Misanthrope

Wow! What an incredible story. I?d really like to hear more about this amazing person whose feats of bravery defy all logic. I do hope the topic starter will share with the rest of us further details of this person's exploits. Better yet, why not encourage her to join Trap? Then we could add her to the ranks of Ellen Templar, another female instructor who occasionally graces these pages with indispensable knowledge gleaned from her vast experience in the fitness arts. Hope I?m not venturing too far off topic here, but as we are discussing self defense, I think it would be fascinating to learn more about this incredible woman. For starters, which discipline of martial arts does she teach? And where can one buy one of those magic butcher knives? If anyone out there can show me a current system of government that is NOT corrupt, I?ve got a bridge in London to sell to their na?ve soul. Sadly, corruption and government go hand in hand, as we live in the society of man, not angels. Regardless, the average woman does not have the luxury of debating government ethics when faced with life or death decisions. She can only make due with the circumstances and constitutional rights afforded her. And if an offender should happen to get stabbed as opposed to shot, taesered, or maced ? it would not change the premise of the debate ? unless of course, one simply wants to argue for the sake of argument. Thankfully, changes to these laws meet with fierce resistance from citizen watch-dog organizations, and don?t simply change at the drop of a hat. This statement trivializes the real life scenarios that unfortunately happen every day, and anyone truly curious about specific situations need only google appropriate keywords. One of the most disturbing is breaking and entering, though situations are certainly not limited here. It should go without saying that a woman shouldn?t wait for a man to inflict bodily harm to her person without taking proactive action. And she sure as heck won't have time to check on his criminal history. My guess is my original post was not read thoroughly. Had it been, one would have observed how statistical, factual evidence from reputable sources were indeed linked to support these facts, as well as a weblink to said source. Please note these are not my conclusions, but the findings of scientific data. I would prefer anyone refuting these facts present facts of their own. Until that happens, there is nothing to debate.

Suppose the author has a point there, but then - so do those who state viruses can also infect the Mac. All I know is, I'm sick and tired of waiting for Apple to update to Santa Rosa already. This hand-me-down piece of PC crap I'm suffering with won't be suffered much longer. Everyone is saying June, but for all I know, they'll wait till September to release the new model. Once I defect over to Apple, I suspect they'll be no turning back to the "dark side." But here's what bothers me: As more folks make the switch to sanity, it stands to reason the virus developers are likely to follow suit and follow their prey to Mac. Yes, I know the Mac is inherently less vulnerable than the PC, but where there's a will (well, you know the rest).

Author implies physical contact by the offender must be made to warrant use of deadly force. Implication is false, and thus renders rest of statement irrelevant. Use of deadly force is warranted at such time individual feels another poses threat to her person - whether or not physical contact has been made. Yes, and the same could be said for a water pistol or blow dart. I doubt the offender would be impressed, though. I know I'm certainly not. 48 out of 50 states allow some form of legal concealed carry. Seems argumentative at best, considering the original argument concerned non-concealed carry. Author is free to carry a short Katana or taser that extends a "certain" distance. Women who actually want to maintain a healthy distance from the offender while maintaining control over the situation are better advised to carry a pistol. Author bemoans so-called lack of statistics in one statement while belittling their importance in the next. This creates rather shaky ground for a rational debate. I have provided sound, logical, FACTS based on scientific study to support my argument, and have yet to hear the same from anti-gun supporters. Where are the statistics that prove women can fend off attackers better with taesers or knives than they can with guns? If you're going to refute the statistical evidence, you'd better have more than lip service to back it up.

As much as I hate Windows, I'm getting a little fed up waiting for Apple to release their Mac Book Pro with Santa Rosa. Every time I check out the Mac rumor mill they predict "it's just around the corner," or, "next Tuesday." Well, hurry up already! No wonder people buy Windows. It may be crap, but at least it's available crap.

These are all valid questions the woman contemplating self defense should ask herself. In answer to your first question, I would ask that you refer to my original post, where I ask one to think like a criminal. I suppose one could also word it, "If you were a criminal thinking of inflicting harm on a woman, would you attack the woman with a loaded gun, or the woman with a knife?" A knife is certainly a viable option, but it won't necessarily cause an attacker to run in fear when brandished as a gun would. Further, it's use usually entails direct contact with the offender, whereas the intended victim can maintain a healthy distance with a firearm. Distance is of critical import for a woman. Of the women who brandish a gun in a self defense (with full intent to use it), only two percent actually have to pull the trigger. The mere sight of this weapon sends most attackers running the opposite direction. I highly doubt a knife would have the same effect. It goes without saying that a woman should be trained in the use of the weapon before hand, gaining both experience and confidence in her ability to wield, and if necessary, fire it in self defense. The confidence a woman naturally gains in firearms training manifests in her aura, and this alone tends to scare off criminals. By the way, it is quite legal to carry an exposed firearm in my state. Not that I necessarily excercise this right in our current fear-mongering climate of political correctness. Regardless, holsters of all caliber (pardon my pun) are available and offer easy and ready access in times of emergency. Again I would ask the reader to refer to my original post. This worn out rhetoric is often utilized by the media as a scare tactic, but the facts do not lie. The reality is, a woman who uses a gun against her attacker has four times the chance of surviving the attack unscathed as opposed to the woman who uses other means. These other means include knives. Why not condone a tool that levels the playing field for women and offers them such high chance of success? This, dear reader, is why I champion guns as the premier source of self defense for women.

Stalkers and their perverted, cowardly ilk get away with harming women for a number of reasons, but the main one is - they know they can physically overtake a woman who is unarmed. For the most part, women are unduly afraid of guns and often walk around in a state of fear as a result. And parasites who prey on women are quite adept at "sniffing out" fearful women. Since laws seem to enable criminals, the burden falls upon the woman to equalize the inequity of physical force that exists between her and a man. Let's get real here. No woman can drag around around a chaperone 24/7. And some maniac running around in a crack-induced frenzy will keep on coming no matter how much cayenne you pitifully spray out of your little pepper can. Yes, martial arts can prove invaluable but the average woman just doesn't have the upper body strength to take on the scrawniest man, training or no training. Though you'll rarely hear this from our trusted anti-gun media, several studies conclude that WOMEN WHO RESIST ASSAULT WITH A GUN ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO ESCAPE UNHARMED than those who do not carry a gun. Sources include the Southwick Journal of Criminal Justice and Journal of Quantitative Criminology. Nor is our biased media likely to share the endless stories of courageous, armed women who saved themselves from inevitable harm by turning the tables on their attackers. I've said this before and I'll say it again. To fight a criminal you need to learn how to think like one. Remember, criminals tend to err on the side of cowardice and seek out easy prey. I propose this question to you: If you were going to assault, harass or otherwise harm a woman, would you choose the woman with a gun, or the woman without one? Bottom Line: The woman who takes self-defense seriously must learn to think for herself, purchase a gun and learn how to use it.

Parting is such sweet sorrow, sayeth the sun as it finally sets on the flaxen-haired hotchick. I'm sure I speak for the entire cast of the EVIL group in wishing you a fond farewell, devoid of motion sickness and hangovers. That, I'm afraid, will not preclude the Enlightened Misanthrope from imbibing in copious quantities of fine spirits and bottle-conditioned ales from sunup to sundown. To what end you ask? Why - to hasten our fair lady's return to our humble forum, of course. God Speed!

The thoughtful topic starter touches on a subject of much concern to me, for it seems to run rampant and unchecked in many cultures, including those who would otherwise consider themselves, “civilized.” While animal rights have gained much ground in industrialized nations, one cannot deny much ground remains to be gained to protect the planet’s true innocents. The weak, cowardly personality so prevalent among the typical animal abuser doesn’t stop at inflicting pain, torment and death upon innocents. More often than not, this is only the first step toward a career of abuse toward human subjects perceived as powerless by this impotent personality. The despicable pathology so prevalent among bullies who torment vulnerable classmates more often than not had its deplorable beginnings with animal torture. Children, women, and the elderly are prime candidates for abuse at the hands of these fiends. To illustrate, the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer impaled dogs, cats, and frogs before moving up to human torture and murder, and he is but one in a long line of examples. Dahmer remains an enigma in as much as he appears to have suffered no abuse at the hands of his parents. But this is not the case with the vast majority of children who torture animals, where the correlation between family violence and cruelty toward animals cannot be denied. This is why the issue of animal cruelty cannot be dismissed, for animal cruelty is but a stepping-stone to violence toward humans, with felony level enforcement to this end becoming widespread as authorities have finally recognized the connection. If you ever witness someone exhibiting any manner of cruelty toward an animal (warm or cold blooded, fish or reptile), please alert an authority as soon as possible. Whether it be a teacher or law enforcement, do not lightly dismiss this sort or activity as anything but what it is: dangerous.

With the exception of rescue and rehabilitation, I do not recommend folks take on exotic animals as "pets" as they require special care for the duration of their lives. After the novelty has worn off, many people lose interest and the animal suffers great harm, and often death as a result. I suggest you return the tadpoles to the pond you took them from while they're still young. If their previous environment was a healthy one, that would be the best thing you can do for them. They are much better off in their original habitat - even if it's a man made pond. They were obviously doing well there. I doubt they will fare as well in your bedroom. If you were a frog, would you rather be cramped up in someone's tank, or jumping to your heart's content from water lily to water lily in a nice big pond? Do the right thing and give the little guys back their freedom. If you simply must hold on to them, understand the responsibility you owe them, and consult a veterinarian regarding their best care. Pet store employees are simply not that knowledgeable. If at any time you feel you can't provide the best care possible, find a responsible person who can. Best of luck to you.

I'm in the States, but quite close to Canada, and I can see a Canadian ski resort not far from my property. The old wive's tale here is, when the snow melts off that mountain it's safe to plant tender annuals like tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and such. There's still snow on that mountain. It's been warm but the forcast is for near freezing overnight temperatures this weekend. I tried transplanting out some watermelon I had started from seed inside, but all but one has died off. That'll teach me to challenge that time-honored wive's tale. I started some more watermelon inside again, and this time I'll wait till all chance of frost is gone before transplanting them out. The cooler weather annuals are all doing good though - go figure. I don't do much in the way of flowers since we're blessed with a lot of high altitude wild flowers, and they're attracting the hummingbirds already. One of those flowers is called, 'fireweed," and it's a brilliant orange-red hue that the little birds just love. I also hang out a hummingbird feeder with nectar, but I'm sure the flower nectar is better for them. I generally focus on planting veggies, but I wouldn't mind planting some nasturtium and/or other flowers to attract more hummers. I would buy some hanging baskets but they're so expensive. $20 for one plant, and that's at Walmart. Geez. One of these days I'll have to start growing and arranging my own hanging baskets. Deck box planters sound like a great idea too. I may move some of my indoor plants out on the deck for the summer. And maybe incorporate one of those cool waterfall features to attract amphibious friends. Alas - too many projects, not enough time.

Thanks all. Well, at least I know I'm not the only one affected. Guess I'll try emailing Xisto - Support since admin hasn't responded. Yes, I've tried Squirrelmail and I'm not crazy about it. Thought I'd give a Horde a go, but it's not cooperating.

Yes to both. I set up multiple accounts and can access all of them via Squirrel Mail. Sometimes I can even get into Horde, but it always logs me out whenever I try to open mail or do anything. Any ideas?

I am not able to access email via Horde, as on those rare occasions I can actually log in, the program logs me out immediately. Please advise.

When you use message tracker it has two fields that show the progress of the message you sent. For me, the message will show up in the "not read yet" field immediately after I sent it, which is appropiate. The problem is, after it's been read, it does not show up in the "read" field, so unless you check with the recipient, there's no way of knowing if your message was read or not. Anyone know what's going on here?

Yes, the wheels of justice grind along ever so slowly, in apparent disregard for the little guy who gets squashed in the process. I wonder how many innocent people suffered at the hands of this white collar criminal while the "system" sat around waiting for a stellar case to pin to it's belt buckle? System - if you're listening, hurry up and get this filth off the streets already, and once you do, keep it in prison for god's sake. But alas, the Enlightened Misanthrope wastes her fire-breathing breath. The system (aka our trusted government officials) only does what's best for itself.

If said class is trapped in the public (i.e. government controlled) school system, this collective attitude does not suprise me, as these students are generally brainwashed into accepting whatever garbage the state decides to dish out. Thankfully, the topic starter has the werewithall and intellect to resist the state's mind-numbing agenda. Should "gun control" laws be improved? Tell your zombie colleagues that laws drawn up to protect the citizenry against criminals are ALREADY on the books, but, they are not enforced. And why are they not enforced? Because the Powers that Be do not care about protecting you or me. They purposely allow (and contrive) situations to get out of control to create a panic state of frenzy, thereby fooling the sheeple into accepting rules that benefit neither you nor I. There is no (legitimate) need to further chip away at the citizenry's inalienable rights of self-protection and empowerment. One need look no further than to nations that have enacted so-called "gun control" to witness the utter folly inherent in such draconian legislation. Inevitably, communities with the harshest gun control laws suffer the highest rise in crime against innocent citizens. And one need only think like a criminal to understand why this is so. Ponder this: If you were a sex offender planning on carrying out a criminal act against a woman, would you be more likely to attack an unarmed woman, or the woman with a 44 magnum pointed at your filthy crotch?

Just yesterday I noticed the message tracker in "my controls" is not verifying that messages have been read. Anyone else noticing this? This is the first I've seen of this. Is the area being upgraded or something?

It should be of concern that normal, everyday vernacular can somehow be interpreted as "offensive" in a forum environment where a decent grasp of the English language is required. A cursory Google search of the word, "hun" produces nothing remotely disturbing - let alone offensive. Those unfamiliar with American culture and/or the English tongue may wish to consult a dictionary or research questionable terms before reaching conclusions. While the author's reasons are duly noted, I respectfully disagree with a premise I feel follows a dangerous line of reasoning which can only lead to further censoring of normal, accepted terminology. I would add that formentioned dairy cows injected with Bovine Growth Hormone are then slaughtered for human consumption, so your meat supply is also a source of unwanted hormones. Further, beef cattle in general are fed all manner of growth stimulants to provide larger product, as well as a variety of pharmaceutical cocktails to curtail the diseased environment in which these animals are forced to endure their tortured existence. It is of note these factory farmed animals benefit little in the way of humane practice, and are treated above and beyond as mere "product" to benefit the huge conglomerates who in turn benefit from forcing their toxic meat on the populace. I doubt that these inhumane and unhealthy practices are limited to the United States, especially given the corporate push toward Globalization and a New World Order. Bottom line, if you are reaching puberty, or have children coming of age, steer clear of factory farmed animal parts and dairy products.

Here's a big old American "howdy" to you. You wouldn't happen to be a Renaissance Man in the traditional sense, would you? By the looks of all your interests, I reckon that perhaps yes, you are. May as well add philosophy, vegetarianism, and astrology to the list so we can include you in the ranks of Leonardo Davinci. I share many of your pursuits, sans the automobiles and team sports. I'm afraid I'm too fine boned for hokey or most organized activity, though I love to watch boxers beat the crap out of each other. I do find it curious that hockey never took much of a hold in the States. I mean, a good portion of the country is covered in ice and snow much of the winter, so that's no excuse. Personally, I think the football/basketball/baseball conglomerates don't want the competition.