booya!

[justonemorevoice]

guess who??? dangit, it wont let me use my purty mermaid avatar. says something about the context.

anyhoo...ive been invited here by a couple of dear friends. i hope to get to know yall and i promise to try not to piss anyone off for at least 3 days.:p

[wphelan]

guess who??? dangit, it wont let me use my purty mermaid avatar. says something about the context.

anyhoo...ive been invited here by a couple of dear friends. i hope to get to know yall and i promise to try not to piss anyone off for at least 3 days.:p

Who is this? Baxter, is that you? Bark twice if you're in Milwaukee!

[justonemorevoice]

Who is this? Baxter, is that you? Bark twice if you're in Milwaukee!

no baxter. im in south texas. ok, im gonna feel really dumb if this is some obscure line from a movie ive never heard of. :ummm:

[wphelan]

no baxter. im in south texas. ok, im gonna feel really dumb if this is some obscure line from a movie ive never heard of. :ummm:

Wait, is Anchorman obscure?

Is this Wilt Chamberlain?

[justonemorevoice]

Wait, is Anchorman obscure?

Is this Wilt Chamberlain?

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww it is to me. i do not like will farrell. yah yah, i know. im in the minority. :o

[wphelan]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww it is to me. i do not like will farrell. yah yah, i know. im in the minority. :o

No problem. I hate Dane Cook. For some reason I'm in the minority with people my age when it comes to that. I don't understand though because he is terrible.

[justonemorevoice]

No problem. I hate Dane Cook. For some reason I'm in the minority with people my age when it comes to that. I don't understand though because he is terrible.

dane cook. hes the singer, right? see how much i know?:D

[wphelan]

dane cook. hes the singer, right? see how much i know?:D

Nope. He's a lame guy that does stand up comedy and bad acting.

[justonemorevoice]

Nope. He's a lame guy that does stand up comedy and bad acting.

ohhhhhhhhhh him. is the guy with the funky hair? yah, hes not funny at all.

[Michael]

guess who??? dangit, it wont let me use my purty mermaid avatar. says something about the context.

anyhoo...ive been invited here by a couple of dear friends. i hope to get to know yall and i promise to try not to piss anyone off for at least 3 days.:p

Welcome to the forum. :)

As for your "purty mermaid avatar", send me a pm about your problem. I'll see what I can do. :)

Though, I must admit that Piglet avatar is purty darn cute! :D

[Donkey]

No problem. I hate Dane Cook. For some reason I'm in the minority with people my age when it comes to that. I don't understand though because he is terrible.
Maybe because you have a smidgen of taste and Dane Cook is absolute shit?

Welcome! I like the piglet avatar!

[justonemorevoice]

thanks guys. i like piglet too. ill show yall the mermaid though and yall decide:

http://www.politicalhotwire.com/forum/uploads/av-4965.png

[Donkey]

thanks guys. i like piglet too. ill show yall the mermaid though and yall decide:

http://www.politicalhotwire.com/forum/uploads/av-4965.png
I prefer Piglet.

[Michael]

I prefer Piglet.
Me too! :lol:

Piglet is just too cute!

[The Drunk Girl]

thanks guys. i like piglet too. ill show yall the mermaid though and yall decide:

http://www.politicalhotwire.com/forum/uploads/av-4965.png

That mermaid is a tad on the busty side

[partofme]

Crystal?

[justonemorevoice]

That mermaid is a tad on the busty side
lol, yah on my other site my friend gave her a boob job. :D

[justonemorevoice]

Crystal?

who? no, sorry.

[Donkey]

That mermaid is a tad on the busty side
Would seriously cut down on swimming speed.

[Americano]

Would seriously cut down on swimming speed.

She would need swimming speed?

[Donkey]

She would need swimming speed?
Well I mean, she's a damn mermaid!

[Evangeline]

Hi JOMV!

Very happy to see you here.

[The Drunk Guy]

Well I mean, she's a damn mermaid!
Mermaids exist to be caught and promptly raped by lonely seamen. ;)

[Evangeline]

Crystal?

I thought she gave up political boards for a man or something....

[Evangeline]

Mermaids exist to be caught and promptly raped by lonely seamen. ;)

Mermaids are manatees mistaken for women with tails by horny lonely seamen.

LOL!

[The Drunk Guy]

Mermaids are manatees mistaken for women with tails by horny lonely seamen.

LOL!
Exactly. And they get raped. By seamen.

[Donkey]

Mermaids exist to be caught and promptly raped by lonely seamen. ;)
How does one rape a mermaid?

[The Drunk Guy]

How does one rape a mermaid?
Well, first off, you catch it from behind, which is pretty easy cause their big floppy titties slow them down. Then, you find an opening that doesn't have anything sharp in it and just go to town.

[Donkey]

Well, first off, you catch it from behind, which is pretty easy cause their big floppy titties slow them down. Then, you find an opening that doesn't have anything sharp in it and just go to town.
Yeah, but with their fish bottoms, it kind of ruins it.

[The Drunk Guy]

Yeah, but with their fish bottoms, it kind of ruins it.
We're talking about raping sea creatures. You really gonna be picky about it? :shrug:

Standards aren't for maritime rapists, landlubber.

[The Drunk Girl]

Yeah, but with their fish bottoms, it kind of ruins it.

I take it the saying of a woman's 'ha-ha' smelling like fish comes from the oh-so-numerous attempts of raping of busty mermaids?

[The Drunk Guy]

I take it the saying of a woman's 'ha-ha' smelling like fish comes from the oh-so-numerous attempts of raping of busty mermaids?
No, it's from skanks that smell like Tuna Helper. :thumbsdown:

[Michael]

And people complain that this forum is too highbrow? :rofl:

[Agent Zero]

Low brow is never the way to go.

Boobies!!!!

[Evangeline]

And people complain that this forum is too highbrow? :rofl:

When highbrows get drunk, brows get lowered....

[The Drunk Girl]

No, it's from skanks that smell like Tuna Helper. :thumbsdown:

Which reminds me of the joke of the blind man walking past the fish store and saying, "Good morning, ladies!" (horrible I know).

[cassandrabandra]

guess who??? dangit, it wont let me use my purty mermaid avatar. says something about the context.

anyhoo...ive been invited here by a couple of dear friends. i hope to get to know yall and i promise to try not to piss anyone off for at least 3 days.:p

another one! good to see you here - ummm - the mermaid av's nice ... but this one's fine,too.

Can't imagine you'll be rubbing people up the wrong way, one:)

[cassandrabandra]

Welcome to the forum. :)

As for your "purty mermaid avatar", send me a pm about your problem. I'll see what I can do. :)

Though, I must admit that Piglet avatar is purty darn cute! :D

yeah - and I think it kind of suits ... hey - I should get an avatar - I've never bothered but maybe its about tim eI did ... any suggestions as to what would suit?

[The Drunk Girl]

yeah - and I think it kind of suits ... hey - I should get an avatar - I've never bothered but maybe its about tim eI did ... any suggestions as to what would suit?

Just stay away from anything busty! You see where that conversation got us :lol:

What kinds of things interest you? What is your career/job?

[Michael]

yeah - and I think it kind of suits ... hey - I should get an avatar - I've never bothered but maybe its about tim eI did ... any suggestions as to what would suit?
Well, I have loaded a bunch of avatars into the forum software so you can try browsing through those. I believe that's where Piglet (and Zarquon's Einstein) came from. :)

[Americano]

Yeah, but with their fish bottoms, it kind of ruins it.

Landlubbers seem to be unaware of the bottom covering being only a swimming aid.

[cassandrabandra]

Just stay away from anything busty! You see where that conversation got us :lol:

What kinds of things interest you? What is your career/job?

I'm just boring ... at the moment I'm human services ... there's nothing interesting in my line of work for an avatar ...

maybe something from my travels - I visited Artemis's temple (or the one pillar thats left standing of it) ... Greek goddesses might be OK ... or maybe a Trojan princess, since I'm cassandra and I've been to Troy.

or maybe some nice little australian animal since I know these pretty well, and there's a few I like.

here's a bird who i see in my garden down south. maybe this one:


http://www.denmark.com.au/NR/rdonlyres/3D3CC882-6D85-4EBB-A8DC-768D278A3B2C/14512/SplendidFairyWren.jpg

[Zarquon]

I resized your bird to fit the avatar requirements

[Michael]

I resized your bird to fit the avatar requirements

That's very kind of you, but the forum software is set up to do that for you! :)

I remember testing this feature long ago - I actually uploaded a massive avatar that was 1.5mb in size (about 8" x 10" photo) and it worked perfectly! :)

Btw, that's a cool picture - though shrunken down it seems a bit dark. I think it should have some color correction to take down the grayscale component in the background and increase the contrast - UCR is probably best for that.

[drgoodtrips]

That's very kind of you, but the forum software is set up to do that for you! :)

I remember testing this feature long ago - I actually uploaded a massive avatar that was 1.5mb in size (about 8" x 10" photo) and it worked perfectly! :)

Btw, that's a cool picture - though shrunken down it seems a bit dark. I think it should have some color correction to take down the grayscale component in the background and increase the contrast - UCR is probably best for that.

That's a good feature. I wasn't aware of that. Maybe I'll get around to picking my own avatar one of these days... :lol:

[cassandrabandra]

That's very kind of you, but the forum software is set up to do that for you! :)

I remember testing this feature long ago - I actually uploaded a massive avatar that was 1.5mb in size (about 8" x 10" photo) and it worked perfectly! :)

Btw, that's a cool picture - though shrunken down it seems a bit dark. I think it should have some color correction to take down the grayscale component in the background and increase the contrast - UCR is probably best for that.


LOL - I'm not decided on the bird - he's a boy for starters .. and the female of the species are absolute trollops - not sure they fit my image! but I will consider over the next few days ....

[cassandrabandra]

I resized your bird to fit the avatar requirements

Thanks Zarquon ... I'm not very visually oriented so tend not to bother with looking at correcting/fixing images much ... and I'm also getting lazy about learning new things that I'm not so interested in, so I tend to "outsource" picture/tech things to my daughter ...

LOL - maybe I should just go with the bird anyway ...:)

[Michael]

Thanks Zarquon ... I'm not very visually oriented so tend not to bother with looking at correcting/fixing images much ... and I'm also getting lazy about learning new things that I'm not so interested in, so I tend to "outsource" picture/tech things to my daughter ...

LOL - maybe I should just go with the bird anyway ...:)

I've been known to assign avatars occasionally to some members without one just for fun!

You might not like my choice :D

(now where did I put that picture of Kermit the Frog smoking a joint?)

[The Drunk Girl]

(now where did I put that picture of Kermit the Frog smoking a joint?)

Not sure if you have heard this or not, but it was funny shit back in high school.

Big Bird and Kermit getting high (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxPaIea8GI)

[Michael]

Not sure if you have heard this or not, but it was funny shit back in high school.

Big Bird and Kermit getting high (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxPaIea8GI)

Well that explains where the picture of Kermit with a joint comes from! :lol:

[The Drunk Girl]

Well that explains where the picture of Kermit with a joint comes from! :lol:

"Did you just call me Kremit?"

(I did get a few chuckles listening to that again)

[Lily]

guess who??? dangit, it wont let me use my purty mermaid avatar. says something about the context.

anyhoo...ive been invited here by a couple of dear friends. i hope to get to know yall and i promise to try not to piss anyone off for at least 3 days.:p

Uhm... grandma? GRANDMA! Is that you?

[cassandrabandra]

I've been known to assign avatars occasionally to some members without one just for fun!

You might not like my choice :D

(now where did I put that picture of Kermit the Frog smoking a joint?)

nope. I don't like that.

I could be Cassandra of Troy



http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/cass/cassandra1.jpg

mind you, I'm not feeling particularly doomed at present.:)

actually, she and I have a couple of things in common. I get on well with snakes, too - but have never thought of taking up a career as a snake handler .

[Donkey]

Of Troy? I do believe that is a Cretian figurine.

[cassandrabandra]

Of Troy? I do believe that is a Cretian figurine.

oh well - forget cassandra - I want something that represents something to me - and I've figured out what I would really like to have. Its Antonelli de Messina's angel holding the dead christ. the angel only.

I saw this in the Prado and it is the painting that sticks most in my mind. the angel's distress I could really feel - and no print does it justice.

I feel like this angel sometimes, when I think of the way our world is.

Like the angel, I feel grief stricken, because I feel that the values of charity and compassion, which christ was supposed to exemplify, have been crucified, and they have virtually become dead to our world.

and as in the case of christ's crucifixion, I feel that the Empire (extreme capitalism, the religion of the modern world most evident in American hegemony around the globe) has killed the "Christ" - but my grief is not only over the death of compassion and charity, but over the fact that we all have played a role in killing this quality within our own cultures and societies - by subscribing to the God of materialism, and placing it higher than those qualities that showcase the best of what it means to be human.

http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/archives/kent_state_da-Messina.jpg

[Zarquon]

and as in the case of christ's crucifixion, I feel that the Empire (extreme capitalism, the religion of the modern world most evident in American hegemony around the globe) has killed the "Christ" - but my grief is not only over the death of compassion and charity, but over the fact that we all have played a role in killing this quality within our own cultures and societies - by subscribing to the God of materialism, and placing it higher than those qualities that showcase the best of what it means to be human.


I think consumerism might be more appropriate, cos what I know to be materialism(also called naturalism and its this original meaning that is often distorted and misused by spiritualists) is a completely different beast.
And there would be no progress without prosperity, no generosity without plenty, and no liberty without security of wealth .

[Michael]

In my opinion, no other term of philosophy suffers more confusion than "materialism".

It has several distinctly different meanings that are not entirely related to each other.

In the common sense of the term, it refers to material objects (consumerism), but in philosophy, materialism more often than not refers to the opposite of idealism (God in heaven is an ideal, a bleeding Jesus is material).

A similar material/ideal distinction also shows up with the question of identity (brain/soul) as well as the question of epistemology of knowledge and sensory perceptions.

[Evangeline]

Here's the angel cropped out for you Cass.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc27/anitamiracle/avatars/kent_state_da-Messina.jpg

[cassandrabandra]

Here's the angel cropped out for you Cass.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc27/anitamiracle/avatars/kent_state_da-Messina.jpg

I think that looks better than my attempt at cropping!

[cassandrabandra]

I think consumerism might be more appropriate, cos what I know to be materialism(also called naturalism and its this original meaning that is often distorted and misused by spiritualists) is a completely different beast.
And there would be no progress without prosperity, no generosity without plenty, and no liberty without security of wealth .

well yes ... It is CLOSER to consumerism, but its more than just consumerism ... its certainly not materialism in the philosophical sense, more common usage - but even then thats not the right word ... its an attitude about having, rather than being, an attitude about packaging rather than substance, an attitude about novelty rather than enduring quality ... combined with a kind of emotional blinkering (its not actually blindness).

wealth is good, prosperity and plenty are good - although in my experience some of the most generous are far from wealthy - but extreme acquisitiveness can drive us towards becoming one dimensional in how we relate to the world and others, just as any other doctrine or obsession can do.

[Zarquon]

wealth is good, prosperity and plenty are good - although in my experience some of the most generous are far from wealthy - but extreme acquisitiveness can drive us towards becoming one dimensional in how we relate to the world and others, just as any other doctrine or obsession can do.
My point was that material plenty is prerequisite for liberal values/freedoms, as in stressed situations(and originally as well) humans have been known to separate into small, tight-knit and xenophobic groups and that a certain 'conservatism' is our default disposition(without education and civilization that is).
And by extrapolation/implication that sustainable and inclusive economic growth is a necessary goal for the developing world, which would otherwise continue to be a hotbed of extremism, instability, war and riddled with authoritarianism(As an example I would assert that PRC is more freer and just now than it has ever been in its history, and that is possible only due to pursuit of material wealth, environmental consequences notwithstanding, and it could be freer in the future as a more educated and globally aware citizenry expect more of the CPC).

[cassandrabandra]

My point was that material plenty is prerequisite for liberal values/freedoms, as in stressed situations(and originally as well) humans have been known to separate into small, tight-knit and xenophobic groups and that a certain 'conservatism' is our default disposition(without education and civilization that is).

hmmm - so whats happened in the US? the richest country on the planet?

sorry ... no I agree with you - the values of the enlightenment were in part a product of economic development/improvement, and in other ways a contributor.

those values are being lost - and I'm not sure if thats because human beings really don't care as long as there is something glittering and shiny to look at ... or because we never had them ...

probably both. as an ideal they sound good, but only if they don't hurt our wallets.

And by extrapolation/implication that sustainable and inclusive economic growth is a necessary goal for the developing world, which would otherwise continue to be a hotbed of extremism, instability, war and riddled with authoritarianism(As an example I would assert that PRC is more freer and just now than it has ever been in its history, and that is possible only due to pursuit of material wealth, environmental consequences notwithstanding, and it could be freer in the future as a more educated and globally aware citizenry expect more of the CPC).

agree - but PRC strangely enough is also still very authoritarian, and collectivist in orientation. I am not always so certain when discussions of freedom come in that we have a common understanding of what freedom is, and what it really means.

[Michael]

- although in my experience some of the most generous are far from wealthy -
I don't think what you are seeing there is "generosity" per se.

Newfie culture is quite illustrative of this. Newfoundland is a poor place (no soil for farming and no resources except fishing) so it has a long history of being poor. Thus, there is a culture of 'sharing' that functions there - anyone who has 'extra' stuff, always shares it (so they can share later). In that type of economic environment, it makes sense to spend your last $100 on sharing stuff with friends rather than trying to save that money for a rainy day (since in Newfoundland, every day is a rainy day). With collective misery, collective sharing is good policy rather than individual saving in order to cope with that misery of poverty.

One can also see this in the big cities with street beggers. Just watch who gives the beggers money - you will be surprised to see that obviously poor people are big contributors to street beggers.

I don't think what is being described here is "generosity" per se - seems more like prudence or altruistic investing to me.

[cassandrabandra]

I don't think what you are seeing there is "generosity" per se.

Newfie culture is quite illustrative of this. Newfoundland is a poor place (no soil for farming and no resources except fishing) so it has a long history of being poor. Thus, there is a culture of 'sharing' that functions there - anyone who has 'extra' stuff, always shares it (so they can share later). In that type of economic environment, it makes sense to spend your last $100 on sharing stuff with friends rather than trying to save that money for a rainy day (since in Newfoundland, every day is a rainy day). With collective misery, collective sharing is good policy rather than individual saving in order to cope with that misery of poverty.

One can also see this in the big cities with street beggers. Just watch who gives the beggers money - you will be surprised to see that obviously poor people are big contributors to street beggers.

I don't think what is being described here is "generosity" per se - seems more like prudence or altruistic investing to me.

interesting - I was going to say with "altruistic investing" you need to have a sense of community - but in the case of poorer people contributing more to help beggars in a big city - it doesn't quite work.

[evanescence]

Altruism simply doesn't exist. I wish it did..but it doesn't. Everything an individual does it for the individual's benefit. Even the most profoundly deep and loving relationships are not altruistic. People who give to charity get tax write offs, they get a warm fuzzy feeling, or publicity. Or they get something in return. There is no "something for nothing" in this universe.

[Michael]

interesting - I was going to say with "altruistic investing" you need to have a sense of community - but in the case of poorer people contributing more to help beggars in a big city - it doesn't quite work.
But poor people in a big city are in fact a small community unto themselves. More often than not, poverty is personal, not situational. Hence, they have a mutual class interest with a stable membership (just like the Newfie example I gave above).

[Donkey]

Altruism simply doesn't exist. I wish it did..but it doesn't. Everything an individual does it for the individual's benefit. Even the most profoundly deep and loving relationships are not altruistic. People who give to charity get tax write offs, they get a warm fuzzy feeling, or publicity. Or they get something in return. There is no "something for nothing" in this universe.
I think this argument is a pseudo-philosophical excuse to be an asshole. The next logical, often implicit (though I don't know if that's where you are heading, and I won't assume) step is that since everything is selfish, being kind and generous is not morally favourable to say cheating, stealing and abusing your way into wealth/power/pleasure.

[Michael]

I'm going to create a thread for a discussion of altruism. Clearly the issue is of interest to many people here and hiding such a discussion up here in someone's introduction thread makes no sense! :)

[evanescence]

I think this argument is a pseudo-philosophical excuse to be an asshole. The next logical, often implicit (though I don't know if that's where you are heading, and I won't assume) step is that since everything is selfish, being kind and generous is not morally favourable to say cheating, stealing and abusing your way into wealth/power/pleasure.

No. It's not. I don't think that cheating and stealing is favoritable in the least. In fact, I wish that things were different. But they're not. Everyday, i hope someone proves me wrong. But practically everytime I do "what's right", I get taken advantage of by other people. Friends are often liabilities..and back stabbers. Relationships? ha! Even family is unreliable. I suppose it's just personal experience. But then I read the news. People exploiting others. People abusing their children. People cheating on their spouses. Then FINALLY I get some good news, but upon examining the person's motives for whatever good act they did, I find selfishness in that, as well. Altruism just doesn't exist.

[justonemorevoice]

I've been known to assign avatars occasionally to some members without one just for fun!

You might not like my choice :D

(now where did I put that picture of Kermit the Frog smoking a joint?)
when i was a mod, id go in and change taglines. :sneaky:

[evanescence]

when i was a mod, id go in and change taglines. :sneaky:

That's funny..sounds like something I'd do for laughs. :lol:

[Michael]

when i was a mod, id go in and change taglines. :sneaky:

That's funny..sounds like something I'd do for laughs. :lol:

Where do you think Donkey's "Official Forum Mascot" tag-line came from? :D :angel:

[Donkey]

Where do you think Donkey's "Official Forum Mascot" tag-line came from? :D :angel:
:eek:

;)

[evanescence]

:lol::lol: