Tears of Lys

@karaddin That's fine. I'm about ready to hit the sack now, anyway.

Yes. Absolutely. It's a genuine concern of mine. You hear different things, and if the "worst case scenarios" are extremely rare, I accept that. I lived through the times when birth-assigned women were shunted to the side, not given the same opportunities, etc., etc., WAY fewer opportunities for the Olympics. I'm truly concerned that some men may see this as a chance for an easy win, or even a cheap thrill. These are the types of things your average person is concerned about too, so laying it to rest is definitely a good thing.

Well, you've set my mind at ease then. No worries. Nothing to see here.

I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the incidence of previously self-identifying male persons who have just recently discovered their gender dysmorphia only to show up in female sports where they invariably achieve a success they were unable to achieve when competing against birth-assigned male persons. I would self-describe as a birth-assigned woman who is concerned for other birth-assigned women who only fairly recently (50 yrs ago?) won the right to be treated equally WRT government funds for sports. Would I be labeled a TERF or an extreme feminist? What am I missing?

I do that with some really delicate stuff, like open-weave sweaters, but I usually like to wash all my cottons in cold, then toss them in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet on extra low heat, permanent press, for around 8-10 minutes, THEN hang to finish drying. It seems to make any wrinkles fall out of them. A bit of hand smoothing takes care of the rest. Although, I shrank a favorite pair of pants this weekend! Gorgeous grey/blue color, super soft fabric that felt marvelous on. They fit me beautifully before, and now they're high-ankle. I know that's supposed to be in style, but I liked them better before! Boo-hoo!

Clothes will last longer and colors stay brighter if you use cold water. It is known. I do, however, use hot water on whites with bleach. My SO's underwear require it. Regular laundry detergent will remove stains if the garment is allowed to soak and you use a little "elbow grease" on them. "EG" is not sold in a bottle, unfortunately.

That sounds like a scene from "Annie Hall." I think Woody Allen went in after it with a tennis racket.

Oh, yeah. My younger sister worked as a nurse's aide in a downtown Detroit hospital. She had MANY stories to tell. Dirty underwear was the least of her worries. "Crabs" in the nether regions was a common thing.

That is a logical fear. When I was a kid, our nextdoor neighbor, who was an antenna installer (blast from the past there!) He fell off a roof and broke his back. I used to go out with this guy whose parents lived in a 28th-story penthouse. He regaled me with stories of how he and his brother used to run and throw themselves against the glass in play. Uh-uh. nope. absolutely not. no way.

For us it was, "Wear clean underwear because you may end up in the hospital!" It WAS kind of a good thing no matter where you end up.

Whoa! You're right! How about flying cockroaches????

Gosh, I'm trying to think if I have one. Can't come up with it. I used to have a few . . . claustrophobia, for one. MRI's were challenging. Since my doc put me on a mild dose of Paxil, I am not bothered by closed-in places at all. I feel like I SHOULD have a phobia, but I don't! WAH!

Balderdash. 47 is definitely not old. There's tons of guys your age or older who are smokin'. My husband, for example, is MUCH older than you are, would have women falling all over him if I wasn't in the picture. I worry for you, BFC. That attitude isn't gonna get you anywhere.

Well, BFC, get hotter!

Perfect place to insert this:

Hey, don't forget "Oliver Twist" and "David Copperfield"! Those demmed Brits have been knocking kids about for CENTURIES. /s

Just to add: This trial took place not too many years after Rodney King, so there was plenty of bad feeling in the City of Angels and some folks were looking for payback.

I just read something today about that. Let's see if I can remember . . . Oh, the book Simpson wrote, "If I Did It," was awarded to the victims' families (in a last ditch attempt to make him cough up SOMETHING) was retitled and released as "If I Did It - by The Murderer." This pissed off OJ and his attorneys, naturally. Up until his death recently, he and his attorneys have used whatever methods at their command to ensure the Browns and Goldmans wouldn't receive a dime from his estate - successfully. Mr. LaVergne is OJ's attorney. From the Guardian: Simpson died Wednesday without having paid the lion’s share of the civil judgment that was awarded in 1997 after jurors found him liable. With his assets set to go through the court probate process, the Goldman and Brown families could be in line to get paid a piece of whatever Simpson left behind. LaVergne, who had represented Simpson since 2009, said he specifically didn’t want the Goldman family seeing any money from Simpson’s estate. “It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” he told the Review-Journal. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.” LaVergne did not immediately return phone and email messages left by the Associated Press on Saturday.

@Derfel Cadarn I don't believe I've been unfair to the jury. Mark Fuhrman's being a bad cop weighed heavily with them, I'm sure. But Fuhrman being a bad cop and Simpson being guilty are not mutually exclusive. The overwhelming weight of all the other evidence was pretty damning.

I worked in the same courthouse, the Criminal Courts building, in downtown Los Angeles during the State of California vs. Orenthal James Simpson trial was taking place. I followed it as closely as anyone could without being directly involved. OJ Simpson WAS a nice guy, generous, funny, kind to kids, charming, etc. - - - as long as you weren't his wife. I suppose there are folks who still feel the State didn't prove its case against him, certainly the jury felt that way. But I feel there were extenuating circumstances that led to him being pronounced not guilty. He had the best legal defense money could buy, so that played a huge role. His celebrity also played a HUGE role. Judge Lance Ito was obviously star-struck too and pretty much let the defense walk all over the prosecutors. Also, allowing cameras in the courtroom necessarily led to everyone playing to them. I could write a book about it, but all the books have already been written and we certainly don't need more. It was a long time ago. May Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman rest in peace.

@karaddin I haven't formulated enough of a cogent thought to make any meaningful post to resurrect that thread. But I guess you would consider me "lucky" since it hasn't bothered me enough to actually DO anything about it. I do want to take this opportunity to say that your posts are invariably well considered, nicely written, and most importantly, kind. I always take the time to read them.

He'd really have to be into opera to sit through that. Just sayin'.

This seems like a topic that deserves a thread of its own, not jerry-rigged into the UK Politics discussion. I'm sure all of us have opinions on the topic of the apparent increase in people who are experiencing gender dysphoria. I've known several trans folk in my life. Some I like and others, not so much, just like . . . I don't know the term for those who don't experience gender dysphoria, so forgive me. I'd like to learn more. I, myself, have often felt more "male" than "female," which is perhaps why I'm so interested.

Was she one of the Israeli Bedouin? Poor kid - wrong place, wrong time.

Wasn't sure whether to put this in the dog thread or here. But. . . LOL!