eym_sirius

People would just order online. I'm not changing the way that I do things. Terrorists are only effective if people allow themselves to be terrified. I just refuse to be afraid.

Yes, it was about a week ago. It was an "enhanced pat down". The TSA guy was very professional and explained in detail what he was about to do and why. It wasn't an assault on my dignity or an invasion of my privacy. It was a security measure and I look on it as doing my part to help combat terrorism. You bring up a good point, though. When the "shoe bomber" tried to light his shoes (?) TSA had us remove our shoes. When the underwear bomber mishandled his equipment, they check the inside the bands of your pants. It's reactionary, so -- when the next bomber keisters a stick

I've been through this screening. It's not groping and that characterization is designed to instill paranoia. It's one more effort to attempt to get people to fear and dislike people of one particular religious faith.. Sorry, but I'm not going to be afraid of anything or anybody and I'm not going to dislike an entire class of people.

Here's one under the feeder just now in Texas!

LooK at these!

Tats, short for tattoos, hence the possible misunderstanding. It was a joke.

The article said, "partially" nude photos. ["Harper was charged with one count of electronically furnishing obscene materials to a minor and one count of computer or electronic pornography, Gurley said"] If it were the top half or the back half, it wouldn't be considered, "pornography", would it? There could be "additional victims". I would call this "enticing a minor for indecent purposes" if it's just a picture of the top half. Obscene? Pornography? (if it's the top half). It may have just been a misunderstanding. The boy may have asked to see the wife's tats.

Black pepper heats things up while adding a nice flavor. Some folks think that you have to use these really hot peppers to rachet up the hotness, but plain ol' black pepper works well. It's a nice complementary flavor to chili, I think. White pepper leaves a hot-tingle on the tongue - something I like about it. I'll try the dried ancho chilis when I'm in the mood for really hot. I utilize a little ketchup in my recipe, adding more if I wish to tamp down the hotness. I also like contrasting flavors, so I sometimes introduce a little honey for sweetness as a counterpoint to the spicy-hot sensat

That sounds delicious. I've been tempted to introduce some kind of hot sausage into my chili. I may mix a little in with venison next time! Yeah - over rice! Filling - a meal by itself! Oh, yeah - with beer.

To make my chili hot, I just increase the amount of pepper that I use. Red Pepper Flakes Black Pepper White Pepper This makes it hotter without changing the flavor. I've tried tabasco and other hot liquid sauces, but the flavor changes substantially. How about you all? Do you like your chili spicy-hot and how do you get it that way?

Yes, that's pretty much my premise. What I'm trying to figure out is what this indicator tells us about our society. Why are we seeing this attitude become so pervasive in our society? It's a change, to be sure. What ushered in the change? Or do you think that the indicator doesn't tell us anything, by itself? Do you think that it's just a natural societal trend in one direction that may just swing in another direction in subsequent years? I contend that time is ALL that we have. It's how we spend our time that indicates what our priorities are. And that's what I've been

I don't think that you get where I'm coming from. I think that people's lack of dressing up for special services and events is a sign of something. I think that it's probably a sign of a decline in civilized living in a crowded world where nobody's looking at you/nobody cares what you do. The decline in dressing up for church bears no religious significance, other than possibly that people don't think of religious services as special enough to dress up for. I'm not talking about feeling like you have to dress in a certain way to please someone else. I just think that it's significant that

You make a good point. People aren't dressing down, for the most part. They're just not dressing up. Sure there are variations in regions and countries. But there is a common perception, don't you think? We know what "dressy" is - a coat and tie for gentlemen and a nice dress for ladies. Formal is a tux for gentlemen and a formal gown for ladies. It is more than just an arbitrary perception, the definition of "dressy". Just to be clear, we're talking about the USA, not Tibet, China, Sudan, Guatemala, etc. I don't know if their mode of dress for church or other such gatherings has changed to a

I agree with you, LPPT, except for "splitting the topic". I think that it's good to be able to discuss aspects of religion without the discussion going into advocacy and having it go to the religion forum. Because this is also about the general trend of casualness. While the OP called this topic, "Church", the discussion should run a natural course to include general trends. I think that your notions aren't so old-fashioned. It's a recent trend, people dressing down to go to church and to other gatherings where people used to dress up. I think that the difference is the population explosi

Yours is a good example! I understand that dressing up isn't required. In your circumstances, why do you wish to go to the lower level? In other words, why do you personally wish to dress yourself in the least dressy outfit that you can get by with? I get the part about "the heart is what is important". But that's a red herring, IMO. How a person dresses is related to how he thinks about himself, in relation to the event that he is attending. Let's say that you have a grown son. He comes to visit. He's probably going to wear something that conveys how he's doing. If he shows up in tattered

It indicates that the suit and tie hadn't been invented yet. The people of that day weren't dressing down in robes and sandals. People today have a choice between finery and everyday wear. The choice is more casual, not because they can't afford the fine fabrics - Some casual clothes are more expensive than suits! This is a trend that predates the downturn in the economy. It's not an issue of affordability, it's a trend away from finery, except in the case of the most special events, weddings and formal balls/mega events. It's an indicator in decline. I'm interested to know your tak

The time used to be where a gentleman would dress for dinner. Nowadays, I betcha most guys don't even OWN a suit! It's clear that society is more casual. But what does that indicate?

It didn't help that you couldn't wait until after the eulogy to pop the top on your can of beer!

I agree that if there were a supreme creator of the universe, a supernatural entity that could read the minds of everyone on earth at the same time, watching all of the bilions of people on earth at the same time, manipulating the circumstances of every single person, animal, and thing -- all simultaneously - Would it really matter if you wore jeans or a suit when you went to a gathering to praise him? Would points be deducted? Or what? I think that dressing up is an indicator and that indicator is in decline.

I'm not passing judgment on anyone, for the record. When I make the observation that people dress according to what is important to them, I'm not saying that is wrong. I'm not saying that people SHOULD dress up to go to church. I wouldn't! But religion holds no importance for me. I think that most of society agrees - It's just not that important of an event. People dress up better to go out on the town, but, again, that's what they hold as meaningful and valuable in their lives. It also seems that people aren't into symbolism and making gestures (except obscene ones) anymore. What ev

I personally can't eat high-fat meat. It just makes me feel yucky. That's one reason that I like venison (no beef fat added). Boiled in beef bullion, it's delicious in chili and spaghetti. I boil it instead of browning it in oil, as that tends to bring down the fat content. For Burgers, I use lean ground beef. I add spices to bring in the desirable flavors (onion, garlic salt, etc.)

Yes, I've put beer in mine before, too. I'll try it your way sometime - six hours, 7 bottles of beer. I prefer venison! I boil it in beer, water (to bring down the foaminess) and beef bullion.

Many years ago, I was explaining deer hunting during the rut to my then-girlfriend. She was wanting to how I could shoot a deer who was in pursuit of a mate. She saw it as a romantic-pursuit! I told her that Rut was when a buck went after a doe, pursued it until mating with it, only staying with it for awhile -- And then going off to get it on with as many does as he could get with! "Shoot that sorry S.O.B.," she said! Yeah, lots of times they'll feed on grass that's on the right of way. Bucks in rut coming out of the woods chase them out into the road. Sometimes both o

This coming week - 10 days marks the time for bucks to be in rut. That means that they will be seeking out does who will take the buck on a cross-country chase if he wishes to partake of her favors. The problem is that the does and the bucks lose their sense of propriety and surroundings sometimes. They'll run right out into traffic, sometimes in groups! Mid-day, or night - it could happen at any time. So be cautious! They can do a heck of a lot of damage!

I think that rather than their "intentions", you can tell about their priorities. Take the parents of a child who says that they can't afford a suit for the child. Look at the child's feet, at the $150 basketball shoes. The woman who says that she can't afford a church dress? See if she doesn't have about 30 pairs of shoes and some really nice party-type dresses! It's all priorities!