>> ^NinjaInHeat:
First of all, you misunderstood me completely, I was talking about spiritual belief, there's a difference between believing the sun will come up and believing in god and even there I have a problem with the verb "believe". I don't believe the sun will come up, I know it has come up every day since the day I was born so I assume (with quite a bit of certainty) that it will come up again tomorrow.
I understood from your words that you believe in god, you talk about meaning with such certainty and then you talk about humility? To me, true humility is accepting you can't truly believe in things of the spiritual nature, they are metaphysical, you have no means of judging their meaning/existence or lack there of. You could look at the different explanations science/religion/your own personal interpretation can offer and say which you feel the most at peace with.
You talk about the "trap" of nihilism, again, ironic. As far as I'm concerned religious belief is the trap, it is in of it self arrogance, it is saying "I believe in something because I do, because I have faith". I don't "believe" in science, I accept that it is our most efficient tool at understanding the world, it isn't an answer, it is a means. I don't understand how any humble human being deems it justifiable to just pick from a plethora of so called "answers" or "truths" and say "this one, this is true, this explains everything, there is meaning". Again, if I misunderstood, I apologize, but if you are religious then why would you talk about something like the sun rising and falling? It is a physical phenomenon that we can observe and make (somewhat) objective assumptions about. You must realize that in religion logic is never on your side, it is the belief in spite of logic, the insistence on the least likely, arrogance.


I can tell you're itching to attack my views here, but since you're not sure, you can't unload the big guns. I'll make it easier for you. Yes, I believe in God. No, it isn't because I was raised with religion (i wasn't), nor was I indoctrinated. I was agnostic until a few years ago. I believe in God because of personal revelation.

Now you say God isn't likely. How would you know? If you want to look at it that way, everything is equally unlikely. Why should anything exist at all? I think you're having the problem that most atheists have, seperating the question from religious ideas about it. The question, "Was the Universe created?" is a perfectly reasonable one. I don't see why it seems so out there to some people to believe that the Universe could have been created. To say it all exploded out of nothing randomly I think is a much more bizzare (and ridiculous) thought.

The spiritual is not something you believe in, it's something you experience. It's not a matter of conceptualizing it, it's a matter of what is happening in actuality, real time, in the here and now. Before my beliefs changed, I had no clue what any of it was all about. I presumed people were imagining it. Not so. There are interconnections between us which transcend physiciality. There are parallel realities in which people can and do travel, in their dreams or wide awake. Until you experience it personally, you absolutely won't know anything about it what-so-ever. It's like trying to watch a football game from outside the stadium based on the noise the crowd is making.

I don't believe the things I do, or have the faith I have, because of some selfish need or weakness or fear. I believe as I do because of my personal experience. I wouldn't believe it, otherwise. It isn't arrogant of me to believe in something in which I have sufficient evidence personally. To me, truth is something tangible; it is not a vague conception. It is the framework of who and what I am. Regardless of whether it seems real to someone else, it is real to me, and the impact I have on the world is a direct result of that truth. So, either way you look at it, it's a real thing. This is what I meant about all the meaning out there. 7 billion human beings living out their truth. It is tangible to all of us.

As do we all.

I didn't get any feeling that she wanted to smack him with the gavel. It sure looked like he was literally itching to get it. Watch his hands -- they look as if they have a life of their own, twitching almost.

Although I do suspect she wasn't thrilled about the cheek kisses. She tried twice to shake his hand. He kissed her both times.


>> ^bobknight33:

Hope he puts it to good use.
You know she wants to smack him with that gavel.

A few years ago, when I was working in Northern Ontario, planting trees, we came to work on a clear-cut that had been left for several years without being re-planted. (In Canada, it is required by law that companies plant two saplings for every tree harvested.)

This clear-cut had been sprayed with a herbicide (which I am confident was Round-Up) that killed all broadleaf plants in the area to make it easier for re-planting, and give the conifers and advantage amongst the broad-leaf "weeds." Small stands of full grown oak and maple trees among the harvested stumps stood without a single green leaf. It was beautiful--like the middle of winter in June. But what I remember is the burning itch that started shortly we began work that day.

I caught the fever, itched for days.

I don't think I'd ever be able to watch that in person without putting my finger on it. For some reason it was just making my finger itch to stop it

>> ^blankfist:

"That's why I wanna" - Every central planning statist's sentence begins that way.

Actually, it's a common way to segue from description of a problem to a proposed solution.

My tummy is grumbling, that's why I wanna go get lunch.

My balls itch, that's why I want you to wiggle your chin.

>> ^blankfist:

As a point of information, I voted for Kerry in 2004 because I was terrified of what four more years of Bush would mean for us. I was told "if you don't vote for Kerry, you'll be throwing your vote away." The truth is, Bush won again, and sure those four years weren't ice cream and puppies, but we lived through it.

So why not stay home, if voting never matters? I'd prefer if you, and everyone who believed as you do followed that advice.

>> ^blankfist:
The point is, at some point or another we have to stop with this chicken little 'sky is falling' attitude and vote our conscience.

Well, here's the thing. Consider a game of football. Every time you take possession of the football, you want to get it into the end zone. Does that mean you should always "vote your principles", and throw passes to the end zone, no matter what? Or do you look at where you are on the field, think about the kind of defense the other team has, and come up with a play that you think will get the ball as far down field as you can?

Most people who play football, and most people who vote, think backing the play that will bring them the best result is the play to back.

I vote based on what I think will help bring about something closer to what I want than where we are. I would love to change things so all I had to do was show up each year and say "I want us to be there", and then let the process calculate the vector sum of our preferences in some more accurate manner, and give us a congress that can implement policies that line up with the result of that vector sum.

Instead it's a series of zero-sum competitions, and that's what's causing a lot of the problem.

Wait, this can't be right...this fellow is talking about WMDs which, according to our friends on the left, never, ever existed (saddam gassed the Kurds with itching powder from Greg Brady's stash).

Nothing to see here, folks, this is business-as-usual. Celebrate diversity! Let these upright citizens of the world build a conquering mosque community center near Ground Zero.

We should all instead be outraged by a tiny church threatening to burn the quran, which is these vermins' Chicken Soup for the Terrorist's Soul.

^That's what I was thinking. It isn't smart to mess with people in a country that allows you to carry around assault rifles, submachine guns and enough ammo to take out a small army legally, as you can always carry guns illegally. Especially at night when you might mess with the wrong/right kind of person (depends on your view on the subject matter).

This guy stepped out with a bat but he could have stepped out with a Mac-10 or a CAWS and simply sprayed a mag or 5 down the street. Be nice to people, you do not know who anyone is or what they are capable of. Might be the nicest person in the world or a complete psycho who is itching to get to kill someone. Why risk it?

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_tattoo

Arguments against UV tattoos

UV tattoo ink is not commonly known or used, as very few varieties of UV inks are approved for use in the US. It is also many times more expensive than regular tattoo inks. Some people have had reactions to ingredients in the ink, ranging from minor itching to dermatitis. Several UV inks are suspected carcinogens and allergens and at this time, no research has been conducted into the side effects of long term exposure. Although many people who have received black light tattoos have had physical effects on the skin, any ink could cause a reaction. This can be a result of not protecting the tattoo from UV rays within 3 months of receiving the tattoo process or by using scented cremes or lotions on the tattoo area. This can damage the ink, causing it to become a normal ink color in all light. In time, it may also not glow in black lighting. Clear/blue UV inks are known to yellow or turn slightly brown with sun exposure. Color/black UV inks are known to become colored in all lighting. Therefore, it might permanently appear as a regular tattoo.

Arguments for UV tattoos

Over recent years, as the formulas for UV inks have been improved upon, it has become more common to hear reports of success with little or no reaction.
Tattoos can be mostly invisible, suitable for those who may be restricted in their choice of tattoo placement (because of their profession, for example) who can then choose to show off the tattoo under UV or Black light lighting.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Makes me itch to watch some Trek TOS.

Rubber bullet guns, or smoke canister guns can be lethal. If aimed in a specific place, like the face or throat.

I have no sympathy, no fucking sympathy, for officers who violate the rights of people. I hope they get a bad case of jock itch and it falls off.

but it's a good itch

It itches... slowly.
>> ^ant:

>> ^SlipperyPete:
don't give them to gwhiz. he'll give you the clap.

Golf clap?

>> ^blankfist:

Well, Republicans are going to yell "the sky is falling!" because for them whatever the Dems believe they must believe the opposite. The same goes for Dems.

Ahh, if only we could all be principled libertarians, and scream "the sky is falling" all the time.

For example:

>> ^blankfist:
I'm worried about bailing Europe out, because that will create more inflation here in the US. Prices are already going up, and if we start trying to carry the weight of the world we'll end up devaluing the dollar more through hyperinflation. That's a realistic fear.

No, prices aren't going up, and no, hyperinflation isn't a realistic fear.

I'm leaning kinda heavily on Krugman because he's written some killer stuff on this in the last week or two, and I've been itching to link it in your general direction.

I wonder if Spartans get a bad case of the chafe, or jock-itch; being inside those suits all the time.