Corporal Punishment

 

I ran across this a while back, when going through some of my old FetLife posts, and felt it would be good to include here. It was saved to Notepad++, and I don't remember where the original thread was, or I'd have a link to it.

OP is original post/poster (ie: the person who started the thread)

Anything (except this line) formatted like this is quoting someone else.

Everything else is my words.

---

OP:

Do Goreans still use corporal punishment as a deterrent for misbehavior or disobedience by a slave?

Some do, some don't. It is really all a matter of individual preference and what works best for each dynamic.

OP:

(It is mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the Gor Book series).

Hamstringing a runaway slave is also mentioned multiple times in the books, as well as throwing displeasing slaves to ravenous beasts, or just killing them outright.
Just because something in done, mentioned, or even promoted in the books doesn't necessarily mean it is a good idea to practise in reality. Doesn't mean it isn't either.. but we must use our brains and apply self mastery.

OP:

What method would you employ?

I would, and have used various different methods for disciplining errant slaves, including the whip/paddle, a gag made of a nylon stocking and a chunk of soap (for lying), essays, holding a penny to the wall with one's nose for a specified amount of time (the penny drops and the timer restarts), and many other creative things.
What I choose is carefully considered and based on both the infraction and the slave in question. What will work marvellously well on one slave will backfire horribly with another.

OP:

Is it legal?

That really all depends.
The harsh reality is that ANY punishment, even essay writing (especially if it includes reminders of the slave's station) or the penny on the wall thing, can be classified as abuse if the slave decides to cry foul.
It can be considered emotional abuse, and you can end up with a restraining order and a DV conviction on your record pretty easily if things go badly.

That's one of the reasons it is SO very important to really know who you are getting involved with BEFORE the collar goes on! There are a lot of warnings out there for the would be slaves (as there should be!), but too many free forget that we are vulnerable too.

OP:

How can we in today's society act in a manner that still allows a Master to discipline yet not cross the line of domestic violence or physical abuse?

That depends on whether we are talking about the strict legal definition of "abuse" or DV, or the spirit of the thing.

A person cannot legally consent to abuse or give up their human rights. Slavery is illegal, and treating someone as a slave legally constitutes abuse, at least in most of the countries in which we (of the Gorean community) reside.

The technicalities aside though, in order to avoid falling into patterns of abuse of any sort requires a high level of self mastery. One cannot.. CAN-NOT .. master another person without having mastered oneself. Oh.. you can pretend to, and many will even believe that it is mastery, but it will, ultimately, fail, and probably spectacularly.

A few pointers:

• Never punish/discipline when angry, with the exception of sending the slave to some form of time out/the cage/its room/etc while you cool down and decide on an appropriate punishment.
• Always make sure that the slave understands that it is being punished, and why.
• Never attempt to punish the slave once they have withdrawn consent. Even if you think you know better or they previously agreed that you had the right to not allow them to withdraw consent.. Once they have done so, you no longer have a say, ethically or legally. Like it or not, what we do is consensual, and once it ceases to be consensual, then it is abuse.

Another conversation participant:

if you need to beat somebody into compliance, then there is an issue which goes deeper than the original transgression.

That is true, however, the thing you may not be taking into account here, is that many slaves really do NEED the lash occasionally, in order to feel secure in their place.

It is like a purging.. expungement. It often makes it so that the slave can feel like the slate is clean. I know.. you're meant to take your owner's word for it, and if he says it is done, then it is, but emotions cannot be ordered. You feel what you feel, and need what you need. An owner may as well cut the slave and order her not to bleed as try to order her to feel a certain way, or not feel a certain way.

So yeah.. anyone who has to beat compliance into a slave is not a master, but sometimes it is the slave who needs it, and a good master will understand that.

A different, other conversation participant:

This law of nature is the root of abuse and cyclical problems that promote beatings. When a swat on the fanny does not get the desired results, then a paddle is used...when that doesn't work, then its the cane, whip, belt, fists, kicking down stairs...etc. Where does it end? It ends in a very unhappy place that is ugly to behold and painful consequences of misery.

That is true if you allow it to do so, but one who has mastered themselves will not ever allow things to deteriorate to that level. If reasonable forms of punishment.. and by, "reasonable", I mean that which not do actual harm to the slave, physically, emotionally, or mentally; and/or talking it out and trying to get to the root of the problem, do not work, then it should end there. As in, perhaps the person is not cut out to be a slave, or at least not your slave, and it's time to cut them loose.

My 8.3 cents worth

Kitchen/Pantry Bare Essentials ~ Where to Begin and How to Use Them (every day preps)

Most of this post was originally a part of this much longer one, posted near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For everyone who says or thinks, "I wouldn't even know where to begin!", when it comes to home cooking, prepping, learning to save more money and be more self sufficient, etc, this post is for you!

 
This lists out basic things you need to have on hand in your kitchen in order to make a meal from just about anything - or even just from those things, in times of desperation. 

  I'm listing them in order of importance, so if you are on a REALLY tight budget, you know what things to prioritise and buy first. 

Please note that ALL of this assumes you have a source of potable water. If you don't have water, you won't need to worry about food, because dehydration will get you far faster than hunger. It doesn't even have to be bottled water from the store, if your municipal water is safe to drink! Just fill some empty milk jugs, soda/juice bottles, or whatever sealing containers you have with tap water and keep them on hand. Bottled water is further down on the list, but still included as an essential to get in your pantry or stored somewhere in your home when you are able.

1. Oil/Fat (vegetable oil, coconut oil, lard, bacon grease, shortening, butter, ghee... any kind of fat will do.)
2. Flour
3. Salt (Note: If you only have one kind of salt on hand, it should be iodized salt, for the necessary nutrients it contains.) 

These first three items are the most crucial, and, along with some water, can provide you with at least basic sustenance for far longer than you might think. We're talking weeks or more here. No lie.

Yeah, you are going to get unhealthy eventually, you won't be running any marathons, and you'll get really tired of it, but you won't starve. And with minimal add ins - whatever scraps or bits of pretty much anything, you can turn a few, random bits of things into an actual meal that will make whatever you have stretch as much as it needs to.

With nothing but flour, oil, salt, and water, you can make:

• Tortillas
• Frybread
• Fried dough/biscuits
• Naan/Pita/flatbread
• Dumplings (no oil needed)
• Sourdough starter and bread
• Pasta (The linked recipe calls for olive oil, but ANY oil or fat will do)
• Roux (the base for many sauces and gravies) and, with that, a simple gravy for your breads or sauce for your pasta.
• pie crust
• Hardtack (extremely long lasting survival bread rations)
And surely some other things that I am forgetting. Add in sugar and baking soda or powder to that, and the list more than quadruples!
But before we get to those extras, lets move on to a higher priority item...

4. Dry Beans

These are next on the list because they are a valuable source of protein and other nutrients that will help give you energy and keep you going, so you are able to function better and longer. 

Beans are pretty versatile too. You can make them sweet or savoury, and, depending on what spices or other things you toss in, can be cuisine from pretty much ANY part of the world! Even without extra stuff to put in it though, other than some salt, they will provide nutrition and calories, and can keep you going a lot longer than just the flour based stuff.

5. Milk Powder

Typical powdered milk, unless you get Peak milk, or similar higher end milk powder, admittedly does not taste very good for drinking, but it DOES provide calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other nutrients we get from dairy. 

This one is especially important if you have children in the home, but adults need dairy too; women more so than men. Besides the nutritional value, this also expands your food options a lot. 

With milk, you can turn your roux into white sauce to put on your pasta, or white gravy, AKA country gravy. You can add the milk powder into breads for texture, flavour, and extra nutrition, add it into beans/soups/etc to make them into a creamy dish. You can even use the hardtack recipe, rolled out thinner and cut smaller, to make cereal - hot or cold.

6. Sugar

Once you add sugar into the mix, you can sweeten things, and also speed up the process of culturing yeast for your bread. It's also good for adding some calories and quick energy to things.

7. Baking Soda
8. Baking Powder

These open up your baking quite a bit, as they provide leavening to things. So now you can add quick breads, biscuits, pancakes, and more.

9. Pepper

It is amazing what a difference in taste you can get with just adding some pepper to things! Other spices are great too, but if you can only get one type per shopping trip, start with pepper.

10. Spices/dried herbs

What and how many spices you decide to keep on hand is completely up to you, but I encourage building up your spice cabinet a lot, even if it is only one new thing per month! With different seasoning, you can turn even the simple fare with only the items above into a great variety of different, tasty dishes.

11. Dried veggie mix

This keeps pretty much forever, and will add lots more nutrition to your diet, along with more taste, texture, and variety, and will help keep you from getting scurvy. (NOT a joke!) One pound of dried veg mix will last a long time, takes up very little space/weight, and at under $12.00(USD), It's cheaper per prepared pound than canned stuff, which isn't as good, weighs more, and takes up a lot more space.

12. Rice

Don't get the instant/minute stuff! It doesn't keep as well, doesn't taste as good, has a weird texture, and costs a lot more per pound. Go with regular old rice. If you're getting long grain, parboiled is fine, just as long as it is ONLY parboiled. It's not really a survival NEED, but it's a very good way to make meals more diverse on the cheap, plus most rice you buy is enriched with minerals and other nutrients. It doesn't matter what kind(s) you get. Pick your favourite. Or get a few kinds and find your favourite. I keep several varieties on hand, cause I use them for different things. If I HAD to stick to only one, I'd go with basmati, but that's just me.

13. Peanut butter

A good source of quick protein, flavouring agent (mix into a basic roux and toss with pasta and a couple soy sauce packets - instant faux Thai noodles, or add into pancakes or biscuits for a whole new treat, for instance), sandwich filler, etc.

14. Steel cut oats

Rolled oats are ok, if you must, or if they are what the food pantry gives you, but they don't store quite as long and have less nutrition and texture. Again, not a dire need, but expands your options exponentially. Home-made granola, anyone? The main ingredient is oats!  

15. Bottled Water
16. Canned Goods 

Of course, different varieties of a lot of these things are ideal to have on hand, but start simple and work up from there. 

 

If you can afford to stock up right away on bulk amounts of everything on the list, great! It saves more money in the long run. 

If you can't, start with a 10 lb bag of flour, a big-ish bottle of oil, and one of the big, pour spout cans of store brand salt, and add more from the list as you can, and start making things with them! 

Now, don't just keep it around for emergencies! 

 

Make these staples part of your regular routine. Cook at least one meal from scratch, or close to it per week.

Start by making something WITHOUT shopping for specific ingredients. You can do this!

Look in your fridge and cabinets and see what you have, and do an internet search for ingredients on hand recipes. 

Get used to cooking with your staples and what you have on hand, as well as trying out recipes that sound good (there are lots on this blog!), or making things you already know how to prepare.

 Get familiar with your kitchen and get comfortable figuring out what goes well together. 

Before you know it, you will be inventing all kinds of cheap, nutritious, and delicious new dishes (Write them down for when people taste them and beg you for the recipe!), and you'll be much better prepared for life's curveballs, and well on your way to building that well stocked larder, now that you have a good foundation!

For those who are in a lot more dire straits than others, or who find yourselves using the food bank or other food assistance program for the first time; Most food banks/pantries can help you with these staple items if you don't already have them and you ask, even if they aren't giving them out in the regular bags/boxes, and having those on hand will make it so much easier to make the regular, weekly items go much farther and turn into delicious meals, rather than random packages of stuff. 
The vast majority of my recipe inventions that make their way into this blog were a result of using whatever was on hand, on sale, in my bargain box of "imperfect foods" or from the food bank, so I can tell you without a doubt that you can make great meals with almost anything and almost nothing!

Recipe ~ Easy Tomato Basil Bisque (from canned soup!)

As always, if you just want the recipe, without the story behind it, click here.

This is a way to super elevate canned soup into something that looks, smells, and tastes like gourmet fare, but takes almost the same amount of time as just heating it up without the additions. Why would you ever want to settle for less again!?

You probably have most of the  ingredients on hand already, especially considering there are plenty of substitutions, and most of it can come from cans, the freezer, your garden, or...

The real deal is usually made with stock, milk, and heavy cream, but half and half is more commonly on hand, is half milk and half cream, and there is already stock in the canned soup. You can also mess around with whatever you have on hand. If you have cream, great! Use half of that and half milk.. or more cream if you have skim milk. Just remember that the more fat in the milk parts, the more rich and creamy it will be.

Before pureed butternut squash in a can was more common, I just used the baby food version if I didn't have frozen cubes of home made on hand. Canned pumpkin (pure pumpkin, NOT the pie mix!) or, as a last resort, canned carrots, smushed up or whirled in the blender/food processor work too. 

I use fresh basil from my garden now, but I used to use dried from the store, and it was still great! You just add it in a little earlier to give it time to soften up and meld well with everything. 

One thing you do NOT want to substitute is the butter! Use REAL butter! If you don't want to or can't use real butter, it's better to simply omit it all together, rather than ruin it with margarine or spread. It will still taste good, just not quite as decadent. If you substitute some kind of vegetable oil spread or margarine, it won't mix in properly, and will leave an unpleasant film on the roof of your mouth.

This goes great with grilled cheese sandwiches, especially extra sharp cheddar on fresh, home baked sourdough pugliese (recipe forthcoming soonish), but any good grilled cheese complements it well!

Easy Tomato Basil Bisque

Equipment: 

• Medium large saucepan
• Whisk
• Measuring stuff 
• Large spoon for stirring
  

Ingredients: 

•  2 cans (10.75oz) condensed tomato soup
•  2 soup cans half & half*
• 1 can (14.5oz) diced, sliced, or stewed tomatoes*
•  1/2 Cup pureed, cooked butternut squash*
  
•  About 1/4 Cup fresh basil, roughly chopped, not packed (or 2 Tbs dried)
•  1+ tsp freshly ground black pepper/pepper medley (to taste)
•  1/2 stick real butter, cold*

Directions:

•  Empty cans of soup into pan and whisk until smooth.
• Slowly whisk in half and half until it is all fully incorporated.*
• Place pan on medium low heat.
  
• Stir in tomatoes and squash.
• If using dried basil, add it in now.
  
• Continue to heat on medium low, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking. 
• DO NOT allow soup to come to a simmer or boil! This will separate the dairy.
• Once soup is just below simmering, add fresh basil and keep on heat for another 2-3 minutes
• Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until fully melted and incorporated. 
• Serve hot and enjoy!

*Notes:

• Half and half can be substituted with  a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk + the rest of the second soup can water, or one can fresh milk and  one can heavy cream. You can just use milk, but it won't be as rich and creamy.
  
•  Adding the dairy slowly, whilst constantly whisking helps keep lumps from forming.
• Italian Style tomatoes are ideal, but any canned tomatoes will be good.
  
• Butternut squash can be substituted with pumpkin, other similar squash, or carrots. Butternut is best, but any of these will provide a version of the warm, almost toasted nutty depth of flavour the butternut brings.
  
•  DO NOT use butter substitute. If you don't have/can't use real butter, just omit it.  

I Think it's Just Dawn Now (Tiffany Parody)

Fun fact... "I Think We're Alone Now", was originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967! This parody is in the style of the 80s version though, cause that's the one I grew up with.

Peaceful When I'm Killing (Eagles Parody)

 (To the tune of, "Peaceful Easy Feeling")

I like the way your sparkling entrails lay
against your skin so brown
I wanna cut you up into fish bait tonight
When I'm sure nobody's around

I get so peaceful when I'm killin'
I know you won't let me down
Cause you'll be freshly buried
In the ground

I found out a long time ago
What a murder could do to your soul
Ah but I had to take you anyway
Even though you didn't want to go

I get so peaceful when I'm killin'
I'll stage your body in a gown
Like you're ready to be married
On the ground

I get this feelin' I should show you
To your lovers and your friends
The voices whisperin' in my other ear
Tell me that it's time to strike once again

I get so peaceful when I'm killin'
I know you won't let me down
Cause you're all shallow buried
In the ground
Yes, you're all dead and buried
In my killing ground.

© Khaos WolfKat 2023

Helmet Painting Project (Oh, and a Harley)

For those who I haven't already told, a couple months ago, I bought a bike. And not just any bike, but my lifelong dream of a bike!

Yes, this is gonna be another of my long winded stories with lots of words to read. If you want to just look at the pretty pictures, you can find them here. Also, click on any of the pics in this post for larger versions.

I've wanted a Sportster since I was 5 years old and our next door neighbour, a Sailor called Bill Hall, took me on my very first (of many!) ride on his bike. It was awesome! It was better than climbing trees and jumping down from way up high, better than going as high as I could on the swings (and jumping out from way up high), better than anything I could imagine! 

He took me on lots of rides around the neighbourhood. Sometimes we jumped the small ditch that ran in front of our houses (much to the horror of his wife and my mom - and cheering from my dad. LOL) Which was the BEST. 

Anyway, from there began a lifetime of seeking out bikes, bikers, and biker culture, getting rides every chance I got, and sorta-kinda finally learning to ride in my 20s. Unfortunately, the bike went with the husband when I got rid of him (I missed the bike!), and then life, single parenting, and trying to stay afloat kept putting off my plans to buy my own bike. 

Then, in 2010, just when I was finally going to find an old CX 550 or something cheap, I broke my back. I was afraid the dream was dead in the water for good. Well, turns out I was finally able to heal enough that riding is not out of the question after all! Walking more than 50 feet or so at a time or standing for more than a few minutes is still a no go, but by the gods, I can ride! 

And then, I discovered why people buy that Harley or sports car or whatever in middle age. It's not midlife crisis! No. It's because we CAN. The kids are grown, out of the house and no longer affecting your insurance rates, or requiring every cent you might manage to save with the next emergency kid thing, and we have actually managed to amass good enough credit to finance the big kid toys!

W000T!

So, anyway, Her name is Holly (As in the Red Dwarf ship computer). She's a 2022 Sportster Iron 883.
The pic at the top and these below are factory stock in the showroom.

She has several mods underway. Slightly lower & narrower seat w/passenger seat, passenger back rest, luggage rack, and foot pegs moved forward and down, handlebar riser and mini apes.

Here's a pic with the new seat and moved pegs/shifter/brake. Still waiting on some parts for the rest. 

Gonna do custom paint on her too. Steampunk theme with super dark, deep purple base, varying shades of purple gears, cogs, etc, metallic gold circuitry, high gloss finish.

And THAT brings me to the actual title of the post. The helmet! I plan on basically handing the paint guy my helmet and saying, "Make it match. Artistic license granted. Have fun!" I have NEVER been disappointed by giving an artist license to take my vision and run with it, and, as an artist, I have never heard anything less than some version of, "It's exactly like I envisioned, but better!", So it's a good idea. 

My helmet - I had to buy a new one cause it turns out my old one is like 30 years old. Somehow that happens when time passes. Go figure - is a Bell Scout Air. If you haven't worn one of these, HOLY WOW! It's basically the same size and shape of my old helmet, but ridiculously lighter, airier (hence the name?) and more comfortable. Yay for modern technology. 

Here are the two of them side by side, for comparison. 

So, I already knew that I wanted my helmet to match my bike, and that I was getting a custom paint job on the bike, and I knew the colour scheme, so I started with laying down my base coats.

 

 NOTE: If you want to paint a helmet, make SURE you check to be sure the paint you're using is safe for the surface and will not degrade it, and tape ALL non outer shell surfaces WELL! Also remember to mask off any DOT certification stickers, or you may run afoul of helmet laws.

 Krylon Fusion All-In-One Spray Paint is safe for most helmets and no primer needed.

Once I settled on the steampunk theme, I quickly got a clear vision for what I wanted. Gears, circuitry, and some areas that look like something is malfunctioning/eroding. So I got some stencils and stickers to use for stencils (cause there were almost no actual stencils for what I wanted), and got to work. I forgot to get pics of the kind of cross hatch pattern I sprayed on for the colours of the gears and cogs and such. Oops.

 Here it is all stickered/stencilled up and the first layer of paint over them.

  And the result of that...

 I had masked off the DOT sticker, of course, but with it just being flat black there, it stuck out a little too starkly, so I masked it again and hit it with one of the gear colours.

 Next, it was time to add some circuitry to the mix. I had kind of an idea what I wanted, but was not clear on how to go about it, exactly, so I did an image search of circuit board art and looked at pictures until my brain melted.    

I messed around a little with a couple ideas whilst priming the paint marker, and then just went to town, freehand other than some strips of masking tape to help with straight lines.

Once I got all the circuits drawn on, and did some lowlighting/highlighting and contrast detail on different areas, I brought it back out to hit it with a few layers of clear coat and paint the visor.

Even after the first coat, the designs really popped, and the subsequent coats gave it the depth I was looking to create.

Once the paint was fully dry, it was time to bring it in, peel off all the tape, clean the sticky residue from said tape, and attach the horns and visor, and, voila!

Oh, and put the stickers on. :D The top three are gifts from my sponsor. I have several from him that will be going on the bike and gear as well.

I can't wait til I'm able to post pics of my new bike, all ready to go! 

Well, I CAN wait, cause I don't really have a choice, LOL. It will still be a couple months, which is just as well, cause I missed the permit course I was supposed to be doing this weekend due to a dead van battery at the last minute. Like DEAD dead, not taking a charge. So guess what I'm doing instead this weekend? Yup. Replacing the battery. And the terminals and cables, as long as I'm at it, just for GP. They are pretty old and corroded beyond cleaning, really. 

That's what I get for doing everything all legal like and actually getting an endorsement and stuff this time 'round with riding. More time in recovery and getting older tend to cause all kinds of being responsible and stuff.

 

Review ~ Final Blend Robusto Maduro 5″ x 50 (7/10)

These were a limited run, Famous Smoke exclusive in 2010.
Here is the official description:

Final Blend cigars are the result of a marathon cigar sampling session held in Nicaragua, and as so often happens, the very last blend is what earned these uber-flavorful, medium-bodied cigars their name. The 'final blend' is...a core of Dominican, Colombian and Indonesian tobaccos rolled in dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina Oscuro wrappers. Earthy, sweet, and spicy flavors weave in and out as notes of cocoa and coffee bean surface for a deliciously complex, MUST-TRY cigar.

At some point that year I ended up with one in one of their samplers, but it wasn't really on my radar at the time. Since then, it's been hanging around in my humidors, getting shifted from one to the other in my various re-organising as my collection has expanded, and I never got round to smoking it, as I never really read or heard much of anything about them and it wasn't high on my list to try.

Well, today, it just sorta jumped out at me, and I picked it up. Initially, I thought maybe my hygrometer was out of whack, because the thing was rock hard, and pretty lightweight, so I thought it was too dry, but all other sticks in that humi were as expected, and, on closer inspection, it didn't look dried out, cracked, or in any other way compromised. It was smooth, dark, with a nice sheen, lightly veined, and almost velvety to the touch and on the lips. Smelled wonderfully rich and just a little sweet, giving me hope that it would be a worthwhile smoke.

It was!! Alas, it may well be the only one I ever get to enjoy. About halfway through, I looked it up, knowing I wanted to find more of them, only to find the sad news of the aforementioned limited run.

As always, I employed the "light and cut" method, though, in this case, it was light and punch. It took a little while to light all the way to the centre, as the thing is really incredibly packed, but it was easy to light evenly, and the pre-smoke aroma was pleasantly earthy and dark.
The first couple puffs gave a hit of "crisp" (not sure how else to describe it), dry leather, moving quickly to a rich, deep, oily leather with thick, dense, chewy smoke that totally coated my mouth. Midway through second third, hints of espresso started creeping in, with slight chocolate in the aftertaste.
Strong espresso on the retrohale, and increasingly more creamy chocolate notes adding to leather and coffee toward end of second third.
Into the last third, it had morphed into a warm, mocha latte, with a slight, mellow, almost nutty nuance, though the leather notes were still peeking through on the back of the tongue.
Perfect draw throughout, very slightly uneven burn, but nothing a couple touch-ups couldn't fix, white/grey semi-solid/slightly flaky ash.

All in all a very nice, medium strength smoke, and I'll be on the lookout should they ever return! I give it a solid 7/10.