Zixar

Ex: You just don't remember where you left it, right? :D-->

Paw, Pam, a private topic, if you'd be so kind?

Trefor: Congrats on the 500! Don't know what exactly happened to my 4,000, but the year's still young for me to make it up... ;)--> Remember when you had a real life, BG*? :D--> *BG = Before GreaseSpot

This series, from the Politics Decaffeinated forum, is the sum total of the exchange Rocky complained about. Whether labeling this as "STALKING AND HARASSMENT" stems from either paranoia, narcissism, or some of both, it's not abundantly clear. It is, though, by any rational examination, completely delusional to label this as such. One might also note that none of what Rocky posted is relevant to his Goldwater topic either, but that's ok, since he has his own set of rules, right? -->

Jonny: Not that I've read every one of your posts, but I don't think you've done anything near worthy of a reprimand. This particular situation has a long history, but it isn't really anything that anyone outside the dispute has anything to fear from. For the most part, the really heated disagreements tend to stay off the Open Forum (and, surprisingly, the SameSex Marriage thread is fairly tame compared to the most blatant offenses) so when someone decides to violate the Open Forum, things get emphatic pretty quickly. I did it one time and got moderated for a week. I didn't think it was fair at the time either, but what's done is done. In short, don't sweat it. Just don't let things go too far.

Yes, Tom. Thanks for your unique insight. ;)-->

No, I don't think you do get it, Rocky. There isn't any grand conspiracy against you, you're just acting like a total jerk. For pity's sake, pout somewhere else, why don't you?

I have never seen such a case of toxic self-absorption.

Well, at least the violins are pretty... -->

Rocky: I reported your post. You acknowledged that it should have gone in the Politics forums to start with, but you posted it here anyway. Regardless of whether one thinks Barry Goldwater was a saint or a son of a bitch, political topics tend to start heated arguments--not healthy discussion. The Open forum should be a place where arguments aren't automatically a given, like the political forums. One might argue that threads like the Same-sex marriage threads should have gone into Politics instead, but that one, as an exception, has had a lot of food for thought instead of mere fuel for a fire. Just FYI, though, no one has been attacking you at all in the Political Forums since you got yourself banned from them, so I don't know where you got that idea. I can't speak for anyone else, but continuing to accuse Pawtucket of cowardice doesn't help your position, nor do your frequent attempts at some sort of posting martyrdom, the latest being your new signature. You can point fingers all you like, but the only one keeping you in the doghouse right now is you. And, notice very carefully, that NOTHING in this post is in any way an attack.

excath: If you're running Windows XP, you can have someone who's also running XP use Remote Assistance to connect to your computer and remote-control it to fix your problems. I'd do it, but it requires Windows Messenger, and I no longer have that installed.

I think P-Mosh is on the right track, dietetically speaking. The only tried-and-true diet is one that restricts total caloric intake. Also, forget the "lose weight fast" diets. You didn't gain 50 pounds in a month, trying to lose it in a month is ridiculous. In November, I hit 276 lbs, the most I've ever weighed. Even though I'm fairly tall at 6'2", that was just ridiculous. I decided to make a New Year's resolution (which I hardly ever do) to lose 50 pounds by December 31st of this year. That boils down to about a pound a week. I started the year at 262, I tipped the scales this morning at 251, so I'm 3 lbs ahead of schedule, with 11 days left to go in the month. I've already lost 2 inches off my waist. How am I doing it? Simple math. There are about 3500 calories in one pound of fat. Since there are 365.25 days in a year, every pound roughly translates into about ten calories extra per day for a year. So, if you can cut 200 calories a day out of your diet, that's 20 pounds you won't be eating over the course of a year. (Granted, that's assuming you've been maintaining a constant weight on your current eating pattern, but it's a ballpark figure.) 200 calories a day is nothing. That's one can of non-diet soda, a candy bar, etc. Just by not hitting the vending machines at the office you can make a big dent in your calorie quota. Then, you cut back on your portion sizes--GRADUALLY. If you go flat-out on one of these fad diets it shocks your metabolic system. It's easy to deprive yourself into "starvation mode" and not lose a pound. I've cut out the following: --ALL BUFFETS, ESPECIALLY SALAD BARS. Buffets are nothing but food troughs for fat people. Salad bars are deceptive because of two things: a) salad dressings, which are mostly pure fat, and b) food bulk. Your stomach has to shrink in order for you to feel satisfied on less food. If you're keeping it stretched with bales of salad, you may lose some weight, but you'll never keep any of it off. Mull that over, because it's important. Have a side salad or a packaged salad as a meal (like Wendy's grilled chicken salads) if you must, but Step Away From The Salad Bar! --all sweet beverages, including tea. Hard for a good Southern boy, but necessary. --french fries. That's tough for some folks, but the benefits show up quick. I don't eat it myself, but ketchup is a big source of hidden calories since it has a HIGH sugar content. Read the label sometime... --candy bars. A Snickers has 280 calories. That's about all I've cut out. Some changes: --Chinese single-plate lunches (instead of Kung Pao Food Trough) are fine, if you eat all the vegetables first, then only half of the fried rice. The fiber in the cabbage in the egg roll sort of makes up for the fried wonton, but stick to one if you just have to have one. --Secret snack/dessert: individually-wrapped Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats. These are made with REAL SUGAR, REAL MARGARINE, and REAL MARSHMALLOW. None of that semi-styrofoam "rice cake" crap! This is the real deal, great for that afternoon sweet tooth. Best part? 1 treat is only 90 calories. Compare to a Snickers at 280(!) and there's a big chunk of your calorie debt right there. Plus, the fat and the sugar are enough to calm a carbohydrate craving. Keep a box in your desk. --One plate of food at dinner. Never, ever go back for seconds. Don't turn your dining room into a mini-buffet! Have a little dessert if you must, but you have to reduce the volume of food as well as the calories--smaller stomach=full faster, on less. --While diet drinks are good, diet foods are NOT! They taste like crap and rarely satisfy. Plus, you tend to think that if it's "diet" it's okay for unrestricted snacking. Forget it. Don't even bring them into the house. Eat the stuff you like, but eat less of it, that's the real key. That's all I can think of, for now. I figure I've cut out about 600-650 calories a day out of my prior eating habits, and lost 11 pounds in 7 weeks. I didn't put all this weight on in one year, but if I cut back, I just might be able to sneak 50 pounds off in a year before my metabolism notices I'm not shoveling Little Debbies and fries into it any more... That's just me, though. I'm not a doctor, consult one before you start, yada, yada, yada. Hope it works for you if you try it!

I saw some still shots from it in this week's Entertainment Weekly, and Digger's probably right. It isn't rated 'R' out of malice, it's 'R' because it's extremely graphic. I'd recommend parents definitely go see it first before taking kids to see it.

Looks like Mr. Card saw the same movie I did... :)-->

I thought the baggy shorts would be the giveaway, as the stereotype is that Europeans tend to go for the Speedo-type swimsuits... I could be wrong.

Sorry for the derail! Woo-hoo for the dress!

Oh, make up your mind. First it's all Bush's fault, now it's all the Democrats' fault. How about a little less sweeping generalization?

Did anyone else catch the marked absence of mentioning the manifestations as part of the household fellowship...?

Here's a link to Martin's Star of Bethlehem book on his ministry's website. http://www.askelm.com/books/book003.htm

Illinois is one of the most oppressive states for gun ownership, yet despite that, it still manages to rank 8th for highest murders per 100,000 residents as of 2000. Now, if you could move to Indiana, it'd be a cinch. Indiana is a shall-issue state. In other words, Indiana "shall issue" a permit to anyone who applies for one, unless there is a disqualifying condition (convicted felon, mental patient, etc.). Some states only issue at the discretion of the county sheriff or other official, provided you can demonstrate an approved need to carry. (which sucks, but it's still better than Illinois' law) Indiana even issues nonresident permits, provided you can demonstrate legitimate employment in IN. And, the Illinois FOID law accepts other states' CCW permits for possession and purchase of firearms and ammunition, but does not recognize them for concealed (or even open) carry purposes.

No, but they can restrict access to fix the site. Don't read into this more than it really is, yet.

All hail Her Royal Beatitude, Kit, Archdeaconess of the Most Inexplicable Order of St. Pawtucket the Terse! A hundred Happies upon her Birthday! ==v happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy Birthday. :D--> :D--> :D--> :D-->

More likely they've taken the site down for maintenance and set the root directory to not have anonymous access. Try it later.

Littlehawk: A CCW permit in Illinois??