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So you're saying there are zero exceptional cases with regard to sex organs? Even if they're rare cases, it's not really a true binary if exceptions exist beyond your two possibilities. Even if bimodal distribution itself is not quite the right framing (as its distribution is across one continuous variable), it gets closer to the reality than binary does.

I dunno, to me I think the distinction is clear. I think Matrim is not being careful enough with his language. Some elements of sexual development are binary and some are bimodal. Primary sex organs are binary, but secondary sexual development like facial hair and wide hips are bimodal.

Presumably, they see servitude to R’hllor as being different to being another human’s chattel. They expect their converts to destroy their own idols. So far as I know, they aren’t attacking the religious buildings and relics of those who are not converts. Melisandre isn’t attempting to stop Jon and the rest from worshipping as they choose, up at the Wall.

I finished Jodi Taylor's Symphony of Echoes, the second part of her Chronicles of St Mary's series of time travel stories. Like the first book it is a quick and fun read, but also frustrating at times. Although often quite light-hearted it does have some darker moments in it but because it is bouncing from one plotline to another so quickly the attempts at more serious dramatic moments often lack weight. For example, near the end of the book the main character has to grapple with the moral consequences of preserving the historical timeline and they are disturbed by what they are having to do but there's very little time spent reflecting on this. The increasingly contrived roadblocks to the relationship between the main character and her love interest are also very tedious. I've now started Ann Leckie's short collection, Well of Souls. So far, the title story's first contact tale is the highlight.

ETA: They've also released some of themusical tracks for the game on their Youtube channel.

I can't say for sure, but I am assuming that at least some of the disagreement in the binary/spectrum debates is that some people use binary when they really mean bimodal (or "basically binary"), while others invoke a "spectrum" to mean the same thing. In the former case, the person is accentuating the dominant pattern among the majority of people, while in the later the emphasis is on the room for exceptions and intermediate cases. But the underlying idea is the same, despite those different emphases.

My experience of this in the UK recently is that the double-barrelled surname is less likely to be someone taking both names after marriage and more likely to be the children of that marriage using both parents’ names (or the children of parents who never were/no longer are married)

This is an odd assertion since they have temple slaves including sex slaves. Then why do they let their followers destroy Septs and why is Melisandre insistent on burning heart trees which are sacred objects for followers of the Old Gods? Edit: obviously the Black Goat is an awful religion but you can't single it out for child sacrifice when Melisandre is all for that too.

When fans asked on why he was in the red keep dungeons, GRRM just laughed that people asked that, I have heard fans said that was because he just put him there for he can meet Arya later on, and get her to the faceless men. "Wow, that’s also a mystery (laughs). You really pay attention when you read, don’t you? (laughs) How many theories have you gleaned from these books? (more laughs)" I do think even if GRRM didn't have a reason for him to be there, he would give a reason as to why, I heard a theory that someone paid him to kill Ned Stark, I think that's a cool theory, though it's also because it's funny that Joffrey beat him to it. https://nobodysuspectsthebutterfly.tumblr.com/post/29263407379/another-new-grrm-interview-re-future-of-the

Aljazeera is claiming that the new proposal that was accepted by Hamas includes a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. If this is accurate, then the deal is DOA, and all this was a waste of time, and worse, was misleading and brought false hope to Palestinians in Gaza. There's zero chance that Israel would accept such terms and Hamas is well aware of it. But if this is the case, why haven't the other parties mentioned this yet? Not sure what to believe at the moment. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/6/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-as-truce-talks-stall

May be a bit prickish of me given the accomplishments of her career, but with the mumbling, stumbling, and obvious observations-- think it's time for MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell to retire.

Enjoying this thread. Thanks for all the research and thoughts everyone.

BBC says: This does not sound to me as something Israel would agree to.

I tend to agree that attacking the Black Goat, a Satanic religion founded upon child sacrifice, is a good thing. As is the Red Faith’s championing of emancipation. I don’t think the Red Clergy want to forcibly suppress other religions, despite viewing them as false. Stannis has plenty of “unbelievers” in his ranks, and Melisandre accepts that fact. They champion Daenerys, despite her being a pagan, in their eyes. But, the Faith might well see them as a threat. Followers of the Old Gods and the Drowned God are restricted to specific ethnic groups, and they are not making converts. They aren’t a problem. But, R’hllorism is out to make converts. No problem if they’re under 5% of the population, but what if they reach 10%+, and stop paying tithes, and accepting the moral jurisdiction of the Faith, like English Nonconformists? What if Dany converts? Even if she guarantees all the rights and privileges of the Faith, the clergy may still fear that nobles will follow her example, followed by their tenants and serfs.

Is that really the appropriate way to frame it? Why not ask the question as to why there might be single sex wards in the first place? What reasons would there be for them to exist?

Per reports, it’s the 22 to 33 hostages proposal you referred to and they’ve been working on for awhile now:

I mostly noticed the trend when a raft of double barrelled footballers hit the scene. You had your oxlaide-chamberlaine, wright Phillips and Carter vickers. Seems less common now, maybe something to do with Maltaran’s point

We need to see the terms of the deal that Hamas accepted. If's it's different than the proposal approved by Israel that they were considering last week, then it's really just a counterproposal, and Israel would be fully within their rights to reject the counterproposal. If it's the same as the one approved by Israel, well, that would look bad for Israel.

Now the feed is saying that they are studying the proposal. Fingers crossed...

Haven’t seen that. They just haven’t accepted it yet.

To everyone’s despair but surprising… very few, I imagine.

Statistics don't tell the whole picture. We need to remember why that is often the case, because it's not always a lack of desire, but also a lack of an ability to undergo the gender-affirming care that they want: e.g., age restrictions, social pressures (e.g., religion, family, spouse, friends, community, etc.), lack of monetary funds, lack of available (or reputable) medical services, etc. Sometimes it's also because they are still jumping through all the hoops required for transitioning: e.g., psychological examinations, hormonal therapy, medical consulations, etc. We should be mindful of these other factors or else we may think that women in red states naturally have less need for abortions though really it's because there are social factors restricting their ability to get birth control: e.g., education, laws, medical policies, geographic availbility, etc. Sounds bimodal to me. Gametes are binary (sorta),* but biological sex is bimodal. * Again keeping in mind that the gamete options in humans basically amount to Male, Female, Both, and Neither. How is this all that different from fears of gays making straight people feel uncomfortable/unsafe in rooms? Or even that mixed racial rooms make whites feel uncomfortable/unsafe? There is often a fear of the unknown based on irrational social prejudices. I would personally prefer that we do not give those prejudices credence by treating them as if they were rational fears.

Israel has apparently rejected it...

Also it is very common for people of Latino-Spanish heritage to have, at least two surnames, that of the mother and the father.

I am fervently praying this ceasefire goes into effect swiftly and immediately may food and other aid get to the starving pregnant women and mothers and their children. Please may the bombs stop falling. Please stop the Israeli soldiers shooting randomly and w/o care for civilians. And, also, please halt the destruction of irreplaceable survivors of past history, may they survive into the future.