Raf

All quiet for the moment, but there's a disturbance in the Atlantic heading northwest that could spell trouble for the east coast in the coming days. Not sure it gets a name, but don't think it cares.

Part of me wants to answer, and part of me wants to see what the next clues are. Mr. T. as a guest star had me thinking Silver Spoons, but it didn't last that long and, to the best of my knowledge, did not attempt backdoor pilots or spinoffs. Then it hit me: A popular series with a troubled cast that fizzed out without a proper sendoff... It even had a cousin oliver, if i'm right. I'll give others a chance since I just had a turn...

What exactly are you referring to, WordWolf?

Spared no expense

Thanks, Deputy St. George.

The one thing you did not mention is the obvious "are not acting in an inappropriate manner" clue, which is a long way of saying "Ain't Misbehaving," which is the show that made Nell Carter a star. You're up.

Kate Jackson and Jacklyn Smith were the other two

Just gonna sum up my non-clue clues... Oh, for f's sake... Cut me some slack... Come on! Seriously? The title of this show would be right at home on this list. Remarkably few episodes explored interracial issues.

The other one was hotter. No. Not her, the OTHER one.

Seriously? If that's your deduction, then you "are not conducting yourself in an inappropriate manner." Cousin Oliver is a TV trope [cliche, common tactic] where they try to invigorate a show, usually a show with kid stars, by introducing a new, even younger kid. The trope is named after a character on The Brady Bunch.

Come on! A new cast member was introduced to "cousin oliver" the show in the third season. The character's first name was the same as the actor's. The same actor went on to star in four other sitcoms (one smash hit, the others flops to moderate successes) where he had the same first name (as well as others where he had a different first name). He did star in an animated theatrical release as a character named Oliver. No indication that he was anyone's cousin, though. The show gradually shifted its focus from the original family setting to the relationship between the lead actress and the cousin oliver character.

"Big Broadway star" has a double meaning. And no, it has nothing to do with the name of the show.

Cut me some slack, I've been busy. Ok, the lead actress was a big Broadway star. That was punny. One of the episodes was called "Knock Three Times." That was before someone extremely familiar with that song joined the cast. My last two posts begin with major hints.

Oh for f-s sake, no it was not One Day at a Time. Ok that was a hint. Maybe too subtle, but nonetheless.

Speaking of steps, my stepdaughter got married Sunday. So I've been distracted. Meanwhile: Hard to imagine, but true: The star of this family-oriented comedy had drug abuse problems and fluctuating weight issues that became a problem for producers. Liza Minelli helped get her back on track. In a guest appearance that did not involve her singing, Whitney Houston (then an unknown) made her acting debut. The lead actress and the lead actor became very close friends. When the lead actor died (after production on the fourth season had ended), the lead actress was at his bedside. His final episode, the season finale, aired three days after he died.

A. Mr. Iglesias B. Step by Step

Technically, he DID give the answer. I say give it to him.

Hello, Larry

Click here to find out where you can donate to help the victims of Hurricane Ida.

Thanks, George. As of 11:40 am Friday, the cone of Ida (this is Ida) hasn't changed much, though it did become a hurricane a touch sooner than predicted.

Sorry I dropped the ball on Henri. Meet Ida. Or Julian. There are two storms out there, and this one's name will depend on which becomes a Tropical Storm first. The other one is nothing to worry about from what I can tell. This is the doozy.

"I found my thrill..."

I would strongly disagree with associating atheism with a hermit-like society, although again, we're reading more into "atheism" than the word itself requires. Atheism means a person doesn't believe in God. That's it. Within that category of people, you will find hundreds of different ideologies and beiefs. An atheist who believes in astrology? Possible. Alchemy? Sure. How about an atheist who does not believe in evolution? Plenty. Flat-earthers? Yup, got them too. Nothing about atheism precludes a belief in anything else. So when you associate atheism with an increasingly hermit-like society (which is quite probably accurate many times), you inadvertently disassociate atheism with a society in which communities are formed around something OTHER than religion. Theater. Art. Politics. Name that Flick. All sorts of human endeavors. And associating atheism with these various communities is also quite accurate, many times. So I think, when embarking on this conversation, you need to approach it in an affirmative way. The Way International is an affirmative set of beliefs and practices. Go ahead and sum them up. Christianity in the West is challenging to summarize, given the variety within it, but you can make some broad generalizations. But atheism, in this sense, isn't a thing. It's the absence of a thing. So let's try to sum up a thing instead, even if it means breaking atheism up into more than one category (which, I would argue, is the same approach we should use with Christianity in the West, but that's someone else's point to make. Humanism is a thing. Sum it up. Nihilism is a thing. Sum it up. Both fall rather neatly under atheism, with exceptions. Anti-socialism may fall under atheism, but I would submit it transcends religious belief. What do you think?

Impossible to steal... "You can't take that away from me." Don't know who sings it tho

Any one of the definitions you and I proposed can be explored in depth. None are adequate (nor do any pretend to be). To me, the most important words in my definition of atheism were "Often (but not by definition)..." Because we associate certain attributes with certain beliefs, even though they do not apply in every case. But to further the discussion, the attributes I raised seem to be the constructive ones most relevant to the definitions you provided on the other categories.