hahaha this is def a way to get as many comments as possible
oh boy...
Which basically means this post will forever be commented on. I lose, too, but I find this hilarious.
Last post wins is one of my favorite games. Aside from that other one. You know, the one you just lost.
Wins what?
ohh that is a freaking brilliant idea...
Wow, that's really clever, Dan...good job!
Nobody'll ever win =), unless you delete your profile, erase the blog, or Xanga shuts down forever.
I'm winning!
lmao
This reminds me of "the song that never ends."
I predict this is the post where you'll have the least recs and stars so other people won't find it.
loser = me
I wish I would have thought of this one......
you're trying to beat your record and i think you can do it!
Is there a time limit?
Oh well, only 10 minutes into this thing... I guess I lose.
But...what do we win?
no one's ever going to stop
There is no end though...
Then we can all be winners for a short period of time! I like it!
Trying to get the most comments, are you?
the game; the butler did it with a kitchen knife and placed the body in the library !
this is like the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friends...
touche :] post.
Clever way to get people to participate in your "most comments" record. I declined to participate in the contest, but this one...
Well. For the next five minutes, I win.
Edit: Minutes? I suppose I meant seconds.
Wins what? ... Dan, you are a sick man playing a dirty game of chess. And for some reason I want to be The Black Knight in this game.
-CrazyKey23
@CrazyKey123 - Which one, there's two black knights in chess. :-p
when does the game end?
@destroyERIKreator - The other Black Knight will be taken out by the King. (The King being Dan.)
Are you so bored you're making up games?
How long do we have? We need limits, Dan.
Hmmmm...
How much wood can a woodchuk chuck?
...it'd been too long since you got another one. This really is brilliant, I'm jealous you thought of it first. Granted if I did it the first person to comment would probably win..I don't get the hit volume that you do. (I'm lucky to average 10) even though I personally think my stuff is introspective and important.
It will never end.
I used to get referrals from comments I made on your blog last year.
Notice that I have cut way back on the sexual innuendos. It draws weirdos.
wat is the prize
Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was. And they'll just keep on singing it forever just because...
OH
YOU ATTENTION WHORE. YOU!
LOL i win!
lmao
I new person wins every post. YAY
Thanks a lot. I just lost the game.
Both games, actually. Curses! D<
uhmm, i say there is no such thing as end until the day you die, dan. then, it will be the end of your post. so are you dying??
Yeah, you should put a time limit, otherwise people will still be commenting a year from now.
comment whore.
You are a sly, sly man.
this is infinity
=)
I'll wait until your next post... oh...too soon...ugh
This is an interesting game...what do we win? Lol!
This is nonsensical. There can always be more.
what do they win?
.....
RIGHT NOW... I'm winning! ...but probably not for long.
I win. Wait, I probably lose too...
I could message you the address to send my winnings... of course I'm an optimist.
can anyone truly "win" at this game?
What do we win?
Last comment until you blog again?
Last comment... ever?
What do we win??????
oh no, now i'm loosing. SAD FACE!! wait, i'm winning again!!!
wins what?
such an vague game.... where are the rules? lol
AHH
no end in sight.
I lost? Drats.
I was last, therefore Dan must love me more?
IM THE MAN
really?
Imma gonna try again.
I WIN!!!
How do you determine? The next time you check!? End of day?
x0x MK
I'm currently winning!
did i win yet?
valid point, what is exactly are we trying to win??
wins what?!
so is there a time limit?
and if I win can I get cookies?
well... is there a deadline? when does the "game" end?
What does the winner get?
can i win?!
This is pretty clever, I must say. But how will you know who wins?
Dan is this another lame attempt to reach 10,000 comments?
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
comment
do i win yet?
meet the winner !
ok how about now?
ooh you should have a game where you see how many comments you get from the SAME PERSON!
I have claimed LAST COMMENT!
Any comment after mine is void and does not count!
If you'd like to challenge my claim to LAST COMMENT, please write to your local congressman about the situation. Allow 8-12 weeks for your request to be processed and do not expect an immediate response.
>_>
i hope i win
I win, until later!!
oops, I just lost the other game
every day devices... Have you seen Clue the musical?
i just lost the game.
did I win yet?
I give up = (
And Tom takes the lead!
Are you getting desperate for comments? lol
Oh, that I be last! (Disable your comments now, Dan!)
This will prove that eternity exists because it will never end but keep on going and going and going.........................................................................
You may reach 2,000 comments with this one.
Win What!?
This makes me laugh!
I LOSE.
woooooo!!
Right, so who's most competitive, here?
I'm just posting this before I go to bed. Matt did this game once and I won that time... I doubt I'll do so well this time. Haha.
... ok... let this go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...
Did I win?
nope
It might take a while...
You will need to set a time limit. And what do we win? The "Stupidity prize"?
What a mean game. lol
I win!
I wonder who will win?
*
????????
what's the point?! hahaha...you have the ability to post a reply at any point AND there's no deadline...this could last forever!
Did I win? hahaa
Noes
Oh, that would be me (at least until the next comment). What's my prize?
I don't know know about winning this game, but I just lost The Game.
is there a time limit?
I just lost the game.
<==== Last comment on this post.
Ok, I'll try once more.
haha, you lose!
Wins what?
pick me pick me pick me
Morning!
Wins what? Premium?
*sets up a tent*
i want to play =]
Is there a prize? or are we to find satisfaction in knowing we've won.. ??
The game where you comment about the person above you was more fun
awsomness
What's the prize?
I'm winning.
Are we allowed to come back and re-comment?
Is this another way of getting a lot of people to comment on your post?
but when is "last?" I could bookmark this post and come back to it in a month. Would I win then?
Holy cow, this is getting you a lot of comments!
Am I winning?
I wonder for how long I'll be in the lead.
am i still in the game?
Hmm.
I never win.
prob gonna lose haha
me, me, me, win!
NOW, do i win?
okay.
Hi!
This is ridiculous, because you'll never be able to call the end of this "game" and decide the winner because someone COULD always make another comment at any time unless you lock it, or unless Xanga crashes for good or the world ends, whichever comes first.
I win (temporarily)
I suppose I will contribute to the madness.
k
if you know about the game you're playing the game. if you think about the game you lose the game. if you lose the game you must announce that you have lost the game. therefore everyone around you loses too.
this is almost as amusing as that game.
What a comment whore you are. And you just made me a loser.
do I win?
nope
boo!
I lose?
I'm in the lead!
is it even possible to have a winner?
whens the game close?
What do I win?
Then again, someone will always feel like a winner...so it's cool. The feeling of winning is great! Even tho it was brief!
This is why I never win
whats the winning prize?
...
Hahahaha...nice. Need to remind myself to come back and see what comes of this.
why am i participating?
ok
I'm not even getting two credits for this comment.
Wins that?
when is this overrr?
VISIT MY PROFILE PLEASE IM NEW! [Im Entering]
So just what is the prize?
Third times the charm....
Im Winning ATM But Someone Else Will Comment After Me Then They Win!
I'm currently winning..lol
I can't believe this is still going
i win
I win.
wins what?
LAST! HA-HA!
Last for a whole three minutes.
last..... too late? oh well... i'm last!!
so now we all wait for it to stop...... if that ever comes.
did i win?
I'm winning, for the moment.
no, i'm winning!
heh
Haha.
XD
Won'd.
it's not me...couldn't be
i hope the prize is a high-five, because that would be worth commenting this post over and over again for 75 years.
so who won this last comment? and wins what?
Pretty cool. We all are winners, if only for a short time.
And now I have won - Dan you may take this down and declare me the victor - or risk getting coal in your stocking
[:
I'm Last
what?
This reminds me, did you ever reach the number of comments on your other comment gathering post?
Noah FTW.
ahahhahaha
Great concept.... I always love reading you.
Dammit, everyone else, stop posting!
might as well throw my chips into the mix, right?
Is this just a cheap way to get more points for minis and giving people premium?
Only 1 eProp for you Dan.
Nope, I win.
thats different now everyones going to go around saying last
Welcome to the impossible game to win...
What, no time limit?
Temporary winning!
posting here has become so addicting!
lala
I've been winning for 17 minutes.
20 minutes.
Huzzah! My month of exile was not in vain!
Too bad so sad.
comment...
other comment...
i wanna be a winner for a little while
times up
-adieu, stace
i win...if only for a moment
yup only for a moment
-adieu, stace
Haha!
Winning.
Why am I the only one really trying to debate things on the "Christian erotica" post? It's usually the other way around. Everyone else usually debates and argues and stuff while I stay out of it all.
"It's inappropriate" isn't a good argument. "Sure why not" is too easy. Is it SINFUL or not??? I don't know, and that's driving me nuts.
sneak attack!
hi
Okay.
damn, you people are persistant! just give up! hehe
I'm winning now.
NO.
NO I WIN.
Winning for 40 minutes. Heh.
55 minutes.
Oh nice. I THINK I WIN DAN.
No. You lose.
And I continue to win!
Victory is mine!
Comment.
I win
Still in the lead...
I win again
Is anyone else pathetic enough to come back and leave a comment on this one? ;-D
On the bright side I saw a lot of your posts thaqt I've missed in the last day!
Yup... I see that there are several other poor pathetic souls on tonight! lol
You know Dan... I think this could go on for YEARS... =D
Hah.
You guys freakin' wish.
comment
Clever Dan...
When I was on a forum someone set up on a thread like this, the admin finally locked and removed it.
I lose.
Not as clever as I.
WIN
Some of us are more stubborn than others.
@ThePhilsBlogBar - That's why Xanga is more fun than anything else on the web. The Xanga Team never chides us all for doing something like this.
slick but not slick enough... i win!
-adieu, stace
NOPE!
err yeah
-adieu, stace
LOL, is there a prize for "winning" this "game?" XD
No, but I'll win it anyway.
I'm writing an experimental piece of expressionism. I love expressionism. Expressionistic writing never took off the way expressionistic painting did, but that's because it's darn hard to write. But I think it's worth a go.
Good luck.
heyyyyyyy
-chirps-
-adieu, stace
What, are you a cricket?
I'm back.
I waited to comment on this until I could at least win for a few hours maybe.
The few. The proud. The stubborn.
The Marines?
Last comment, I wins!
Haha people are still commenting this.
Ha
yo
-adieu, stace
IS the end in sight?
what is the point of this? There can never be a last comment...well, not a permanent one
@magicalmusicgirl - unless he disables comments at a certain time....or puts it to privet.
A day will come when this game goes out of the minds of all who once loved it.
Save me.
save yourself
-adieu, stace
380, oh look at me, how original!
Last comment on this post wins...the I'm the biggest loser on all da web award.
You all ride the FAILboat. How does that gingerFAIL taste?
I haven't been here for a while.
Don't even start with me.
I came back just to comment and see if I am last but I thnk someone comment after me.
This game is impossible!
Nah, I'll win it.
This is the game that doesn't end...
True that
Really?
No, not really.
Comment.
That was lame.
So how long until a winner is declared.
Don't make me destroy you.
almost forgot about the post... had an awesome weekend...
i wish i could say the same for you guys..-adieu, stace
My weekend was pretty awesome.
Don't judge me!
When you say "don't judge me", it's like an invitation to judge you. People know you have something of which you should be ashamed.
Oh yes, many things.
Sorry, go ahead, judge me.
indeed i will
-adieu, stace
Thanks much.
Sorry, I'm winning.
Sorry, you're losing.
I can comment longer than you. I have a boring job.
I'm in college.
student as well
-adieu, stace
Down to the three of us, then?
and then there were 3
-adieu, stace
Yes indeed.
Welcome to Xanga! We hope you enjoy our community; it's really fun!
...Wait, this isn't the Welcome Wagon. Where am I?
This job is a test. If this had been a real job I would have been promoted and had a raise by now. This is only a test.
... well.. okay....
-adieu, stace
LAST!
::mimics::
LAST-adieu, stace
Blast.
Wait, why are we still doing this?
Apparently I have no life.
Life is making a comment...
Or an impact.
come oooooon guys.. don't you think it's courteous to let the girl win?
-adieu, stace
Nah.
-Adieu, Noah
don't make me play the race card
-adieu, stace
Naw, just the comment card.
I'm great with the comment card.
i thought i commented here last night
oh wells-adieu, stace
wins what?
Wins 1 MILLION DOLLARS!
I want one million dollars.
back off it belongs to me
-adieu, stace
Fine, take it. I just want the last comment.
Will this comment game ever be over?
i have come to believe you guys are racist and sexist...
it's cuz i'm black isn't it!you guys just can't let me win-adieu, stace
I can comment ad infinitum.
Me too, so long as I have an Internet connection.
Is it over yet?
Not even close.
This reminds me of the stuff that goes on around Facebook. You know, in the bigger Facebook groups?
Xanga pwns Facebook.
Shouldn't you be studying?
Facebook> Myspace>Xanga
sorry to say-adieu, stace
Then get off Xanga.
yeah whateverrrrrr
-adieu, stace
You're just not devoted, that's all.
riiiiight i'm supposed to pledge my allegiance to xanga now?
blasphemy-adieu, stace
I'm going to comment here every day, forever. You might as well give up.
Good luck to you.
b r i n g i t
-adieu, stace
O . K .
Hump? What hump?
????? stupid -adieu, stace
Yes, beg your pardon?
brooklyn's where it's at, yo?
-adieu, stace
Frau Blücher!
you on that next isssh, aren't you...
-adieu, stace
Losers.
I would not say such things if I were you!
So if you were him, what would you say?
nah nah man you can't just be coming into the game like dat... we in da middle of som'ing, k
back up out of here. De tree of us gots un finished bid'ness-adieu, stace
Yeah, really. You can't just jump into the middle of a three person game of stubbornness.
now back to our game after we were so rudely interrupted....
-adieu, stace
You don't realize this is a one person (me) game. You all need to just give up now.
Nahhhhhh...
who are you fooling?
-adieu, stace
I'm not just jumping in. I used to be fullmetalbunny. See the old profile pic?
I've been commenting here for ages. See no reason to stop now. :]
I can't wait for the comments to beat out the eProps.
Why should that matter?
you're a nerd for noticing that.. by the way lol
-adieu, stace
I'm AWESOME for noticing that.
Like we aren't all nerds for doing this thing for so long anyway?
Dan's lost all respect for us.
Hey, I was home free for two days until you ruined my streak.
And yeah, I'm quite sure Dan thinks we're idiots.
nah.. we're just twisted up in his twisted game.... he has us just where you wants us...-adieu, stace
still going on, eh??
It'll never stop. Although, I do seem to keep winning in increments of two days...
Now, it's only two hours bubba.
i think Dan is trying to tell us to appreciate our life and what we have..
Actually i think he's the guy in SAW...-adieu, stace
I appreciate my life. I appreciate what I have. I also appreciate victory.
And who doesn't?
-burps-
-adieu, stace
Excuse you!
that you for excusing me
-adieu, stace
This is never going to end is it?
Don't count on it.
nopers
-adieu, stace
So, how was Monday?
meh. It was Monday...
tuesday was worse
-adieu, stace
I'm not sure how my Wednesday will be quite yet.
French test today. Boo.
This is an exciting Wednesday for me. I'm hosting a bible study for Singles at my house tonight.
Sounds like a fun time! How did it go?
It seemed to go well. Everyone learned a lot and I got them to all participate.
That's all you can ask for.
Wow, things are changing. I'm starting to get calls from various people for prayer and help. I don't know what happened, but it seems I'm being thrust into a (minor) leadership position. All I was trying to do was step up and help where I saw a need.
Thursday I had a lame dinner party.. friday i watched Wall-E against my will.. but it's actually an awesome movie
-adieu, stace
So I've heard.
I've had a very interesting epiphany. Last week I did a major house cleaning preparing to host a bible group in my house. Now that my house is presentable, I've been able to have guests over for one-on-one studies and just to show hospitality. By stepping out to do something for God, I'm now more able to do things for God.
.... i see
-adieu, stace
I've been cleaning up my life. I feel so grateful to God for what he did for me, that I want to reciprocate. Titus 3: 3-7 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
right on
-adieu, stace
True dat.
I beat the eProp count.
"The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing." Proverbs 10:28
Do you think righteous people are happier?
they think they are
-adieu, stace
yay i've been winning for a few days
-adieu, stace
Not anymore.
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
'The fact of evolution is the backbone of biology, and biology is thus in the peculiar position of being a science founded on an unproved theory..is it then a science or a faith? Belief in the theory of evolution is thus exactly parallel to belief in special creation..both are concepts which believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been capable of proof' (The Foreword to the 1971 edition of Darwin's "Origin of the Species". Harrison L. Matthews. p. x)
Which position takes more faith to believe; creation or evolution?
..
-adieu, stace
I see the two sides of the issue as, faith that some being created the complexity of the universe with an intelligent plan; or, faith that the complexity of the universe just happened by chance.
I think my position is this. Just as a watch implies a watchmaker, the complexity of the universe, right down to the sub-atomic level, implies a creator.
that's nice...
-adieu, stae
OK, I like nice. But, what is your opinion on my question?
Yeah, answer the question.
You too Chichton. As long as all three of us keep posting here, we can at least have useful discussions.
It's Crichton. Like the recently deceased author, Michael Crichton.
Sorry, my typing/spelling skills are fading with age.
..i agree?
-adieu, stace
Haha. This is getting ridiculous.
Well, you don't have to keep it going if you don't want to...
I'm good, thanks.
So, how was your day?
It's been pretty fair, but it's not quite over yet. And yours?
It's been a hell week. I've fixed around 700 web pages this week alone.
Oof. Well, TGIF, right?
I think Friday is going to end early for me. I'm heading home sick...
i just got over my own cold...
happy friday!-adieu, stace
I've been feeling a bit under the weather, but that might have been from lack of sleep.
What is this "sleep" that you speak of?
I haven't been familiar for quite a while. Naps are my friend, though.
I need a vacation.
I think we all could use one. Will we get one, though?
i'll admit i forgot about this for a few
can't wait until 2009... 2008 went by so fast...-adieu, stace
Eh. Yeah, 2008 can leave.
i just hope it ends on a good note... my newyears always suck
-adieu, stace
I just hope I can survive until 2012.
Why? Because 2012 is the resetting of the Mayan calendar?
woooot 2010!
-adieu, stace
Because that's when my kids graduate from college. The end to the bills is in sight!
Funny... your kids and I are the same age.
They just turned 19.
i'm turning 20.....
wooot 2010!-adieu, stace
and ewww you're a 1990s baby... people born in the 90s freak me out.... kids born in the 2k make me feel ESPECIALLY old
-adieu, stace
-crickets-
I believe this forum has diedI WIN!-adieu, stace
OMG, this month has been hell. We are almost ready for tax season to begin. Check out all my hard work. http://www.completetax.com
No, finals are just a bitch.
this month has been paradise...
have the boyfriend, the best friend, my birthday is coming up, i've gotten not a single grade below an A+ awesomeness-adieu, stace
Two down, two left.
We are so close to the end of this project, I can taste it. Soon, I'll be able to keep posting every day again.
Ahh, break... How nice.
i still await my 4 finals...
-adieu, stace
My son's finals are over and he is home.
Really, Stace? You don't have your finals before Christmas break?
i have 2 finals today and 2 tomorrow (Tuesday) just in time for Christmas Eve and Christmas.
it's terrible lol-adieu, stace
just finished them... wooooot
-adieu, stace
Happy Christmas Eve!
And now, happy Christmas!
Groovy Boxing Day!
Indeed. Or the second day of the 12 days of Christmas.
wooooot
-adieu, stace
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, snort, huh? Oh, Comment!
Heh.
2009 is here and may God have mercy on our souls.
Hear, hear.
Goodbye 2008, good riddance.
You've got that right.
I'm still at work. No holidays for programmers!
Ooh. What's your favorite language?
Don't really have a favorite, but I use HTML, XHTML, JavaScript and VBscript-ASP every day. Some Actionscript and Jscript once in a while. I miss real programming from college, Gnu C, and LISP were my favorites back then.
-adieu, stace
Wow, no comment?
had nothing of interest to say
-adieu, stace
I can understand that.
Can't wait to get out of New York... it's freezing over here. I'm going to Florida next week. Any break plans?
adieu, stace
1. No conclusion of peace shall be considered valid as such if it was made with a secret reservation of the material for a future war.
2. No independently existing state, whether it be large or small, may be acquired by another state by inheritance, exchange, purchase or gift.
3. Standing armies will gradually be abolished altogether.
4. No national debt shall be contracted in connection with the external affairs of the state.
5. No state shall forcibly interfere in the constitution and government of another state.
6. No state at war with another shall permit such acts of hostility as would make mutual confidence impossible during a future time of peace. Such acts would include the employment of assassins or poisoners, breach of agreements, the instigation of treason within the enemy state, etc.
League of Nations?
Close. Immanuel Kant's six preliminary articles that must be abided by if there is to be perpetual peace.
Hmm, sounds like "Love your neighbor as yourself."
A little more complex, but yeah.
CompleteTax (where I work) is open for business!
If you need to do your taxes, use one of my links and I'll donate $5 to the indicated charity for each paid return. (make sure you get the whole link)
I'd be game for the high school instrumental music one.
Then click on it and start your tax return.
I'll get there.
Happy inauguration day!
<- doesn't have taxes aahhh i'm back from my vacation... back to the cold.. brrrr -adieu, stace
Now that I think about it, my student work isn't taxed. Never mind!
If your employer withheld any taxes, you should file to get a refund.
No, it's through the college. We're all good.
Work study, although part of your financial aid, may be taxable. I wouldn't hurt to input your return and then if you don't need to file, you don't have to pay.
Scholarship or fellowship grants are excludable from income if you are a degree candidate, and the amounts received are for tuition, fees, books, supplies, or equipment required for courses. Room and board do not qualify. If you receive payments for services, they must be included in your taxable income even if such services are required of all candidates for the degree.
Veterans' Administration payments are not taxable. Qualified tuition reduction for undergraduates, or tuition waivers or reductions for graduate students engaged in teaching or research activities, are not taxable.
If you received taxable money under a grant, you must report it on Line 7 of your 1040 form, whether or not it was reported on a W-2 form.
I see.
You might as well get back any of your money that was withheld over the year.
Yeah, I'll see.
i need a job... life in nyc is tough....
-adieu, stace
Not going to be many jobs for the next few years. The Obama Depression has begun.
"Obama Depression"? I beg your pardon?
Think about history. When was the last time the US elected an socialist leaning Democrat during a serious ecconomic down-turn? I believe they called it the Great Depression. If he tries to be Roosevelt, he will make the same mistakes Rossevelt did which turned a recession into the worst depression in history (so far).
ugh nyc transit fares are going to go up.. looks like i'll DEFINITELY be walking to school now...
-adieu, stace
Prices going up, wages going down, debt never goes away. Yup, a depression is here.
so what shows do you guys watch? i'm a big fan of Degrassi, 90210 and Gossip Girl => The only shows i watch
-adieu, stace
Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures, Chuck, and Psych.
i've never heard of any of those
-adieu, stace
Doctor Who is good. I watch BSG, House, Heroes, and Scrubs.
I love the british sci-fi. Red Dwarf is another gem. It's no longer being produced, but I watch the recordings over and over.
Farscape is even better.
I liked Farscape at the beginning, but it jumped the shark when the plots started to be about his relationship with his father.
I don't recall the series turning that direction. There was one episode of him and his father (who turned out to be an alien), and then another one is "Won't Get Fooled Again" (which is a GREAT episode) with Jack Crichton. But that's it in the first two seasons.
The early episodes had a great over arching story. John trying to find a way home while being chased by an angry military leader. Later there was a new bad guy and the old bad guy changed sides. The story became more about John falling in love with the alien girl and the mystery of his father the alien and trying to find the jump technology and keep it away from the bad guy.
That alien wasn't his father, though. He was an Ancient who just took on the guise of his father as to better communicate with John. I though Scorpius made an excellent villain later on, and his continuing love story with Aeryn was actually refreshing to see in a show, because they considered more complications than a typical television series would. And the wormhole technology actually gave the last half of season three, season four and PK Wars a lot of drive, and a lot to work with.
Doctor Who is a much better show. I could go on and on about it.
Please do.
In a little while, I'm still waking up.
O.K.
First of all, it's a very long running show that has stayed internally consistent. By that I mean, the stories have built a fictional world and they all fit into it. There are no weird episodes that change the rules or contradict the "history" from previous episodes. That is rare in television today and very difficult to achieve for a show that has been in production since 1963!
Yes, it has been a very long-lived show.
The wonderful thing I'm trying to explain is that you could pick up a DVD of any episode from the last 30 years and it would make sense based on any other episode you have seen.
Besides, what better hero can you get than a non-violent 900+ year old alien who somehow manages to defeat the bad guys every time. He almost always manages to warn the bad guys that he will stop them if they don't stop being bad.
...
-adieu, stace
Your signature seems unnecessary, especially when you're just typing an ellipsis.
No, I don't disagree. I think Doctor Who is a fantastic show. I've particularly enjoyed the tenth Doctor.
Oh yes! David Tennent really has recaptured the feel of the other popular Doctor, the fourth, Tom Baker.
I'm only so familiar with the show as its revival on Sci Fi channel these past few years. What seasons/doctors would you recommend I watch if I wanted to see more of the older episodes? Anything with Daleks would be awesome, too.
"Genisis of the Daleks" (#78 I think) is probably the best Dalek episode. It will also explain several things that happened in the new series. I don't know if you have seen all the new episodes or are still behind, so I won't say WHAT it will explain, except maybe who started the time war.
In fact, just watch the entire 1975 season. That will give you an excellent background to what is going on in the new show. The season features(in order): U.N.I.T.in Robot, humans and earth in the VERY far future in The Ark in Space, Sontarans in The Sontaran Experiment, Daleks in Genisis of the Daleks, Cybermen in Revenge of the Cybermen, and finally U.N.I.T again inTerror of the Zygons featuring the Loc Ness Monster!
I'll check them out! Thank you!
I do like David Tennant as the Doctor, but Tom Baker is still my favorite.
Who did they get to play the 11th Doctor?
Ha ha! I knew there was a reason I like the 1975 season so much. I just found that 1975 was the first award winning season. "1975 - Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Writing in a Children's Serial"
Maybe too young to be believable as a 900 year old Time Lord.
Well, we'll see.
Agreed. Too late to do anything about it now.
It seems to me as if we have won.
I wonder if Dan has checked this thread in a while. Yoo Hoo, Dan!
oh so you think you've won
i just have nothing to say about your ridiculous show... -adieu, stace
Back from the dead? Yikes, It's a zombie! Quick, cut her head off.
If only.
Oh, let's be nice.
i was stupid to initiate conversation about tv shows with a couple of guys
yes "I'm back", tell a friend -adieu, stace
You should give Doctor Who a try. There is a lot of "girly" stuff in the new shows too.
Wow, did you see the series finale of Battlestar Galactica? Absolutely amazing.
Not yet, I'm a couple of shows behind. I'll catch up this week.
i win!
Enjoy Holy Week-adieu, stace
Hey, no waiting 3 weeks then declaring victory. I'm still here, every day.
Still winning
No longer!
This can go on for a long time.
Indeed, it is so.
But I have no life, so I will win.
I agree with the first, but not the second of those statements.
No, really. I have nothing better to do than sit here and refresh this page. Give up now.
Never!
You have to die someday, I will still be here. LOL
If I recall, you're older.
I plan to live forever, or die trying.
Good luck.
You have to graduate sometime.
Not from the Internet.
Saw the new Start Trek last night. They explained why things changed, but I hope they don't continue with the changed story line.
Haven't seen it yet, but I heard it was amazing.
It's a fun movie if you can take it as a stand alone story. It doesn't fit into the Star Trek universe.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55: 10-11
I've seen it. It redefines the Star Trek universe, and rather well, too.
Yep.
It didn't need to be redefined
No, but now they have artistic license to do with the universe what they will.
there you guys go talking about your uninteresting things....
school's out! time to do my traveling. Just got back from the lovely Canada. You'll see me periodically -adieu, stace
If you have nothing substantive to contribute, don't comment.
I have substance!
I'll agree with you there.
I've just lost about 130 pounds of substance. Still need to lose 120 more.
Good luck.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Romans 6:1
Good quote.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:5-7
Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
Now you're just getting lazy.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-9
"If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." -Anatole France
When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:21-25
If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity. Deuteronomy 25:11-12
"That's not cool Butters, you don't shoot a guy in the dick. You don't shoot a guy in the dick; everyone knows that! Shooting a guy in the dick; that's just weak!" - Eric Cartman
i really needed to read those bible quotes...
-adieu, stace
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you. Leviticus 11:10
Does that mean no shellfish/lobster?
Nice South Park quote, by the way!
Yes. By old testament law, shellfish, clams, lobster, shrimp, etc. are all on the forbidden list, i.e. not kosher.
However: "Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."" Acts 10:13-15
Touché.
BRB, goin' to New York.
Have fun in the big apple.
Back.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5-7
Amen~
-adieu, stace
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14
We've almost been going at this a whole year. 11 months on the 26th.
Woo. Comment 700.
OK, you posted number 700. You can stop now.
Hah, right.
See? You went to 702. Now you spoiled it.
Oh, that's too bad!
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
I shall consider this.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Is this your way of telling me to give up now?
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
"Even now," declares the LORD,"return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your HEART and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Theodor Seuss Geisel
Let the wicked forsake his wayand the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9
"Democracy means that anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president." -Johnny Carson
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.- Ronald Reagan
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." -Albert Einstein
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. - Proverbs 1:7
Capitalization is the difference between, "I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse..." and, "I had to help my uncle jack off a horse..."
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
"A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory." -Steven Wright
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26
"I hate television. I hate it as much as I hate peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts." -Orson Welles
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
I'm sensing a theme here.
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little." -George Carlin
The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
What, no source?
The last three are from Proverbs, chapter 12.
How about some song lyrics for you.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Dude, the Byrds are awesome.
I like their lyricist!
Haha, I have a feeling he may have borrowed those lyrics from somewhere...
From the bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Been a whole year now. Wow. What troopers are we?
Maybe Dan could declare a tie and we could have lives again.
I think we'd both really appreciate that.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
"The intermediate stage between socialism and capitalism is alcoholism." -Norman Brenner
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”- Psalm 143:10
"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." -Steve Jobs
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. - Ronald Reagan
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -W.C. Fields
There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. Robert A. Heinlein
hehhe I like to check up on you guys every once in a while
-adieu, stace
"bad is never good until worse happens"
-adieu, stace
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. "- Ronald Reagan
"There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America." -Bill Clinton
There are no easy answers but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. - Ronald Reagan
"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress." -Barack Obama
Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith. Stephen S. Wise
"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." -Robert Frost
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that though, and you're pretty much doomed." -Larry Kersten
Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never. -adieu, stace
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. -
Carl W. Buechner
I just saw Karl Rove speak at my school. Gross.
What's gross about him? Did he have a booger hanging out of his nose or do you just not like his politics?
It was a booger the size of Iraq.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Oh, we can't have a legitimate conversation?
Sure, what about?
Do you watch House?
I've seen one or two episodes, but I'm not a fan of House. It's just too unrealistic. (and that's saying something from a Sci-Fi fan)
Are you a follower of Obama? Maybe you can tell me what he did in the first 12 days in office that got him nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
That was so 9 days ago. Are you still hung up on that?
lol leave the man with his Nobel Peace Prize.. he'll make up for it in the future Any of you guys watch Gossip girl , 90210 or Degrassi? -adieu, stace
Nope, no girl shows for me. Actually, no shows for me period. Because of the Obama-worsened economy, I can't afford cable any more. I have to watch my shows the old fashioned way, download them from the internet.
Don't complain. I'm in college, and have no cable, so it's the Internet for me, too.
My condolances. There may not be a job waiting when you graduate in the Obama world. The new spin in the press is that 10% unemployment is the new normal.
I think I'll be okay, because I have faith in the ability of my president.
I, unfortunately, have faith in the ability of Socialism to fail. Obama's socialist programs will make some people happier in the short term. But, they will destroy our way of life in the long term, i.e. from 20-50 years. Study the history of the USSR, Cuba, North Korea, Poland, etc. The "workers paradise" is unstable and cannot sustain itself without virtual slavery of the people.
I desperately hope that we don't have to "give it a try" to realize that socialism won't work.
Are you speaking to socialism with regard to health care?
I am a college student who can't enjoy cable tv so instead resorts to watching my 3 fav shows online...
Meh.. graduate school for me.. not ready to hit the real world yet...
Obama's plan is just something we need to do. We just need to trust -adieu, stace
Agreed, Stace. You're a senior, then?
No trust for communists. None. Never!
Wow, get out of the 1950s.
Just because the calendar changed, doesn't make communism / socialism a good thing. It's a nice philosophical idea, each person has what they need and they contribute what they can. Unfortunately, human beings are not ants. We don't fit into government approved molds, we don't strive to excel without rewards.
Socialism / Communism move the existing wealth around in an attempt to address inequity and unfairness. Only capitalism increases the wealth of a nation.
Capitalism increasing the wealth of a nation, huh? Is that all you're concerned with? Not the welfare of others or any silly business like that?
The welfare of everyone will improve when the nation as a whole improves. That's what wealth creation is all about. You should read: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. It was the guide book for the industrial revolution.
Socialism, Liberalism, and other forms of populism all suffer from the bread and circuses problem. When the voters find out they can vote themselves public money, they are never satisfied. They want more and more until the government collapses.
Hang on, I'll give you a detailed response when I get on to Thanksgiving break.
Ooo! Doing research? My mission is complete.
Research? Not on Adam Smith. Besides, I've already read him, in addition to any other number of political theorists. I simply don't have the time right now (with two papers and a test approaching) to discuss frivolous items.
Good luck with your exams.
Thanks.
What classes are you taking?
Russian and Eurasian Politics, Clarinet, an American History course and my final French class.
Wow, I guess you have a talent for languages. The only languages I learned are computer programming languages, C, Pascal, Visual Basic, Cobol, etc.
ahhh a liberal arts man... i'm swamped with science lab reports. See ya after finals! -adieu, stace
You two must be about the same age as my kids. They are in their second year of college.
That sounds about right!
Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.
Just keep mumbling that to yourself.
Mmmm mmmf!
Merry Christmas.
And a happy Boxing Day.
And a Happy New Year!
Thanks.
Thank you too.
You're quite welcome.
I'm thankful that tomorrow is a vacation day.
Vacation's over
It's that time of year again. If you need to do taxes, use one of my links
and I'll donate $5 to charity for each paid federal return.
Yeah. And now it's my birthday! All kinds of things happening!
Just got back from Spain 0o0o Japan.. niiice -adieu, stace
Dang, you young folks travel a lot.
March already. I still need a vacation.
Don't we all. Spring break fast approaches!
No break for me.
Bummer.
Maybe a green beer tomorrow will help.
Don't drink -- sorry.
I didn't drink any. I'm so old and boring sometimes.
No, I'm sure you're still youthful and exciting off the Internet.
Like Indy said, "It's not the years, it's the mileage."
Haha. Most excellent. Happy April!
Yea spring! Time for backyard fun!
Back to school. Boo. Twins home opener today, though!
Not a huge fan of sports. But, I kinda like baseball: relaxing.
Indeed.
Today is Tax Day, boo!
April 22, 2010: Happy Footstool Day!
This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. ... Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2
April is almost gone.
How sad.
ecckk can you believe the year is 1/3 over?! -adieu, stace
Best week I've had in a while, 7.4 pounds lost!
Congratulations to you! Before we know it, it'll be June!
I can't believe we've been doing this for almost 2 years.
Then there is no way to "win". I could just wait a year, then post something and the game continues.
I know. The only way would be to disable comments or something.
yes yes that would be the only way to win -adieu, stace
Maybe all three of us can gang up on Dan to declare us co-winners.
Considering most people who read him have entirely forgotten about this topic, I wouldn't rule that a bad idea.
I understand if 2 out of 3 of you want to just give up and quit. I am sure one of you will hang in and be the winner.
I must say I am impressed with all three of you. Any of you need a job in Internet marketing? We need a few people that just hang in there at all cost.
Well, I need a job, and I do like the Internet...
I'm already in web design, I could use an Internet Marketing entry on my resume.
Just let us know!
Should we form a scrum and use agile development?
Aren't scrums reserved for Rugby players?
They borrowed the term for team efforts in business.
My dictionary suggests otherwise.
Dude, pretty soon we'll double the number of comments as eProps. For that, we deserve major eProps.
Here is an article about Scrum Development in business. Yeah, it's a stupid name. But then again, most buzz words are stupid.
Just looked. All the things they say he did were either socialist, pro gay, or anti christian. In short he pushed the liberal adgenda.
"Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting in 2016"
Socialist? Not really. Pro-gay? Certainly not. Anti-Christian? How?
"Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers"
Yes, equal pay rights for all is definitely socialism in the making, not something that's just common sense.
"Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB"
How can you argue against this one, exactly?
I'll provide more if you want 'em.
I'll get to it in a while. Very busy for the next few weeks.
In the mean time, yes he has done some positive things. But things like socialized medicine overshadow them for me.
Tsk. As soon as you present opening arguments, I'll rebut.
looking forward to it.
Great.
I hate politics. -adieu, stace
I'm getting tired of politics myself. Why can't everyone just get it over with and agree with me now!
Because that wouldn't be any fun.
Also, I think poor people and the middle class might not like that very much.
Sure they would. They wouldn't stay poor if they didn't want to if I controlled the universe.
How do you propose you deliver them from poverty?
By giving them the opportunity to better themselves, if they really want to work for it. I believe in equal opportunity for all, not equal results.
That's great if you believe in equal opportunity, because this country doesn't.
I'm not sure which country you are in. In the United States of America we have laws and a constitution that promote equal opportunity. We just have to be careful that some groups don't impose special rights or opportunities for themselves.
I'll reply to this after my finals are over.
lol, ok. Good luck!
winter break! -adieu, stace
Break? Not just before tax season...
Well, in this country, women are still paid 70 cents for every dollar a man makes, for equal work, despite a number of equal pay provisions (passed under Democratic leadership, I should reminder you) The reason affirmative action still exists is because employers are probably less likely to hire a minority, even if both individuals are equally qualified, unless mandated by the government. And in industrial America, corporations are more concerned with maximizing profits for themselves than taking care of the individuals that work for them, so even if an employee has a position at a certain company, if the company can have the job done for cheaper overseas without impeding production, they almost certainly will. So many job opportunities by themselves are disappearing because of the financial concern of these corporations. But I agree with you that the constitution is supposed to help provide that equal opportunity, if the government can successfully enforce it.
You're lame. And I turned 21 four days ago! Life is good.
I must admit I have always appreciated your persistence.
Congratulations! Welcome to full adult status.
@TheTheologiansCafe - Thanks Dan. I may not excel in much, but I am persistent.
Happy Belated, sir
Happy end of February!
yay March!
Medicine school makes you realize that there are a million and one ways for your body to go wrong... Thank God to be relatively healthy and for every day you are on earth! Goodness gracious!
Happy Friday!
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:13-15
Ash Wednesday. Whoop whoop.
I wonder if Dan will just keep it going until he hits 1,000 comments.
i don't think he has any intentions of ending this
Didn't he say something about leaving Xanga soon?
I don't believe it. Dan will be here as long as Xanga exists.
Excellent.
Totally
I had to roll back a page to see what your "Totally" was in reference to.
Gnarly!
You said it.
wicked!
Holy shit. No "adieu, stace"?!
I probably won't leave xanga. I was just expressing my thoughts at the time. I was just concerned about being that "old man on xanga" when I turn 40 this year. I didn't want to be that old man.
haha i'm trying to wean myself off that closer. i'm in grad school now lol -SJ
Tax season is over! I can sleep for a week now.
@Perfect_HindSight - Haha, I'm only a year and a month out from finishing college, and I've been on this site since 8th grade.
haha i've been on this site since about 9th grade (other usernames of course). I only come back for this post, haha Yeah the "adieu" has to be retired. That is soooo high school =P even though in HS i had an assortment of closers like... babee stace Stacey GT 12 in an assortment of colors and caps. Ahhh I'm getting old. I was just reading this AT&T newsletter and it was saying text messages was introduced in 2001. I have churchmates BORN in 2001 ::shakes head:: -SJ
You are still young. I grew up before email, before VCRs, before HBO, etc.
haha i can't imagine how weird this world must seem. My mind spins around the idea of Blu-Ray and Broadband internet lol. It's amazing how fast this world is changing..
SJ
The most high-tech toy I had was a 10-speed bike!
I like your new signature.
And I'm lucky enough to have a 21-speed bike!
I'm a big tech guy, so I don't have that difficult a time wrapping my head around these things, but it is incredible, albeit a little frightening how quickly the world changes and how incredibly dependent we are on technology. I mean, look how long we've all been on Xanga. We take it for granted now, but 15, 20 years ago, it would have been absolutely remarkable. I don't actually know either of you, have never met you, but here we are, able to have a conversation about whatever we want in real time. Remarkable.
It's not as shocking now as it would have been to see all the changes at once. I've watched it happen slowly over my lifetime.
As a reenactor, I'm frequently amazed at how people in the 19th century did everything we do, just with different tools.
For example, they used something like the ASCII code for sending messages by wig-wag flag (the precurser to semaphore) during the Civil War. It's a binary code where the ones and zeros are left and right. It even has end of word and end of line characters.
That's actually really cool.
Sorry, I've been busy with college, but now it's summer! Huzzah!
For me, Summer means tax season is over and it's time to work on enhancements for next year.
Just took my last final exam of the year! woooosah! lol Time for summer internship -.- I don't know why I do the things I do. I need a break lol -SJ
That's all part of being a student. Hang in there.
By the time I was in grad school, I wanted to quit all the time. I am glad I finished though. I used to always say "I wonder why I am even doing this."
Dan, do you do anything related to what you went to college/grad school for? I'm considering taking a career path that has absolutely nothing to do with what I majored in.
Nope. I started all over again a few years ago. So I am in an unrelated field. I tend to think that happens to most people these days. But even in an unrelated field, they tend to respect the fact you have an education. It moves you up.
My career is related to my major, but only loosly. I use what I learned in only 2 classes. The rest I had to learn on my own. I think that is the biggest thing a college education teaches you, how to learn.
100k to learn to learn? lol Have a nice holiday weekend!
100k is cheap!
Hooray for long weekends. Now back to the regularly scheduled summer work and internship.
111F here yesterday
Yeah, we had some record heat here in MN. Absolutely disgusting, but it looks like it's done.
111F again!
You know it's hot when a 98 degree high is a "cold snap".
It's not the heat... it's the humidity!
Went to Alaska/ Washington State and the chill was heaven. Now I'm back in New York -sigh- back to school. Here ends my last summer vacation ever
I hear you. I start senior year of college in less than a month, and then it's entering the real world. Eep.
Been in the "real world" longer than I care to remember. I don't envy your generation, trying to get your first post-college job during the Great Recession.
Hurricane to NYC! NY will be shut DOWN tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Looks like you made it NYC
That was the lamest hurricane... lol
Yup, our Kansas thunderstorms are more impressive than that hurricane.
Minnesota tornadoes can be pretty fearsome.
Tornadoes anywhere can be fearsome. But honestly, this is tornado alley. We get them weekly here.
Getting colder outside... brrr...
Much better than 110!
rainy days are here again..
I wish it was cold here today. Our air conditioner is broken down and with 800 computers in one building, it's very hot in here.
...
We just had a heatwave that made me very happy. Now it's getting cold again, but at least it's almost fall break!
25 days left until my wedding...
Congratulations to you!
And because I just can't help myself... 1,000th comment!
That sucks. The economy is picking up here so fast in Houston. I hope that spreads to other places.
If we had cheaper energy, like Texas, then things would be better.
Yeah, I think Texas has benefited from the fact that people migrated down here and large organizations moved here for the weather and really the low level of regulations.
Small Government is the way to go!
-bump-
bump government down, not up.
No thanks. Government improves peoples' lives if it's used right. We all saw what the free market did to working Americans in 2008. Wouldn't like a repeat of that.
You didn't see what a "planned economy" did you Europe in the 80s, not pretty.
I'm not saying a planned economy is the solution. I think government works well to complement the free market, and it needs to exist as a failsafe.
In general, I agree. But, our US government has become too big and too intrusive. If the liberals had their way, I'd be declared "rich" and have my taxes increased. I'm already skipping meals, selling plasma and doing odd jobs in the evenings just to pay my bills. I'm going to have to sell my house too. I'm not "rich"; but since I'm not on welfare, Obama and his cronies would like to take what little I have.
can't we all just get along!
Not really. Someone always wants to force someone else to do something, even good things like fight for your country or be charitable to the poor. No one likes to be forced.
In August, it will have been 4 years on this thread. Should we plan some sort of celebration?
I think so! It's weird -- I started posting before I entered college, and in two weeks, I'll be done with college.
Haha. That is a long time.
Dan, you should make a new post about this on your main page.
Welp, I just got downsized today
Has it really been 4 years?! whoa. Haha I hate to lose. That's why I'm a medical student =P.
Wow. Sorry to hear you were downsized.
Sorry to hear that.
My search for employment continues. We'll see how it goes.
Things will perk up
Hope you're at least enjoying some of your mandatory time off.
1 month!
Until what? I just finished week seven of my job.
it was 1 month since some one last commented. Oh wells.
And now a month and then some.
You guys are slipping one me!
Down for the count....
Gotta be a ten count, right?
It has been over four years since this post first went up. You all are impressive.
Well, I try
1month
1.5 months
C-c-c-c-combo breaker!
Can I just be declared the winner.. I mean.. no one else was here for almost 2 months!. Should we be worried about our friend...?
And I'm the first post of the new year!
Yeah, I don't know where he's been, or if anybody has a way to get in touch with him. I hope he's okay...
I think he commented on another post of mine in the last month but didn't come to this one. So I think he is still around.
good good, i hope. We will welcome him back when he returns
Definitely agree. He hasn't updated his actual site in years (nor, for that matter, have I).
He actually commented on a few of my posts the other day. Maybe he gave up on this.
@Commander_Crichton - I believe you were one of the people who commented on my very first post I ever posted on xanga from my very first site. I think you were the second or third commenter.
Thanks. It turned out to be a good thing. I stayed in my entry-level job for 12 years, trying to make it a career. It wasn't. Now my career is back on track just in time to have it taken away by the socialists.
As one of those "socialists", I take offense at that. Are you still doing tax work? I can assure you that taxes will still be around for a good, long while to come.
I'm grouching that my tax bill has tippled but my income didn't quite double. I fully expect that the "takers" in our country will keep electing people who will take from producers and give to non-producers until everyone is equally poor. Then there will be no incentive to produce anything and the whole system comes crashing down.
And, I'm not at a tax company anymore. I'm at a used computer reseller.
Hmm, I had a typo. I must have tippled before I typed "tripled." :)
Well, we're all facing a budget shortfall because of decisions made by politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) and really unfortunate economic circumstances. My taxes went up, too, and I'm fine with that. It's good for me to learn to live a little more frugally, and I understand the benefits I derive from my state and federal government services. America is still one of the best countries in the world for capitalist ventures, and I honestly don't believe that will change, even if corporate tax loopholes close and rates increase.
I agree that it probably won't go all the way the extreme case I mentioned above. But, it will have a chilling effect on the economy. Businesses are in business to make a profit. If a cost increases, they have to either raise prices or reduce another cost to maintain profits. Therefore, when the cost of taxes goes up, a business has no choice but to cut something, like payroll, or raise prices on the public. Either way, it's not good for individuals.
Remember the first rule: businesses don't pay taxes; they pass it along to their customers or employees.
What happened to Perfect_HindSight? Is she still around?
O' course
There you are!
With the exception of the payroll tax going up (which hasn't had any marked impact on consumer spending -- retail spending was actually up quite a bit in February), there haven't been and won't be any middle class tax increases for years now, since the only increases will be on the top earners. I just wish the economy would recover just a litttttle bit faster. At least I'm working in a growing industry!
I've heard that said in many speeches. But, my taxes are up around $2,000 and my health insurance is up over $1,000. This is not just normal inflation; it's a result of president Obama's "Raw Deal".
Is the extra taxation a notable financial burden? And how much of the change in taxation and health insurance cost is coming from your switching industries?
About a third of the increase is due to my new job. The rest is from no longer being eligible for credits and deductions due to rule changes such as The Additional Child Tax Credit and not being able to itemize medical expenses because I was uninsured for 4 months (for which I'd pay a FINE next year). My health insurance premiums went up $1,000 this year, but over $3,000 since Obamacare was passed. The insurance companies started building up a cash reserve to pay for the new law the minute it passed.
And, YES it is a notable financial burden. My income almost doubled, yet my monthly disposable income is no better if not worse. I'm desperately trying to pay down debts and this month I my debt load increased rather than decreased because of my tax bill. Unlike the "progressives" in government, I have every intention of paying off my debt. But, it is getting more and more difficult. I wish I had a Fed to monetize 5% of my debts each year.
**BEGIN RANT**
My burden has increased and I get ZERO benefit from all the new social spending. They don't give ME an Obama phone or food stamps or subsidized health insurance. The ARRA stimulus tore up perfectly good roads making me spend more gas and time to commute; but I don't get a dime from construction jobs. I'm paying my rent, unsubsidized. I can't sell my old houses because no one can get a loan even though the banks were bailed out at taxpayer's (my) expense. When do *I* get a bail-out?
It's not fair that I work 10 hour days to move up in the world, but my neighbors sit on the front porch and drink a 40-oz all day and have the same, or better, lifestyle. I can see their giant 60-inch digital flat panel TV shining through the window behind their Cadillac; but I drive a beat up chevy and watch my analog 19-inch tube TV. I'm probably going to have to drop cable TV next month while the have 2 satellite dishes on the roof. When I finally get a pay-off for my hard work, all the extra cash is taken away to pay for Mr. 40-oz to keep up with me. This is not charity to the poor; it's equality of results. Socialism is not fair!
**END RANT**
Now, do you see why I'm upset? The New Normal sucks!
I am not bitter but I do pay a ton in taxes. Sometimes I think we are in different world's when it comes to taxes. I was reading a post by a woman on xanga who said she didn't mind if her taxes went up a bit. But her husband was self-employed and they could use their house as a deduction. Chances are she really didn't pay much in taxes. I used to be self employed. I had my house as a deduction and there were so many deductions built in that all I really paid was the 12,4% for social security (a self-employed person pays their part and their employer part).
But I am not self-employed now and so my taxes are so high that you wouldn't believe it. I am moving up and making more money than ever and will continue to see increases. But what we need is fairness in our tax system. I am ok with taxing the rich. Tax Warren Buffet all you want. Tax all of his friends too. But he pays a smaller percentage of taxes on his income than I do. So the rich have all of the loopholes and everyone that is a low earner have all the tax breaks. But people making between $100,000 to $300,000 a year or getting hit hard. So lets not tax that group any more and try to increase the taxes of the rich and also make those who are making under $100,000 pay a little more too. What we need is fairness in the tax code. This is why I support a flat tax. It would be fair and include more people. You are getting to a stage where the best move is to start your own business and not have any employees because you can gain sometimes $20,000 to $40,000 in taxes a year. That is no small matter.
@TheTheologiansCafe - I'm still below $100k but I am still making too much for any assistance or breaks.
I really don't like the idea of soaking the "rich" because of a principle of democracy I learned long ago. It goes like this: If you allow someone else to be oppressed or persecuted because they belong to a particular group; blacks, whites, jews, christians, muslims, men, women, freemasons, knights of columbus, business owners, gun owners, rich, poor, etc.; then it erodes the rights of all groups. If they can do that to one group, then there is nothing protecting YOUR group. There was even a film we watched in school many times called Make Mine Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz9fX_HfsXA that explains, "Diversity within Unity was the secret to American prosperity. Disunity in it's many guises, class warfare, race hatred etc., undermines what made us great." I had to switch that to past tense because we have already been undermined.
I'm so done with this planet. I wish I could leave.
The finger pointing has begun. MSNBC blames Bush. Fox News blames Obama. CNN blames Fox News.
A flat tax, almost by definition, is going to be a big tax increase for the poor and middle class, and so, to that end, a flat tax would actually make things worse. The people who are going to be hit by it are the people who are living closer to the edge, and so they'll cut their spending, but the people who will typically benefit from it already have plenty of money, and won't be spending the extra windfall. Think about if we implemented a flat tax rate at 15 or 20%? That's a lot higher than what many lower income families currently pay, and even if you account for certain amount of deductions, it still doesn't operate as a reasonable substitute for a progressive taxation system, as those lower income individuals and families would still have to pay considerably more under a flat tax system, and from that, you further perpetuate the cycle of poverty and welfare.
If you look at the actual tax collections in the United States on business, they’re lower than other advanced countries. Also, since 1950, when taxes are lowered at the top, economic growth actually goes down (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/06/20/249061/chart-taxes-economic-growth/?mobile=nc). The notion that the US has the highest tax rate on business is another numbers manipulated canard put out there by there by the right in order to justify their policy of cutting taxes at the top while raising them for everyone else. It is true that the US corporate tax rate is 39.2%, but the effective tax rate, what businesses and corporations really pay, is 12.1% (http://business.time.com/2012/04/02/were-1-u-s-officially-has-the-top-corporate-tax-rate-or-not/). After corporations take advantage of loopholes in the tax code, they actually pay less than a third of what they are supposed to. Closing loopholes is going to be one of the big things here, to make sure that these wealthy corporations don't skimp and do pay their fiscal responsibilities.
What I think would be interesting to see is an income tax that only kicks in when you reach about the 90th percentile of income. The vast majority of the population would never have to wrestle with the complicated taxation associated with income, and those that would still have to do so would have the resources available to hire professional assistance. To some extent, you could make up for the lost revenue by taxing things we want to discourage, like pollution, you could end subsidies, then legalize and regulate weed, reaping all the enormous tax benefits that would come from that. Throw in an inheritance tax to encourage hard work rather than laziness by those who are born into wealth, and we can probably get to the necessary levels of revenue without doing so in a way that disincentivizes actual work.
All the talk is about making the "rich" pay their fair share. The "poor" should pay their fair share too. I don't care if it's five bucks, everybody should pay something. That's the advantage of a flat tax. It has disadvantages as well, as you pointed out.
The trick is to figure out how much a particular family can afford to pay. Unfortunately, there is no set of rules that will fit every situation, so someone is always going to be over or under taxed. Getting rid of loopholes and deductions would introduce unfairness in that a couple with no kids would pay the same as a couple with three kids. An older couple whose house is paid off would pay the same as a young couple with a huge mortgage. I would like to see a reduction in credits. They are used by politicians to promote whatever cause they are interested in. For example, if electric cars can't be competitive without a tax break, then they need to improve their business model and technology instead of relying on government subsidies to be profitable.
Another issue that gets talked about is that a corporation is a person. This is the basic definition of a corporation; an artificial person, for business purposes, that has many of the same rights as any other person. That's basic business/accounting. The purpose of allowing corporations is for limited liability. When a sole proprietorship or partnership goes bankrupt, the owners are personally responsible for all the debts of the business and can lose their personal assets; house, car, retirement savings, etc. When a corporation goes bankrupt, the assets of the business can be sold to cover debts, but the owners (stockholders) only lose the value of their stock. The reason that corporations get so big and powerful is that they "live" longer than a flesh-and-blood person. If we had a productive life span of a century, then individuals would get that powerful too.
I also point out you did a little cherry-picking in your statistics. The actual quote from your article is, "Indeed,by one measure, corporations only paid an effective rate of 12.1% in 2011, although that phenomenon was a product of temporary tax credits for investment." And, "An analysisby the nonpartisan Tax Foundation shows that different ways of measuring tax rates can produce a wide range of estimates of the true rate that corporations pay. They pored over 19 different academic studies on the subject published in the past seven years alone, and found the estimates of effective corporate rates ranged from a low of 23% to as high as 34.9%."
The conclusion: "According to study from PricewaterhouseCoopers, there have been 133 corporate tax cuts globally in the past six years. If the U.S. lags too far behind other countries, it will undoubtedly effect its ability to attract investment in the economy. It appears that Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye on this point. How to pay for lower corporate rates, however, is an issue that it the two parties don’t appear to be agreeing on any time soon."
Thankfully, you can identify which loopholes and deductions can be gotten rid of because they don't benefit financially struggling individuals or families, but rather affluent corporations or persons. Loopholes and subsidies are important to improve our country's prospects, but they can also be ultimately harmful once they've outlived their usefulness.
Your example about the electric car? I suggest you watch "Who Killed The Electric Car" and you'll see why the electric car needs all the help it can get. The California Air Resources Board passed the Zero-emissions vehicle mandate in 1990, which required the seven major automobile supplies of the time in the US to offer electric vehicles if they wanted to continue sales of gas powered vehicles in California. And I'll quote from here: "The film details the California Air Resources Board's reversal of the mandate after relentless pressure and suits from automobile manufacturers, continual pressure from the oil industry, orchestrated hype over a future hydrogen car, and finally the George W. Bush administration."
I guess it begs a fundamental question about your belief in what the government should have to do with the private market. I believe that the government (local, state, federal) can be a great inspiration and an excellent resource to the innovation that has made this country great and competitive with the rest of the world in the past, but when you have examples like the electric car getting squished by the competition because they want to hold firm on their monopoly, that's where you see a broken system.
You might argue that that's the principle of capitalism. Well, where would we be in our capitalistic society if the government hadn't stepped in during the bank crisis? We'd be in a second great depression, with unemployment vastly higher than it is now, and we would need another economic boost the likes of WWII's war machine effort to naturally stimulate the economy.
Do you think monopolies should be allowed to exist?
The question about corporations being people is about a corporation's ability to involve a vast amount of their money in politics, much more than just about any individual would be able to accrue. By funneling them through anonymously funded Super PACs, you don't have accountability for which politicians are beholden to which corporations, because they funded their (re)election efforts and then owe them more than the constituents they're supposed to be representing. It's the same basic principle as the fact that the NRA lobbyists put enormous political pressure on a number of senators to withdraw their support for the universal background check bill, because they would defund them, give them low ratings, and run primary candidates against them, which is just proof that these enormously well funded NGOs have too much power to influence common sense policy and divert the will of the American people.
It really does come down to our fundamental beliefs about capitalism and government. I believe that the role of government in business is to ensure fair play, for example no monopolies/trusts. Government should not favor one business over another unless there is a clear advantage to be gained for our country, example Rural Electrification.
I don't see how the Chevy Volt or Solyndra solar cells offer a clear advantage to Americans. Neither one will benefit financially struggling individuals or families because they are too expensive, both to buy and maintain, and the technology is unreliable. If I took out a second mortgage to put solar cells on my roof, I'd have to take out a 3rd mortgage to replace them in 2 to 3 year because they burn out. If I somehow paid luxury car prices for a mid-sized Volt, I'd have to replace the battery packs every couple years and I couldn't visit my family in another city due to the short range.
No amount of wishing and subsidies is going to make the technology practical. Only free enterprise competition can do that. General Motors said they were not ready to release an electric car, and they were right. Now that they are Government Motors, they are forced to build the Volt, but it cannot compete even with government support. And we all know what happened to Solyndra.
In short, the government should step back and let business do business with only little nudges to keep things fair. Government interference, both from the lobbyists and from the progressives, should stop. But, because neither group will back down, they provide balance. Corporate donations offset Unions and occupiers. Mainstream media offsets the NRA. Everyone is heard and noone gets the upper hand. That's democracy.
Tesla is showing a profit without government bail-outs! Take that Government Motors :P
whoa! When did we get to talking about such heavy ideas..
Yeah, lets get back to being fun!!!!
Hey Perfect!
It started because I was grousing about my taxes going up and used the word "socialists." Apparently, Crichton is a Socialist, Red, Progressive, etc. (all close to the same thing to me) and the debate was off and running. We can talk about anything, butterflies and rainbows if you want, I don't think he and I will convince each other any time soon.
OK, new topic. What are your top 10 favorite love songs?
My Heart Will Go on- makes me cry =/ Total Eclipse of the Heart is definitely a good one! It's difficult for me to even come close to choosing a favorite song. I'd have to put Yellowcard- With You Around, & Dashboard Confessional- Hands Down, up there.
I notice that mine are all 1980s and before. Am I old?
sure. =p
Haha, sorry, I've been out for a bit. I'll take progressive out of those labels, thanks. Crgrier, I actually enjoyed a civilized, reasonable back-and-forth with you! Something I believe (and I hope you'll agree) our political process is missing today.
I think "Something" by The Beatles has to top the list for my favorite love song. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab is definitely up there for me, and "Almost Like Being In Love" is a favorite standard. "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds and "Us" by Regina Spektor are also two of my favorites. See, I have a couple in there that are before the 1980s!
Sometime next month before the 15th if you all are still around, I am going to declare all three of you the winners.
I really appreciate the fact that you all held in here and I am thankful I got to know you.
Crichton, I too enjoyed a reasonable discussion. We did reach an impasse when it got down to basic beliefs. It all boils down to who do you trust to handle the money in this country. I tend to trust whoever earned it and you tend to trust the government.
Dan, you should include yourself in the winners' circle, since you stayed with us all (almost) five years! I'll be really sad to see Xanga go... So much teenage angst so perfectly preserved on my page.
Xanga is closing again? Bummer!
haha I feel kind of bad that I interrupted your banter. I am not particularly interested in politics [I've been out of it since premed/medical school].
Has it really been 5 years.. yowzers. Didn't think you guys would stick around.
I know I'm old and I don't have much of a social life. I'm surprised young people would hang in there this long.
It's an excellent form of procrastination for me when I have other things I should be working on! After Dan calls the contest, I suppose I can remove the link from my bookmarks... Sad.
This has become an important part of Xanga to me.
Absolutely, for me to. Essentially the only reason I still come back... and to read any new posts Dan may have.
Nah I used to write a few entries here and there but I am officially resigning from my blog. I've been following Dan through fb. I wonder if he knows which one of his many "friends" I am. Haha I wonder if he even cares.
As a self-confessed "post whore", I'm sure he cares that you are there. It would be nice to see your face before Xanga folds. I've been looking at your foot for 5 years.
haha I'm all about privacy! i prefer to stay anonymous. I must admit though ..you guys do share a lot of personal information on the web. If I really wanted to I could show up at your doorstep! [Except you, Dan... you've been uncrackable...] I think i've left enough breadcrumbs along the way, myself. I actually deactivated my fb today so maybe another day
This reminds me of the woman who "investigated" me and she told me my home address from what I said on xanga and once told me she was standing outside my window. Haha. I am sure you won't do that.
If you showed up at my doorstep, I'd only recognize you if you took off your left shoe.
Haha, Dan, that's SO creepy. Did you have any contact with her after that?
My picture is just a bit old... maybe 8 years? I daresay I look a little different now.
Yeah, you look like a college freshman in that photo. I can't talk tho, my photo is from 2007.
Haha I'm quite small and in no position to be at anyone's window. Now THAT'S creepy.
All of my tv shows are either done or on hiatus... Gossip Girl, 90210, Awkward, HBO's Girls, .... I guess I'm talking to the wrong group of fellars but any suggestions on tv shows to watch? (preferably something I can catch up with online) I'm desperate. I also like Bones, CSI, Cold Case... You can probably figure out what I like..
I don't know if you have Netflix, but I highly recommend House of Cards. Even if you don't like politics, it's just an incredible, dark show. Homeland is another great one, and so is Breaking Bad, in that kind of darker vein of drama.
I'll check them out. Speaking of politics, I'm surprised none of you started talking about Snowden. I'm ashamed to say that I only heard of the story today. Without fb, I don't know what's going on in the world... haha
He is guilty of espionage and treason. The only question is if it was justified under the whistle-blower principle. If I were the judge, I'd say what he told the press was whistle-blower activity, but giving the top secret documents to foreign governments is not and should land him in jail.
@Commander_Crichton - I'd say the best movie about the politics of today is Idiocracy.
I have very mixed feelings on the Snowden and NSA stuff. Yes, leaking and revealing classified documents to foreign governments is almost definitely jail-worthy. It still remains to be seen what he grabbed and what he leaked to what countries, but I hope, when he is returned to the U.S., he doesn't disappear into a Gitmo-style prison, but rather stands a fair trial. I understand his mindset with leaking the NSA information to the American people, but I hope that doesn't backfire. I think it would be much more outrageous if it didn't have congressional oversight and judicial approval happening for all of this stuff every step of the way, but it did. Every aspect of the U.S. Government knows that this is happening, and somewhere along the way, Republicans and Democrats both said, "Yes, this is something that we need to do to keep our nation safe." I understand why the knowledge of this wasn't publicly transparent, because it's literally a matter of national security, and it's fine to keep things like that classified in the interested of the security of the American public. The fact that things like the Boston marathon bombing can and do happen so far after 9/11 proves to me that there is a necessity for extra steps to take to keep us safe. It's proven effective at derailing other terrorist plots in the country, and as much as I hate that this needs to happen, it NEEDS to happen, because I don't want our country to stop being a safe place to live.
Well, well. You sound like a conservative! LOL
Well, well. You sound like a conservative! LOL
From ABC news, via CNN:
A senior intelligence official said: “The intelligence community is already seeing indications that several terrorist groups are in fact attempting to change their communication behaviors based on what they’re reading about our surveillance programs in the media.”
In an interview with CNN today, Secretary of State John Kerry said that “people may die as a consequence of what this man [Snowden] did.”
“It is possible that the United States will be attacked because terrorists may now know how to protect themselves in some way or another, that they didn’t know before,” he said.
I would answer but I don't want to be investigated by my government.
U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.
The only hope for privacy since the world wide web was invented is the sheer volume of traffic. You have to be interesting in some way before they can find you except by random chance.
Thankfully the "machine" from Person of Interest is still science fiction... for now.
I think Dan classifies as "interesting". After all, I'm pretty sure he gets the most comments of anyone on Xanga these days.
If anything, the NSA surveillance is more governmental involvement in our lives, so that's pretty liberal. Seriously, though. That's why you don't fuck around with national security matters. People can die as a result.
Amen brother!
Xanga really must be ending if crgrier and I agree with each other!
Almost July! This post got started in August, right? Too bad we won't get to our anniversary...
Man, when we started this thread my 9 year old was only 4. She was on preschool and now she is entering the fourth grade.
When this started, I had 2 teenagers at home. Now they are both on their own and one is married.
haha When I started I was a lost little college student... now i'm almost an MD -.-My goodness 5 years is a long time. I want my 5 years back
I want to transfer my knowledge and wisdom to my 25 year old self. Oh to be young and full of energy, yet know what I know now. I'd even settle for having my 25 year old body now.
I was a newly minted 18 year old, looking forward to freshman year of college... Now I've been at my full time job more than a year with a college degree in hand. Both sides, now.
And what's the verdict? Is Xanga 2.0 a go?
I am betting xanga makes it. But I am still saying lets declare all of you winners just in case.
Normally I'd say i hate sharing the spotlight but... i'll take what I can get.. lol
You know... i've been on xanga for 10 years and it still won't let me visit "x-rated" xanga pages. I havent been able to access my friend's page in years...
I just got back from Gettysburg. 17,000 reenactors and a week of sweat and smoke. It was awesome!
While I appreciate American history, reenactments give me the creeps because I know "my kind" would have been lynched soooono thanks. Sorry to be the downer, haha. Anyhow, 20k in 20days for xanga 2.0... I hope xanga 2.0 won't be like myspace 2.0. I just cancelled that account; The layout was ridiculous
I haven't logged into my MySpace (I think it still exists?) since 2007? No clue what the new one even looks like.
@Perfect_HindSight - Hopefully not everything was accurately depicted in the reenactment...
In the real war, around 200k black soldiers fought for the Union; that's about 1/6 of the whole army. The Army created black only regiments, but the navy was integrated from the beginning. President Lincoln said the war could not have been won without them.
That being said, there were also black Confederate soldiers in the real war. Some were free blacks, but most were slaves who were promised their freedom if they would fight. The lynchings and KKK madness didn't happen until after the south lost the war.
I assume to be accurate, you had Confederate reenactments, too? Just curious.
@Commander_Crichton - Of course. It would be an awfully one-sided battle if there were no Confederates to shoot back. I've never worn grey for a reenactment, I just can't get past the slavery issue and Bleeding Kansas. But, they are honoring their ancestors as much as I am.
I've found five of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War. All of them are Yankees. Three of them are from Kentucky where slavery was legal. According to family oral history, Dan Kessler inherited his grandfather's tobacco/hemp plantation and freed all his slaves well before the war. They had the option to remain as share-croppers or seek their fortunes elsewhere, their choice. All but a couple chose to remain and work for a share of the profits.
Cpl. James Randall : 36 Wisconsin Infantry Pvt. Gabriel Waller: 7 Ohio Cavalry Pvt. Daniel Kessler : 30th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry Sgt. Berry Pedigo : Company H, Kentucky 21st Infantry Regiment Pvt. Henry Gossett: Company D, 33rd Infantry Regiment Kentucky Company K, 26th Infantry Regiment Kentucky
That's really cool that you've done all this research into it! How many reenactments have you done?
lynching... raped...beaten... it's all brutal before and after the war. Nice to know you were "one of the good guys", haha though I wouldn't have held it against you if you weren't. Slavery- i get it, it happened, can't take it back, i'll forgive you later but one thing that sucks is my lack of a family tree =/. Alls I can say is I'm South American (*specific country not to be specifically disclosed =p) But you're "American"? Very cool. I don't know if I've ever met one, haha
and just as I post that a commercial for TLC's "Who do you think you are"- a show tracing the lineage of celebrities comes on and I want to say "screw you" lol.
I've had several incidents in my life where african-american's have told me how much they hate me and that I own them for slavery. I never owned a slave. My ancestors fought and died to free their ancestors. I owe them nothing.
Another reason I'm against socialism.
@Commander_Crichton - I've been reenacting since 1994. I haven't counted, but I've probably done nearly 100 events, big and small.
@Perfect_HindSight - I like to call myself Native American. Not because I'm descended from any of the tribes that were here before 1492, but because I was born here, i.e. "native."
Sins of the father stuff and all that.
Yeah, I suppose you are technically "native" if you were born here, but you still have heritage from Europe (most likely), which is where your genetic roots are planted.
I think we as a country have made a huge mistake with how we do multiculturalism. We have abandoned the melting pot and used our ancestors culture to foster disunity. We would have fewer problems with each other if we could combine all our "parent" cultures into one ever-evolving American culture.
Throughout our history, every wave of immigration has been met with resentment and discrimination at first. Then the newcomers are absorbed into the greater culture and the culture absorbs some of the immigrants culture. The children of the last wave become fully American. However, since the early 1970s, we have been taught that we have no culture and it is somehow offensive to expect new immigrants to become American.
Immigrants have gotten attached to their own culture and want their children to know where they came from. Given how easy it is to travel I think it's easier to feel a connection to where you're from. Now we're all dual citizens in a way. Many of us 1st generations spend as much time abroad than we do here and we know we can just retreat if necessary.
So when does xanga implode again?
I don't think that it's necessarily that we've been taught we have no culture, but more that we don't have a cultural identity as a country. I think most of our cultural identity comes from cities or states that we live in. New Yorkers sure as hell have a cultural identity they call their own, and I think that's true for a number of different places within our country.
Xanga... was supposed to implode like 8 days ago. Not sure what's happening. Dan also seems to have taken a hiatus -- maybe Xanga is waiting for him to get back before it self destructs?
I still pine for the American culture I knew as a child, both from experience and on TV. The hard working, wise Dad. The nurturing homemaker Mom. The decent kids whose biggest problem was getting a C on a spelling test. The responsible teens whose stressors were getting their locker to open and who they would take to the school dance.
Teen life was innocent for the most part. In the rare cases of teen sex, the boy would be sent to the "boys ranch" for wayward boys and the girl would be sent to a special school for unwed mothers; the baby would be adopted by a loving family so the teens could get their lives back on track. The biggest drug problem was sneaking a shot from the parent's liquor cabinet or smoking in the bathroom. A young man with a vo-tech high school diploma could support a family with a blue collar job and college was only needed for specialists like engineers or teachers.
Adults were ASHAMED to accept welfare. Being on public assistance (the Dole) was an admission that you had failed in some way. It was a temporary condition that you worked hard (sometimes two or more jobs) to escape. A debt was a vow (see the root words for mortgage) and you paid, even if it was a few dollars a week until you could afford to pay more. On the other hand, giving to various charities was not only the decent thing to do, it was shameful to refuse; they really did "give at work." The employment rate for men was between 95% and 97% and most women only worked if they had an interesting career or were unmarried. Divorce required a reason to break the contract, not just because you felt like it. On the other hand, a wife beater could expect to get the crap beat out of him by every man who knew about it (the same or worse for a rapist or child molester).
Americans were self-sufficient and proud of it. Decent and moral behaviour was expected and offenders were ostracized by society. Hard work was rewarded and laziness not subsidized. And, at least outside the old south, the same was true for blacks as well as whites.
I WIN
Lol wow
Welcome to our playground!
I wish I could have been around for a life like that. I was hoping life outside of NYC was like that...
No welcome! Where hav eyou been for the last 5 years?!
@Perfect_HindSight - I don't know how we could get that back. It would require a change to the attitudes and beliefs of too many people who believe that the universe owes them a living and that their personal pleasures are more important than anything. This is beyond political parties, they are all guilty of this.
Hello? Anyone out there?
Oh I see. We were declared the winners.. yay! I like to win ^_^. Indeed it has been a good 5 years
Absolutely. Weird that we have all these outsiders after so many years. A nice historical record of the last five years, at least!
Yeah, maybe I should not have posted it but I wanted to recognize the group after all of this time. Here we jump into the xanga great unknown. It was great knowing you guys. I will be pretty busy at work this week so either way I am honored to know each one of you.
If xanga suddenly shuts down, how will we know who the final commenter is?
Search your feelings -- you know it to be me.
Oops. It looks like xanga survived. Are we still meeting here or is this tapering off? I mean a few of you probably have to have children now and I might have grandchildren in the next five years. We still have so much to go through.
It's been nice getting to know you guys too!
Looks like this page will be open for a long time... Check yo' self Crichton! I do not lose! That I know
August 1.... is it 2.0 yet?
Still looks like Xanga to me...
Still here, tick tock.
Yeah, I don't know what's goin' on.
Maybe it was an invented crisis to raise money.
Still here...
I was kind of hoping the site would close... End an era as we move on to bigger things and leave our memories in the past...
But... I live in the past!
Keep 'em Flying!
Buy War Bonds.
America, love it or leave it.
Better Living Through Chemistry.
Don't worry, be happy!
lol at all of you
54:40 or fight!
When you don't car-pool, you're riding with Hitler!
Hitler never chips in for gas. Bastard.
Xanga, why won't you die?
Plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is.
What kind of kids love Armour Hot Dogs?
Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks Tough kids, sissy kids, even kids with chicken pox love hot dogs, Armour Dot Dogs The dogs kids love to bite!
Mini tunes! - Demolition Man
Comment #1215...
Really? You can do better than that.
OK, comment #1217!
even better than that is comment #1218
I'm so confused by what's been going on with you guys. Crgrier, have you been sipping that purple drank? lol jk
I've just been feeling goofy.
Mrs. Goofy is not real happy about that.
She'll probably get over it.
Perfect, you should join the madness.
Also, I'm jamming out to some Beethoven 9. This shit is good.
I was just thinking.. thanks to Dan, we're going to have to start this contest all over again. 5 more years! 5 more years! I'm jamming to some Spice Girls. Good times
So, who's excited about Talk Like A Pirate Day coming up, Sept 19?
FYI, Hermione Granger was born on Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Comments (1226)
I lose.
@heartbeatofmusic_x - you sooo lose
hahaha this is def a way to get as many comments as possible
oh boy...
Which basically means this post will forever be commented on. I lose, too, but I find this hilarious.
Last post wins is one of my favorite games.
Aside from that other one.
You know, the one you just lost.
Wins what?
ohh that is a freaking brilliant idea...
Wow, that's really clever, Dan...good job!
Nobody'll ever win =), unless you delete your profile, erase the blog, or Xanga shuts down forever.
I'm winning!
lmao
This reminds me of "the song that never ends."
I predict this is the post where you'll have the least recs and stars so other people won't find it.
loser = me
I wish I would have thought of this one......
you're trying to beat your record and i think you can do it!
Is there a time limit?
Oh well, only 10 minutes into this thing... I guess I lose.
But...what do we win?
no one's ever going to stop
There is no end though...
Then we can all be winners for a short period of time! I like it!
Trying to get the most comments, are you?
the game; the butler did it with a kitchen knife and placed the body in the library !
this is like the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friends...
touche :] post.
Clever way to get people to participate in your "most comments" record. I declined to participate in the contest, but this one...
Well. For the next five minutes, I win.
Edit: Minutes? I suppose I meant seconds.
Wins what? ... Dan, you are a sick man playing a dirty game of chess. And for some reason I want to be The Black Knight in this game.
-CrazyKey23
@CrazyKey123 - Which one, there's two black knights in chess. :-p
when does the game end?
@destroyERIKreator - The other Black Knight will be taken out by the King. (The King being Dan.)
Are you so bored you're making up games?
How long do we have? We need limits, Dan.
Hmmmm...
How much wood can a woodchuk chuck?
...it'd been too long since you got another one.
This really is brilliant, I'm jealous you thought of it first. Granted if I did it the first person to comment would probably win..I don't get the hit volume that you do. (I'm lucky to average 10) even though I personally think my stuff is introspective and important.
It will never end.
I used to get referrals from comments I made on your blog last year.
Notice that I have cut way back on the sexual innuendos. It draws weirdos.
wat is the prize
Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was. And they'll just keep on singing it forever just because...
OH
YOU
ATTENTION
WHORE.
YOU!
LOL i win!
lmao
I new person wins every post. YAY
Thanks a lot. I just lost the game.
Both games, actually. Curses! D<
uhmm, i say there is no such thing as end until the day you die, dan. then, it will be the end of your post. so are you dying??
what does the winner get?
comment whore much???
lol
Woohoo!
I'll take the door prize of two credits. ^.^
hmmm.
What would they win?
@heartbeatofmusic_x - You may lose, but I lose BIGGER than you.
So there.
Now THIS is how to break a comment record.
So if someone posts in 50 years, they win. Who until then?
Phhhhbbbbtttttt.......... :-b
@trunthepaige - I'm coming to subscribe baby, but your old profile pic was cuter.
i just lost THE GAME... and probably this game too...
Hhhhmmm...the question is, when will you post again? Hhmmm...
Now I'M winning! =D
a pyramid scheme, and i'm going to get squished.
wins what?
Is there a time limit or can I come back to it in 6 months and comment on it in an attempt to win it?
how do you know who the last comment is? somebody could comment a week from now... or a month... is there a time you have to get your comment in by?
Come on, you just set a comment record!
It woulda been the funniest thing evar if you had disabled comments.
What are the stakes?
kind of like trying to make that last second bid on ebay
..I bet someone post a comment on this 10 years from now.
lol
I like winning, but not that much.
will anyone ever win?
multiple comments allowed?
i lose.
Original approach! Me likey!
Is this just a sneaky way to go for an unbeatable-by-anyone-except-the-xanga-team comment recoord?
My turn!
i win!
hahaha, nice one. I lose too most likely....I guess it depends on when you privet it. :P
Hah...
I'm guessing your counting comments up untill your next post? Otherwise there would always be somebody commenting.
This is fun, I am winning, again....
yay i lose.
I think I lose...
I LOST THE GAME
I lost the game!
The Most Dangerous Game
How clever, someone is pretty gonna be like pick me pick me!
I think not me.
(:
Hhaha, good one.
nothing like an unwinnable game to keep people's spirits up.
win
oh dan.
you're a comment whore.
Alright, what do I win?
If you comment on this after me, a puppy will die. You don't want a puppy to die, do you?
Ha. This will be your least commented post.
@KNEESOXROCK -
Puppy murderer.....
I'm not going to lower myself to the level of even commenting.
Oops.
sure, sure
@whataboutbahb - What? Oh. Well, I don't like dogs anyway.
How does it end?!?
that's a first... x]
Last! For now anyway...
commenting is fun!
comment 101 rules
jSD:FJSDL:F
i want to win =(
@KNEESOXROCK -
Knew I should've gone with kittens.
@sizzl - i know! ditto~
uhh...i'm lost...
Yeah, you should put a time limit, otherwise people will still be commenting a year from now.
comment whore.
You are a sly, sly man.
this is infinity
=)
I'll wait until your next post...
oh...too soon...ugh
This is an interesting game...what do we win? Lol!
This is nonsensical. There can always be more.
what do they win?
.....
RIGHT NOW...
I'm winning!
...but probably not for long.
I win. Wait, I probably lose too...
I could message you the address to send my winnings... of course I'm an optimist.
can anyone truly "win" at this game?
What do we win?
Last comment until you blog again?
Last comment... ever?
What do we win??????
oh no, now i'm loosing.
SAD FACE!!
wait, i'm winning again!!!
wins what?
such an vague game.... where are the rules? lol
AHH
no end in sight.
I lost? Drats.
I was last, therefore Dan must love me more?
IM THE MAN
really?
Imma gonna try again.
I WIN!!!
How do you determine? The next time you check!? End of day?
x0x MK
I'm currently winning!
did i win yet?
valid point, what is exactly are we trying to win??
wins what?!
so is there a time limit?
and if I win can I get cookies?
well... is there a deadline? when does the "game" end?
What does the winner get?
can i win?!
This is pretty clever, I must say. But how will you know who wins?
Dan is this another lame attempt to reach 10,000 comments?
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
comment
do i win yet?
meet the winner !
ok how about now?
ooh you should have a game where you see how many comments you get from the SAME PERSON!
I have claimed LAST COMMENT!
Any comment after mine is void and does not count!
If you'd like to challenge my claim to LAST COMMENT, please write to your local congressman about the situation. Allow 8-12 weeks for your request to be processed and do not expect an immediate response.
>_>
i hope i win
I win, until later!!
oops, I just lost the other game
every day devices... Have you seen Clue the musical?
i just lost the game.
did I win yet?
I give up = (
And Tom takes the lead!
Are you getting desperate for comments? lol
Oh, that I be last! (Disable your comments now, Dan!)
Kathi
i r winner
Facebook did this:
http://tinyurl.com/lastpostwins
this place did it too:
http://tinyurl.com/6ofg4d
http://tinyurl.com/tickledidit
... and other places.
All I can say is we're nowhere close to the end.
Why don't you give us some comment-back action to keep the interest alive?
Blah.
Wins?
how do you be last... LIE!
Hey something i can actually win hahaha im usually the last to know or do everything lol...
what are we winning?
Wins what?
@awokenfatality - Wins NOTHING!
FIRST!
i'm so determined!
ish
This will prove that eternity exists because it will never end but keep on going and going and going.........................................................................
You may reach 2,000 comments with this one.
Win What!?
This makes me laugh!
I LOSE.
woooooo!!
Right, so who's most competitive, here?
I'm just posting this before I go to bed. Matt did this game once and I won that time... I doubt I'll do so well this time. Haha.
... ok...
let this go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...
Did I win?
nope
It might take a while...
You will need to set a time limit. And what do we win? The "Stupidity prize"?
What a mean game. lol
I win!
I wonder who will win?
*
????????
what's the point?! hahaha...you have the ability to post a reply at any point AND there's no deadline...this could last forever!
Did I win? hahaa
Noes
Oh, that would be me (at least until the next comment). What's my prize?
I don't know know about winning this game, but I just lost The Game.
is there a time limit?
I just lost the game.
<==== Last comment on this post.
Ok, I'll try once more.
haha, you lose!
pick me pick me pick me
Morning!
Wins what? Premium?
*sets up a tent*
i want to play =]
Is there a prize? or are we to find satisfaction in knowing we've won.. ??
HOWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the end of ALL Ends..
awsomness
What's the prize?
I'm winning.
Are we allowed to come back and re-comment?
Is this another way of getting a lot of people to comment on your post?
but when is "last?" I could bookmark this post and come back to it in a month. Would I win then?
Holy cow, this is getting you a lot of comments!
Am I winning?
I wonder for how long I'll be in the lead.
am i still in the game?
Hmm.
I never win.
prob gonna lose haha
me, me, me, win!
NOW, do i win?
okay.
Hi!
This is ridiculous, because you'll never be able to call the end of this "game" and decide the winner because someone COULD always make another comment at any time unless you lock it, or unless Xanga crashes for good or the world ends, whichever comes first.
I win (temporarily)
I suppose I will contribute to the madness.
k
if you know about the game you're playing the game.
if you think about the game you lose the game.
if you lose the game you must announce that you have lost the game.
therefore everyone around you loses too.
this is almost as amusing as that game.
What a comment whore you are. And you just made me a loser.
do I win?
nope
boo!
I lose?
I'm in the lead!
is it even possible to have a winner?
whens the game close?
What do I win?
Then again, someone will always feel like a winner...so it's cool. The feeling of winning is great! Even tho it was brief!
This is why I never win
whats the winning prize?
...
Hahahaha...nice. Need to remind myself to come back and see what comes of this.
why am i participating?
ok
I'm not even getting two credits for this comment.
Wins that?
when is this overrr?
VISIT MY PROFILE PLEASE IM NEW! [Im Entering]
So just what is the prize?
Third times the charm....
I'm currently winning..lol
I can't believe this is still going
i win
I win.
wins what?
LAST! HA-HA!
Last for a whole three minutes.
last..... too late? oh well... i'm last!!
so now we all wait for it to stop...... if that ever comes.
did i win?
I'm winning, for the moment.
no, i'm winning!
heh
Haha.
XD
Won'd.
it's not me...couldn't be
i hope the prize is a high-five, because that would be worth commenting this post over and over again for 75 years.
so who won this last comment? and wins what?
Pretty cool. We all are winners, if only for a short time.
who would you consider the last?
i want to win so badly!
so when does this game end?
hmm do i win? lol
losing.. again haha
Look! im winning!!!
hahaha
but not not for long....
got it
-adieu, stace
did I lose?
losing
Tag. . your it
no tag backs
win.
all of you just got owned.
now so did you
I swear to God, I will win this.
i probably won't win.
--- This blog has been discontinued ---
I'm back to winning again.
Nah, you don't.
haha hilarious (=
wheeeeeeeeeee
Don't mess with me! I will win this!
Hey there.
@Commander_Crichton - *messes with you*
heh heh heh. jk. :]
I'll just come back in a year and comment again.
because i've got patience, yo.
And now I have won - Dan you may take this down and declare me the victor - or risk getting coal in your stocking
[:
I'm Last
what?
This reminds me, did you ever reach the number of comments on your other comment gathering post?
Noah FTW.
ahahhahaha
Great concept.... I always love reading you.
Dammit, everyone else, stop posting!
might as well throw my chips into the mix, right?
Is this just a cheap way to get more points for minis and giving people premium?
Only 1 eProp for you Dan.
Nope, I win.
thats different now everyones going to go around saying last
Welcome to the impossible game to win...
What, no time limit?
Temporary winning!
posting here has become so addicting!
lala
I've been winning for 17 minutes.
20 minutes.
Huzzah! My month of exile was not in vain!
Too bad so sad.
comment...
other comment...
i wanna be a winner for a little while
times up
-adieu, stace
i win...if only for a moment
yup only for a moment
-adieu, stace
Haha!
Winning.
Why am I the only one really trying to debate things on the "Christian erotica" post?
It's usually the other way around. Everyone else usually debates and argues and stuff while I stay out of it all.
"It's inappropriate" isn't a good argument. "Sure why not" is too easy. Is it SINFUL or not??? I don't know, and that's driving me nuts.
sneak attack!
hi
Okay.
damn, you people are persistant! just give up! hehe
I'm winning now.
NO.
NO I WIN.
Winning for 40 minutes. Heh.
55 minutes.
Oh nice. I THINK I WIN DAN.
No. You lose.
And I continue to win!
Victory is mine!
Comment.
I win
Still in the lead...
I win again
Is anyone else pathetic enough to come back and leave a comment on this one? ;-D
On the bright side I saw a lot of your posts thaqt I've missed in the last day!
Yup... I see that there are several other poor pathetic souls on tonight! lol
You know Dan... I think this could go on for YEARS... =D
Hah.
You guys freakin' wish.
comment
Clever Dan...
When I was on a forum someone set up on a thread like this, the admin finally locked and removed it.
I lose.
Not as clever as I.
WIN
Some of us are more stubborn than others.
@ThePhilsBlogBar - That's why Xanga is more fun than anything else on the web. The Xanga Team never chides us all for doing something like this.
slick but not slick enough... i win!
-adieu, stace
NOPE!
err yeah
-adieu, stace
LOL, is there a prize for "winning" this "game?" XD
No, but I'll win it anyway.
I'm writing an experimental piece of expressionism. I love expressionism. Expressionistic writing never took off the way expressionistic painting did, but that's because it's darn hard to write. But I think it's worth a go.
Good luck.
heyyyyyyy
-chirps-
-adieu, stace
What, are you a cricket?
I'm back.
I waited to comment on this until I could at least win for a few hours maybe.
The few. The proud. The stubborn.
The Marines?
Last comment, I wins!
Haha people are still commenting this.
Ha
yo
-adieu, stace
IS the end in sight?
what is the point of this? There can never be a last comment...well, not a permanent one
@magicalmusicgirl - unless he disables comments at a certain time....or puts it to privet.
A day will come when this game goes out of the minds of all who once loved it.
Save me.
save yourself
-adieu, stace
380, oh look at me, how original!
Last comment on this post wins...the I'm the biggest loser on all da web award.
So, Dan, what did I win?
@Vivi_Kitty - Nothing yet
Nope, I win.
Nope. I win.
yay!
Poo on you.
Finally a winner in the end.
F. T. W.
I'm stubborn, I will win.
i win!
still waiting....
Last.
You all ride the FAILboat.
How does that gingerFAIL taste?
I haven't been here for a while.
Don't even start with me.
I came back just to comment and see if I am last but I thnk someone comment after me.
This game is impossible!
Nah, I'll win it.
This is the game that doesn't end...
True that
Really?
No, not really.
Comment.
That was lame.
So how long until a winner is declared.
Don't make me destroy you.
almost forgot about the post... had an awesome weekend...
i wish i could say the same for you guys..-adieu, stace
My weekend was pretty awesome.
Don't judge me!
When you say "don't judge me", it's like an invitation to judge you. People know you have something of which you should be ashamed.
Oh yes, many things.
Sorry, go ahead, judge me.
indeed i will
-adieu, stace
Thanks much.
Sorry, I'm winning.
Sorry, you're losing.
I can comment longer than you. I have a boring job.
I'm in college.
student as well
-adieu, stace
Down to the three of us, then?
and then there were 3
-adieu, stace
Yes indeed.
Welcome to Xanga!
We hope you enjoy our community; it's really fun!
...Wait, this isn't the Welcome Wagon. Where am I?
This job is a test. If this had been a real job I would have been promoted and had a raise by now. This is only a test.
... well.. okay....
-adieu, stace
LAST!
::mimics::
LAST-adieu, stace
Blast.
Wait, why are we still doing this?
Apparently I have no life.
Life is making a comment...
Or an impact.
come oooooon guys.. don't you think it's courteous to let the girl win?
-adieu, stace
Nah.
-Adieu, Noah
don't make me play the race card
-adieu, stace
Naw, just the comment card.
I'm great with the comment card.
i thought i commented here last night
oh wells-adieu, stace
wins what?
Wins 1 MILLION DOLLARS!
I want one million dollars.
back off it belongs to me
-adieu, stace
Fine, take it. I just want the last comment.
Will this comment game ever be over?
i have come to believe you guys are racist and sexist...
it's cuz i'm black isn't it!you guys just can't let me win-adieu, stace
I can comment ad infinitum.
Me too, so long as I have an Internet connection.
Is it over yet?
Not even close.
This reminds me of the stuff that goes on around Facebook. You know, in the bigger Facebook groups?
Xanga pwns Facebook.
Shouldn't you be studying?
Facebook> Myspace>Xanga
sorry to say-adieu, stace
Then get off Xanga.
yeah whateverrrrrr
-adieu, stace
You're just not devoted, that's all.
riiiiight i'm supposed to pledge my allegiance to xanga now?
blasphemy-adieu, stace
I'm going to comment here every day, forever. You might as well give up.
Good luck to you.
b r i n g i t
-adieu, stace
O . K .
Hump? What hump?
?????
stupid
-adieu, stace
Yes, beg your pardon?
brooklyn's where it's at, yo?
-adieu, stace
Frau Blücher!
you on that next isssh, aren't you...
-adieu, stace
Losers.
I would not say such things if I were you!
So if you were him, what would you say?
nah nah man you can't just be coming into the game like dat... we in da middle of som'ing, k
back up out of here. De tree of us gots un finished bid'ness-adieu, stace
Yeah, really. You can't just jump into the middle of a three person game of stubbornness.
now back to our game after we were so rudely interrupted....
-adieu, stace
You don't realize this is a one person (me) game. You all need to just give up now.
Nahhhhhh...
who are you fooling?
-adieu, stace
I'm not just jumping in. I used to be fullmetalbunny. See the old profile pic?
I've been commenting here for ages. See no reason to stop now. :]
I can't wait for the comments to beat out the eProps.
Why should that matter?
you're a nerd for noticing that.. by the way lol
-adieu, stace
I'm AWESOME for noticing that.
Like we aren't all nerds for doing this thing for so long anyway?
Dan's lost all respect for us.
Hey, I was home free for two days until you ruined my streak.
And yeah, I'm quite sure Dan thinks we're idiots.
nah.. we're just twisted up in his twisted game....
he has us just where you wants us...-adieu, stace
still going on, eh??
It'll never stop. Although, I do seem to keep winning in increments of two days...
Now, it's only two hours bubba.
i think Dan is trying to tell us to appreciate our life and what we have..
Actually i think he's the guy in SAW...-adieu, stace
I appreciate my life. I appreciate what I have. I also appreciate victory.
And who doesn't?
-burps-
-adieu, stace
Excuse you!
that you for excusing me
-adieu, stace
This is never going to end is it?
Don't count on it.
nopers
-adieu, stace
So, how was Monday?
meh. It was Monday...
tuesday was worse
-adieu, stace
I'm not sure how my Wednesday will be quite yet.
French test today. Boo.
This is an exciting Wednesday for me. I'm hosting a bible study for Singles at my house tonight.
Sounds like a fun time! How did it go?
It seemed to go well. Everyone learned a lot and I got them to all participate.
That's all you can ask for.
Wow, things are changing. I'm starting to get calls from various people for prayer and help. I don't know what happened, but it seems I'm being thrust into a (minor) leadership position. All I was trying to do was step up and help where I saw a need.
Thursday I had a lame dinner party.. friday i watched Wall-E against my will.. but it's actually an awesome movie
-adieu, stace
So I've heard.
I've had a very interesting epiphany. Last week I did a major house cleaning preparing to host a bible group in my house. Now that my house is presentable, I've been able to have guests over for one-on-one studies and just to show hospitality. By stepping out to do something for God, I'm now more able to do things for God.
.... i see
-adieu, stace
I've been cleaning up my life. I feel so grateful to God for what he did for me, that I want to reciprocate.
Titus 3: 3-7 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by
all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being
hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he
saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by
the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
right on
-adieu, stace
True dat.
I beat the eProp count.
"The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing." Proverbs 10:28
Do you think righteous people are happier?
they think they are
-adieu, stace
yay i've been winning for a few days
-adieu, stace
Not anymore.
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Hebrews 11:3)
'The fact of evolution is the backbone of biology, and biology is thus
in the peculiar position of being a science founded on an unproved theory..is
it then a science or a faith? Belief in the theory of evolution is thus
exactly parallel to belief in special creation..both are concepts which
believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been capable
of proof' (The Foreword to the 1971 edition of Darwin's "Origin of
the Species". Harrison L. Matthews. p. x)
Which position takes more faith to believe; creation or evolution?
..
-adieu, stace
I see the two sides of the issue as, faith that some being created the complexity of the universe with an intelligent plan; or, faith that the complexity of the universe just happened by chance.
I think my position is this. Just as a watch implies a watchmaker, the complexity of the universe, right down to the sub-atomic level, implies a creator.
that's nice...
-adieu, stae
OK, I like nice. But, what is your opinion on my question?
Yeah, answer the question.
You too Chichton. As long as all three of us keep posting here, we can at least have useful discussions.
It's Crichton. Like the recently deceased author, Michael Crichton.
Sorry, my typing/spelling skills are fading with age.
..i agree?
-adieu, stace
Haha. This is getting ridiculous.
Well, you don't have to keep it going if you don't want to...
I'm good, thanks.
So, how was your day?
It's been pretty fair, but it's not quite over yet. And yours?
It's been a hell week. I've fixed around 700 web pages this week alone.
Oof. Well, TGIF, right?
I think Friday is going to end early for me. I'm heading home sick...
i just got over my own cold...
happy friday!-adieu, stace
I've been feeling a bit under the weather, but that might have been from lack of sleep.
What is this "sleep" that you speak of?
I haven't been familiar for quite a while. Naps are my friend, though.
I need a vacation.
I think we all could use one. Will we get one, though?
i'll admit i forgot about this for a few
can't wait until 2009... 2008 went by so fast...-adieu, stace
Eh. Yeah, 2008 can leave.
i just hope it ends on a good note... my newyears always suck
-adieu, stace
I just hope I can survive until 2012.
Why? Because 2012 is the resetting of the Mayan calendar?
woooot 2010!
-adieu, stace
Because that's when my kids graduate from college. The end to the bills is in sight!
Funny... your kids and I are the same age.
They just turned 19.
i'm turning 20.....
wooot 2010!-adieu, stace
and ewww you're a 1990s baby... people born in the 90s freak me out.... kids born in the 2k make me feel ESPECIALLY old
-adieu, stace
-crickets-
I believe this forum has diedI WIN!-adieu, stace
OMG, this month has been hell. We are almost ready for tax season to begin. Check out all my hard work. http://www.completetax.com
No, finals are just a bitch.
this month has been paradise...
have the boyfriend, the best friend, my birthday is coming up, i've gotten not a single grade below an A+ awesomeness-adieu, stace
Two down, two left.
We are so close to the end of this project, I can taste it. Soon, I'll be able to keep posting every day again.
Ahh, break... How nice.
i still await my 4 finals...
-adieu, stace
My son's finals are over and he is home.
Really, Stace? You don't have your finals before Christmas break?
i have 2 finals today and 2 tomorrow (Tuesday) just in time for Christmas Eve and Christmas.
it's terrible lol-adieu, stace
just finished them... wooooot
-adieu, stace
Happy Christmas Eve!
And now, happy Christmas!
Groovy Boxing Day!
Indeed. Or the second day of the 12 days of Christmas.
wooooot
-adieu, stace
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, snort, huh? Oh, Comment!
Heh.
2009 is here and may God have mercy on our souls.
Hear, hear.
Goodbye 2008, good riddance.
You've got that right.
I'm still at work. No holidays for programmers!
Ooh. What's your favorite language?
Don't really have a favorite, but I use HTML, XHTML, JavaScript and VBscript-ASP every day. Some Actionscript and Jscript once in a while. I miss real programming from college, Gnu C, and LISP were my favorites back then.
-adieu, stace
Wow, no comment?
had nothing of interest to say
-adieu, stace
I can understand that.
Can't wait to get out of New York... it's freezing over here. I'm going to Florida next week. Any break plans?
adieu, stace
1. No conclusion of peace shall be considered valid as such if it was made with a secret reservation of the material for a future war.
2. No independently existing state, whether it be large or small, may be acquired by another state by inheritance, exchange, purchase or gift.
3. Standing armies will gradually be abolished altogether.
4. No national debt shall be contracted in connection with the external affairs of the state.
5. No state shall forcibly interfere in the constitution and government of another state.
6. No state at war with another shall permit such acts of hostility as would make mutual confidence impossible during a future time of peace. Such acts would include the employment of assassins or poisoners, breach of agreements, the instigation of treason within the enemy state, etc.
League of Nations?
Close. Immanuel Kant's six preliminary articles that must be abided by if there is to be perpetual peace.
Hmm, sounds like "Love your neighbor as yourself."
A little more complex, but yeah.
CompleteTax (where I work) is open for business!
If you need to do your taxes, use one of my links and I'll donate $5 to the indicated charity for each paid return. (make sure you get the whole link)
Big Brothers Big Sisters
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/plindex.asp?welcome=WU9900641&A=HU402
YMCA
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/plindex.asp?welcome=WU9900641&A=QT393
Church of Christ
http://www.completetax.com/index.asp?welcome=WU9900641&A=OJ153
High School Instrumental Music
http://www.completetax.com/index.asp?welcome=WU9900641&A=YB323
I'd be game for the high school instrumental music one.
Then click on it and start your tax return.
I'll get there.
Happy inauguration day!
<- doesn't have taxes
aahhh i'm back from my vacation... back to the cold.. brrrr
-adieu, stace
Now that I think about it, my student work isn't taxed. Never mind!
If your employer withheld any taxes, you should file to get a refund.
No, it's through the college. We're all good.
Work study, although part of your financial aid, may be taxable. I wouldn't hurt to input your return and then if you don't need to file, you don't have to pay.
Scholarship or fellowship grants are excludable from income if you are a degree candidate, and the amounts received are for tuition, fees, books, supplies, or equipment required for courses. Room and board do not qualify. If you receive payments for services, they must be included in your taxable income even if such services are required of all candidates for the degree.
Veterans' Administration payments are not taxable. Qualified tuition reduction for undergraduates, or tuition waivers or reductions for graduate students engaged in teaching or research activities, are not taxable.
If you received taxable money under a grant, you must report it on Line 7 of your 1040 form, whether or not it was reported on a W-2 form.
I see.
You might as well get back any of your money that was withheld over the year.
Yeah, I'll see.
i need a job... life in nyc is tough....
-adieu, stace
Not going to be many jobs for the next few years. The Obama Depression has begun.
"Obama Depression"? I beg your pardon?
Think about history. When was the last time the US elected an socialist leaning Democrat during a serious ecconomic down-turn? I believe they called it the Great Depression. If he tries to be Roosevelt, he will make the same mistakes Rossevelt did which turned a recession into the worst depression in history (so far).
ugh nyc transit fares are going to go up.. looks like i'll DEFINITELY be walking to school now...
-adieu, stace
Prices going up, wages going down, debt never goes away. Yup, a depression is here.
so what shows do you guys watch? i'm a big fan of Degrassi, 90210 and Gossip Girl
=> The only shows i watch
-adieu, stace
Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures, Chuck, and Psych.
i've never heard of any of those
-adieu, stace
Doctor Who is good. I watch BSG, House, Heroes, and Scrubs.
I love the british sci-fi. Red Dwarf is another gem. It's no longer being produced, but I watch the recordings over and over.
Farscape is even better.
I liked Farscape at the beginning, but it jumped the shark when the plots started to be about his relationship with his father.
I don't recall the series turning that direction. There was one episode of him and his father (who turned out to be an alien), and then another one is "Won't Get Fooled Again" (which is a GREAT episode) with Jack Crichton. But that's it in the first two seasons.
The early episodes had a great over arching story. John trying to find a way home while being chased by an angry military leader. Later there was a new bad guy and the old bad guy changed sides. The story became more about John falling in love with the alien girl and the mystery of his father the alien and trying to find the jump technology and keep it away from the bad guy.
That alien wasn't his father, though. He was an Ancient who just took on the guise of his father as to better communicate with John. I though Scorpius made an excellent villain later on, and his continuing love story with Aeryn was actually refreshing to see in a show, because they considered more complications than a typical television series would. And the wormhole technology actually gave the last half of season three, season four and PK Wars a lot of drive, and a lot to work with.
Doctor Who is a much better show. I could go on and on about it.
Please do.
In a little while, I'm still waking up.
O.K.
First of all, it's a very long running show that has stayed internally consistent. By that I mean, the stories have built a fictional world and they all fit into it. There are no weird episodes that change the rules or contradict the "history" from previous episodes. That is rare in television today and very difficult to achieve for a show that has been in production since 1963!
Yes, it has been a very long-lived show.
The wonderful thing I'm trying to explain is that you could pick up a DVD of any episode from the last 30 years and it would make sense based on any other episode you have seen.
Besides, what better hero can you get than a non-violent 900+ year old alien who somehow manages to defeat the bad guys every time. He almost always manages to warn the bad guys that he will stop them if they don't stop being bad.
...
-adieu, stace
Your signature seems unnecessary, especially when you're just typing an ellipsis.
No, I don't disagree. I think Doctor Who is a fantastic show. I've particularly enjoyed the tenth Doctor.
Oh yes! David Tennent really has recaptured the feel of the other popular Doctor, the fourth, Tom Baker.
I'm only so familiar with the show as its revival on Sci Fi channel these past few years. What seasons/doctors would you recommend I watch if I wanted to see more of the older episodes? Anything with Daleks would be awesome, too.
"Genisis of the Daleks" (#78 I think) is probably the best Dalek episode. It will also explain several things that happened in the new series. I don't know if you have seen all the new episodes or are still behind, so I won't say WHAT it will explain, except maybe who started the time war.
In fact, just watch the entire 1975 season. That will give you an excellent background to what is going on in the new show. The season features(in order): U.N.I.T.in Robot, humans and earth in the VERY far future in The Ark in Space, Sontarans in The Sontaran Experiment, Daleks in Genisis of the Daleks, Cybermen in Revenge of the Cybermen, and finally U.N.I.T again inTerror of the Zygons featuring the Loc Ness Monster!
I'll check them out! Thank you!
I do like David Tennant as the Doctor, but Tom Baker is still my favorite.
Who did they get to play the 11th Doctor?
Ha ha! I knew there was a reason I like the 1975 season so much. I just found that 1975 was the first award winning season. "1975 - Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Writing in a Children's Serial"
Jan 4, 2009 ... The BBC names 26-year-old Matt Smith as the actor to replace David Tennant and become the 11th Doctor in 2010.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45343000/jpg/_45343466_newdocotr226.jpg
Wow, he's YOUNG.
Maybe too young to be believable as a 900 year old Time Lord.
Well, we'll see.
Agreed. Too late to do anything about it now.
It seems to me as if we have won.
I wonder if Dan has checked this thread in a while. Yoo Hoo, Dan!
oh so you think you've won
i just have nothing to say about your ridiculous show...
-adieu, stace
Back from the dead? Yikes, It's a zombie! Quick, cut her head off.
If only.
Oh, let's be nice.
i was stupid to initiate conversation about tv shows with a couple of guys
yes "I'm back", tell a friend
-adieu, stace
You should give Doctor Who a try. There is a lot of "girly" stuff in the new shows too.
Wow, did you see the series finale of Battlestar Galactica? Absolutely amazing.
Not yet, I'm a couple of shows behind. I'll catch up this week.
i win!
Enjoy Holy Week-adieu, stace
Hey, no waiting 3 weeks then declaring victory. I'm still here, every day.
Still winning
No longer!
This can go on for a long time.
Indeed, it is so.
But I have no life, so I will win.
I agree with the first, but not the second of those statements.
No, really. I have nothing better to do than sit here and refresh this page. Give up now.
Never!
You have to die someday, I will still be here. LOL
If I recall, you're older.
I plan to live forever, or die trying.
Good luck.
You have to graduate sometime.
Not from the Internet.
Saw the new Start Trek last night. They explained why things changed, but I hope they don't continue with the changed story line.
Haven't seen it yet, but I heard it was amazing.
It's a fun movie if you can take it as a stand alone story. It doesn't fit into the Star Trek universe.
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55: 10-11
I've seen it. It redefines the Star Trek universe, and rather well, too.
Yep.
It didn't need to be redefined
No, but now they have artistic license to do with the universe what they will.
there you guys go talking about your uninteresting things....
school's out! time to do my traveling. Just got back from the lovely Canada. You'll see me periodically
-adieu, stace
If you have nothing substantive to contribute, don't comment.
I have substance!
I'll agree with you there.
I've just lost about 130 pounds of substance. Still need to lose 120 more.
Good luck.
What shall we say,
then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!
We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Romans 6:1
Good quote.
Commit your way to the
LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be
still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men
succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm
37:5-7
Eighty percent of married men cheat in America. The rest cheat in Europe.
For I know the plans I have for
you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and
come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and
find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13
Now you're just getting lazy.
"A cult is a religion with no political power." -Tom Wolfe
All things are
wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has
been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-9
"If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." -Anatole France
When I want to do
good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in
God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the
law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who
will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus
Christ our Lord! Romans 7:21-25
If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity. Deuteronomy 25:11-12
"That's not cool Butters, you don't shoot a guy in the dick. You don't shoot a guy in the dick; everyone knows that! Shooting a guy in the dick; that's just weak!" - Eric Cartman
i really needed to read those bible quotes...
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not
offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but
rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from
death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments
of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not
under law, but under grace. Romans 6:12-14
But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you. Leviticus 11:10
Does that mean no shellfish/lobster?
Nice South Park quote, by the way!
Yes. By old testament law, shellfish, clams, lobster, shrimp, etc. are all on the forbidden list, i.e. not kosher.
However: "Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."" Acts 10:13-15
Touché.
BRB, goin' to New York.
Have fun in the big apple.
Back.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5-7
Amen~
-adieu, stace
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14
We've almost been going at this a whole year. 11 months on the 26th.
Woo. Comment 700.
OK, you posted number 700. You can stop now.
Hah, right.
See? You went to 702. Now you spoiled it.
Oh, that's too bad!
When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
I shall consider this.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Is this your way of telling me to give up now?
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
"Even now," declares the LORD,"return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your HEART and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:12-13
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Theodor Seuss Geisel
Let the wicked forsake his wayand the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will
have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:7-9
"Democracy means that anyone can grow up to be president, and anyone who doesn't grow up can be vice president." -Johnny Carson
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.- Ronald Reagan
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." -Albert Einstein
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. - Proverbs 1:7
Capitalization is the difference between, "I had to help my uncle Jack off a horse..." and, "I had to help my uncle jack off a horse..."
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
"A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory." -Steven Wright
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we
do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
1 Corinthians 9:24-26
"I hate television. I hate it as much as I hate peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts." -Orson Welles
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
I'm sensing a theme here.
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little." -George Carlin
The plans of the righteous are just, but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.
What, no source?
The last three are from Proverbs, chapter 12.
How about some song lyrics for you.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Dude, the Byrds are awesome.
I like their lyricist!
Haha, I have a feeling he may have borrowed those lyrics from somewhere...
From the bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Been a whole year now. Wow. What troopers are we?
Maybe Dan could declare a tie and we could have lives again.
I think we'd both really appreciate that.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
"The intermediate stage between socialism and capitalism is alcoholism." -Norman Brenner
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”- Psalm 143:10
"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." -Steve Jobs
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. - Ronald Reagan
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -W.C. Fields
There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.
Robert A. Heinlein
hehhe I like to check up on you guys every once in a while
-adieu, stace
"bad is never good until worse happens"
-adieu, stace
"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. "- Ronald Reagan
"There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America." -Bill Clinton
There are no easy answers but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. - Ronald Reagan
"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress." -Barack Obama
Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith. Stephen S. Wise
"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." -Robert Frost
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that though, and you're pretty much doomed." -Larry Kersten
Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship - never.
-adieu, stace
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. -
Carl W. Buechner
I just saw Karl Rove speak at my school. Gross.
What's gross about him? Did he have a booger hanging out of his nose or do you just not like his politics?
It was a booger the size of Iraq.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Oh, we can't have a legitimate conversation?
Sure, what about?
Do you watch House?
I've seen one or two episodes, but I'm not a fan of House. It's just too unrealistic. (and that's saying something from a Sci-Fi fan)
Are you a follower of Obama? Maybe you can tell me what he did in the first 12 days in office that got him nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
That was so 9 days ago. Are you still hung up on that?
lol leave the man with his Nobel Peace Prize.. he'll make up for it in the future
Any of you guys watch Gossip girl , 90210 or Degrassi?
-adieu, stace
Nope, no girl shows for me. Actually, no shows for me period. Because of the Obama-worsened economy, I can't afford cable any more. I have to watch my shows the old fashioned way, download them from the internet.
Don't complain. I'm in college, and have no cable, so it's the Internet for me, too.
My condolances. There may not be a job waiting when you graduate in the Obama world. The new spin in the press is that 10% unemployment is the new normal.
I think I'll be okay, because I have faith in the ability of my president.
I, unfortunately, have faith in the ability of Socialism to fail. Obama's socialist programs will make some people happier in the short term. But, they will destroy our way of life in the long term, i.e. from 20-50 years. Study the history of the USSR, Cuba, North Korea, Poland, etc. The "workers paradise" is unstable and cannot sustain itself without virtual slavery of the people.
I desperately hope that we don't have to "give it a try" to realize that socialism won't work.
Are you speaking to socialism with regard to health care?
I am a college student who can't enjoy cable tv so instead resorts to watching my 3 fav shows online...
Meh.. graduate school for me.. not ready to hit the real world yet...
Obama's plan is just something we need to do. We just need to trust
-adieu, stace
Agreed, Stace. You're a senior, then?
No trust for communists. None. Never!
Wow, get out of the 1950s.
Just because the calendar changed, doesn't make communism / socialism a good thing. It's a nice philosophical idea, each person has what they need and they contribute what they can. Unfortunately, human beings are not ants. We don't fit into government approved molds, we don't strive to excel without rewards.
Socialism / Communism move the existing wealth around in an attempt to address inequity and unfairness. Only capitalism increases the wealth of a nation.
Capitalism increasing the wealth of a nation, huh? Is that all you're concerned with? Not the welfare of others or any silly business like that?
The welfare of everyone will improve when the nation as a whole improves. That's what wealth creation is all about. You should read: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. It was the guide book for the industrial revolution.
Socialism, Liberalism, and other forms of populism all suffer from the bread and circuses problem. When the voters find out they can vote themselves public money, they are never satisfied. They want more and more until the government collapses.
Hang on, I'll give you a detailed response when I get on to Thanksgiving break.
Ooo! Doing research?
My mission is complete.
Research? Not on Adam Smith. Besides, I've already read him, in addition to any other number of political theorists. I simply don't have the time right now (with two papers and a test approaching) to discuss frivolous items.
Good luck with your exams.
Thanks.
What classes are you taking?
Russian and Eurasian Politics, Clarinet, an American History course and my final French class.
Wow, I guess you have a talent for languages. The only languages I learned are computer programming languages, C, Pascal, Visual Basic, Cobol, etc.
ahhh a liberal arts man... i'm swamped with science lab reports. See ya after finals!
-adieu, stace
You two must be about the same age as my kids. They are in their second year of college.
That sounds about right!
Old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill.
Just keep mumbling that to yourself.
Mmmm mmmf!
Merry Christmas.
And a happy Boxing Day.
And a Happy New Year!
Thanks.
Thank you too.
You're quite welcome.
I'm thankful that tomorrow is a vacation day.
Vacation's over
It's that time of year again. If you need to do taxes, use one of my links
and I'll donate $5 to charity for each paid federal return.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/wichitabigs
YMCA
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/YMCAwichita
Wichita Church of Christ
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/hopeworldwide
South High School Instrumental Music
http://www.internet-taxprep.com/WichitaSouth
Kudos on the links.
Just got back from Japan. Pretty awesome.
Wow, cool!
Yeah. And now it's my birthday! All kinds of things happening!
Just got back from Spain
0o0o Japan.. niiice
-adieu, stace
Dang, you young folks travel a lot.
March already. I still need a vacation.
Don't we all. Spring break fast approaches!
No break for me.
Bummer.
Maybe a green beer tomorrow will help.
Don't drink -- sorry.
I didn't drink any. I'm so old and boring sometimes.
No, I'm sure you're still youthful and exciting off the Internet.
Like Indy said, "It's not the years, it's the mileage."
Haha. Most excellent. Happy April!
Yea spring! Time for backyard fun!
Back to school. Boo. Twins home opener today, though!
Not a huge fan of sports. But, I kinda like baseball: relaxing.
Indeed.
Today is Tax Day, boo!
April 22, 2010: Happy Footstool Day!
This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my
throne, and the earth is my footstool. ... Has not my hand made all
these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is
the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles
at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2
April is almost gone.
How sad.
ecckk can you believe the year is 1/3 over?!
-adieu, stace
Best week I've had in a while, 7.4 pounds lost!
Congratulations to you! Before we know it, it'll be June!
I can't believe we've been doing this for almost 2 years.
Maybe we're all winners?
Dunno, have to ask Dan.
@Commander_Crichton - @crgrier - Nope. It can only be the last comment.
Then there is no way to "win". I could just wait a year, then post something and the game continues.
I know. The only way would be to disable comments or something.
yes yes that would be the only way to win
-adieu, stace
Maybe all three of us can gang up on Dan to declare us co-winners.
Considering most people who read him have entirely forgotten about this topic, I wouldn't rule that a bad idea.
I understand if 2 out of 3 of you want to just give up and quit. I am sure one of you will hang in and be the winner.
I must say I am impressed with all three of you. Any of you need a job in Internet marketing? We need a few people that just hang in there at all cost.
Well, I need a job, and I do like the Internet...
I'm already in web design, I could use an Internet Marketing entry on my resume.
Just let us know!
Should we form a scrum and use agile development?
Aren't scrums reserved for Rugby players?
They borrowed the term for team efforts in business.
My dictionary suggests otherwise.
Dude, pretty soon we'll double the number of comments as eProps. For that, we deserve major eProps.
Here is an article about Scrum Development in business. Yeah, it's a stupid name. But then again, most buzz words are stupid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_%28development%29
Thanks bro.
No problem
I love Chuck.
Awesome!
You ever seen it?
Oh yeah. I've got the first two seasons on DVD.
Yeah, I had to pirate all three. So worth it, though.
Ug, Monday.
Ug, Tuesday.
Thursday!
-adieu, stace
Still "Ug"
Ugh, Monday.
Ugh, Monday again.
This is a short week, that's a plus!
Woot! Holiday weekend!
Tell me about it.
http://hotimg23.fotki.com/a/213_88/2_2/attractivenesScale-782459.jpg
Happy 4th of July, by the way.
Thanks, it was a relaxing weekend.
And now it's another weekend!
Life just keeps rolling on...
Big wheel keeps on turnin'
It's hot! We broke records 2 days in a row.
Still not as impressive as last winter, broke 20 records for cold.
Back to normal summer.
Stace? Crichton? You guys give up on me?
Did I win?
Another Labor Day gone.
So two years of doing this every day and I'm the last, huh?
@crgrier - I will declare you the winner if no one comments in the next month. Come back and remind me in a month.
One thing I know is how to be stubborn...
oh nope. I'm here!
Back from my holiday in Italy
-adieu, stace
@TheTheologiansCafe - Don't be so ready to declare him the winner!
-adieu, stace
@Perfect_HindSight - Haha. Victory snatched away from him.
=D
-adieu, stace
Aw Stace, welcome back!
Today is my spiritual Birthday!
I don't really celebrate birthdays but I think that is one occasion worth appreciating
-adieu, stace
Happy spiritual birthday! Hope you're both doing well.
Thank you both!
Of course! Sorry I've been MIA for so long.
Another Monday. It's hot; I'm so ready for Fall.
Another week closer to retirement.
Have another good week everyone.
So what's up guys?
Medical School is tough
-adieu, stace
Preparing for tax season. Gonna be long hours for the rest of the year.
Bummer -- hope it's not too stressful!
I'll survive. It's better than being unemployed.
Work week begins again...
the long haul until thanksgiving "break"
-adieu, stace
No break for the working man...
Had a really great date over the weekend? The One? Maybe?
0o0o0 that's fantastic. i hope she is ^_^ where'd you met her?
Met her at church. I've been helping to build a Singles ministry and we've been working on it together.
I'm taking it slow (slower than she would like) to be sure, but I'm really hopeful.
It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. Proverbs 19:2
*BUMP*
-adieu, stace
Bump!? You can't post something more creative than that?
Bump indeed!
Hope you're all voting on this election day!
Vote early, vote often.
Victory!!!
Dems still retain the Senate and the White House.
Bring it.
But there is finally hope of positive change, instead of socialism.
Socialism? I would honestly hope you'd be smarter than that to make such audacious claims.
Have you been to this site? It's worth a look:
http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
Just looked. All the things they say he did were either socialist, pro gay, or anti christian. In short he pushed the liberal adgenda.
"Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting in 2016"
Socialist? Not really. Pro-gay? Certainly not. Anti-Christian? How?
"Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers"
Yes, equal pay rights for all is definitely socialism in the making, not something that's just common sense.
"Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB"
How can you argue against this one, exactly?
I'll provide more if you want 'em.
I'll get to it in a while. Very busy for the next few weeks.
In the mean time, yes he has done some positive things. But things like socialized medicine overshadow them for me.
Tsk. As soon as you present opening arguments, I'll rebut.
looking forward to it.
Great.
I hate politics.
-adieu, stace
I'm getting tired of politics myself. Why can't everyone just get it over with and agree with me now!
Because that wouldn't be any fun.
Also, I think poor people and the middle class might not like that very much.
Sure they would. They wouldn't stay poor if they didn't want to if I controlled the universe.
How do you propose you deliver them from poverty?
By giving them the opportunity to better themselves, if they really want to work for it. I believe in equal opportunity for all, not equal results.
That's great if you believe in equal opportunity, because this country doesn't.
I'm not sure which country you are in. In the United States of America we have laws and a constitution that promote equal opportunity. We just have to be careful that some groups don't impose special rights or opportunities for themselves.
I'll reply to this after my finals are over.
lol, ok. Good luck!
winter break!
-adieu, stace
Break? Not just before tax season...
Well, in this country, women are still paid 70 cents for every dollar a man makes, for equal work, despite a number of equal pay provisions (passed under Democratic leadership, I should reminder you) The reason affirmative action still exists is because employers are probably less likely to hire a minority, even if both individuals are equally qualified, unless mandated by the government. And in industrial America, corporations are more concerned with maximizing profits for themselves than taking care of the individuals that work for them, so even if an employee has a position at a certain company, if the company can have the job done for cheaper overseas without impeding production, they almost certainly will. So many job opportunities by themselves are disappearing because of the financial concern of these corporations. But I agree with you that the constitution is supposed to help provide that equal opportunity, if the government can successfully enforce it.
@Commander_Crichton - Cite your sources...
sounds like fact to me..
-adieu, stace
happy new year!
-adieu, stace
Happy New Year.
"Sounds like" is not proof. I've heard both sides making claims for years. I chose to believe the claims that made the most sense to me.
looks like it's just you and me here, sir
-adieu, stace
What happened to Chrichton? Did he graduate and get a life or something?
The name is Crichton. And no, not yet.
Also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male–female_income_disparity_in_the_United_States
Tax season
I'll read that later.
Bump.
Bump? That's lame.
You're lame. And I turned 21 four days ago! Life is good.
I must admit I have always appreciated your persistence.
Congratulations! Welcome to full adult status.
@TheTheologiansCafe - Thanks Dan. I may not excel in much, but I am persistent.
Happy Belated, sir
Happy end of February!
yay March!
Medicine school makes you realize that there are a million and one ways for your body to go wrong... Thank God to be relatively healthy and for every day you are on earth! Goodness gracious!
Happy Friday!
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:13-15
Ash Wednesday. Whoop whoop.
I wonder if Dan will just keep it going until he hits 1,000 comments.
i don't think he has any intentions of ending this
Didn't he say something about leaving Xanga soon?
I don't believe it. Dan will be here as long as Xanga exists.
Excellent.
Totally
I had to roll back a page to see what your "Totally" was in reference to.
Gnarly!
You said it.
wicked!
Holy shit. No "adieu, stace"?!
I probably won't leave xanga. I was just expressing my thoughts at the time. I was just concerned about being that "old man on xanga" when I turn 40 this year. I didn't want to be that old man.
@TheTheologiansCafe - Gee thanks Dan... I'm 7 years older than you.
haha i'm trying to wean myself off that closer. i'm in grad school now lol
-SJ
Tax season is over! I can sleep for a week now.
@Perfect_HindSight - Haha, I'm only a year and a month out from finishing college, and I've been on this site since 8th grade.
haha i've been on this site since about 9th grade (other usernames of course). I only come back for this post, haha
Yeah the "adieu" has to be retired. That is soooo high school =P even though in HS i had an assortment of closers like...
babee stace
Stacey GT 12
in an assortment of colors and caps.
Ahhh I'm getting old. I was just reading this AT&T newsletter and it was saying text messages was introduced in 2001. I have churchmates BORN in 2001 ::shakes head::
-SJ
You are still young. I grew up before email, before VCRs, before HBO, etc.
haha i can't imagine how weird this world must seem. My mind spins around the idea of Blu-Ray and Broadband internet lol. It's amazing how fast this world is changing..
SJ
The most high-tech toy I had was a 10-speed bike!
I like your new signature.
And I'm lucky enough to have a 21-speed bike!
I'm a big tech guy, so I don't have that difficult a time wrapping my head around these things, but it is incredible, albeit a little frightening how quickly the world changes and how incredibly dependent we are on technology. I mean, look how long we've all been on Xanga. We take it for granted now, but 15, 20 years ago, it would have been absolutely remarkable. I don't actually know either of you, have never met you, but here we are, able to have a conversation about whatever we want in real time. Remarkable.
It's not as shocking now as it would have been to see all the changes at once. I've watched it happen slowly over my lifetime.
As a reenactor, I'm frequently amazed at how people in the 19th century did everything we do, just with different tools.
For example, they used something like the ASCII code for sending messages by wig-wag flag (the precurser to semaphore) during the Civil War. It's a binary code where the ones and zeros are left and right. It even has end of word and end of line characters.
That's actually really cool.
Sorry, I've been busy with college, but now it's summer! Huzzah!
For me, Summer means tax season is over and it's time to work on enhancements for next year.
Just took my last final exam of the year! woooosah! lol Time for summer internship -.- I don't know why I do the things I do. I need a break lol
-SJ
That's all part of being a student. Hang in there.
By the time I was in grad school, I wanted to quit all the time. I am glad I finished though. I used to always say "I wonder why I am even doing this."
Dan, do you do anything related to what you went to college/grad school for? I'm considering taking a career path that has absolutely nothing to do with what I majored in.
Nope. I started all over again a few years ago. So I am in an unrelated field. I tend to think that happens to most people these days. But even in an unrelated field, they tend to respect the fact you have an education. It moves you up.
My career is related to my major, but only loosly. I use what I learned in only 2 classes. The rest I had to learn on my own. I think that is the biggest thing a college education teaches you, how to learn.
100k to learn to learn? lol
Have a nice holiday weekend!
100k is cheap!
Hooray for long weekends. Now back to the regularly scheduled summer work and internship.
111F here yesterday
Yeah, we had some record heat here in MN. Absolutely disgusting, but it looks like it's done.
111F again!
You know it's hot when a 98 degree high is a "cold snap".
It's not the heat... it's the humidity!
Went to Alaska/ Washington State and the chill was heaven. Now I'm back in New York -sigh- back to school.
Here ends my last summer vacation ever
I hear you. I start senior year of college in less than a month, and then it's entering the real world. Eep.
Been in the "real world" longer than I care to remember. I don't envy your generation, trying to get your first post-college job during the Great Recession.
Hurricane to NYC! NY will be shut DOWN tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Looks like you made it NYC
That was the lamest hurricane... lol
Yup, our Kansas thunderstorms are more impressive than that hurricane.
Minnesota tornadoes can be pretty fearsome.
Tornadoes anywhere can be fearsome. But honestly, this is tornado alley. We get them weekly here.
Getting colder outside... brrr...
Much better than 110!
rainy days are here again..
I wish it was cold here today. Our air conditioner is broken down and with 800 computers in one building, it's very hot in here.
...
We just had a heatwave that made me very happy. Now it's getting cold again, but at least it's almost fall break!
25 days left until my wedding...
Congratulations to you!
And because I just can't help myself... 1,000th comment!
Ah, man! I was waiting to do that.
18 days... http://www.wichitachurchofchrist.org/grier-wedding.html
@crgrier - Congratulations.
Thanks!
what? no! Sorry it's finals time!
oh i see. Congrats on your engagement!!
oh i just visited the link... CONGRATS ON YOUR WEDDING! I guess you won't be back in a hurry
That's excellent! Good for you! We'll keep the blog entry warm for you when you come back.
~Toasty~
We needed "toasty" on the honeymoon. The rocky mountains are cold this time of year.
MinneSNOWta hasn't been living up to its name so far. Disappointing.
The unedited wedding pics are up...
http://www.epstudios.net/onlinephotos/index.php?do=photocart&viewGallery=6838
Wow, almost a month as passed. I checked them out. Congrats again. You two look like a lovely couple <3 Enjoy your "first" Christmas together!
The photos look great. I hope you have a long and happy marriage.
30 days!
Happy New Year!
Been too busy to check this thread for a while...
I can imagine
Congratulations on the wedding! I've been absent for some time -- should fix that.
Hell of an election in Iowa last night, right?
I like Santorum. I never thought he had a chance and now he's tied for 1st place.
Obama 2012!
Oh God! Not again! Please, please please?
(how's that for a quick prayer)
if you gave Bush a second chance, why not B.O.. That's my idea. I mean.. he hasn't done anything wrong, really
Obama-care caused my insurance premiums to go up $1000 for LESS coverage last year. And, I'm definitely NOT part of the 1%.
[]
As an under 27 year old, I'm glad I can still be a dependent on my parent's plan until I get a job with actual health benefits.
My son, age 22, CANNOT be on my insurance since he is no longer a student.
i thought the law raised it to 26 regardless. http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/12/news/economy/health_care_dependents/
Aetna disagrees
Anybody want to buy a house in Kansas?
Nahhh No Kansas for me. East Coast girl
I need to sell my house to make ends meet.
That sucks. The economy is picking up here so fast in Houston. I hope that spreads to other places.
If we had cheaper energy, like Texas, then things would be better.
Yeah, I think Texas has benefited from the fact that people migrated down here and large organizations moved here for the weather and really the low level of regulations.
Small Government is the way to go!
-bump-
bump government down, not up.
No thanks. Government improves peoples' lives if it's used right. We all saw what the free market did to working Americans in 2008. Wouldn't like a repeat of that.
You didn't see what a "planned economy" did you Europe in the 80s, not pretty.
I'm not saying a planned economy is the solution. I think government works well to complement the free market, and it needs to exist as a failsafe.
In general, I agree. But, our US government has become too big and too intrusive. If the liberals had their way, I'd be declared "rich" and have my taxes increased. I'm already skipping meals, selling plasma and doing odd jobs in the evenings just to pay my bills. I'm going to have to sell my house too. I'm not "rich"; but since I'm not on welfare, Obama and his cronies would like to take what little I have.
can't we all just get along!
Not really. Someone always wants to force someone else to do something, even good things like fight for your country or be charitable to the poor. No one likes to be forced.
In August, it will have been 4 years on this thread. Should we plan some sort of celebration?
I think so! It's weird -- I started posting before I entered college, and in two weeks, I'll be done with college.
Haha. That is a long time.
Dan, you should make a new post about this on your main page.
Welp, I just got downsized today
Has it really been 4 years?! whoa. Haha I hate to lose. That's why I'm a medical student =P.
Wow. Sorry to hear you were downsized.
Sorry to hear that.
My search for employment continues. We'll see how it goes.
Things will perk up
Hope you're at least enjoying some of your mandatory time off.
1 month!
Until what? I just finished week seven of my job.
it was 1 month since some one last commented. Oh wells.
And now a month and then some.
You guys are slipping one me!
Down for the count....
Gotta be a ten count, right?
It has been over four years since this post first went up. You all are impressive.
Well, I try
1month
1.5 months
C-c-c-c-combo breaker!
Can I just be declared the winner.. I mean.. no one else was here for almost 2 months!. Should we be worried about our friend...?
And I'm the first post of the new year!
Yeah, I don't know where he's been, or if anybody has a way to get in touch with him. I hope he's okay...
I think he commented on another post of mine in the last month but didn't come to this one. So I think he is still around.
good good, i hope. We will welcome him back when he returns
Definitely agree. He hasn't updated his actual site in years (nor, for that matter, have I).
He actually commented on a few of my posts the other day. Maybe he gave up on this.
@Commander_Crichton - I believe you were one of the people who commented on my very first post I ever posted on xanga from my very first site. I think you were the second or third commenter.
He commented on a post today: Link
@TheTheologiansCafe - Good, that's really great to hear. But don't remind him about this topic, okay?
Haha. Ok.
I'm back! Unemployment over!
@crgrier - Hey, congratulations! Very good news.
Thanks. It turned out to be a good thing. I stayed in my entry-level job for 12 years, trying to make it a career. It wasn't. Now my career is back on track just in time to have it taken away by the socialists.
As one of those "socialists", I take offense at that. Are you still doing tax work? I can assure you that taxes will still be around for a good, long while to come.
I'm grouching that my tax bill has tippled but my income didn't quite double. I fully expect that the "takers" in our country will keep electing people who will take from producers and give to non-producers until everyone is equally poor. Then there will be no incentive to produce anything and the whole system comes crashing down.
And, I'm not at a tax company anymore. I'm at a used computer reseller.
Hmm, I had a typo. I must have tippled before I typed "tripled." :)
Well, we're all facing a budget shortfall because of decisions made by politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) and really unfortunate economic circumstances. My taxes went up, too, and I'm fine with that. It's good for me to learn to live a little more frugally, and I understand the benefits I derive from my state and federal government services. America is still one of the best countries in the world for capitalist ventures, and I honestly don't believe that will change, even if corporate tax loopholes close and rates increase.
I agree that it probably won't go all the way the extreme case I mentioned above. But, it will have a chilling effect on the economy. Businesses are in business to make a profit. If a cost increases, they have to either raise prices or reduce another cost to maintain profits. Therefore, when the cost of taxes goes up, a business has no choice but to cut something, like payroll, or raise prices on the public. Either way, it's not good for individuals.
Remember the first rule: businesses don't pay taxes; they pass it along to their customers or employees.
What happened to Perfect_HindSight? Is she still around?
O' course
There you are!
With the exception of the payroll tax going up (which hasn't had any marked impact on consumer spending -- retail spending was actually up quite a bit in February), there haven't been and won't be any middle class tax increases for years now, since the only increases will be on the top earners. I just wish the economy would recover just a litttttle bit faster. At least I'm working in a growing industry!
I've heard that said in many speeches. But, my taxes are up around $2,000 and my health insurance is up over $1,000. This is not just normal inflation; it's a result of president Obama's "Raw Deal".
Is the extra taxation a notable financial burden? And how much of the change in taxation and health insurance cost is coming from your switching industries?
About a third of the increase is due to my new job. The rest is from no longer being eligible for credits and deductions due to rule changes such as The Additional Child Tax Credit and not being able to itemize medical expenses because I was uninsured for 4 months (for which I'd pay a FINE next year). My health insurance premiums went up $1,000 this year, but over $3,000 since Obamacare was passed. The insurance companies started building up a cash reserve to pay for the new law the minute it passed.
And, YES it is a notable financial burden. My income almost doubled, yet my monthly disposable income is no better if not worse. I'm desperately trying to pay down debts and this month I my debt load increased rather than decreased because of my tax bill. Unlike the "progressives" in government, I have every intention of paying off my debt. But, it is getting more and more difficult. I wish I had a Fed to monetize 5% of my debts each year.
**BEGIN RANT**
My burden has increased and I get ZERO benefit from all the new social spending. They don't give ME an Obama phone or food stamps or subsidized health insurance. The ARRA stimulus tore up perfectly good roads making me spend more gas and time to commute; but I don't get a dime from construction jobs. I'm paying my rent, unsubsidized. I can't sell my old houses because no one can get a loan even though the banks were bailed out at taxpayer's (my) expense. When do *I* get a bail-out?
It's not fair that I work 10 hour days to move up in the world, but my neighbors sit on the front porch and drink a 40-oz all day and have the same, or better, lifestyle. I can see their giant 60-inch digital flat panel TV shining through the window behind their Cadillac; but I drive a beat up chevy and watch my analog 19-inch tube TV. I'm probably going to have to drop cable TV next month while the have 2 satellite dishes on the roof. When I finally get a pay-off for my hard work, all the extra cash is taken away to pay for Mr. 40-oz to keep up with me. This is not charity to the poor; it's equality of results. Socialism is not fair!
**END RANT**
Now, do you see why I'm upset? The New Normal sucks!
I am not bitter but I do pay a ton in taxes. Sometimes I think we are in different world's when it comes to taxes. I was reading a post by a woman on xanga who said she didn't mind if her taxes went up a bit. But her husband was self-employed and they could use their house as a deduction. Chances are she really didn't pay much in taxes. I used to be self employed. I had my house as a deduction and there were so many deductions built in that all I really paid was the 12,4% for social security (a self-employed person pays their part and their employer part).
But I am not self-employed now and so my taxes are so high that you wouldn't believe it. I am moving up and making more money than ever and will continue to see increases. But what we need is fairness in our tax system. I am ok with taxing the rich. Tax Warren Buffet all you want. Tax all of his friends too. But he pays a smaller percentage of taxes on his income than I do. So the rich have all of the loopholes and everyone that is a low earner have all the tax breaks. But people making between $100,000 to $300,000 a year or getting hit hard. So lets not tax that group any more and try to increase the taxes of the rich and also make those who are making under $100,000 pay a little more too. What we need is fairness in the tax code. This is why I support a flat tax. It would be fair and include more people.
You are getting to a stage where the best move is to start your own business and not have any employees because you can gain sometimes $20,000 to $40,000 in taxes a year. That is no small matter.
@TheTheologiansCafe - I'm still below $100k but I am still making too much for any assistance or breaks.
I really don't like the idea of soaking the "rich" because of a principle of democracy I learned long ago. It goes like this: If you allow someone else to be oppressed or persecuted because they belong to a particular group; blacks, whites, jews, christians, muslims, men, women, freemasons, knights of columbus, business owners, gun owners, rich, poor, etc.; then it erodes the rights of all groups. If they can do that to one group, then there is nothing protecting YOUR group. There was even a film we watched in school many times called Make Mine Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz9fX_HfsXA that explains, "Diversity within Unity was the secret to American prosperity. Disunity in it's many guises, class warfare, race hatred etc., undermines what made us great." I had to switch that to past tense because we have already been undermined.
I'm so done with this planet. I wish I could leave.
The finger pointing has begun. MSNBC blames Bush. Fox News blames Obama. CNN blames Fox News.
A flat tax, almost by definition, is going to be a big tax increase for the poor and middle class, and so, to that end, a flat tax would actually make things worse. The people who are going to be hit by it are the people who are living closer to the edge, and so they'll cut their spending, but the people who will typically benefit from it already have plenty of money, and won't be spending the extra windfall. Think about if we implemented a flat tax rate at 15 or 20%? That's a lot higher than what many lower income families currently pay, and even if you account for certain amount of deductions, it still doesn't operate as a reasonable substitute for a progressive taxation system, as those lower income individuals and families would still have to pay considerably more under a flat tax system, and from that, you further perpetuate the cycle of poverty and welfare.
If you look at the actual tax collections in the United States on business, they’re lower than other advanced countries. Also, since 1950, when taxes are lowered at the top, economic growth actually goes down (http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/06/20/249061/chart-taxes-economic-growth/?mobile=nc). The notion that the US has the highest tax rate on business is another numbers manipulated canard put out there by there by the right in order to justify their policy of cutting taxes at the top while raising them for everyone else. It is true that the US corporate tax rate is 39.2%, but the effective tax rate, what businesses and corporations really pay, is 12.1% (http://business.time.com/2012/04/02/were-1-u-s-officially-has-the-top-corporate-tax-rate-or-not/). After corporations take advantage of loopholes in the tax code, they actually pay less than a third of what they are supposed to. Closing loopholes is going to be one of the big things here, to make sure that these wealthy corporations don't skimp and do pay their fiscal responsibilities.
What I think would be interesting to see is an income tax that only kicks in when you reach about the 90th percentile of income. The vast majority of the population would never have to wrestle with the complicated taxation associated with income, and those that would still have to do so would have the resources available to hire professional assistance. To some extent, you could make up for the lost revenue by taxing things we want to discourage, like pollution, you could end subsidies, then legalize and regulate weed, reaping all the enormous tax benefits that would come from that. Throw in an inheritance tax to encourage hard work rather than laziness by those who are born into wealth, and we can probably get to the necessary levels of revenue without doing so in a way that disincentivizes actual work.
All the talk is about making the "rich" pay their fair share. The "poor" should pay their fair share too. I don't care if it's five bucks, everybody should pay something. That's the advantage of a flat tax. It has disadvantages as well, as you pointed out.
The trick is to figure out how much a particular family can afford to pay. Unfortunately, there is no set of rules that will fit every situation, so someone is always going to be over or under taxed. Getting rid of loopholes and deductions would introduce unfairness in that a couple with no kids would pay the same as a couple with three kids. An older couple whose house is paid off would pay the same as a young couple with a huge mortgage. I would like to see a reduction in credits. They are used by politicians to promote whatever cause they are interested in. For example, if electric cars can't be competitive without a tax break, then they need to improve their business model and technology instead of relying on government subsidies to be profitable.
Another issue that gets talked about is that a corporation is a person. This is the basic definition of a corporation; an artificial person, for business purposes, that has many of the same rights as any other person. That's basic business/accounting. The purpose of allowing corporations is for limited liability. When a sole proprietorship or partnership goes bankrupt, the owners are personally responsible for all the debts of the business and can lose their personal assets; house, car, retirement savings, etc. When a corporation goes bankrupt, the assets of the business can be sold to cover debts, but the owners (stockholders) only lose the value of their stock.
The reason that corporations get so big and powerful is that they "live" longer than a flesh-and-blood person. If we had a productive life span of a century, then individuals would get that powerful too.
I also point out you did a little cherry-picking in your statistics. The actual quote from your article is, "Indeed,by one measure, corporations only paid an effective rate of 12.1% in 2011, although that phenomenon was a product of temporary tax credits for investment." And, "An analysisby the nonpartisan Tax Foundation shows that different ways of measuring tax rates can produce a wide range of estimates of the true rate that corporations pay. They pored over 19 different academic studies on the subject published in the past seven years alone, and found the estimates of effective corporate rates ranged from a low of 23% to as high as 34.9%."
The conclusion: "According to study from PricewaterhouseCoopers, there have been 133 corporate tax cuts globally in the past six years. If the U.S. lags too far behind other countries, it will undoubtedly effect its ability to attract investment in the economy. It appears that Democrats and Republicans see eye to eye on this point. How to pay for lower corporate rates, however, is an issue that it the two parties don’t appear to be agreeing on any time soon."
Thankfully, you can identify which loopholes and deductions can be gotten rid of because they don't benefit financially struggling individuals or families, but rather affluent corporations or persons. Loopholes and subsidies are important to improve our country's prospects, but they can also be ultimately harmful once they've outlived their usefulness.
Your example about the electric car? I suggest you watch "Who Killed The Electric Car" and you'll see why the electric car needs all the help it can get. The California Air Resources Board passed the Zero-emissions vehicle mandate in 1990, which required the seven major automobile supplies of the time in the US to offer electric vehicles if they wanted to continue sales of gas powered vehicles in California. And I'll quote from here: "The film details the California Air Resources Board's reversal of the mandate after relentless pressure and suits from automobile manufacturers, continual pressure from the oil industry, orchestrated hype over a future hydrogen car, and finally the George W. Bush administration."
I guess it begs a fundamental question about your belief in what the government should have to do with the private market. I believe that the government (local, state, federal) can be a great inspiration and an excellent resource to the innovation that has made this country great and competitive with the rest of the world in the past, but when you have examples like the electric car getting squished by the competition because they want to hold firm on their monopoly, that's where you see a broken system.
You might argue that that's the principle of capitalism. Well, where would we be in our capitalistic society if the government hadn't stepped in during the bank crisis? We'd be in a second great depression, with unemployment vastly higher than it is now, and we would need another economic boost the likes of WWII's war machine effort to naturally stimulate the economy.
Do you think monopolies should be allowed to exist?
The question about corporations being people is about a corporation's ability to involve a vast amount of their money in politics, much more than just about any individual would be able to accrue. By funneling them through anonymously funded Super PACs, you don't have accountability for which politicians are beholden to which corporations, because they funded their (re)election efforts and then owe them more than the constituents they're supposed to be representing. It's the same basic principle as the fact that the NRA lobbyists put enormous political pressure on a number of senators to withdraw their support for the universal background check bill, because they would defund them, give them low ratings, and run primary candidates against them, which is just proof that these enormously well funded NGOs have too much power to influence common sense policy and divert the will of the American people.
It really does come down to our fundamental beliefs about capitalism and government. I believe that the role of government in business is to ensure fair play, for example no monopolies/trusts. Government should not favor one business over another unless there is a clear advantage to be gained for our country, example Rural Electrification.
I don't see how the Chevy Volt or Solyndra solar cells offer a clear advantage to Americans. Neither one will benefit financially struggling individuals or families because they are too expensive, both to buy and maintain, and the technology is unreliable. If I took out a second mortgage to put solar cells on my roof, I'd have to take out a 3rd mortgage to replace them in 2 to 3 year because they burn out. If I somehow paid luxury car prices for a mid-sized Volt, I'd have to replace the battery packs every couple years and I couldn't visit my family in another city due to the short range.
No amount of wishing and subsidies is going to make the technology practical. Only free enterprise competition can do that. General Motors said they were not ready to release an electric car, and they were right. Now that they are Government Motors, they are forced to build the Volt, but it cannot compete even with government support. And we all know what happened to Solyndra.
In short, the government should step back and let business do business with only little nudges to keep things fair. Government interference, both from the lobbyists and from the progressives, should stop. But, because neither group will back down, they provide balance. Corporate donations offset Unions and occupiers. Mainstream media offsets the NRA. Everyone is heard and noone gets the upper hand. That's democracy.
I love it when I predict something and it happens the next day. Today's article from ABC news http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/05/vroom-vroom-teslas-near-perfect-day/
Tesla is showing a profit without government bail-outs! Take that Government Motors :P
whoa! When did we get to talking about such heavy ideas..
Yeah, lets get back to being fun!!!!
Hey Perfect!
It started because I was grousing about my taxes going up and used the word "socialists." Apparently, Crichton is a Socialist, Red, Progressive, etc. (all close to the same thing to me) and the debate was off and running.
We can talk about anything, butterflies and rainbows if you want, I don't think he and I will convince each other any time soon.
OK, new topic. What are your top 10 favorite love songs?
For me:
1. How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
2. Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington Jr.
3. Love Song - Stephen Schwartz
4. Close To You - Carpenters
5. Storybook Love - Mark Knopfler
6. You're The Inspiration - Chicago
7. Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller
8. Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross
9. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
10. Can't Help Falling in Love With You - Elvis Presley
Total Eclipse of the Heart.
My Heart Will Go on- makes me cry =/
Total Eclipse of the Heart is definitely a good one!
It's difficult for me to even come close to choosing a favorite song.
I'd have to put Yellowcard- With You Around, & Dashboard Confessional- Hands Down, up there.
I notice that mine are all 1980s and before. Am I old?
sure. =p
Haha, sorry, I've been out for a bit. I'll take progressive out of those labels, thanks.
Crgrier, I actually enjoyed a civilized, reasonable back-and-forth with you! Something I believe (and I hope you'll agree) our political process is missing today.
I think "Something" by The Beatles has to top the list for my favorite love song. "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab is definitely up there for me, and "Almost Like Being In Love" is a favorite standard. "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds and "Us" by Regina Spektor are also two of my favorites. See, I have a couple in there that are before the 1980s!
Sometime next month before the 15th if you all are still around, I am going to declare all three of you the winners.
I really appreciate the fact that you all held in here and I am thankful I got to know you.
Crichton, I too enjoyed a reasonable discussion. We did reach an impasse when it got down to basic beliefs. It all boils down to who do you trust to handle the money in this country. I tend to trust whoever earned it and you tend to trust the government.
Dan, you should include yourself in the winners' circle, since you stayed with us all (almost) five years! I'll be really sad to see Xanga go... So much teenage angst so perfectly preserved on my page.
Xanga is closing again? Bummer!
haha I feel kind of bad that I interrupted your banter. I am not particularly interested in politics [I've been out of it since premed/medical school].
Has it really been 5 years.. yowzers. Didn't think you guys would stick around.
I know I'm old and I don't have much of a social life. I'm surprised young people would hang in there this long.
It's an excellent form of procrastination for me when I have other things I should be working on! After Dan calls the contest, I suppose I can remove the link from my bookmarks... Sad.
This has become an important part of Xanga to me.
Absolutely, for me to. Essentially the only reason I still come back... and to read any new posts Dan may have.
Nah I used to write a few entries here and there but I am officially resigning from my blog.
I've been following Dan through fb. I wonder if he knows which one of his many "friends" I am. Haha I wonder if he even cares.
As a self-confessed "post whore", I'm sure he cares that you are there. It would be nice to see your face before Xanga folds. I've been looking at your foot for 5 years.
@Perfect_HindSight - Which one are you?
haha I'm all about privacy! i prefer to stay anonymous. I must admit though ..you guys do share a lot of personal information on the web. If I really wanted to I could show up at your doorstep! [Except you, Dan... you've been uncrackable...]
I think i've left enough breadcrumbs along the way, myself. I actually deactivated my fb today so maybe another day
This reminds me of the woman who "investigated" me and she told me my home address from what I said on xanga and once told me she was standing outside my window. Haha. I am sure you won't do that.
If you showed up at my doorstep, I'd only recognize you if you took off your left shoe.
Haha, Dan, that's SO creepy. Did you have any contact with her after that?
My picture is just a bit old... maybe 8 years? I daresay I look a little different now.
Yeah, you look like a college freshman in that photo. I can't talk tho, my photo is from 2007.
Haha I'm quite small and in no position to be at anyone's window. Now THAT'S creepy.
@Commander_Crichton - I walked away from the friendship slowly.
*bump
Bump, bump.
Bump, bump bump bump?
All of my tv shows are either done or on hiatus... Gossip Girl, 90210, Awkward, HBO's Girls, .... I guess I'm talking to the wrong group of fellars but any suggestions on tv shows to watch? (preferably something I can catch up with online) I'm desperate. I also like Bones, CSI, Cold Case... You can probably figure out what I like..
I don't know if you have Netflix, but I highly recommend House of Cards. Even if you don't like politics, it's just an incredible, dark show. Homeland is another great one, and so is Breaking Bad, in that kind of darker vein of drama.
I'll check them out. Speaking of politics, I'm surprised none of you started talking about Snowden. I'm ashamed to say that I only heard of the story today. Without fb, I don't know what's going on in the world... haha
He is guilty of espionage and treason. The only question is if it was justified under the whistle-blower principle. If I were the judge, I'd say what he told the press was whistle-blower activity, but giving the top secret documents to foreign governments is not and should land him in jail.
@Commander_Crichton - I'd say the best movie about the politics of today is Idiocracy.
@crgrier - That, or the Ides of March.
I have very mixed feelings on the Snowden and NSA stuff. Yes, leaking and revealing classified documents to foreign governments is almost definitely jail-worthy. It still remains to be seen what he grabbed and what he leaked to what countries, but I hope, when he is returned to the U.S., he doesn't disappear into a Gitmo-style prison, but rather stands a fair trial. I understand his mindset with leaking the NSA information to the American people, but I hope that doesn't backfire. I think it would be much more outrageous if it didn't have congressional oversight and judicial approval happening for all of this stuff every step of the way, but it did. Every aspect of the U.S. Government knows that this is happening, and somewhere along the way, Republicans and Democrats both said, "Yes, this is something that we need to do to keep our nation safe." I understand why the knowledge of this wasn't publicly transparent, because it's literally a matter of national security, and it's fine to keep things like that classified in the interested of the security of the American public. The fact that things like the Boston marathon bombing can and do happen so far after 9/11 proves to me that there is a necessity for extra steps to take to keep us safe. It's proven effective at derailing other terrorist plots in the country, and as much as I hate that this needs to happen, it NEEDS to happen, because I don't want our country to stop being a safe place to live.
Well, well. You sound like a conservative! LOL
Well, well. You sound like a conservative! LOL
From ABC news, via CNN:
A senior intelligence official said: “The intelligence community is already seeing indications that several terrorist groups are in fact attempting to change their communication behaviors based on what they’re reading about our surveillance programs in the media.”
In an interview with CNN today, Secretary of State John Kerry said that “people may die as a consequence of what this man [Snowden] did.”
“It is possible that the United States will be attacked because terrorists may now know how to protect themselves in some way or another, that they didn’t know before,” he said.
I would answer but I don't want to be investigated by my government.
U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.
The only hope for privacy since the world wide web was invented is the sheer volume of traffic. You have to be interesting in some way before they can find you except by random chance.
Thankfully the "machine" from Person of Interest is still science fiction... for now.
I think Dan classifies as "interesting". After all, I'm pretty sure he gets the most comments of anyone on Xanga these days.
If anything, the NSA surveillance is more governmental involvement in our lives, so that's pretty liberal.
Seriously, though. That's why you don't fuck around with national security matters. People can die as a result.
Amen brother!
Xanga really must be ending if crgrier and I agree with each other!
Perhaps the World is ending too.
Oh, good. It's about time.
Probably when this comes out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World's_End_(film)
Almost July! This post got started in August, right? Too bad we won't get to our anniversary...
Man, when we started this thread my 9 year old was only 4. She was on preschool and now she is entering the fourth grade.
When this started, I had 2 teenagers at home. Now they are both on their own and one is married.
haha When I started I was a lost little college student... now i'm
almost an MD -.-My goodness 5 years is a long time. I want my 5 years
back
I want to transfer my knowledge and wisdom to my 25 year old self. Oh to be young and full of energy, yet know what I know now. I'd even settle for having my 25 year old body now.
I was a newly minted 18 year old, looking forward to freshman year of college... Now I've been at my full time job more than a year with a college degree in hand. Both sides, now.
And what's the verdict? Is Xanga 2.0 a go?
I am betting xanga makes it. But I am still saying lets declare all of you winners just in case.
Normally I'd say i hate sharing the spotlight but... i'll take what I can get.. lol
You know... i've been on xanga for 10 years and it still won't let me visit "x-rated" xanga pages. I havent been able to access my friend's page in years...
I just got back from Gettysburg. 17,000 reenactors and a week of sweat and smoke. It was awesome!
While I appreciate American history, reenactments give me the creeps because I know "my kind" would have been lynched soooono thanks. Sorry to be the downer, haha.
Anyhow, 20k in 20days for xanga 2.0... I hope xanga 2.0 won't be like myspace 2.0. I just cancelled that account; The layout was ridiculous
I haven't logged into my MySpace (I think it still exists?) since 2007? No clue what the new one even looks like.
@Perfect_HindSight - Hopefully not everything was accurately depicted in the reenactment...
@Perfect_HindSight - I fight for the Union. We, and our Republican president, were fighting to free the slaves and bring equal laws to the whole nation. I saw many black reenactors in Union uniforms. http://blog.mpl.org/nowatmpl/civil-war-teller.jpg
In the real war, around 200k black soldiers fought for the Union; that's about 1/6 of the whole army. The Army created black only regiments, but the navy was integrated from the beginning. President Lincoln said the war could not have been won without them.
That being said, there were also black Confederate soldiers in the real war. Some were free blacks, but most were slaves who were promised their freedom if they would fight.
The lynchings and KKK madness didn't happen until after the south lost the war.
I assume to be accurate, you had Confederate reenactments, too? Just curious.
@Commander_Crichton - Of course. It would be an awfully one-sided battle if there were no Confederates to shoot back. I've never worn grey for a reenactment, I just can't get past the slavery issue and Bleeding Kansas. But, they are honoring their ancestors as much as I am.
I've found five of my ancestors who fought in the Civil War. All of them are Yankees. Three of them are from Kentucky where slavery was legal. According to family oral history, Dan Kessler inherited his grandfather's tobacco/hemp plantation and freed all his slaves well before the war. They had the option to remain as share-croppers or seek their fortunes elsewhere, their choice. All but a couple chose to remain and work for a share of the profits.
Cpl. James Randall : 36 Wisconsin Infantry
Pvt. Gabriel Waller: 7 Ohio Cavalry
Pvt. Daniel Kessler : 30th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry
Sgt. Berry Pedigo : Company H, Kentucky 21st Infantry Regiment
Pvt. Henry Gossett: Company D, 33rd Infantry Regiment Kentucky
Company K, 26th Infantry Regiment Kentucky
That's really cool that you've done all this research into it! How many reenactments have you done?
lynching... raped...beaten... it's all brutal before and after the war. Nice to know you were "one of the good guys", haha though I wouldn't have held it against you if you weren't.
Slavery- i get it, it happened, can't take it back, i'll forgive you later but one thing that sucks is my lack of a family tree =/. Alls I can say is I'm South American (*specific country not to be specifically disclosed =p)
But you're "American"? Very cool. I don't know if I've ever met one, haha
and just as I post that a commercial for TLC's "Who do you think you are"- a show tracing the lineage of celebrities comes on and I want to say "screw you" lol.
I've had several incidents in my life where african-american's have told me how much they hate me and that I own them for slavery. I never owned a slave. My ancestors fought and died to free their ancestors. I owe them nothing.
Another reason I'm against socialism.
@Commander_Crichton - I've been reenacting since 1994. I haven't counted, but I've probably done nearly 100 events, big and small.
@Perfect_HindSight - I like to call myself Native American. Not because I'm descended from any of the tribes that were here before 1492, but because I was born here, i.e. "native."
Sins of the father stuff and all that.
Yeah, I suppose you are technically "native" if you were born here, but you still have heritage from Europe (most likely), which is where your genetic roots are planted.
I think we as a country have made a huge mistake with how we do multiculturalism. We have abandoned the melting pot and used our ancestors culture to foster disunity. We would have fewer problems with each other if we could combine all our "parent" cultures into one ever-evolving American culture.
Throughout our history, every wave of immigration has been met with resentment and discrimination at first. Then the newcomers are absorbed into the greater culture and the culture absorbs some of the immigrants culture. The children of the last wave become fully American.
However, since the early 1970s, we have been taught that we have no culture and it is somehow offensive to expect new immigrants to become American.
Immigrants have gotten attached to their own culture and want their children to know where they came from. Given how easy it is to travel I think it's easier to feel a connection to where you're from. Now we're all dual citizens in a way. Many of us 1st generations spend as much time abroad than we do here and we know we can just retreat if necessary.
So when does xanga implode again?
I don't think that it's necessarily that we've been taught we have no culture, but more that we don't have a cultural identity as a country. I think most of our cultural identity comes from cities or states that we live in. New Yorkers sure as hell have a cultural identity they call their own, and I think that's true for a number of different places within our country.
Xanga... was supposed to implode like 8 days ago. Not sure what's happening. Dan also seems to have taken a hiatus -- maybe Xanga is waiting for him to get back before it self destructs?
I still pine for the American culture I knew as a child, both from experience and on TV. The hard working, wise Dad. The nurturing homemaker Mom. The decent kids whose biggest problem was getting a C on a spelling test. The responsible teens whose stressors were getting their locker to open and who they would take to the school dance.
Teen life was innocent for the most part. In the rare cases of teen sex, the boy would be sent to the "boys ranch" for wayward boys and the girl would be sent to a special school for unwed mothers; the baby would be adopted by a loving family so the teens could get their lives back on track. The biggest drug problem was sneaking a shot from the parent's liquor cabinet or smoking in the bathroom. A young man with a vo-tech high school diploma could support a family with a blue collar job and college was only needed for specialists like engineers or teachers.
Adults were ASHAMED to accept welfare. Being on public assistance (the Dole) was an admission that you had failed in some way. It was a temporary condition that you worked hard (sometimes two or more jobs) to escape. A debt was a vow (see the root words for mortgage) and you paid, even if it was a few dollars a week until you could afford to pay more. On the other hand, giving to various charities was not only the decent thing to do, it was shameful to refuse; they really did "give at work." The employment rate for men was between 95% and 97% and most women only worked if they had an interesting career or were unmarried. Divorce required a reason to break the contract, not just because you felt like it. On the other hand, a wife beater could expect to get the crap beat out of him by every man who knew about it (the same or worse for a rapist or child molester).
Americans were self-sufficient and proud of it. Decent and moral behaviour was expected and offenders were ostracized by society. Hard work was rewarded and laziness not subsidized. And, at least outside the old south, the same was true for blacks as well as whites.
I WIN
Lol wow
Welcome to our playground!
I wish I could have been around for a life like that. I was hoping life outside of NYC was like that...
No welcome! Where hav eyou been for the last 5 years?!
@Perfect_HindSight - I don't know how we could get that back. It would require a change to the attitudes and beliefs of too many people who believe that the universe owes them a living and that their personal pleasures are more important than anything. This is beyond political parties, they are all guilty of this.
Hello? Anyone out there?
Oh I see. We were declared the winners.. yay!
I like to win ^_^.
Indeed it has been a good 5 years
Absolutely. Weird that we have all these outsiders after so many years. A nice historical record of the last five years, at least!
Yeah, maybe I should not have posted it but I wanted to recognize the group after all of this time. Here we jump into the xanga great unknown. It was great knowing you guys. I will be pretty busy at work this week so either way I am honored to know each one of you.
It's been fun getting to know you all.
.
period
,
, , , , , Chameleon
.@Perfect_HindSight - I've been around >.>
Round round get around I get around
If xanga suddenly shuts down, how will we know who the final commenter is?
Search your feelings -- you know it to be me.
Oops. It looks like xanga survived. Are we still meeting here or is this tapering off? I mean a few of you probably have to have children now and I might have grandchildren in the next five years. We still have so much to go through.
It's been nice getting to know you guys too!
Looks like this page will be open for a long time...
Check yo' self Crichton! I do not lose! That I know
August 1.... is it 2.0 yet?
Still looks like Xanga to me...
Still here, tick tock.
Yeah, I don't know what's goin' on.
Maybe it was an invented crisis to raise money.
Still here...
I was kind of hoping the site would close... End an era as we move on to bigger things and leave our memories in the past...
But... I live in the past!
Keep 'em Flying!
Buy War Bonds.
America, love it or leave it.
Better Living Through Chemistry.
Don't worry, be happy!
lol at all of you
54:40 or fight!
When you don't car-pool, you're riding with Hitler!
Hitler never chips in for gas. Bastard.
Xanga, why won't you die?
Plop plop fizz fizz oh what a relief it is.
What kind of kids love Armour Hot Dogs?
Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks
Tough kids, sissy kids, even kids with chicken pox
love hot dogs, Armour Dot Dogs
The dogs kids love to bite!
Mini tunes! - Demolition Man
Comment #1215...
Really? You can do better than that.
OK, comment #1217!
even better than that is comment #1218
I'm so confused by what's been going on with you guys. Crgrier, have you been sipping that purple drank? lol jk
I've just been feeling goofy.
Mrs. Goofy is not real happy about that.
She'll probably get over it.
Perfect, you should join the madness.
Also, I'm jamming out to some Beethoven 9. This shit is good.
I was just thinking.. thanks to Dan, we're going to have to start this contest all over again. 5 more years! 5 more years!
I'm jamming to some Spice Girls. Good times
So, who's excited about Talk Like A Pirate Day coming up, Sept 19?
FYI, Hermione Granger was born on Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Hermione or Emma?