Learn Something Random Every Day Thoughts

[Reaper]

Taken from the Tokyo Olympics thread:

Holy crap. Didn't watch, but holy crap.

"Slutsignal?"

Apparently, in Sweden, slutsignal means "final" or literally end signal.

In other words, hey, the game is over and the boys are drunk and horny, so make sure you turn on your slutsignal if you're available tonight.

[DSafetyGuy]

I thought I had reached my peak hand-washing ability last year between the pandemic and adding a dog to the mix. However, slathering our son in sunscreen before he goes to camp every day has me thinking there may never be a mountaintop.

[DSafetyGuy]

Taken from the Tokyo Olympics thread:

Apparently, in Sweden, slutsignal means "final" or literally end signal.

In other words, hey, the game is over and the boys are drunk and horny, so make sure you turn on your slutsignal if you're available tonight.

Pronunciation I found online is "sloot-sig-NALL-eh".

I can even check with my sister, who spent most of a year there as a foreign exchange student.

[mister d]

I thought I had reached my peak hand-washing ability last year between the pandemic and adding a dog to the mix. However, slathering our son in sunscreen before he goes to camp every day has me thinking there may never be a mountaintop.

God I hate that feeling. I've noticed the dish soap meant for grease does a far better job than normal hand soap.

[DSafetyGuy]

I thought I had reached my peak hand-washing ability last year between the pandemic and adding a dog to the mix. However, slathering our son in sunscreen before he goes to camp every day has me thinking there may never be a mountaintop.

God I hate that feeling. I've noticed the dish soap meant for grease does a far better job than normal hand soap.

Agreed. Forming burgers is a two-wash job due to the soap. First pass is to get the remaining fat/grease off the skin, second actually washes the hands - or at least bubbles form so I know the soap is doing its thing on my skin instead of the layer of grease.

The morning sunscreen removal usually takes FOUR applications of soap.

[mister d]

I feel seen.

[EnochRoot]

The GOP explained in one graph.

[Pruitt]

Finland and Estonia have the same national anthem!

(Thanks Degen)

[L-Jam3]

The GOP explained in one graph.

So what do you think pushed the change? The Republican party is the official party of, among other things, mediocre to dumb white people. The drop in membership over time makes them the clear minority. I suspect part of it is that the more people are intelligent and/or educated, they can see that the GOP only makes policies for the elites, and their talking points are simply to distract from that fact. Over the last four decades people have been becoming more educated across the board. This increase in education makes people more likely to detect GOP bullshit, coupled with the somewhat forced meeting of people outside their culture (such as blacks, women, LGBT) that college invariably presents, is my reasoning why GOP membership has dropped. Every single study shows that the higher the education level (at least among whites), the lesser share goes GOP. This is the primary reason why the GOP pushes back against education in their policies, because the smarter white people get, the fewer people go GOP, and then their stuck with just elites, that even with their power, simply don't have the numbers.

But what is the reason for the drop in science confidence? Is it more because the majority of the people left in the GOP are just dumb, uneducated white people, or has the GOP's long campaign against competence, intelligence, and expertise finally is bearing fruit?

[Shirley]

I can think of three reasons over the years that stem from the GOP's embrace of fundamentalist christianity and big business:

1. Evolution. The fundies hate this, so it creates a God vs. science dichotomy that became political when the fundies went all in with the GOP.
2. Tobacco companies. Scientists knew for decades that cigarettes caused cancer, but the tobacco lobby (big business, southern) fought hard against and bought conservative politicians.
3. EPA and climate change vs. big energy and manufacturing. Again, the GOP is always going to be for big business, so they (once again) claim the scientists are wrong, or lying, or corrupt.

It's been going on for so long now, that ANY issue of science brought into public policy debate becomes a clear and obvious divide between republicans and democrats. It's entirely predictable and no longer requires any knowledge other than knowing that if scientists suggest we should change something to fix something - republicans will be against it.

[EnochRoot]

[...]
But what is the reason for the drop in science confidence? Is it more because the majority of the people left in the GOP are just dumb, uneducated white people, or has the GOP's long campaign against competence, intelligence, and expertise finally is bearing fruit?

[...]

It's been going on for so long now, that ANY issue of science brought into public policy debate becomes a clear and obvious divide between republicans and democrats. It's entirely predictable and no longer requires any knowledge other than knowing that if scientists suggest we should change something to fix something - republicans will be against it.

I'm cynical like this too. There's a psychological aspect to it as well. The people who just don't give a fuck and will toe the company line, no matter how extreme (and they include Trump), so long as taxes are slashed and the money flows upward.

[Rush2112]

so long as taxes are slashed and the money flows upward.

and they keep voting for it because of abortion (that's why I believe that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned, it plucks a feather in their cap, they'll weaken it, but never overturn it) and the "attack" on the 2nd Amendment.

[EnochRoot]

so long as taxes are slashed and the money flows upward.

and they keep voting for it because of abortion (that's why I believe that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned, it plucks a feather in their cap, they'll weaken it, but never overturn it) and the "attack" on the 2nd Amendment.

What's up Rush!?

I had that stoned thought back in my 20s. "Why would a court ever overturn Roe? Cuz the GOP would lose their base and they'd have to govern, maaaan."

[Reaper]

While playing a kids v. adults version of Trivial Pursuit, I found out that the base in BASE jumping is an acronym, short for the things from which you can jump (buildings, antennae, spans, earth), not just any "base" or surface.

[Rush2112]

so long as taxes are slashed and the money flows upward.

and they keep voting for it because of abortion (that's why I believe that Roe v. Wade will never be overturned, it plucks a feather in their cap, they'll weaken it, but never overturn it) and the "attack" on the 2nd Amendment.

What's up Rush!?

I had that stoned thought back in my 20s. "Why would a court ever overturn Roe? Cuz the GOP would lose their base and they'd have to govern, maaaan."

**puffs on vape rather than joint** still true mang.

[DaveInSeattle]

Today is the 48th Anniversary of the birth of Hip-Hop:

On August 11, 1973, an 18-year-old, Jamaican-American DJ who went by the name of Kool Herc threw a back-to-school jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York. During his set, he decided to do something different. Instead of playing the songs in full, he played only their instrumental sections, or “breaks” - sections where he noticed the crowd went wild. During these “breaks” his friend Coke La Rock hyped up the crowd with a microphone. And with that, Hip Hop was born.

Hmm...I wonder how he got the name "Coke La Rock"...

[wlu_lax6]

Media mogul Merv Griffin originally composed Jeopardy!’s iconic theme song, “Think!”, as a lullaby for his son. In 2005, he told the NYT that it made him between $70–$80 million in royalties.

[wlu_lax6]

The last country using leaded gas just stopped (used up its supply). Algeria.

[Rush2112]

Max Weinberg plays drums on Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell.

[Staubach]

Last week was the 105th anniversary of the hanging of an elephant....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

[Johnny Carwash]

Hey, welcome back!

[The Sybian]

Last week was the 105th anniversary of the hanging of an elephant....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

I love it, coming out of retirement to drop this link! Welcome back.

You know a story is great when it starts with: "a homeless man named Red Eldridge, who landed a job as a transient hotel clerk,[3] was hired as an elephantkeeper by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus"

[rass]

ha

[Staubach]

Last week was the 105th anniversary of the hanging of an elephant....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

I love it, coming out of retirement to drop this link! Welcome back.

You know a story is great when it starts with: "a homeless man named Red Eldridge, who landed a job as a transient hotel clerk,[3] was hired as an elephantkeeper by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus"

Trying to find out where she is buried in the train yard. With the ban on ivory, tusks are going for $350k!! I think this is a solid retirement plan!!

[rass]

Last week was the 105th anniversary of the hanging of an elephant....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

I love it, coming out of retirement to drop this link! Welcome back.

You know a story is great when it starts with: "a homeless man named Red Eldridge, who landed a job as a transient hotel clerk,[3] was hired as an elephantkeeper by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus"

Trying to find out where she is buried in the train yard. With the ban on ivory, tusks are going for $350k!! I think this is a solid retirement plan!!

As a female Asian elephant, she probably lacked tusks. But maybe her teeth are worth something.

[The Sybian]

Last week was the 105th anniversary of the hanging of an elephant....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)

I love it, coming out of retirement to drop this link! Welcome back.

You know a story is great when it starts with: "a homeless man named Red Eldridge, who landed a job as a transient hotel clerk,[3] was hired as an elephantkeeper by the Sparks World Famous Shows circus"

Trying to find out where she is buried in the train yard. With the ban on ivory, tusks are going for $350k!! I think this is a solid retirement plan!!

As a female Asian elephant, she probably lacked tusks. But maybe her teeth are worth something.

Shhh, let him try to dig her up!

[Staubach]

Somebody is already looking...



On a serious note (and unfortunately not embellished at all), the Independence Day Parade only had 2 Rebel Flags this year!!! COVID-19 brought the numbers down....

[wlu_lax6]

Ireland had a population of 5M for the first time since 1851

[A_B]

Ireland had a population of 5M for the first time since 1851

Potatoes!

[Pruitt]

Ireland had a population of 5M for the first time since 1851

Prince Edward Island - Canada's quaint lil' province - had a population of 110,000 in 1881 and is currently up around 140,000.

I went out with a girl whose family was from the island. She explained the static population as "woman gets pregnant, man moves to the mainland."

[DaveInSeattle]

I'm at Parents weekend, and at a party last night with my daughter and her friends, I learned two new drinking games...Beer Die and Rage Cage. I felt incredibly old.

[P.D.X.]

Oh I've Rage Caged. The kids love that one out here.

[DSafetyGuy]

Oh I've Rage Caged. The kids love that one out here.

I played beer die close to 20 years ago. A friend had even bought a table specifically for the game - to sign and make subsequent hashmarks for making "plunks".

[Pruitt]

Kids today!

What's wrong with Quarters?

[A_B]

Kids today!

What's wrong with Quarters?

Hard to do with debit cards.

[duff]

Kids today!

What's wrong with Quarters?

Hard to do with debit cards.

Those are probably less used than Apple pay, Google pay or whatever they can do with their phones. Or Venmo.

[Pruitt]

Kids today!

What's wrong with Quarters?

Hard to do with debit cards.

Hilarious!

[L-Jam3]

Is it called Beirut where you guys are from? Or is that just a Northeast thing?

[serrano]

Is it called Beirut where you guys are from? Or is that just a Northeast thing?

I came up in NJ calling it Beirut. Always thought of beer pong as the game with paddles.

[DaveInSeattle]

Oh I've Rage Caged. The kids love that one out here.

I played beer die close to 20 years ago. A friend had even bought a table specifically for the game - to sign and make subsequent hashmarks for making "plunks".

There's a student on campus who has a side hustle making custom beer die tables. My daughter and her house mates bought one from him.