RIP Ursula K. Le Guin

[_subgenius]

In that case Subgenius, I suspect you would be into the masculine side of kemmering.

This is yet another in your long line of suspicions.
Keep on keeping on.

[_EAllusion]

I'm surprised about the outpouring of love for Le Guin today. I knew she was popular, but I didn't know she loomed that large. One thing I noticed is that, like Lemmie, a lot of people seem to have been deeply impacted by Omelas. It's consistently one of the first things mentioned.

My experience with Le Guin was reading the Earthsea series as a young teen, then reading a large amount of her books as I grew up as a teenager. I didn't read any of her short stories until I was in college. In college lit class we were assigned Left Hand of Darkness and as part of that a few of her other works including Omelas. At that point, I was already familiar with the family of criticisms of / tensions with utilitarianism illustrated in the story and saw the ideas found therein not trite, but more old hat. To me, the story's excellence is all about the sparkling prose. A lot of people seem to be moved by the idea of the story, though. That's interesting.

[_Choyo Chagas]

what is for those whom 'other' is donald Trump?

I don't understand your question. Will you please elaborate?

with pleasure!

I theorize about the origins of Gethenian sexual physiology. What do I actually know about it? Otie Nim's communication from the Orgoreyn region has cleared up some of my earlier misconceptions. Let me set down all I know, and after that my theories; first things first.

The sexual cycle averages 26 to 28 days (they tend to speak of it as 26 days, approximating it to the lunar cycle). For 21 or 22 days the individual is somer, sexually inactive, latent. On about the 18th day hormonal changes are initiated by the pituitary control and on the 22nd or 23rd day the individual enters kemmer, estrus. In this first phase of kemmer (Karh. secher) he remains completely androgynous. Gender, and potency, are not attained in isolation. A Gethenian in first-phase kemmer, if kept alone or with others not in kemmer, remains incapable of coitus. Yet the sexual impulse is tremendously strong in this phase, controlling the entire personality, subjecting all other drives to its imperative. When the individual finds a partner in kemmer, hormonal secretion is further stimulated (most importantly by touch-secretion? scent?) until in one partner either a male or female hormonal dominance is established. The genitals engorge or shrink accordingly, foreplay intensifies, and the partner, triggered by the change, takes on the other sexual role (? without exception? If there are exceptions, resulting in kemmer-partners of the same sex, they are so rare as to be ignored). This second phase of kemmer (Karh. thorharmen), the mutual process of establishing sexuality and potency, apparently occurs within a time-span of two to twenty hours. If one of the partners is already in full kemmer, the phase for the newer partner is liable to be quite short; if the two are entering kemmer together, it is likely to take longer. Normal individuals have no predisposition to either sexual role in kemmer; they do not know whether they will be the male or the female, and have no choice in the matter. (Otie Nim wrote that in the Orgoreyn region the use of hormone derivatives to establish a preferred sexuality is quite common; I haven't seen this done in rural Karhide.) Once the sex is determined it cannot change during the kemmer-period. The culminant phase of kemmer (Karh. thokemmer) lasts from two to five days, during which sexual drive and capacity are at maximum. It ends fairly abruptly, and if conception has not taken place, the individual returns to the somer phase within a few hours (note: Otie Nim thinks this "fourth phase" is the equivalent of the menstrual cycle) and the cycle begins anew. If the individual was in the female role and was impregnated, hormonal activity of course continues, and for the 8.4-month gestation period and the 6- to 8-month lactation period this individual remains female. The male sexual organs remain retracted (as they are in somer), the breasts enlarge somewhat, and the pelvic girdle widens. With the cessation of lactation the female re-enters somer and becomes once more a perfect androgyne. No physiological habit is established, and the mother of several children may be the father of several more.

that is. attendants upon Trump want to be women; so her pussies may will be grabbed...

here is ursula and the book

[_canpakes]

Well, that's weird ...

[_Lemmie]

Well, that's weird ...

That is. It's not what I get when I click the link--maybe try searching the title in Books, that's how I found it.

[_canpakes]

That is. It's not what I get when I click the link--maybe try searching the title in Books, that's how I found it.

You see Will’s name in there, right?

[_Xenophon]

That is. It's not what I get when I click the link--maybe try searching the title in Books, that's how I found it.

You see Will’s name in there, right?

It looks like that may be a product of the board software. I know that some abbreviations auto correct to the full spelling on the board. It looks like there is an instance of "WS" in the url and it is inserting his name instead.

[_canpakes]

It looks like that may be a product of the board software. I know that some abbreviations auto correct to the full spelling on the board. It looks like there is an instance of "WS" in the url and it is inserting his name instead.

Interesting explanation; thanks, Xeno. I was wondering if the link was referencing Will having been involved in originally posting the content but I didn’t see that as a logical explanation given the source. I don’t know enough about the technical side of these things. : )

[_MsJack]

What a shame. My book club is reading one of her books next month, if any Chicagoans want to join us:

https://www.meetup.com/Northwest-Suburb ... 247142333/

[_Lemmie]

That is. It's not what I get when I click the link--maybe try searching the title in Books, that's how I found it.

You see Will’s name in there, right?

It looks like that may be a product of the board software. I know that some abbreviations auto correct to the full spelling on the board. It looks like there is an instance of "WS" in the url and it is inserting his name instead.

NO, I didn't see that until you mentioned it, canpakes! Weird. Thanks for the explanation Xenophon, how would you even correct for that? Or is it unique to a user? Because when I went back and cut and pasted the link from my original post into an address tab, it did not have that "will schryver" part.

Or...canpakes!!! Oh Noooo!! You are being haunted!