Misanthrope

I just dowloaded SmartFTP due in part to recommendations on Xisto's forum. I'm glad somebody's explained how to use it in terminology even someone like me can understand. Now I don't have to waste time trying to figure out Smart's instructions. I'd personally like to see more tutorials for users who are new to web design, or at least technically challenged on this forum. Thanks Angel! Perhaps you could post a tutorial on integrating blogs into existing web sites. I need help on that too

I'd like to integrate a very simple blog-type feature that will only show up my site's home page. I want the blog section to look like the rest of the site. Here's my site if it helps: vbritton's site The site has three columns, and in the center column, I want to put simple blog entries. I want to keep the other two columns open for other stuff so it doesn't look like a blog site. It would also be nice to have an rss feed. I know some html. I don't know php or sql, but I'm guessing I might have to learn if I want to do this right. I'd rather not have to go through the hassle of trying to integrate Wordpress since my site is already created. What do you think is the best and simplest way to do this? I've checked out similar threads on this topic, but the responses don't go into enough detail for the technically challenged. If you use php/sql terminology keep it simple for this non-geek! Thanks in advance for your help

Jeeez......I'm horrified that so many posters prefer the Colgates, Crests, and other mainstream tooth pastes over natural brands. Tom's of Maine is brand that comes to mind, and is my personal favorite. But it has to be the non-fluoridated stuff. That's because fluoride is a proven toxin that the public has literally been forced to swallow ever since the aluminum industry realized they had to find some legal way to get rid of this poison byproduct of their industry. And that legal way was pumping it into our drinking water, and now, our toothpaste. Just to clarify a few things about fluoride, which is actually "sodium fluoride:" Did you know the Nazis used fluoride to sterilize inmates and make them more docile, i.e., easier to control? It's also a base ingredient in Rat Poison, Cockroach Poison, Nerve Gas and Prozac - and it's being used to dumb us down and make us sick. Europe is now aware of its dangers, and all but a few EU countries have eliminated fluoride from drinking water. Count yourself lucky if you live in one the few American regions that do not force medicate the populace with this toxin. Understand, fluoride is nothing more than a dangerous by-product of the nuclear and aluminum industries. Now, consider yourself armed with the truth about fluoride, and think twice before putting it in your mouth. Heres more: http://poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/

Interesting topic. I?m a woman, and I don?t feel it?s particularly cool or not cool. It?s just what I happened to be born as, and frankly, being stuck in this physical shell , be it male or female, poses difficulites for all of us. I try not to identify too strongly with anything that ties me to the mundane world, be it gender, race, nationality, religion, or ??periods. I say that for a couple reasons. The main being these things can prevent us from fulfilling full potential if too much attention is given them. Secondly, government/corporate interests use men?s differences as tools to control them. The stronger a man identifies with gender, race, religion, or nationality - the easier he is to control. Divide and conquer is the mantra of those who do not have our best interest at heart. Where did females get with so-called ?women?s lib?? They are now expected to earn a living in the workplace while still maintaining the home, and get to enjoy all the once male-predominant diseases, like heart disease and lung cancer. Their children are raised by strangers in day care before being handed off to state for brainwashing in public schools. And all this while still earning significantly less than their male counterparts. You?ve come a long way baby?..Not! It?s now coming to the fore that our trusted CIA was actually behind the ?woman?s movement? in the 60?s for two reasons. First, by bringing women into the workplace, the state could earn twice as much tax revenue. Second, getting women out of the household was a full-proof method of destroying the family nucleus. Now, if women hadn?t focused so much on womanhood and gender, they wouldn?t have been such easy prey by the state. I think it's important to analyze the gender issue from a metaphysical standpoint in addition to the obvious mundane differences that exist between the sexes. There are some who believe creation of the material world resulted in part from separation of male and female energies (ying and yang). The bible also provides Adam and Eve as symbols of these energies that existed before creation, the primordial vessel from which all souls sprang. The serpent appeared as the force which fragmented these two energies, thus separating them from their innate godhood. Our lives are a journey back to this state of being. Focusing too hardly on male or female leaves one in a state of unbalance.Man, some believe, should strive to balance these energies to regain what is rightfully his. So, to identify too strongly with either gender is to deny the other half which can make you whole, or, god-like. The simple analogy of magnet and steel might be appropriate here: one is attracted to the other, and only by coupling are they made whole. Some achieve some semblance of this through marriage, where man and wife unconsciously strive to recreate something holy on earth. More evolved souls may have already been this route and may bypass the physical aspect all together. Either way, be satisfied ? not preoccupied, with your physical gender.

Well, what I'm noticing in the responses here is an overwhelming consensus that smoking is just plain bad....period. The current evidence seems to support this, but we can say the same about many things we choose to participate in as human beings. It should also be noted that there are studies that actually support limited tobacco usage, but the media chooses to ignore them, because they don't fit in with the current demonazation of tabacco usage. I can only speak for myself in saying that I could never smoke; my lungs just couldn't handle it. But for those who do smoke, and especially those who do it on a daily basis, it only makes sense to smoke the least harmful product available. In doing so, you at least avoid the many harmful ingredients the mainstream producers feel the need to poison your cigarettes with, and you are exposing yourself to only one potential poison.Sadly, we are but human. It's not always practical to completely avoid or shun any given substance, be it tobacco, food, or what have you. In the end, life often comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils.

Well, I'm a bit surprised to find myself responding to this topic. After all, "Anna Nicole" Smith was, in my opinion, a microcosm of all that's wrong with America. She was gaudy, miserable, and grossly superficial. Not to dishonor the recently departed, but it horrifies me that someone who literally underwent the knife of vanity as many times as she did could be considered anything but a complete and "udder" failure. One who would continually subject her body to mutilation for the sake of physical appearance cannot have much in the way of self worth, and it's no wonder the poor woman was terminally depressed. The old addage, "no matter where you go, there you are," would in her case read, "no matter how many times you mutilate your breasts, there you are." As large as they were, she couldn't hide her massive inferiorty complex behind those massive "things."I think it will probably surface that her demise was ultimately the result of "happy pills" the pharmaceutical complex so readily shoved down her throat. Of course, this multi-billion dollar industry will carry on unscathed, while our caring government goes after those "dangerous" cannibas growers.

I'm sure your teachers are absolutely right. I've looked at some of your posts, and you have a wide variety of interests for someone so young. I wish I were good at Science and Math, but that side of my brain doesn't seem to work very well. Just keep in mind, the results of the vegetarian study are only a generalization, and exceptions to the rule seem to be popping up all over the place - especially on this thread! Thanks for your input.

Whose afraid of the dark? I am. That’s because I know what lurks in the shadows, and sometimes, it’s nothing to be trifled with. Children, who are more attuned to the unseen worlds, often have an innate, healthy respect for the darkness (oft times referred to as “fear”), because they sense the presence of other forms and entities we as adults have lost awareness of. The entities and forms who linger on this plane are not all about peace, light and goodness as the rose colored-wearing New Agers would have us believe. Anyone who’s actually worked around the paranormal enough will tell you this. It’s difficult for higher level entities to lower their vibration patterns enough to descend to our plane. Angelic visitations and incarnations of great masters are unfortunately the acception, not the rule. Generally, what mankind comes into contact with in the “desire world” are phenomona known as “thought forms.” The product of human practitioners, these thoughts take on a disembodied life of their own, usually (but not always) based on the original intent of their maker. And ghosts find themselves trapped on this plane for any number of reasons. Often, they are the result of an untimely death. The person’s vital force did not have the customary time to wane had it been a natural death. And so that vital force lingers after death, not aware of its’ own demise…...caught between the worlds. These entities will often carry on as they did before death, scaring the ^%$! out of those unfortunate enough to be in their presence. If what Jcrueter describes as happening at his home is accurate (his post was removed earlier - hope he reposts again), something more malevolent than a ghost or thought form may be at work. The services of an excorcist may be in order, preferably more than one! Maybe a Priest could be convinced to come out and bless the property. Personally, I’d rather move than live around an entity in that much torment. It's too bad the Catholic Church doesn't perform this rite in earnest anymore. I'm not sure if anyone’s heard of Father Malachi Martin, but he was a Jesuit priest who documented a number of successful exorcisms. Sadly, he died in ’99 and I’m not aware of anyone in the Church who can hold a candle to him. You can check out more on his fascinating life and work here: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ We cannot discount these phenonana as mere coicidnece or conjecture. As Shakespeare so eloquently put:

I see the topic thread covers a number or paranormal subjects. For now, I'll just share a few of my some experiences I had with Astral Projection as a tot:I first experienced this phenomenon, not surprisingly, as a young child devoid of earthly cares. I remember dreams so vivid I can still recall them in a fair amount of detail today. During one, I floated and hovered near the ceiling of my bedroom, aware that I had somehow separated from my physical shell. I then proceeded to float out of the house and over the roof , and although it was night, it appeared to be daytime on the outside, and the sky was a vibrant, almost alive ? azure blue. Something about dreams that seems to accentuate colors, at least for me. Repeated projections also occurred during the dreamtime state. One involved a dream of standing under a particular tree in our backyard, which allowed me to fly. In these lucid dreams, all I had to do was stand under this tree, and up, up and away I went. Not so much flying but more like floating around. And again, although the projections/dreams happened at night, the imagery was of daytime.As a teenager, I once woke up in a cold sweat after realizing I had left my body. This time, everything appeared just as dark as the night actually was, which leads me to believe this was a real projection, however accidental. My body was sleeping in the basement, but I recall sitting on the couch of the main floor, looking at a blank TV set, and wondering what the heck I was doing there while everyone else was obviously sleeping ? myself included! Ah ? that?s when it dawned on me I was sitting there ? but not really. I realized that my body was downstairs, but "I" was sitting upstairs staring at a blank screen. Wait a minute! In an instant, I was back in my physical shell again. I shot up from the bed in a bit of a panic, heart palpitating and cold beads of sweat forming on my face. No ? it wasn?t a nightmare or panic attack. I had just been lucidly aware of projecting to another room of the house. What struck me was how as a teenager I reacted differently to this experience. It provoked more of a fearful pattern than it had as a tot.I can only imagine this sort of thing happens a lot more than what we actually remember. Perhaps that?s a good thing??.?

Oh yeah, after I got out of college I had a chance to visit Cofu, Athens and Thesonoliki (am I spelling that right?) and the food was divine. And talk about fresh. What I liked about Greece more than the other mediterranean countries was it's proximity to the near east. Humous, Falafel, Tabouli and the like were integrated with regular Greek fare. And I can't get enough of those olives. Heaven! The crazy thing was some of travel mates were looking for the nearest McDonald's with all this wonderful food right in front of them. I didn't remember seeing a McDonald's in Greece, though. That's probably changed by now, unfortunately.

I visited Manilla and Bagio City in the Phillippines, and loved the hospitality and emphasis on home-cooked meals. I'm a veg-head, but much of the Filipino dishes contained meat. But my hosts were oh too happy to prepare my food to order, without any dead critters floating around. And they were just as courteous in the resturants. There was one dish I especially loved, but I can't remember the name. Brocoli, tofu and other delacacies were among the ingredients, but what made it so delicious was the inclusion of vinegar and soy sauce. It's an awesome combination I use in my cooking even now. I've found it goes really well with broiled potatoes....yummmm. Oh, and the vegetarian lumpia dipped in a soy sauce/ tobasco/ calamansi juice mixture is to die for! Pansit is so good it makes a meal in itself. If you enjoy traveling to distant lands and savoring different food, I can highly recommend a visit to the Phillippines. I've done a bit of traveling, and although parts of this country are in almost third world straits, the food is always prepared in clean and sanitary conditions. I never once got sick from the usual food born illnesses associated with travel in poorer nations. But the best part about this food is that it's prepared with love. Bon appetit!

I dont think youve gone too far at all, but I'm afraid we must respectfully agree to disagree. The argument comparing mans treatment of fellow men as opposed to animal is a very common one to justify the continued slaughter of innocent creatures. Following this line of reasoning, however, can lead one to irrational conclusions. Yes, mans inhumanity to man is as old as time, and goes without question. But should we stop caring about animals because governments carry out atrocities against other nations, and in many instances, their own people? Should we become callous toward the plight of animals tortured in factory farms because our government is killing off our own troops in Iraq? Why should caring for the plight of humans preclude our concern for other animals we share this planet with or vice versa? Some would argue that man will not find peace until the slaughter of innoncents stops: Cannibalism is well documented in all cultures, and all ages. Perhaps were supposed to eat people. Per my previous argument, the fact that humans have practiced cannibalism doesnt justify continued practice of this horrible act. Nor does it justify eating other animals. Why would believing in a god force me to eat meat? There are just as many quotes from the bible to support vegetarianism as otherwise. People pick and choose what they want from the bible to support their personal predisposition. Who are we to judge why animals are here. They have their own purpose. They feel pain, they feel joy, they love the warm sun on their backs like we do. And...they SUFFER like we do. They are other nations, caught in the wheel of life like we are. The fact they may be weaker or dumber does not give us the right to harm them. Why are we here, for that matter? If one believes the biblical idea that man is the earths caretaker, then Id say were doing a pretty lousy job. We all end up rotting in the ground eventually. Its how we get there thats important.

I hate to say this, but I' getting logged off again when I try to preview or post on the board. This is the error message I get: " I also got the "authorization mismatch" crap again. I don't understand why I was able to post for a short while and then it suddenly stopped. HELP Testing again...

Testing, testing, 123... Well, I was actually able to reply to a post on my veggie thread. Your strategy of delegating the shoutbox to the main page only seems to have worked. Let's hope it stays that way. Testing yet again.

Watermonkey, I see Im not the only one on this forum to have noticed the rose-colored glasses phenomenon that seems so prevalent in society today. It almost appears a sort of survival mechanism some people use to avoid falling into depression and despair. These may be the same folks whod rather pop happy pills than face reality. That is, life is not a bowl of cherries and sometimes you have to face whats ugly in life to appreciate whats beautiful. Yeah, reminds me of allegory of the frog brought to a slow boil in a pot of water. By the time he realizes hes being boiled alive its too late. And that kind of reminds me of a book I just finished, titled, French Women for All Seasons by Mirelille Guiliano, which is a sequel to her popular, French Women Dont Get Fat. The French generally have a more intimate relationship with their food than Americans, and a healthier one in my opinion. The author, being French, has a decidedly French attitude toward food (go figure) accept where meat is concerned! Here, she retells a story of a childhood memory involving frogs. Apparently, a family acquaintance would deliver frog legs every Sunday, which her mother would then sauté for dinner. Somehow, her father always managed to avoid giving in to her childhood curiosity, and never explained how the frog legs came to be severed from the frog, or what happened to the slimy little guys afterwards. To this day, she is happily ignorant of the process, and has no desire to delve any deeper. As long as someone else is responsible for murdering the frogs, all is well, and she can continue to devour them relatively guilt-free. Not to say I dont immensely enjoy and respect this authors work. I think shes using basic common sense to remind us of what weve lost in our relationship with food. For many of us, eating has become nothing more than a chore to get over with it so we can move on to the next task. Nothing exemplafies this more than the hurried commuter driving to work with a cell phone in one hand and a hamburger in the other. The author is to be commended for teaching us how to put the ritual and joy back in our meal-time habits. I only wish shed take off those rose-colored glasses and take a real look at where her meat comes from. If I were to point out one thing Ive noticed in Vegetarians, its their willingness to confront the harsh realities and seek out wiser alternatives. If one suspects theres something amiss in ones food supply, shouldnt these issues be explored further? Perhaps its this ability to face the sometimes uncomfortable reality that leads to heightened awareness and intelligence.

I did not have the latest version. I just downloaded it so I'll tinker around and see if it makes a difference....

I got this error message when trying to preview before posting:

It's acting up again when I try to post. This time it's logging me out. I'm using XP and Firefox. Same thing happens on IE. I don't experience this problem anywhere but this site, and it didn't start happening until after the forum upgrade. Nothing I do makes it go away. HELP!

I'm testing to see if this actually posts. Saw someone else on the shoutbox who was having the same problem.

testing from different computer, still on firefox. testing IE on different computer

Hello Vain. You are wise to be critical of the psychiatric profession or anyone who would seek to steal your individual spark. Putting yourself in the care of a allopathic doctor of any sort, psychiatric or physiological - is potentially putting yourself in harm's way. Check this out: Every year conventional (also known as allopathic) doctors kill more people than auto accidents and guns. This is admitted in their own Journal of American Medical Association Journal (JAMA). In this journal they say that roughly 20% of folks who visit doctors will suffer some sort of doctor-related injury. Another 16% of folks who died in a hospitol died of something other than what they were admitted for - in other words - the doctor really had no idea what was wrong with the patient!! AND they admit, another 28% are admitted to the hospitol because they suffered an adverse reaction to a drug some doctor prescribed them. These are frightening statistics! And every year, it seems, another new fangled psychiatric condtion is invented by these people, and the reasons are many. The first is that it further justifies their parasitic existense. The sicker you stay, the more money they make. They don't make any money off healthy people. They'll create a some mental condtition to sucker in otherwise healthy people. Secondly, there is a deliberate "dumbing down" of society. When someone dares think for theselves or show any creativity, they are labled with, "Attention Deficit Disorder," or labled in need of "Anger Mangement" therapy. All that means is they're going to dope you up with enough drugs to where you can no longer think for yourself. You'll be a lot easier to control that way, and be a happy little worker bee for the state. Vain, I don't see anything wrong with being angry sometimes. Should we all walk around like good little drones with plastic smiles painted on our faces? And you folks with depression: it's normal to feel down sometimes. Culture would force us to be happy all the time and that's just not realistic - or healthy. Sure makes a lot of money for the good people who push happy pills on the unsusecting. Some people are just naturally melloncholic. Many of them are geniuses. But you can say goodbye to the genius when they start popping the happy pills the drug-pushing doctors would have them take. In closing, Vain, I have a very dim view of any institution that would deny the individual the very essence which makes him unique. Run - don't walk, from anyone or anything that would force you to be like everyone else.

I think the Trap provides an excellent service to those who want professional quality hosting without paying for it. Sure, you have to post to maintain your account, but after you start it becomes quite fun, some would even say addicting.Now, as to the forum itself, it would be nice to have a dedicated section on Philosphy, Religion, and the like. Right now you have to post these topics in the fitness section. And visitors to the fitness section aren't necessarily interested in Philosophy or Meditation topics (and vice versa). Come to think of it, some sections on Pets and Gardening would be nice too.

After reading all these delectable answers I'm getting kind of hungry. In fact, my stomach is rumbling now. Well, I'm American so I pretty much have the world at my doorstep in the food department. When I visit the city I always hit an Indian buffet. I just love the spicy curries, chutneys and wide varietys of tastes and textures. They know how to cook their veggies. I would eat more of it were it not so hard to prepare at home. I'd go broke eating out all the time. I think Italian food is somewhat over rated in this country. I mean, how many times can you eat noodles and pizza without getting bored....and fat. No one ever mentions Greek, Russian, Middle Eastern and such. Or what about Polynesian? They have a distinct stlye. But I have a hard time answering this pole because I pretty much like everything, as long as it doesn't have dead animals floating around in it. Speaking of, there was a story on the news the other day about a lady who bought a dead duck to cook for dinner. Well, the carcass was in her fridge for two days. When she finally got around to retrieving the duck out of her fridge, the poor little guy lifted up his head and looked at her! He wasn't dead afterall. Of course, she was shocked and couldn't bring herself to kill the little duck herself. Now the duck is at a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary trying to recover. But he'll never be the same. Someone had shot him, and the two days in the fridge did some damage. He'll be living out the rest of his days at the sanctuary, free from stray bullets and frying pans. Hope I didn't wander too far off topic there It is on food, though. Right?I love French food because it always incorporates FRESH ingredients with inclusion of herbs. Nothing canned for the French. It also gives me a good excuse to drink wine. Same thing goes for Greek. Ah, falafel... Anyway, if I really HAD to choose, I'd look at it from the standpoint of: could I eat this every day for the rest of my life? In that case, I'd go with Mexican. It's healthy, it's filling, it's spicy (if you want it to be), it's easy to cook, it's cheap, and it goes very well with my favorite beverages - beer and tequila.Great poll, by the way.Oh, I forgot to answer the second part of this pole. Which is healthiest? I think it depends on the how the food is prepared. The healthiest source can be turned into poison when cooked in canola oil, for example. There is no such thing a "canola" seed. Canola just stands for, "Canadian Oil." It's a made up name to describe a genetically modified seed otherwise known as "rapseed." This toxic oil is also used for industrial purposes. Funny - they've been trying to push this non-food off on the American public as somehow healthy. Stick with olive oil, I say.

I always find the best way to avoid stitches is to avoid running in the first place....hee heeee. But seriously, I rarely run myself. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it works for some folks. But when I tried it I found it compromised my immune system, which is usually quite strong. During my brief running foray, it was one of the few times in my life I actually came down with a cold. What a horrifying experience! However, I did notice that running on an empty stomach seemed to keep stictches at bay. From what I've read of jogging, it's physically taxing on the body, and shouldn't be enthusiastically engaged in for any length of time. There's a reason professional atheletes have short careers. You simply can't "run" (no pun intended) your body into the ground over an extened period and not expect problems. Presently, when I excersie my physical shell of existence, it usually consists of long walks, ocasionally supplemented with a (very) short sprint. This is followed by a brief, but effective yoga/meditation routine. Although now, my quater mile driveway is covered with snow, so sprints are more difficult. Hope I'm not digressing too far off topic, but I take this walk every morning so as to justify further ingestion of fine food, wine, blended malt whiskey, port, vodka, and my personal favorite .......100% agave tequila-blanco (with a splash of lime and a nice beer chaser). The beer, by the way, should be from a non-fluouridated source and bottle condtioned to provide optimum health benefit. While walking, I carry some small weights to prevent my small frame from sucombing to bone loss. Veggies and beer also seem to help to this end. Thus spoketh the Enlightened Misanthrope