@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

CivilityFan

@CivilityFan@sfba.social

Met the love of my life in 1968 & together ever since, moved to #SFBayArea at 18 for SF State, drafted away by the #AlternateService as a CO, returned in ‘78. Was a #Union biomedical tech until retiring to Reno, NV. Resettled 03/22 in Vallejo. Never used Twitter but thought I’d give social media a go after learning about #Mastodon. Looking to find a local group of #Chess players. Favorite quote - It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What is the most ridiculous question or complaint that you've had from a Customer/Client?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@vapaad @RickiTarr Not sure this belongs here, but since you brought up hospitals & patients I will relate this story.
In the Recovery room a patient was awoken from anesthetic after surgery by a nurse. He asked her what she was doing and she replied “I’m taking your blood pressure” to which he replied “Well, don’t take to much”

black_intellect, to random
@black_intellect@mstdn.social avatar

The Proud Boys are collapsing: Surprise! Legal consequences do hurt authoritarian movements | https://www.salon.com/2024/01/11/the-proud-boys-are-collapsing-surprise--legal-consequences-do-hurt-authoritarian-movements/

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@black_intellect
The last line:

“But we've already lost if we roll over and let the criminals run free.”

is what happened in Italy when Mussolini threatened violence and the authorities surrendered without a fight. It’s what can happen anywhere when people of conscience submit to threats.

Holding tfg and extremists responsible will always prove more practical and effective than holding your nose and letting the stink pervade society. Hate and violence are easy, but the tools of cowards in a mob. Hold the leader accountable and the mob will either turn on each other or run for cover.

CivilityFan, to random
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

Watched this clip of protesters interrupting President Biden and his response. The most striking element to me is the difference between him and tfg.
Biden gets the crowd, who are fired up chanting “Four more years” to quiet down after the protesters are removed, and his response is loaded with compassion and understanding for the “Ceasefire!” demand made. What a difference from tfg who tells the crowds to assault protesters. Now we learn tfg’s lawyers argue that POTUS should be able to use SEAL team 6 to kill rivals with no repercussions if 34 Senators can be scared into allowing it.

The difference between these men is so stark, so easy to see, that I suspect that anyone who votes for Trump is a monster

https://apple.news/Ai0u6-M90RgOZwJga4T8UYA

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What do you think is a subject that most people misunderstand, and if they were more educated in the topic it would probably change their mind?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr

Critical thinking.

Learning this skill would be an asset in every endeavor previously mentioned. Discerning motivations for spreading misinformation, understanding how correlation is different from causation and how rare common sense actually is would benefit every discussion on here, from agriculture to zoology

BobHorowitz, to photography
@BobHorowitz@sfba.social avatar

"Oh look. The trees in Bernal Heights are purple!"

There's a stupid joke we used to tell in the mathematics department at Cornell:

An economist, a physicist, and a mathematician are riding on a northbound train in England. And just when they cross the border into Scotland, the first thing they see is a lone black sheep, standing in a field, grazing on the grass.

"Oh look," says the economist, waving his hands. "The sheep in Scotland are black!"

"Over-generalizing again," huffs the physicist. "We only know that ONE sheep in Scotland is black, nothing more."

"Not precisely," tisks the mathematican. "The fact is, we only know that ONE SIDE of one sheep in Scotland is black."

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@BobHorowitz First read that in the book “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” by Mark Haddon in 2003. Did your Cornell compatriots know this book?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@BobHorowitz Glad to know that you mathematicians aren’t a bunch of plagiarists. Also, the tree in that picture is definitely purple, at least the top side that shows in the picture

rbreich, to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

Federal minimum wage in:

2009: $7.25
2010: $7.25
2011: $7.25
2012: $7.25
2013: $7.25
2014: $7.25
2015: $7.25
2016: $7.25
2017: $7.25
2018: $7.25
2019: $7.25
2020: $7.25
2021: $7.25
2022: $7.25
2023: $7.25
2024: $7.25

The result: It's now worth 41% less today than in 1968.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@rbreich I worked in 1968, minimum wage was $1.25.

BootsChantilly, to random
@BootsChantilly@mstdn.social avatar

A 🧵!

My 1st name is French, & it's not very common (much less common 62 yrs ago). All my life, my adoptive mother claimed she chose it not only bc it matched my ethnicity (I was always told my ancestry was French--it wasn't), but bc of its meaning (she felt it worked for my circumstances). She had this entire convoluted story cobbled together--ending w/ the claim that my adoptive father wanted to name me Dawn, but she bullied him until he caved. I never rly questioned her story; why would I? +

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@BootsChantilly My first reading of this thread, perhaps b/c of my literal mind and maybe b/c of not enough caffeine, but I thought your first name was French. Now I’m guessing it’s the French name Chantilly?
As Shakespeare said, a rose by any other name smells as sweet.
An uncommon name can be a blessing as well as a curse, do you like it?

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Rahm Emmanuel has to be some kind of Democrat Fixer, he knows things about people, and he has all the shame of a Religious Conservative caught in a gay meth prostitute scandal.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr
I like your use of the simile, it’s very colorful, but I’m at a loss as to your meaning. Do religious conservatives caught in gay meth prostitute scandals typically have shame or not?

shoq, to random
@shoq@mastodon.social avatar

I remain convinced that if Taylor were not so white and so gorgeous, she’d have twice the fans and respect she gets now. And she gets a fuck-ton of that. But nothing on this Earth brings out the misogyny in Americans more than she does. Except maybe Hillary Clinton.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@shoq
You’re not wrong in your convictions, imo. But I just don’t understand the caption along with this picture. She’s gorgeous.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@shoq
If that is the point, then they sure picked the wrong picture. I stand by my previous post, she is gorgeous in that picture - make up or no.

georgetakei, to random

Don’t threaten me with a good time.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@prefec2 @georgetakei
Sadly, if they do it (fingers crossed and hoping they do), and lose the election, they will still not believe the results

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What are your true opinions and thoughts on marriage?

Just for fun, this is a photo from my wedding day (ignore the reflection of my phone lol) I was all of 21.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr
Wife and I married at 19, nobody thought it would last. We had very different upbringings, had known each other only 14 months and we were both as clueless as kids generally are. We were afraid her parents might travel up from LA to Berkeley and find out we were living together (out of wedlock!) and so we got married.

Neither of us is the same, growth and change are unavoidable, but we’re still the same person in an undefinable and distinct way & my luck has been to see that same person inside as I have learned to appreciate the person she has grown into being. It has not always been easy, but it has always been worthwhile. There is an inevitable ebb and flow in any relationship, I have been lucky both of us stuck it out during the rough patches.

In August we will celebrate our 55 year wedding anniversary.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@Bluedepth @RickiTarr @mentallyalex There’s no getting around the legal institution of marriage being bound up in the State and subjected to the whims of community, but the essence of marriage as commitment to your partner can never be taken away from you. Maybe I’m a romantic, but I don’t think that lasting committed love is subject to SCOTUS rulings, though no relationship benefits from outside pressures.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What is your favorite breakfast? What is the actual breakfast you usually eat?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr My favorite breakfast is first dark roast coffee, then it’s a tie between chicken fried steak with sausage gravy and eggs over easy, crisp hash browns and rye toast heavy on the butter or an onion bagel, buttered and with a thick layer of cream cheese, slice of onion and tomato. My usual is a coffee and a protein bar

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Today's theme is Normal!

You can take this test to see how "Normal" you are, and also how radically left wing you are! LOL Please share the results if you feel like it, or do nothing at all, because it really doesn't matter!

https://www.idrlabs.com/4-axes/test.php

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@mycotropic @RickiTarr
This seems wrong, I’m surprisingly normal

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr @mycotropic
Makes me feel a bit boring

cstross, (edited ) to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

I mean, with climate change we're going to NEED big-ass container ships that can go really fast, just to move food around between regions hit by drought/crop failure. And nuclear is obviously a smart bet (because it's carbon-neutral), and for a half-million-ton ship it's even reasonable. But why pick a fuel cycle that lends itself to weapons proliferation?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@photos_floues @wonka @MartyFouts @cstross
Planning for multiple times capacity in order to maintain minimum capacity is economically sound, what is unsound is nuclear fission until the disposition of spent fuel can be safely managed. This is a dangerous residue that will outlast generations and saddle our descendants with an economic burden to maintain that will be of no value to them, only a cost. That is a flawed and deeply unfair economic policy shifting future expense on an already overburdened future.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

It's that time of year again! I know this can be a time of year where we have a lot of complicated feelings, so let's have a little Mastodon Holiday Party, but you can talk, vent, cry, laugh, or really anything you want. So, I'm asking, How are you doing today, for real?

And just for fun:

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@RickiTarr Always struggle to get through this season with so many expectations of family harmony, meanwhile memories of close relatives who have passed at the holidays tends to dampen the spirit. Our goddaughter and her child had elective surgeries this week and my wife and I were going to help out but after a family gathering on Thursday, one of the hosts tested positive for Covid. Exposed but not sick, we’re testing and isolating but cannot provide the care we had hoped to give, but will celebrate next week when they’re healed up.
Glad this year is nearly over, wondering how the next one will shake out. Not the usual merry holiday vide going into a new year

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

What's your favorite ice cream or frozen treat?

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@NickGates @APBBlue @RickiTarr If we’re being Northern California restrictive, then a black and tan at Fentons.

JaniceSelbie, to random
@JaniceSelbie@mas.to avatar

Abrahamic encourage male & behaviour by insisting on submission, obedience, & forgiveness by women and children.
https://amp.kansascity.com/news/local/article283459528.html

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@JaniceSelbie Though I’m now an atheist, I was raised in a Jewish home and have found Judaism to be much more matriarchal than patriarchal. The more conservative sects differ, I suppose, but fundamentalists are much more problematic in any religion or hierarchy. I would suggest that you consider several aspects that seem to be in opposition to your premise, such as the way the religion is passed through to the child by the mother, not the father and the fact that a woman can divorce a husband if he refuses her sex.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@JaniceSelbie I’m surely no expert and can only relate my own lived experience. My religious education at a primary grade was through a Conservative temple (not Orthodox) and as a teenager through a Reform congregation. My last temple had a woman rabbi, but my educators used the OT and the Talmud, which is the commentary on the OT stories that try to find meaning in the stories so that they stay contemporary to the world. When religion provides questions as well as answers, it gives followers a basis for reflecting on life and taken together I don’t think my education in Judaism was problematic but then I’m sure my perspective is very narrow with regards to misogyny and patriarchy and ymmv, but mostly I think it’s when religion invests power in the leaders as go betweens for the man in the sky is where the dangers lay.

JoeyBoughtACola, to random
@JoeyBoughtACola@mstdn.social avatar

The guy who mocked for falling falls on his ass and it's hilarious, and I'm not sorry.

is a douchebag!

https://youtube.com/shorts/QkErZomQUSE?si=sXfKi0x4CORszzNB

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@JoeyBoughtACola
Thanks for sharing. Have stopped loling but still have a smile on my face

TonyStark, to random
@TonyStark@progressivecafe.social avatar

America, we have 11 months to stop a dictator. Don't be fooled by the familiarity of the fool or by any soft-pedaling of the situation. Trump means us excessive harm.

Nobody in the Democratic Party, including Joe Biden, is perfect. We don't need that and we won’t get it. We need people that will stop this march to autocracy, misogyny, racism, and the deletion of our rights.

One chance, people.

Voters must take Trump seriously and literally. The stakes are that high.
https://wapo.st/47EtCsV

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@failedLyndonLaRouchite @PopOfAfrica @havvyhh2 @MJ
Saying tfg and Biden’s handling of the economy is the same is akin to saying the captains of the Titanic and the Queen Mary who's passengers crossed the Atlantic had the same experience, except for that nasty iceberg.

JessTheUnstill, to random

Everyone thinks late childhood/early adulthood was the peak of society. That's why all the boomers want to go MAGA.

Despite everything, queers are more accepted and mainstream all across the world.

Despite everything, we're having more discussions about racism and more people are listening to Black voices than ever before.

Despite everything, humanity is building vast amounts of renewable energy, and our rate of co2 emissions growth is slowing.

Despite everything, we're more aware of the damage capitalism is doing to our society and our world, and more folks are starting to clamor for a better way.

Shit's bad, but we're working on it.

CivilityFan,
@CivilityFan@sfba.social avatar

@KeithDevlin @JessTheUnstill Plus, we had the creativity of the music of The Beatles, Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez and I could go on but am limited in characters. Boomers were the threat to conservatives of their day, the so called Greatest Generation. We stood up against a war they thought had to be fought to stop the commies from taking over SE Asia (the bs domino effect), ended legal segregation and established abortion as a legal alternative. Civil disobedience, the Free Speech Movement and Black Studies programs in higher education. It happened because we stood up and were counted, and we got beat down, too. Kent State opened up a lot of people’s eyes but there were lots of students murdered, in other countries it was worse. Every time has its struggles, keep fighting for progress

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