The time. In red. I really love that.
(eta: it may also imply the existence of Uma Thurman, I'm not sure)
Mal: Inara, think you could stoop to being on my arm? Inara: Will you wash it first?
'Heart Of Gold'
Natter 36: But We Digress...
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
-t - Jun 28, 2005 7:14:02 am PDT #5065 of 10001
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
brenda m - Jun 28, 2005 7:14:25 am PDT #5066 of 10001
If you're going through hell/keep on going/don't slow down/keep your fear from showing/you might be gone/'fore the devil even knows you're there
I've developed an Extremely Heretical interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis as being a folk memory of the transition to an agricultural lifestyle, with all the trade-offs that entailed.
Ooh, interesting. I'll have to think on that one.
The New Yorker had a fascinating article on the height question about a year ago. IIRC, one of the things they mention was that Charlemagne was something like 6'8" and not at all out of the norm. But I think it's not just diet related as it is the growth of cities that shrunk us. (Which of course follows from the adoption of agriculture, so not entirely off.)
eta: Found it. [link]
tommyrot - Jun 28, 2005 7:16:06 am PDT #5067 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
But I think it's not so much diet related as it is the growth of cities that shrunk us.
So we'll evolve shorter legs after generations of air travel?
Strix - Jun 28, 2005 7:24:06 am PDT #5068 of 10001
A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to flee from zombies. — Ginger
We're already evolving bigger asses after two generations of TV and TV dinners.
-t - Jun 28, 2005 7:24:53 am PDT #5069 of 10001
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration
I have short legs and a big ass, I am the future!
sarameg - Jun 28, 2005 7:30:52 am PDT #5070 of 10001
When I was at Gettysburg a few weeks back, we marvelled at how TINY men were at that time. A lot of the uniforms on display wouldn't fit on my mom, and she's fairly small. Nutrition kinda sucked for them.
Susan W. - Jun 28, 2005 7:34:16 am PDT #5071 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
I think I have a similar interpretation, Susan. It hangs together quite well. We can be heretical together.
Hey, cool. I need more fellow heretics to hang out with. And it does hang together, IMO, especially if you see it as about 50% folk memory and 50% allegory--"Want to be like gods, you little hairless apes? Fine, but realize that with the power to create comes the power to destroy, and the power to dominate, and that there's not a one of you who's pure enough to never misuse your gifts."
At least, that's the Fall of Man according to Susan W.
Steph L. - Jun 28, 2005 7:35:08 am PDT #5072 of 10001
this mess was yours / now your mess is mine
"Want to be like gods, you little hairless apes? Fine, but realize that with the power to create comes the power to destroy, and the power to dominate, and that there's not a one of you who's pure enough to never misuse your gifts."
Cool -- that's the current JLU storyline!
Jesse - Jun 28, 2005 7:40:36 am PDT #5073 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
That New Yorker article was fascinating -- especially the stuff about how it's not really genetics that sets people's height. I totally would have assumed that the reason the "average American" wasn't getting taller was because of shorter people immiigrating here.
Susan W. - Jun 28, 2005 7:44:08 am PDT #5074 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights
When I was at Gettysburg a few weeks back, we marvelled at how TINY men were at that time. A lot of the uniforms on display wouldn't fit on my mom, and she's fairly small. Nutrition kinda sucked for them.
While researching the work-in-progress, I stumbled across some statistics about the enlisted men of Wellington's army. Average height was somewhere around 5'4" or 5'5". I'm not sure what the average height of a modern British man is, but it's something significantly above 5'5", or I'd have felt like a giant when I lived there.