Nononsense thread..Non political...Non religious one!!!

[Indiana]

Listen up...YOU may post on Level 2 & 1 no problem
If you post on level 3...Please refrain from Bi-polar, ying yang,
responses...As Phnx said "Get with the program"...Stop blocking and obscureing info on this thread by non understanding of your real situation...Any post designed to propergate "military space " ie; conflict...Is not valid it need not be replied to...Play by Allens rules...




Now before I post more info...What have you to say to this censorship?...Indy

[Lawrh]

There is no censorship, merely rules. If someone feels said rules are too onerous, then that person is free to seek out and speak out at any of many other outlets.

[Patrician]

HI Indy. I don't say this sarcastically:

There is a forum called scam.com - they allow just about anything but spam. They actually have a 'Conspiracy' sub-forum and lots of other political and religious sub-forums where you are free to say whatever you want.

[Steven Wagenheim]

I'm in...what's the topic?

[Fernando Veloso]

What's the deal again? I swear I am confused!!

[Michael Oksa]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Listen up...YOU may post on Level 2 & 1 no problem
If you post on level 3...Please refrain from Bi-polar, ying yang,
responses...As Phnx said "Get with the program"...Stop blocking and obscureing info on this thread by non understanding of your real situation...Any post designed to propergate "military space " ie; conflict...Is not valid it need not be replied to...Play by Allens rules...




Now before I post more info...What have you to say to this censorship?...Indy

Easy. If anyone has a problem with Allen's "censorship" they should stop whining about it and try to rile up people somewhere else.

~M~

[myob]

So let's begin ...

[Patrician]

One more comment - TO BE HONEST.

I don't think 'Ancient Prophecies' are okay - you know why? Because this rule would mean ancient prophecies ONLY if it is other than the Bible are allowed - We can talk religion as long as it is not Hebrew/Christian.

WTF?

Whenever I tried to interject something, NOT TO PROSTELETIZE, but EVEN TO OFFER AFFIRMATION, 'Yes, it also says something like that in the Bible', I was insulted about my so-called 'creed' and chastised for mentioning it.

If there are rules, they need to be applied equally to everyone.

Something else I have learned about the enemy - whenever we make a statement, we are vulnerable to criticism by those who do not believe what we believe EVEN TO BE POSSIBLE. It's just how it is. So if you are going to talk controversy, well it is going to create controversy.

"I'm right from my side and you are right from yours".

So, no religion, no politics - and let's face it conspiracies about the government are political even if they don't insult left or right. It is very difficult not to mention names of politicians and thereby you cross the line.

So anyway other than maybe astronomy, music and cooking I don't know what we could discuss that wouldn't create a conflict. Whaddya got?

(p.s. i had nothing to do with the other thread getting shut down - don't even know what happened to this day that caused it)

[Dave Patterson]

"(p.s. i had nothing to do with the other thread getting shut down - don't even know what happened to this day that caused it)

A few of the neighborhood dogs started barking so of course someone had to check and see what the commotion was about...

[Michael Oksa]

Not sure which thread is being refered to, but if someone is breaking the rules, I will continue to report them.

If someone is spamming - they get reported.
If someone is self-promoting - they get reported.
If someone is discussing religion - they get reported.
If someone is being hateful - they get reported.
If someone is discussing politics - they get reported.
If someone is breaking Rule #1 - they get reported.
If someone is breaking the rules, regardless of what that rule is, then, I, as a moderator, have the duty to report them.

Here's a hint - it's Allen's forum.

Also, I'm not 100% what the OP is actually talking about. Level 1, 2, and 3? Huh? But, if it's a jab at the rules, and not liking them, then tough.

I have no problem reporting threads when needed, and that will continue to be the case.

The rule states:

Take your hatred for the US, UK, Australia, China, Christmas...etc somewhere else. Not here.

To me, the elipses includes words like "government, politics, and others".

There is a world of infinite variety out there, with plenty to discuss, why is that so impossible for some people here to comprehend?

~M~

[Killer Joe]

E=MC²

Your turn

KJ

[Michael Oksa]

I got 24 stitches on Wednesday.

They were the first stitches I ever had. It's such an odd sensation.

~M~

[Patrician]

eeewww - for what, Michael? You just had other medical problems recently also, right? Or the same issue?

I like the 'self-dissolving' stitches because taking them out is the worst part to me. Last time I had anything it was 'staples' - they do pop out a little easier.

eeeeewww.

[Michael Oksa]

Yeah, ewww is right!

It even required general anesthetic. I had 5 lipomas removed. 2 were about the size of a ping pong ball. They were non-cancerous.

1 large one right over my Adam's apple, and another large one on my left hip. 3 smaller ones on my left forearm.

I look and feel like Frankenstein's monster.

~M~

[seasoned]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Yeah, ewww is right!

It even required general anesthetic. I had 5 lipomas removed. 2 were about the size of a ping pong ball. They were non-cancerous.

1 large one right over my Adam's apple, and another large one on my left hip. 3 smaller ones on my left forearm.

I look and feel like Frankenstein's monster.

~M~

Hey, I look a little like hank hills boss. You can BARELY see it on me, but I DO have the heart operation scars.

[Patrician]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Yeah, ewww is right!

It even required general anesthetic. I had 5 lipomas removed. 2 were about the size of a ping pong ball. They were non-cancerous.

1 large one right over my Adam's apple, and another large one on my left hip. 3 smaller ones on my left forearm.

I look and feel like Frankenstein's monster.

~M~

Owie - good luck sleeping - at least you have a right side.

i had one of those ping pong deals on my shoulder- and my worst scar to remove it. it was pretty funny how i watched that thing turn into something that big before i realized, hey one shoulder is way higher. it was a bad place for stitches because it was right on the joint thingy that moves when you use your arm.

Goes without saying the blessing is it wasn't cancer, Yo.

it only hurts when i breathe...

[Lawrh]

Originally Posted by Patrician

i had one of those ping pong deals on my shoulder- and my worst scar to remove it. it was pretty funny how i watched that thing turn into something that big before i realized, hey one shoulder is way higher.

I urge you to rent "Army of Darkness". This shoulder issue is well addressed.

Lawrence

[Patrician]

Give me a clue, why? what? how?

[Lawrh]

Originally Posted by Patrician

Give me a clue, why? what? how?

A clue? Bruce Campbell struggles with himself. It is a unique and very entertaining struggle and I won't spoil it.

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by Lawrh

I urge you to rent "Army of Darkness". This shoulder issue is well addressed.

Lawrence

Good movie, in fact I liked all of Campbells movies that I've seen.
What is the name of that one with the alien insects taking over earth?

[myob]

Originally Posted by ThomM

Good movie, in fact I liked all of Campbells movies that I've seen.
What is the name of that one with the alien insects taking over earth?

That was Alien Apocalypse, certainly not one of his better movies.

[HeySal]

Okay - my problem with the "rules", which is just another way of emphasizing censorship, is that at this point in time it's getting hard to talk about anything even slightly relevant without it starting to pretain to government or religion and sometimes we need to talk about something that's not as mundane as Grannies recipe for apple dumplings.

We want to talk about it here because this is where our comrads are. I don't want to go talk to a group that might be full blown nutters. I want to talk to people I know have level heads at many parts of the life game.

I hate talking around the run and tattle types. I see them people to fear in the real world. They are the neighborhood snoops who take it as their own right to watch their neighbors to make sure that everyone is living according to their OWN rules. I've lived by a few. Out here we have people that get up in arms if you don't pick your kid up from school instead of letting them walk. It's 3 blocks to school in a small, safe town - yet there is a woman down the street who screams her face off if my roomie lets her 7 year old walk the three blocks without mommy in tow - or me. I know there are bogey men out there, but really - if I were the kid I'd feel like I was living under martial law. I could understand in a larger more crime ridden area, but for cripes sakes, this isn't it.

The world is getting crazy and it would be nice to be able to come somewhere that I know everyone and discuss the craziness. Yes it's Allen's forum.........but did anyone miss the part that he broke his OWN rule recently? Why? Because sometimes, whether others want to face what's coming down the pike or not, it's safer to be able to speak out about it than to be forced to hold your tongue. IF you don't know that yet, you soon will find it out.

Anyhow - so how about lets start with info about impending cosmic events that could do some trauma to Earth life forms.........not from prophecy, although I myself, don't even start to see how anyone can ligitamately be upset about someone stating a prophecy and then show what REAL scientific organizations have said that aligns with it. There is a point at which objections are the result of just idiocy and control issues rather than from rational thinking or from divergence from prevailing policy for cripes sake.

Anyhow - I've been foaming at the mouth studying world situation and what the scientists are saying. I can only talk about bits and pieces of it in here or certain members will go completely bouncing off the wall bonkers over what I have found. And at this point in time, I'm wondering if science is allowed since we have member who hold that their religious documents take precedence to science and those involved with science are agents of the dark forces. So we might have a long way to go to be able to even discuss science in any depth without violatation of the rules.

So. How's the weather in your area today?

[myob]

Originally Posted by Killer Joe

E=MC²

Your turn.

KJ

This here is the probability of finding extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy:

N = R^{\ast} \times f_p \times n_e \times f_{\ell} \times f_i \times f_c \times L \!

Known as the Drake equation, where:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy in which communication might be possible;

and

R is the average rate of star formation per year in our galaxy
fp is the fraction of those stars that have planets
ne is the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
fℓ is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point
fi is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life
fc is the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L is the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.


R factor

One can question why the number of civilizations should be proportional to the star formation rate, though this makes technical sense. (The product of all the terms except L tells how many new communicating civilizations are born each year. Then you multiply by the lifetime to get the expected number. For example, if an average of 0.01 new civilizations are born each year, and they each last 500 years on the average, then on the average 5 will exist at any time.)

Additional factors that have been described for the Drake equation include:

nr or reappearance number: The average number of times a new civilization reappears on the same planet where a previous civilization once has appeared and ended, such as happened on earth.

fm or METI factor: The fraction of communicative civilizations that actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission

With these factors in mind, the Drake equation states:

N = R^{\ast} \times f_p \times n_e \times f_{\ell} \times f_i \times f_c \times (1+n_r) \times f_m \times L \!

Reappearance number

The equation may furthermore be multiplied by how many times an intelligent civilization may occur on planets where it has happened once. Even if an intelligent civilization reaches the end of its lifetime after, for example, 10,000 years, life may still prevail on the planet for billions of years, availing for the next civilization to evolve. Thus, several civilizations may come and go during the lifespan of one and the same planet. Thus, if nr is the average number of times a new civilization reappears on the same planet where a previous civilization once has appeared and ended, then the total number of civilizations on such a planet would be (1+nr), which is the actual reappearance factor added to the equation.

The factor depends on what generally is the cause of civilization extinction. If it is generally by temporary inhabitability, for example a nuclear winter, or comet then nr may be relatively high. On the other hand, if it is generally by permanent inhabitability, such as stellar evolution, then nr may be almost zero.

In the case of total life extinction, a similar factor may be applicable for fℓ, that is, how many times life may appear on a planet where it has appeared once.

What this means is that we may be in serious danger of earth being overrun by alien life forms such as invading galactic insects. By now the prophectic 2012 doomsday is looking trivial compared to the very real threat of an Alien Apocalypse.

[HeySal]

Paul - so has Drake any modified formulas for planets that may be inhabited by immigration of life from another planet? Such as - we take x amount of the forms to another planet to colonize it.

How bout the likelihood in each galaxy that the life forms on different planets will resemble other planet life forms? I mean, they now have evidence that there is a string of planets that account for a "tail" sort of formation of stars on the arm of the Milky Way we are in. It is suggested that we might originally be from this colliding galaxy rather than naturals of the Milky Way (I seem to remember it was the Sagittarius galaxy which collided with this arm of the Milky Way.........
At any rate, wouldn't the odds that we would be slightly more different from galaxy to galaxy than from within galaxies also be pretty high? Each Galaxy would have differing forms and amounts of cosmic energy distributed and it would seem that would alter the forms of life that develop. We might be having a hard time on our planet because we were meant to survive in a different cosmic order.

Whaccha think?

[Steven Wagenheim]

Sal, did I ever tell you that you write damn well?

For what it's worth, I love talking about politics and things that most people
would have fits over, including the occult and other dark forces.

My reporting of threads here has nothing to do with my personal feelings
but everything to do with the rules. Allen has them for a reason. Have you
seen some of the ugliness that has broken out here when the rules were
lifted for a time? I have no doubt that several members here are no longer
speaking to each other because of it.

Ultimately, it's not my forum and we've been asked directly, by Allen and
other senior members, to report posts that violate the rules. If we don't
do that, we're no better than those who break the rules because in a sense,
we're condoning the behavior.

If it were my forum, I'd let people talk about whatever they want.

Ironically, a few days ago, I started a thread about what your favorite
sexually explicit movie was. You'd think a topic like that would have been
zapped in a second and yet, it's allowed to stay because it's not against
the rules.

Same with gambling, drugs and so many other topics that many people
would find distasteful.

Ultimately, this is Allen's house and we have to play by his rules, and yes,
if he wants to break his own rules, he can.

It is what it is. My goal is to live within the confines of those rules and
keep from getting booted out of here on my ear.

Each person here has to do what they think is right and then, if going
against the established rules, risk suffering the consequences.

It really IS that simple.

[myob]

Originally Posted by HeySal

Paul - so has Drake any modified formulas for planets that may be inhabited by immigration of life from another planet? Such as - we take x amount of the forms to another planet to colonize it.

How bout the likelihood in each galaxy that the life forms on different planets will resemble other planet life forms? I mean, they now have evidence that there is a string of planets that account for a "tail" sort of formation of stars on the arm of the Milky Way we are in. It is suggested that we might originally be from this colliding galaxy rather than naturals of the Milky Way (I seem to remember it was the Sagittarius galaxy which collided with this arm of the Milky Way.........
At any rate, wouldn't the odds that we would be slightly more different from galaxy to galaxy than from within galaxies also be pretty high? Each Galaxy would have differing forms and amounts of cosmic energy distributed and it would seem that would alter the forms of life that develop. We might be having a hard time on our planet because we were meant to survive in a different cosmic order.

Whaccha think?

Sal,
There is some speculation our galaxy may have collided with another major galaxy about 2 billion years ago, but that is only shared by a comparatively small group of astrophysical theorists. Collisions do happen, but more often than not galaxies just pass through each other because they are 99.99% empty space. There is seldom any real contact between bodies, more of a cosmic gravitational dance. The Milky Way Galaxy is on course to "collide" with the dwarf Sagitarius galaxy in a few hundred million years, because it actually is in orbit. It has been orbiting our galaxy for billions of years and has "collided" perhaps as many as ten times already. It always gets ripped each time. Our galaxy will also "collide" with the Andromeda Galaxy in about 3 billion years or so, but they will just gravitationally dance around each other without much physical contact.

As always, your imagination is wildly fertile. You should have been a science fiction writer. There is no scientific evidence that life on earth evolved somewhere else and somehow got transferred here. There is little chance of transfer of life from one galaxy to another even by such a close encounter because nothing we know of can survive intergalactic travel.

But is there life elsewhere, in other galaxies? I believe most certainly yes, and even right here in our own galaxy. The probability of having neighbors and thriving civilizations of extraterestial life throughout the universe is staggeringly high according to Drake's equation and its extrapolation. And it most likely will have evolved on widely divergent pathways much different from our own, as we can deduct from observations of the diversity of life on our planet.

As for my own preference, however, I particulary enjoy living here in the Milky Way Galaxy more so than in any other place, but thanks for asking. Of course, I really haven't been anywhere else. But, that's just me since my parents were born here, and so were their parents, and their parents, and their parents and so on.

[Patrician]

Originally Posted by HeySal

And at this point in time, I'm wondering if science is allowed since we have member who hold that their religious documents take precedence to science and those involved with science are agents of the dark forces. So we might have a long way to go to be able to even discuss science in any depth without violatation of the rules.

I haven't really seen that the conflict is about this at all. What I see is anytime anyone who believes in 'their religious documents' is insulted and shamed from even mentioning it. No problem with that, is there.

We have been shut up completely from ever mentioning anything, from all sides - I accept that. (it's prophesized) - however then I put that together with the fact that OTHER 'religious' documents are just fine, here, it's not fair. That's my only point.

As far as "science are agents of the dark forces" - NO - it's the hatred and persecution that is the dark force. It's the condescending megalomania that is evil. The fear of hearing this particular truth (BECAUSE IT IS A CURSE to them) - That is the 'dark force'.

I believe science is part of the 'intelligent design' and I find it interesting.I have learned a lot here in that regard. I don't see why science should cause a conflict; however there is usually more than one way to look at things - even in science sometimes. So there will be arguments - that's fine.

The point of contention there is directing derogatory remarks to the person who is disagreed with whether they are right or wrong.

I also believe the conspiracies are possibly true/think there may be some truth to it and we need to be aware of it --- (and SOME OF IT DIRECTLY CONFIRMS 'MY RELIGIOUS DOCUMENTS'), but it's not my call whether it is 'allowed'. "There is a time and place for everything" - that is here and now - but just not here in this forum because it is contentious (and seen as political) and hence against the rules.

The thing that always hits me about pages of boring copy and paste crap is SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? NOTHING! We don't control the universe, we don't even control our own countries. Everybody is going to die one way or the other SO WHY WORRY ABOUT IT?

Anyway - I am out of here.

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by myob

That was Alien Apocalypse, certainly not one of his better movies.

Thanks Paul, right as usual.
I liked it, thought it was pretty campy.

[Michael Oksa]

I am not a snoop.

If you post it on the forum and I think it breaks the rules, I will report it.

HOWEVER, it's not up to me whether it gets ZAPPED or not. It just puts it into the queue to be considered for removal.

So, you can resort to name calling and how awful all this "censorship" is, OR you can understand we are ALL guests here, that there are rules, and that we have been given the duty to help Allen keep a clean house.

By the way, we had a visit from the police (a few HOURS after school) last year. Why? Because my youngest walked home IN THE RAIN, without an umbrella. We live exactly ONE block from the school, a short block. We also live in a town of about 10,000 people.

WAIT! It gets better. A concerned parent called the police and said she thought she knew where my wife worked. (They didn't know her name, but knew her face). So, as luck would have it, before my wife went to work my youngest got a finger smashed in the door. We went to the ER (only 2 blocks away) because it was pretty bad.

We were actually in the doctor's office, behind closed doors, when a knock came. There was a police officer there asking about the "walking in the rain" incident. He actually took the time to track us down. Of course, this was said to be sure that our youngest was ok. But I must admit, I was not happy.

Anyway, my point is: don't be so quick to make assumptions about my personal life because I choose to fulfill my duty as a moderator here.

To be a bit flippant, you mentioned you like to come here because people aren't as crazy; more rational. What I find funny about that is that this is where I come to interact with the "crazies". I don't meant that in a bad way, it's just that this is the craziest place I go. Nothing wrong with that. Just goes to show that one person's sanity is another's craziness. Fair enough?

~M~

[ThomM]

I had thought of something to say about the rules, then I thought why bother.

Some come here and try to break the rules.
Some come here and try to enforce the rules.
Most come here and read some posts and make some posts.
Then they shake their head and leave.

In the real world when I come upon something I don't like but know I can't change I say "It is what it is" and move on.
Same can be said about the rules here.
It is what it is, now move on.

[Michael Oksa]

Same can also be said about a lot of the posts here, too.



~M~

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Same can also be said about a lot of the posts here, too.



~M~

That's what the shake their head and leave part implies

[KimW]

Just recently watched My Name Is Bruce.
I think Campbell did some of his best in The Adventures OF Brisco County Jr..

[Michael Oksa]

Brisco was awesome!

A little off topic, but I also liked the show Due South.

~M~

[myob]

Originally Posted by ThomM

I had thought of something to say about the rules, then I thought why bother.

Some come here and try to break the rules.
Some come here and try to enforce the rules.
Most come here and read some posts and make some posts.
Then they shake their head and leave.

In the real world when I come upon something I don't like but know I can't change I say "It is what it is" and move on.
Same can be said about the rules here.
It is what it is, now move on.

Listen up...YOU,

Some come here and read some posts and make fun of some posts.
Then simply move on from Level 1 all the way through to Level 3,
uttering non-sensical, non-political, non-religious bi-polar ying yang
responses all the way. ...

[Steven Wagenheim]

If tin horns are made out of tin, what do they make fog horns out of?

Boom Boom.

YouTube - Lonnie Donegan - Does Your Chewing Gum...

[Michael Oksa]

Stop the madness! Boycott baby oil!

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Brisco was awesome!

A little off topic, but I also liked the show Due South.

~M~

Shoot I all but forgot about both those shows.
I liked them both myself.

[ThomM]

Originally Posted by myob

Listen up...YOU,

Some come here and read some posts and make fun of some posts.
Then simply move on from Level 1 all the way through to Level 3,
uttering non-sensical, non-political, non-religious bi-polar ying yang
responses all the way. ...

Right as always Paul

[myob]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

Stop the madness! Boycott baby oil!

If olive oil is made from olives, then baby oil must be made from ... OMG!

Squish Squash.

YouTube - If olive oil ............

[myob]

Originally Posted by ThomM

Right as always Paul

How could you have known that I am Right? I was trying very hard to be non-political, non-sensical, and non-religious according to the mandate of the OP. Something must have slipped out. I don't know how that could have happened. What was the part that disclosed my political viewpoint, or are you really a level 3 sorcerer with the powers of supernatural discernment? Can you also prophesy the fate of the world on 12/21/2012, or who is going to win the election in 2016?

[Michael Oksa]

A Wizard of the First Order, perhaps.

12/21/2012 = 2

Even better, 100 years from 2012 will be 2112 - that album ROCKS!



~M~

[myob]

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

A Wizard of the First Order, perhaps.

12/21/2012 = 2

Even better, 100 years from 2012 will be 2112 - that album ROCKS!



~M~

Can we aim for a little bit more time, like say the year 2525 at least?
Or is that too much of a stretch? Or is it even worth the effort?
HMMM ... so much to stew over ...

YouTube - Zager and Evans - In The Year 2525

There is always something cooking in my crock pot.

[Mike Wright]

Rules of the Internet - Encyclopedia Dramatica

[HeySal]

Sal, did I ever tell you that you write damn well?

Steve - I am honored that you have read some of my writings....which is obvious or you would not have said this as I don't edit my forum posts and misspell just about anything and everything and even end up with choppy sentences in here. Any evidence of fine writing had to be found elsewhere!

Guys - Yes, this is Allen's forum and we are bound to his rules whether we agree or disagree. I have absolutely no qualm with that. What I am getting frustrated about is that now government has taken over certain aspects of our lives, it gets hard to say anything meaningful without politics being included. I mean, check out our economy. There isn't much of anything to be said that politics isn't the core of the issue any more. In our original republic state we could talk about almost anything we wanted to talk about and there would be NO government involvement in the issue. IF you think that isn't alarming, then I am scared to death for my own well being.

Allen took the rules down at one point - and FYI, it wasn't because people argued in the posts about issues - it was all the people running and "telling on" each other for their views that got the rule slammed back on us. That is what ticks me off. If we choose not to speak to another Warrior because of their politics, then those aren't Warriors that we choose to deal with in business most likely anyway and it doesn't hurt us one darned bit to know who are JV partners are and what they represent. That's why I have always JV'd from the OT rather than the main forum - this place shows who people are in a more personal frame. I can learn their business stances from the main forum and that's not all I wanna know about a JV partner.

I have always been a person that takes my freedom of speech very seriously - so the rule makes me uncomfortable. There isn't much I can do about it, because it isn't my house, but it still makes me feel uncomfortable. What can I communicate without crossing the line? Where do you start and where do you stop and remain within the frame? I've seen a lot of posts get reported that I would not have considered political or religious, yet someone else takes "offense". Go figure.

I did make an extreme political post today - but I had sent the issue to the help desk to inform Allen hoping he would post it -- they obviously agreed with me that it was important because I was told to post it in the OT. So it seems the rules can be bent with explicit permission when the owner of the house agrees that it is vital enough. I feel better knowing that. I think it's important that issues involving the Internet are brought to the table even when political.

PAUL - When I said collide, I didn't mean that it was like a train wreck - although I'm sure some stuff actually collided.
Yes only a handful of scientists right now have looked at that one string of stars and are purporting that it is likely residue from a colliding galaxy - but they happen to be the scientists that were involved in studying that particular phenomena.
Scientists don't all get together and agree on something before they announce their findings. They announce their findings, and sooner or later they are accepted globally, or the theories die or are disproven completely. Geesh. I tend to agree with the collision theory. I thought they presented the case very well and made much logical sense - much more than any other reason for that formation of stars holds. So if you would like to consider me wrong on the basis of what you just wrote - sorry about your luck. I took a year of astronomy myself in college and while that does not make me any form of expert in the subject, I am familiar enough with it to understand what they were saying and I think the theory is logical and more than highly probable.

We have some meteors that come in now and again that contain some completely unknown elements. Do you suppose that maybe those could come from the residue of a foreign galaxy that is constructed a bit different from our own? I do. So do some scientists. Who's to say? It's a BIG subject. So just because a new idea is not mainstream doesn't make it dismissable.

I also think it's a kick to ponder which of the galaxies of which earthlings are actually natural inhabitants. It's easy to change my mind, Paul - just prove the scientists studying the issue are wrong.

[daveanderson]

I think that the rules in here are relatively relaxed. It keeps the forum cleaner and there is not a ton of useless junk. If you want to chat about religion and politics there are much better places to do that.

[Michael Oksa]

If we could DISCUSS the ISSSUES instead of badmouthing each other's beliefs (or each other), then I would have no problem with it.

However, in practice, as soon as someone AGREES with ANYTHING the government ALSO happens to say (which is NOT the same as agreeing WITH the government) they are shot down for being deluded or whatever - just pawns in the game, idiots for NOT believing the conspiracy.

On the other hand, when the OTHER side brings up their points, they are shot down for being "nut cases" or wearing items fashioned from tin foil.

None of this is about the issues.

When it becomes about the people making the comments, it gets personal. But, by their very nature, religion and politics ARE personal - so, how do we keep such discussions on track?

Answer that, and stick to it, and things could change. You never know.

EDIT: Believe it or not, I'm like Steven. I can talk about religion and politics with just about anybody, and pride myself on the ability to do so. But, again, once it devolves into calling ME names the conversation is over.

~M~

[Paul Myers]

Michael,

If we could DISCUSS the ISSSUES instead of badmouthing each other's beliefs (or each other), then I would have no problem with it.

If that happened, there would be no need for those rules. But it doesn't.

I've watched the way some people talk to each other in here, and it's pretty much soured me on doing business with anyone who posts in the political or religious threads that crop up despite the rules. I see damned few people who are able or willing to maintain a civil discourse on the issues, rather than jerking their knees every time something can be tied to one of their pet beliefs.

This is common to nearly all offtopic sections of any topically focused discussion group. It's not specific to the Warriors. And it's got nothing to do with what beliefs are involved.

The problem isn't the topics. It's the way people behave (or, more precisely, don't) when they come up.

To the people talking about free speech: Come into my house and insult another guest for having different views than you. Say the stuff that gets said here. See how long it takes before you're asked to leave, and forcibly ejected if you refuse. Or how much traction you get when you tell people I'm suppressing your rights.

Do not conflate rights with privileges, in the attempt to manufacture the former. Some of us know the difference.


Paul

[JayXtreme]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Do not conflate rights with privileges, in the attempt to manufacture the former. Some of us know the difference.

I love this bit ^^^

That one simple sentence is where the problem begins/ends... if people could just see that.

Peace

Jay

[Michael Oksa]

Yes, I know, that's why I said, "if".



Seriously though, I have had countless discussions about religion and politics with people, even online, and I enjoy it. But the constant agenda-driven malarkey that gets piled high in here makes it next to impossible to have anything that borders on an actual discussion.

Interesting word, discussion, it implies that you listen to the other side before making comments. As opposed to just spouting off the same tired rhetoric.

Just sayin'

~M~