The Off Topic Topic

[Jacob]

When I went to a Catholic wedding a few years back we were allowed to take communion AND there was nonstop getting up/sitting down/kneeling.

I love it when they put a bit of caviar and creme fraiche on the wafers!

[alfred russel]

When I went to a Catholic wedding a few years back we were allowed to take communion AND there was nonstop getting up/sitting down/kneeling.

You definitely were not supposed to take communion. Noncatholics can participate, but they are supposed to be blessed by the priest rather than take the wafer.

When I was at mass as a kid, during communion a guy didn't consume the wafer and the priest chased him out of the church and made sure he ate it. The priest said he was concerned that it might get used in satanic rituals.

[alfred russel]

I dunno about that.  It was once commonplace that the priest placed the wafer directly on your tongue, but considering the increase in blood and bodily fluid awareness since the early '80s, the option to have it placed in your hands instead was offered and you can put it in your mouth instead on the way back to your pew.  But that might be an American thing.

In Poland everyone I saw has the wafer directly placed on the tongue. I felt a bit self conscious about this--from the time I was a kid I never took communion that way--always had it handed off. I was concerned about messing up the "Polish directly to the tongue" protocol. So I just went with what I knew, and the priest handed it off, same as in the US.

[Caliga]

You definitely were not supposed to take communion.

I do what I want.

[derspiess]

[The Brain]

You definitely were not supposed to take communion.

Seriously?

[Eddie Teach]

You definitely were not supposed to take communion.

I do what I want.

You sound like a Satanist.

[Martinus]

I dunno about that.  It was once commonplace that the priest placed the wafer directly on your tongue, but considering the increase in blood and bodily fluid awareness since the early '80s, the option to have it placed in your hands instead was offered and you can put it in your mouth instead on the way back to your pew.  But that might be an American thing.

In Poland everyone I saw has the wafer directly placed on the tongue. I felt a bit self conscious about this--from the time I was a kid I never took communion that way--always had it handed off. I was concerned about messing up the "Polish directly to the tongue" protocol. So I just went with what I knew, and the priest handed it off, same as in the US.

It may have changed - I don't think I have taken communion in 20 years or so.

[Admiral Yi]

Heard on NPR that this they are showing marijuana plants at this year's Oregon state fair.

[CountDeMoney]

Heard on NPR that this they are showing marijuana plants at this year's Oregon state fair.

Sounds reasonable.  It's a commercial crop.

[Hamilcar]

I have never taken LSD, but I imagine that it would be something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8j4THYLMus

[CountDeMoney]

I have never taken LSD, but I imagine that it would be something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8j4THYLMus

That entire side of the planet...just...it just needs to stop.

[Josquius]

And you just know that song was number 1 for 2 months in 2015




http://www.factfiend.com/secret-tower-middle-london/

For several decades, the BT Tower, a 600 foot tall tower that had been featured in shows like Dr Who and was visited daily by hundreds, if not thousands of people, was officially considered a secret by the British Government and its location was classified.

If you're curious about why, it's because when the tower was first proposed in the 1950's it was conceived as a place to house vital microwave communication technology that could be used in the event of nuclear attack. As such, its official location was deemed top secret, despite the fact the tower itself, was for a time, the tallest and hence most visible structure in all of London.

In a bizarre twist, although the tower supposedly contained and housed equipment that would be absolutely critical in the event of Britain coming under nuclear attack, it also featured a revolving restaurant on its 32nd floor that was visited by millions of people over the years.

In fact, the tower was quite a tourist attraction, and although no branch of the government would ever confirm its existence, the tower was featured prominently in an episode of freaking Doctor Who in the 60's. We don't mean like it was featured in the background or something. It was a central location in the 4 episode mini-arc, and it contained an evil robotic computer that was trying to take over the entire world. That's the kind of shit that sticks in your mind, especially when you realise it has a freaking rotating restaurant glued to the top of it. However, even though everyone in London knew where exactly the tower was and could probably see it from their bathroom window as they pinched a loaf, because its location was protected under the Official Secrets Act, for decades no one from the government could legally acknowledge its existence.

It wasn't until 1993, almost half a century after the tower was proposed that the whole charade was ended when a British MP stood up in the middle of parliament and announced its existence under the protection of parliamentary privilege, which allows MPs to break the law, if they really need to. Kind of like Batman with more red tape and less punching.

Which doesn't change the fact that for several decades, one of the biggest buildings in London didn't appear on any maps in case the Russian's used them to figure out where it was.

[garbon]

Yeah, I thought that was well known.

[mongers]

Couple of hours ago a B17 flew over the house, at about 500ft.