RumRunner

Thanks potato - I edited my original post and gave you credit for the correction

I don't see you starting WW3 WD. However... Edited again - I stand corrected by potato - it was your question to skyrider I was referring to.... Since you and I disagree on a number of issues - please do not take my comments as starting a personal WW3 with you either. I think the obvious answer to your question for potato is rather simple. You know, as well as I do, that a significant percentage of people (I'd wager some number >50%) were wrapped up in that organization enough to feel guilty about NOT doing as told. This is not isolated to TWI - you can trace it to plenty of other organizations - even those non-religious - heck you can extend it to some 1960's hippie communes. There have been plenty of posts here from people "admitting" to feeling bad about decisions/actions they made/did "back in the day." It is clearly not an isolated phenomena - and those who posted that thinking here on GSC tend to have a more activist mentality. I wonder how many people felt that way and just drifted off without coming here - without posting - and did whatever (hopefully got a life). I have a somewhat personal perspective on rebellion within the ranks - since I had a reputation for it even while still in but I am not going to post it publicly. Edited for some grammar errors

Ah but P-Mosh - let's have some fun here. Since, in your words, angels "take the form of a human being" we don't know what their real form is...maybe they appear as human but can balance on a single bit of whatever they are made of - in which case the number could be excessively large... Just messin' with you for humor's sake - please don't get offended at a comic relief refutation of your premise.

Can't really comment on geisha kimberly other than I don't agree with her doctrines. However when it comes to politics and tacks - here is a simple formula for you. There are headstrong, militant, and grossly ignorant conservatives and there are just as headstrong, militant, and grossly ignorant liberals in those threads. Those that castigate each other for their opposing beliefs usually show their ignorance, stupidity and absolute lack of tolerance - whether liberal or conservative - the lack of tolerance is always evident in those types. Feel free to ignore them or perhaps toss a beer down and laugh at the mutual stupidity of the extremists of two opposing sides both of which believe they have the only political truth. Pols and tacks often reminds me of a Dr. Seuss story - "The Star Bellied Sneetches and the Plain Bellied Sneetches"

Thanks CoolChef - glad I was able to at least one useful thing today...

LOL no sweat Linda - you have approximately a seven times higher chance of dying in a car wreck than in a plane wreck.

No DWBH it was not tongue in cheek on my part. After 25 pages of back and forth it seemed like your post was genuinely a good graceful end to the conflict - Mike has his views which you showed respect for - Others have different views - which you showed respect for. I've no doubt there will be other threads with plenty of "lively conflict" which I certainly would rather promote than see suppressed as "good" conflict generates actual thinking as opposed to a small army of robotic name tag wearers. My apologies if I seemed to send the wrong message

Thanks for asking - a couple of comments interspersed below - however understand I am an applied mathematician not a fluid dynamicist. Now to answer a question you didn't ask but it would the next logical question for you to ask. Jet or turbine engines have three stages - the first being a multi level compressor stage - typically three compressors. People have asked me about whether or not you could screen the front end of the engine intake. The simple answer is no. The compression stage requires enormous air intake - and even though in the end a lot of it is shunted around the igniter stage rather than through it the compression stage itself requires enough intake to compress "tightly" Once compressed you use the bit you need and shunt the rest - BUT you need that much input to get it that compressed. Hope that helps - anything else I could post would be filled with rather boring mathematics Best, RR

Just thinking "out loud." Seems that DWBH's last post (#481) would provide a graceful end to this thread.

Mike! Mike! the God-breathed PFAL? and you disagree with the notion that there are errors? Dude - unless you are truly in need of professional help I am going to just hope you are playing the stand up comedian here. That choice of words sounds wacky enough to end up with the black helicopters over your apartment

That's two purposes Groucho - I would propose a third purpose they serve - they are more entertaining than any television comedy I've ever seen. It's kind of like watching a set of idiots try and put together a jigsaw puzzle only to find out later that the puzzle pieces were just flakes from a box of Wheaties.

All I can say to that is holy sh(t eyes - or maybe just point him to the justice department's section on domestic violence...

Kinda makes you wonder why God would even bother with humans.

Correct Bolshevik - time dilates as a function of velocity, gravity or both and the changes are well documented mathematically. Length - which we will call a unit of distance in one dimension - also changes relative to velocity. Kinda negates comparing using the metric system as a standard to a standard set forth by God.

Poor spin attempt OM. No one can possibly refute your postulate below about whether vic or Mother Theresa said "Jesus is the Son of God." However, that is an overly simplistic comparison to the discussions that have been posted. I believe that the major questions are not over fundamentals but the more "complex" teachings of vic. A lot of his "teachings" were fraught with contradiction and it is likely that his self-indulgences led to at least some level of doctrinal corruption on more complex issues (eg sex outside the marriage). Hence on a simplistic level you are correct. But on a more complex level I think it is fair to say that since he was messed up in certain areas then his teachings in those areas also stood a high(er) probability of also being messed up.

Well Mike then you just flunked physics 101. We'll start with the remedial stuff for you. The fact that there is an arithmetic set of equivalences between metric and English does not equate to a single standard by any stretch. History shows that those systems had radically different development for radically different applications. Thus there are two standards for two different reasons. The English system was based on ease of measurement while the metric system was based on ease of computation. However both are arbitrary as I will explain shortly. Considering the fact that both systems were originally developed before there was good instrumentation let us consider. It is easy to divide a pile of green beans into two approximately equal piles while much more difficult two divide it into 10 approximately equal piles. However for computation it is much easier to work with the metric system, eg 1CC of water (pure and at sea level) = 1 gram of weight and requires 1 C(cal) of energy to raise its temperature 1 degree celsius. Very nice for computation. We can't deny that the English system as arbitrary roots, 1 inch = the length of three barley corns side by side, 1 foot is the length of a kings foot etc etc. However the metric system itself was also based on an arbitrary standard. A meter was originally defined as a function of one minute of arc of the earth's circumference (also known as a great circle). If you apply the same function to a great circle on Jupiter the meter will change size based on its original definition not based on how it has been standardized today. Finally you seem to keep drawing some kind of analogy between the metric system and having a single standard for faith and practice (not a quote but the gist is correct). This is not logical. Two arbitrary and man made standards, both subject to change as measurements get finer and finer, cannot make a good analogy to a standard that God would have set down - an immutable standard for truth - and even then not an immutable standard for actions considering things changed when Jesus showed up on the scene. Man's "standards" compared to God's standards?!?! That has been the classic conflict between God and man. I would flunk you at your physics, chemistry and history but instead I will give you a passing grade of "D" for effort. The place where others make mistakes in analyzing your posts is when they insist you are using circular logic. There is no such thing in real logic. You use a lot of circular reasoning but certainly not logic. It's a nice day here in San Diego - perhaps you want to go get some windows cleaned while the sun is out bright and shining.

I admitted Mikey?!?! You are rather arrogant and you would never make a scientist nor even a modicum of an undergraduate researcher. Nor are you a critical thinker and worse your posts are even less than critical - they are a poor attempt at self justification for your failure to acknowledge that you were bu((sh@t into a cult. Why do I say that? Because I am a scientist - a real one - paid for it - and your fallacious attempts at twisting and turning would not pass an undergraduate class in logic. Now of course I expect your classic response - a 4 yr old attempt to explain your great insight into the blue book. Go away Mike - just get a job as a comedian or something - it would suit you well - or perhaps you should just get a job pumping gas at a convenience store.

OK there Mike I can answer that simple question - BTW - your excessive use of all caps reminds me of a 4 yr old. Here is my only rule for faith and practice - I am always right and anyone who disagrees with me is always wrong. Simple question. Simple answer and BTW it is both unchangeable and quite readable. My ruler that I line up with? Well lets just say it isn't the blind worship of a drunken sexual predator who ran a vicious cult based on the debasement of human life - most notably women and suckers. VP is/was not god's man and you sure as sh(t are not the prophet of his nor JC's return with the infantile blue book in hand. BTW I am not a christian anymore - I don't believe in your cult teachings nor your arrogance at suggesting that because you hafve cracked the books you are somehow enlightened - you are exposing yourself as ignorant and trying to boost your low self esteem. Night Mike - enjoy your dreams - they won't be coming true

Raf - as a journalist you must have noticed the pattern... While most of us take shots at the organization of TWI along with some personal shots at Dicter Small Wierwille and Lewd Craig Martindork that's usually where it stays. Mike, Oldies and WD have a very specific pattern - they almost always make it personal - oh not a personal attack in violation of GSC rules - but personal. Count the pronouns in their in their rebuttals... You said, you misquoted, you, you, you (how wrong you are ad infinitum) I said, I quoted correctly, I, I, I, (how cool I am ad infinitum) Ain't worth the time to argue - they have little logic, little personal integrity in interpersonal communications, - just ain't worth the time friend

While I would generally agree with you P-Mosh I don't find much of any excuse short of personal or family emergency to be a good reason to be late - or perhaps some force majeur as in "my truck broke down on the freeway halfway to work." Work is work - whether you are a smoker or work out type. I expect people to work, put in their hours, and get fair and just compensation. Smoke on your own time, work out on your own time, surf the net on your own time. As a friend of mine often said, "There's a reason they call it work."

Sad? I would suggest someone in need of a serious evaluation / assessment. Sad----Truly sad

While I agree Wierwille was quite the accomplished liar I can't really give you that list below potato. Those may be body language things that liars do - but perfectly "normal" people do some of the same things and it is no indication they are lying. I don't know where you got that list - but it is sorely lacking in credibility - a few comments interspersed below based on my interaction with people...BTW my comments are no reflection of you - simply my observations about that list I saw a lot of these in vpw's videos, and even more so in lcm's.

Only if you are wearing ruby slippers and click your heels together three times while repeating "I know that I know that I know."

LOL - sounds like it would make a good anime cartoon guessalot...