Good for her

The photo above was featured in a report on acid attacks in the UK.  I decided to reblog the young woman's image because of her willingness to display her burn scars.  Many (?most) young women would probably choose to hide the scars with makeup, clothing, headbands, or hairpieces.

I am reminded of the photo of the girl who placed a decorative cover over her colostomy bag.

But in terms of accepting a disability or deformity, this week's prize goes to seven-year-old Birmingham schoolgirl Anu, who proudly displayed to her friends on the playground her new sports blade (artificial foot).  If you haven't seen the gif, it's well worth the 41 seconds.

Photo credit: Yui Mok/PA Archive/PA Images.

Catholics seek divorce... from Girl Scouts

As reported by the Washington Post:

For the better part of the past decade, however, the Catholic Church has eyed the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. suspiciously, claiming the organization is too close to groups such as Planned Parenthood that are in conflict with the faith’s views on abortion and the family. The Girl Scouts organization has denied the allegations, but the controversies — largely rooted in misinformation — have prompted dioceses to cut ties with the Scouts.

In the latest instance, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is ending its relationship with the Girl Scouts and transitioning its support to a Christian-based scouting group, saying the Girl Scouts’ programs and materials are “reflective of many of the troubling trends in our secular culture,” and that the organization is “no longer a compatible partner in helping us form young women with the virtues and values of the Gospel.”

Kansas City Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann said in a statement Monday the archdiocese’s pastors have been asked to begin phasing out Girl Scouts troops, either quickly or over the next several years. As an alternative, the statement said, they should begin forming troops through American Heritage Girls, which describes itself as a “Christ-centered leadership and character development ministry” and promotes itself as a faith-based alternative to the secular Girl Scouts.

This second item is mostly unrelated, but it does involve a girl who is a Scout.

Lucie Myslíková, 16, has become an internet star after a photo of her squaring up to a neo-Nazi at a Czech rally went viral.. “It’s consistent with Scout ideology and history to fight against neo-Nazism,” she said... “We started arguing about migration and refugees. He ended up warning me the refugees will rape me. I told him, I’m not afraid of refugees, because a white or a Czech guy could do the same, it’s not a question of race or nation.”

More at the link, and at the Reddit discussion thread.

Good question - updated

Via the LateStageCapitalism subreddit.

Addendum:  Here's the contrarian point of view, as expressed by one of the readers of this blog in his comment (some typos corrected):

"This is only slightly government related. It's actually representative of the lack of personal responsibility born by a society that feels government is their to bail them out. This was a century long effort from Marxists types, under the guise of progressives, to undermine America's individualistic pride and change personal determination to succeed from hard work to a lackluster lifestyle of pleasure funded off of others.

Go Funders, you'll find, did not buy insurance as the responsible person did as soon as he/she fell off their parents policy. These same people went on vacations that others could not afford, bought cars, and did other things with their money instead of the responsible thing.

The government forcing insurers to cover pre-existing conditions is more encouragement toward lacking of responsible behavior."

And now I'll close the comment thread because I don't have the time to curate the shitstorm of replies this comment will probably engender.

"Dishwasher air gap" explained

A dishwasher air gap is an egg-sized device that gets mounted above the sink to help prevent contaminated water from draining back into the dishwasher...

Because these air gaps are a fairly new requirement, we've come across a lot of air gap devices that aren't installed properly. To understand these defects, it's helpful to understand how these devices function... [diagram and discussion at the link]

Plumbers don't like them, inspectors don't like them, and homeowners hate them... Oh, and for the record, dishwasher air gaps are definitely not something that we recommend installing during our home inspections.

Excerpted from Reuben Saltzman's incomparable The Home Inspector blog.

Blackout panels

Personally I'd prefer a starry sky or galaxy to a cityscape, but the concept is cool.

Via Neatorama.

Mug shot

"The mug shot is of 24-year-old Morgan Joyce Varn, who faces charges of kidnapping, armed robbery and property damage in Lancaster County. She remained in the Lancaster County jail Friday without bond."

Offered without comment.

Via The Charlotte Observer.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article147415514.html#storylink=cpy

"Naked cake"

When I saw the photo above I assumed it was taken before the cake was finished.  Not so.  Leaving the sides of a cake unfrosted is intentional.

Bakers these days are holding back frosting from wedding cakes for an exposed look that is popular with couples looking for a traditional wedding cake alternative. But is this frosting-free look right for you? These naked cakes will surely convince you.

As these couples will show, there's a naked cake for every celebration. Choose between shaved, striped layers or creative bases (think: pavlova, crêpes, or even cheese), sparsely placed icing or no icing at all, and décor that makes up for whatever frosting is missing. Even better, try new flavors, without the threat of finding a frosting to match. These naked concoctions are chic, sophisticated, and beautiful—not too sweet, but just sweet enough.

A gallery of 44 "naked cakes" is included at this Martha Stewart Weddings link.

Photo via a post at the Food subreddit, where the discussion thread hashes over the pros and cons of frosting and fondant.

Soccer pitch, Lofoten Islands

Via.

"Chew the scenery" explained

Chew (up the) scenery means 'to act melodramatically; overact'. Usually, it's in the context of a play or movie, but it can refer to an aunt of yours who is a frustrated actress. The connotation, either positive or negative, depends on whether the overacting is appropriate to the role or occasion...

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and a couple of other sources attribute chew the scenery to Dorothy Parker, the writer and humorist. In a 1930 review she wrote: "...more glutton than artist...he commences to chew up the scenery." But Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang has a much earlier (1894) example from Coeur D'Alene, by Idahoan novelist Mary Hallock Foote... The relevant part is about a miner, Jack Darcie, described as being of Scottish family and English education, a young gentleman of prepossessing appearance. After Darcie's entanglements with Faith, daughter of the mining company manager, people gossip about him in a negative light: "Lads, did ye hear him chewin' the scenery, giving' himself away like a play-actor?.."

That information comes from what looks like an interesting website - a Glossary of Theater Terms, where you can look up break a leg, ghost light, the bastard prompt corner, and other familiar or obscure terms.

Every picture tells a story...

Photo credit, via.

Nemertea

YouTube link.

"The proboscis is an infolding of the body wall, and sits in the rhynchocoel when inactive. When muscles in the wall of the rhynchocoel compress the fluid in the rhynchocoel, the pressure makes the proboscis jump inside-out to attack the animal's prey along a canal called the rhynchodeum and through an orifice, the proboscis pore. The proboscis has a muscle which attaches to the back of the rhynchocoel, and which can stretch up to 30 times its inactive length and then retract the proboscis.


Some Anopla have branched proboscises which can be described as "a mass of sticky spaghetti".  The animal then draws its prey into its mouth...

Although most are less than 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, one specimen has been estimated at 54 metres (177 ft).

"Black market insulin" should not exist

As reported by NBC News:

Gabriella is allergic to the kind of insulin her insurer covers at a $25 out-of-pocket cost. She can only take Apidra, but her insurance only covers 25 percent of the price, leaving the family to pay hundreds of dollars a month they can't afford.

So her mom has turned to the black market, trading for the medication with other families with diabetes she meets online, a tactic that regulators and health experts warn is a health risk...

The class of rapid-acting insulin Gabriella depends upon comes at a price — one that's risen 1,123 percent since 1996, according to data from Truven Health Analytics, even as more competitors have entered the market.

Her parents' insurer, West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA), considers Gabriella's insulin Apidra "Tier 3," which means the family has to pay 75 percent of the price. A copay-reduction card from drugmaker Sanofi would help some, but would still leave them to pay $270 for one vial, which would last them about a month...

Since they're not uninsured, the Corleys don't qualify for free insulin under Sanofi's patient assistance program...

As far as the industry is concerned, Humalog, Novolog, and Apidra are all equivalent insulins in terms of how they lower blood sugar levels. So whether or not your insurer covers it comes down to the deal they can cut.

But not every patient can use the drug their insurer has decided they can take, or afford the one they want to. Drugs' formulations vary. Some patients may have a reaction to the inactive ingredients or find that one kind works differently in their body, forcing them to relearn years of mental math performed at every mealtime. 

American healthcare is a total clusterfuck debacle.

Do you see the flame in this photo? Neither do the birds.

From the New York Times:

But that flare, burning off methane created by decomposing garbage, poses a potentially lethal threat to unsuspecting birds that pass through it. Larger birds have been found with singed wings, unable to fly or fend for themselves. Bird-watchers believe that smaller ones are simply incinerated...

Mr. Aberback said the authority had plans to capture methane at another of its landfills, but that was “not currently a viable option for the Kingsland Landfill flare.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service says the authority has already followed through on some of its suggestions, like removing a number of possible perches for birds around the flame. A local electric company has agreed to take out or retrofit power lines and other equipment to make them less attractive to migrating birds. Finding a way to make the flare visible to birds is among the other ideas officials say are being explored.

Performance on a theremin

YouTube link.

The music is Ennio Morricone's Ecstasy of Gold from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

"DoggoLingo"

As discussed at NPR:

Some dogs are doggos, some are puppers, and others may even be pupperinos. There are corgos and clouds, fluffers and floofs, woofers and boofers. The chunky ones are thicc, and the thin ones are long bois. When they stick out their tongues, they're doing a mlem, a blep, a blop. They bork. They boof. Once in a while they do each other a frighten. And whether they're 10/10 or 12/10, they're all h*ckin' good boys and girls.

Are you picking up what I'm putting down? If not, you're probably not fluent in DoggoLingo, a language trend that's been gaining steam on the Internet in the past few years. The language most often accompanies a picture or a video of a dog and has spread to all major forms of social media...

Even Merriam-Webster is aware of terms like doggo and pupper. Though they have a long way to go before they're eligible for dictionary-entry — they need to be used in published, edited work over an extended period of time — they're definitely candidates.