Phi for All

Radical Edward and Jakiri showing back up at the same time? I'm stunned. Glad but stunned. It's almost as if it were designed by the hand of a higher power.... I refer, of course, to Sayonara3.

LOL, does Ottawa catch a lot of flak?

Right then, all's well and all. Just give the old mailbox a wide berth till we can get someone out there to set things straight. Let this be a lesson to the rest of you. Don't judge yourself too harshly. Let us do that for you. Except for GutZ, 'cause he's so horrible and we really can't stand him, him with his capital letters at both ends and being from Ottawa and all. I think the mail's in, GutZ, better go check the post.

There are just so many levels of information available these days that people only drill down to a certain level and assume truths based on where they get tired and stop. In almost every case the truth changes based on how much information is actually revealed.

Try squeezing a racquetball or tennis ball in that hand a few times to see if it changes anything. I've had twitches like that before and they usually go away if I stress them a little differently. If you used to self harm when stressed, perhaps it's some sort of anticipatory signal from the brain as a reaction to what you used to do. This will probably fade as you keep up the better behavior.

I thinik this is the really sad part. He's not leaving because anyone else said his posts were bad. That a *self-inflicted* wound, that is.

I don't need threads where members are gettng so hot under the collar that they sink to the level of swearing and calling other members jerks. I can't believe we defended The Peon earlier this year to the point of banning others for flaming him and then he goes and flames others. End of thread.

I don't like signatures much. It's like putting up a billboard that stays up for months. After a while, who reads it? I don't mind the one-liners that get changed pretty often. They are at least interesting. What if I were to post the exact same thing at the end of each post, wouldn't someone eventually accuse me of being redundant and off-topic? Plus, some of the lengthy ones, with "originally posted by" quotes really make the forum hard to read. If we bump it up for you, there are those that would abuse it. Some people already have two links, three titles, a list of accomplishments and a couple of quotes from various dead people. Most of their posts are smaller than their sigs.

Yeah, 'cause without your hard shell, all the worms and other bugs will just get ground under the bootheels of our restrictive authoritarianism. It will be gooey, very gooey.

Better yet, I'll PM you Snail's address and you can drop by and leave him one of your patented Knock-Chem-Dead® packages in his mailbox. It'll be the perfect way to say goodbye, as long as you remember to wear gloves this time. Hey, GutZ, where do YOU live?

Yeah, Snail, GutZ is *way* lamer than you! He's always more annoying and we definitely hate him more than we hate you. If GutZ won't leave you *have* to stay, just so things will be bearable. It takes GutZ to admit you've made a mistake and I'm sure GutZ will be happy to admit that you've made a big one here. And if you do leave, have the GutZ to take GutZ with you.* * j/k, GutZ! You ARE annoying, we're too tense, but we don't really hate you.

Don't pull back into your shell! No matter where you run or how far, we'll catch up in like two seconds (you're a snail, for God's sake)! Ignore the smell of garlic and butter coming from the kitchen!

You'll leave when I say you can leave, mister. You shouldn't make decisions like this when you're feeling fried. We're all hyper-critical of ourselves at these moments and you'll be doing yourself a disservice by acting rashly. You don't need to leave completely for two years to fix what's wrong. Your posts are fine, it's just your imagination that you're leaving a slimy trail wherever you go. Oh, wait, you ARE leaving a slimy trail, you galloping gastropod! Get a mop and clean that up!

A little?!?

I personally think this is exactly what all the fuss is about. At the root of the issue you find a very bipartisan effort to protect politicians from being examined too thoroughly. I don't think modern political practices would look very good to most Americans if they were exposed without the proper media spin.

These stings always set the guy up to solicit sex in the girl's home when her parents are supposedly away. They do NOT have to cross state lines (this isn't about kidnapping). Just chatting is not the crime, it's when the guy invites himself over to what he believes is a willing, but underage, girl's house to break the law with her. There are usually other guidelines, things the police have to get the predator to say, like he has to tell her very specific things he's going to do to her, bring certain things with him so they know it's him, etc. Believe me, by the time the guy shows up at the "house", they know exactly what his intent is. This may seem like entrapment but these guys are never first-timers. They've done this for real before and they'll do it over and over again if they aren't stopped.

OK, let's end on that note. It's against forum policy to advocate the use of drugs. Thanks for the info everyone (although the orange peel / anchovie thing really doesn't work for me) and be careful with yourselves (especially you nutmeggers). Sir Ask Alot, as you're lying awake tonight, unable to sleep with all the sugars and caffeine coursing through your teenage body, I hope you realize how truly awful it is to encourage others to try gateway drugs like Pepsi and Red Bull. Be ashamed, you bad, freaky hophead.

These guys are oh so very guilty. The police nail guys all the time in undercover prostitution stings where the perp never actually engages in sex but acted with the intent to. This is even worse since they are preying on minors.

Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp.

They knew the mission was doomed when they lost the demolition expert in the first week, but what can you do when the guy insists on wearing a red uniform?

Any truth to the rumor that your GF found a gray hair in your sideburns and it took six months to organize an expedition with enough manpower to safari in there and get it?

I like it. As long as we can trust the way it's "grown" and what goes into it (no more hormones and antibiotics, please) I think this could be extremely economical once it becomes widely used.

Silkworm, I've worked in front of cameras before and here's a few tips: 1. Practice holding your "neutral face" in front of a mirror. This should be a look that is attentive, focussed, friendly and sincere. It's the look you use while the other guy is talking. Depending on how sophisticated they are, they may have a camera on each speaker and a director who decides which camera is "hot". If your face is too emotional while the other guy speaking, or if you're shaking your head, looking hostile or bored the director may key in on you and it just makes you look bad. If you take notes when the other guy is talking, the neutral face makes you still look attentive even though your eyes are directed down at your notes. 2. Make sure you stand steady and keep your gestures small and controlled. Rocking back and forth on your feet and making broad hand gestures is very common when you're on stage and being passionate. For the camera, however, this nervous energy gets wasted by superfluous movement. The cameraman is going to frame you the best way he can, and if you are all over the place he's going to zoom out and you'll look smaller than your opponent. Close-ups are powerful and you want the cameraman to feel confident that you're not going to move out of frame if he zooms in. 3. The camera is just one part of your audience. If you've done a lot of public debate, you probably direct part of your speaking at your opponent, and then divide up the audience into sections so you speak to the whole auditorium. Just remember to direct parts of your debate to the audience on the other end of the camera. Turn your head, shoulders and hips to accomplish this rather than repositioning your feet (so you don't lose your camera framing). 4. Keep your hands away from your face. First off, it's never good to block your face while on camera, and secondly, it always looks shifty. Nervous habits like tugging a mustache, pulling your lower lip, finger-combing your hair, scratching your ear and tugging at collars get amplified on camera and distracts the viewer. Just remember that if people see a drop of sweat rolling down your face, they assume it's hot in there, but if you wipe it away, you look like you're scared or have something to hide. If you want to get extreme about it, you should only drink your water bottle down halfway before switching to your next one. Tilting a mostly full bottle up looks like sipping to wet your mouth, while tipping a half empty bottle up in front of your face always looks like you're guzzling and desperate for fluids. I'm sure you'll do fine. The CCTV is just another audience section, albeit a very important one. Good luck, I wish I could drive out and see this.

Consider this a verbal warning. Your opinion is welcome, no matter what it is, as long as it's given with respect. Referring to fellow humans as "it" and "thing" in this context is completely against forum policies regarding prejudice.