My parents let me apply for college when I graduated high school, though they didn't really approve of the idea. I was accepted at a community college and was to start in the fall of 1980. A couple of weeks before school started, my mom and I went to look at housing and on the way home we "happened" to stop at a kingdom hall that the CO was visiting. The CO took me aside and gave me the spiel - four or five years to get a degree, advanced degrees take longer - and closed with the question, "Do you think this system of things will last that long?" Anyway, I did start college but dropped out because I had no support at all. I ended up going to trade school which was alright. The trade provided ok enough. Fast forward to 1995. I had decided that one thing I wanted to do was get that degree so I started going to college. I remember walking into that first lecture hall filled to the rafters with 18 year old freshmen and me, being a 30 something construction worker...I was so nervous I almost puked (and I am a tough SOB). But I stuck with it. I was working full time and taking classes at night and on weekends. I earned my bachelor's in 2001. My parents attended the graduation. I should have invited the CO to come also.
frozen one
JoinedPosts by frozen one
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59
"You'll never even get to finish school in this System of Things....."
by WingCommander inthis statement was often echeod to me during my formative years.
i remember my very first day of elementary school (stateside) at the age of 4. my parents were flustered because they couldn't believe they actually had to start their only child into public school to begin with; after all, the end was right around the corner!
this was 1984, the year the first apple mac was introduced, 80's music was loud and in your face, the delorean was cool, and miami vice was just in production.
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I went to the Memorial.
by RichieRich ini'm just going to start at the beginning.. i was anticipating the memorial all day.
i was nervous but excited, kind of like standing in line for a roller coaster.. ok. so erika gets ready at her house, and i get ready at mine.
i'm wearing a black suit with a light green shirt, and a tie that had hues of green and yellow in it.
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frozen one
As always, Rich, an interesting tale.
I'm curious, is your father around? I'm too lazy to go through all the threads looking for the answer. Was your dad at the hall last night and if so how did he react? The sister you pierced wasn't at the hall also, was she? That would have been too funny if you had run into her.
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15
Shhh...the witnesses are at the door!
by chrissee in2 witnesses from the kh stopped by today.
i did the hide and not answer the door!
i know, i'm a big chicken!
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frozen one
I used to hide when witnesses came to the door. I didn't want to be hassled by them or anyone else selling religion. One day I was outside when an elderly gentlemen came up the stairs so I had no choice but to talk to him. I'm not from here originally, but it was apparent that he had been contacted by concerned relatives because he did know that I had been a witness at one time. We chatted a bit about the change in the 1914 generation doctrine and I asked some questions he couldn't answer. Saying he would do some research, he left. He didn't come back. It wasn't that big of a deal so now I answer the door when they come around. I never invite them (or any other door to door bible pusher) into the house, but I will go onto the porch and listen to the spiel. But if you don't want to answer the door for them or anyone else, it is your house and you can handle it anyway you want to. It isn't anyone else's business.
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a Fairly Interesting Occurence.
by RichieRich inbackstory:.
i work part time as a "body adornment specialist" which essentially means i'm a body piercer.
i work at a shop that is owned and operated by someone who is a fairly big deal in the body modification industry.
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frozen one
Triple!! My laptop must be demonized.
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67
a Fairly Interesting Occurence.
by RichieRich inbackstory:.
i work part time as a "body adornment specialist" which essentially means i'm a body piercer.
i work at a shop that is owned and operated by someone who is a fairly big deal in the body modification industry.
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frozen one
I predict she will soon be back for more piercings and some ink. Did you give her this web site address?
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67
a Fairly Interesting Occurence.
by RichieRich inbackstory:.
i work part time as a "body adornment specialist" which essentially means i'm a body piercer.
i work at a shop that is owned and operated by someone who is a fairly big deal in the body modification industry.
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frozen one
double
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Night Rider
by LittleToe inwell that was an interesting journey!
i just got home after riding home from a friend's house, where i'd been helping them with a little decorating.
it is a clear and beautiful night, so i thought i would open her up a little, but neglected to look at the speedo.... ...until i hit a short piece of undulating piece of road and found the front wheel wobbling.
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frozen one
Riding a ton (never heard that one but will start using) after dark is, how should I put this, bloody reckless (thought I would toss in a little Brit lingo). I would hate to hear you got in a wreck because you overdrove your headlamp. I've been there though so I'm not preaching. It is a rush.
Most of my near misses have involved cages being driven by boneheads. Animals running across the road have gotten the old heart pounding a few times also.
Put the battery in the bike a couple of days ago and fired it off. Too cold and wet to ride here at the moment. Freezing rain coming down as I write this but I'll be back on the road soon enough.
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They're baaaack! J.W. urban legends
by NikL ingot a e mail today full of urban legends j.w.
style.
the heading is "jehovah knows what's going on".
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frozen one
So what. Pat Robertson tells similar fables on The 700 Club.
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262
Global Warming Hysteria
by metatron inhttp://cjunk.blogspot.com/2007/02/quacks-cranks-and-junk-science.html.
are global warming skeptics really just cranks?
i don't doubt that we are having some effect on .
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frozen one
Interesting about your glacier maps, Hillary. I tend to look at the current warming period as being part of the natural cycle also. I spent a few years working in Antarctica back in the 90's and am and will always be interested in Antarctic research. I recently read in the Antarctic Sun an article about mummified elephant seals found on the beaches of the Ross Sea. This was a significant find as the presence of elephant seals indicates that the area was much warmer than it is today. The kicker is that the mummified remains are estimated to be 1,000 - 2,500 years old. That isn't all that long ago. (If anyone is interested you can download the pdf at http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/2006-2007/documents/02-04-2007_antarcticsun.pdf and scroll down to page 7. The article is called "Extinct Hunt - Vanished elephant seal colonies indicate Ross Ice Shelf survived warmer climate in recent past.") What one has to understand though is that the human caused climate change fold are not interested in what happened to your glaciers or why elephant seals had a colony in the now frozen Ross Sea. As Abaddon wrote in one of his replies in this thread, "this time."
I've noticed a trend among the man caused warming advocates. Anytime someone presents research that doesn't agree with the man caused global warming proof they tend to dismiss the research by attacking the researcher. That scientist is from the wrong discipline, this researcher is funded by big business, that project was funded by big oil or coal or the auto industry or whatever boogeyman that springs to their mind. It is classic a "shoot the messenger" approach. What that group fails to remember, or perhaps what they are not aware of, is that one of the nastiest, most corrupt, vile corporations in US history played a vital role in starting the whole human caused warming movement. That company is now bankrupt and gone and the criminal CEO of the firm died before he was sent to prison for his crimes. The name was Enron and the CEO was Ken Lay.
Ken Lay recognized from the beginning of the global warming debate that a huge profit potential for Enron existed if it were "proved" that the warming was caused by humans in general and carbon dioxide in particular. Lay had access to the Clinton White House and was an advisor to the President. Ken Lay helped the Clinton administration develop positions for the Kyoto negotiations. Some of the positions that Lay pushed were:
- The official position of the US government is global warming is human caused.
- Carbon dioxide is a pollutant and should be regulated.
- Developing nations would be exempt from carbon emission caps.
How would Enron reap huge benefits if global warming became a human caused issue? Enron was in the natural gas business. If carbon dioxide was declared a pollutant and regulated coal fired electrical utilities would switch to natural gas. The result would be an increase in demand for natural gas and the price would rise. Enron was also in the pipeline industry and the more natural gas transported via Enron's pipeline system meant more profit. Enron was a major player in alternative energy being the owner of the largest wind farm in the world. Enron also was a co-owner of the largest solar energy array with British Petroleum. In addition Enron owned several natural gas fired electical utilities. If carbon dioxide were declared a pollutant and regulated, Enron was in a position to to claim scores of carbon credits that would have to be purchased by coal fired "polluters" when they exeded their allocated carbon caps. Enron's excess carbon credits would be a cash cow. Enron's desire to see emerging nations exempted from the warming debate stemmed from the fact that Enron had invested billions in places like India and former Soviet Bloc nations building coal fired power plants and carbon caps would be detrimental for those investments.
The wheels fell off the wagon, so to speak, for Enron when George Bush became President. Although the Bush Administration initially supported the carbon cap concept, in the end Bush decided that carbon caps would cause an unacceptable drag on the US economy. Ken Lay was floored by the Bush decision. Not long after Bush's decision, Enron's various frauds became unconcealable, Enron collapsed, Ken Lay and his cronies were accused and convicted for their crimes, and Lay died and went to hell. The funny part is that many people from the green side accused the Bush administration of being an Enron puppet while conviently forgetting that Enron was a crucial player promoting the global warming movement.
For those who believe global warming is caused by humans (and lets be honest, the primary cause of global warming is Americans, isn't it?) and dismiss contrary evidence as being tainted, why shouldn't your proof be subject to the same scepticism given the very root of the global warming movement was driven by a profit seeking energy company? I know that many advocates of Kyoto and global warming will read the above and consider me delusional. I ask that you do a quick google search of "enron kyoto" and read the results. Many of the articles are 5 years old. Apparently the media did not see the worth of pursuing the story. My own conclusion is that the global warming movement has little to do with drowning polar bears and a lot to do with expanding power for politicians and skyrocketing profits for firms that are positioned to exploit the guilt and fear associated with the percieved destruction of Mother Earth. It is truely shameless.
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262
Global Warming Hysteria
by metatron inhttp://cjunk.blogspot.com/2007/02/quacks-cranks-and-junk-science.html.
are global warming skeptics really just cranks?
i don't doubt that we are having some effect on .
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frozen one
Here's a TV show that may be of interest. I don't know a thing about Dish network or the other satellite services. Is British TV available in the States and elsewhere?
http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html
I'll be looking forward to reading the reviews.
Another event that might be of interest on both sides of the issue is the International Polar Year that just started (the study actually last 2 years). During the IPY the polar regions are going to be studied to death by scientists representing a wide spectrum of disciplines. Bookmark the site and check often: