I doubt if you went twenty or even ten generations back my family even had surnames. Unless "the tailor" and "wife of the butcher's apprentice" count as surnames. (Yes, all my knowledge of shtetl life comes from Isaac Bashevis Singer stories and Fiddler on the Roof. Deal with it.)

Great to see we take fake blood on a white guy more seriously than real blood from a black guy.

I have a feeling you know nothing about cricket. So congratulations for perpetuating the stereotype that Americans love to tell others how to do things that they themselves don't understand.

The helmets are very well protected for that sort of hit. The problem is that, while trying to play the shot, he turned his head, exposing the unprotected side. From that angle the coverage isn't terribly different than a baseball helmet with a ball coming at that angle.

I would have been fine with Fancy Pants Harry Potter Land, actually ;) But, yeah, thanks for changing it.

I think it's not the palm islands that are experiencing erosion. They're packed with housing and hotels and quite solid. It's the mostly-deserted world islands and the mainland beaches that are experiencing erosion, because of changes in the way currents flow around the islands.

I sort of feel torn about the "weirdest Italian food" customer. On the one hand, what a dummy, amirite? On the other hand, I feel like since he really enjoyed the meal and is just seemingly harmlessly ignorant, I don't want to be snarky. Like, he wasn't being racist or anything, just all "this is weird Italian…

For the same reasons (or "reasons") that after 9/11, anyone who either questioned the United States' motives or military tactics re: Al-Qaeda, OBL and terrorism in general or tried to say anything even remotely positive or conciliatory about Islam or Muslims as a whole (not including the violent terrorist factions,…

Amen to all of this, though I'll add the thought that the folks issuing these death threats are doing nothing but proving the Israeli Bully stereotype they claim to take issue with. I've had plenty on the pro-Israel side of the debate lecture me that the conflict isn't remotely one sided, despite- ya know- a mountain…

I'm just befuddled how people take these gigantic leaps. Opening up a dialogue about an issue doesn't make you "anti-insertnamehere". Why are people so extreme and polarising in their views?

"They're talking about IsrealOrAnIssueIHaveIntenseOwnershipOver, therefore . . . I should kill them."

For a very long time, I had no real opinion one way or the other about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Like a lot of Americans, I grew up sort of defaulting to Israel being the good guys and the Palestinians being the bad guys, but that was more or less the end of it.

The conflict between whatever remains of Palestine and Israel is so one-sided it isn't remotely humorous. I sincerely hope there comes a peace in my lifetime so that they can work toward something better.

Moreover, Conflict Kitchen's (largely conservative) pro-Israel critics are still propagating the frankly insane notion that the restaurant has some responsibility to include the perspective of both sides of the conflict.

Personally, I really just want a pair of cockatiels named Vladimir and Estragon. I have no idea what I'd name a cat. I guess it would depend on the cat's personality?

Dude, I have so many perfect names for cats, I'd have to get like...31 of them to be able to use them all. And that pisses me off! I can't decide on one! *steals Burlap, though, just in case*

Omfg now I kind of want to get a cat just so I can name it Burlap.

Poor little Cotton. I just want you to know that we, your brothers and sisters, are all praying for your safe return.

And to be fair, the State of Alabama was formed to work slaves to death.