Today I learned: most people think the end of "I haven't been completely honest with you..." must be some sort of horrific, life-ending jawdropper that they are languishing in hell until the other shoe drops. I've seen people compare it to pretending someone's been murdered, or pretending someone's house is on fire. …

I'm glad this exists for all who want and need it; it always sucks to accidentally traumatize one's child / self with needless pet death.

I know your comment is a few days old by now, but seriously — Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen are appointment watching for me. I have extended fantasies about being one of their test cooks and getting into all sorts of food-related shenanigans with them. It's kind of like Good Eats, only less…

THANK YOU! There was that commercial he did awhile ago for... Bud Light? Sprite? Where he wanders into a club looking like somebody's dad came to pick them up.

They're "medicinal edibles." But I totally had the same reaction — why is this article re: marijuana accompanied by a photo of a bowl of The Last Emperor's turdlets?

That's a very good point. There is inevitably a counter movement to this proposed law and it'd be useful to know about that so interested parties could support the counter movement.

At 10:30 on a Friday, I am all for both giggling and optimism.

Doug, do you also have the Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day calendar?! Chatelaine was WotD recently.

I agree it's a poor starting point, but I think that would be the first impulse of many readers when hearing about legislation regarding "black magic" in a foreign country. That's why I wanted to draw the parallel between the way the US legislates based on superstition and religion and remind myself and others that…

I think this is, in general, true — look at the tortured "logic" that Prop 8 defenders had to use in making their court case because our society, at least at a judicial level, has rejected superstition as a legal justification.

My comment is aimed more at the justification/motivation behind bad policymaking. Since it's not an either/or proposition we don't have to pick the lesser of two evils and can argue that they both need to change, so I see little utility in ranking which is worse in its effect — they're both ridiculous and…

My comment is aimed more at the justification/motivation behind bad policymaking. In terms of impact, I'd argue both are entirely deleterious in their effects and have no positive merits to be argued — since it's not an either/or proposition, there's not a lot of utility in my mind in saying which is "worse."

You're correct — I should say, it's hard to feel superior to Indonesia, or to feel this is a problem particular to their culture. Whether you call it "black magic" or "conscience clauses," allowing superstition to dictate public policy is shitty everywhere.

It's hard to look down one's nose at this too much, considering that my home country allows "religious exemptions" from such things as providing basic healthcare and not bullying gay kids. Anywhere religion/superstition and public policy intersect it's bad news.

I took that to mean that the Internet provides other entertainment, even in comparably impoverished areas where the only entertainment previously was plenty of good ol' fashioned ugly-bumpin'. Like Rach-hell's comment about Tumblr, I think the work-to-reward ratio for the internet probably outstrips sex pretty…

Tumblr and Twitter are also (at least largely) ad-free — what percentage of your average Facebook page is devoted to advertising? And how on earth does Facebook get targeting advertising THAT WRONG when they have your personal info?

I recently had to interact with Youngs for a significant period of time. Talking about ridiculous Tumblr memes was my in — it totally worked.

I said something similar to Fozzie, but — her photos are CROPPED to be nothing but a pair of thighs and a bottom, totally divorced of context. That's obviously going to look a lot more "salacious" than simply showing the outfit itself.

Yes. Like, reddit creepshots level of creepy. This grown woman is invading a minor's privacy by posting unsolicited and unapproved photographs of their bodies, and she's being a total creepo by then basically slut-shaming minors... I understand her motive is "better" than simply archiving fap material, but her…

I agree, and I think your reading is compounded by the fact that this gentleman is only "famous" because he was on a show called Flipping Out. Which, what was the "big twist" selling point? Oh, wait for it! It's amazing! It's a house flipping show, but the guy is gay! Oh man, how unique!