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I'm in the boat with Cathy. Yes, it's real. How much do we have to do with it? That's questionable. The earth is a really complex system. I know that there are organisms in the ocean that change with the temperature to give off more or less gases that affect the global climate. We can't...

Demetrio, it sounds like you want to lecture Martin for punishment, and that's simply not your job. If we were to have a punishment thread where everyone comes by to lob an old head of lettuce at someone for breaking a rule, pretty soon we'd have nothing but chaos and lynching threads...

It's over now. I think the humanzee thing was just a cover for an animal rights show. Regardless, the chimp was a standout among chimps. Who knows? Maybe he was some product of beastiality. Such is life.

I'm watching this program on The Discovery Channel about this animal that's a possible human chimp mix from the 70s. Does anybody that was alive then remember this story? I've never heard anything about this, but it's crazy. I can't stop watching.

Love the show. Love all the characters. I love that Ned Flanders and Willie are both ripped. It always cracks me up when they pull their shirts off. So random. I have to agree that The Simpsons is one of the few quality shows on TV nowadays. Moto, now your avatar is promoting the...

Martin, I'm there with you. I have a 7 year girlfriend, and I still would rather go on a doubledate. One-on-one doesn't have the spark. Three or more people, preferably four, make for a good conversation. I don't know why. I'm sure someone here has some insight into it. Anway, those are...

Great quote. I love his sense of humor. I think in SH5 (or maybe it was an interview) he says something about the fact that "white guys" didn't use that word at that time. That cracked me up. You've got to admit that it's a twisted word.

I'm glad to hear that you like it. Please recommend any other novels that you feel are similar. I'm reading a lot of the same thing right now and could always use something new. I would say I'm in a rut, but I'm enjoying it too much. I can't seem to get enough of Vonnegut, history and...

Martin, do you feel like it leads to a certain tension? My family gets frustrated with me, but I just keep hoping that one day they will get it: I'm just a little different. They think I hate them, and nothing could be farther from the truth. I think it ties into that whole xenophobic...

I'm from a tightly knit conservative family. My brother was the blacksheep, and I am the loner that doesn't quite fit in. Everyone else in the family talks multiple times a day, but I just don't have that much to say, mainly because I have completely different interests for whatever reasons.

I know you guys have heard about it before, but if any of you are interested, animal domestication is actually one of the things covered by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs and Steel. From his point of view, animal domestication played a large part in determining history's course.

There's another great quote about mirrors in Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut. The fictitious author Kilgore Trout refers to mirrors as "leaks", and the phrase "taking a leak", which is a common term in the US for urinating, is used to refer to the act of stealing a mirror. If that sounds...

When two kids are fighting, you could just do what my parents always did. Just punish your kid and tell him it was his fault regardless of whether he was even involved. "You were in the general area playing by yourself. You're getting it too." That always pissed me off to no end. Hey...

Sometimes we put teachers and police officials in tough spots. When and how can I discipline? When and how can I defend myself? What are the exact words that I need to use so as not to be sued? I just read Freakonomics, and according to Levitt, studies show that how you're disciplined...

I don't think you can go wrong with KV. From the seven books I've read so far, some were better than others, but I would recommend any of them. Sometimes his material gets a little slow in the first half, before he really starts turning the crank, but after the story gets going, I can't put...

You guys reminded me of some things that I like or notice about Vonnegut. 1. He seems to have a universe that he writes from. The main character of Mother Night made an appearnce in Slaughterhouse Five. There are plenty of other instances. This is just my most recent encounter. Bernie...

I just finished Mother Night. That could be my favorite Vonnegut novel. However, there were no aliens or extra dimensions, which is different from the other books of his I've read. Mother Night is about life of a WWII Amercian intelligence asset before, during and after the war. Vonnegut...

We have a cultural diversity center at the university in my town, and people have expressed to me their shock that they had materials promoting the acceptance of homosexuality at the center.

Sometimes it does feel bleak, but remember that even some churches are accepting gay people now. There's always a silver lining, and unfortunately, a lightning bolt to strike those who look for it.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children." Yeah, really. We should outlaw books by all minorities. We don't want our children finding out about how people were lynched because of...