Who is "Mr. Z"?

A few years ago, I posted about a judge in New Zealand who just didn't understand the Internet. It turns out, they grow their judiciary pretty dense in the UK, too. Apparently, Sir Fred Goodwin, former chief of the Royal Bank of Scotland, has won a "superinjunction", preventing anyone in the UK from revealing that he is "Mr. Z", the plaintiff in a libel case. Yeah, like that's going to work out.

FAQ: Huh?

Yes, I know. I ask myself the same question sometimes.

FAQ: Have you stopped beating your children?

So I don't get questions exactly like that. But a large number of correspondents assume that, because I am a vocal advocate of the right of parents to choose corporal punishment, I practice it myself. In fact, I have never spanked my girls, and hope that I will never have to exercise that option.

FAQ: Fix it for me!

I'm the parent of a teenager, and I've suddenly realized s/he's out of control. What's the best way to spank my child?

OK, go back and read the page. See the part where I say that needing to spank an older child may be indicative of deeper problems? I'm talking about you. You've been what my mom has reservedly called "a flake" as a parent. Don't blame Mom, she's had to deal with a lot of you as a Guardian ad Litem. At this point there's no "right punishment" that's going to solve the problem, your whole family needs counseling. Now.

FAQ: Pedantry

Dave, you twit! You've misused "negative reinforcement."

Yup. But you knew what it meant, didn't you? (P.S. Good luck with your Psych degree)

FAQ: References?

I'm working on a pro-spanking speech/paper. Do you have any studies or references I can use?

Short answer: Nope
Long answer: Studies supporting spanking don't exist primarily because the necessity to defend spanking is a fairly new occurrence. Unfortunately, as the emotional anti-spanking rhetoric becomes more ingrained in our culture, studies supporting it won't be allowed because "it's abuse!"

That said, I wasn't kidding when I suggested Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers as a valuable resource. Chapter eight really does contain an excellent and very persuasive treatise on the validity of spanking.

FAQ: Can I quote you?

I'm working on a spanking-related speech/paper. Can I quote you?

Sure. Consider anything on my blog that isn't blatantly stolen from elsewhere to fall under the CC BY 3.0 license. I'd sure love it if you let me know, though. A copy of the final product would be cool, too.

Vell, Dave's just zis guy, you know?

A brief bio:

I was born in 1967. My parents moved frequently during my early childhood, but slowed down around second grade. I attended public schools until sixth grade, when I attended a private Christian school through ninth grade. I started college the following year at Gonzaga University, then completed my BS in Computer Science at Eastern Washington University, with about nine months off to work for my uncle about 300 miles away.

Somewhere between 20 and 40, I realized I was, and always had been despite all professions to the contrary, an atheist. The universe requires no explanation beyond itself, and I am the fortunate consequence of fourteen billion years or so of matter and energy behaving in a uniform manner. I can live with that.

I met my wife in 1993, and we were married in 1995. We have two daughters, born in 1996 and 2000. I am currently employed as a software build engineer, and my wife has her hands full just keeping the household in one piece.

Nathan Fillion's 7-Layer Bean Dip of the Gods

Nathan Fillion tweeted the recipe to his famed (of the Dr. Horrible COMMENTARY track) 7-layer bean dip of the gods.  See here and here for the intro tweets.

Layer one: Large can of fat free vegetarian refried beans.
Layer two: mix taco seasoning into low fat sour cream and spread over beans.
Layer three: four large diced tomatoes (use your jug dement for adequate coverage.
Layer four: Guacamole. (I use avocados mixed with Herdez mild salsa). Tomatoes will anchor the sour cream layer.
Layer five: one cute little can of diced green chilies. Suggest wee flinging through fingers for even spreaddage.
Layer six: one cute little can of black olives. Same technique for spreaddage.
Layer seven: shredded Mexican cheese mix. Or to taste. I use a whole bag.

Serving instructions:

Casserole dish for dip, and a strong chip like Mission Rounds. Dip is thick- will destroy lesser chips. Maybe stock up on Beano, too.