So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[tonyb]

I'm sure there is. There's also the detritus of half a dozen forums out there run by folks who had to be shown the door from this place. None of them seemed to last much more than a few months to a year, but then I guess there's only so many times they can tell each other how much cooler they are than the squares on TFL before they get bored and move on themselves.

This place at times was more than a little off-puttingly square going back a decade or more ago. It was common to come across trash-talking about “hippies” and, more recently, “hipsters” around here. But wotthehell, it certainly isn’t that everything I said a decade and longer ago I would defend today.

We had regular (too regular) participants here who essentially filibustered. And who repeatedly pushed the limits of the “no politics” rule. We still have a couple-three I can think of who do the same. Or try to, anyway.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Online communities are naturally the one tricky point, when it comes to our old german "Art Copyright Act", launched in 1907.

The EU-DSGVO is for business, so professional photographers are now hardly restricted.
But it provides "national exceptions" for special matters, so we hobby photographers are still under the protection of the 1907s ArtCopyrightAct, without any change.

But (private) online communities are of course bringing the borderline situation, when the digital world melts together and it will be very interesting, how this journey will go far for private/hobby photographing!

 

[Zombie_61]

...I've heard of 'people of walmart', but Walmartians is an amusing term I've not previously encountered...

I learned of the two terms, and their synonymous meanings, in that very order. At first I thought it was all planned in advance--people deliberately dressing this way and having themselves photographed as a practical joke on the general public. But then I heard from people who claimed to have seen people at Walmart on occasion who were dressed...strangely...so I began paying more attention myself whenever I've been forced into visiting one of their stores. I can't say I've seen anything as "extreme" as the People of Walmart or Walmartians, but I have seen a few people who made me think how unusual it was that some people are allowed to go out in public unsupervised.

 

[Edward]

I learned of the two terms, and their synonymous meanings, in that very order. At first I thought it was all planned in advance--people deliberately dressing this way and having themselves photographed as a practical joke on the general public. But then I heard from people who claimed to have seen people at Walmart on occasion who were dressed...strangely...so I began paying more attention myself whenever I've been forced into visiting one of their stores. I can't say I've seen anything as "extreme" as the People of Walmart or Walmartians, but I have seen a few people who made me think how unusual it was that some people are allowed to go out in public unsupervised.

I do struggle with that myself, and have to constantly bear in mind that while it's unfathomable to me, there are plenty of people out there for whom clothes really are nothing more than a way of either keeping warm, avoiding being arrested, having pockets in which to carry necessary stuff, or all of the above.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Does Wisconsin make classic german "Sauerkraut in the glass", next to Rollmops & Co.?

I mean the classic ingredients white cabbage, salt, carrot bits, caraway seed, nothing more.

 

[Zombie_61]

I do struggle with that myself, and have to constantly bear in mind that while it's unfathomable to me, there are plenty of people out there for whom clothes really are nothing more than a way of either keeping warm, avoiding being arrested, having pockets in which to carry necessary stuff, or all of the above.

I've been a "jeans and tee shirt" guy my whole life so, in the eyes of some people, I'm not too far removed from the "pajamas in public" crowd. But I do still feel it necessary to draw the line somewhere.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've honestly never seen any "people of Wal Mart" at our local Wal Mart. I see a lot of people in nondescript work clothes, a lot of people in knockoff winter coats, a lot of people in stained jeans, knee-high rubber boots, faded Red Sox caps, and gray hoodies with "M/V Margaret Ann" or some such inscription on the back, and a lot of kids wearing what kids wear, but I've never seen anyone, in the real world. who looks like the people who get their pictures on these websites. Which makes me question the veracity of the whole enterprise.

 

[Zombie_61]

Does Wisconsin make classic german "Sauerkraut in the glass", next to Rollmops & Co.?

I mean the classic ingredients white cabbage, salt, carrot bits, caraway seed, nothing more.

No. This is the U.S., so they need to add preservatives like Sodium Benzoate and Sodium Metabisulfite, and stabilizers like Polysorbate 80 to hold the whole thing together.

 

[tonyb]

One of my favorite garments, going back three or four decades, was a dark purple satin pajama top with white piping and big white buttons and a breast pocket. Three-quarter length sleeves, as I recall. I wore it in public frequently, a pack o’ Winstons in that pocket.

 

[Fifty150]

I got my 3rd Moderna today. My occupation qualifies for the booster shot, and it is strongly advised. I got there about 12:15, then spent about 15 minutes looking for parking. I gave up. I parked by the rear service door which is suppose to be for emergency vehicles, commercial loading, and staff. Once I got to the screening area where they check ID and fill out forms, I got a shot within minutes. There's a waiting area where they monitor patients for 15 minutes after the shot. Several nurses and a doctor on hand. A paramedic crew in case anyone needed to be rushed to an emergency room. They are suppose to engage the patients, so that they can observe your behavior and responses. The doc came around to see how I was doing. I did not have beads of sweat on my forehead, I wasn't involuntarily twitching, I was not unbuttoning or removing any clothing, my face wasn't flush, my pupils weren't dilated or constricted, I wasn't slurring my speech, I wasn't drooling, I didn't lose equilibrium and fall over......

I said that I was going to grab a few things and make a quick lunch. Chinatown has butchers, fish mongers, produce stands.....you can buy everything fresh. There's a little specialty shop which makes bean sprouts, tofu, and soy milk.

As I was sitting on my bike and checking my the phone for messages, missed calls, e-mail, and Amazon to see if my package was being delivered on time; the doc came out the back door. She asked if I was really going to some little shop that makes fresh soy milk and tofu, and if I can show her the shop. Yeah, okay. Let's go. I'll be your tour guide.

The shop specializes in fresh noodles, bean sprouts, tofu, and soy milk. A few fresh vegetables. The store is about the size of a small motel room. Their business is mainly distributing. Restaurants and other resellers order from them.

"Everything looks so fresh. I'm out of my league. I have no idea what to do with this stuff. Are you going to teach me how to cook it?"

Alright. Since we have never met before, and don't know each other, I might as well invite you to my place. I have beer. I start drinking in daylight hours. It's cultural. Stir fry is cultural. We get a pan, put food in the pan, and stir it around. I made a simple stir fry. Beef, tofu, and the bean sprout.

We each had a beer in the kitchen. Then another beer with lunch. After lunch, we had another beer as we chit chatted. This lady owes me a 6 pack. She pulls out her phone and shows me the government's website, where it said that people were eligible for a Covid booster for "social inequalities". As a medical professional, she felt that everyone should be able to access the vaccine booster. As a person of color, she had a different viewpoint.

What? Why does it have to be about race? As it's now explained to me, that's exactly what it's about. If you are a certain race, then come on in and here's your shot. If you're the wrong race, sorry, you can't have a booster shot.

"Of course it's about race. Everything is about race. People just don't want to say it. Nobody wants to admit that they see each other as people of different skin color. How do you think people would act if we were out in public, as a couple? If we held hands, and displayed affection? And it's not just the people in Chinatown. What if you went to my church? How do you think those people would react? Or anywhere else in public? Everybody would look at us with judgment and opinion. White, Black, Latino, Asian....all of them. How many Asian guys are in public with Black girlfriends?"

Lady, you still owe me a 6 pack.

In modern society, people still object to inter-racial couples. That is so trivial. Yet it really ticks me off.

 

[Edward]

I've honestly never seen any "people of Wal Mart" at our local Wal Mart. I see a lot of people in nondescript work clothes, a lot of people in knockoff winter coats, a lot of people in stained jeans, knee-high rubber boots, faded Red Sox caps, and gray hoodies with "M/V Margaret Ann" or some such inscription on the back, and a lot of kids wearing what kids wear, but I've never seen anyone, in the real world. who looks like the people who get their pictures on these websites. Which makes me question the veracity of the whole enterprise.

Inevitably there'll be a strong element of 'man bites dog' in there, I would expect.

One of my favorite garments, going back three or four decades, was a dark purple satin pajama top with white piping and big white buttons and a breast pocket. Three-quarter length sleeves, as I recall. I wore it in public frequently, a pack o’ Winstons in that pocket.

This caused an old memory to surface: back in my undergraduate years, I remember wandering about at a festival with a particular pyjama top on. I may even have worn the full lot one night, as a conscious costume. If memory serves, it was a mix of homage to an early eighties Boomtown Rats tour on which they wore pjs as stagewear, and a defiant, anti-cool aspect to it in that when I was younger the idea of wearing pyjamas, rather than an old t-shirt or whatever the kids were into, was about as far from cool as it was possible to get, but I liked them so I wore them. I've seen a few pj bits and pieces in recent years which weren't all that far off some Western wear and could easily have passed as a shirt.

 

[Turnip]

One of my favorite garments, going back three or four decades, was a dark purple satin pajama top with white piping and big white buttons and a breast pocket. Three-quarter length sleeves, as I recall. I wore it in public frequently, a pack o’ Winstons in that pocket.

One of mine has been a yellow T-Shirt with Speedy Gonzales covering the whole front at that time.

 

[Trenchfriend]

The "Walmart effect" isn't so much visible in our smalltown supermarkets, despite there's a real difference between Edeka, Rewe and the LIDL. But the Edeka is near north-west townend, the Rewe is central and the LIDL is south-east townend.
Because the LIDL is aside our two 70s/80s GDR ghettos , you see the social reality clearer than in the two other markets. Especially, when you are very seldom there. But that has not so much to do with the market itself.

BUT we got a hospital (staff 1.800) here on a hill. And when you walk by or in there, you really think to see another Germany. The scene there always looks exactly like the typical rotten german big city! And of course many people from outside, there, including visitors. And you could call it "smokers island", if you want.

 

[Turnip]

Here in a western town we got two pretty large EDEKA stores, same franchiser/owner, that almost only got the home brand range in common, rest is totally different. Low cost range all over the downtown market, „high“ cost range at large variety in „bacon belt“ suburbia.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
In many American cities the situation has flipped — the “inner cities” have gentrified, with housing now priced well out of reach for most of us working-class schmucks, while the suburbs are now where the relatively affordable housing is.

During a recent phone conversation with a fellow I’ve known 50 years, who had, like me, lived not so long ago in a close-in urban neighborhood, and who, like me, now lives in what we used to think of as the hinterlands, said of his new surroundings, “It has more soul.”

 

[LizzieMaine]

Does Wisconsin make classic german "Sauerkraut in the glass", next to Rollmops & Co.?

I mean the classic ingredients white cabbage, salt, carrot bits, caraway seed, nothing more.

About 1500 miles east of Wisconsin, but we do have these folks just down the road...

https://www.morsessauerkraut.com/

The town, Waldoboro, has a strong tradition of traditional German food, which makes sense since it was founded in the 18th century by a group of German immigrants who were conned into coming to New England as part of an elaborate real estate swindle. As the saying goes, "when life hands you cabbage, make sauerkraut."

 

[tonyb]

I was born in Wisconsin and lived most of the first dozen years of my life there. I can’t say that I ever made sauerkraut myself, but oldtimer relatives did. They made sausage, too. And canned vegetables. Et cetera.

Those people are gone now. I doubt their survivors do any of that, or, if they do, it wouldn’t be as a matter of necessity or even economy. It would be little more than a hobby these days.

 

[Edward]

^^^^^
In many American cities the situation has flipped — the “inner cities” have gentrified, with housing now priced well out of reach for most of us working-class schmucks, while the suburbs are now where the relatively affordable housing is.

During a recent phone conversation with a fellow I’ve known 50 years, who had, like me, lived not so long ago in a close-in urban neighborhood, and who, like me, now lives in what we used to think of as the hinterlands, said of his new surroundings, “It has more soul.”

That's certainly happening here in London. When I bought my flat in Whitechapel in 2001, I could have gone to Hackney for much less, but Hackney back then was the murder mile. Twenty years later, Hackney, Dalston.... all these areas I would never have felt safe in then are way beyond what I could ever hope to afford to buy. The trick seems to be to be in a position to be able to afford to buy somewhere you don't have to live in until the area gets bearable...

 

[Hercule]

People of such a weak constitution who, at the least sign of discomfort have to take the day off or otherwise expect you to pick up their slack. I got a text message this morning "I've got a cold or something can you cover?" Seriously, he was just fine yesterday. Suck it up and get to work. You wear a mask all day anyway.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Coworkers who brag about their big Thanksgiving plans, when the holiday will be the only day off you'll have all month and you don't want to do anything but huddle in a dark room.