pirana

Excellent. Very funny. " . . . 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

It was a reference to a classic line in the movie Airplane http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:9Bav1zUd0FYJ:www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13805019/+%22do+you+like+gladiator+movies%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us Sometimes I am really in the dark on stuff. My blabber about movies must have come off as really gullible blabber. But again, what was it that was like other zillionaires? " . . . 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 agree about it being human invention. There existed a social contract long before it was called that, and long before the first religions were invented. I think each person lives by their own rules, even though most also choose to live within populations that have chosen to abide by some codified version of social rules. That duality means a lot of people violate the social contract (at least in minor ways) on a very regular basis. It is the central dilemma anytime we try to formally or even informally codify morality. Bottom line question for you then: Are you constricted by anything? Do you refrain from anything at all based on a sense of social responsibility? OK, baited question; since I'm assuming you would not murder the neighbors in order to raid their fridge; and I'm also guessing your statement about sinning as much as you can was missing some context. But what are your limits and from what do they originate? " . . . 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

Which statement are you refering to (that would apply to the other zillionaires)? I like most any kind of movie that is reasonably well done, though that in itself is highly subjective. I did like Gladiator with Russell Crowe. Good story, decent acting, not a lot of corny unbelievable stuff. (Unlike the latest Indiana Jones flick which I just saw. I don't see how that even qualifes as adventure. It's got so much corny BS it is more like fantasy/science friction). " . . . 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

At one time I cared. It is cheating, pure and simple. We now know that many of the best players were and/or are cheaters. They are frauds and their records are bogus. They've sold their souls, and quite possibly their health, for a few dollars more. Which led me to not caring. Actually, it just reinforced my disdain for professional sports. I quit being a fan after the second time the baseball players went on strike. I love sports, and I love the game; but the business has become a bunch of shit. They are virtual (if not actual) monopolies that perpetrate the fraud that they stimulate the economy. A big fat fucking lie. Read Major League Losers. A bit dated now but still valid. They do not expand the economy, they channel it to a very few very rich people. I don't care if they inject themselves with every known toxin on the planet. I don't care if they all take a long walk on a very short cliff. I don't care if they whine and cry and leave town because the public won't finance or even worse pay for their half billion dollar palace. They can all go fuck themselves. " . . . 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

Any ear problems outside of jumping? Earaches, chronic post nasal drip, sinus infections, voice like Donald Duck, etc? If the pressure equalization exercise mentioned above does not work, then there must be some serious eustachian tube blockage. As they said, probably time to visit Dr. Ent. I'd also add, based on a long history of sinus/nasal issues, do not rely on sprays as a regular form of relief without a docs approval. They are mostly for temporary relief and can make things worse if used too much. " . . . 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 hey HEY! Wait a minute! STOP!!! What are you saying about Lord of the Rings? " . . . 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

Well that would certainly explain your habit of putting people into either one of only two categories: Fucking cool, or . . . Fucking retarded. " . . . 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

As if Bonfire isn't already totally gay. It's all this 'Oh you're so naughty. Oh no, you are, and so are they, and 'Oh look, there's a thread with no sexual inuendo; we'd better fix it' and all kinds of chit-chat about how everybody feels about what everybody else says.' It's like peeking in on a bunch of 8th graders passing notes in class. Now I probably need a spanking. " . . . 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

Sounds like Darfur today. " . . . 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

Yes, interesting results. IMO though, I think the jury is still out on how much will stick. Not being there, and not trusting what anyone with an agenda has to say; it's hard to say how much our presence is propping things up. Would it hold if we vacated tommorow? Almost certainly not. Violence is down, but the place still seems just a tad more dangerous than your average civilian environment. Can't toot the horn too wildly when the best thing that can be said about the violence is that it mostly occurred in just a couple provinces and there were only a couple minor political assasinations in the last week. " . . . 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

Hence the popularity of "reality" TV. The most popular form of entertainment these days appears to be watching people get shouted down, screamed at, and insulted in every imaginable manner. " . . . 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've seen a few demonstrations over the years of people doing reaction time experiments after drinking. No way does somebody slam a 6-pack and not have their reaction time impaired. They may still know the right answers, but their execution is for shit. " . . . 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

No, it was perfect; but you got topped big time by Mr Brown. " . . . 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

Yes. I love feeling the edge, and need the level of awareness that comes with the edge. The Edge - need it, love it, want it. And what Mama said about reaction time. I'm sure there are studies and tests that have been done. Too lazy to look for them; but I just consider somebody who jumps stoned and thinks they aren't effected as similar to the drinker that insists they are a better driver after a couple drinks. Yeah, . . 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

I'll stand back and watch this round, but alert people interested that there was a very cool piece NG had on him, the voyage, and how the pieces came together - with more specific mentions of the people that helped him than I've ever read about before. If you do not subscribe, that piece alone is worth picking up a copy - especially if you can just lift it from the docs or dentists office. Maybe leave a quarter on the counter. " . . . 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

Back when I was younger (half my current age), I made up a bumper sticker that quoted a line from the Crass song “Reality Asylum”; it read, “Jesus died for his own sins, not mine.” I put it on my car one morning before work and someone took a razor blade or key to it and removed most of the bumper sticker and a sizeable amount of paint before I came home that night. I always wondered which commandment it was that told believers they should vandalize another’s property if they don’t like it. Blues, Dave I like that. Very similar line from Patti Smith on the Horses LP. "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine." Eerie combination of poetry & music. You listen to her music? I'm sure the justification of the Vandal was something along the lines of trying to undo the work of the devil. When you found the damage did you stroll around to the back of the car, hands on hips, shoulders back, chin up; and surmise to the troops "Looks like Vandals did this!" " . . . 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

16.07381% Just under the wire. " . . . 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

Ya got nothing on me. I have 1100+ albums, in alpha order, serial numbered, with every cut classified by listening type, with all of that and year of release on a label on the bottom left corner of the outer sleeve. And if somebody puts one back in the wrong place, they will never be allowed to touch the stacks again. I'm not so much a geek as just a borderline OC guy who knows his way around technology a touch better than the average person. I think a person is a geek only if they are well educated in technology and not much else. Having technology as an area of expertise does not make a person a geek if they are well rounded. " . . . 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 have 5 or 6 skydiving bumper stickers on my car, and willfully put them there as free advertising. They are the 1st bumper stickers I've ever put on a car in my life. I've never put them on for school, sports, causes, etc for the simple reason that I think it greatly enhances the chances of someone keying my car. It's bad enough that I have to display Wisconsin plates when I go to Gopher v. Badger sporting events in MN. " . . . 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

They are annoying the day they go on. What is the point of them anyway? To convince people to change their vote? To alert those living in some vacuous crevice of society that an election is near? To "support" the candidate? How does plastering an election sticker somewhere (other than over the mouth) accomplish anything but covering up a little rust or stoking someone's egomaniacal need to live vicariously thru the exploits of others? I'd like to know what effects bumper stickers have ever been shown to have on actual election results. What effect does seeing a bumper sticker actually have on people's behavior, other than maybe wanting to key the car? " . . . 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 look at how society in general treats pot you get a good sense for what is reasonable. Most countries tolerate personal discrete use even though in it is almost universally illegal. Those same places for the most part do not tolerate large scale production, distribution, or sales. They also usually enforce the letter of the law if minors are involved. Here is a link to the laws and their actual enforcement by country: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country This tells me that if you keep it to yourself (or amongst like-minded friends), be discrete, and not use it in a manner that increases danger and risk factors for others - even the authorities are likely to leave you alone. My personal opinion on the original question is that going for a skydive stoned is irresponsibly imposing risk on others. Same as drinking. Keep it on the ground. If you must smoke, don't dive. " . . . 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

What you smoking? That is some of the most bizarre syntax I've seen in a while. " . . . 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 realized we went from browbeating the single mother of 36 kids looking for her 15 seconds of fame to the future of Earth. Oh, that was me. Sorry. " . . . 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

Agreed. Didn't read the article, but I think there should be scrutiny into all aspects of their operations if they take big chunks of cash. " . . . 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