willard

Woof! Woof Woof!

Probably shouldn't have refered to her as "Hey, Man".

Nope. Religion is for explaining internal realities and experiences, not as a substitute for science. When ancient people taught their children to, for example, heat flint under a fire before making arrowheads, they did so for outwardly demonstrable, objective, and practical reasons, and not because "God said we must do this!" Ancient people were not as simple as you think. INtelligent people of that time, as now, understood the difference between where you apply spiritual knowledge and where you apply physical knowledge. The idea that one type of knowledge is superior and the other is inferior is for people, on EITHER side of the religion-issue, who are trying to sell some bullshit. We are talking of two different things. Ancient people did have methods of doing tasks that they discovered and passed on to their offspring without knowing how or why those methods worked better than other methods. Most of these discoveries were purely accidental. We can be reasonably sure that some were the result of intentional and deliberate experimentation. I'm not saying religion was founded as a substitute for science. To the ancient peoples it was their science.They didn't know what caused lightning and thunder so they assumed it was caused by a very powerful and angry person in the sky...a god. These gods were just as real to them as electricity is to us. But hey, what do I know. I'm just going on what I learned in an anthro class.

That FSM better keep his noodly appendage to himself.

Agreed. I would give the U.S. an A-.

Great, so the US is better than Cuba and China. Big fuckin' woop. Comparisons with your peers would carry far more weight. So give us one. Check the Press Freedom Index "Violations of the privacy of sources, persistent problems in granting press visas and the arrest of several journalists during anti-Bush demonstrations kept the United States (22nd) away from the top of the list." In my opinion, if that is all they have to drop the U.S. in their rankings for, I'd say we're doing alright. Interesting they didn't ellaborate on the arrests of the journalists. I seriously doubt they were just standing off to the side taking notes. Of course, there will always be those who aren't happy unless they can say anything to anyone anywhere at anytime without fear of any kind of reprisal such as a bloody nose or a citation for disturbing the piece.

A little study in anthropology shows it couldn't possibly be the spaghetti monster. But believe whatever you want The FSM put anthropology there to confuse chefs. But who (or what) created the chefs? Or the FSM? Is FSM a product of the Big Bang? Or, since it's pasta, the Big Splat? And what kind of sauce is on FSM? I am so confused! And hungry!

Great, so the US is better than Cuba and China. Big fuckin' woop. Comparisons with your peers would carry far more weight. So give us one.

He wasn't going th SHARE???? Shame on him!

A little study in anthropology shows that religion was a way for humans to explain things they didn't understand. Since they didn't have science as we know it they rationalized that there must be all-powerful beings who cause such things as thunder and fire. Why are those rocks in a circle? Because I put them there. Why were those rocks in the streambed before I moved them? I don't know....must have been God. Or the spaghetti monster.

Where can I take a poop?

Mandated by the government??? No. They went away because fuel injection works a hell of a lot better, especially when you are trying to keep emissions down and gas mileage up. It wasn't a fuel delivery system law per se, but it was fuel efficiency and emissions standards that ensured the migration away from carburetor, especially as more control was required to manage fuel and air flow. Precisely, and those emission standards continue to drive fuel delivery method technology. Automakers have to find new ways to save power, b/c if you take an engine one year, and have to reduce emissions on the next. Two things will happen, power will go down, and fuel consumption will go up. Then why are we seeing greater MPG than cars built in the 60s? Because automakers find other variables to effective use power and reduce parasitic losses. Big problem with carbs is that they meter fuel in an ineffective manner. Basically what happens is the faster the air flows through the carb the lower its pressure, allowing more fuel to pass through the metering body. No consideration is given to the actual content of the air (humidity, O2 content, etc.) so it becomes a crap shoot whether the mixture is optimum for conditions. With EFI systems several conditions are constantly monitored and corrections made for. These include exhaust gas content, throttle position, load, transmission status, engine temps, mass airflow, etc. By monitoring all these variables the "brain" of the EFI can adjust fuel delivery to give optimum performance for the given demands whether they be max power or max mpg. The same technology has enabled high speed diesel engines in heavy duty trucks to exceed 1 million miles between overhauls while nearing 9-10 mpg. Personally I was glad to see carburators go the way of the dinosaurs. I still remember the cold morning start sequence for my first pickup. Pump the gas three times, pull choke out to 1/2. Once it starts hold at high idle and push choke in slowly as engine warms up. Didn't dare try to move until the temp gauge showed some heat. Does anyone born after 1980 know what it's like to try to start a flooded engine?

Skydiving...NASCAR style!

After 6 months of "extended breaks" in the mens room, Vern finally noticed the hidden camera in his favorite stall.

Exactly my point. There are those who are claiming the debate is over. But how can the debate be over when there is no general concensus on how much of the global warming is caused by human misdeeds and what all the causes are? Scientists are supposed to be open minded and willing to listen to opposing arguments, no matter how outlandish they may seem. Remember, at one time the Earth was flat and was supported by a giant turtle. At that time it was fact and anyone challenging that notion was ridiculed or even jailed. I've not taken a side in the argument concerning the cause of gw. I just like to see it stopped if, in fact, it is caused mostly by our own intervention. And the only way to know that for sure is to keep our minds open to all possiblities.

Were you there? Neither was I. But I did have a teacher in high school who was. He was sitting on the grass that day watching the demonstrations. He went back to his dorm when the students started throwing rocks, bricks, and other stuff at the guardsmen. He said when he saw that he knew it was going to get ugly. The protesters were not exactly innocent and peacefull that day. Sorry if I don't shed any tears. There are two sides to the Kent State events. Nothing has been settled to anyones satisfaction since that day. If the ones who actually were there can't agree on what happened, who are we to judge the events that took place ? Go to Cuba and try to march with a sign condemning Castro. Try to lead a Democracy demonstration in China. Nobody knows for sure how many died the last time that was tried. Estimates range from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Here in the U.S. you can plant your butt across from the White House and carry a sign all day every day if you want. You can get a permit to hold a rally at the Lincoln Memorial and give a speech calling him a communist, nazi, bigot, or whatever you want. Do you really have it so freakin' bad here? Give me a break.

Right to free speech does not give one the right to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater. The right to swing your fist stops where the other guys nose starts. Sure we have rights. Along with those rights comes the responsibility to use them wisely. A lot of people don't seem to understand that connection. Edit to add: There are still many countries where those protester would have been shot on sight. I'd say we have it pretty good.

Dudley had always assumed "Speed Enforced By Aircraft" meant Cessnas with radar guns. Only now did he realize what those signs truly meant.

I had finals last week and am on break this week. I was sweating the final for my diff eqs class, but passed.

The original "Brian's Song"

Looks just like the main room in my apartment, just swap location of heater and 3-seat couch. I have a fireplace where your 2-seat couch is , and I got rid of the coffee table. Seemed it was always in the way and only served as the base for a mountain of old newspapers, magazines, books, etc. My computer is in the same spot and my entertainment center w/tv, stereo, etc is in the corner to the left of the computer at a 45 degree angle so it faces the center of the room. I also have a small bookcase at the end of the couch. I've had it like that for 6 months snd it seems to work well.

Bye.

"You broke a nail? Here...use the emory board on the back of my hook knife."

"Would you two stop rockin' the truck? And you best not spill my beer!"

Gotta love the hot tub. I've always wondered how that would work, whether the material the pool is made of could retain enough strength after being heated by the water. Always wanted me one of them VW Things!