sharkerbaby

States are officially and legally recognizing and including gender X on state issued forms and IDs. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/nonbinary-intersex-11-u-s-states-issuing-third-gender-ids/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/08/nonbinary-gender-ids-momentum-intersex-state-driver-licenses/1802059001/ As far as federal, courts have ruled in favor of non-binary designations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_recognition_of_non-binary_gender#United_States No fluid has nothing to do with one's sexuality it is specifically related to one's gender identity remember, the current banner is that sexuality and gender are absolutely not related.

It's more specifically a gender identity thing. It allows those who don't identify as Male or Female to designate as X. It's a growing movement to accommodate gender non conformists on official documents such as state and federal forms, birth certificates, etc. They do this because in almost all cases being male or female is not related to your sex and not associated with things like biology or chromosomes, you can pick what you want to identify as on any given day. And there are quite a few possibilities, far too many to list on forms so X is (at least for the time being) the catch all. Facebook provides something like 50 some gender options and it's still growing. ETA: my bad Tumbler lists 112 genders which in and of itself is too limiting as you can add suffixes and prefixes to these core genders to customize it to your specific state of being. https://dudeasks.com/how-many-genders-are-there-in-2019/

Thanks for this! Love me some Garth Brooks!!

Anyone know where they are? It's pretty.

The location is filled in automatically based upon the phone's location - so at least for this one, Mykelti is off the hook.

If you have to leave, I gotta go to, heck in that case, i should have left last year! He is sooo my definition of hot sexy thing! Loved him last year (i cringed heartily at the douche he was though), and still swoon over him this year.

It pains me to agree with you. I only sporadically watch bach or 'ette, but did watch most of the season she was on because of her. I got hooked because of her intro where she introduced her family and in particular her twin, who has special needs. She seemed very invested in him and ensuring he had a fulfilling life. Plus she seemed very family oriented and loved and honored her grandmother, hence I developed a soft spot for her and cut her a lot of slack. But man, she is showing some poison claws and I can't overlook her cattiness.

The pickle spear is a Chicago thing - it's the topper of a Chicago style dog which includes yellow mustard, chopped onions, bright green relish, tomatoes, sport peppers, and celery salt - and NEVER ketchup!

Is this a certainty or a guess?

intersectionality [ in-ter-sek-shuh-nal-i-tee ] noun the theory that the overlap of various social identities, as race, gender, sexuality, and class,contributes to the specific type of systemic oppression and discrimination experienced by an individual (often used attributively):Her paper uses a queer intersectionality approach. the oppression and discrimination resulting from the overlap of an individual’s various social identities:the intersectionality of oppression experienced by black women. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intersectionality in·ter·sec·tion·al·i·ty /ˌin(t)ərsekSHəˈnalədē/ noun noun: intersectionality; plural noun: intersectionalities the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. "through an awareness of intersectionality, we can better acknowledge and ground the differences among us"

Nah, more specificity is not necessary. If you live in the Chicagoland area (Chicago and the roughly 5 county surrounding area) you are well aware of the subdivision of Chicago and cook county into various neighborhoods and in fact appreciate the references to them in that you know roughly where something is versus somewhere in the 227 sq mi area that is Chicago. So in this case, Rogers Park with a population of approx 54,000 encompasses almost 2 sq mil on the far north side. I'm likely not going to bother looking any further into the specific location if I'm located on the south side in say Hyde Park where it will take me at least 45 mins by car or 1.5 hrs by public transportation to get there. I'm guessing she provide the specific studio location in the link she references in her post. I understand where the confusion lies but trust me when I say locals use neighborhood designations all the time. In fact there is significant pride and culture within the various neighborhoods, many have very distinct personalities and character. These aren't your typical suburban neighborhoods but more like communities. Most people don't know all of the neighborhoods off the top of their heads but are mostly able to know somewhat where a mentioned area is when referenced. And if not, just give a bordering neighborhood and chances are excellent that will provide enough reference to pinpoint the area. You frequently hear conversations that go somewhat like this. My aunt lives in Lincoln Park Really, my cousin lives there where abouts is your aunt? Corner of Here and There, about a block from Yummy restaurant. Oh yes! I know exactly where that is. Now if I wasn't that familiar with Lincoln Park I'd say something along the lines of "Oh, that's a nice area" and leave it at that but still have a very good idea where your aunt lived. Near north side, very close to the lake, near the zoo, and a hop skip and a jump from the loop. And to bring this full circle, I think perhaps Lincoln Park may be where Meri's catfisher Sam lived.

Rogers Park is not an actual park it's a Chicago neighborhood (kind of like a NYC borough). She's probably holding her class in a studio located in Rogers Park.

I like the dresses (especially the sunflower on black)and many of the shirts as well. The prices are decent too.

ahhh! fabulous - metal straws get WAY to cold for me so silicone is the perfect answer, never thought to look for them! Thanks for the link!

Well as with most things related to human behavior, explicit quantitative proof is a rarity so we rely on other measures including observation, survey, interview, and other tangential data to formulate a supported conclusion albeit usually somewhat speculative. However, there is explicit proof that hormones (including testosterone) is present in saliva... Salivary Testosterone Measurement by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry in Adult Males and Females. Additionally, "Studies have shown that the mucosa membrane inside the mouth is permeable to hormones such as testosterone that are found in saliva (Dobs, Matsumoto, Wang, and Kipnes, 2004)" (disclosure; I did not look up that referenced study). During "Romantic" kissing or open mouth kissing by nature saliva is obviously intermixed or better known in common vernacular as "swapped". In regards to the last link (Sex Differences in Romantic Kissing Among College Students: An Evolutionary Perspective), yes the authors state in the introduction where they are laying out their hypothesis, that the statement is "speculative", however in the discussion section they argue the results of their various studies along with findings from other scholarly studies support the hypothesis they laid out in the introduction. And as is commonly found in behavioral analysis, they acknowledge the limitations and call for further study but their final statement includes... "Nonetheless, this study provides evidence that romantic kissing may have evolved as an adaptive courtship strategy that functions as a mate-assessment technique, a means of initiating sexual arousal and receptivity, and a way of maintaining a bonded relationship." The last article I'll refer readers to is Saliva: Secret Ingredient in the Best Kisses (Media bias/fact check report for the source publication... https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/live-science/) And my absolute last word on this subject... Kody's direct quote was “When you kiss the person that you kiss, the hormones go into your mouth and it registers certain things that will stimulate both the heart and the body for other reasons, ” While very clumsy and awkward, hormones do indeed go into your mouth and kissing does stimulate both the heart and body so yeah, he "wasn't that far off the mark" as @Gothish520 put it.

I realized too late that I should have taken this to the small talk thread. I'm not sure how to move it - so if a mod wouldn't mind moving it I'd appreciate it.... I know we like to shoot down the Brown's with as much vigor as a sporting event but as I've tried to point out in the past, there is some scientific basis for this declaration. Multiple studies have shown that kissing can indeed trigger release of hormones (including oxytocin - sometimes referred to as the "love" hormone) and other neurochemical activity in the brain. And though 'm not sure Kody actually said "hormones in the mouth" (instead something along the lines of that hormones are exchanged while kissing), in fact there are hormones carried in saliva including testosterone and estrogen which is believed to increase the sex drive. Below are a couple excerpts from a relevant article. The article itself has direct links to many of these studies. https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-kiss "Kissing causes a chemical reaction in your brain, including a burst of the hormone oxytocin. It’s often referred to as the “love hormone,” because it stirs up feelings of affection and attachment. According to a 2013 study, oxytocin is particularly important in helping men bond with a partner and stay monogamous." and... "You know that high you feel when you’re head over heels for a new love and spending time canoodling with them? That’s the effect of the dopamine in your brain’s reward pathway. Dopamine is released when you do something that feels good, like kissing and spending time with someone you’re attracted to. This and other “happy hormones” make you feel giddy and euphoric. The more you get of these hormones, the more your body wants them. For some, this may be more apparent at the start of a relationship — especially if most of your time is spent in a lip lock." and finally... "It’s also been shown that men kiss to introduce sex hormones and proteins that make their female partner more sexually receptive. Open mouth and tongue kissing are especially effective in upping the level of sexual arousal, because they increase the amount of saliva produced and exchanged. The more spit you swap, the more turned on you’ll get." And to help debunk skepticism due to trustworthiness of the article's source, here's the media bias/fact check report... https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/healthline/

Not a typo... as @Sandy W's post indicates...

It's true the National Guard is primarily state based, they are also considered army reserves. Paedon is even wearing an Army hoodie. So yeah, they are different but related with a directive to be even more so. ABOUT THE ARMY SERVE YOUR WAY The regular Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard are each important components of the total Army structure. While active duty Soldiers serve full time, Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers serve part-time. Find out more by clicking the links below. (source: https://www.goarmy.com/about/serving-in-the-army/serve-your-way.html) Under the "Total Force" concept, National Guard units are considered to be Reserve Components of the United States Army. The Army's Total Force Policy is an ongoing effort by the service to transition its reserve component forces, both the Army Reserve and the National Guard, into an operational force. The intent is to create a seamless and holistic "total force" governed by the same interchangeable policies and procedures. Why is this important to the Army' The Total Force Policy is important to the Army for two reasons: First, it will align the Army with Secretary of Defense directives that require better integration of the Army's active and reserve component forces. The Secretary of Defense issued a directive (1200.17) on Oct. 29, 2008, that requires the military services to manage their reserve component forces as an operational force. (source: https://www.army.mil/article/42866/army_total_force_policy)

No, the contestants are only allowed to roam within their assigned area. Even if they could wonder outside the area, they'd find little at another's campsite as they dismantle the site in the spirit of "leave no trace".

That was Sebastian's best friend and the guy she was grabbing was Sebastian's husband who I think was beaming with pride (and trying to keep his excitement in check and hold it together I think).

Agreed. Unfortunately, I doubt the sniping about the speech pattern will cease as it has been highlighted multiple times that they speak using a recognized American dialect in use by a whole region of the country yet it is still the go to easy slam especially if there is little else to ding them on. the two most recognized characteristics is the pronunciation of the "ing" sound and the "eel" sound.

I go to starbucks once in a great while (and since money is tight right now, I haven't indulged in over 9 months), but when I did have one on my way out of the local grocery I never would have guessed i was also being judged by the holiday bell ringer for not dropping money in every time I passed a kettle. My charity dollars and time go elsewhere but of course the bell ringer is not aware of that.

Agreed, i am not interested in watching a bunch of people freeze until they starve themselves out. I won't be watching this season. Hopefully ratings will drop enough to illustrate to the TPTB that they are taking the show in the wrong direction but not enough to get it cancelled outright and they go back to the original survival roots next season.

Thanks for clarifying, I agree with this completely

I get your point but her family and friends did not agree to be on tv, I don't blame them for not wanting whatever was going on to be put out there for public consumption and I respect her for keeping their business private.