Ahhh, a request for a telling of 'the saga of the broken newt'.

The first time was ridiculous, remodeling my bathroom and lifting a heavy cast iron tub by hand, not realizing it was liquid nailed to the sub floor. I crushed a vertebrae, popped a disk, and severed the nerve that operates below the knee. I was completely paralyzed below the knee for over 6 months, then for about 1 1/2 years I had partial feeling and movement, it was like my leg was completely asleep that entire time....and still is to a small extent (weakness, pins and needles).
The second time, I ran my car into a highway divider head on at 55mph and went airborne. Good thing it was an Acura Legend, a tank of a car, or it certainly would have been far worse. I was already so irreparably broken, I didn't even go get another MRI for that one, which was probably a bad idea. I still have extra back pain from that (6+ years after the fact), but it didn't do new nerve damage (that I know of) so I just accepted it as one more injury to add to the (excessively long) list.
I am accident prone, and don't take proper care of myself. I'm now paying for over 4 decades of that behavior.

I was gonna say "is this even a real story?" But then I found a better news link:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/couple-killed-inglewood-police-shooting-asleep-mayor-butts-369902981.html

Several of those looks said "When you're asleep. Your shoes will pay a price."

If you are a cop in an extended high speed chase after a guy in a stolen car and then you catch him, I can see where the adrenaline will push you over the edge. It doesn't excuse the behavior, but I have trouble falling asleep after 30 minutes of playing Battlefront I'm so amp'd up. I can't imagine being in their shoes.

Also, this isn't Rodney King. Rodney King was dragged out of his car and beaten for being black. This man ran from the cops in a stolen vehicle and almost killed 2 of them. Whether the color of his skin came into play we can only speculate and review the record of the officers involved. My suspicion however is that if he had been white he would have gotten about 1/2 the beating he took.
Either way, the officers involved were wrong. They are not judge and jury. Seems like some cops in this country have forgotten that. But there are still a lot of good ones.

Your video, Micah Should Not Have Fallen Asleep, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Yup, Modern Marvels was one of the best, most enlightening shows in the history of television. I even watched, without falling asleep, the episode about paint.

"It's called the American Dream.. cause you have to bee asleep to believe it"

Truer words, Mr. Carlin. Truer words.

When I was done dying my conscience regained
So I began my struggle a nothingness strained
Out a flash made of time my new form blasted out
And it startled me so and I burst out a shout
At which my legs ran frantic like birds from a nest
And I ran until drained leaving no choice but rest
So I fell asleep softly at the edge of a cave
But I should have gone in deeper but I'm not so brave
And like that I was torn out and thrown in the sky
And I said all my prayers because surely I'll die
As I crashed down and smashed into earth, into dirt
How my skin did explode leaving only my shirt
But from shirt grew a tree and then tree grew a fruit
And I became the seed and that seed was a brute
And I clawed through the ground with my roots and my leaves
And I tore up the shirt and I ate up the sleeves
And they laughed out at me and said "what is your plan?"
But their question was foreign I could not understand
When then suddenly I'm ripped up and placed into a mouth
And it swallowed me down at which time I head south
So I said
Hey ya ya
Hey ya ya
Hey ya ya
Hey hey hey

Well I woke up to see them, these two mighty steeds
With their mouths grinning wildly expressing my needs
As they stood there above me, being flanked on each side
I felt no need to fear them, no reason to hide
So I reached up to touch but they faded too soon
Yet their mouths still remained and stacked up towards the moon
How that ladder of mouth waved so soft in the night
And I looked up in awe at that beautiful sight
And I dreamt about climbing into the night sky
But I knew had I touched them they'd mouth back 'bye bye'
So I got up and walked down the path in the dark
And there deep in the distance my eye caught a spark
Of a crab twice my size with incredible strength
Oh it greeted me kindly and then we all drank
And we drooled out together right onto the ground
And the ocean grew up quickly right up all around
And the earth looked at me and said "wasn't that fun?"
And I replied "I'm sorry if I hurt anyone"
And without even thinking cast me into space
But before she did that she wiped off my own face
She said better luck next time don't worry so much
Without ears I couldn't hear I could just feel the touch
As I feel asleep softly at the edge of a cave
But I should have gone deeper but I'm not so brave
I said
Hey ya ya
Hey ya ya
Hey ya ya
Hey hey hey

The trick is to stop when they're drowsy but not quite asleep, then scarper. It's much easier to escape just before they're asleep than just after.

Your video, Sleepy Puppy Falls Asleep On Baby, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

As much as I loved the sound track for it, I had to laugh, it does sound like hans zimmer fell asleep on his organ at some points.

Used to keep tortoises as pets as a kid.

One of them got a larval infection in his neck and needed surgery to lance it. The vet explained anesthesia doesn't work on tortises, so they did the next best thing--they put him in the fridge for a day, induced hibernation, and did the surgery while he was asleep. We were able to take him home the next day.

We thought he'd be freaked out by the whole thing (we never made him hibernate in the winter, just used a lamp to keep him warm), but he didn't seem any worse for the experience. Lived a long and healthy life. Eventually gave him to our neighbors' kids when my brother and I went off to college.

I actually thought, due to the timing that i first heard the nickname used, that it might be a reference to an anime called Evangelion 2.0 (or 2.22; as the release dates for everything lined up correctly, or at least I "thought" they did).

But, from what I learned later, he has been called that since his High School days. Although the "Beast Quake" was awesome. Anytime you create a football play awesome enough that you can get the fans riled up enough that an Earthquake Monitoring Station nearby picks it up (as an earthquake) is absolutely awesome and hilarious.

But, everyone is right. Even though he isn't doing anything *sort of* at these interviews, he is actually helping to generate publicity; because these interviews usually end up being far better than the status quo norm, that can cause people to fall asleep while standing at home (because they ask the same question over and over again, just with a different noun and verb...).

/off-topic & longish

I'm not trying to belittle you or anything, so please don't misinterpret the things I'm about to talk about. Regarding your supernatural experiences (which to be perfectly honest IF they do exist, and that is a big if) there are a few problems with them or rather that type of "belief". If it really did happen to you, then it wouldn't be very hard to see why you would believe in religion or be spiritual in a very strong sense of the word (though it depends I suppose on just what you experienced, or what "they" experience).

But, if your faith can be helped along by these type of events, then it would be the type of thing that science should be exploring. I know people will clearly state that you just "can't catch these events", but to be honest, if your body is able to see, hear, smell, or sense it...any number of scientific tests could as well. But, the problem is: when do they happen, how do they happen (by what mechanism, i.e. sound, smell, sight, etc...), and to whom will it occur (and even where will it occur might be a justified question too).

Eventually this should become something, even if on the "fringe" of science or rational belief, should become a real talking point...recognized by all. Simply because, eventually scientists must experience them too, or those with no faith or belief at all...

But, this is why I ask what kind of "event" did you experience?

I suffer from Narcolepsy. With this, I suffer nightly from huge attacks (around 3-15) sleep paralysis events. These events come in ALL sorts of flavors, and since it is from Narcolepsy it doesn't necessarily have to happen at night--like ghosts, or alien abductions (I mean, is it not a good question to wonder why these things almost always happen at night--oh, and the animals don't seem to be involved too much in this stuff for some reason as well). I also (and this is the real winner right here) suffer from, more or less, permanent bouts of hypnagogic hallucinations (typically they happen just as you are about to fall asleep or as you are waking up--with me, they can occur as soon as I'm getting tired). I also have severe Sleep Apnea, just to make all of this more "grandiose"...

Sleep Paralysis is something that was reported constantly even in the Middle Ages; a great painting named "The Nightmare" depicts someone that is actually going through one of these events. This is the actual foundation for succubi, demons, and even angels that visit people in their sleep--these people will feel unbelievable things, things you simply do NOT feel in normal day life...thus many believe a supernatural event has just occurred. The first one I had was when I was just waking up, for some reason I was petrified, couldn't move (and barely breath). Then I looked around my room. It was early morning so I could see in my room, in the corner of my room sat a dark humanoid "solid" shadow. From it emanated a feeling of pure, utter evil (which is were you get a supernatural feeling to this; because for one you do not see "humanoid shadows", nor is it possible to "feel" evil). Eventually I snapped myself out of it and later woke up. It left a stark impression upon me. Later my mind figured out somehow that if I relaxed in these moments, it ended immediately--meaning that I started o become somewhat lucid during the majority of these. I remember my friends and family always saying I was weird or that I scared them sometimes, because I would sleep with my eyes opened--well, this is part of that problem (like I said, I could see my room...everything seemed for the most part, real; it's like being awake and partially asleep--in a dream--at the same time).

Onto my real problem: Hypnagogic Hallucinations. I have no doubt whatsoever that EVERYONE that believes or rather has experienced ghosts/haunting(s), alien abductions, angels, demons, people yelling outside, dogs barking, your phone ringing when it hasn't, and "you name it, because EVERYTHING can happen in this category"... I suffer from this so much that the things I experience now are just a joke to me. Things grabbing me, my body changing shape (and YES you do "feel" the change), all manner of sounds (which is the most annoying; sometimes it sounds like someone has called my name...so I have to go check, it's very frustrating). Then combine this WITH a Sleep Paralysis event (and trust me, it does happen, but it it rare), you get an epic "light show".

So, this is why I asked you what type of supernatural event did you experience. Because, you may want to remember (this is JUST some things Narcolepsy can cause; other medical issues, medications, etc... can cause the same issues if not worse, more pronounced in certain ways and even causing certain changes in behavior, sensations, and feelings) that just with Narcolepsy I run into these issues--sleeping disorders are possibly responsible for a LARGE assortment of the "supernatural" issues you see out there. Then add in the countless number of other things that also affect our bodies and it isn't far fetched to soon realize that you just may have to hold onto what science has proven--only--or you may get lost.

I cannot say that this is you. I will not either. I don't pretend to know your experiences. But, I can share mine... The first Sleep Paralysis and or Hypnagogic Hallucination (as I have been able to move in a few Sleep Paralysis events...but very rarely; if I can though I move slowly) event I had, believe it or not, was when I was around 8 or 9. I imagined that I woke up in the night, turned and looked under my bed (it was a sleepover, so I was on the floor that night) and I saw a pair of red glowing lights, shaped vaguely like eyes looking at me. I kept looking at it, trying to figure out what it was, but very quickly it "blinked" and I knew it was alive. I was scared enough that I simply turned my back from it and tried to go back to sleep. The fact that I simply just turned my back to it and went back to sleep...is proof that it simply wasn't even real.

Had that BEEN real, I would've jumped up, flipped the light on; told everyone in the room and gotten my parents in the next room... But, it felt extremely real. Even to this day, the only thing that makes me realize it was fake was HOW I handled the situation...that is it. In fact that is usually the best way to tell reality apart from a dream (or hallucinations caused by enhanced REM cycles--REM cycles that start even while you are awake). You simply do not act like yourself in a dream, period.

I'll agree with you otherwise. I was definitely smothered by religion and it "stunted" me. It didn't cause me to hate it as much as many might think, but I became extremely wary of anything to do with it.

*promote

Great talk. Covers a lot of very important key areas.

It is utterly ridiculous that so many people just do not care about this, and to be honest this is what concerns AND scares me about the future of humanity. To understand and to give a flying f*ck about these topics you must be knowledgeable and fairly smart (and also realize that your government AND others are NOT your friend--if you ever give someone power they MUST be held accountable and have a regulatory process--though these people "can" be your friend, but only when they truly are used by the people and not the government, lackeys, elected officials, and other idiots that make cronyism look like a mild and easily dealt with issue compared to this stuff...). This is an education system and social system problem (at least in the U.S.; we simply just DO NOT care about these topics very much even though we will regret it), and it is hard to fix since in many cases the "fix" must go through the same government that has a stranglehold on their populace and wishes it to remain this way...

People simply do not understand why we talk about this (or they "fall asleep" because it's "too boring", etc...), along with this they also don't care about science and other issues that require your brain to actually do work. So all issues that deal with complex areas of technology and/or science are now up for "dibs" by the highest bidders AND also governments. Both are scary, for many reasons...especially when you have a populace that really and truly does not understand that they are being used in so many different areas of their lives (which is true even now, and it will only become far, far worse).

So, I'm always happy to see these talks, but they will not truly succeed in any of their efforts until they make the "masses" aware of the issues and concerned of the issues.

I also appreciated his quote about the economic viability of slavery, used as a metaphor for the the moral use of torture and whether torture should ever be used to get, anything--I fully agree with this sentiment. Both, are always wrong.

Good talk. Though it is sad there are so very little ways to respond to the threats that some of these issues can represent, that they showed and talked about.