Misanthrope

For godsakes man - don't keep it a secret! We want to know your "special" way of preparing these time honored treats. Pizza's a pain in the butt to make from scratch. I know, I've seen it attempted. If you have a shortcut or some other trick of the trade, I for one want to hear it. As for waffles, way to sweet for me. Give me piss and vinegar. The wise animals go for the bitters, they say....

My favorite car is whatever gets the best gas mileage. Right now, that appears to be engines that run on hydrogen, though good luck getting information on this in the mainstream media. Cars that run on water are not good business for the oil industry. And as a result, they are not made available to the public. In lieu of a water fueled car, I'll take function over fluff, and safety over aesthetics. So far, the humble late 80's/early 90's Toyota 4-runner seems to fit the bill. A Volkwagen Toureg would sure be nice, but who the heck wants to take out a mortgage and go into debt over a car?

Yes, I agree the thread starter makes it quite clear the subject matter regards DOMESTIC dogs and cats. Talk of befriending wild animals is not helpful discussion where this thread is concerned, and it trivializes a perfectly good topic starter. Moreover, encouraging contact with "felis panthera" in his wild habitat (or anywhere) promotes potentially dangerous behavior that benefits neither man nor beast - with very few exceptions. See here for more on the folly and cruelty inherent in this mindset. More often than not, big cats taken from their natural habitat to live with man meet with a tragic end or, if they're lucky, end up in shelters. I would request members posting on this topic to focus on the spirit of the thread, that is, your preference of DOMESTIC cat or dog as pet, and how you feel that preference reflects your unique personality. For those who'd rather focus on confronting wild animals, don't let me stop you from starting a thread on this elsewhere, or throwing yourself in front of the next 400 pound predator you happen upon. The last thing any humane person should do is ignore the plight of domestic breeds already compromised by man in favor of exotic species that belong in the wild. And the best thing we can do for the wild things of this earth is maintain their habitat and protect them from man's encroachment. Some of you may be familiar with idiot, "Grizzly Man," who thought he could befriend a bear in the wild. While amusing, his violent end came as no suprise to anyone versed in realty. Unlike the leopard and other wild beasts, the domestic cat and dog have been part of the human household and family for centuries, and that genetic memory remains, even when they are abandoned and left to fend for themselves, as is often the case in the third world. Wherever there are people, there will be unwanted domestics in need of loving homes. The fact that wanton cruelty and disregard of cats and dogs is considered normal in more backward regions of the planet does not make it any less reprehensible to civilized man.

Yes - time is the enemy, that's why I've developed what I refer to as "marathon cooking," where I make large batches of food to freeze for later use. After a while, you'll find this sort of technique saves more time than buying fast food and/or cooking for every meal. I'll go into more detail on this technique on a future thread...

Hee heee I totally agree! I think that's one of the things that bothers me most about dogs -that is, their constant need for approval and lack of independent spirit. Cats are leaders, dogs are followers.

I started on my "starts" today. It's still pretty early, so I only started the slow growers, which for now are the pepper variety. In the northern climes, they need about ten weeks to mature before they're ready to set out in the garden. This year I'm growing Jalepeno and Bell peppers. Not sure if the Jalepeno is any particular varitey, other than HOT, and the Bell pepper is called, "Cal Wonder," whatever that means. Probably has something to do with California.

Most of world?s renowned chefs are male, which I find somewhat ironic as traditionally, women are the household cooks. But maybe it?s this very fact that leads to the preponderance of professional male chefs. I mean, when you?re not forced to do something from the cot, you?re more likely to take it up because you really enjoy doing it, not because you have to.

It seems like I tried Marigold and Nasturtium but they didn't flower in time to do any good. I might have to start those indoors too so they can go out the same time as the cabbage plants. Do you direct seed your marigold or do you start them indoors? For some reason I never have much luck with Basil either, even though they tell you to start them outdoors. It can be more of a challenge when you're trying to grow organically, that's for sure. But I figure if you want veggies that are sprayed with poison, may as well save yourself the time and just buy them from the store.

I've never been much of a green thumb either; in fact, I somehow managed to kill an aloe vera plant in my gardening youth. I figure with a little practice I can move on to killing higher life forms (for you products of the public school system - that's supposed to be a joke; get it?). But I guess gardening is like most things, in as much as practice makes perfect. In the next week or so I'll be starting some pepper plants (Jalapeńo and Bell) inside. I'll probably start some brocolli and cabbage too, though I'm a bit leery after my last run in with cabbage flies and their ghastly offspring. The starts will "gestate" over a warm, electric blanket until they sprout. The electric blanket is a little trick of the trade that warms the soil and makes the seed sprout sooner. It also prevents the seed from giving in to disease or rot. After the little guys sprout, the heat is removed and/or turned down, and they are put under fluorescent lights for about 18 hours a day. After a while, it's a good idea to direct some air from a gentle fan on to them, to toughen up their stems in preparation for the inevitable. A few days before transplanting, they'll be placed outside on a deck for the "hardening off" process, which acclimatizes them, little by little, to the harsh outdoors. Then, when the last chance of kitten frost is gone, they can be transplanted outside. Now, you can always just buy your vegetable starts from the nursery, but it will cost you. Its much cheaper to start them on your own, and youre also guaranteed a stronger, healthier plant from a seed of your choice. You folks in Texas may as well be on a different planet when it comes to gardening. I wont be able to put anything into the ground for another month or so, as we still have some lingering snow, and it will be frosting up overnight until at least May. And up here, garlic is planted late summer/early fall and harvested around July. Ah, what would life be without garlic? Ive never planted onions but I think I might start this year. I heard the Sweet Sandwich variety is especially nice for our challenging soil and growing climate. Oddly enough, quite a few mountain folks in these parts grow grapes for wine as well.

Seems like it's this "all or nothing" mentality that often gets people into trouble. Though I don't smoke, I see nothing wrong with someone who wants to smoke a cigarette or two per day, just as I see nothing wrong with someone who has a few drinks a day, like me . The current political war being waged against cigarettes reeks of prohibition, and should scare the crap out of any freedom-loving individual. Don't be so quick to jump on this anti-smoking witch hunt. If you don't want to smoke, that's fine - more power to you. But don't dare dictate how others should live, based on your limited knowledge of what the media feeds you. How will you feel when they decide to outlaw your favorite soda or candy bar? You may not see it now, but believe me, that's where this is headed.

While I appreciate the sentiment behind those who innocently buy into hoaxes like, "International Women's Day," the truth is, we live in a man's world, and it's all about money. One really needs to ask, who is really promoting this absurd holiday? Just as the so called "women's lib movement" of the 60's was brought about by an elite few to tear down the family, I suspect the motives of those behind this latest charade are just as suspect. It is actually something the corrupt United Nations has had a strong hand in. That alone should raise the eyebrows of any thinking person.

"Organic" is just a contrived term used to describe food production as it should be, without the use of pesticides, hormones or unnatural methods. Imagine how farming existed before big agri-business moved in and turned animals into machines, and vegetables into genetically modified frankenfood, and you'll have a good idea of what organic is. They just added a cooking forum. Let's say we migrate over there..........

Well, if you don't have time to garden, I'd say you better start making time. It's all a matter or priorities, isn't it? I don't particularly enjoy wallowing around in dirt and filth, but hey - I'm cheap. I suspect that many of you getting free hosting at the Trap feel the same way. You make posting here a priority so you don't have to pay $10 a month (or whatever it is) somewhere else. So why not carry that frugal mindset over to one of the most important factors in your life.....eating. This is the time of year I start thinking about what plants I need to start indoors. There's still a blanket of white death covering my garden, and it might not melt for awhile. Even when it does, a last "kitten" frost could hit as late as June 15. So tender annuals, tomatoes and eggplants and such, must be started indoors so they have time to mature. I usually grow at least two varieties of tomatoes; a roma for making tomato sauce, an "Early Girl" for all around slicing, and a cherry tomato for salads. Last year I was lucky, as I wasn't home at Spring and missed all the "fun" of starting the plants indoors. Instead, I took the lazy way out and bought the seedlings at Walmart. I noticed a huge difference between starting them myself and buying them from the store. You can probably guess which plants were healthier and produced a better harvest. Yup, if you anything done right, you gotta do it yourself....

First of all, thank you for incorporating a "Home and Garden" section! This is a very timely inclusion considering we're springing into Spring.I've mentioned this before, but I probably should have been more specific. I haven't seen a specific Religion or Philosophy/Spirituality sub-forum anywhere. I think someone suggested posting such content under "Health & Fitness," but I think these topics, especially Religion, would garner greater interest under the "Life Talk" forum. Indeed, I noticed a debate a recent debate on God had large enough input to warrant it's own sub-forum. I don't think including these topics under "Health and Fitness" will really do them justice.

Heeeheeee! Yes, ounce for ounce, I'd say the feline is a stealthier, deadlier creature than any canine. One can't help but appreciate, and perhaps romantacize the wild things of this world, but thousands of years of domestication have made the common dog and cat dependent on man to a great degree. We hold the power, and we are responsible for their current state of dependency. As such, we have a responsibility to maintain that which we have created. I always encourage potential pet owners to steer clear of the temptation to acquire "exotic" animals while we have so many unwanted, deserving dogs and cats languishing in pet shelters across the civilized world.

Not to exclude the myriad of other critters people choose to have as companion animals, but it just so happens cats and dogs are the most popular in most societies. As such, more theories (emphasis on "theory") abound regarding these particular pets and their people. It is said, for example, that cat people tend toward an independence of spirit and aloof quality, whereas dog people gravitate toward group activities and exhibit great loyalty. Is it mere coincidence these qualities also manifest in their respective pets? I think no. It would appear, at least to me, that people gravitate as much toward animals that share their own traits as they do other people. Heck, some folks even physically resemble their pets (or certain wild animals).I consider myself much more of cat person, hands down. There's nothing like the soft purrr of a feline to lull one off to sleep at the end of a long, hard day spent posting at the Trap. While I love dogs, there's a certain coarseness about the drooling creatures that offends my sensibilities. While cats are living works of art; dogs are wrecking balls. Cats are independent nobility; dogs are slobbering cling-ons. Cat's curl up in your lap; dogs sniff your crotch. Cats roll in catnip; dogs roll in excrement. There. That's my two cents on the subject. How 'bout you? Do you prefer cats or dogs as companions, and why? And do you feel you share some of the personality traits of your cat and/or dog?

Hey FolkRockFan! Love your kitty avatar. I have to admit I'm not a very good cook or gardener either, but I'll sure as heck suffer through my own cooking than eat the trash the Monsanto monsters would like to pawn off on the willfully ignorant public. I know the prices on Organic are outrageous for the most part, but Safeway (of all places) has recently started carrying an organic line called, "O." They offer organic eggs, cheese, veggies, peanut butter, ketchup, salad dressing, tortilla chips, coffee, cookies, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, frozen veggies, pasta, spaghetti sauce, olive oil.....well - all the staples at a VERY reasonable price. I would imagine it's just a matter of time before they start carrying organic dead animals. No, I'm not a spokesperson for Safeway. Heck - I used to be one of their biggest critics. But now I have to salute them (if you have a libation in your hand, raise it now) for being one of the first major chains to come out with their very own organic line. Little by little, even Walmart is getting in Organic products. They started with free-range eggs. Now, it seems every time I visit it's a treasure hunt of sorts to find the latest line of organic product. This trend will grow everywhere as people tire of "franken foods" engineered by monsters like Monsanto and the like. But yeah, you're absolutely right about the overall prices on these products. That was probably my biggest motivator in starting a garden, modest as it is. It's really amazing how much money you can save growing a few crops in a small space. I experimented for awhile with a technique called, "square foot" gardening, which is everything the name implies and more. It incorporates raised beds (to warm the soil), and trellises which allow the growing of space demanding plants in small areas. Oh, I could go on and on. That's it then! Where's the gardening forum??

I poked around and didn't see a gardening or cooking forum at the Trap. Maybe someone could point me in the right direction if I somehow missed them. If not, these are HUGE topics that take up an entire forum in and of themselves. I noticed a fair interest in cooking at this site while creeping around the "What's Your Favorite Food" post, so if it isn't here already, cooking would make a great forum. I noticed that post garnered an incredible amount of interest. Food is integral to our lives, so may as well have a forum dedicated to it in all it's wonderful forms.As our food supply becomes more polluted, people are increasingly turning to growing, harvesting, and preparing their own food. So how 'bout a Gardening forum too? This time of the year, as our thoughts turn to the outdoors, gardening would be especially timely.

Sorry Buff, the $number include seems straight forward enought, but I'm still confused on "pagination." Could you write out what specific code I'm supposed to put into the News Pagination? Or, just whack me upside the head and maybe that will knock some sense into me. What I'm trying to do is show 6 (or whatever) posts on the homepage, then have a link at the bottom of that page that will link to "old news." Seems easy enough to do but I'm not having any luck so far. Thanks again! Forget the above the question, Buff. I finally figured it out. Guess it was so easy I overcomplicated it. Thanks again for recommending this excellent tool!

Well heck. I was going to download Notepad based on it's popularity in this thread, but when I visited Cnet to download it there were several different versions. Which version are most of you using? Also, is there a "lighter" (preferably free) alternative to Photoshop?

I'm using Cutenews on my website. I forgot to mention in my last post on this topic that Cutenews is news system that can be integrated into an existing website and can function like a blog. Well, I recently integrated cutenews into an existing site, and I'm wondering how I get the older news to show up on another page.For example, I'm using cutenews on my main index page. At the bottom of the page I'd like to put a link that says, "old news," and have that page open up into a new page of my older news/blogs that people can still post comments on. What would you suggest as the easiest way to do this? A point by point instruction would be most appreciated!Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks for the help, Buff. I entered the following code where you instructed:<b><font style="font-family:Tahoma; font-size:13px; color: 505050;">{title}</font></b> I can change the font family and size, but the color won't change unless I type in a word (like, "blue"). It won't render the color change if I use hex code. What the heck am I doing wrong? If I have to make the color changes in CSS (hope I don't have to), I'll need step by step instructions. --------------------- Ooops! Disregard the last question. I seem to have figured out -knock on wood:<b><font style="font-family:Tahoma; font-size:13px; color: #505050">{title}</font></b> Just forgot to put a stupid little number sign in front of the hex code. Not quite sure why sometimes than number sign is necessary, and sometimes it isn't. Seems pretty anal, but I don't care as long as it works! Geez, sometimes I wish I wasn't such a left-brainer. Thanks Buff and everyone else for you help!

I'm going to have to do some research on this before I can logically argue one way or the other. I have, from personal experience, witnessed two cases of transgender persons who chose to undergo a sex change operation, and in both cases, the individual in question ended up committing suicide after the procedure. In the first case, the individual worked for a government entity, who had to foot the bill for the horrendously expensive "procedure" of having his sex changed from male to female. This alone was enough to cause some degree of protest from other employees. Especially those who couldn't get said entity to even pay for necessary medical procedures that they needed. Sadly, he/she committed suicide within months of the operation.In the second case, the individual also chose to have a sex change from male to female. After a few years he/she went on a mad, drug-induced rampage of depositing his own excrement at neighbor's driveways and doorsteps, and it wasn't long after this that he finally took his own life. So, from my limited experience of this phenomenon, it seems the individuals in question were troubled from the start, and perhaps they thought a sex-change would make everything better. But instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect. The axiom, "Leave well enough alone," takes on new meaning in these cases.