Yratorm, LightMage

Fortunately there aren't these problems with 'unwanted' animals in the Himalayas where I live. As a matter of fact, very few people here even keep 'pet' animals (of course they keep goats, yaks, etc.), so most of the dogs and cats around here are quite wild. The dogs pack together and hunt mountain goats much like wolves would do. They're dangerous even to the average lone human in a pack with a good pack-leader. Cats go their own way, much as they do all over the world. Leopards actually live in the lowlands reasonably nearby, so they're not exactly an exotic animal where I live. To acquire a leopard one would merely have to travel to a jungle and ask a mother leopard (politely) to allow you the honor of bringing up one of her cubs If you survived the conversation I daresay she'd let you have one, ROFL Feeding the leopards you owned would be easy, you'd just have to 'go hunting' with them every night (did I mention those packs of wild dogs that nature provided just to feed your 'pet'?). Free food for your friend, and one of the most beautiful and wild creatures by your side, what more could anyone want?

I generally like to make soups - I like the different tastes/consistency you can get by experimenting with different ingredients. Then again, where I live we have lots of truly fresh vegetables in summer, so you can brew up some excellent soups.

I have this tree in our garden that was blown down in a storm, and we pushed it upright again (just put our backs to it, as there are no winches, etc. available in the Himalayas) and then we piled a lot of heavy stones around the base of it so it wouldn't fall down again. Anyway, the tree survived and it's putting out the most beautiful pink blossoms, it feels good to look at it. Reward enough, I would say.

heavensounds, I don't think I've talked about revenge at all. This is self defense, as in, if someone tries to spray acid in your face (as one of the people who posted above mentioned) you don't stand there and be philosophical about it, you get the heck out of the way. I'm interested in helping people react correctly to hostile situations. This post was only the beginning, the mental training that is necessary before the physical training can even begin. Getting out of a hostile situation need not mean fighting, it might just mean being able to run away successfully. But it means getting out of the situation SAFE. A man (or men) who attack you on a dark street may or may not be impressed by your philosophy of life. Generally, unless you are a philosophical giant, they're not impressed. This post (and those that will follow it) are not intended to teach people a non violent philosophy of life, but PRACTICAL ways to enable them to ESCAPE when danger threatens them, by the most EFFICIENT means possible. I would rather help prevent a rape or a brutal mugging by any means possible than help the victim later 'feel genuine pity' for her/his attacker. Prevention is better than cure. I am a practical man. ____________________________ On Karma:I do understand Karma (I should, I've spent fifteen years of my life studying both the martial arts and eastern philosophy from some extremely enlightened teachers and gurus in the east) but to safeguard the life of another is a moral duty that is 'good' karma, rather than otherwise, even if it is through violence. Have you never heard of the Ksatra Code? The codes of a Ksatra Warrior that say that it is a duty of the warrior to protect the weak. By writing this tutorial, I fulfill a duty, as I help (perhaps) to protect someone, even from half way around the world. And that is considered 'good' karma. To think that karma is a concept of non-violence is a mis-conception, and can lead to grave errors. To be free of Karma, and attain moksha (liberation) a being must engage in right-action, and that right action is NOT NECESSARILY non-violent. Indeed, a simple way to escape karma is merely to do one's duty, no matter how unpleasant or distasteful that duty might be. That is the soul of Karmic philosophy - to force western concepts like 'as you sow, so shall you reap' upon it is to corrupt it. However, this is off topic here, so I will say no more. Walk in peace.

Hi usedragon! Where did you find it? The dragon, I mean. Naw, just kidding Don't mind me, hehe.Welcome to Trap 17 - you'll find a lot of wonderful people here, and hopefully make lots of friends. If you have any problems with anything, feel free to PM me. And take care.

No, I don't think that biological processes are a true definition of 'intelligence' or life. For the moment we are not TRULY creating intelligent robots capable of operating on the same level as a human being or even an animal. So long as a robot cannot add to/drastically alter it's own programming to ADAPT to changes in it's surrounding, even fairly drastic changes, it cannot be called 'alive'. However, if a robot were built that had the same 'intellectual' complexity as a human, with the same store of memories of it's 'life' with the same potential for growth and perhaps the ability to dream great dreams - why then, to kill it would indeed be to 'take a life'. __________________ Unless you had a backup system somewhere where all it's brain processes were automatically stored. For example, if you had a backup copy (somehow) of me, and then killed me and activated the backup copy, would you then truly have killed me???? Ah, the corridors of logic. Must they be so twisted? No, no, just kidding.

I agree with the sentiments expressed by zyzzyvette and some others here.Personally, I think that the terrorists who blow themselves up are AS MUCH victims as their victims. They have been put into religious schools and then kept away from any access to knowledge except what their 'teacher' gives them. The result is they have a very, very warped world-view. Just think how different a person's view of the world must be from the average for them to go and actually commit suicide.You see, they truly believe they are doing the right, even the holy thing, that they will be rewarded in heaven. If anything, the blame lies not with these misguided puppets, but with their heartless masters.

Hi Tiffany, Welcome to Trap 17. I'm sorry about you being depressed. If you're feeling particularly low, or would like to talk about your problems, feel free to PM me, and I'll do my best to help. Take care.

Greetings, Drack Vader!!! Naw, just kidding.Welcome to Trap 17 - you'll find the natives friendly and the fruits tropical and tasty. Okay, okay, nuff kidding. Welcome, and we look forward to your posts. As you can see from this post, it doesn't matter if you're insane, you can still find good company right here on these forums.Don't mind me. Just post, and watch me reveal my true (dark and evil) form.Take care.

Hi, greetings from roughly half-way around the world, hehe. I'm not into manga, but I study the martial arts in a Ryu in the east, and have some photoshop skills. Enough to be on a game-making team.. once. Incidentally, have you tried a program called Paint Shop Pro 9, it has some extra features - I find that using both PSP9 and Photoshop on an image can give you greater control over the end results.I look forward to seeing more of your work. If you'd like to see some of mine, just ask. Take care.

Actually, I throw 'social skills' right out of the window at times. Perhaps you should too? Especially when someone irks you. It's a good way of dealing with people who tread on your toes. Highly effective, guaranteed to work, and best of all, completely free. Well, kidding about the last line, hehehe. Hehe, I can't argue with that one. Perhaps we could convince the planet to turn more slowly? Kidding, kidding, but I know what you mean.

I've traveled a lot, and been in many real life combats, and none of them have ended with 'both opponents going to ground'. In my style of the martial arts, it is considered a dishonor if an opponent lays a hand on you (we study complex, effective evasions). A good martial artist must not take a hit, nor be grabbed in combat. I have seen fights 'go to the ground' but those have been fights where both fighters were basically untrained. The ground is a bad place to fight from, especially against multiple enemies. Combat can be broken into: 1) Good Balance, Stamina and Physical Endurance (these are basic necessaries). 2) The ability to completely evade the enemy's attempts to attack or grapple, while placing yourself in a position to strike (this is crucial to success in a real-life combat). 3) Striking with power and accuracy at nerve points and other sensitive areas on the enemy's body so that your enemy goes down with your attack. Ultimately, the one who should end up on the ground should be the ones attacking you - not yourself. You MUST be fluid in combat. Many street combats involve several attackers, WITHOUT the LUXURY of being able to grapple with one, especially not on the ground, where your attacker's pals will kick your head off. Yes, they will. You have to evade, and while evading strike as opportunity presents itself (and it will). And when you strike, your enemy must fall. There are a great many more things I could say about street fighting, such as felling the leader first, 'busting' someone open so that you add the terror factor of spilled blood to the fight, to demoralize your opponents.. and on how to deal with armed assailants, but they don't come under this topic. Perhaps elsewhere...

Hmmm - asking someone who doesn't believe in god to do anything for the love of god is rather misguided, to say the least. No, just kidding. All I've got to say on this subject is that if you believe in god, that's perfectly fine. However, many atheists are a good deal older and more experienced, and they've seen more of the s**t around them, and some have studied science and feel it makes more sense than creationism. SO they decide they don't believe in god. Well, that's good. A being with a mind unclouded by religious belief has much to offer science and learning - and the human race needs science to survive. However, with many believers in god, hardship, experience and adversity actually STRENGTHENS their belief in god. Well, that's good too. A person with a balanced, benign and true belief in god can do a LOT of good. My point: The world needs both atheists and believers. What the world DOESN'T need is people going around telling people who believe in something else to shut up. Oh, we don't need that, certainly. That's what causes wars, you know. You are young. You think you believe in something, but as you grow, that belief will either grow stronger, or it will change. I do not believe that many atheists are fanatics, just as many who believe in god are not fanatics. Don't generalize. Fanatics exist, but they are a minority, and they give both religion and any other kind of belief (or non-belief) a bad name. But fanatics are the exception, not the rule.

Welcome, all. This tutorial will teach you how to think and act in a hostile situation. It is only the first in a series of four tutorials that will teach you the basics of practical self-defense. This tutorial focuses on training the mind for a hostile situation - the next tutorial will teach you how to effectively fight OR flee a bad situation. The costume in the pictures is just the training outfit in my Ryu, nothing more. ______________ The first thing you must understand is that when someone attacks you, there are TWO battles that you have to fight with them. The first battle is mental. The second battle is physical. In simple words, you must defeat your enemy in your own mind, BEFORE you can defeat him in physical combat. Here, in this tutorial, you will learn how to think in a hostile situation, so that your enemy begins to be defeated before you begin to fight.. ______________ The Battle against Yourself: Understand that you must NOT be caught unawares. If you are caught unawares, you give your enemy the element of surprise. When you walk a dark street, be aware of shadows, be aware of entrances to buildings that possible attackers could emerge from, be aware of dark alleys. In BROAD DAYLIGHT, in a crowded, public place, be EQUALLY aware. Look around you, take in your surroundings, walk alertly, DON'T make yourself an 'easy target'. Remember, your enemies WANT an easy target. Even a hunting tiger picks out the weakest in the herd. DON'T be the weakest in the herd. Think like a warrior. Listen to that word - warrior. I'm talking to the women out there as much as to the men. Go and look in your mirror and say - 'this person is a WARRIOR. This person is not 'prey". If you can't convince yourself when you look in your mirror and say it the first time, say it again. And again. And again - as many times as it takes. Convince yourself. You are a warrior. You are a hunter, a tiger - or tigress. If an enemy comes against you, you will fight with fang and claw - with ALL THAT YOU HAVE, if necessary. Look in your mirror. See your first enemy. Yourself. Your mind will perhaps try to tell you that you are weak, that you cannot be alert, that you cannot fight. It lies to you, and it's lies are more dangerous than the attacks of an enemy. Defeat those lies with everything in you, with your WILL, with your mind and soul. Know yourself for what you are, a being with a WILL. You ARE a warrior - every minute of every day, even when you sleep, even when you dream. Accomplish this, win this first battle, and you have already defeated a portion of your enemy before you even meet him. ______________ Understanding your Body: Now let us assume, that despite being alert, despite all precautions, you still land IN a bad situation. Let's say that there are three well-built enemies attacking (or threatening) you. Now you must understand your body's response to this. Your hair might stand on end. Your skin might grow cold. Is this because of fear? NO. These reactions are NOT fear. You only think they are, because your society has fed you lies. These reactions are your body preparing you for combat. For fight OR flight. Your hair stands on end because in times when humans still had fur, the fur standing up would make the human look larger and more dangerous!! Ignore this reaction, it is just a remnant of forgotten, far off times. Your skin grows cold because the blood is being drawn INWARDS, to nourish your vital organs, increasing both your endurance (if you have to flee) and your ability to take damage (if you have to fight). Also, if you are cut, and the cut is not deep, you will not bleed as much as you would normally. Adrenalin will also flood your system, boosting your power, and your very muscles will tense and tone themselves, ready for ACTION. UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY. ACCEPT the changes you feel, for they give you your best chance for LIFE. You have been taught that these reactions you feel are fear. THEY ARE NOT FEAR - they are your body going into overdrive - they are your body TURNING ITSELF INTO A WEAPON. Yes, what feels like 'fear' is your body turning itself into a deadly weapon. And when you understand this, YOU can USE that weapon - to SURVIVE!! This is the second lesson learned. ______________ Fight or Flee: Now you face your attackers, and your body IS READY. Understand that in the few seconds since the attack began, while your mind is thinking (or worrying), your body has responded like an animal - it prepares itself for ACTION. Indeed, with the changes that have occurred in your body in these few seconds that you have felt 'threatened' your body has become MORE than human - it has become an animal, a beast, ready to fight it's enemies into the ground, or to flee faster than it's enemies can run. It is READY. Now YOU must look at the situation and CHOOSE - fight or flight. In subsequent tutorials, we will teach you how to fight, we will teach you how to run. And your body will prepare you for both. Your mind.. is the mind of a warrior, taught by YOU, yourself, every minute of every day, to NEVER BE PREY. Now COMMAND your body - fight OR flee. But whether you fight or whether you run, RESIST. Understand this - whoever faces you is probably a wolf. Wolves eat sheep, so you MUST NOT BE A SHEEP. Be a lion - no wolf wants to be suddenly faced with a cornered lion - or a cornered tigress. ______________ Looking at a situation realistically, and recognizing traps for what they are: Now for some simple, obvious, practical advice. You must look at a situation and see if you are really in danger. LOOK at your enemies, read the signals all humans send off - see if they REALLY pose a danger. Get together with a friend and practice recognizing these subtle signals. If a mugger is going to be satisfied with your money - GIVE IT TO HIM. Money isn't worth putting yourself in danger, IF he's going to take your money and leave you alone. Try to 'read' him. UNDERSTAND that there is a line you MUST NOT allow your attacker to cross. ABOVE ALL, don't let anyone even suggest that they tie you up, or tell you to get in a car so they can take you elsewhere - the moment they say that, they've crossed the line, and you HAVE TO FIGHT AND/OR RUN. Don't get trapped. Another example: A girl is sitting on a bench in a park with no one in sight. Suddenly three men come up. One sits on one side of her. Another sits on the other side. The third stands behind the bench, behind her back. Is this a trap? OF COURSE IT IS. THESE THREE MEN HAVE ALREADY CROSSED THE LINE. This is an obvious trap. If you want to give them the benefit of the doubt, then RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN. Don't bother with talk - this is a TRAP. FIGHT OR FLEE, but NEVER allow a trap to close. Incidentally, the trap described above (with those three men, and the girl on the park bench) HAS NOT CLOSED YET. She can still escape. Or she can even fight, with methods we will teach you in later lessons. She can prevent the trap from closing. Now you'll say to me - how do I know it's a trap. Won't I look foolish running away if it isn't. Well, I say to you - this is a real incident I described. The girl was real, the men were real. She didn't try to run. She didn't try to fight. She tried to talk her way out of it. And she was dragged to some nearby bushes and raped. It WAS a trap. Learn to recognize a trap, and NEVER tolerate one. ______________ An Inspiring Episode. Now, let me tell you about something that illustrates what an aid even the right mind-set can be. There was this old lady in the UK who had just collected her pension - as she was leaving the post-office three men stopped her and demanded her money. And this old lady lifted her walking stick and attacked one of the three with such ferocity that the other two men fled in terror - she actually broke his ribs, then, when he collapsed, she sat on him until the police took charge!! Now THAT'S an attitude. That woman is a tigress if I ever saw one, and you see what happens to the wolves when even an old tigress meets up with them!! ______________ A good Meditation to help build your 'Fighting Spirit' Many humans have problems with using violence. A tiger, on the other hand, has no problems at all with using violence if the situation requires it. This meditation will help you shift your mental state into that of a tiger, to allow you to better react to situations with decisive ACTION. The Tiger Aura Meditation: This mediation will help build up your fighting spirit - called in Japanese, Tou-kon. Begin this meditation by sitting comfortably cross-legged, or in a chair. Close your eyes and breathe very deeply. Breathe this way for around a minute. Keep your eyes closed throughout the meditation. Now, with your eyes still closed, let your breathing become even deeper. Imagine yourself walking down a flight of stairs. There are nine stairs. As you step down each stair, you should count backwards from 9 to 1. After the last stair, there is nothing, absolutely nothing - just black, empty space. You step off the last stair as you count 1 - you step into nothingness, into empty space, into chaos. Now imagine the 'human' skin you wear beginning to peel away to reveal the savage tiger underneath. Imagine your arms and legs growing, bulging with the great muscles of a cat - imagine claws forming on your hands and feet - imagine your face changing, the great fangs forming, the sensitive nose, the slit eyes, the pointed ears. A cat sees the world not in color but in grays. In your mind, look out at a grey world. See people, not as people, but as prey. Imagine yourself, a great tiger, rearing up on two legs and fighting puny humans. See yourself fell them with mighty blows of your great paws. See yourself fighting them AS a tiger, effortlessly, with all it's great power. After some time, open your eyes. But for as long as you can keep it up after the meditation, pretend that you are a tiger in human form. Do this meditation daily, and in time you will see yourself not as a human but as a tiger; and will take on the beast's aura of strength and power. ______________ Manipulating the mind of your enemy.. Just as your enemy projects his willingness (or unwillingness) to attack, you should also learn to project emotions that will MISDIRECT your enemy. Stand in front of your mirror and project fear, happiness, gladness, anger, lust - all without really feeling any of those things. Sometimes an enemy will be caught off-guard by a victim pleading with him, 'projecting' helplessness, then suddenly attacking with lethal strikes. Another time, a man intent on rape might be caught off-guard by a victim sensually kissing him, then striking him hard in the throat or groin. Learn to project emotion 'genuinely' and you'll that it is a useful weapon to catch an enemy off-guard. And you might also find that getting your enemy to lower his guard is just as useful in combat as ANY weapon. ______________ This tutorial is just the beginning of a series, and will be followed up by many more, teaching practical self defense, the use of concealed weapons, and unarmed combat - as well as the basics of effective fleeing. I hope these will be of help to people out there. Take care, all.

Hmm - I'd say the camera and the right kind of makeup are quite capable of creating illusions. The hottest girl in the world is the one who, when right in front of you, and without a tinge of makeup - still looks hot. Anything else is possibly an illusion. And a painting of a fire lacks heat.

Actually, money is simply a way humans have devised to seize as much resources for themselves and their families, without going to war for it!! This way, if you want more comforts, etc than the people around you, you place yourself in a superior economic position and seize resources using economic power alone.A mugger, strangely enough, and few realize it, is simply a human reverting to earlier laws. He seizes resources by the strength of his arm/his weapons, instead of by using the more civilized tools. In a sense, and those with wisdom can see it, he is doing no more wrong than a millionaire who amasses a massive amount of wealth and spends it on creature comforts while hundreds of thousands on the planet starve/live in dire poverty.Resources, for the human race, have always been limited. So each member, each family, has to seize as much as it can for itself, at the cost of others. Money is simply a civilized way of accomplishing this uncivilized and barbaric end.

Hmm, considering that my 'ambition' in life, if it can be called such, is to have a cold, stone walled castle on a mountain, with a view over several ranges, and leopards (wildest and fiercest and stealthiest of all cats) as pets, so I'd say I'd like cats.The average cat is nice, but it's become too tame under the influence of humans over thousands of years. I've made the acquaintance of leopards in my time in the jungle and find them a beautiful, intelligent and independent species, and one that it would be fascinating to make friends with. Besides, a leopards fur is like strands of bronze and gold (truly) and it's gaze is like the sphinx.Many people consider 'wild animals' too wild to befriend. However, I have found that these creatures are less insensible to kindness than some humans. Kindness, patience and gentleness can win the friendship of the wildest creature of the wild.Oh, as for dogs, they're a leopard's favorite food, so I'm afraid that keeping both leopards and dogs is rather difficult, so I'll go with the superior being.

You've certainly put a lot of work into this, watermonkey. it's fascinating.However, my ideal home would be preferably on a mountain, a stone castle whose cold chambers extend into the mountains itself. No air-conditioning and no heating. Just stone walls, a landscaped garden, and a view that ranges over several mountain chains. Sure, it's short on comfort, but it suits me, somehow. A landscaped garden within the castle walls, and wild leopards ranging outside would sort of complete the interesting and unique aspects of the place. A few friends to whom creature comforts matter little (I have plenty of these) would provide human company, both with conversation and at pursuits like archery and swordplay and other forms of entertainment. And of course, the sunsets in the mountains are awesome, as are the cherry blossoms in bloom. Beauty and austerity. They make a subtle and truly interesting combination. Electricity, television, the internet, etc. I can live without (and have).Well, not many would care for this plan. However, it's unique to me, and I kind of like it.

zak, school is not the best way to learn, but it IS a way for humans to take advantage of the distilled knowledge of the ages. Through the medium of schools and universities humans can learn skills that it took decades and even centuries to develop.We are fortunate to know so much today. The vaccines that protect your from disease, the electricity that lights your home, the satellites and networks that make this very forum possible - all these are the results of human KNOWLEDGE, and that knowledge is so powerful that it has to be protected, to be passed on to the next generation.This is why schools and colleges exist. And they are not the only way of absorbing knowledge. You could read. If you talk to any person who reads a lot, and diversely, the amount of knowledge they command is fascinating.Knowledge is a vast and fascinating country - it is (at least to an individual) limitless, and you can journey through it as long as you live, and never know it all.Enough has been said for and against the teacher in question, so I won't add anything on that topic. But those who are young, beware of making fun of older people who are overweight - you never know, it might lie in your future as well. And that would be poetic justice of a sort, wouldn't it? When you look at a person you feel you should scorn, remember, there, but for the grace of god, go we.

Hmm Master Bacarra, you certainly are 'up against a wall'. I'll just offer what simple thoughts occur to me, and I hope you find something useful. Well, in my own personal opinion, try not to bother about what other people think of you, especially family. I've seen a lot of families in the east, and I have a lot of friends here, and most parents in the east seem to have just this attitude. I can't say what the west is like, cause I haven't been there much. But here in the east I know a LOT of guys who have this problem. One answer is to find FRIENDS who appreciate you - guys who know your worth, or (even better) just plain like you. This is how most of the guys I know here (who are in your situation) handle things. Well, I know saying 'ignore the people who aren't appreciating you' sounds tough, but if some people in your life haven't appreciated you, it's unlikely they'll start because you need them to - so you need to find people who appreciate and like you of their OWN FREE WILL instead. Just put your best foot forward, meet and talk to people, and you know what - pretty soon you'll find there ARE people in the world who appreciate you. From what I can make out from what you've said and from posts on the forums, you're brilliant, so I think people around you in the right time and the right place WILL appreciate you. Heck, there are people who like and appreciate you right here on this forum - I'm one of them. And if you're so inclined, I hope you find a girlfriend whose your equal intellectually and who just thinks you're great. If you're lucky enough to meet a girl like that, stand by her, and just ignore and forgive your parents inappreciativeness. BESIDES a good friend circle, if you still want a way to bring your parents round, perhaps this might work: Find yourself some good friends, and after that just make your own plans in life. But be very kind and thoughtful to your parents as you do it, go out of your way to be nice to them, JUST plot your OWN course in life, because you're an adult and an intelligent man, and you can DEFINITELY think for yourself, so do just that. I emphasize, do it nicely - walk JUST the road YOU choose, but be very kind and gentle with your parents as you do it. If they nag, smile, thank them for their advice, buy them flowers, then walk YOUR road. And if they're nice to you sometimes, why, on those occasions be twice as nice to them. For example, if your mom appreciates you sometimes (even if your dad doesn't) buy her a flower or a card when she does that and TELL her how good it made you feel. You never know, before you know it she just might be showing those kind, thoughtful cards to your dad, and he just might start feeling left out, hehe. And who knows, maybe he might realize what he's missing out on. Just suggestions, nothing more. ________________________________ As for this problem with your partners, if they only work overnight if you set it up, then set it up. If they put you in a subtle team-leader role, then take the bullet in the teeth and BE the team leader. They want to be led, instead of walking freely? Then lead em. Some people are born leaders.. but others have leadership thrust upon them. It seem you're pretty much in the lead role here, so go ahead and play your part. Work out a schedule where everyone works so many nights a week and show it to your team-members AND your professor, and if they object, just say, "look, I need the help of my thesis mates to complete this project, I can't do it alone (even if you can) and so, if you people can't work at home, then let's set up a schedule where we all work TOGETHER". Obviously, even if they agree, it means you're going to have to work WITH them instead of working at home, but IF you want their help, then it's going to need that sacrifice. Another alternative (just tossing out ideas here) is to say "to he*l with them!" and just work long hours at home and finish the project yourself (if you can). Don't bother with their reactions, don't bother about whether they'll graduate too (shouldn't they be as concerned about that?) - just subtly dump the non-productive members of the team and get the job DONE (you don't have to TELL them that, just get YOURSELF in gear to finish your project in the most efficient way you can) - note, I'm ONLY putting forward this course of action as an alternative. If your team-members are willing to work nights so long as you do, and you're willing to make that sacrifice, then perhaps that alternative is still open to you (and them). Nothing like compromise, if both parties are willing. I hope something here was of help. Take care, MB, and remember, if nowhere else, you're appreciated by people right here!

I think you're gifted. If that counts. Bear in mind that some of the greatest minds that ever lived were not fully appreciated in their lifetimes - perhaps because they were ahead of their times!! __________________ If I were you I wouldn't worry too much about IQ tests, they aren't all that accurate indicators of intelligence. A friend of mine and I (he's a quantum physicist) max them all the time, but we don't really consider that an indicator of our intelligence at all. What we consider an indicator of intelligence is a person's ability to create, understand and manipulate ideas. And I'm not talking about ideas only in the reaches of theoretical physics or science. A great poem is full of great thoughts and great ideas. Or a great book. Because, you see, intelligence isn't just being a great mathematician or a scientist or a great writer.. it's being able to look up at the stars in wonder; to dream, to work to achieve those dreams; to look triumph and disaster in the eye and know that they are both illusions.. Intelligence is to be able to see this world for what it is - a speck of dust on the edge of a single galaxy; and knowing that, to then try to plot a significant future for an insignificant race on an insignificant planet. Earth is insignificant, so what does it matter what it's people think of you? __________________ But time and space themselves bow before human thought - our thoughts can cross the vastness of space, the aeons of time. And that IS significant. What others think of you is nothing - what matters are the thoughts of your very soul. What you think of, what you dream of, and what you do with those thoughts and those dreams.. that is everything!!

Hmm, money does seem to be a force in medicine - I lost my brother recently, and our insurance couldn't cover the costs of his treatment, and the bills we paid for it have all but bankrupted my family. So yes, while I know there are a lot of compassionate and caring people in the various medical professions, no doubt about it, I feel money is a guardian spirit for some in the profession as well. Now, in genuine cases of mental imbalance I'd say that psychiatrists definitely have a lot to offer a patient. On the other hand, I personally feel that many cases of depression result from an individual not getting a 'fair deal' from society in any one of a number of ways, and it seems strange just to treat the patient and to ignore the greater social ills that might actually be causing the depression. In other words, the 'illness' of the individual might be a direct reflection of the fact that there are vast imbalances and great differences between rich and poor, privileged and unprivileged, in societies today. And that has to be treated by some brilliant economist or politician (um, did I say brilliant politician? Perhaps I should just settle for honest. Ow, then again perhaps I'm just asking for too much). Personally I do think that if an individual wakes up every morning wanting to kill himself, and someone can actually help him and is qualified to do so, well, that's good, obviously. It's the money part that disturbs me. I distrust the whole 'money' system, that's the thing. Especially in professions like medicine where compassion, humanity and selflessness should be what rules, and some way found to make money irrelevant to the profession. To be a doctor should not be an 'occupation'; it should, to my mind, be almost a calling, as some people are called to serve their god. It should be a term that stands for service and not for earning. I'm no doctor, but I've saved a lot of lives in the jungles of myanmar (burma) with a basic medical knowledge, the right drugs and by educating the people. And I was not paid, obviously. But it was still worth it. That is what I feel medical professions should be. Anyone who wants to read of a truly selfless doctor should read Tom Dooley's book 'On the Edge of Tomorrow.' These are only my own simple personal opinions, nothing more, and no one knows more than I how ridiculous they are in the face of plain reality today, hehe. Take them with a pinch of salt. Vbritton, I see you've raised a storm, as usual. That's why we like you Wasn't it Socrates who said he was the 'gadfly of Athens' and that the state needed him to awaken, persuade and reproach it, else it would cease to move. A pity the Athenians couldn't appreciate the point he was making, and executed him. We welcome Trap 17's own little satirical gadfly, vbritton . And I assure you I mean that as a compliment. If ye are not Socrates yet, O Storm-Bringer, ye are definitely getting there We value the opinions of everyone here, and really, Trap 17 wouldn't be the same without people like you, so keep posting.