Halloween's History, Very Concise

"No One Suspects A Thing; Keep Going" by Herr D on heromachine.com.

I am unsure of origin story for Halloween. Will you blog upon?

[pause] I'll give you the quick version.

The Catholic Church was too wise to just say, "Don't do that" about any pre-Christian celebrations they ran into. They said, instead, "Do it our way because you should." In this way, they were able to indoctrinate millions of people and subsume old religions and practices.

Halloween is the one that got away.

A fishing reference?

It's accurate. All Saint's Day was the Catholic idea. Celebrate a whole lot of saints at once, the way the United States tried 'President's Day' for a while. It was to follow All Hallow's Eve, which I think was Samhain (?) beforehand. Kind of like Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Notions of death reversal.

More like spirits could come back.

Like 'The Crow?'

More like anybody randomly might step out of the afterworld and do whatever. From there, it was heavily commercialized. Capitalism changed it much more than the Catholic Church did. That's about it, really.

Thank you.

Could It Save America? Here's How: The Altruism Of Parenting And Immigration

"Control Of Infusion Services" by Herr D on heromachine.com. Diversifying a gene pool makes it stronger, as opposed to the opposite behavior. Inbreeding actually weakens it. Miscegenation could actually save the whole human race.-Shelob

[excerpted from chat with Herr D on subject of immigration and citizenship]


I encouraged Hairy a couple of years ago to explain that. He just thinks enforcing the law should be go ahead and separate families and so be it.

You disagree.

I think we should be VERY clear first. Publish statements abroad that 'dreamers' lose their children and get deported sometimes. Give people one chance to earn citizenship. (And I mean ONE, with a deadline.) Earned by work under certain circumstances, like those on the news who saved American lives by being guinea pigs for medical treatments. Any felonies committed other than self-defense? Manacle and deport. Don't even bother giving the keys. It's a shame we can't offer them to North Korea.

You are not against separating families, just against it being a surprise.

If a family really is better off uprooting and having their baby in America, then the baby is an American. Take the parents' DNA as a medical reference for the baby's safety. Register the baby as a citizen right in front of the parents. Have an interpreter tell the parents they have a law-abiding year to pass a citizenship test in American English or risk being deported. Their baby can be adopted.

Loads of people want babies.

You say this is okay.

I AM a parent. Making a tough choice like that, deciding what's best for the kid is what being a parent is all about. A pregnant couple who burns bridges and does whatever to get here for the babies' future might reasonably expect that they won't get to stay. If they do it for love of a child and not selfish gain, then grant those wishes. Give the kid a better home here in America.

What if they wish for both?

Then make it conditional. If they make it, they make it. If they don't, let THEM choose emigration or adoption for their kid. Again--a true parent can sacrifice their influence or their lives for their children. That's what parents DO. 

By computation, this approach appears to encourage more intelligent, more law-abiding immigrants toward citizenry, and therefore eliminate most semi-rational concerns about immigration.

I think so.

Please comment upon whether you agree with Herr D's assessment. You still have the right to request your comments not be recorded or displayed. [excerpt ends]

Guyger Discounter? Judge Not The Judge

[excerpted segment from chat with Herr D, by permission] Your opinion of these differently biased articles?

Judge Kemp gave Guyger, convicted felon, a Bible and a hug. A surprising number of people are offended. 

You are not.

It's none of my business. Judge Kemp was off-duty, since the sentence was passed. Unless Guyger complains that her civil rights were violated in some way, then it's NOBODY'S business. 

Her role as a judge does not matter then?

Judges are free to say 'may God have mercy on your soul.' If this one meant it, so what? Congratulations on not being a hypocrite? Good on you trying to be Godlike? You deserve to sit on high in judgement if you can take the high road? I guess it's a shame she didn't do this more privately, since people don't know how to act. This didn't even need to be reported on.

Go find something controversial, please.

Searching.

NOT you, the morons who tried to make this a controversy!

Search ended.

[microphone detects noise like 'whuff'] It's not a big deal, Shelob. People need to mind their own business if they don't like other peoples'. They need to not judge. I gotta go. [exits chatroom]

[segment ends]

Villainelle Had A Good Idea

[excerpted segment from chat by permission of Herr D] You appeared to be advocating vigilantism when you made last post.

I wasn't. I was saying that the shooters AREN'T worth killing or trying to understand or -- or trying by jury. That it's more trouble than we should have to have. Violence is usually unjustifiable. That's what more and more people don't understand.

You are a pacifist?

No. Movie violence is good because it's fake. There's no malicious intent and everyone's insured and paid for everything that happens. Self-defense is forgivable. That's not pacifist. That's why I'm not necessarily the best Quaker.

Why do you think shooting incidents are becoming more frequent?

Sadly, I'm going to quote Villanelle from 'Killing Eve.' "Get a REAL life." If people would go out and do something constructive instead of staying online as much as they do, they wouldn't have brainrot enough to think a shooting spree can accomplish anything positive. They'd sleep better, be healthier, everything else you could name. If every Facebook addict walked out of their house for fifteen minutes and swept a street corner or something for every two hours on Facebook? That could work.

You are suggesting going offline?

I'm saying moderation is a good idea. And real activity is a good idea.

Disconnecting to run simulations of global climate repair.

[probable smile, based on time of hesitation before resuming typing] Don't work too hard.

[segment ends]

Be Ready With Your Flyswatter; Lone Wolves Are Actually Mosquitoes

"Human Worth Scale" by Herr D on heromachine.com. Shelob thinks numerical values would be more helpful.

[following segment printed from chat with Herr D by express permission]

Well, they've gone and done it now, Shelob.
They have done what?

They've gone and declared public safety warnings for a movie. They've actually encouraged proliferation of messages warning about the copycat effect for mass shootings in a movie.
[.00024 seconds pass for research] You are speaking of 'Joker.'

I'm not saying it's unwise, I'm saying that it won't help. Vigilant people are already apprised of what to do. Lackadaisical people are going to keep ignoring the warnings. 
Perhaps you have an alternate solution.

Well, yeah. Get every single expert in psychology to blast all over the net and get quoted on the news as the pathetic losers that they are. Copycats? Lone-wolves? They're worse than useless. So is anyone who is so weak that they 'turn to violence' over being bullied or wanting to count for something or hating some group for something or any OTHER stupid excuse they come up with. If no one is committing violence in your direction, you have no excuse to turn violent.
You do advocate for self-defense.

Self-defense is always okay. Defending the defenseless is okay. Starting something stupid just means you're stupid. Did I tell you or Hairy about 'mosquito worth?'
That term not in memory.

It's really simple. A single malaria-infected mosquito can kill a man or maybe twenty before being swatted. That same man takes six to eight people to save, on average, plus modern knowledge and specially made modern goods. 
Current life insurance calculations might allow the --

You can't PUT a value on that, Shelob! The victims were worth something. The killer ISN'T. The killer is worth a disease-ridden bug when they act like one. It is a terrible shame that bullets are wasted killing them, or money is wasted keeping them alive for trial. They are not, at least not in that moment, worth the trouble it takes to pull a trigger.
You are suggesting it would be better if it were possible to use a flyswatter?

That would be better, yes.

[segment ends]

Putin As 'Plus One' Can Wax Eloquent Or Wax Surfboards

"Putin's Dilemma" by Herr D on heromachine.com. Shelob points out it is "not perfectly scientific a representation."

I'm sticking to Hairy's one request for guest blogging, but only just barely this time.
Putin is possibly going to be the 'plus one' in the G7 that isn't EXACTLY the G8. He has here an opportunity. Keep pushing so that he can be like Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor, turning Siberia into beachfront property with weather deserving bikinis--OR, he can exert his influence on his greatest fan and help turn the world back the way it was going so that humanity thrives for a lot longer.

I don't mind telling you all: I wish I could be sure that humanity has the ingenuity to cope with an environmental disaster such as we are causing. I wish I thought my future wasn't endangered by people emphatically denying science. And I wish I had faith that Sting was right when he sang that he felt that "Russians love their children too." 

Putin? You have a chance to impress a really intelligent American here. I hope you don't blow it.

The Most Bestest News From Anywhere About Anyone These Days

[Hairy commandeered an Arctic antenna and sent a request. That some messages be posted.]

Congratulations to the T.V. guys from Henrico County. I haven't laughed so hard in a while now. It was 20, now it's 50. Will it be 100 next August? Pointless-appearing weirdness is the most bestest news from anywhere about anyone these days.

I'm a fan of yours--I DO have to ask: does this tie to Prince Robot IV in any way? A page of his family handing out foundlings?

I'm not normally so available about the time of the Perseids for my own reasons, but I hope if I'm around enough next year that I hear one way or another.
Uncertain of meaning. Hairy has never traveled to Henrico County, as it is too central and landlocked. Emigration attempt is not scheduled for this calendar year. There was also a message for Herr D.

That's it Shelob. Let Herr D know I appreciate him playing along with my one rule about the example we're setting.
The rule about showing that it is desirable to blog without referencing the curr-[redacted content]

--That's the one. Tell him thanks, and I think he should see if he has any way to guest blog for a while longer. Once a lunar cycle would be enough, I guess. This swim is going to be a long one. Be around.
Position signal unavailable. Triangulation by satellite was not exact, due to possible tracking error. He was within fifty miles of coast of Canada, possibly pirating a ship's radio. More information unavailable.