Yup. Moka pot = expresso. Percolator = coffee.

I'm not blaming the police chief for whatever comes. I actually place a lot of blame for the overall movement towards police militarization at the federal level. The more authoritarian the government becomes the more strictly regulated and the harsher the crackdown on peaceful protests everywhere.

New Zealand is looking really good to me right now.

Yup. It just sows more discontent and anger.

And yes, I agree Mercy. Absolutely horrible.

I read reports this morning that this was at least a partially planned event by the sniper(s). That the arsenal amassed and the way the attack was carried out suggests the perps were just waiting for the right time to hit. Sounds like opportunistic domestic terrorists and an intended hate crime against white people. I say "intended" because my understanding is the officers shot were racially diverse.

It's been standard already for years in multiple cities. Add Dallas to the list.

Beat me to it. Anyway, that's what we use.

Word. My Sunbeam percolator (picked up at a antique shop) and stovetop moka pot together cost about $50. Add in an electric frother for another $20 and....ahhhh.

Yeah...exhibit A....the increasingly violent reaction that protesters of any ilk or affiliation (conservative or liberal, secular or religious) are met with from police in "riot gear."

A stalker or someone breaking in is automatically regarded as a threat in my book. When we had our house broken into when we were at home when I was 12, it was a terrifying event, especially as our neighbor's daughter had been sexually assaulted by the same criminals (they also broke into their house). We were living in a nice, small NC town in 1989. I will leave the determination of any chemical dependencies, mental illness, or hard luck stories to the court-appointed psychiatrists. In the heat of the moment, I'm not asking what SSRI he's on; I'm reaching for a baseball bat to defend myself or, if I'm able, fleeing out the door. As it turns out, a few years after that, the so-called "Blue Light Bandit" was pulling over women at night and assaulting many of them. Women were vulnerable because they were afraid to not pull over, as they didn't know if the person behind them was an actual officer. If I attempted to defend myself or to run away from a police officer that was off his rocker, I predict I'd be shot or maybe thrown head first into the ground like that 17 year old kid who got paralyzed for simply questioning an officer (he was white, BTW). If you feel that police still deserve the benefit of the doubt, that's your call of course. I lost faith in the police years ago. So I believe Diamond when she says that the police officer requested his wallet, not the least because it's happened so many times now, it's almost a trope at this point. White cop pulls black man over, white cop asks for ID, suddenly black man is dead on the ground.

Lb20, I agree. I would add that people who think they are safe because they're not black or Latino or whatever, should realize that a militarized police force all dressed up with shiny weaponry is less and less likely to be choosy with who they shoot. Each murder--yes, murder--of a black or Latino person by a police officer that goes unpunished emboldens them to go another step further down the road. Until it's not just racial groups, it's economic classes, and then it's religious affiliations, and then it's young teenagers, and then it's females dressed a certain way, all the way until it's anyone who dares step out of line. As I shared in the other thread, I am afraid of the police because I don't know who is "good" and who is "bad." To me, randomized killings like these last two cases mean no one is safe. You're right, even MLK wasn't safe; who is going to top his exemplary behavior?

You're probably right. If she'd have put the phone down and leaned over her boyfriend's body to comfort him, or try to assist him, she'd most likely have been shot too.

Hassled? I don't know. But when I was passing through Southlake, TX (very wealthy suburb in DFW Metroplex) a few years ago, and got pulled over for a headlight that was out, I was very careful to keep my hands on the wheel and to be respectful. And I was a white woman being pulled over by a black police officer. I've already counseled my 13 yo son (who is also white) NEVER to argue with a police officer, to move slowly to get his license when asked, and to be respectful. I told him he can argue his case in court later, but NEVER while being cited. He should assume the officer will shoot first and ask questions later. The hell of it is that it appears Philandro did all the "right" things as well, and he's still dead. Because he was black. But that doesn't mean that if someone is white and financially comfortable and drive a newer model vehicle that he or she is "safe." The continued militarization of our police forces assures the continued increase in such violence, which is seen in such racially motivated cases, as well as to become increasingly more violent towards peaceful protesters of all racial backgrounds. I know that there are families here with members who are police officers. I realize that they have a dangerous job and it's very stressful. I also realize that many police do try to do the right thing. But the thing is, I'm as afraid of the "bad" cops now as as I am of the bad guys. And I can't even know the difference anymore. At least if someone breaks into my house, or is stalking me, or whatever, I know THAT'S A BAD GUY and can react appropriately. If a police officer makes a mistake and crashes down the front door, shoots my dog dead, or decides to pull me over in the dead of night, in some backwater road, I have no recourse. If I resist, I get shot. If I don't resist, I can still get shot. That's a VERY shitty place to be in America right now, and I suspect it's part of the reason I keep hearing from WHITE people that you can't rely on the police and you need to arm yourself to protect yourself.

The idiots commenting on the news articles are just inhuman. Those parents are in tremendous pain and the world treats their loss like a ****ing carnival. Can we feed the trolls to the alligators?

Agreed 100%. Sick.

No respect at all for this family's dignity. =-O

Per the Orlando Sentinel, the little boy's body has been found. :(

I agree with much of your post. I've lived in rural areas and in big cities. I would say that the cost of roads, pipes, water treatment, electrical transmission lines, etc., is far more economically sustainable in urban areas versus rural, because the total cost is shared by far more users and covers a much smaller more concrete area. For example, Minneapolis is currently exploring a plan to help a small town upstream to build a new water treatment plant. The old one currently in use is realeasing too many volatile chemicals into the Mississippi and this threatens not only our water supply here, but other communities big and small downstream. The small town cannot afford on its own to revamp the water treatment plant because its tax base is too small. Since big cities need rural farms to help feed their populations, I think such a symbiotic relationship is a good thing. We help them with road, infrastructure, and other subsidies and they help us. Now suburbs are just annoying, lol. I would add a different perspective to public AND private transportation options. For me, having public transit means more freedom as I get older and can't drive anymore. It means when my family flies in they don't have to rent a car for us to do things together or pile 8 people into a Jetta. It means I don't have to drive in bad weather if I feel uncomfortable, or fight for parking downtown at a baseball game. It means not having to pay airport parking fees. It means that when I got into my car this morning and found a flat tire, I didn't have to wait for dh to throw on a spare and wobble down the highway to work. We walked 3 blocks over to a Car To Go and I got into work only a few minutes late. So, while we definitely still need a car for multiple reasons, it's a great relief to have those additional options.

NO IT ISN'T. 56700 - 137000? That's the range of "crack house" to "meth house" in much of Dallas. Those houses in that price are usuaslly either in questionable or declining neigborhoods or an hour's drive from your workplace. (Or really anywhere you want to be. Somehow, the laws of physics dictate that it you're going somewhere in the Metroplex, it will almost always take you an hour to get there.) I lived in the Metroplex from 1995 to 2000, then again from 2006 to 2015. Before we moved from Grapevine (suburb of Ft. Worth), we were paying $1600 / month for a 3 bedroom apt. That same apt is now more than 2k a month. I've lived in northern VA, NC, TX, PA, and now MN, so I have a basis of comparison. It's just not accurate to label Dallas as a LCOL area.

Hey guys, this is Rebekah. My ds Jackson is completing an assignment for an online class he's taking, so please do not blame him for the poor wording of the question. Yes, I know the wording is extremely limited and the survey question is awful, IMO. However, I think that this can be a very good example for him for why a survey question needs to be carefully thought out, instead of the very limited perspective evidenced by the school's curriculum. (BTW, this class is through Florida's Global Virtual school.)

Hello everyone, this is Rebekah's son, Jackson. My mom gave me permission to conduct a survey here for my social studies assignment. Thank you for your help! Q.If a student is home-schooled, should a parent, guardian, or tutor be required by law to be present during school hours? Please give a brief reason for your answer. Are you: Male/ Female Adult (18 and over) or a Minor

He's not Muslim, he's a Sikh. Completely different religion.

Not when read in context. It was said in counterpoint to the supposition that some people feel it is their moral duty to deny the option of surrogacy, based upon the fact that sometimes this results in suboptimal results for the children conceived. (Who, I'm assuming, should apparently prefer not having been born to being conceived via surrogacy, due to the infringement of their intrinsic rights to only be born in into an approved family structure, and via the approved methods of coitus.)

Yeah, but you know what's nice about a lot of cities, Quill...it's a lot easier to fit in as a secular/ non-affiliated person here than in Small Town, NC, where I grew up. It seems to me that small towns and rural communities tend to organize and form relationships around church related events and church groups than is the case in large metropolitan areas. So, to my mind, one's religious affiliation and level of practice also does influence how content one would be in a large city, versus the country.