This message will be modded as a troll or flamebait, but then again, isn't everything that doesn't subscribe to the "I use Linux and I'm a victim of persecution by the government" school of thought. I'm prepared to accept that there are valid issues in the protection of privacy, but none that can justify the loss of even one single life.
We'll send the goons over to your house then right now then to install cameras, shall we?
A good, upstanding citizen like you has nothing to fear. You aren't a terrorist, after all! --Still, you'd better not be downloading any porn, sir. Might look bad. In fact, you probably don't want to be looking at any websites which are not Thought Police approved. And be sure to only say positive things about the price of chocolate, which did NOT go up last week. . . (Only a dissident would complain about anything in this fine nation!)
Still don't think a reduction of freedoms can affect you?
Think again:
United Airlines recently banned a 19 year old caucasian, middle-American kid from ever flying on their airline again because he was reading a book with a picture of dynamite on the cover. Banned for life, because the average security person is a low I.Q. moron with too much power.
It's a slippery slope, and guys like you by allowing yourself to be tricked into taking the first steps with reasonable sounding logic from the Right are the ones who will sell freedom down the drain.
Rhetoric about, "Not a Single Life!" is bullshit. People die all the damned time.
And in case you happen to have your eyes blinded by little American flags, you might want to consider the growing body of evidence which strongly suggests that the terrorist killings were actually allowed to happen by the very secret services which claim to not have had enough power to stop them.
That 'Eternal Vigilance,' mentioned as being the price of Freedom? Well, my friend, THIS is exactly what was being talked about. And it's time to pay up.
-Fantastic Lad
Try an old hard drive magnet
on
Magnetic Fluids
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Crack open one of those 100 Mb hard drives (which any geek worth his salt must have lying around), and pull out the rare earth magnets. Those things whoop speaker magnets any day of the week! (They're actually kind of worrisome to handle.)
Absolutely, but if you've climbed up top and are lying in the middle of the collecter dish, what did you expect? =)
Well, you're assuming that I'm even on topic here.
Please. I'm obviously grinding an axe. Beam all the power you want. That's fine by me. (And, actually, the safety precautions you mention all sound like quite sensible ideas, BTW.)
Recently, I find I'm taking every opportunity to harp on cell phones.
But give me another month or so. I'm sure I'll find a new bee to stick up my ass.
You see, in order for microwaves to do anything, they have to be absorbed into something and not re-emitted.
This only happens when you have something in a liquid state... Otherwise, for example, when microwaves pass through steam they will excite the water molucules by causing them to vibrate madly, but as soon as the microwaves have finished passing through them the molecules stop vibrating, and nothing changes. The only way that you will get it to heat up a lot is if, in the process of causing those molecules to vibrate, those molecules rub against other molecules and transfer some kinetic energy. This can only happen effectively in liquid states.
Yeah, but. . .
If the frequencies of an electrochemically based nervous system, (like, say, the human brain), are raised or otherwise altered, as with the case you mentioned with steam, by non-absorbed EM radiation being transmitted through the organism, then might there not be unexpected resulting effects which have nothing to do with direct mechanics such as heating? I know my silicon based computer needs to be shielded from interferring EM frequencies. Might not water-based computers like the human nervous system be similarly vulnerable? (And perhaps even more so?)
There have been numerous studies which suggest that this is indeed the case. (All of which have been rigerously rejected and deflated by the largest existing broadcasters of the frequencies in question, namely the telecommunications industry. But then the cigarette companies still deny there's any danger in smoking.)
Of course, I am constantly told by Cell Phone addicts that I'm just being paranoid.
I stopped wearing a watch when I was still in high school. None of my friends wear watches. I stop people on the street to ask them the time, and about 7 times out of 10, they waggle naked wrists at me and shrug apologetically.
I find jewelry and such against my skin endlessly irritating, plus I find if I am constantly aware of the time, my stress level goes up and I lose all kinds of 'slack points' (Cheap-ass Games rule!).
It seems many people have come to the same conclusion. Watches suck. --Problem is, most of the public-access time keeping devices set up around my city have been allowed to rot into useless 'Back to the Future' clocks that don't work anymore. --Public clocks seem to have all been replaced by those annoying solid state banner ads which hang over subway platforms and make people stare at them while they wait for the fucking time to be flashed between LED-based commercials. (When the heck did time become 'content'?) Bah. I'd rather be late
The weird thing I find, though, is that I am actually very rarely late for stuff. And the occasions I am late are always predicated by a conscious choice on my part to dick around and not show up when expected. --I'm never late because I don't know what time of day it is.
A lot of the people I talk to also report this phenomenon. Knowing what time it is seems to fall into that category of stuff which the Human Autopilot seems more than capable of taking care of.
Of course, if I want to play Dick Tracy or whatever Casio is selling, I'd have to buy their stupid watch.
You talk about people educating themselves. This is, I note, one of the freedoms those so called "sheep" are off defending - that and your freedom to be a conpiracy nut.
The fact that so many people declare that conspiracies don't exist. . , this is the direct result of media programming. Thanks to crap like the, 'X-Files' and similar, people no longer take the word seriously. So let's change the word, shall we? I like to use the word 'Corruption.' Do you disbelieve in Corruption? Of course I'm sure that with enough effort, P.R. manipulation, seeding of truly corn-ball ideas among the worthy ones, and given enough time, you would blithely parrot what those in power want you to; you'd tell me that 'Corruption' doesn't exist either, even though from your current perspective such a statement is obviously foolish.
(Unless, of course, you actually believe that there isn't a single dark and greedy stroke of any kind in the entire of political and corporate America, which would, I dare say, be such an asinine assertion that I will be so kind as to not assume it even of such a foolish, albeit, good-hearted person as you would make.)
As for the 'freedoms' which have been defended for my sake by the poor brainwashed farm boys sent off to kill and maybe even die. . .
Let's see now. . .
--The freedom to perpetuate the raping of the Third World by having them manufacture in slave-factories more than half of the frivolous garbage consumed in the West. Oh yeah. I want that noble trait protected.
--The freedom to keep America ripe with a constant supply of cheep Oil and Heroine? Yeah. Sign me up for that, too!
What? Afghanistan is the key to 70% of the world supply of opium, $200 to $300 billion dollars of which according the I.M.F. ends up flowing through Wall Street? Impossible! (Sorry; but while the Wall Street info must be sought from the I.M.F. and similar, the truth about Afghan opium is no longer secret knowledge, having actually filtered through from the back waters of information into the American public realm, as can be witnessed on one or more of the various 'Learning Channels.')
And what? Afghanistan is key to exploiting and controlling MASSIVE oil resources? (You'll have to dig a little for that info, though. It's common knowledge with plenty of solid reference, but it just doesn't seem to get airplay. . . Hm.)
What about the massively lucrative weapons manufacturing sector?
You don't think these little side-bars are of any interest to those in power? Sorry, but I tend to disagree. And yeah, let's send Johnny off to die for these noble interests. Especially when cheep and clean energy replacements have been around for decades. (Oh, I'm sorry. Cold Fusion and such are lies. Right. I keep forgetting.) And especially when all that Heroine, while it does divorce massive wealth from the populace and put it into the pockets of the already rich and powerful, actually harms the U.S. in the long run. . . Yes, let's send Johnny Buckwheat off to kill for these high ideals!
--Oh, and let's not forget the 'freedom' to be represented by a democratically elected member of my community. --In an age when interconnected banks know my net worth down to the penny, the most technologically advanced nation in the world is unable to count votes properly? Get fucking real. --And people running for office must all be millionaires before they have a shot in hell? -Good lord, man! Get your head out of your ass! The whole U.S. electoral process is a complete sham propagated by those in power who want to remain in power. Yeah. Send my brothers and friends off to die so that my, 'Freedom of Representation' can be maintained!
--Oh, and then there's this wonderful freedom of 'expression'. Fine on paper, but with brand new video cameras on every corner and loony new anti-terrorist legislation threatening rapid passage into law, (laws which would make it illegal to have even suggestive telephone conversations), I somehow doubt our 'freedoms' will exist for very much longer.
For goodness sake! You read Slashdot. It's happening all over the damned place! Just as an example, you've bourn witness to the blow by blow account of how copyright laws have been corrupted far from their humble origins; when knowledge was considered the free birthright of humanity, not property to be owned by large companies. Copyright was first invented to ensure a fair period during which only the author of a work would be allowed to sell it, so that s/he could earn a reasonable income before it passed into public domain. Now, as long as a corporate entity 'owns' a work, (i.e., forever), it need never pass into public domain; indeed, as mortal creators die, corporate bodies can scoop up and 'own' all information. And a vast number of the damned sheep on this site who, unlike most of the populace, were at least aware that an important deal was going down at all, were tricked into siding with the corporate giants! Basic knowledge has been co-opted by our wonderful system. Yes. The 'Freedom' for knowledge to no longer be 'Free.' Yeah, sign up the Boys from Idaho for that one as well!
Okay. Enough of that shit. What else did you say. . .
I've worked with members of the allied special forces community as well as many conventional military persons. I've worked with members of our allied intelligence community. I've worked with law enforcement. And I've worked at defence contractors who would have developed, if it existed, this "Star Trek" technology you've suggested the military is sitting on.
Guess again.
In my arrogance, I would dearly love to state more than I will, but trust me when I say that my info is MUCH better than your info. (Sadly, my hubris is also bigger than yours.) But let me assure you that the retarded dinosaur which is the current state of publicly displayed military might is unbelievably cheesy compared to that which is actually available. I'm Sorry. As convincing as your life and times must appear to you, I'm afraid that you and yours, from your friends and family, right up to the seemingly high military posted individuals you may know, are simply parts of the highschool production version of 'reality.' Gears in an infernal machine. Feel free not to believe me, (I'm not sure I would if our positions were reversed), but I am telling you in the sincere and genuine belief based on solid knowledge and direct experience, that you have been blinded, broad-sided, and bamboozled.
Now, of course, those in power have spent a great deal of time and energy making sure that you remain blind. There are some heinously dark people out there who, like Mobsters, have chosen to live selfish lives which entail acts of emotionless, almost psychotic brutality and disregard for life. (Or don't you believe that the Mob doesn't exists either? You do? Okay, that's a start. -But only because Hollywood says it's okay to believe. Think about that!) Well, if such nasty head-spaces can and do exist in the relatively small circles of organized crime, what makes you think such power-centric thinking doesn't circulate in matters of state and multi-national corporate business affairs? I know people who have witnessed and reported to me regarding high ranking officials of large corporate entities encouraged to indulge in everything from drug use to child molestation. This shit happens. This shit is not uncommon. This shit is what you and your boys from Idaho have been tricked into protecting.
It's a much, much uglier world than you would like to believe. -Than the propaganda teaches. I'll forgive you for sucking up the programming; it's a very hard box to climb out of. You've been living in it since birth, after all. But consider that you've been made the fool, and that while it might hurt to admit this, it would be far more ridiculous to continue playing the fool when you do not have to.
You would benefit greatly by setting aside your anger at my glib and acidic remarks, (but crikey, it's hard not to blast naivety, such as yours, which goes so far in making such evil possible in the world!), and refocusing your energy on the material around you from a fresh perspective. It takes real strength to ensure that a Trollish dick like me doesn't get in the way of your growth of awareness. Go out and try to prove me wrong. If you keep an open mind and be wary of the bullshit, if you use a basic level of common sense, you will be dazzled by what you will uncover. If you are ready, teachers will avail themselves to you. That's how the universe works.
Okay. Enough. Good luck, Bingo. Sounds like you'll need it.
Every once in a long, long while, some greedy & manipulative dickhead fails in his/her schemes in such a way that lots of Joe-normals profit with very little effort.
A bar-code reader in every pot! Though, this is just the beginning; it is worth noting that Evil dickheads learn from their mistakes as well, albeit in a fashion limited to the question of money/power accruement.
--Mind you, if you are ruthless and savvy enough, you can surf the evils of society with very little effort. Life is good for those who have learned the 'way'.
Like porn and condoms, somebody with his/her head set to the right frequency will only pay a pittance, (if anything) for their bar code readers. Or cars. Or food. Etc.
Knowledge is power! Ignorance and Obsession are the only things standing in your way.
For about $100, you can buy a 48"x36" freznel lense. I want to mount it in a giant magnifying glass frame with a long handle, (kind of like one of those leaf scoopers used to clean the crud from the surface of suburban swimming pools.).
Then. . . Oh boy the damage you could cause!
We're talking about being able to set on fire, with a dowel and a sheet of plastic, the upholstery inside parked cars, punishing stupid owners who leave their automobile anti-theft devices blaring unattended. --Without even having to touch the vehicle! --Or you can set office buildings on fire by shining sunlight through the windows just by walking down the side walk with the magnifier over your shoulder. Any number of bizarre fire-crimes become feasible.
Yeah, yeah, I know you could get the same net effect with a can of gasoline and lighter, but this is FAR cooler! (What!? I'm just walking here with my sheet of plastic! I don't care about optics! Get your filthy law enforcing paws off me!) And if you somehow managed not to get caught, the authorities wouldn't know what the heck to make of it. --You might even be able to popularize the term, 'spontaneous office furniture combustion,' or something equally weird.
Of course, in this day and age of too many cameras and rampant terrorist paranoia, you'd probably have your eight foot magnifying glass and turban confiscated.
Bummer.
Fantastic Lad --What's a little pyromania among friends?
For some reason Slashdot gets a lot of submissions of wacko energy concepts - power from nothing, power from sand, power from a black box, engines that get 500 miles to the gallon...
Ahh! Good to hear! I'm glad there are people out there listening to and interested in this stuff! I find most Slashdotters to be frighteningly conservative and closed-minded, it's good to know that among their number there are those willing to consider that science in reality may not necessarily be as it is taught to the public through media, government and corporate information sources, (like high school text books, for a start.)
Funny how if you get the kids young enough, only rarely through the course of their adult lives do they ever question the content of their grade nine text books. --Was Tesla taught in your highschool? Did they tell you how his invention of radio came about as a result of one of those experiences where a family member died half a world away and he knew about it the same instant? Hmm. . . And just how far did he go with that thinking? Look into this; it's fascinating and very revealing. Cuz you see, (and try not to scream like a little girl when you read this), but Science and Spirituality are the same animal. However, with that understanding comes the real possibility of numerous very liberating powers availing themselves to mankind as a whole, and as such, certain interests like to keep a choke rope on knowledge.)
And no, Marconi did not invent the radio. He was retroactively awarded the patent after Tesla yawned at the simplicity of radio and failed to develop the technology in time for the war effort. Look it up. As propagandic as television generally is, PBS actually managed to do a really good documentary on the guy.
While a great deal of the, 'alternative energy' material out there is, (I am sad to say), utter insanity, it's important to remember that some of it is not, and that little bit which isn't is certainly not going to be trumpeted by the existing power elite. Really basic logic here.
In any case. . .
I remember watching hydrogen driven prototype cars running just fine in test opperations as far back as '85. Ceramic engine parts in Japanese designs, and all that. The technology is already proven. The difficulty lies in selling the tech to a highly resistant market dominated by oil interests. Anybody who claims this is wrong, please, provide me with some convincing links. (Not that I'm putting the burden of proof on your shoulders, it's simply that I've been unable to find anything out there which makes this claim that isn't also directly funded by the Oil/Auto industry.)
Wait a minute there, boyo. You open up your post by complaining (quite reasonably, I should say) about how Christ-centric religious people tend to be, but then you conclude it by asserting that all people who hold no supernatural views have "gaps in their heart" (whatever that means.) This is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black.
And, boy! That is one black kettle!
But seriously. . .
Everybody is, by necessity, exactly where they are supposed to be in terms of awareness. If you are satisfied with the smoke & mirrors act which is man's play within the cosmos, (and also by necessity, most people are), then clearly you're not done with all that stuff yet.
Give it time; another fifty or hundred lives or so. Everybody gets there eventually. . . (And whether or not you beleive me doesn't make a difference. --And incidentally, that's the fine thing about the 'fourth alternative' (for lack of a better term); nobody will ever ask you to put cash in the collection plate and nobody will knock on your door or generally try to push the belief structure down your throat. --And they sure as heck won't do it with guns or swords and shit! The further up the ladder you go, the more you realize that Karma is based on not interferring with other people's growth. Of course, people will always offer their opinions and want to talk about what they believe, but then people are like that about baseball.)
In any case, I tend to act with arrogance & self-centered hot air cuz that's how stuff leaves my tonsils with greatest level of amusement. --I'm sure there are many reasons people post on Slashdot, but I happen to be driven by an insane urge to take pot-shots at all those fish in the barral from time to time. You know; toy with the monkeys. --Or more accurately, I see Slashdot as a cardboard box where only some very limited thinking is acceptable, (where even the almighty sciences are accepted piece meal based on what people are allowed to believe by governments and corporations. Funny how if you get the kids young enough, only rarely through the course of their adult lives do they ever question the content of their grade nine text books. --Was Tesla taught in your highschool? Did they tell you how his invention of radio came about as a result of one of those experiences where a family member died half a world away and he knew about it the same instant? Hmm. . . And just how far did he go with that thinking? Look into this; it's fascinating and very revealing. Cuz you see, Science and Spirituality are the same animal, but with that understanding comes the real possibility of unlimited power, so certain interests like to keep a choke rope on knowledge.)
And no, Marconi did not invent the radio. He was retroactively awarded the patent after Tesla yawned at simplicity of radio and failed to develop the technology in time for the war effort. Look it up. As propagandic as television generally is, PBS actually managed to do a really good documentary on the guy.
*Ahem*. Pardon me; I was doing it again.
Anyway, I think of Slashdot as a box filled with silly & hyper mice racing around inside with no idea that there is a larger world for the taking. If people don't dangle strings from time to time, then it's a much longer and harder process for people to escape.
Stay if you want; nobody cares. Indeed, you'll get eaten alive if you leave before you're ready. But it's neighborly to toss a string from time to time even if it's rejected. Karma is also about making one's self available just for the heck of it.
It demonstrates with great clarity, (provided one is able to pull back from their damned tunnel vision first of all), just how bloody Christ-centric most of the world is. -By this, I mean, everybody wants to put everybody else in one of those three stupid little boxes; Atheist, Agnostic, or None; people, I find, tend to stutter like the brain damaged when you tell them that their little score card is a conceited piece of shit.
For instance:
What if you happen to be Native American Indian? That is, you believe in the spirits of the Earth, Water and Air, believe in magic and spiritualism and such, but have absolutely no use for a foul-tempered bearded man in the sky with a 'good' book.
"Atheist", while etymologically accurate in describing you, is too strong because while it means one doesn't believe in God, in a colloquial sense it firmly suggests that one also has no belief whatsoever in the spiritual realm, which would be a total misrepresentation.
"Agnostic"; The wait and seer's wonder-word, doesn't apply either, because the Native American isn't waiting to see anything; s/he is actively pursuing another religious system altogether, one which doesn't have a God, (graven or otherwise), and thus doesn't give a hoot one way or another about the self-important Christian Million Dollar Question.
And "None" is just, well. . , nice life. Hope Hollywood and Sony Entertainment are able to fill all the gaps in your heart; the things of man get pretty dry after a while. --The new season of Buffy certainly doesn't have the zing it used to. . . (Pardon my Soap Box here, but living a 'None' life appears to take a lot of medication (drugs, alcohol,), and mis-direction, (Hollywood, Games, War, going to work, kayaking like those guys in the cigarette ads, hunting for sex and love, and generally doing all the average-life things to distract yourself from the over-arching back ground noise of gnawing emptiness), and my favorite, over-rationalization, (Shit! Did I just see a unicorn? Why the hell does Asian Astrology work? How can this place be haunted? Why can a 60 year old Chinese guy punch through inch-thick steel plate that I can't even dent with a freaking sledge hammer? Why can I see auras? And Who is this Castaneda guy anyway? -Oh wait. . . That's right. I keep forgetting; It's that pesky swamp gas again! Ho ho!)
2 people died of anthrax contamination in florida this weekend.
Still don't want to fight? Fine.
Still think we don't need to kill these people?
Plz Die Thks.
Yeah? E.Coli and similar has killed a lot more than two people due to stupid governmental water control policy.
Are you trying to tell me that terrorists gave anthrax to two Floridians? And even if they did, (and I bet they didn't), that this and any other paranoid excuse you can find means it's now cool to main-line CNN brain obfuscation tactics and go to war even though agencies other than terrorists are most likely trying to manipulate your decisions and tie strings to your trigger finger?
Yeah. Go sign up for the marionette soldier service.
Look. I can't stop a bunch of morons from killing each other, and frankly, I don't really want to. The point of the matter is that somebody other than me has recognized that you're a complete idiot with two hands and a strong back, and that they've decided to hitch your sorry ass to their cart. All I'm saying is that you might want to educate yourself a little before making any life & death decisions. Particularly when it's somebody else's life.
Any second there I was expecting you to start talking about the Zionist banking cartels, the Trilateral Commission, and how the moon landing was a hoax. It just shows how well-programmed I am, I guess.
Don't forget Atlantis, U.F.O.s and Silly Putty!
Oooh! And Microsoft. You're always supposed to aim some dig at Microsoft around here, aren't you?
And yes, it does show how well-programmed you are. But to drag a timely quote out of my ass, G.I.-Joe always told us that, "Knowing is Half the Battle!"
Did my scarwee widdle words threaten to bring down the mood of your happy trance? And you were trying sooo hard to enjoy this war and talk nerd-talk about it, weren't you? (Stuff that 'matters'.)
Don't worry. Wipe your nose, play another hour on your widdle Pway Station 2, sit back with your Doritoes and Cherry Coke, and let the soothing glow of your T.V. ease you back into the daydream.
But do try to remember; sheep get fleeced. Then they get eaten. --And after you've had the open pasture gate pointed out to you, nobody cares what happens if you decide to stay behind.
They will have prevailed because some farm boy from Iowa was willing to bust his ass training to be a Green Beret and because he's willing to lay that same ass on the line for what he believes in and to do what it takes, wherever in the world that may be, to get the job done and make the world a safer place for his fellow citizens. That farm boy's guts and training and sacrifice will be what carries the day, as always.
God Bless America (and I'm not even 'Merican!)
Rah Rah Rah!
What an inspiring ream of propagandic spew!
Your heart-throbbing prose has so enraptured me with nationalist ardor that I must now enlist at once with all the other poor sheep who got bamboozled into dying so that the rich can swell even further on the cash-prize of secured Mid-East Oil and Opium! (Among other objectives.)
But you're partly right about the technology thing not being an issue. --You can be dead certain that they won't actually use the real capabilities of the military to 'win' this stupid thing quickly or neatly. Nope!
But let's back up here for a sec; Everybody knows that the 'new' stealth fighter jets unveiled for the Gulf War were already at least a couple of decades old by then, right? That's how military innovation goes; by the time it is revealed to the public, it's already obsolete. Can we all agree on this, or are some people out there still living under rocks, (held down by the firm press of 'reliable' media coverage)? DSL modem technolgy was, I believe, about 30+ years old by the time it was de-classified. Just as an example. Now consider this:
What if this trend is not limited only to air-force technology?
Whoa! What a concept!! You mean other branches of the military might also have star-trek quality gear, (and far, far better?) You betcha!
This stupid high school stage production of a 'war' could achieve all of its stated objectives quickly and easily if the powers that be wanted it so. But that's not how it's going to go, kids!
Why? Because yahoos like the happy Bingo who wrote the propagandic garbage above, (that is, him and most of America and the world), are THE media commodity which must be effectively bought and sold before the secondary and tertiary objectives of ths war are properly fulfilled. And that means a providing the public with a convincing, stupid and wasteful ground war designed to prepare and program everybody for further insults.
But the people reading this have a much better than average grasp of these tech issues.
Yeah, and I've got this nice bridge in New York I'm interested in selling. (Better buy it quick, though, before it gets blowed up real good.)
If anybody reading this site knows what the advanced military nations of the world are actually capable of, and if they were to write about it here, it would mean their immediate dismissal from the secret services and subsequent vaporization.
My information is about a decade old, but according to it, back in the early nineties, we had the technology to see through mountains, pinpoint kill from huge distances, and with shoulder mounted arms put nuclear-scale non-nuclear devastation pretty much anywhere at any time. I'll repeat that; NON-nuclear explosives which have the range and effect of nuclear devices. Small warheads a single warrior can carry and deploy. And that's just the brute force crap.
This stupid, evil, fake production of a pre-fab war could be won in under a month with little or no loss on the side of the tech-advanced nations.
And that's using tech from nearly ten years ago. (And you wonder why ZPE is dead in the civilian realm. Use your damned brains!)
However. . . You are not going to see a quick resolution because the power brokers don't want that. They plan to put on a good show which will establish all of the right dramatic tensions thus preparing and programming the world for the further steps of their master plan, (which if the world survives long enough, I am sure we will get to watch unfolding with all the melodramatic glory of a bad Hollywood film, written, of course, for the average 14 year old intelligence, because anything less would appear confusing and thereby deflate its core audience.)
Pass the popcorn. Erg. And the Tumms. (Lame writing gives me gas.)
Does that even exist? --I would have said that when Socialism turns evil, (i.e., power to the few, misery to the many), it is by definition, no longer Socialism.
Wow! What a great culture! It appears that the Chechen's had a highly prosperous and happy society based on a patriarchial, partly Islamic system. (Though, one in which women had all the same rights and freedoms as men.) They had arts and intellectuals and many different languages and cultural aspects which had been completely unique to the region. They had also been self-sustaining for more than 6000 years. Sounds almost like a golden-age. It even sounds a little bit imaginary in the D&D sense. . .
And one of the coolest parts is that all of this existed very happily with no government in the current sense of the word until the Russians finally managed, after decades of bloody war, to conquer the Chechen territory in 1858 and impose a modern centralized government.
Up until that time, they had an interdependant cell-like system of clans, towns and villages which all supported one another in times of crisis.
Interesting that they have been targetted for eradication. --Cuz', you know, you can't have systems which promote health, peace and prosperity in this world. Humans living in healthy systems? Well now! That just doesn't serve the ends of the Evil Overlords, now does it?
Though, your comment about the strikes in Afghanistan really being aimed at the Chechens sounds kind of half-baked to me. I think it's entirely possible to have two unfair and stupid wars raging at the same time.
Just like the WTC thing happened a day or so before the big official report or recount or whatever it was supposed to be, was to be released regarding the corrupted election of Bush, I wonder what is really happening right now while the bombs and P.R. packs of food drop on the heads of the Afghani people.
I was just reading the introduction to Derailing Democracy when the news hit. Interesting timing. . . It neatly points out that the American Media is a total showboad for military/corporate interests. Think I'll buy a copy if the rest of the book is as good as the intro.
His point still stands. Fringe science. Kooks. End of story.
Next!
And another robo-boy successfully avoids thinking for himself, thus completing his punch card mission. (Do you even realize you're using previously programmed social responses rather than your own critical analysis?)
Sigh.
In any case, I'm sure your creators will be most pleased.
Life moves on, and the briefly awakened return to their slumbers.
But don't get all riled up. This is as it should be. Lessons aren't worth squat if you don't give people the time and space to learn them properly.
Conversely, those terrorist bombings while spectacular and emotionally shocking, were just blips in the big picture for anybody who didn't directly lose friends or family, (i.e., almost everybody). Job losses and changes of the economic picture happen all the time. Just because these ones stemmed from violence shouldn't serve to incapacitate you.
Obsession is a force in the negative. You might want to watch that.
You silly git. When will you get off that kook science dream train and join the waking world?
Let's address your paranoid conspiracy mania point by point, shall we?
1. James, you logged in as AC.
Who the hell cares how he logged in? And what deep, deep nerve did he touch which so drove you to go all 'investigative reporter' on his ass? That is what we call, 'Misdirected Energy.' Do some healthy research some time rather than spend all your powers holding up the popular kid's paradigm.
2. The same three or four people wrote each of those articles!
This is a valid observation. (Though I did count a few other different names unique to two of the articles.) And while we would all like to see long lists of references, you must still answer this question: If the science is good, then who cares how few people are involved? Marginalized areas of study are nearly always tended to by small numbers of public researchers. The history of science confirms this pattern MANY times over. Remember: 'Popular' does not mean 'right'. In fact, it usually means 'Lowest Common Denomonater'.
3. They also wrote for "Infinite Energy Magazine" http://www.mv.com/ipusers/zeropoint/IEHTML/BACKISS/TOC/iss30TOC.html [mv.com]
Now you're just acting foolish. First of all only one of the people involved wrote for "Ininite Energy Magazine". And secondly, why the heck is this bad? Of COURSE people who study marginalized areas of science are going to want to speak in forum, especially when they believe that the world is being manipulated by greedy people who want to see noble ideas perish.
Basically, you're doing it again; just because you've been told by the popular kids that certain things are 'uncool,' you blithely go about bullying the kids who have enough self-resolution and guts to act like individuals. This is, in fact, why you felt impelled to go all 'investigative reporter' on James; you obviously squirm in fear at the idea of having your own name associated with 'uncool' science, and you automatically assume that James would feel the same way too. And so you attacked him with the same ammunition that you have been kept in line with. You silly dork. Grow a damned spine.
It is obvious this is still fringe science. Don't act like it's not.
It is obvious that you are just another sheep scared of an open gate in the pasture. TRY for once to act like you're not.
Remember; Sheep get fleeced. And eaten.
-Fantastic Lad (A.K.A., Fuck You. --People get shot by morons like you for thinking different, and I think REALLY differently. I may be brave, but I'm not stupid. Anonyminity is one of the great powers of the web! People can speak freely without fearing bullets.)
The 'Burden of Proof' is a concept designed as a safe-guard in the judicial process. It has no relevance here.
How many times must it be repeated; "YOUR LEVEL OF AWARENESS IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU". . ?
I'm not your Mom or your Dad or some sappy school teacher who is paid to care about your sorry ass. Grow the fuck up.
In any case, if you were genuinely interested in finding out the details of what is happening in the Middle East, then you would have gone to Google already to check it out rather than continuing to suck up the CNN garbage and foam at the mouth and buy guns. Put it back in your pants, already.
How much effort does it take to bring up Google and type variations of: "Opium Heroin Afghanistan Taliban" and "Middle East Oil History of"?
And no. I'm not going to hyperlink shit for you. I've already educated myself. I don't have hours to spend re-tracing my steps just to provide you with a Point by Point Easy Reader Essay with proofs on a bunch of data which you will just find some lame excuse to dismiss without reading anyway.
The "Burden of Your Ignorance," does not fall on my shoulders. I'm just telling you what I've learned myself. Whether you believe me or not is your problem.
The funny part is that unlike most of the stuff I spout around here, everybody who is anybody knows the Oil story; it's 20 years old, for crying out loud! And the Opium thing is current world press material. None of this is underground or even remotely secret knowledge. --Which just goes to show how big the rock is that America is currently living under.
Very good! You went to the trouble of doing some research. (Though going to CNN hardly provides a complete inventory of knowledge. Did you bother looking up anything else before dismissing the Opium and Oil angles entirely? Were you surprised to discover that Opium actually IS a significant factor in the equation? I bet you anything you were.)
Though actually, I didn't know that the 43 mil wasn't straight cash. My research on the point wasn't complete enough; (I typically don't even bother with CNN; clearly I should grit my teeth and read their crap just for the sake of cross-reference.) In either case, I learned something, so thanks!
--OOOH! Did you notice what I just did in that last paragraph? It's cheesy as hell to point it out, but I will for your benefit seeing as how you seem to need it; Learning is all about how to let go of bad info and embrace the new & more accurate stuff as it comes along. Ego only fucks you up. Only by ruthlessly weeding and questioning can one continue to climb the mountain of wisdom.
Now, if I may be so humble. . .
I strongly suggest that you don't dismiss all my "self-righteous conspiratorial counter-culteral 'wisdom'" just because you happened to find one critical departure which doesn't actually detract from the fact that Oil and Opium are significant puzzle pieces to the situation in Afghanistan.
It's painfully common to see people write off sources of info the instant they find one false note. Nobody's perfect and neither am I. I'm learning new material and re-shaping my understanding of the world every day. All I'm saying here is that you and everybody else must also do this, All The Time! There are more issues at stake than the party line which is being sold to the American people every day.
Don't play the shill. You woke up for an instant there and actually tried to check out my story. Don't stop there. Keep going. Hate me if you want, but whatever you do, don't go back to sleep. Just don't.
Slashdot Mirror
We'll send the goons over to your house then right now then to install cameras, shall we?
A good, upstanding citizen like you has nothing to fear. You aren't a terrorist, after all! --Still, you'd better not be downloading any porn, sir. Might look bad. In fact, you probably don't want to be looking at any websites which are not Thought Police approved. And be sure to only say positive things about the price of chocolate, which did NOT go up last week. . . (Only a dissident would complain about anything in this fine nation!)
Still don't think a reduction of freedoms can affect you?
Think again:
United Airlines recently banned a 19 year old caucasian, middle-American kid from ever flying on their airline again because he was reading a book with a picture of dynamite on the cover. Banned for life, because the average security person is a low I.Q. moron with too much power.
Read the story, if you're interested:
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/101801/news.god
It's a slippery slope, and guys like you by allowing yourself to be tricked into taking the first steps with reasonable sounding logic from the Right are the ones who will sell freedom down the drain.
Rhetoric about, "Not a Single Life!" is bullshit. People die all the damned time.
And in case you happen to have your eyes blinded by little American flags, you might want to consider the growing body of evidence which strongly suggests that the terrorist killings were actually allowed to happen by the very secret services which claim to not have had enough power to stop them.
That 'Eternal Vigilance,' mentioned as being the price of Freedom? Well, my friend, THIS is exactly what was being talked about. And it's time to pay up.
-Fantastic Lad
-Fantastic Lad
Well, you're assuming that I'm even on topic here.
Please. I'm obviously grinding an axe. Beam all the power you want. That's fine by me. (And, actually, the safety precautions you mention all sound like quite sensible ideas, BTW.)
Recently, I find I'm taking every opportunity to harp on cell phones.
But give me another month or so. I'm sure I'll find a new bee to stick up my ass.
-Fantastic Lad
This only happens when you have something in a liquid state... Otherwise, for example, when microwaves pass through steam they will excite the water molucules by causing them to vibrate madly, but as soon as the microwaves have finished passing through them the molecules stop vibrating, and nothing changes. The only way that you will get it to heat up a lot is if, in the process of causing those molecules to vibrate, those molecules rub against other molecules and transfer some kinetic energy. This can only happen effectively in liquid states.
Yeah, but. . .
If the frequencies of an electrochemically based nervous system, (like, say, the human brain), are raised or otherwise altered, as with the case you mentioned with steam, by non-absorbed EM radiation being transmitted through the organism, then might there not be unexpected resulting effects which have nothing to do with direct mechanics such as heating? I know my silicon based computer needs to be shielded from interferring EM frequencies. Might not water-based computers like the human nervous system be similarly vulnerable? (And perhaps even more so?)
There have been numerous studies which suggest that this is indeed the case. (All of which have been rigerously rejected and deflated by the largest existing broadcasters of the frequencies in question, namely the telecommunications industry. But then the cigarette companies still deny there's any danger in smoking.)
Of course, I am constantly told by Cell Phone addicts that I'm just being paranoid.
Ah well. Enjoy your wireless!
-Fantastic Lad
I stopped wearing a watch when I was still in high school. None of my friends wear watches. I stop people on the street to ask them the time, and about 7 times out of 10, they waggle naked wrists at me and shrug apologetically.
I find jewelry and such against my skin endlessly irritating, plus I find if I am constantly aware of the time, my stress level goes up and I lose all kinds of 'slack points' (Cheap-ass Games rule!).
It seems many people have come to the same conclusion. Watches suck. --Problem is, most of the public-access time keeping devices set up around my city have been allowed to rot into useless 'Back to the Future' clocks that don't work anymore. --Public clocks seem to have all been replaced by those annoying solid state banner ads which hang over subway platforms and make people stare at them while they wait for the fucking time to be flashed between LED-based commercials. (When the heck did time become 'content'?) Bah. I'd rather be late
The weird thing I find, though, is that I am actually very rarely late for stuff. And the occasions I am late are always predicated by a conscious choice on my part to dick around and not show up when expected. --I'm never late because I don't know what time of day it is.
A lot of the people I talk to also report this phenomenon. Knowing what time it is seems to fall into that category of stuff which the Human Autopilot seems more than capable of taking care of.
Of course, if I want to play Dick Tracy or whatever Casio is selling, I'd have to buy their stupid watch.
Like that's going to happen.
-Fantastic Lad
The fact that so many people declare that conspiracies don't exist. . , this is the direct result of media programming. Thanks to crap like the, 'X-Files' and similar, people no longer take the word seriously. So let's change the word, shall we? I like to use the word 'Corruption.' Do you disbelieve in Corruption? Of course I'm sure that with enough effort, P.R. manipulation, seeding of truly corn-ball ideas among the worthy ones, and given enough time, you would blithely parrot what those in power want you to; you'd tell me that 'Corruption' doesn't exist either, even though from your current perspective such a statement is obviously foolish.
(Unless, of course, you actually believe that there isn't a single dark and greedy stroke of any kind in the entire of political and corporate America, which would, I dare say, be such an asinine assertion that I will be so kind as to not assume it even of such a foolish, albeit, good-hearted person as you would make.)
As for the 'freedoms' which have been defended for my sake by the poor brainwashed farm boys sent off to kill and maybe even die. . .
Let's see now. . .
--The freedom to perpetuate the raping of the Third World by having them manufacture in slave-factories more than half of the frivolous garbage consumed in the West. Oh yeah. I want that noble trait protected.
--The freedom to keep America ripe with a constant supply of cheep Oil and Heroine? Yeah. Sign me up for that, too!
What? Afghanistan is the key to 70% of the world supply of opium, $200 to $300 billion dollars of which according the I.M.F. ends up flowing through Wall Street? Impossible! (Sorry; but while the Wall Street info must be sought from the I.M.F. and similar, the truth about Afghan opium is no longer secret knowledge, having actually filtered through from the back waters of information into the American public realm, as can be witnessed on one or more of the various 'Learning Channels.')
And what? Afghanistan is key to exploiting and controlling MASSIVE oil resources? (You'll have to dig a little for that info, though. It's common knowledge with plenty of solid reference, but it just doesn't seem to get airplay. . . Hm.)
What about the massively lucrative weapons manufacturing sector?
You don't think these little side-bars are of any interest to those in power? Sorry, but I tend to disagree. And yeah, let's send Johnny off to die for these noble interests. Especially when cheep and clean energy replacements have been around for decades. (Oh, I'm sorry. Cold Fusion and such are lies. Right. I keep forgetting.) And especially when all that Heroine, while it does divorce massive wealth from the populace and put it into the pockets of the already rich and powerful, actually harms the U.S. in the long run. . . Yes, let's send Johnny Buckwheat off to kill for these high ideals!
--Oh, and let's not forget the 'freedom' to be represented by a democratically elected member of my community. --In an age when interconnected banks know my net worth down to the penny, the most technologically advanced nation in the world is unable to count votes properly? Get fucking real. --And people running for office must all be millionaires before they have a shot in hell? -Good lord, man! Get your head out of your ass! The whole U.S. electoral process is a complete sham propagated by those in power who want to remain in power. Yeah. Send my brothers and friends off to die so that my, 'Freedom of Representation' can be maintained!
--Oh, and then there's this wonderful freedom of 'expression'. Fine on paper, but with brand new video cameras on every corner and loony new anti-terrorist legislation threatening rapid passage into law, (laws which would make it illegal to have even suggestive telephone conversations), I somehow doubt our 'freedoms' will exist for very much longer.
For goodness sake! You read Slashdot. It's happening all over the damned place! Just as an example, you've bourn witness to the blow by blow account of how copyright laws have been corrupted far from their humble origins; when knowledge was considered the free birthright of humanity, not property to be owned by large companies. Copyright was first invented to ensure a fair period during which only the author of a work would be allowed to sell it, so that s/he could earn a reasonable income before it passed into public domain. Now, as long as a corporate entity 'owns' a work, (i.e., forever), it need never pass into public domain; indeed, as mortal creators die, corporate bodies can scoop up and 'own' all information. And a vast number of the damned sheep on this site who, unlike most of the populace, were at least aware that an important deal was going down at all, were tricked into siding with the corporate giants! Basic knowledge has been co-opted by our wonderful system. Yes. The 'Freedom' for knowledge to no longer be 'Free.' Yeah, sign up the Boys from Idaho for that one as well!
Okay. Enough of that shit. What else did you say. . .
I've worked with members of the allied special forces community as well as many conventional military persons. I've worked with members of our allied intelligence community. I've worked with law enforcement. And I've worked at defence contractors who would have developed, if it existed, this "Star Trek" technology you've suggested the military is sitting on.
Guess again.
In my arrogance, I would dearly love to state more than I will, but trust me when I say that my info is MUCH better than your info. (Sadly, my hubris is also bigger than yours.) But let me assure you that the retarded dinosaur which is the current state of publicly displayed military might is unbelievably cheesy compared to that which is actually available. I'm Sorry. As convincing as your life and times must appear to you, I'm afraid that you and yours, from your friends and family, right up to the seemingly high military posted individuals you may know, are simply parts of the highschool production version of 'reality.' Gears in an infernal machine. Feel free not to believe me, (I'm not sure I would if our positions were reversed), but I am telling you in the sincere and genuine belief based on solid knowledge and direct experience, that you have been blinded, broad-sided, and bamboozled.
Now, of course, those in power have spent a great deal of time and energy making sure that you remain blind. There are some heinously dark people out there who, like Mobsters, have chosen to live selfish lives which entail acts of emotionless, almost psychotic brutality and disregard for life. (Or don't you believe that the Mob doesn't exists either? You do? Okay, that's a start. -But only because Hollywood says it's okay to believe. Think about that!) Well, if such nasty head-spaces can and do exist in the relatively small circles of organized crime, what makes you think such power-centric thinking doesn't circulate in matters of state and multi-national corporate business affairs? I know people who have witnessed and reported to me regarding high ranking officials of large corporate entities encouraged to indulge in everything from drug use to child molestation. This shit happens. This shit is not uncommon. This shit is what you and your boys from Idaho have been tricked into protecting.
It's a much, much uglier world than you would like to believe. -Than the propaganda teaches. I'll forgive you for sucking up the programming; it's a very hard box to climb out of. You've been living in it since birth, after all. But consider that you've been made the fool, and that while it might hurt to admit this, it would be far more ridiculous to continue playing the fool when you do not have to.
You would benefit greatly by setting aside your anger at my glib and acidic remarks, (but crikey, it's hard not to blast naivety, such as yours, which goes so far in making such evil possible in the world!), and refocusing your energy on the material around you from a fresh perspective. It takes real strength to ensure that a Trollish dick like me doesn't get in the way of your growth of awareness. Go out and try to prove me wrong. If you keep an open mind and be wary of the bullshit, if you use a basic level of common sense, you will be dazzled by what you will uncover. If you are ready, teachers will avail themselves to you. That's how the universe works.
Okay. Enough. Good luck, Bingo. Sounds like you'll need it.
-Fantastic Lad
A bar-code reader in every pot! Though, this is just the beginning; it is worth noting that Evil dickheads learn from their mistakes as well, albeit in a fashion limited to the question of money/power accruement.
--Mind you, if you are ruthless and savvy enough, you can surf the evils of society with very little effort. Life is good for those who have learned the 'way'.
Like porn and condoms, somebody with his/her head set to the right frequency will only pay a pittance, (if anything) for their bar code readers. Or cars. Or food. Etc.
Knowledge is power! Ignorance and Obsession are the only things standing in your way.
-Fantastic Lad
Screw television.
Here's what I think would be fun:
For about $100, you can buy a 48"x36" freznel lense. I want to mount it in a giant magnifying glass frame with a long handle, (kind of like one of those leaf scoopers used to clean the crud from the surface of suburban swimming pools.).
Then. . . Oh boy the damage you could cause!
We're talking about being able to set on fire, with a dowel and a sheet of plastic, the upholstery inside parked cars, punishing stupid owners who leave their automobile anti-theft devices blaring unattended. --Without even having to touch the vehicle! --Or you can set office buildings on fire by shining sunlight through the windows just by walking down the side walk with the magnifier over your shoulder. Any number of bizarre fire-crimes become feasible.
Yeah, yeah, I know you could get the same net effect with a can of gasoline and lighter, but this is FAR cooler! (What!? I'm just walking here with my sheet of plastic! I don't care about optics! Get your filthy law enforcing paws off me!) And if you somehow managed not to get caught, the authorities wouldn't know what the heck to make of it. --You might even be able to popularize the term, 'spontaneous office furniture combustion,' or something equally weird.
Of course, in this day and age of too many cameras and rampant terrorist paranoia, you'd probably have your eight foot magnifying glass and turban confiscated.
Bummer.
Fantastic Lad --What's a little pyromania among friends?
Ahh! Good to hear! I'm glad there are people out there listening to and interested in this stuff! I find most Slashdotters to be frighteningly conservative and closed-minded, it's good to know that among their number there are those willing to consider that science in reality may not necessarily be as it is taught to the public through media, government and corporate information sources, (like high school text books, for a start.)
Funny how if you get the kids young enough, only rarely through the course of their adult lives do they ever question the content of their grade nine text books. --Was Tesla taught in your highschool? Did they tell you how his invention of radio came about as a result of one of those experiences where a family member died half a world away and he knew about it the same instant? Hmm. . . And just how far did he go with that thinking? Look into this; it's fascinating and very revealing. Cuz you see, (and try not to scream like a little girl when you read this), but Science and Spirituality are the same animal. However, with that understanding comes the real possibility of numerous very liberating powers availing themselves to mankind as a whole, and as such, certain interests like to keep a choke rope on knowledge.)
And no, Marconi did not invent the radio. He was retroactively awarded the patent after Tesla yawned at the simplicity of radio and failed to develop the technology in time for the war effort. Look it up. As propagandic as television generally is, PBS actually managed to do a really good documentary on the guy.
While a great deal of the, 'alternative energy' material out there is, (I am sad to say), utter insanity, it's important to remember that some of it is not, and that little bit which isn't is certainly not going to be trumpeted by the existing power elite. Really basic logic here.
In any case. . .
I remember watching hydrogen driven prototype cars running just fine in test opperations as far back as '85. Ceramic engine parts in Japanese designs, and all that. The technology is already proven. The difficulty lies in selling the tech to a highly resistant market dominated by oil interests. Anybody who claims this is wrong, please, provide me with some convincing links. (Not that I'm putting the burden of proof on your shoulders, it's simply that I've been unable to find anything out there which makes this claim that isn't also directly funded by the Oil/Auto industry.)
-Fantastic Lad
And, boy! That is one black kettle!
But seriously. . .
Everybody is, by necessity, exactly where they are supposed to be in terms of awareness. If you are satisfied with the smoke & mirrors act which is man's play within the cosmos, (and also by necessity, most people are), then clearly you're not done with all that stuff yet.
Give it time; another fifty or hundred lives or so. Everybody gets there eventually. . . (And whether or not you beleive me doesn't make a difference. --And incidentally, that's the fine thing about the 'fourth alternative' (for lack of a better term); nobody will ever ask you to put cash in the collection plate and nobody will knock on your door or generally try to push the belief structure down your throat. --And they sure as heck won't do it with guns or swords and shit! The further up the ladder you go, the more you realize that Karma is based on not interferring with other people's growth. Of course, people will always offer their opinions and want to talk about what they believe, but then people are like that about baseball.)
In any case, I tend to act with arrogance & self-centered hot air cuz that's how stuff leaves my tonsils with greatest level of amusement. --I'm sure there are many reasons people post on Slashdot, but I happen to be driven by an insane urge to take pot-shots at all those fish in the barral from time to time. You know; toy with the monkeys. --Or more accurately, I see Slashdot as a cardboard box where only some very limited thinking is acceptable, (where even the almighty sciences are accepted piece meal based on what people are allowed to believe by governments and corporations. Funny how if you get the kids young enough, only rarely through the course of their adult lives do they ever question the content of their grade nine text books. --Was Tesla taught in your highschool? Did they tell you how his invention of radio came about as a result of one of those experiences where a family member died half a world away and he knew about it the same instant? Hmm. . . And just how far did he go with that thinking? Look into this; it's fascinating and very revealing. Cuz you see, Science and Spirituality are the same animal, but with that understanding comes the real possibility of unlimited power, so certain interests like to keep a choke rope on knowledge.)
And no, Marconi did not invent the radio. He was retroactively awarded the patent after Tesla yawned at simplicity of radio and failed to develop the technology in time for the war effort. Look it up. As propagandic as television generally is, PBS actually managed to do a really good documentary on the guy.
*Ahem*. Pardon me; I was doing it again.
Anyway, I think of Slashdot as a box filled with silly & hyper mice racing around inside with no idea that there is a larger world for the taking. If people don't dangle strings from time to time, then it's a much longer and harder process for people to escape.
Stay if you want; nobody cares. Indeed, you'll get eaten alive if you leave before you're ready. But it's neighborly to toss a string from time to time even if it's rejected. Karma is also about making one's self available just for the heck of it.
-Fantastic Lad
It demonstrates with great clarity, (provided one is able to pull back from their damned tunnel vision first of all), just how bloody Christ-centric most of the world is. -By this, I mean, everybody wants to put everybody else in one of those three stupid little boxes; Atheist, Agnostic, or None; people, I find, tend to stutter like the brain damaged when you tell them that their little score card is a conceited piece of shit.
For instance:
What if you happen to be Native American Indian? That is, you believe in the spirits of the Earth, Water and Air, believe in magic and spiritualism and such, but have absolutely no use for a foul-tempered bearded man in the sky with a 'good' book.
"Atheist", while etymologically accurate in describing you, is too strong because while it means one doesn't believe in God, in a colloquial sense it firmly suggests that one also has no belief whatsoever in the spiritual realm, which would be a total misrepresentation.
"Agnostic"; The wait and seer's wonder-word, doesn't apply either, because the Native American isn't waiting to see anything; s/he is actively pursuing another religious system altogether, one which doesn't have a God, (graven or otherwise), and thus doesn't give a hoot one way or another about the self-important Christian Million Dollar Question.
And "None" is just, well. . , nice life. Hope Hollywood and Sony Entertainment are able to fill all the gaps in your heart; the things of man get pretty dry after a while. --The new season of Buffy certainly doesn't have the zing it used to. . . (Pardon my Soap Box here, but living a 'None' life appears to take a lot of medication (drugs, alcohol,), and mis-direction, (Hollywood, Games, War, going to work, kayaking like those guys in the cigarette ads, hunting for sex and love, and generally doing all the average-life things to distract yourself from the over-arching back ground noise of gnawing emptiness), and my favorite, over-rationalization, (Shit! Did I just see a unicorn? Why the hell does Asian Astrology work? How can this place be haunted? Why can a 60 year old Chinese guy punch through inch-thick steel plate that I can't even dent with a freaking sledge hammer? Why can I see auras? And Who is this Castaneda guy anyway? -Oh wait. . . That's right. I keep forgetting; It's that pesky swamp gas again! Ho ho!)
Gotta love that swamp gas!
-Fantastic Lad
Still don't want to fight? Fine.
Still think we don't need to kill these people?
Plz Die Thks.
Yeah? E.Coli and similar has killed a lot more than two people due to stupid governmental water control policy.
Are you trying to tell me that terrorists gave anthrax to two Floridians? And even if they did, (and I bet they didn't), that this and any other paranoid excuse you can find means it's now cool to main-line CNN brain obfuscation tactics and go to war even though agencies other than terrorists are most likely trying to manipulate your decisions and tie strings to your trigger finger?
Yeah. Go sign up for the marionette soldier service.
Look. I can't stop a bunch of morons from killing each other, and frankly, I don't really want to. The point of the matter is that somebody other than me has recognized that you're a complete idiot with two hands and a strong back, and that they've decided to hitch your sorry ass to their cart. All I'm saying is that you might want to educate yourself a little before making any life & death decisions. Particularly when it's somebody else's life.
-Fantastic Lad
Don't forget Atlantis, U.F.O.s and Silly Putty!
Oooh! And Microsoft. You're always supposed to aim some dig at Microsoft around here, aren't you?
And yes, it does show how well-programmed you are. But to drag a timely quote out of my ass, G.I.-Joe always told us that, "Knowing is Half the Battle!"
-Fantastic Lad; --"YO, Joe!"
Awwww.
Did my scarwee widdle words threaten to bring down the mood of your happy trance? And you were trying sooo hard to enjoy this war and talk nerd-talk about it, weren't you? (Stuff that 'matters'.)
Don't worry. Wipe your nose, play another hour on your widdle Pway Station 2, sit back with your Doritoes and Cherry Coke, and let the soothing glow of your T.V. ease you back into the daydream.
But do try to remember; sheep get fleeced. Then they get eaten. --And after you've had the open pasture gate pointed out to you, nobody cares what happens if you decide to stay behind.
-Fantastic Lad
Hm. . .
Interesting. . . In wonder if protracted war is more profitable to the West than secured Afghan oil and heroine?
If the former, then I'd say the supplier of chopper killing weapons would likely be the Chinese. Just a guess.
-Fantastic Lad
God Bless America (and I'm not even 'Merican!)
Rah Rah Rah!
What an inspiring ream of propagandic spew!
Your heart-throbbing prose has so enraptured me with nationalist ardor that I must now enlist at once with all the other poor sheep who got bamboozled into dying so that the rich can swell even further on the cash-prize of secured Mid-East Oil and Opium! (Among other objectives.)
But you're partly right about the technology thing not being an issue. --You can be dead certain that they won't actually use the real capabilities of the military to 'win' this stupid thing quickly or neatly. Nope!
But let's back up here for a sec; Everybody knows that the 'new' stealth fighter jets unveiled for the Gulf War were already at least a couple of decades old by then, right? That's how military innovation goes; by the time it is revealed to the public, it's already obsolete. Can we all agree on this, or are some people out there still living under rocks, (held down by the firm press of 'reliable' media coverage)? DSL modem technolgy was, I believe, about 30+ years old by the time it was de-classified. Just as an example. Now consider this:
What if this trend is not limited only to air-force technology?
Whoa! What a concept!! You mean other branches of the military might also have star-trek quality gear, (and far, far better?) You betcha!
This stupid high school stage production of a 'war' could achieve all of its stated objectives quickly and easily if the powers that be wanted it so. But that's not how it's going to go, kids!
Why? Because yahoos like the happy Bingo who wrote the propagandic garbage above, (that is, him and most of America and the world), are THE media commodity which must be effectively bought and sold before the secondary and tertiary objectives of ths war are properly fulfilled. And that means a providing the public with a convincing, stupid and wasteful ground war designed to prepare and program everybody for further insults.
So sit back and enjoy!
-Fantastic Lad
Yeah, and I've got this nice bridge in New York I'm interested in selling. (Better buy it quick, though, before it gets blowed up real good.)
If anybody reading this site knows what the advanced military nations of the world are actually capable of, and if they were to write about it here, it would mean their immediate dismissal from the secret services and subsequent vaporization.
My information is about a decade old, but according to it, back in the early nineties, we had the technology to see through mountains, pinpoint kill from huge distances, and with shoulder mounted arms put nuclear-scale non-nuclear devastation pretty much anywhere at any time. I'll repeat that; NON-nuclear explosives which have the range and effect of nuclear devices. Small warheads a single warrior can carry and deploy. And that's just the brute force crap.
This stupid, evil, fake production of a pre-fab war could be won in under a month with little or no loss on the side of the tech-advanced nations.
And that's using tech from nearly ten years ago. (And you wonder why ZPE is dead in the civilian realm. Use your damned brains!)
However. . . You are not going to see a quick resolution because the power brokers don't want that. They plan to put on a good show which will establish all of the right dramatic tensions thus preparing and programming the world for the further steps of their master plan, (which if the world survives long enough, I am sure we will get to watch unfolding with all the melodramatic glory of a bad Hollywood film, written, of course, for the average 14 year old intelligence, because anything less would appear confusing and thereby deflate its core audience.)
Pass the popcorn. Erg. And the Tumms. (Lame writing gives me gas.)
-Fantastic Lad
Does that even exist? --I would have said that when Socialism turns evil, (i.e., power to the few, misery to the many), it is by definition, no longer Socialism.
Anyway, I just read a brief but fascinating paper on the Chechnyan culture and history.
Wow! What a great culture! It appears that the Chechen's had a highly prosperous and happy society based on a patriarchial, partly Islamic system. (Though, one in which women had all the same rights and freedoms as men.) They had arts and intellectuals and many different languages and cultural aspects which had been completely unique to the region. They had also been self-sustaining for more than 6000 years. Sounds almost like a golden-age. It even sounds a little bit imaginary in the D&D sense. . .
And one of the coolest parts is that all of this existed very happily with no government in the current sense of the word until the Russians finally managed, after decades of bloody war, to conquer the Chechen territory in 1858 and impose a modern centralized government.
Up until that time, they had an interdependant cell-like system of clans, towns and villages which all supported one another in times of crisis.
Interesting that they have been targetted for eradication. --Cuz', you know, you can't have systems which promote health, peace and prosperity in this world. Humans living in healthy systems? Well now! That just doesn't serve the ends of the Evil Overlords, now does it?
Though, your comment about the strikes in Afghanistan really being aimed at the Chechens sounds kind of half-baked to me. I think it's entirely possible to have two unfair and stupid wars raging at the same time.
-Fantastic Lad
I was just reading the introduction to Derailing Democracy when the news hit. Interesting timing. . . It neatly points out that the American Media is a total showboad for military/corporate interests. Think I'll buy a copy if the rest of the book is as good as the intro.
Fantastic Lad
Next!
And another robo-boy successfully avoids thinking for himself, thus completing his punch card mission. (Do you even realize you're using previously programmed social responses rather than your own critical analysis?)
Sigh.
In any case, I'm sure your creators will be most pleased.
You may return to sleep mode now.
-Fantastic Lad
Is your brain very, very tiny; (each new line of input erases the last? Rely heavily on pre-programmed responses?)
Sheesh. It's like talking to the walls around here sometimes. . !
-Fantastic Lad
But don't get all riled up. This is as it should be. Lessons aren't worth squat if you don't give people the time and space to learn them properly.
Conversely, those terrorist bombings while spectacular and emotionally shocking, were just blips in the big picture for anybody who didn't directly lose friends or family, (i.e., almost everybody). Job losses and changes of the economic picture happen all the time. Just because these ones stemmed from violence shouldn't serve to incapacitate you.
Obsession is a force in the negative. You might want to watch that.
-Fantastic Lad
You silly git. When will you get off that kook science dream train and join the waking world?
Let's address your paranoid conspiracy mania point by point, shall we?
Who the hell cares how he logged in? And what deep, deep nerve did he touch which so drove you to go all 'investigative reporter' on his ass? That is what we call, 'Misdirected Energy.' Do some healthy research some time rather than spend all your powers holding up the popular kid's paradigm.
This is a valid observation. (Though I did count a few other different names unique to two of the articles.) And while we would all like to see long lists of references, you must still answer this question: If the science is good, then who cares how few people are involved? Marginalized areas of study are nearly always tended to by small numbers of public researchers. The history of science confirms this pattern MANY times over. Remember: 'Popular' does not mean 'right'. In fact, it usually means 'Lowest Common Denomonater'.Now you're just acting foolish. First of all only one of the people involved wrote for "Ininite Energy Magazine". And secondly, why the heck is this bad? Of COURSE people who study marginalized areas of science are going to want to speak in forum, especially when they believe that the world is being manipulated by greedy people who want to see noble ideas perish.
Basically, you're doing it again; just because you've been told by the popular kids that certain things are 'uncool,' you blithely go about bullying the kids who have enough self-resolution and guts to act like individuals. This is, in fact, why you felt impelled to go all 'investigative reporter' on James; you obviously squirm in fear at the idea of having your own name associated with 'uncool' science, and you automatically assume that James would feel the same way too. And so you attacked him with the same ammunition that you have been kept in line with. You silly dork. Grow a damned spine.
It is obvious that you are just another sheep scared of an open gate in the pasture. TRY for once to act like you're not.
Remember; Sheep get fleeced. And eaten.
-Fantastic Lad (A.K.A., Fuck You. --People get shot by morons like you for thinking different, and I think REALLY differently. I may be brave, but I'm not stupid. Anonyminity is one of the great powers of the web! People can speak freely without fearing bullets.)
The 'Burden of Proof' is a concept designed as a safe-guard in the judicial process. It has no relevance here.
How many times must it be repeated; "YOUR LEVEL OF AWARENESS IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU". . ?
I'm not your Mom or your Dad or some sappy school teacher who is paid to care about your sorry ass. Grow the fuck up.
In any case, if you were genuinely interested in finding out the details of what is happening in the Middle East, then you would have gone to Google already to check it out rather than continuing to suck up the CNN garbage and foam at the mouth and buy guns. Put it back in your pants, already.
How much effort does it take to bring up Google and type variations of: "Opium Heroin Afghanistan Taliban" and "Middle East Oil History of"?
And no. I'm not going to hyperlink shit for you. I've already educated myself. I don't have hours to spend re-tracing my steps just to provide you with a Point by Point Easy Reader Essay with proofs on a bunch of data which you will just find some lame excuse to dismiss without reading anyway.
The "Burden of Your Ignorance," does not fall on my shoulders. I'm just telling you what I've learned myself. Whether you believe me or not is your problem.
The funny part is that unlike most of the stuff I spout around here, everybody who is anybody knows the Oil story; it's 20 years old, for crying out loud! And the Opium thing is current world press material. None of this is underground or even remotely secret knowledge. --Which just goes to show how big the rock is that America is currently living under.
-Fantastic Lad
Though actually, I didn't know that the 43 mil wasn't straight cash. My research on the point wasn't complete enough; (I typically don't even bother with CNN; clearly I should grit my teeth and read their crap just for the sake of cross-reference.) In either case, I learned something, so thanks!
--OOOH! Did you notice what I just did in that last paragraph? It's cheesy as hell to point it out, but I will for your benefit seeing as how you seem to need it; Learning is all about how to let go of bad info and embrace the new & more accurate stuff as it comes along. Ego only fucks you up. Only by ruthlessly weeding and questioning can one continue to climb the mountain of wisdom.
Now, if I may be so humble. . .
I strongly suggest that you don't dismiss all my "self-righteous conspiratorial counter-culteral 'wisdom'" just because you happened to find one critical departure which doesn't actually detract from the fact that Oil and Opium are significant puzzle pieces to the situation in Afghanistan.
It's painfully common to see people write off sources of info the instant they find one false note. Nobody's perfect and neither am I. I'm learning new material and re-shaping my understanding of the world every day. All I'm saying here is that you and everybody else must also do this, All The Time! There are more issues at stake than the party line which is being sold to the American people every day.
Don't play the shill. You woke up for an instant there and actually tried to check out my story. Don't stop there. Keep going. Hate me if you want, but whatever you do, don't go back to sleep. Just don't.
-Fantastic Lad