When I was a kid, the vet used to tell folks to wait until a female cat had her first heat before getting her fixed. My little Emily Dee missed the heat part - she just got real fat.

And of course there was also the societal delusion that the higher class you were the more moral and “decent” you were.

This “experiment” has been repeated several times, with both psychiatrists and journalists, and to similar results.

You do realize that Margaret Atwood was not talking about you personally?

Nope, not quite what I’m suggesting.

Actually, this was intended to post to your earlier comment about guys already knowing that assault is wrong; persons of all genders should be taught that “niceness” does not mean that a potential mate is trustworthy.

― Margaret Atwood

We must learn and then teach our children that niceness does not equal goodness. Niceness is a decision, a strategy of social interaction; it is not a character trait. People seeking to control others almost always present the image of a nice person in the beginning.

This is why one of the best gifts you can give the women in your life is The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker.

Sadly something similar to Nellie Bly’s vision did indeed happen, and not that long ago.

or just cut a soda bottle in half. Ball of twine goes in bottom half, then thread thru top and replace top half of bottle.

Well, it's been done before -

Sure, that makes sense - my Mom taught advanced classes in High School English and used to read the Bible in class. Now, she was rabidly pro-1st Amendment, but she also believed that the OT was an important part of world literature and should be taught in that context - just like the Iliad, the Koran and the Bhagavad…

Only if I can enjoy lunch with the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Jes’ remember - the bigger the hair, the closer to God.

Reminds me of a quote from The Gift of Fear -

You'd be surprised. I was a steward in a large warehouse a couple of decades ago; because there were so few women in my operations to begin with, and since I was the only female steward, I tended to get the bulk of the sexual harassment/ assault cases.

And as a bonus you can claim that's your child in a puppy costume.

I actually ordered a StoneTether gps tracker for my cat. There's a similar device called Tile, but I wanted one that was waterproof and had a replaceable battery.

Well, if that's all he says, it might come off as a bit on the rude side. And Yeah, the waiter is expecting your order - but a waiter in a good mood is always easier to deal with.