Former Member

One thing that Germany has done that many other countries (including the US) have not, is apologize for their actions during WWII. Neither the US, nor Japan, has apologized. The US has only acknowledged some of the things it did – and only after many decades. No country is perfect, but Germany is not the worst in the world – there are many other contenders for that title. More than 150 years later, there are some who think the Confederate rebellion was about states rights and that they somehow won the war. They don’t understand how disrespectful and unpatriotic they are when they display the Confederate flag proudly. They don’t understand how painful it is to many to continue to see statues and monuments to an inhumane government and its leaders. It is shameful to have schools and other public buildings named after the heroes of a disreputable philosophy and society. History should be remembered, but it’s incredibly important that the correct lessons are learned from the past. Not everyone or everything celebrated in the past is worthy of continued honor. The flaws of important people should not be hidden and disregarded. It’s important to remember all the facts and not sugarcoat the uncomfortable truth even when it’s embarrassing. 😉

If the boys are responsible pet owners, Khan will have been fixed and won’t be worried about things like that. (There are a few people out there who deserve the surgery even more than most pets. But that would be illegal and immoral.) ;-)

Since it’s my Aunt and not my mother, I don’t expect to inherit the recipes. She has a daughter and four granddaughters, one of whom baked two very tasty pies for Thanksgiving (one apple, one pumpkin). My (Lesbian?) Aunt would be a more likely source since she never had kids and she was closest to my mother. ;-) This is a good time to remind everyone to ask for their mothers for their favorite recipes while they still can. I didn’t and now I regret not asking. I only have a few recipes that my younger brother asked for that he shared with me. There’s one recipe that I really wish I had gotten. It was something that she got from a grocery store when we lived in Hawaii – I think it might have been from a TV cooking show. I’ve tried searching online, but haven’t found anything yet since I can’t remember the name of the recipe. I may find it eventually since there have to be many people who would have gotten it too. ;-)

I’ve never asked, just enjoyed. My (Lesbian?) Aunt’s multiple-decades-long “roommate” used to bake a two-layered Italian pumpkin pie. I asked for that recipe since her roommate passed about 10 years ago, but she can’t remember if she still has it. Since my Aunt is undergoing severe memory loss, I doubt I’ll ever get it.

I'll join in the discussion with a number that may provide a little holiday relief Kay Starr is hard to resist, and she puts us in the right frame of mind to deal with those holiday stresses. Kay Starr - "Its a Good Day" and "Wheel of Fortune" (live 1952 performance)

I think Khan is jealous. He wants to be the only clown in the family! Kaleb is stealing his attention! ;-) Even my great baker/cook favorite Aunt uses canned pumpkin! She tried using a real pumpkin once and it was too much work with very little difference. Her pumpkin pie is spectacular! ;-)

I’m glad you’re feeling better! ;-) We got a tiny taste of Rush & Ben to help us survive the wait. I enjoyed hearing from Clay again. I’m glad things are working out for the three of them. ;-) It seemed like Laura was flirting with Twyla. Part of the job, I suppose, since there were several suggestions that Twyla wasn’t up to her standards. (Straight people often let themselves go after they get married – they don’t seem to prioritize maintaining appearances for each other.) ;-)

There is a very good documentary called Paragraph 175. In 2000, fewer than 10 survivors remained alive – five (including one Lesbian) of them were interviewed in this documentary. When the Death Camps were liberated, Gay men were not released, they were sent to prison to serve out the remainder of their sentences. It remained on the books in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), removed in 1968 by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), and was finally stricken from the legal code of the reunited German in 1994. On the symbolically important date of the 17th of May (17.5) 2002, the Bundestag pardoned those convicted before 1945. In June of 2017, Germany passed legislation pardoning and providing compensation for all Gay men convicted under Paragraph 175. This is something that has not happened in the US or most other countries.

I don’t know why Robbie would be surprised that Alex bullied Nathan. It fits his personality. Alex doesn’t want anyone to know he has bisexual interests. Robbie should at least mention Alex is who he stayed with when he ran away! ;-) And once again Robbie manages to find yet another excuse for not telling Nathan about his history with Alex.

Oh dear... I didn't see that coming. I thought there was going to be some smooth sailing ahead (although I should have known better ) after Nathan seemed to be OK about Fran. Another great chapter @Dodger Sue manages to irritate me in every chapter. Even more so than Don, lately. Because I don't think she's naturally bigoted, so she should know better, but she's allowing his ignorance and bigotry control her, and her actions seem to be featured more in the story so far.

One fewer major roadblock to coming clean with Tina. And at least Gene didn’t manage to do anything with Rodney. He would have felt so much worse if he had. But I think it shows that Gene is at a point where he needs to do something soon about his life. ;-)

I remember reading an article about the use of the same actor in Doctor Who Magazine at the time. So fans were aware. He was annoying in either iteration! ;-)

They didn’t use that explanation when the very annoying Sixth Doctor appeared after the actor had previously played a different character during the Fifth Doctor’s term.

The Twelfth Doctor is kind of off-putting. Not annoying like the Sixth or Seventh Doctors, but not as easy to like as most of the other Doctors. I don’t now if I’ll be able to get used to him. But at least I know there’s a new Doctor on the way – even if mysogynistic fanboys hate the idea of a female Doctor! ;-)

Well I hope Helen will be able to help Chandler now that she knows he’s being abused! I realize they already have too much on their plate with Landon, but it’s too bad they can’t foster Chandler themselves! And it appears that Landon and Hank have reached the somewhat tentative beginnings of a relationship. ;-)

I wondered why almost no one else seems to have noticed! I think I’ve read too many dystopian books and watched too many movies like A Boy and his Dog (I didn’t realize it was based on a Harlan Ellison book – I admit it, I watched it because of Don Johnson’s very early in his career nude scene).

As soon as I read “locked freezer’ and ‘real meat’, I was pretty sure how this would turn out. But I hadn’t expected the clients. It makes sense, who else would have the resources and time to arrange a scheme like this? ;-) I’m surprised to be the first commenter… ;-)

At least in the US, you hear stories about how Restraining Orders fail to protect victims. How abusers manage to evade restrictions. How abusers kill their spouses.

Yeah...old...and now another year older...remind me to bug you with it on COTT.... LMAO okay, sorry I couldn`t resist. Hoping we`ll see a lot more of these birthday wishes in the future.

Have a great one man. Happy birthday.

I think Max & Saul are a little older than I am. I remember when I was volunteering at an AIDS education and support organization, they only wanted to record my first name on their records in case the US government decided to round up people with AIDS and those who were suspected of being infected. I thought they were being overly paranoid, but I should have remembered my own family’s history of being interned during WWII. My mother had a brain tumor that caused her to lose most of her memories and kept her pretty much mute during the last years of her life. I could never tell if she remembered me. I was grieving her loss years before she actually died. I regret not trying harder to interact with her, but I didn’t know what to do and I was caught up in my own life. My mother’s family seems to have problem with memory as they age. My grandfather was suffering with some sort of dementia that apparently was unrecognized in the mid-‘60s. And the older two of my mother’s remaining four sisters are struggling with severe memory issues too. I hope not to be part of that trend, but would not be surprised at all. At least, unlike my two brothers, I still have a full head of hair! ;-)

Thanks to Carlos for taking on the Ask an Author feature I know many people will be glad to see its return. And I wish Dark the best and a speedy return to GA. Thanks, Renee, as always for providing us with weekly updates.

My favorite Christmas song by the classy Nat King Cole.

My very religious and homophobic mother wanted me to ‘befriend’ the brother of one of the men from their church. It was an attempt to draw me back to religion. The guy was a little too tempting, so I never tried to contact him. Who knows? He might have become the love of my life… ;-) But otherwise, I think I’m more like Dalton. I hate change! Except for most technology, I don’t like new things. ;-)

Chucky & Millie got passed over! To quote Nelson from The Simpsons, ”Ha! Ha!” I know Lizzie said she’d never step down, so I guess there must have been some special arrangements made before she passed. ;-) It’s always a good thing to take advantage of all the human resources available to you! Keep the militaries busy so they don’t have time to cause trouble. Get them thinking about productive things. ;-)