Watermonkey

I'd like to start a thread where members post a news report they might see regarding flagrant human rights violations, police corruption, political corruption, or any other activity that a reasonable person accepts shouldn't happen in a "free" society. This doesn't have to be a United States/ North America thing, if your country touts itself as being responsive and caring toward its citizens and partakes in "free and open elections", then this thread is for you. Since I live in the U.S.A., I'll start with an article that describes a birthday party gone wrong. Apparently a 16 year old girl accidentally spilled some birthday cake on the floor, and ends with a security guard breaking her arm and sending her to the hospital (because she wouldn't or couldn't clean up her little spill to his satisfaction), after accosting the boy with the video camera who filmed much of the incident. Why is this police state news? Because the security guard did not end up in jail, instead the girl's mother did, for a couple hours, because she had the nerve to protest his actions and called the police. Now, since they're pressing charges against the guard, the corrupt district attorney is charging the girl and/or the mom with various offenses. Just to show I'm not focused on teen-age female victims of society, here's another story from a few months back to further illustrate the police state we're living in today. This one is from Canada: At the S.P.P. conference in Montebello, Que, Canada (this happened at the WTO riots in Seattle some years back as well) undercover police acting as agent provocateurs, began "attacking" police from within the demonstration in order to incite violence.

I'll just add that defecation does occur. I believe one of the fab five, Mcartney? said, "love is all you need." Quite false, actually. You "need" food, air, one atmosphere (give or take a little), 1G of gravity, a copious amount of water and something like a spirit or soul in order to live a functional life. Everything else is for comfort or progress (evolution).

I can see why Pizza The Hut would get you thinking about galaxy orbits and Universal orbits and all that. Happens to me all the time . First off, the Universe doesn't "universally" orbit, though there's a possibility our immediate galaxy cluster, the Andromeda Cluster, may have some orbit or rotational velocity to it. By the way, in a little while (universal time, which makes "geological time" look like a blink of an eye) the galaxy, Andromeda, will be chowing down on the Milky Way, devouring it, consuming it, like a snake to a rabbit. Don't worry, though, the humans will be either long gone or easily have the ability to re-locate by the time that happens. Here's another fun question to ponder: During this galactic orbit, our star system dips below and then above the galactic plane. Over time a graphical illustration would look something like a sine wave. How long does it take for the sun to go from peak to peak (from the top of the cycle, to the bottom, then back to the top again)? As a bonus, where are we right now in that cycle?

Britney I was unable to locate a reference to "your book", Mistakes of Mankind that you mentioned in your post. Nor was I able to confirm Black Mountain Institute as being a global think tank. From their website, An acute ability to write long, drawn-out sentences, yeah, but a "global think tank" may be over-reaching a little. In any case, Would you mind sharing a link to this mysterious book of yours for us all to peruse at our leisure? After reading your singularly unique writing, I'm interested in reading more about the illusions in our world...

Iraq is the site of the beginnings of human civilization (as current archaeological evidence supports) and is the site of ancient cities and regions such as Sumer (Modern-day "Kish"), Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:28), and Babylon and many many sites written of in the Old Testament. More than historical curiosities, these places are believed by many to still hold secrets of our past including a real stargate! If you're going for hosting credits, I'd strongly suggest you contribute meaningful material to the topics and threads here instead of writing meaningless nonsensical garbage. Noted in report.

Today, after receiving a sampler pack and roasting a french roast on the Columbia Supremo beans and letting them rest for two days, I finally made a pot of coffee. I'm here to tell you, what a difference roasting them yourself makes. There wasn't a trace of bitterness with this coffee and the odor after grinding the beans was amazing. The taste was magnificent and has overtones of cinnamon and a little nutmeg. I feel like I've finally had my first "real" cup of coffee after all these years of drinking a bitter brown fluid with caffeine. I'm going to brew an even stronger pot tomorrow to see how that tastes. I usually set the grinder on a little more than 4 cups, and it's a little weak for me. Tomorrow it's set for 6...

I'll help you judge if you want. See my review of Mike's paper for an example of my abilities. I'm more than happy to be impartial too.

It's amusing to see moronic topics like this attracting so much attention. I can imagine where he pulled this "theory" of his from... Somewhere that has something in common with the depths of the oceans: it's somewhere the sun doesn't shine. Whales, as mojoman correctly points out, are mammals and being such, they need to breath. Furthermore they have lungs like all other mammals. Therefore they must remain near the surface at all times... to breathe! So, no, there's not very many whales at all. Another thing about undiscovered animals near or at the floor of oceans: The absolutely enormous pressures at those depths prohibit large animals from being part of that environment and those small creatures that do exist there are very strange looking indeed because of specialty survival characteristics they've evolved over time to enable them to thrive is such a harsh environment.

I'd just like to say, as the volunteer unofficial and completely unsanctioned moderator of this thread (with absolutely no moderator privileges) that I like Alex's response the best. One thing I've learned about becoming a Mod at Xisto is if you ask to be a Mod, you won't become a Mod. That's one of several requirements to becoming a Moderator (unless you're a personal friend of the owner, in which case you might become a Mod for a while, but once you've proven you really don't give a crap about the forum and you just wanted the power, you'll be demoted again). So for everyone who actually has dreams (nightmares?) of being a Mod and putting in hours a day to helping maintain this rather large forum site, follow Alex's example. You'll be a Mod in no time.

I believe a study was done on violent criminals in the judicial system in the US and it was determined that those people started their life or torture on small furry animals. This is why such behavior needs to be nipped in the bud. Let them get away with torturing a small animal and they'll graduate to torturing a small child or other helpless person. Eventually they'll get caught, they always do, but at what price? Many people suffer at the hands of these demons. It's a crime in and of itself that Romania (and other countries) has no jail sentence for criminals like those you'd torture an animal to death.

I have a novel idea: Instead of exposing a new still-forming brain to dangerous microwave radiation before it's even had a chance to mature, how about just teaching a child that a cell phone is a tool just for adults and if they really need to dial for help they can use it, only for emergencies, to call 9-1-1 (or whatever your local emergency number is). How about making a world of adventure, friendship, learning, and happiness for a child? That would be a nice thing for a while before they grow up to realize all their ancestors before them didn't give their lives a second thought before they set upon the world methodically destroying, perverting, and toxifying virtually every single square inch of the planet just to make damn sure the child will die a long, anguished, tortured, drawn-out death after living a life enslaved to about 1% of the planet's super-wealthy elite masters, not able to travel without being tracked, not able to defend themselves from the rapist with STDs who comes calling without even bringing flowers. Maybe a few years of happiness would be nice before spending the rest of one's miserable life as a slave to the demons who run this asylum...

Who are you? Forest Gump? "Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Try contributing to the forum if you're going to post... Life is determined by the sentient being observing itself in a philosophical manner, asking the questions that drive exploration, learning, trying to better itself as a species: What is the meaning of life? How did we come to be? What happens when we die? What happened before we were born? Ours is not to question weather or not other life forms ask themselves these questions. From their perspective we're just pieces of the occasional scenery, of no consequence, just a part of the universe just as a gnat is to us. Is life simply defined as the collaboration of various systems working in harmony to animate a "being"; a terrestrial entity? Or is it something more? Could life be the period of time between birth and death where we're meant to accomplish something, and the saying (I'm sure St. Michael has heard this several times), "Get a life!" really means go out into the world and seek out lessons to grow from and quit wasting your time on the damned computer in that stupid forum!

That's really fascinating, but your post reminds me of my friends and family who always just forward me garbage to read but have nothing to say that's their own. If you want to post a topic I think the least you can do is weigh in on it. You ask what others think about something you're allegedly interested it without giving us your thoughts on the topic? What do you think this is anyway? A peepshow? You're trying to earn hosting credits by contributing meaningless words without substance? ...And you can't even take the time to spell out "because"????? I'm offended... Deeply.

Uh. That saying is used as a reason against something, not in support of it. Thus: Fighting fire with fire never works. Not sure how you're intending to use it in this argument... The death penalty is not murder as some here have suggested. It's the price you pay for committing an act so heinous toward humanity you've forfeited your future life. It's a valuable deterrent that someone might consider when thinking of committing such a crime, and often, a thinking person will reconsider their plans when seeing someone hang for committing the same crime. In my opinion this penalty isn't used often enough in society, nor is it used quickly enough to be the effective deterrent it could be. Sometimes a person can spend 20 years or more sitting on death row before meeting his maker. While that time is not exactly a vacation at a tropical paradise, it's a high cost to society in terms of expensive housing. That's money that could be better spent elsewhere. I believe, also, that public executions should be re-instituted because nothing drives home consequence like seeing a criminal hang or fry in the chair first hand. Hang 'em all, I say!

That's just wrong!

I agree with quite a lot of what was said here, but I'd just take one thing from Folkrockfan and one thing from jlhaslip: Folkrockfan said soda, a small amount, isn't harmful. I know you don't drink it, but for anyone else who's learning from this thread, don't touch it! Soda contains (often) several ingredients that, ingested in sufficient quantity, are deadly or are a major contributer to obesity: Phosphoric acid is deadly, and high fructose corn syrup, which is hard not to find these days as a sweetener, is a major factor in the epidemic of obesity and early onset diabetes in places that don't have societal emphasis and place high value on gardening and living an independent lifestyle (like most of North America). Jlhaslip suggested that milk can be considered in hydration. Milk, according to a lot of research, can lead to asthma, and certainly generates a lot of mucus making it more difficult to breathe during activity from high-impact sports to singing. I have never been able to cut milk out from my diet altogether, but I never ever drink it as a beverage, just as an accompaniment to things like cold cereal, pasta, mashed potatoes, or coffee. That's the extent of my milk consumption and it's always "organic" to limit my intake of rBST and antibiotics. Remember, milk is another huge source for dietary sugar which is not something most people need more of. Personally, I just feel a whole lot better when I haven't had any non-fermented dairy in a couple days. Cheese, preferably made from RAW UNpasteurized milk, is not a bad thing, but now we're straying from the topic. For hydration, a high-mineral-content water from a natural source like a spring or private well where toxins like chlorine or fluoride aren't added would be preferable. And keep that bottle of water at your side at all times, even on your nightstand next to your bed, and just take a sip here and there all day long and I don't think you'll be "hydration-challenged" too much while you're chasing Frisbees...

So you're buying the official story of 9-11: 19 hijackers, most of them from Saudi Arabia and trained in Afghanistan, all managed to hijack planes the fly most of them into their intentional targets causing two (three?) of them to completely collapse into their own footprints (something that's never before happened, let alone three times in a day) so the USA makes war with Iraq and goes after the Taliban in Afghanistan? How does any of this make sense??? From where I sit, you'd have to be a complete low-grade moron to believe any part of the official lie the government-run media is shoving down your throat on a daily basis. It's all so completely absurd, you may as well believe that I and my cousin Billy Bob planned and financed the whole thing! Is there no limit to the gullibility of the American Idiot?Beyond that, how do you figure giving up all semblance of autonomy and privacy somehow equates to gaining security? How can these two be mutually inclusive? Here's something for you to try to digest:Concealed carry permits aren't found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. They cost money, require proficiency training, and a thorough background check. Anyone who's got a concealed carry permit is trusted by the very same government that desires, most of all, to disarm every "little person" on the planet, to carry a firearm with them nearly everywhere they go. There is a huge and constantly growing list of excuses or reasons for the government entity to deny such a permit. If passengers on board a commercial airline were allowed to exercise their ability to carry concealed in the air just as they do on the ground, you'd have a plane with 10 or more random people who happen to have their side-arms and there's no way in hell such an aircraft would ever be hi-jacked. EVER. Seems to me you're wanting to go in the exact opposite direction. When you give up liberty in favor or alleged security, you will get (and deserve) neither. And don't go buying the lie that people with concealed permits commit crimes. More crime is committed by law enforcement officers, by a high margin! You may give up your liberty, don't pretend it's what's good for the rest of us though. Your delusions are yours alone.

I've scoured the heavens and the earth then I searched here everywhere I could think, and I've found no such thing. Maybe a Mod or Admin would know...

Wow! I'm just amazed China internet lets you on this site! Will wonders never cease...From what little I know, Chinese cities are notoriously polluted (air) and the water too. I think maybe this car ban is a good idea for you. Me, well, not so much really. Too many miles to go to get anywhere here, and there really isn't any congestion or pollution to speak of. I think people should get out and walk or ride bikes more when they can though. Too often people drive their cars to the store to just get one thing, and do that same thing several times a day. Makes no sense. We (my wife and I) plan out trips to town and only go once a week if we can help it. Saves much money and wear and tear on the vehicles that way. We don't go into the "big city" but once a month or less if we can help it. Such a long trip...

Well, there's this likable (that's like-able) song by the Traveling Wilbury's (Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan) called Tweeter and the Monkeyman that you might want to call your song. It's one of those stories in a song that takes place in New Jersey where "Everything's legal as long as you don't get caught." Good tune. Welcome to the Trap. Enjoy.

Oh no... Not another monkey!

My birthday falls on the 13th and when I turned 18, in 1987, it fell on Friday the 13th and there was a full moon that night as well. I really played that night low key and it was kinda spooky, but nothing remarkable happened to me that night and I took no chances. I always consider my birthday number, 13, to be good luck. Since it's a choice, that's what it is. Good luck. As a matter of useless trivia, a full moon won't happen on my birthday in conjunction with a Friday again until the year 2082. How's that for good luck?

Thanks. There are some pretty silly, I mean, evil people in it. Well, I happened to stumble across another report that indicates that studies up to now have been irrelevant due to the fact that tumors from cell phones will take some time, like at least ten years, to develop. The conclusion of this article is simple and common sense: "Cars should be fitted with external antennas, people should use hands-free kits and children should only make calls in emergencies." I concur. I try to be attached to the car antenna as much as possible when talking on my PCS phone. P.S. I know this topic is older, but shouldn't it be placed in "Health and Fitness"? I wonder if it's possible to place a mirror of it there. That's where I'd go if I was looking for the subject.

While playing violent games can, probably, desensitize a person and increase the chance they might go out into the real world to commit a crime, the fact remains they're ultimately responsible for their actions. One thing I can see evidence of, however, is that spending so much time on the computer playing games can cause the user to lose what little communication skills they may once have had, as evidenced by the title of this thread.

In Montana, where I'm from, I had my unrestricted driver's license at the ripe young age of 14.5 years old because I took drivers ed. Of course your mileage may vary, but I do believe most insurers will consider drivers ed and lower their rates for you if you've taken it up to a certain age. Ask your insurance company for the details. I recommend drivers ed for everyone, though. It makes for safer drivers.