Friday Ephemeraren’t
Yes, a chance to be thrillingly creative and throw together your own pile of links and oddities in the comments. I’ll set the ball rolling with a small hole in the ground; some silent props for when your pool balls are too loud; via Julia, an illustration of stereotype accuracy; a realisation of note; a reminder that there’s always a catch; and a right-handed man.
Oh, and some notable balloons.
Warning is necessary anywhere within 100 miles of Portland.
More woke madness from the American Medical Association:
The AMA was taken over by the left a long time ago and no longer represents the personal and professional opinions of most physicians.
Clearly didn’t consult us for a band name.
Good, unless you are under arms, only savages wear hats indoors.
Pictures or it never happened.
As I used to do. However, inasmuch as I was some clot stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany in the early 1980s, I cannot donate blood in the US.
Prions; apparently there’s no test to see if *my* blood is safe (as well as the many, many soldiers and airmen who were stationed there in those days) but if you were doing the dirty back in those days and became HIV positive, well, *your* blood’s totes cool.
Now that I think about it, how safe is the British blood supply? I can’t donate blood in the US because I might have eaten some of your beef.
Back when I was a young and foolish lad, I would have thought this was merely an abundance of caution from the US Red Cross. Now that I’m an old and foolish man, well, whatever.
(BTW, if HIV positive people can be safe blood donors, I have absolutely no problem with them donating blood. Hell, I wish they could give twice as much to make up what *I* am not allowed to do.)
Doctors should paid at no more than welfare rates. (Yes, I see how that can be gamed.)
But it’s almost funny how local councils will typically fall over themselves to praise the “cultural traditions” of the ‘travellers’, as if they were wandering minstrels, while actively minimising acts of trespass and antisocial behaviour
Lol. That.
Lol. That.
Our own local council has an entire month devoted to romanticising ‘travellers’ and is keen for residents to believe that the demographic in question – several hundred families on several designated sites, plus other “unauthorised” locations – are a put-upon and deeply precious addition to the city. We’re treated to lots of old black-and-white photos evoking noble downtroddenness, vibrancy and such. It’s all very charming.
Needless to say, the sentimental images bear little relation to the typical experience of living near ‘travellers’ and within earshot of their lively activities. Or, say, having an armada of ‘traveller’ caravans set up camp, illegally and with aggressive enthusiasm, in a supermarket car park, or, without permission, on the local playing fields, with the occupants merrily vandalising the toilets and changing facilities, and leaving behind enormous heaps of garbage, gas bottles and abandoned tyres for others to clear away. Oh, and leaving prodigious amounts of human excrement where children usually play.
That kind of thing.
but if you were doing the dirty back in those days and became HIV positive, well, *your* blood’s totes cool.
I wouldn’t say ‘totes cool’. They do ask quite a few questions regarding HIV and make it clear that you shouldn’t donate just to find out if you are HIV positive. At least OneBlood does. I presume the same set of questions would be used by the Red Cross but as I haven’t given to them specifically in decades, I could be wrong. Both organizations used to ask the same questions IIRC. Though I have noticed the questions seem to be, shall I say…evolving? They used to re-ask a few questions verbally that I couldn’t help having a bit of fun with. One was “Have you ever had sex with another man, even once, since 1977?” I would pause for a second and say, “1977?…No.” They don’t ask that no more. I like to think it’s my fault but I’m guessing it’s something else.
Googling…well DuckDuckGoing “irish travellers sc ga” produces a few interestingly worded takes. This one I found amusing…
https://www.thestate.com/news/local/crime/article96051242.html
“Unwanted attention”…heh. In this age of Twitter and Tic-toc no less. Odd how that is. They must be a very humble group.
Most of the men work on the road traveling to different states during favorable weather to work in construction-related jobs, such as repairing roofs, resurfacing driveways and painting barns.
CBS News’ 60 Minutes did an report long ago about that: Lots of fraud.
Clearly didn’t consult us for a band name.
That one pic with the scrawny soyboy with flowing locks and a goatee next to the mountainous musician in purple gown reminds me of that species of deep-sea fish where the female is gigantic in comparison to the male. Once the male anglerfish finds a female he attaches himself to her body and spends the rest of his life that way. Fertilization happens on the outside, so he’s tapped in to her for nourishment, and to be available to fertilize her eggs when she releases them.
Our own local council has an entire month devoted to romanticising ‘travellers’ and is keen for residents to believe that the demographic in question…are a put-upon and deeply precious addition to the city.
Here’s a crazy idea: Let’s start treating criminals like criminals.
CBS News’ 60 Minutes did an report long ago about that: Lots of fraud.
In the story intself, or in the reporting of the story? It’s so difficult to tell the difference.
In the story itself: Detailed reporting on fraudulent construction-related services, such as driveway resurfacing, roof repair, etc. Related experiences of actual victims. Visited the luxurious Carolina homes of the fraudster travelers. Of course, that report was done in the 80’s or early 90’s. Today CBS would never report on the criminal behavior of a Designated Minority.
Here’s a crazy idea: Let’s start treating criminals like criminals.
Will never work. The lawyers and judges won’t stand for it. What they lack in quality they make up for in volume.
Will never work. The lawyers and judges won’t stand for it.
Start treating them as members of the criminal classes. 😐
Did everybody have a glass of warm milk and go to bed?
I donate platelets every other Sunday at a nearby Red Cross office. Appointments are required, but I’ve never had any scheduling issues. In fact, one fortnight when I forgot to book my regular visit they called earlier in the week to ask if I wanted one and help me set it up at a different office, since no slots were left at my usual place. A couple of times last winter they even called the day of to ask if I wanted to come in earlier, since they’d had last minute cancellations (though once the email/call/text confirmation blitz policy was initiated that stopped happening). Haven’t been to one of those pop-up blood drives in ages.