The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXVII

[bhsup]

Why don't they just pull a Peter Jackson and pull totally new made up characters out of their butts?

No need for female Thor, just introduce THORINA, Thor's twin sister!

 

[Arakhor]

Or at least Sif, Thor's golden-haired wife.

 

[Samson]

It does seem to me a bit off changing the gender of a god. If they did that with Mohammad there would be trouble, but I guess Asatru followers are somewhat less militant.

 

[brennan]

Demographics, I'm sceptical; the US is, what, 30% non-Latino white males?

...and what was it in 1938 when Superman first appeared?

White, male writers and artists created white, male heroes because they were white and male. Some white, female characters became popular because, hey, guys do on occasion like girls - even the geekiest of us.

The largest demographic group inevitably gets disproportionate representation because there is no mechanism in a market for counteracting the tyranny of the majority.

Is this right, no. But it does not mean that there is rampant discrimination.

 

[Camikaze]

Moderator Action: There seem to be a number of you acknowledging that you shouldn't go off-topic, and then proceeding to do so anyway. Please keep this thread for its intended purpose, and start a separate thread if you wish to engage in a prolonged discussion.

 

[Traitorfish]

Discussion continued here, should anyone care.

 

[Quackers]

EDIT: moving to the other thread

 

[BvBPL]

"Gypsy" is widely regarded as offensive. "Roma" or "Romani" are generally preferred. The former may offend, the latter will not, so it makes sense to prefer the latter.

edit: Also, both the European Roma Rights Centre and International Romani Union favour "Roma" or "Romani", so there's that.

Gypsy is also a significantly broader term than Roma. Gypsy can refer to a number of semi-nomadic societies and things, like Travelers, Roma, and cabs, whereas Roma are specifically the Eastern European culture which excludes Travelers and cabs.

The offensiveness of gypsy varies from region to region, but the specificity is welcomed, particularly when one needs to distinguish Roma from Travelers.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Why do I turn into a prune if I'm in water for too long?

 

[madviking]

osmosis

actually http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-our-fingers-and-toes-wrinkle-during-a-bath/

 

[bhsup]

Why do I turn into a prune if I'm in water for too long?

https://secure02.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/wrinkly_fingers.html

Have you ever stayed in a pool or bathtub so long that your fingers got wrinkly? This is normal — and can even affect your toes. But why does it happen?

Even though you can't see it, your skin is covered with its own special oil called sebum (say: SEE-bum). Sebum is found on the outermost layer of skin. Sebum moistens, or lubricates (say: LOO-bruh-kates), and protects your skin. It also makes your skin a bit waterproof. That's why water runs off your skin when you wash your hands, instead of soaking it in like a sponge would.

But staying in water for a long time washes away the sebum. Then, the water can penetrate the outer layer of your skin. This causes your skin to become waterlogged. So how does this lead to wrinkles? No one is really sure.

Some people think it's because the skin expands to allow extra water inside. The expanded skin ends up looking really wrinkly. Other people think that it's because the skin is tied down to the tissue underneath in certain places. So when the skin is full of water, it swells up (gets puffy), but only in places where it is not tied down, which makes it look wrinkly.

But other research suggests that our nervous system causes the wrinkling in response to being in water, possibly to help us grip wet things better.

What should you do if this happens to you? Nothing. It goes away quickly on its own. You'll have more sebum on your skin in no time.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: May 2013

 

[cybrxkhan]

Thanks! That's pretty interesting.

 

[Kozmos]

Does anyone know what breed this is?

 

[salty mud]

Looks like a Border Collie to me.

 

[Samson]

Does anyone know what breed this is?

A border collie.

 

[Kozmos]

Thanks guys. For some reason its been invading my dreams and offering medical advice.

 

[bhsup]

BingoCare!

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

So...I guess I just signed up for a roadtrip to New Orleans for February 2015. This will be my first trip to another country for the purposes of tourism. Other than my passport and bringing enough US currency, what else should I prepare?

 

[EgonSpengler]

So...I guess I just signed up for a roadtrip to New Orleans for February 2015. This will be my first trip to another country for the purposes of tourism. Other than my passport and bringing enough US currency, what else should I prepare?

You won't need to bring a lot of currency if you have a bank card. Check with your bank regarding fees, but you should be able to use our ATMs, and it's probably best not to carry too much cash at any given moment. I think February is high tourism time in New Orleans. come to think of that, if you want to take any tours or anything that might require reservations, book them well in advance (like, today might not be too soon).

If you don't normally travel, it couldn't hurt to let your credit card company know where you'll be. Make photocopies of everything, in case your wallet gets stolen.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy seafood and music. New Orleans is one of our Crown Jewels. I'm envious that you're going.


Link to video.

 

[Farm Boy]

So...I guess I just signed up for a roadtrip to New Orleans for February 2015. This will be my first trip to another country for the purposes of tourism. Other than my passport and bringing enough US currency, what else should I prepare?

Keep a copy of your passport with you, separate from your passport, leave a photocopy of it at home as well. Just in case. I assume you are coming from somewhere that doesn't need an entrance visa? Our visa process is atrocious, so I hope you don't need one. I'd generally run cash, but if your bank fees for using your card internationally aren't bad, that might be the way to go(sometimes they're terribly high though). In my experience conversion rates on currency are about as good as they are going to get once you land in the airport, but somebody who travels more can correct that if it's wrong. If you bring electronics, look up to see if you need voltage converters to avoid blowing anything out. Look up to see if you need to do anything to your phone to have it work in the States.