Phi for All

Why? Do you know of some company that sells LED study lamps that would be better than CFLs?

Extremely well put. And kudos for those who took their fingers out of their ears long enough to listen to it.

There should be no negotiation, that would eventually stop the piracy if we made stiff penalties for anyone who buys the pirated goods that would be their only treasure. The problem with that is not the pirates, it's the fact that few people would agree to work on a ship if there was no chance of negotiation once boarded. The biggest reason for pirates being considered hostis humani generis, besides the territorial neutrality of the open seas, is the sheer size and natural malevolence of the oceans. Trouble at sea, or anything that unnecessarily puts a ship in even more danger than normal, MUST be treated severely. This is the reason China needs to be heavily reprimanded for the actions of their boats against the USNS Impeccable recently. You simply don't act recklessly with fragile vessels on open water. It's an ethical concern that transcends even human lives, because it threatens human life at sea in general. If space exploration is in our future, this ethical concern must be heavily ingrained in our very psyche. You just don't mess with a ship unless you want war.

This happens with my trays about once a month. I have 4 trays stacked 2x2, and the top 2 trays are prone to this. I always figured it was due to uneven expansion in the freezing process. What I couldn't figure out was why the spikes are always straight. You'd think they would curve downwards as they form due to gravity, but they're always that way, at a less than 90 degree angle but arrow straight. So while we're on the subject of ice cube tray phenomena, can someone tell me why the bottom 2 trays of my 2x2 stack don't pop the ice out as cleanly as the top 2 trays do? I don't always use the same trays in the same order, but invariably, when I go to pop the ice out, the top 2 trays pop out whole cubes while the bottom 2 trays the ice cubes are more fractured and prone to sticking to the plastic. I always figured it had something to do with the bottom 2 trays not having the same amount of air for the freezing process, being blocked by the trays on top of them. Any ideas on this?

I've spent 5 years here poking holes in the arguments of others while stitching together my own evidence to refute them. It was a natural progression. And it gives me a chance to rest my eyes from the computer screen! And who couldn't hold still while his inseam was being measured? Bleh, that was Cap'n Refsmmat's idea. Liability issue for Staff dealing with crackpots. I just *shake* my head instead of banging it against the wall but swansont has been known to get a running start. And he likes the earflaps/chinstrap look. Go figure. Well, I'm not doing *your* hair anymore if you insist on wearing that helmet. It's a waste of my time and the wired Pippi Longstocking braids coming out of the holes in your earflaps are too distracting. Frankly, I think you take the eccentric physicist thing too far.

I'm embroidering that on a corporate T-shirt for you.

Obama should use some of that money to plant more moss so we can have more oil.

Without mentioning the persecution of Galileo, you have NOTHING, lame crazy man.

Poll corrected.

All the best reasons to keep it illegal merely help the people who make the most money from it now. The secondary reasons are all speculative, like what drug dealers will do to combat the loss of profit, or that obesity may increase because more people will have the munchies. That it will become too available is the one angle that holds any strength with me. Existing laws keep homemade wine and beer from getting out of hand but I think home growers would be capable of much production levels, and having your product grown outside means security from underage users would be a concern. I know there are existing laws to cover most of this but it could be a problem, having teens hop your fence instead of raid their folks' liquor cabinet.

It would be easiest to classify MJ the same way alcohol is classified. Develop a blood level verification, and let existing laws for alcohol govern MJ use and sales. Absolutely not. I'm saying that arguing that opponents are hypocrites because alcohol is legal and MJ is not is logical, but has the least chance of being effective in changing opponents minds. Opponents will not see themselves as being hypocritical. Hypocrisy is hard for ANYONE to spot in themselves, so it is almost always ineffective. It's just human nature. OK. I don't know what valid parts Mr Skeptic left out but I'm glad you agree that non-THC hemp should be legalized in the US since it poses no drug threat. Then I think you misunderstood my point. See below. I'm only talking about people who would be eligible to have medical MJ prescribed to them. My point exactly. I think I phrased it badly the first time. I know people undergoing chemotherapy who would benefit from taking medical MJ but don't because, even though they might obtain it legally, it has the stigma of being an illegal, controversial drug most others. While I admit to some facetiousness, I find it hard to look at a list of cons for legalizing MJ that isn't ridiculous for the most part. I'm not an advocate for decriminalization so I could get high legally. I don't consider it to be as bad as alcohol as an intoxicant. I think people in jail only for possession or for dealing in MJ don't belong there as felons and represent a huge drain on my taxes. I think a lot of people misunderstand MJ and dismiss it as a "criminal drug" in much the same way they think of much more dangerous drugs. Actually, what I said was I'd like medical MJ to happen at the same time it was declassified as a felony, not legalized entirely. We're really on the same page here, baby steps, check it out slowly, see how much of an impact it will have on society. But drop it to a misdemeanor so our prisons aren't filled with folks just looking for a little happy.

That would be decided by the market. Depending on how legal it became, we are talking about a weed that anyone can grow, virtually anywhere. How much does homemade wine and beer cost? The hypocrisy angle is the weakest one to me, and the one that has the least chance of changing opinions. Hypocrites don't see their actions as being hypocritical, and alcohol-only imbibers usually see everything else as only "drugs". Is this a sarcastic "right"? Because growing non-THC hemp to save trees from being paper, and to cut the amount of pesticides used to grow weaker, more costly cotton fibers, and to produce hemp oil as an internal combustion fuel, has always been one of the strongest arguments to me for legalization. Right now, a lot of markets are maintaining higher profits unfairly because they aren't being challenged by this currently illegal competitor. And why is non-THC hemp illegal? All the arguments about it's being mistaken have been debunked. Many people who would benefit from it's affects won't take it because of the stigma associated with it being illegal for everyone else. I agree. The list of cons for legalizing MJ are ridiculous. This is probably the best compromise. If making medical MJ available everywhere went hand in hand with removing it as a felony offense so we could get some otherwise decent folks out of jail, I WOULD STAND BEHIND THAT 100%. (funny, hit the caps lock by mistake but I'm going to leave it anyway)

There's nothing wrong with angry, unless it leads you into a personal attack. No more name calling, please. I made the comment, "pulling a gun in anything but a life-threatening situation is just begging for a life-threatening situation" as a clarification of Moontanman's point, "most aggressive assholes will hesitate to hassle someone they think can shoot them". I didn't want it to stand as a response to abskebabs query about being hassled by kids, since I place quite a distance between "hassled" and "severely threatened". I didn't mean to imply any wrecklessness with my comment. I purposely didn't quote Moontanman for this very reason. The statement I made was a general one, but apparently didn't come off as such.

I thread per question please, I removed the duplicate thread in Homework Help.

First, what is "pretty young"? 17? 13? 10? Second, what is a "pack of bin bags"? The references I found on line referred to some kind of shoulder tote like a purse, but I have no idea what a pack of them looks like, or why it would be a threatening projectile. Third, I like the idea of very loudly declaring that singling one person out for torment doesn't work when EVERYBODY is sick to death of punk juvenile, terrorist-like behavior. I'll bet you'd have several people at your side real quickly. And last, pulling a gun in anything but a life-threatening situation is just begging for a life-threatening situation.

Can this be confirmed? I would like to know the reason before I start complaining about it. Two irrational actions don't make a rational one.

Hypocrites, by definition, rarely see their actions as hypocritical. It's just not the angle to take for change, and I think this is what Obama is trying to teach us. Shouting across the aisle is no longer a viable option.

Great point. I've partaken in the past but don't now and you're right, the most pragmatic arguments come from the economic and criminal angle, rather than the "it's no worse than alcohol" proponents.

Come on, we don't need any "that's stupid" comments. I welcome opposition comments for what they are: a chance to hone your own arguments and see exactly what it is about MJ that people object to. I agree that Obama can't be the one to start this. It has to come from a logical, rational public who marginalize the "let's get high" angle and focus on the merits of economic competition in various markets, reducing crime, increasing revenue through taxation and reducing prison population by removing the least offensive inmates. One concern is that existing laws aren't sufficient to cover MJ use. How much could you smoke and still drive a car legally, and how would it be measured, like blood alcohol content is measured?

You'd have to pay the Phi for All the things you did before all could be forgotten.

Moderator's Note: Do NOT stray into a discussion about religion or religious beliefs. Those are pointless and are against the rules.

I didn't think you'd have the GutZ to come back here after what you did.