The Hall of Fire

Didn't we do something like that during WWII?

Yes, and that's very detrimental to science in general. The hot fields (like climate change) are snake pits already. No need to get politicians involved. Scientists do a fine job of eating each other alive. It's hard to get anyone to agree to anything in science land, so when large groups of scienti...

That puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Not to mention the loss of New Orleans and the general devastation along the Gulf Coast in 2005. The storm was no one's fault. The human disaster surrounding the storm and the aftermath was a result of a conglomeration of things, but the federal response was a bungled mess and remains a bungled mess...

In a weird way, Frodo's mercy towards Gollum did pay off. Frodo spared Gollum. And, in the end, whether he intended to or not, Gollum saved the quest.

We need a new nomination process. This is just insane.

This reminds me of something my mother said once, about the church she went to as a child. It was a Presbyterian church in a small town back in the 50's and 60's. There was much discussion over whether or not women could serve as elders. Oddly enough, it was the women of the church who finally squas...

So I've read and I've thought... The Ring's a complicated thing. It's an inanimate object, yet it also has a strange power, almost a will, of its own. It's a piece of Sauron himself, in a way. He created it. I think everyone here would agree that when you create something, a bit of yourself goes int...

I wonder what they will tell each other, about what they saw.

Faramond, it sucked. I never want to do it again. If I hadn't been wearing a helmet and an enormous backpack I probably wouldn't've walked away. And the worst of it was, my bro and I had no idea that cliff was even there. The 7.5' maps have lines drawn for every 40 feet of elevation change; this thi...

My grandmother died rather suddenly the day before the war began. It was a cruddy week. I had a sick feeling in my stomach, watching the bombs go off over Baghdad and at the same time feeling relieved Grandma didn't have to see this. She did not approve of the war. I'm glad she didn't have to see it...

True, but not why I was desperate to leave home.

I read about that case and it made my blood burn. I hope it gets reversed. I really hope, from the standpoint of medical ethics, it gets reversed. What next? If your doctor is a Jehovah's Witness he or she can deny you a blood transfusion? It's not as if someone who is bleeding out can just get up a...

I had the same reaction when I envisioned nineteen more years of being parented. :P When I was 18, I was ready to fly. I think my parents were also ready to be rid of me, to a certain extent. My relationship with my family improved dramatically after I left home. I actually ended up making decisions...

Only if they raise the drinking age to 36 and the driving age to 31. And the restricted movie age to 32. Got to keep things proportionate. And you have to stay under your parents' wings until you're 33 too, because if you're not responsible enough to show up at a poll and check a box you have no bus...

Maybe. It depends on how they decide to handle it.

I don't want to see an enormous brouhaha, but I do want the truth to come to light.

Cross-posted with Prim. That's what I get for turning around.

Faramond wrote: I think it's more likely that someone I've never heard of would be more competent.

Yeah, I feel the same. One of the quieter, low profile types that just gets their job done.

Jack Black as Bilbo...

That had to be a joke. Please, tell me that was a joke.

I thought it was a cute send-up on a variety of public service announcements. Yes, the appeal is emotional, but when you realize the original material was ads about STDs and drug use it's just plain FUNNY.

Yes, it's a political ad with an obvious slant. Nevertheless, I thought it was funny: It could happen to you