AHHHhahahah! Dude, I actually never caught that one, because by the time I cottoned on to the Final Fantasy series they were up at 8 or 9.

That image is very uncool. Maybe you ought to hide it under a comment? With a warning?

Honey, a single swat on the ass does not hurt a child. It's a swat on the ass. Kids hurt themselves much more on a daily basis just poking sticks into fire-ant hills and falling off park benches and dropping heavy rocks on their own toes. Your fundament is thoroughly padded and can take a lot of falling-down-on. I've…

Kids are like puppies. Smacking a kid once on the ass to teach them not to do something life-threatening like running out into traffic, or sticking a fork in a light socket, is *definitely* good parenting. Adrenaline encodes memories deeper into our brains; the whack on the ass tells the kid this is something to…

Sometimes your emotional instincts are wrong and you need to sit through some uncomfortable stuff to acclimate yourself. I'm not talking anything dangerous, I'm talking... sometimes we're wired wrong, either from birth or through childhood or something, and we have to *work* for emotional connections, for comfort in…

I didn't see them as mentors, exactly, although there was that one bit of unforgettable and pointed love advice they gave Harriet. Which worked out all right. But really, they weren't quite mentors, as such? More old teachers who were standing back a bit.

Everyone in my neighborhood either guards their little dogs personally or has a big dog as a second pet, so the big dog can protect the little dog.

Rabies.

I'm a little bemused by the orange boob-covers in the far left photo. It's difficult to look away. They're so very orange... like mandarins, or clementines. Although I think clementines are a little more yellow? Maybe like satsumas? Satsumas on steroids.

The "No, Really, I Swear This Time It's Really For-Reals The Very Last Ever Exorcism. Ever."

The Last Exorcism..... 2.

And this is why we have more than one movie studio in the world. And why you should support other sorts of cinema, like the crazy-ass local stuff that's brewing in your nearest big city. Or even your nearest high school media center.

I'm told the one in our neighborhood was ill and had to be put down sometime this summer; never saw a news article on it, but the HOA did one in the newsletter on the dangers of wandering around on your own at dusk and dawn, and letting small children play near shrubs, and your precious pets getting eaten. Apparently…

It's not them, it's their clones. They applied for passports back in the 90's, before all the new regs; otherwise there might have been some arguments about their not providing proper fingerprints.

I didn't know that little factoid. Thank you. Although now all I can think is that Joseph Smith had a sort of masculine fainting fetish. :/

There's no rule that says you can't gently mock family behind their backs. In fact, sometimes it's the only way to stay sane. :)

"Sane" is such a maleable word. And "completely" is so absolutist.

The stuff I saw was wrapped in thick white silk fabric to keep the glass shards contained.

Since fainting is generally a physiological response, it's possible that the people who fainted were performing some sort of physical action that triggered the action. Maybe they were hyperventilating? Maybe they stood with their knees locked for too long? That'll make you pass out... Seen that. Girl went face-first…

Well, you'd at least feel the burn in your eyes. I've temporarily (several days) lost my sense of smell a couple times and it was scary, but if it lasted forever I'd likely get over the alarm and jsut cope. Do you have to be more careful about certain things?