Want a dog? Get a mutt, it'll be healthier, likely smarter, and won't have any of those unpleasant and likely expensive built in problems (dachshund backs, for example).

No. A mutt will have a larger stochastic component to all its genetic qualities; that is all. Plenty of mutts die from genetically-linked disorders and defects.

But people don't want dogs, they want little status symbols, and a purebred is so much... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:49 AM on July 4, 2008

I'll beat you up a bit.

They don't hesitate to tell others to go to the pound to get a dog but reserve the right for themselves to breed the dogs "to better the breed."

And some of those people are, in fact, reprehensible morons. But leaving that aside for a minute, why is this problematic or hard to understand? Good breeders have a clear picture of what they're trying to achieve over the long term. If you're not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:14 PM on July 4, 2008

You could have asked and you would have found that I know at least a bit about these costs.

Your having a clue about the costs involved in breeding a litter is inconsistent with your stating that purebreds (from ethical breeders anyway) are overpriced. So I take it you're retracting your assertion that they're overpriced, since now you're claiming that you're aware of the quite substantial costs involved?

I don't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:58 PM on July 4, 2008

Also, what is it with people who seem to think that what Obama's doing will help him win the election? He's clearly alienating many of the people who would be donating or volenteering, which will cost him votes.

People donating or volunteering are highly likely to turn out, and only a bare few will end up voting for anyone but Obama. They might well stop volunteering or donating.

On the other hand, anyone so afraid... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:23 PM on July 4, 2008

Not only that, the Warners aren't any clearly-defined kind of animal in any case. It's commahnism.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:32 PM on July 3, 2008

But socialized medicine is even worse. ... The service will either become very poor, the budget will grow to mammoth proportions, or some combination of the two.

...with the minor exception of every industrial democracy that has ever tried it.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:29 PM on July 2, 2008

I think it is important to distinguish this from socialized medicine; we're not going to get anything like Canada's system anytime soon.

Canada doesn't have socialized medicine. They just have the government give everyone health insurance. Not the same thing by a long shot. Socialized medicine = British NHS, not OHIP etc.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:20 PM on July 2, 2008

Assuming we have a magical sea change and we pass a "perfect" health care reform package the day after Obama is elected, it's going to take a *minimum* of 10 years for all the other elements that need to correct to do so.

Not necessarily.

Dear Canadian physicians,

You may have noticed that we put in that single-payer thing a few months ago, so there's no more dealing with a bunch of nasty... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:12 AM on July 3, 2008

Meh. Say what you like about Batman and Robin, at least it knew that it was camp and delivered solid camp. About a billion times better than those horrid, sickly-sweet twee indulgent monstrosities perpetrated by Tim Burton. In the sense that a nasty case of food poisoning is much better than ebola.

Also, B&R is by far the closest in spirit to the 60's TV series.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:35 AM on July 2, 2008

if i ever have a son (two XX so far) than i'm going to figure out a way to name him after william tecumsah sherman -- in-laws are southern so i'll have to sneak it ;)

How about "General William Tecumseh Sherman's March To The Sea Engelson"?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:30 AM on July 2, 2008

Is he strong?
Listen bud,
He's got radioactive blood.
So as you might
Understand
He's very weak
From leukemia.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:02 AM on July 2, 2008

Modest clothing is all well and good, but when will they sell me some nice sheets with a blood streak from a 12-year-old bride?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:48 AM on July 2, 2008

Dammit... TWO ducks, not three.

You're not alone.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:39 PM on July 1, 2008

Whoa, whoa, I dont care what your politics are. That's the dream, man.

Only if robotic deck chairs that haul my walrus-like bulk about also have the BJ machines (fellatotrons?) from THX 1138 (re-fucked-with edition).

And only if they implant farcaster portals inside my colon and urethra so I can just go whenever I please, no mess. Well, mess somewhere else, but I don't care about somewhere else.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:31 PM on July 1, 2008

For almost 30 years, Bryan Adams has delivered two kinds of product with ruthless efficiency... . No one wants to hear his canon reinterpreted for the dance floor.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:39 AM on July 1, 2008

It is a crime against humanity that this guy's mom didn't name him Area.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:53 PM on June 30, 2008

3b. Spend rest of life in secure facility being bled three times a day to cure the Cabal.

3b1. Spend rest of life while not being bled in forced-matings to increase the supply of super cancer-killing bloodcow people for the Cabal to bleed.
3b2. Realize that in order to extract the greatest reproductive effort from each participant, their counterparts would have to be chosen for maximal attractiveness and skill.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:44 PM on June 29, 2008

I wish to register my bitter disappointment that it took until now for someone to note that maybe he went to get a sideways haircut.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:09 AM on June 28, 2008

*The* iconic image of my teens.

[nit]
The really iconic "Earthrise" photo was from Apollo 8, not Apollo 11.
[/nit]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:12 PM on June 27, 2008

We therefore read Miller to say only that the Second Amendment does not protect those weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, such as short-barreled shotguns.

This is deeply weaselly non-reasoning to deflect "That means I can have my machine gun!" by saying that, no, you can't carry a G36 around because you haven't been carrying a G36 around. If you had had a G36, you could have one, but because you didn't have one, you can't.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:28 AM on June 26, 2008

Did anyone really not understand what I meant when I said, "USAian"

You meant "I mean to write `American,' but I'm sooooooo fucking sensitive to concerns that don't even exist in the real world that I'm going to write 'USAian' instead to avoid insulting those nonexistent Canadians and Mexicans and Costa Ricans who, when you say 'Excuse me, but are you American?' answer 'Yes!' Surely now hordes of American, I mean USAian, men or women... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:19 PM on June 26, 2008

I applaud the Court for not going further and taking the opportunity to opine freely on the general topic, extrapolating to further legal issues or establishing unnecessary tests.

Did you not see the part where Scalia doesn't simply stop at saying that you can't ban handguns, but starts offering opinions about what sorts of firearms could be banned?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:03 PM on June 26, 2008

But in a place like this? No. See all the cute street names (Wigeon Way, Blue Wing Dr., Wigeon Way)?

On the other hand, who in their right mind wouldn't want to change their name to Hattie McBoob and get an address on Honker Lane?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:08 PM on June 25, 2008

Why is "NIMBY" a chat acronym?

[Bluto]: Wanna cyber?
[WildCoed69]: Okay
[Bluto]: I'm walking into your room. I am NEKKID. With a boner.
[WildCoed69]: Ooh, that's hot. I'm way hot for you. I take off my shirt and show you my epidermis.
[Bluto]: I've got my wiener out. It's huge and hard and totally not got any warts.
[WildCoed69]: OOH! TAKE ME NOW, SUBCREATURE!... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:49 PM on June 25, 2008

How Smart Is the Octopus?

Too.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:51 AM on June 25, 2008

Large ship with a park on top. Sounds like a wee tiny GSV.

It looks from the pictures like much the ship design is geared around creating "balcony" rooms where the balcony overlooks the inside of the fucking ship instead of something you'd want to see. The marketing-drones are strong with Royal Caribbean.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:24 PM on June 24, 2008

ROU_Xenophobe: the ship definitely maxes out the outside balconies, too. The inside ones are at least an improvement over the alternative -- looking at a wall. =)

I dunno. I'd be really pissed if I reserved a BALCONY STATEROOM and all I got was a view of other balconies and shoppers.

What's the point of a balcony where you can't walk out bare-ass nekkid in the morning, or maybe even schtupp under a blanket in the chilly night?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:21 PM on June 24, 2008

There are or have been four civilian ships powered by reactors.

And L. Bob Rife is lookin' to make it 5.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:22 PM on June 24, 2008

Are there any multi-hull cruise ships

There are one or two SWATH cruise ships, which are multihull but not exactly like catamarans. They're more like building a superstructure on top of two submarines.

On googling, the only one I can find is now the Asia Star, formerly Radisson Diamond.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:39 PM on June 24, 2008

Is there a paragraph in existence that cannot be improved by appending this text to the end of it?

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:16 PM on June 24, 2008

HURF DURF JESUS EATERS
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:39 AM on June 24, 2008

Wait a few years and see if this concept looks dated.

It's already dated.

The basic concept of moving to places you like better is just Tiebout sorting from *google* 1956.

The more specific idea of living around people similar to you can be directly traced to Schelling 1971.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:47 PM on June 22, 2008

This is all pretty easy, actually.

So, should a California photographer have the right to refuse to photograph a KKK White Power wedding, complete with swastika cake?

No.

Should a vegetarian photographer have the right to refuse to photograph a wedding reception where pate de fois gras is served?

No.

Should anyone be forced to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:47 AM on June 22, 2008

Or, more to the point, would you like to see to it that a religious person could never own a legal business without violating his or her conscience?

I know, it would be really awful if Christians had to consort with all sorts of unsavory people who did SINS with their WING-WANGS. If only they had an example of someone who made a point of consorting with all sorts of unsavory people...
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:47 AM on June 22, 2008

Um, actually, yes. The KKK is not a group that is protected from discrimination.

A photographer has the right to refuse to photograph a KKK white power wedding.

They just shouldn't have that right.

Being open for business doesn't mean you have to take everyone who walks through the door

...but it should.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:01 AM on June 22, 2008

Whose ass is it, and why is it farting?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:30 PM on June 19, 2008

I called Nancy Pelosi, who is my representative, and asked the staffer how she intends to vote. He couldn't/wouldn't say. Is this typical?

By tradition, Speakers rarely vote except to break ties.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:00 PM on June 19, 2008

The House has a tradition that says that the Speaker does not normally vote. He or she is expected to exercise influence over legislation in other ways, and to have more pressing matters to attend to nearly all of the time.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:42 PM on June 19, 2008

If you hit an unrelated adult, it's assault. If you hit your own child, it's just parenting. WTF?

If you force an unrelated adult to remain in your home against his will, it's kidnapping. If you force your own child to remain in your home against his will, it's just parenting. WTF?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:14 PM on June 19, 2008

Is this gas extraction a net positive energy gain? I should think the energy used in the steelmaking, transportation, drilling, and etceteras is a few orders of magnitude more than the energy drawn out of the gas bed.

Googling, the energy down there seems to be about 70% of a year's total electrical output in the US. You would have noticed if that amount of energy had been diverted towards making steel and drilling and whatnot.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:37 AM on June 19, 2008

There is a word for these people: assholes.

I agree completely. People who forget to put their hang-tags on their mirrors when they park in areas in which they are entitled to park, which is what happened here, are far, far worse than the combined evilosity of Hitler, Pol Pot, and Zuul.

Not just assholes. Asshole MOTHERFUCKERS who FORGOT TO PUT THEIR HANG TAGS UP thereby INCONVENIENCING NOBODY AT ALL and TAKING UP NO SPACE... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:27 AM on June 19, 2008

And that's clearly because of the immense plot hole that Signs has. The aliens can be killed by water?

Those weren't aliens from space. They were demons from hell.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:31 PM on June 17, 2008

Night wanted to do with pollen what Hitchcock did with birds. He failed.

To be fair, it failed pretty badly when Hitchcock did it too. The movie only succeeds, insofar that it does, because all of the character are total total smegheads. To reiterate a comment from a zillion years ago, my version goes like this:

[DUDE PERSON]: The birds have gone crazy! They're attacking!
[LADY PERSON]: (worried) OMG WTF!... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:08 AM on June 18, 2008

Also, I would like to know more of the old lady's story. Why is she crazy? Why does she live all alone in the middle of nowhere? What's with the adult-sized doll? Shamalama's next movie should be all about her.

This is part of what is awful about that movie, because it is transparently obvious that there is no backstory; it's just random plot nonsense. And then they meet this crazy old lady!

It's much like the episode of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:22 PM on June 18, 2008

At Yale, and no doubt at other places, the message is reinforced in embarrassingly literal terms. The physical form of the university—its quads and residential colleges, with their Gothic stone façades and wrought-iron portals—is constituted by the locked gate set into the encircling wall. Everyone carries around an ID card that determines which gates they can enter.

...thereby showing that Yale is like nearly every other non-commuter college in the US.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:11 PM on June 18, 2008

I have a (rush hour traffic) 2.5 hour one-way commute across LA. There are no options besides driving available, at all.

Ahem. "Options as in you can take an alternate fucking route; maybe a surface street or alternate highway."
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:48 PM on June 17, 2008

Do Democrats have a sense of humor?

Seriously, I want to know.

Seriously? You really don't know whether or not Democrats have a sense of humor? You don't know whether, for example, Jon Stewart and Janeane Garofalo have a sense of humor or not?

Golly. You must be extremely dumb.

Either that, or you just felt like insulting most of metafilter all at once.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:39 PM on June 17, 2008

jinx!
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:39 PM on June 17, 2008

IMO, better that than dealing with the irreversibility of them having a baby they really don't want.

Me and my Super Baby-Matic '76 agree that having a baby is indeed reversible.
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:51 PM on June 16, 2008

To which she immediately responded, "No. You aren't going to use det-cord on our tree.

... You've got to use shaped-charge cutters for branches that big."
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:38 AM on June 16, 2008