that his freezer could
stand to be defrosted. In any event, he put his wife’s body in the trash,
hoping that it would be picked up by the sanitation department. If Mrs.
Wallner hadn’t weighed so much, Pete’s little bit of mischief might
have gone undetected. It turns out that his father and mother-in-law
said their last prayers over ashes from Pete’s barbecue pit, instead
of their deceased daughter.
As it is, the garbage men found Melanie was too heavy to pick up. They
were probably going to break the load into smaller packages when they
found what there was to find. Now, Pete will spend the rest of his life,
and his considerable cooking skills, in the prison kitchen. Divorce
might have been easier, but it certainly wouldn’t have been as interesting
or creepy.
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Miscellaneous Tips
Instead of adding raw garlic to sauces, saute the garlic first for
a milder flavor.
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You guys (and gals) are great!
Next opening line…
There was a young girl of New York…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
There
was a young farmer named Max
Whose fences were very lax
They provided no protection
Either for confinement or detection
So his animals all fell to the ax. - Bonnie |
There
was a young farmer named Max
Who needed a way to relax
He heard a good tune
And found he was soon
Tapping beats on animal backs - Maria in Illinois |
There was
a young farmer named Max—
whose work habits were very lax—
until one fine day
he found talents, they lay
in a virus with which he’d attack. - Cassandra in New York |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who didn’t have all of the facts.
Thought it was candy,
sure tasted dandy,
Instead he ate all the ex lax. - Tony |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who cash stash was a bit lax
So he went to the bogs
And found lots of frogs
And used them because they were green backs. - Anne Onimous |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who gave a his girlfriend an axe
In a terrible snit
She chopped Max’s heart to bit
For she was nothing but a hack. - E. Cole Aye |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who’d give his girl a vase of lilacs.
Though she’s allergic
She was rather stoic -
At least he didn’t give her sumac. - E. Cole Aye |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who was always full of wisecracks
He’d tell of other’s gaffs
Then he’d have hearty laughs
But his friends would say, "Humor he lacks." - E. Cole
Aye |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Whose work ethic was a bit lax
As you might have guessed
He’d just lay and rest
But the gov would still pay him greenbacks. - E. Cole Aye |
There was
a young farmer named Max
Who partook in some Chippendale’s acts
In all-girl confabs
He’d first expose his abs
Then finish by taking off his slacks. - E. Cole Aye |
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Re: Bio-Cremation
Don’t know how many states
require this, but in some at least, what happens to your body when
you die is not actually up to you. It’s up to your wife/husband and
children who have to sign affidavits giving the funeral director permission
to cremate. This happened a couple years ago when a relative died
leaving explicit directions for his cremation and disposal. It was
a flurry of witnessed signatures on faxed facsimile forms to the funeral
director from relatives living all over the country - took a few days
to reach some of them - before the man’s own wishes could be done.
I don’t think it’s right or fair for this kind of thing to happen,
especially when a person has been estranged from or divorced from
relatives. If they didn’t care about you when you were living, why
should they determine how you get treated when you die? - Nancy L
in Ohio
Based on the direction
today’s article went, I thought you would like this bumper sticker;
- Bruce in Colorado
http://images2.cpcache.com/product/362261052v1_480×480_Front.jpg
[The image was too big to include here (plus
I was concerned about copyright) so I included the link instead.
Thanks Bruce.]
After I’m dead, I’d be most
useful as fertilizer. If there was an option to actually be used as
fertilizer, without fancy and costly preparation that’d be what I’d
choose! The added pharmaceutical chemicals in my system don’t need
to be enhanced with embalming schmutz. I don’t feel I need a fancy
box or monument to honor my memory. The best tribute would be to remember
how I was in life and remember what inspired me, perhaps influencing
your own life. - Maria
From Lucille;
Please don’t bury me
down in the cold, cold ground
I’d rather have you chop me up
and pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
The blind can have my eyes
the deaf can have both of my ears
if they don’t mind the size.
John Pryne
Having gone through this
issue twice in the last few years with aunts who have died, and subsequently
addressing it with Hubby and Mom, we are going to use cremation for
our "disposal". And yes, as with you Mike, part of it is
related to cost. Funeral considerations are dictated by state governments,
for whatever reasons. Public health may be a foundational one. (Is
there a Funeral Home lobby?)
Public
health does not seem to me to be best served by this concept of bio-cremation.
(Is that not what happens when one decays, anyway. It is a biologic
process.)
IMHO the resulting
"bio-cremains" have an additional chemical. At least when
using fire that is not an issue. There is also the consideration of
sterilization when using the high temperatures of cremation.
Cardboard
boxes bring up an interesting ancillary issue. I am glad the Egyptians
did not use them. We have learned so much about their culture and
our own history from them. Still, is that of over all value? I will
take the cardboard box or even scattering. Once the body typing this
message is dead, it is done. The next one, however, will last forever.
Carol T
Yes, the
funeral industry takes advantage of grief, but what it sells is no
sillier than many other products that people can be sold. I’d like
to see higher taxes on expensive frills, though. I hadn’t heard of
bio-cremation before as a specific process. Medical skeletons are
cleaned by beetles, some people leave their dead in trees as raptor
food, and some killers use quicklime to reduce the evidence to liquid.
I wouldn’t pay much for any of those. My preference would be to be
used for dog food, and if I had any grieving friends, I’d urge them
to dig a grave for some memento until they thought it was deep enough,
and they wanted to move on.
While we are on the topic, I’ve noticed that the Police don’t seem
to like having a murder on their statistics, or perhaps they are just
lazy, but even a clumsy attempt to disguise a murder as suicide often
seems to be accepted. An example from far away and long ago could
be Alan Turing. Why would someone go to the trouble of putting their
poison in an apple, and not leave a note? - Bob of the North
My husband and
I signed up many years ago to donate our bodies after death to the
local University Medical Center for cadavers. Let future surgeons
practice cutting on us or whatever. Whatever is left–throw it out
and burn it as medical waste or whatever they do. We don’t need anything
as a reminder of what a wonderful life we had together!! Bonnie
Re:
Fests
A redneck
who was contemplating eating bonbons? LOL.
When
we were first married Hubby and I took a trip with his two kids, white
water river rafting on the Red River. I do not swim. On the first
day I was thrown out of the raft in a rough patch of water. Life vest
was on. Both hands on the raft, but there I went. I remember seeing
the water closing above my head, and thinking, "Okay Lord, it’s
your turn now." Next thing I saw was a hand reaching out to me.
Not the Lord, but the guide. Still. I was rescued.
Next
day, I did not go with the group, for a different and unrelated reason.
But during the day I was particularly concerned for Hubby. I learned
when they returned, he had been thrown out of the raft, and trapped
under it for a while. He feared for his life. Again, a rescue was
accomplished.
Large
events do not attract me at all. I am more into the smaller intimate
gathering. While large event do offer some chance to interact with
a great variety of others, because of their very nature the contact
is fleeting and superficial. Not my cup of tea. Reminds me too much
of ancient Rome and the Coliseum…. - Carol T
Re:
Comment Links
Carol T wanted
a link to comment on anything or everything in RGQ and there it was
right smack under her coment. There is a link at the top and bottom
of the issue with Sumbit A Comment and it is a general, nothing referenced
comment.
As Mike asked, if you use this, please let us know what you are commenting
on. We put the individual links to specific areas in because it became
difficult to know where to place the comment in the Comments section
without knowing what you are writing about. - Patti
Re: Toys In Meals
Toys in meals?
The horror! Oh the humanity. - John-in-Oz
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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