Also worth noting that the Jesuits also aren't real big on the vow of obedience, either.

Yet they have a special one about obedience directly to the Pope that is different than most other orders.

During the Reformation, they were often considered the Pope's Army.

Also, one of the guys behind the Gunpowder Plot, Garnet, I think, was a Jesuit.

The order that educated me was Sisters of Notre Dame. Not the French version, but the German.

The name of billy's link told me all I needed to know about not clicking on it. It has the word giant in it. Not a good adjective with the critters in question.

The spider in question is a golden orb spider, or Nephila. They can be big buggers, with a body length over 5 cm. There was a prehistoric version 165 milliion years ago, Nephila jurassica, which reached 24 cm long (and is the largest spider we know of).

They are venomous and their bite causes a reaction, but it's not powerful enough to be particularly dangerous. A black widow spider poses a greater threat. Unless you're a snake, apparently.

I remember that scarf they made out of golden orb silk. Stunningly beautiful.

SO not clicking Billytea's link. No.

I would love to visit Australia. Just with no spiders.

I would love to visit Australia. Just with no spiders.

I recommend southern Australia. (Incidentally: Sydney has the genuinely venomous funnelweb spider, but in all the visits I have made to Sydney in my forty-plus years, I have never seen one outside a zoo, not even once.)

The spider in question is a golden orb spider, or Nephila.

Really? Because I was going to go with Acromantula.

Spiders fascinate me. Over *there*.

Have a wonderful trip, sarameg!

Funnel web was caught in the house where I was staying. Fun times.

Ugh, creepy as fuck and still mad adrenalized.

Woke up a few minutes ago to hear this loud repeated banging/thudding sound. Couldn't figure out where it was coming from or what it could be--was it from the townhouse next door? Why would someone be repeatedly dropping or throwing a large object at 3:30AM?Hoped it would stop, since it woke me up.

Then suddenly the doorbell started ringing, repeatedly. I thought "is it a neighbor? Is the house on fire?" and came downstairs, looked out the peephole...and saw someone in a black helmet (like a skater helmet). And I said "WHO IS IT?" and he said "me". And I was like "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" and ...he walked away. But then a minute later as I was still looking out the peephole, he walked back up my porch, opened the screen door, and looked about to start ringing the bell again, but then walked away. I was like "WTF, where is he going? To go bust in someone else's door? Or one of my windows? Is he drunk or crazy? WTF"

Ended up calling 911 and they said they're sending cops to come look (from my peephole, I can tell he's not still on my porch, but not if he's gone). But freaky scary. And now I can't sleep (plus the cops are supposedly calling or knocking once they've looked, and no idea how long it'll take before they're here).

GRRRRR. Don't fuck with me crazy people.

While we are promoting our favorite religious orders, I have to plug the Sisters of St. Joseph, who, at my college, were all Ph.Ds and scholars-- very smart and kind. Sadly, I am pretty sure the goup in rochester will die out in the next 20 or so years. I think the youngest one is in her 0's by now.

I would have become a nun, for the very worst reasons, had I been Catholic. The professors lives seemed perfect to me- study, work, help people and have no worries about a roof over your head, clothes on your back, etc. Although I did actually hear that their families had to buy their clothes, not the order and they gave their salaries to the order.