Open Topic Thread Here!!!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Oct 10 - 02:30 PM

Dirty FACE! That's it!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 06 Oct 10 - 01:16 PM

measuring the circumference of the Earth a stick, a ruler and some simp

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: gnu
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 11:21 AM

I went to the Anschutz site and the pic at the top of the homepage shows the distinctive knurling on the forestock. I am surprised they have changed this TM on the new models.

I read the blurb for the first one and shook my head... "Please find here our rifles for a low-cost but very rapid and especially precise and effective ammunition with only little shot release noise for the closed season."

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 11:05 AM

Some Anschutz rifles

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: gnu
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 10:38 AM

Rap... is that an Anchutz, bull barrel, 22 mag?

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 10:11 AM

should fox hunting be stopped?

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 10:09 AM

The world

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 09:02 AM

Handy Guide to Doublespeak!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When you next read an academic paper or attend a conference where much is said about nothing, make sure you have this handy guide by your side.

"IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN"...
I didn't look up the original reference.

"A DEFINITE TREND IS EVIDENT"...
This data is practically meaningless.

"WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS"...
An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published.

"THREE OF THE SAMPLES WERE CHOSEN FOR DETAILED STUDY"...
The other results didn't make any sense.

"TYPICAL RESULTS ARE SHOWN"...
This is the most confusing graph.

"THESE RESULTS WILL BE IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT"...
I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded.

"IN MY EXPERIENCE"...
Once.

"IN CASE AFTER CASE"...
Twice.

"IN A SERIES OF CASES"...
Thrice.

"IT IS BELIEVED THAT"...
I think.

"IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT"...
A couple of others think so, too.

"CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE" ...
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

"ACCORDING TO STATISTICAL ANALYSIS"...
Rumour has it.

"A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FINDINGS"...
A really wild guess.

"A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBTAINABLE DATA"...
Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a beer glass.

"IT IS CLEAR THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS"...
I don't understand it....and I never will.

"AFTER ADDITIONAL STUDY BY MY COLLEAGUES"...
They don't understand it either.

"A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EXPLORATORY STUDY"...
A totally useless topic selected by my committee.

"IT IS HOPED THAT THIS STUDY WILL STIMULATE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN THIS FIELD"...
I am pleased to feed you this rubbish.
__________________

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 10:10 PM

Oh, I think a 170 grain round nose to be perfectly adequate.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 09:10 PM

Scroll down....click on cash for cats. You your unwanted cats could be worth a fortune:)




cash for cats

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 08:49 PM

LOL...and some statistician once found a very high correlation in the salaries of college professors and the consumption of alcohol!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 08:45 PM

Foolestroupe, I suspect you could be losing your marbles:) Hopefully, you can see that there are far too many confounding elements associated with this research to make it worthy of citing or posting.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 05:09 PM

Porn surge found in states that helped elect president

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 03:37 PM

"Does this make me the reincarnation of a famous person? No, but only because I've chosen to keep the unique story of my reincarnation a secret. If I were to let it become public knowledge, then I would be famous"

Unfortunately for you, we have smoked you out of the woods....your secret is now in the public domain....Deal with it.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 30 Sep 10 - 08:48 AM

Fattening and artery clogging? Okra will do that to you, you know.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:57 PM

YO! Bobert!

I mixed a bag of 1/3 flour and 2/3 cornmeal (Zatarain's Fish Fry) and dropped the slices of okra I'd just picked. Shook 'em around, picked 'em out, and fried 'em. And the bag is in the fridge waiting for the next batch.

How's that sound?

SRS

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:44 PM

Wow! I'm calling the media! Someone at CNN needs to know about this! ....no, wait.... you said....ummmm...but....

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:37 PM

Are you the reincarnation of a famous person?

Yes, I'm the reincarnation of myself. As far as I know, I'm the only person to have been reincarnated without going through the trouble of dying first.

It happened last Wednesday while I was sleeping. When I went to bed, I was me. When I woke up the next morning, I was me.

Does this make me the reincarnation of a famous person? No, but only because I've chosen to keep the unique story of my reincarnation a secret. If I were to let it become public knowledge, then I would be famous.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:25 PM

so sad...makes MY troubles feel like petty nuisances. I feel for the troubled young man, and for the two who had to witness such a thing. ..........

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:12 PM

Good Lord, Sins! What would drive a young man to do such a thing? I hope only the best for his family, but I fear he has put them in much pain -- he must have been suffering to do that. Wasn't there any indication of what he was going through?

Never mind. Rant off.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 09:55 PM

I am totally rattled. A young man poured gasoline all over himself and used a lighter to set himself on fire - in front of two of my co-workers. I feel so sad that someone so young should feel so desperate. I can't imagine the pain my co-workers are in.
One of them was involved in running down a robber last week. He came back to the office with bloody fists and a tale of stopping a break in at a jewelry store.
SHIT! I left NYC to get away from this crap.
Rant over. I pity the young man's mother tonight. He is just 24 years old. I pray for the best outcome for all concerned.
SINS

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 09:41 PM

Didn't ol' Socrates mean "Know thyself" in the "biblical" sense??

I can see him in the Agora responding to some wise-ass who just splattered mud all over his clean chiton with his chariot: middle fingers upraised, shouting "γνῶθι σεαυτόν!" as the guy rides away.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 04:24 PM

"My contention is that *no one* is wholly rational, that we all have blind or unexamined hypotheses..."

That's no doubt pretty close, Ebbie.... what is difficult is cultivating the self-awareness to 'catch yourself' and achieve something of a correction process...(meaning not "getting the right answers", but rather just sorting out the status of the questions and finding a fair & reasonable method of evaluating YOUR biases in comparison with the easy-to-see biases of others.) (sheesh...took me awhile just to construct that explication!)

What I learned from Philosophy was some of the basic principles of what 'rational' meant and that many questions were by definition 'tricky' and might remain so for a long... ∞ ∞ ...time. I do attempt to self-correct my own "blind or unexamined hypotheses", but the way it goes is that someone whose own biases go the other way will tell me that I have failed...*wry grin*.
Socrates said "Know thyself" but his instruction book on how is itself subject to debate.

(I said facetiously for years that I chose Philosophy because it was one area where you could make a living just being 'clever' and not having to be 'right'.)

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 02:04 PM

Are you the reincarnation of a famous person?

paranormal belief

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: GUEST,Ebbie, housesitting
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 01:23 PM

Good start, Bill!

My contention is that *no one* is wholly rational, that we all have blind or unexamined hypotheses that usually serve us well.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 12:01 PM

"Even philosophy majors have some weird beliefs, I have no doubt. How about it, Bill? Care to share some? :)"

Oh, many of us believed that graduate seminars would actually cover the topic advertised!

SOME seemed to believe that all our professors took the subject seriously.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:47 AM

I think it's because they're dirty and need a nice, long soak.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 10:31 AM

>strawberries, pecans and rocket with balsamic vinaigrette is gorgeous<
Thanks VirginiaTam that does sound good I will try that, what would you serve that with?

>Why do so many people believe so many weird things?<
I think it is a conspiracy designed to make people neurotic as hell. With an aging population living longer it is a contrived attack from the back door just as raising the retirement age is for some people.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 07:43 AM

Parents less likely to buy cars for overweight kids....what will they research next?


overweight kids

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: GUEST,Ebbie, housesitting
Date: 29 Sep 10 - 12:14 AM

Why do so many people believe so many weird things?

Ed T, weird beliefs come in varied forms. Even philosophy majors have some weird beliefs, I have no doubt. How about it, Bill? Care to share some? :)

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 11:38 PM

Why do so many rocks like to live underwater?

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 09:56 PM

Interesting, Ed T! Thanks for the links!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 09:43 PM

Ed...those pages are treasures!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 09:17 PM

How to be happy

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Ed T
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 09:13 PM

Why do so many people believe so many weird things?

Why people believe weird things

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 01:54 PM

I was once bat boy for a women's softball team.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: gnu
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 01:22 PM

Old bats prefer knitted covers on their coat hangers. Easier on their little tootsies.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 01:18 PM

Whaddaya mean "NO WIRE HANGERS!" you old bat? I happen to like wire hangers. In fact, I friggin' LOVE wire hangers! So piss off!

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 11:34 AM

I have the doors standing open and let the cool fresh air in! We get about a week of fall before the weather turns yucky, so I need to enjoy it.

SINS, I heard someone on the radio talking about politics and the attitudes of the "religiously certain" (who dismiss all other possible answers but their own to the world we live in, and who would dictate to everyone else how to behave).

SRS

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Amos
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 10:26 AM

How did their administer the huge doses of emetic?

I tried beaming waves into the staff at Sharps Hosp., but they seemed immune...


A

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 10:18 AM

Think on this these photographs. Don't they look like B&W photos of a colonoscopy?

Well, they're really photos of the vortex at the South Pole of the planet Venus (according to NASA).

Why are we giving the planet a colonoscopy? And how was the prep done? Or do I really want an answer to that last?

Is this why the Venus People are mad at us and are beaming radio waves into our heads unless we all wear tinfoil hats?

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: SINSULL
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 10:15 AM

Just saw The Loved One. Funny how life imitates art.

And in the news today - no surprise - agnostics and atheists know more about religion than believers. Go figure.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 06:28 AM

strawberries, pecans and rocket with balsamic vinaigrette is gorgeous

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 03:52 AM

>max sez: (on facebook) Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. <

I dunno, having tried strawberries on a savoury salad I am open to try it just once.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: open mike
Date: 28 Sep 10 - 02:22 AM

max sez: (on facebook) Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 11:58 PM

Jeremy also thought that putting corpses along streets would lead people to lead better lives. Perhaps as light poles?

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Bill D
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 10:28 PM

If I was vain, I'd like to be displayed...like Jeremy Bentham


"As requested in his will, Bentham's body was dissected as part of a public anatomy lecture. Afterward, the skeleton and head were preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet called the "Auto-icon", with the skeleton stuffed out with hay and dressed in Bentham's clothes. Originally kept by his disciple Thomas Southwood Smith,[24] it was acquired by University College London in 1850. It is normally kept on public display at the end of the South Cloisters in the main building of the college, but for the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the college, it was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where it was listed as "present but not voting".[25]

The Auto-icon has a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the preservation process. The real head was displayed in the same case for many years but became the target of repeated student pranks, including being stolen on more than one occasion. It is now locked away securely.[26]"

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Rapparee
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 10:14 PM

I want my ashes ground fine and tossed into the air conditioning intakes of some library. That way they'll be dusting me for years to come, and I will continue to make trouble for libraries after I'm gone.

Alternately, I'd like to be done up in a plastic cylinder (like a starfish in a biology lab) and a large screw-eye set in the top. Buried vertically, folks could pull me up whenever they wanted to see how natural I as looking there I'd be -- naked, making an obscene gesture with both hands for eternity....

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: Amos
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 08:36 PM

You can also have them beaten into a diamond at very high temps. Much pricier, I'm sure. And less fun. Besides, who would he give it to? (Don't answer that!!!)

Subject: RE: Open Topic Thread Here!!!
From: frogprince
Date: 27 Sep 10 - 07:37 PM

I don'y hsve crabs, lice, or scabies, and I bathe a lot more than #1Peasant; so why does my "pube" area keep giving me a fit of itching just after I take off my drawers?