Kama Bell experience with his wife in Berzerkley happens to my brother and his wife all the time in and around Berkeley CA. While the public perception of Berkeley is of an ultra-liberal, progressive community, it remains one of the most intolerant cities I've ever lived.

Your friends sound like lovely people. Back in the late '90's I had a long-term IT assignment in Las Vegas, and lived a a very friendly neighborhood (BBQ, picnics, etc). There were active, working porn stars in the neighborhood too; they were charming, open and informative about their occupation, and pitched in at a…

Your response is pure, unadulterated and evil genius. I wish I had been clever enough in my salad days to deliver this line with all necessary aplomb.

If anyone is using an honorific in a dismissive manner, I just up the ante. Kinda like this:

I'm in my 50s and still address my elders as Ms./Mrs. & Mr. unless I am invited to address them by first / given name. For any elders I met before becoming an adult, I still have difficulty using a first / given name.

Yes. Both of my parents marched, and my Father was badly beaten (twice). I will insist upon an honorific in any business / professional correspondence until the day I die.

Gina Torres' character on Hannibal (Bella Crawford) was designed as a "guest appearance" with limited story arc for two reasons:

I am also one of the "generically ethnic" people by appearance. Just brown enough to raise the questions from all sides of the Black/Brown/White equation.

I only wear skirts and dresses also (mostly knee-length or longer), though not for religious reasons. It's pure vanity on my part. I own exactly two pair of jeans / dungarees, and one pair of trousers.

Back in my salad days, we used to call that look: "Cute 'N Cold". I was as guilty as any other twenty-something "club kiddie".

My brother has two kittens like this.

Yes, at least here in my town. One barkeep at one of the up-scale brewpubs wears "arm warmers" over his extensively tatoo'd arms. The tatoos are really elaborate and rather beautiful, but he's required to keep them covered at the main bar.

And Dr. Everett Koop, he was the first prominent government official to raise the alarm about AIDS way back in 1986.

Yes, the statement above works as a broad mission, but I think that the CDC is truly struggling in it's current charter. The CDC as an agency that falls under the US Public Health Service, which then becomes a part of HHS.

but isn't the CDC's job sorta kinda raising the alarm on health issues in the first place?

I truly enjoy The Fall, but it is often too dark for my mood.

Oh Yes. I know many a white girl who had to watch Soul Train on the sly :-)

I've been known to get purely stoopid when this song pops up. :-)

Indeed.

Nope.