>> ^ReverendTed:

So I'm guessing there's a brace on his right leg affixed to the plate below. As long as his CoG doesn't cross the edge of the plate, he's golden. (Pun intended.)
If this functions like I think it does, it's still impressive for the amount of leg strength necessary to hold the position. If the brace extends up behind his thigh and has a lock on the hinge, then it might be more akin to sitting.
He is simply sitting.

So I'm guessing there's a brace on his right leg affixed to the plate below. As long as his CoG doesn't cross the edge of the plate, he's golden. (Pun intended.)

If this functions like I think it does, it's still impressive for the amount of leg strength necessary to hold the position. If the brace extends up behind his thigh and has a lock on the hinge, then it might be more akin to sitting.

I think if you're that averse to wearing a helmet, you deserve to pay $600 for a sweaty neck brace that might prevent brain damage if you come off.

I'll stick to my $30 helmet, thanks.

This coming from Swedish girls isn't by accident, Sweden is soaked in radical feminism, have a look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yta55u2zP2U
There's a big difference between anonymously talking shit on the internet and talking shit in a wining short sponsored by General Electric. Now, was it so important that they'll bring up misogyny, where they so oppressed by hoards of men that they needed to put it in a short about a bicycle helm? Allow me to doubt that.
Also, that invention looks like might be able to break your collar bone or squash few vertebrae if not just snap your neck.

>> ^Yogi:

>> ^Confucius:
skip to 2:35 to see the actual product and avoid listening to them tell you how spectacular they are especially because they are women and all men think that women are incapable of even the most basic technical abilities.....
Also....trading a bike helmet for a sweaty neck brace.....maybe not so awesome. I would have to argue that a dorky and guaranteed bike helmet > a dorky, expensive, probably heavy, not 100% guaranteed function & definitely sweaty neck brace.
Practicality for anywhere that gets above 70 degrees F = 0.
Still....its undeniably neat.

I think they're entitled...all I hear about is how shit women are from men on the internet. Just because it doesn't describe you doesn't mean their own personal experiences with men doubting them aren't valid.

>> ^Confucius:

skip to 2:35 to see the actual product and avoid listening to them tell you how spectacular they are especially because they are women and all men think that women are incapable of even the most basic technical abilities.....
Also....trading a bike helmet for a sweaty neck brace.....maybe not so awesome. I would have to argue that a dorky and guaranteed bike helmet > a dorky, expensive, probably heavy, not 100% guaranteed function & definitely sweaty neck brace.
Practicality for anywhere that gets above 70 degrees F = 0.
Still....its undeniably neat.


I think they're entitled...all I hear about is how shit women are from men on the internet. Just because it doesn't describe you doesn't mean their own personal experiences with men doubting them aren't valid.

skip to 2:35 to see the actual product and avoid listening to them tell you how spectacular they are especially because they are women and all men think that women are incapable of even the most basic technical abilities.....

Also....trading a bike helmet for a sweaty neck brace.....maybe not so awesome. I would have to argue that a dorky and guaranteed bike helmet > a dorky, expensive, probably heavy, not 100% guaranteed function & definitely sweaty neck brace.

Practicality for anywhere that gets above 70 degrees F = 0.

Still....its undeniably neat.

>> ^misterwight:

Lisa needs braces!


DENTAL PLAN!

Lisa needs braces!

@1:35 I was thinking "Brace for impact..."

http://lyrics.wikia.com/Dan_Mangan:Basket

We are young
We have years ahead maybe
We might fall in love
Fall apart
Fall apart
Before it ends
Well we should try to start

So I'll go but I'm telling you I don't wanna go
Could be stuck here and happy

So there's a puzzle I work on endlessly
And I've got the sides and all the corners
But there's a space
Yeah there's a space
Lost some pieces I can't replace

So I'll be but I'm telling you I don't wanna be
Just a wasted puzzle piece

We are old
And our son took the dog away
And fair enough, guess we're tired all the time
All the time
And you know dogs they need ample time outside

So I'll stay but I'm telling you I don't, I don't wanna stay
So I'll brace myself against the wall and hope to God that I don't fall
My bones are worn, my hip won't hold
I used to be so young, how did I get so old?
Won't you take my cane and hold my hand
You're holding onto all I have
Just a basket full of memories
And I am losing more each day it seems
But if I can make it to the street
I'll steal a car or a bike whatever there is to steal
And it might get cold I just don't care
I'm going 'til I'm getting there
I'll ride my steed all through this town
'Til I have looked and I have found
Your peaceful memory
Won't you return to me?
Won't you return to me?

Had some nerve damage in the left side of my lower jaw and lower lip when I had my teeth out. They warn you it's a possibility. I could move them, but they felt numb and the feeling slowly came back over the next week. Made it really bad about eating, like being novacained up for a long time.

It unfortunately didn't help with the pain, that was full intensity and there's nothing quite like a mouth injury...you just can't help but aggravate it.

Went on to have bell's palsy in that side of my face, always wondered if they were related.

Then over the years my teeth shifted around, caused my jaw to not align properly when I would bite down and now I have to wear a mouth guard because my front teeth strike when I bite down...so I don't slowly chip away my teeth by striking them at night when I sleep. Hit them enough during the day if Im not paying attention. When money allows going to have to get some adult braces to shift everything around and pull my jaw into better alignment.

Not a huge advocate of getting the wisdom teeth out, but I was basically told that if they come in bad they would ruin the teeth next to them if I didn't get them out.

"Dental Plan!!.... Lisa needs braces......Dental Plan!!.....Lisa needs braces...."

http://lyrics.wikia.com/Sage_Francis:The_Best_Of_Times

It's been a long and lonely trip but I'm glad that I took it because it was well worth it.
I got to read a couple books and do some research before I reached my verdict.
Never thought that I was perfect. Always thought that I had a purpose.
Used to wonder if I'd live to see my first kiss.

The most difficult thing I ever did was recite my own words at a service
Realizing the person I was addressing probably wasn't looking down from heaven.
Or cooking up something in hell's kitchen, trying to listen in or eaves drop from some another dimension.
It was self serving just like this is.

Conveniently religious on Easter Sunday and on Christmas.
The television went from being a babysitter to a mistress.
Technology made it easy for us to stay in touch while keeping a distance,
'til we just stayed distant and never touched. Now all we do is text too much.

I don't remember much from my youth. Maybe my memory is repressed.
Or I just spent too much time wondering if I'd live to have sex.
Fell in love for the first time in 4th grade but I didn't have the courage to talk to her.
In 8th grade I wrote her the note but I slipped it in someone else's locker.

Considered killing myself 'cause of that.
It was a big deal. It was a blown cover.
It was over for me. My goose was cooked.
Stick a fork in me. The jig is up.
I blew my chances, the rest is history, our future was torn asunder.
It became abundantly clear that I was only brought here to suffer.

At least I didn't include my name.
Thankfully I wrote the whole note in code
And it had 10 layers of scotch tape safety seal making it impossible to open.
Plus, it was set to self destruct.
Whoever read it probably died…laughing.
I wonder if they lived long enough to realize what happened.

A year later, I came to understand that wasn't love that I was feeling for her.
I had someone else to obsess over.
I was older. I was very mature.
I forged my time signature while practicing my parents autograph 'cause I was failing math.
Disconnected the phone when I thought the teacher would call my home.

I checked the mailbox twice a day at the end of a long dirt road.
Steamed open a couple envelopes like I was in private detective mode.
If you snoop around long enough for something in particular you're guaranteed to find it.
For better or worse that's how I learned that it's best to just keep some things private.

It was the best of times. It was the end of times.

It was the best of times. It was the end of times.
I was always on deck, I was next in line.
An only child with a pen and pad writing a list of things that I could never have.
The walls in my house were paper thin.
Every squabble seemed to get deafening.
If my memory serves me correctly I made it a point to void and forget some things.
Probably to keep from being embarrassed.
Never meant to upset or give grief to my parents.
Kept my secrets…hid my talents…
In my head, never under the mattress.

Therapy couldn't break me.
Never learned a word that would insure safety.
So I spoke softly and I tip toed often.
The door to my room was like a big old coffin.
The way that it creeked when I closed it shut.
Anxieties peaked when it opened up.
As if everything that I was thinking would be exposed.
I still sleep fully clothed.

It was the best of times.

It was beautiful.
It was brutal.
It was cruel.
It was business as usual.

Heaven. It was hell.
Used to wonder if I'd live to see 12.

When I did I figured that I was immortal.
Loved to dance but couldn't make it to the formal.
Couldn't bear watching my imaginary girlfriend
Bust a move with any other dudes.

Tone Loc was talking bout a "Wild Thang"
But I was still caught up in some child thangs.
Scared of a God who couldn't spare the rod.
It was clearly a brimstone and fire thang.

Pyromaniac. Kleptomaniac.
Couldn't explain my desire to steal that fire.
Now I add it to my rider.
Like "Please oh please don't throw me in that patch of brier!"

It was the best of times. It was the end of times.

The school counselor was clueless 'cause I never skipped classes.
Perfect attendance. Imperfect accent.
Speech impediment they could never really fix
And I faked bad eyesight so I could wear glasses.

Considered doing something that would cripple me.
I wanted a wheelchair. I wanted the sympathy.
I wanted straight teeth so then came braces.
4 years of head gear helped me change faces.

It was the best of times. It was the end of times.

Now I wonder if I'll live to see marriage.
Wonder if I'll live long enough to have kids.
Wonder if I'll live to see my kids have kids.
If I do I'm gonna tell 'em how it is.

"Don't listen when they tell you that these are your best years.
Don't let anybody protect your ears.
It's best that you hear what they don't want you to hear.
It's better to have pressure from peers than not have peers.
Beer won't give you chest hair. Spicy food won't make it curl.
When you think you've got it all figured out and then everything collapses…
Trust me, kid…it's not the end of the world."

I find it hysterical that they use a thumb-double for Fox.

Megan, you have weird thumbs. Get over it.
Be proud of who you are.

Wow, I am a bit taken aback by your soft and somewhat flattering response. When I first saw the email that said you had quoted me I braced myself for the typical QM "both barrels" response. Thank you for surprising me.

As far as what social economic system is better than another I would suggest that pure capitalism would likely also fail. History has shown us that when too few have too much and too many have too little the many take drastic steps to redistribute the wealth themselves. Look at the history of Europe.

The human element adds uncertainty and chaos to any system and subsequently all systems are inherently flawed. That is why there are regulating bodies that are meant to enforce the will of the people. When the regulations or those who enforce them are negatively interfered with, society either in part or as a whole, must fail.

I pay about 32% income tax and from what I can figure that number rises to more than 50% when you factor in property tax, sales tax, fuel tax, etc. Despite this burden I do very well so if a portion of these taxes are going to help some person from a poor household to get a better education or it provides care for an elderly person who has no means to support themselves, or even if it goes to the rehabilitation of a young prostitute with a meth addiction I am okay with that. Better roads, better schools, better hospitals, law enforcement, fire protection, it is in support of these socialistically supported things and more that I accept the reduction of half of my earned income.

There will always be people who get what they don't deserve but for the sake of those that do deserve our help I think that we must accept that.
<Insert the clichéd “bad apples” quote here.>

If my contribution can give one person the chance to change their future like I did it is worth it to me.

>> ^quantumushroom:

First of all you are suggesting that Bill Gates is so rich that he has no idea what he pays in taxes... that when he says that wealthy people should be taxed more he is doing that from a position of ignorance. Astonishing.
Rich people can be quite ignorant. Oprah is, and Obama, also rich, doesn't seem to know anything about economics.

As for your quote...
The fundamental issue with your viewpoint is that you see capitalism and socialism as complete and polar oposites that could never meet in the middle. In your ideal world only those who could afford it would be fed, protected, healed, and educated. To hell with those in need.
That's not my viewpoint, however I am extremely skeptical of the so-called "Third Way". Socialism always fails, and capitalism fails when oversaturated with socialism. Look at Europe.
Somehow this is a better existance than a society that defends and cares for it's weakest members? One that provides an equal oportunity of prosperity for all?
I am both lucky and proud to have been born Canadian. When I first started out I had nothing. Due to a very unsatisfactory home life I left home when I was 17 and dropped out of school. During my early years I had the need to make use of unemployment insurance, welfare, and food banks. I worked a blue collar job while raising my kids and as my income was so low I had my government health premiums subsidized to almost nothing. Eventually I got government student loans and went to school at night to try and change carears to improve my situation. I received grants, deducted what little interest there was on the loans from my income tax and in the end most of the debt was forgiven.
Why am I telling you this? Because today I am a professional making 6 figures a year, I have raised a family of 4 children, and I am closing in on a zero mortgage balance. None of which would have been possible in the world that you wish for.
I salute your inspiring life story. The system worked for you, but you still did most of the work. The suggestion that you never would've made it without all the aid I do not believe. What about your neighbor who is perfectly happy living off of unemployment insurance, welfare, food banks, etc. forever? Are you willing to support those who won't--not can't--work as hard as you? Why should you have to raise his children with your taxes along with your own?
I'm not advocating Lord of the Flies, I'm saying the left needs to get its head out of the clouds. There are no solutions in life, only trade-offs.
>> ^Deadrisenmortal:
First of all you are suggesting that Bill Gates is so rich that he has no idea what he pays in taxes... that when he says that wealthy people should be taxed more he is doing that from a position of ignorance. Astonishing.
As for your quote...
The fundamental issue with your viewpoint is that you see capitalism and socialism as complete and polar oposites that could never meet in the middle. In your ideal world only those who could afford it would be fed, protected, healed, and educated. To hell with those in need.
Somehow this is a better existance than a society that defends and cares for it's weakest members? One that provides an equal oportunity of prosperity for all?
I am both lucky and proud to have been born Canadian. When I first started out I had nothing. Due to a very unsatisfactory home life I left home when I was 17 and dropped out of school. During my early years I had the need to make use of unemployment insurance, welfare, and food banks. I worked a blue collar job while raising my kids and as my income was so low I had my government health premiums subsidized to almost nothing. Eventually I got government student loans and went to school at night to try and change carears to improve my situation. I received grants, deducted what little interest there was on the loans from my income tax and in the end most of the debt was forgiven.
Why am I telling you this? Because today I am a professional making 6 figures a year, I have raised a family of 4 children, and I am closing in on a zero mortgage balance. None of which would have been possible in the world that you wish for.

>>