pirana

Is that like the Hungry Heifer? Old Country with a little local charm thrown in? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Reads like, and is almost as long as, a chapter from Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man. (EHM) Military warfare is actually the sloppy and expensive way to impose will. Economic warfare is now the preferred method. Has been every since the lesson of Vietnam. We still send in the troops occassionally, but only if we can not bring them to their knees economically. One of the dirty little secrets of the EHMs is that the supposed free money and the cheap loans we "give" to underdeveloped countries has got so many strings attached that it turns them into puppets. (Hence the euphemism). Most of that money not only comes with conditions of what it can be used for, but is often very specific on who gets the contracts. Guess who they stipulate. Most of that money never leaves our country folks. The Dems, Reps, IMF, World Bank, and puppets we prop up are all in on the scam. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

MJ is much worse than tobacco; but I don't think that is why it is illegal. At least I never heard of it used as a reason by anyone official or otherwise. We just usually hear the devil drug lines about it's social evils. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Not sure if I agree with that entirely. In the US it became illegal because a) it was mostly dirty Mexicans using it and b) religious groups didn't like it. It's illegal status was strengthened by stunningly disingenuous propoganda campaigns linking marijuana use with violent, sex-crazed insanity, sterility, self-abuse - pretty much any depraved behaviour under the sun. All the claims made at that time have been shown to be so much crap, but Marijuana remains illegal simply because... it's illegal. It's the status quo. If it's been illegal for as long as nearly everyone can remember then there must be a reason for it! Who's going to waste their political capitol on campaigning against something so entrenched - never mind that they'd be violating the sacred "war" on drugs. I would put most of what you say as the reasons behind the preference I mentioned. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

That would meet the criteria - - stimulation. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

This is torture, not being able to respond to a request for my opinion on a historical matters. Unfortunately the network police have myspace blocked here. If someone invented a block to override a block, they could get rich. Visions of Spy v. Spy again. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Because the people that have the most influence in making laws (don't tell me you thought it was us commoners) prefer martinis to marijuana. It's really that simple. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Exactly. Women have a way of going over the top in sending a message. And not just in action, but in language also. For example when my wife says "You do that all the time and it drives me nuts" it means I did something at least once and she doesn't like it. Another: "You never (insert anything here)" means you don't do it enough. Me, I have the manly habit of just saying things directly, or as someone famous once said, "If I want to send a message I'll use Western Union." " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Exactly. Yoiu can't be the only skydiver in Phoenix who wants to get to Eloy. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Hey, . . . you. HEY, . . . HEY . . OLD GUYS! (You gotta holler at us if you want our attention). " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I like that. Very good. Figure the upper average length of the typical economic cycle. Make it 5 to 7 years. Decide the age at which you will retire; in other words, when will you stop making more than you spend? (If you are not retired and spend more than you make, you have a more funfdamental problemn to address). Subtract length of economic cycle from your anticipated retirement date. Up until that date, ride it out. From that date on, begin transition out of market-based investments. Pretty simple really; but I like the roller-coaster line better. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

By human nature do you mean an explanation that can be homogenously applied across all or most humans? Then . . . . No. Everybody has their personal mix of petty nuerosis. Next question. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I don't mind poor people at all. I just wish they would stay in school long enough to figure out spelling and grammar. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Yeah but they also did the 'construction worked flyin' a sheet of plywood' and 'busted' that one...some guy landed one a couple weeks back and lived! Not to mention the one where they fired bullets into water. Obviously, they did not bounce, but penetrated to varying depths depending on composition, speed, angle, etc. Which just goes to prove that there are too many factors involved for a blanket phrase such as "just like concrete at that speed" to be valid. I wonder if the plywood pilot was a skydiver? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I missed that one. And explain "didn't appear to work." Was their finding that people can not survive a 120 MPH impact into water? If so I'm wondering what they had to say about the fact that so many people have landed in the water at terminal and lived. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I know what this topic needs; a Mythbusters episode. They might have trouble getting permission to use a high bridge; but it should not be too difficult to create 100+ MPH water impacts in their facility. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Someone takes a post literally when its clearly a joke. And a fucking funny one too. My response was to the statement that hitting water at 120 MPH is as good as hitting concrete. Didn't read that as intended to be a joke, and have heard people use that, or similar variations on it, with no joking intended. Agreed, for anyone that didn't fail Physics 101, that is a joke. But I bet you could convince most of the public that the "just like concrete" lines are valid. I think a lot of people hear a couple statements about the surface tension of water, and it causes them to then believe an exxagerated and out-of-context phrase like "water is just like concrete." Maybe you thought I was responding to the line about holding one hand up. I did get that one as intended to be humorous. It was humorous, right? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

That's what I figured. So does anyone have actual data on descent rate and forward speed? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Not sure exactly what is meant by " . . . as good as hitting concrete." I guarantee that at 120MPH a person will not penetrate concrete much at all. They will penetrate water, despite the surface tension. You would not want to belly flop; not enough pressure given the area. But feet first easily breaks the surface and allows deep enough penetration and a surviveable rate of decelleration. I know you did not use the exact words, but it drives me nuts whenever I hear someone say (in true urban legend authoritative tone) "At that speed water is just like concrete." They rarely specify what "that speed" is, but assuming a terminal velocity of 120 MPH, and the impacting object is a human, it is absolutely false that water is just like concrete (unless the water is in a solid state). It's all about decelleration, and unless you think a person travelling at 120 MPH and entering water feet first is going to "bounce" off the water's surface, then you can't possibly believe it's the same as concrete. If you are focusing on compressability, I'd agree to a much higher degree. But it's about displacing the water, not compressing it. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Nobody hits the ground at terminal and lives. Think about it; it would only be marginally different than standing in front of a Mac truck moving over 100MPH. Radical decelleration is the killer. Going from 120 to 0 in a distance of a couple inches is not surviveable. No exceptions. The structure of our guts can not take it. I'd bet the aorta is the weakest king, but quite a few things are gonna be torn and ripped and burst from that kind of fast stop. If you were lying flat on a platform, and the platform was falling at 120MPH, and stopped with the same decelleration rate as a human hitting a fixed object, the result would be the same. There are several cases of people surviving due to at least slightly cushioned landings (or properly stated - lower decelleration rates); with a few of the best known listed here already. The key is that their decelleration was spread out over time, with just a few precious extra milliseconds being enough. They all had their falls slowed or broken by deep snow, tree branches, water, partial deployment, etc. Best bet would be water, as evidenced by the fact that several people (pretty sure it is over a dozen) have hit the water beneath the Golden Gate and survived. That is enough height to be at, or very close, to terminal velocity. Not a good bet to be sure, but the best there is at terminal. So if you find yourself in freefall without any chance of deployment saving your life, aim for the deep end of a pool. Feet first and flat to the surface & arms in tight. Total decellaration in about 10 feet; very surviveable, and hope that if you get knocked unconcious someone gets there to fish you out before you drown. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

That would seem to violate the laws of physics. Is the claim that he will be falling as fast with a deployed parachute as someone without one? Seems to me the statement is taking a bit of marketing-style license, probably in combining forward speed with descent and adding them to come up with a figure that is not apple-to-apples in comparison to the basic 120MPH of freefall. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think if you consider only active licensed skydivers it is at least double that, maybe triple. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I just do good deeds for the here-and-now bliss. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Rats, I saw the thread title and thought I might get a cartoon along the lines of Spy v. Spy. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Show me. Well, I do not possess the original documents(), but am just going from readings. As the earliest civilizations started bumping up against each other in densities that created conflicts bigger than just localized harassment, there came the need for rules about what belonged to who. Not just a goat or knife or clothes or other obviously personal stuff; but things like the rights to land and resources and the like. The first people to address this formally were the the Jews, or maybe ancestors of the Jews, I can't remember the exact timeframe. Anyway, Semitic Arabs that had wandered into the Levant. They began codifying the rules of their culture and included stuff about what could be owned. It can be traced ideologically and archeologically right thru to modern times. I remember reading some about it not all that long ago. I'll dig a bit and see if I can give more details. Or you could search on your own. Google "history" and narrow it down from there. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley