Bio

As a gifted amateur drinker in high school, when I applied to university, I won the first drinking scholarship my college ever gave out. Unfortunately, after seeing me in action the old alma matter cancelled that program and replaced it with a course in the Heuristics and theory of self destructive behaviour among Catholics educated by Jesuits. During those years the dean would have put me on academic suspension, but he didn't bother as the smart money was on me not making it through the term. Years later when I met the man, he confided that his greatest regret was not having suspended me, as I likely didn't deserve the two degrees I drank my way though. After which comment he ordered another round and we got on famously. I would only add that my time in college was not wasted as I drank and chatted my way through many a lecture with a wide variety of strippers, at various levels of undress, working the bars where I most commonly studied. In my defense I'm still interested in T&A; chi square distributions not so much.


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Cas Balicki
Name:
Cas Balicki
Hometown:
Coquitlam, B.C., Canada (suburb of Vancouver)
Joined:
Jun 10, 2010

Recent Comments

Cas Balicki

[Ed.'s Note: Comment removed. Please review Code of Conduct.]

Edited on November 2, 2011 at 7:08pm
Cas Balicki

What no word from the editor? A whole half-hour has gone by and no editor has taken my complaint about the sexist, page-three nature of the photographic illustration seriously. What gives? Are some complainants around here more equal than others? I want this situation dealt with. Where are all the outraged female members? Should they not, to a woman, be hitting their send buttons. This is an outrage! Editor! I demand you do something!

Cas Balicki

Fredösphere: I get "slut" but what's with "slut-tat"? I never heard that before.

If absolutely pressed, you can always soften the blow by using archaic terms. My favorite is "strumpet". Those plosives make it easy to put some force into it when you say it; it reinforces the righteous indignation. · Nov 2 at 10:20am

[Comment redacted by an editor]

Edited on November 2, 2011 at 8:43pm
Cas Balicki

Oh where! Oh where! are the mother-hen editors? Shouldn't you be clucking all over this thread? Shouldn't you be outraged at the sexist, page-three nature of the photo posted?Perhaps, I should make some comments about well oiled and ready to use guns? Would that earn me the coveted complaint-of-the day award? Editor, don't look now, but your hypocrisy is on full display. And editor: if you don't like this post, remember you started this food fight.

Edited on November 2, 2011 at 6:16pm
Cas Balicki

This story has Newfie Bullet written all over it.

Cas Balicki

slat·tern [slat-ern] 

noun

1.slovenly, untidy woman or girl. 2.a slut, harlot.

Added to: The most famous reference to a harlot is in The Revelation of John. For those who may not be aware that is the last book of the Bible as in The Holy Bible! In The Revelation of John that nasty word is used symbolically as a reference to Rome. 

And lest any forget, Jesus Christ's resurrection was first made know to a witness who was for most of her life best described as a prostitute or by synonym a slut or by another synonym a harlot. Seems to me if Christ saw fit to preach and minister to such people, who are we to suddenly become better than such saints.

Edited on November 1, 2011 at 11:42pm
Cas Balicki

The beauty in all this is that it could be the first time in history that Chicken Little is right. Short the Euro!

Cas Balicki

Preserved Killick

 my husband's sister's husband's sister's husband, if you can follow that.·

Wow! OK, i think i got there - but only after finding an analog in my family. Tom, if you're reading this, that's you! · Oct 27 at 7:43am

Edited on Oct 27 at 07:43 am

A brother-in-law once removed by marriage is the term you're looking for, I think. But, being divorced, one could argue that relationships, especially in-law, are not my strong suit.

Edited on October 27, 2011 at 8:03pm
Cas Balicki

What we saw here was a class 'A" beat down. Thank you Prof. Epstein. I enjoyed it so much I'm going to watch it again and again. And to think people want to defund PBS. 

Cas Balicki
The King Prawn: This post earns my vote for a like button on original posts. Thanks Cas. · Oct 26 at 6:46pm

You are most welcome.

As an aside I finished The Elegant Universe several weeks ago. Thanks for the prod. I can't say I understand, but I can say that I am now confused at a much higher level. 

Cas Balicki
Flagg Taylor:  Beautiful stuff Cas.  Re: your last graph.  Do you mean to suggest that history as usually written doesn't capture the depth and detail of memory?  And further that memory itself is selective and incomplete and hence often doesn't seize opportunities to really enlighten?  I would add we often don't know the import of our own memories--or we may turn away from memory by design.  All of this suggests to me the importance of oral history projects and recording the testimony of living witnesses.  I met a fellow in Prague who was working on an oral history project: interviewing Czech survivors of Soviet labor camps.  His interview subjects must have spent a good part of their lives trying NOT to remember. · Oct 26 at 8:09pm

My mother was involved in an oral history when she died.

Flagg, what I deeply regret is not having pushed my father to talk more about the war. That is the lost opportunity to which I refer.

As for history in general it is always the story of great sweep, the world as it came to be. What we forget is that history is always made by individuals. 

Cas Balicki

Sorry to get to your podcast so late, but it was excellent, You're definitely on the the right track, meaning a combination of relaxed and informative. Only one small point, can you do something about the reverb? In your interview with Tim Groseclose, R.J., you sound as if you're speaking in an empty warehouse. 

Cas Balicki

If you set a cow free and she comes back to you, can you kill and eat her?

Cas Balicki

Beasley  Every Klavan on the Culture makes me laugh out loud. But it's comedy for conservatives as are all your examples. · Oct 25 at 12:13pm

Edited on Oct 25 at 12:13 pm

This, too, is cyclic. I know it doesn't seem that way, but it is.

Cas Balicki

I, generally, don't get indignant. But, I will register discontent.

Beasley, you do, however, assume too much. First, that the ignorant are generally able to pick up subtlety and humour—we will have to agree to disagree on this point. My contention is that some persons must be told directly or they will just not get it, which is not to say in an obnoxious, irritated,or irate manner. Second, you assume that the ignorant will learn when the reason they are ignorant is that they have resisted learning and are likely to continue that resistance. Being clever with such people only confirms your opinion of yourself to you. Third, as conservatives, we assume that our trenchant arguments and our good grace will win the day, because we are smart and gracious—this is not the case.

My default position is that I would rather not argue with anyone about anything, and if we were in the same room, Beasley, I am sure that within twenty minutes you would be asking about that quiet guy in the corner. Well, that quiet guy would be me.

Cas Balicki

My problem comes when I hear stuff that should not be allowed a free pass. Most often it comes in the form of bigotry. I have to decide at that point whether I should object or keep my mouth shut. Over the years I have learned every subtle form of objection there might be. I am also adept at using humour to air my objections. What I have found is that when you use subtlety or humour, the persons making the objectionable comments are generally too ignorant to hear the ojection and take it as licence to continue. 

Most often persons say offensive things, because they think or feel they are not offensive. Once my complaint is registered they no longer feel that way. We as conservatives spend too much or our lives biting our tongues, albeit, sometimes for good reason. This reticence, unfortunately, leaves the field wide open to nonsense and even downright stupidity. But, let's get one thing perfectly clear, there are people of a bumptious nature that can never be won over, and I will never surrender the field to these idiots.  

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