DoctorCox

[QUOTE=ThatOneOddDude]I have plenty of friends my age. They come over too, but they are often driven away by Zack who they share an equal annoyance towards. I usually can't go to my best friends fault because he is ALWAYS bowling. I am not a "nerd" and I don't want your pity. I pity the fool who pities me. You guys are making this much more than it actually is. Its not like I spend every second of my life hating this kid, I have a life thank you very much. The purpose of this thread is to ask if YOU are riddled with annoyance at someone. Kabapu may be a psycho, but at least he's one of the 5 people that are truly on topic. I dont care about how many friends nerds get because I am not a nerd. (Im a geek, we're much cooler). [quote name='ThatOneOddDude']This isn't a debate thread.[/quote] [quote name='ThatOneOddDude's Original Post']Can anyone help me with this?[/quote] [FONT=Tahoma] Not a debate... but you did ask for help. We are just stating why your approach and attitude is wrong. Ok, and you want me to mention times when I'm riddled with annoyance at someone? How about examples of kiddies on OB who like to angst about their life? You ask for help and we give it, then you shove it back in our face? No wonder you don't have any real friends. You haven't learned basic social skills. I love that you deny being a nerd but brag about being a geek. I hope you're joking around, since there is really no difference between the two. [/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma] Let me get this straight. You have a problem with this kid - you find him annoying and he frustrates you. On the other hand, you're starving for someone to hang out with and you get bored, which is why you hang out with him. Furthermore, your house is so messed up that people actually pick the locks on bathroom doors just to piss off the person inside - {WHAT THE HECK?!}. Ok, first of all, you do need to grow up - what it sounds like to me is that you need a best friend, but you can't find one, so you hang out with your brothers and their friends. One of them annoys you, but you figure, "Hey, I can let him annoy me or I could be lonely... I'll let him annoy me." What this sounds like to me is that you're on OB looking for pity from us because your life sucks. Here's what I have to say to you. Find a friend and stop hanging out with children. For what its worth, I do feel pity for you. Stop weeping about it and do something - confidence counts for EVERYTHING in the real world. So be confident in yourself and make yourself noticable. Think you're a nerd and people hate you for it? Not true - there are plenty of other nerds out there, and there are girls who like nerdy guys. My girlfriend, for example (and I may be biased, but I think she's pretty good-looking too). And, even if you do act nerdy/geeky... if you carry it with confidence and don't act like a mouse, people will respect you. And in college, they'll beg for your help when their computers get screwed up from spyware and crap. So, basically, stop being a wimp and do something about your life.[/FONT]

The smell of sweat hung over the dock, thick like soup. Flies buzzed angrily around sailors? unwashed hair, avoiding absentminded and half-hearted slaps. Jared took in the scene with a practiced eye. His scan missed nothing ? concealed weapons, a crate marked tobacco that a man was struggling with a little too much? perhaps containing rum or some other bottled substance. His eyes found their target, the majestic skeleton of masts and rigging that was the Swift Mary, his new home. Walking toward her, he practiced overhearing multiple conversations at once. It was a trick he had learned at a young age ? the ability to understand more than one line of dialogue at once without losing any comprehension of either. [INDENT] ?The Captain informs me that this stinking hellhole cou?nna fix our damned guns! We?re like sitting ducks on the open sea. There?s no way we could fend off a pirate with only three guns. And our starboard has no guns at all!? ?Aye, our booty was so large we had to leave it behind on the island ? our ship could barely move with the amount of gold.? ?This is our richest cargo yet, and we don?t have any way to defend it? How about speed ? did everything get repaired so we can get up to top speed? The Poignant Swan can run away if she can?t fight ? we?re faster than most.? ?So if I join the crew now, do I get a share of that plunder?? ?Aye, that we are. I?m no sailor, I?m just a cook, but the Captain was saying over his dinner that he was still worried.? ?Oh, aye. The Captain is a strong believer in share and share alike. Once you?re on-board, you?re part of the crew.? ?And we?re still scheduled to sail on th? morrow?? ?So we?re sailing straight to the island? Where is it?? ?Aye, but if I?m not on her, don?t be surprised?? ?It?s only a few days sail to the South. But keep that knowledge to yourself matey ? our treasure is buried deep and hidden well, but we don?t want others hanging around while we?re digging it up, if you catch my drift?? ?I know what you mean. I might not either.? [/INDENT] Jared noted the key information ? Poignant Swan, good cargo, weak starboard; large ship sailing straight South, large buried treasure. He was sure that his new captain would be interested to hear these tidbits. [b]---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~--The Seventeenth Day of April, in the Year of our Lord, Sixteen Hundred and Sixty-Two---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- Today I write from my new berth on the strong ship Swift Mary. After boarding (I arrived early), I took it upon myself to learn the lay of the ship. I introduced myself to Biney, who knew the Cap'n from previous days at sea. His stories only serve to confirm what I can already tell - the Cap'n is a skilled man who will take us far. When the rest of the men had arrived by mid-day, we stood on the deck awaiting the Cap'n. He was soon arriving with Biney in tow. He gave a pretty speech as Cap'ns are prone to do - no one was really listening, except when he mentioned the word gold. I spent most of the time watching my new brothers - and come to think of it, sisters, in arms. Yeah, one of our new sailors is a woman masquerading as a man. She's got balls, that one. I doubt anyone else has noticed - but I can tell a man's origin by the way they walk, and that girl doesn't walk like she has a dick and two balls between her legs. I'll keep her secret for now - if she has the guts to sign on to a crew of dogs like us, she can handle herself. After we signed our name to the register (I just put 'Skilled Lookout' for my experience - I'm no sailor), we were to go find ourselves a nook to sleep in. Already knowing the ship, I took the moment to seek out the Cap'n. I told him about the conversations I overheard walking to the ship. I heard two of interest, I told him. A ship on its last legs, would hardly be able to fight. She sails tomorrow. And I told him about the buried treasure that another ship was going to dig up. Mayhaps we could take some of the treasure for ourselves, I told the Cap'n. He seemed pleased with what I found out - maybe I can use that to my advantage. Well, I need to go find out what other work needs doing. If you don't work on this ship, you don't get fed - except to the fishies by getting thrown overboard. Nobody likes a lazy bum. I might write again when I go to bed, I'll have to see. ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- [/b]

[QUOTE=moonlightshadow][COLOR=SeaGreen][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I'm Vegetarian. Lots of people wonder why? But i ask them 'how could you possibly eat another living creature?!' An animal is a living creature like us! Most people try to put the bible into it but before the great flood animals were never eaten! They were worshiped and loved. But when the great flood struck we were forced to live off of the animals...Which seems highly unlikely, but thats what my friend said. (what-ever) I don't think the story is true i don't think that animals were put on this earth to be eaten either. I Love being a vegetarian! You feel so healthy knowing you don't hava a dead animal floating in your stomach. I feel so healthy! Plus with me working out everyday i feel great! I actually watched a video in one of my classes showing how some slotter houses tortured there animals before killing them, then stuffing them in unsanutary pins/cages. How can you eat that? Knowing has been tortured and dirty. If your interested in any of this go to [url]http://www.peta.org[/url] it is the site to go to if you would consider vegetarianism or veganism! I feel great and i suggest people doing it. Think about when eating a hamburger it's probably the cute little cow in that petting farm at the fair you fell in love. Poor Besey :( [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Hi MoonLightShadow. I am not Vegetarian, but my girlfriend of three months is. I'm interested - are you a vegan or a vegetarian? I used to think Vegetarians were weird, until I met her. She also exercises every day (well, 5-6 times a week). I'm not feeling urged to become vegetarian because I like the taste of lots of meats. I might possibly at one point become vegetarian for a month or two, because I know she would like it and it isn't too much of a hassle, but I don't have the zeal for animal rights that a lot of vegetarians have. It is awful the conditions that some feed animals are forced to live in. My g/f showed me an article from PETA about turkeys last Thanksgiving. Awful stuff. Sidenote: She's actually writing stuff for PETA this summer. Just an interesting tidbit :)

Name: Jared Piper Age: 20 Background: From a semi-respectable family, ran away in his youth and tried to make his way through the world. Has pursued a variety of trades, including breadmaking and thievery. Notable Psychological Trait: Jared has the knack to size people up immediately. Years of being the 'little guy' has made him weary of others - he'd rather avoid a fight than seek it out. But now that he's in his prime, he's grown a bit and, although still small, is quick on his feet and reliable in a fight. His knack sometimes extends to an almost ESP-like knowledge of when something is going to happen. There have been times he has left a tavern early in the evening and a fight or a fire has broken out not an hour later. Physical Description: Jared is small - about 5"5'. Not very muscular, but his strength would suprise others. As previously mentioned, he is very quick on his feet. Weapons: Although he is not trained in the use of weapons, Jared is skillful with a knife and has been in his fair share of tavern brawls. Purpose: Jared's purpose in joining a pirate's crew is two-fold. On the surface, it is to find a way to get food and get something to do. Underneath, though, Jared has a desire to make a name for himself. Already he dreams of owning his own pirate ship and plundering until he can retire with wealth.

I realize that the sign-ups have closed, but if you could look at my entry, that'd be cool. I'm also posting information on the Underground, which may help round him out a bit. [b]---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~--The Fifteen Day of April, in the Year of our Lord, Sixteen Hundred and Sixty-Two---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- I awoke this morning in the worst possible way ? a rat pissing on my shirt. The outlook for the day wasn?t much better. With my last penny spent on a half-tankard of rum over a week ago, I could only look forward to digesting another inch of my leather belt. What I needed was a job. But jobs in this wretched hell of a port are harder to come by than a wench who?ll do it for free. Not much point in trying to get an honest job ? in this town you?re just as likely to get an honest wage stolen than you are to spend it. At least when you?re a thief you?re respected by the other thieves. Most of the time. Wandering around the docks, I passed the Blackeye Shallow. I have been there only once before ? and got dragged out and pummeled by one of the other drinkers. Usually I pass it by ? the sailors who drink there are a rough sort and will as soon bash your face in as look at you. But this time I stopped. Perhaps it was the smell of the stew they were cooking, or maybe even the light tinkle of the doorbell as an already drunken sailor stepped outside and collapsed in the dirt of the street. Perhaps my legs were tired. I don?t rightly know, but something drew me to step inside. Taverns are the same in whatever part of the world ye be. Hot, smelly, and full of men who are either too suspicious to do anything but glare, or too drunk to do anything but grab at wenches? bosoms. I?ve got a knack at sizing up a man's character in a single glance ? I?ve never been cheated by nobody, and I can tell a man is a thief just by the way his eyes move. When I walked into that tavern, my eyes scanned for the type of men I wanted to avoid. The big ones who like to pick on the little guy, the drunk ones who just get mean instead of giggly, and especially the men who will follow you out and slit your throat, whether you got money or not. They just like to see your throat gape into a big red smile. Looking into that kind of man?s eyes will have you peering over your shoulder for the next three weeks. When I scanned, though, my eyes caught those of a weathered man. He nodded at me to join him at his table near the bar. I began to walk toward him, my eyes sweeping the room for any threats, then fixating on him as I drew closer. His lips twitched into a slight smile around his pipe as he looked me over. ?What?s your name.? It came out as a statement rather than a question. ?Jared Piper,? I replied. A few minutes later, I stepped outside for my last few hours of solid ground before we sailed. Be a sailor? I suppose I could do that. I?ve been a gentleman?s son, a runaway, a baker?s assistant, and a thief. Be a sailor? Shouldn?t be too hard. ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- ---~~{::::::::}~~-- [/b]

[QUOTE=ShadO MagE][color=silver] Ok, I have one thing to say to marijuana being illegal, read this article and tell me our government isn't screwing up the case with marijuana. Also, marajuana is not a hallucinogen [url]http://alternet.org/drugreporter/21136/[/url][/color][/QUOTE] I make the practice of reading everything with the knowledge that the writer is biased in some way or another. That bias can leak through in the simple terminology that is used. The writer of that article doesn't even attempt to mask his bias. One of the first things that teachers in high school teach you is to look at your sources and check to see if they are indeed an authority on a subject. Let's examine the author of that article... hmm. He's the [i]director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project[/i]. So, if you are looking for support of marijuana, then he's the guy to go to. Please, however, don't take what he says as fact! Instead, take his view, compare it to another from a different perspective, and then form your own opinion. Perhaps, a way you could have stated your post is: "Hmm. Well, marijuana is illegal, but should it be? Here is an example of opposition support marijuana use: . My opinion is that this man has a valid viewpoint, what do you guys think?" This is much less cut-and-dry, and supports discussion rather than insinuating that this is correct. Regarding the article itself... First of all, I would, as always, urge everyone to check the validity of arguments for themselves. The article makes several bold facts that I think need to be looked at directly from the source. Two things disturb me. The emphasis about Marijuana being less harmful than alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, is the first. He quotes an article in the Febuary issue of Current Opinion on Pharmacology. (Summary may be found here: [url]http://natlnorml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6415[/url]) I would like to take a key passage from this article (remember, this is only a summary of the article, so I am not sure if this is the author's exact words) [quote=natnorml.org] "A review of the literature suggests that the majority of cannabis users, who use the drug occasionally rather than on a daily basis, will not suffer any lasting physical or mental harm," writes the study's author, Dr. Leslie Iversen of the University of Oxford. "Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for 'recreational' purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug."[/quote] Note: I would like to take a moment to congratulate natnorml.org, because although they are obviously for Marijuana use, they do mention both sides of the argument. So what Dr. Leslie Iversen is suggesting is that for Marijuana users who only use 'occasionally', they are not likely to suffer any major problems. Daily, however, might be a problem? This isn't covered in this article. The rest of the summary makes me suspicious of the entire thing - it seems like they are trying to make it appear that occasional use is ok, and then make it appear that because of that, Marijuana is ok. One should not follow the other. The second thing to disturb me was the mention that marijuana use is down, but inhalant use is up. The wording is especially humorous: "slightly down" and "went up." When you hear figures and adjectives like that, a closer look is needed. I myself visited the website that publishes these findings ([url]http://www.monitoringthefuture.org[/url]). In specific, the overview of 2004 is here: ([url]http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pressreleases/04drugpr.pdf[/url]) If you read THEIR overview, you can see that there have been decreases across the board, and only a modest, 'not a statistically significant one' rise in inhalents. So although Steve Fox is saying that Marijuana use is 'slightly down', the use of inhalants is still only 'slightly up'. His words DECEIVE! When you read through the report, you can see a little better what Steve Fox is doing... he's attempting to use the results to support his opinion. He is only showing the bad things, and attempting to correlate the bad things with the government's stance against marijuana. This just logically doesn't make sense. Premise 1) The government has a strong ad campaign against marijuana. Premise 2) Marijuana is not as toxic as alcohol and tobacco. Premise 3) The government focuses on ad against Marijuana and ignores potentially more harmful drugs. Premise 4) Recent surveys show a decrease in Marijuana use. Premise 5) Recent surveys show an increase in inhalents. Conclusion 1) Government focus on Marijuana is [i]hurting our kids[/i]. Let me translate this for you: Because the government is focusing on Marijuana, which in the past has been the most pervasive problem drug for teens, they are at fault that inhalants are on the rise. Will someone please explain to me how that logically can make sense. Are they trying to blame the government for only focusing on Marijuana and not the other drugs? This seems a little farfetched.

[QUOTE=Manic Webb]*sigh* I thought the case of the insured cigarettes sounded familiar. Check out this [url=http://www.snopes.com/crime/clever/cigarson.asp][color=blue]Urban Legend[/color][/url] of a man who insured his cigars.[/QUOTE] Thanks for that link, Manic Webb. It did sound suspiciously like an urban legend - one that people like to believe is true and therefore tell all their friends. And, of course, no one checks the validity of the story. The same thing happened with me recently with the BonsaiKitten website - an amazing satire that passes itself off as a company that will help you make a cat in the shape of whatever bottle you want to grow it in. (Essentially they claim that a newborn cat can be placed in a bottle and will grow, the bones shaping themselves to the contours of the bottle.) I recieved several 'chain' emails before I looked it up myself, immediately discovered its falseness, and began emailing people back.

[QUOTE=Methuselah][COLOR=DarkGreen][SIZE=1]Tattle tail is a rather childish term, isn't it? If someone is smoking a cigarette, I couldn't care less. Something like marijuana, a hallucinogen, on the other hand could endanger them or could end up disrupting the school. I've known people who do cocaine in our school, given, I didn't tell the teachers about that. They actually offered me some and I turned it down, I was worried that they would come and beat the crap out of me if I told anyone. A hallucinogen could and most probably would cause them to be rowdy and personally I don?t want people like that in my lessons disrupting my education which I have a right to. But if someone has been smoking then you should have the right to tell a teacher, as it is illegal. Basically you are saying that if I saw someone murder another I shouldn't tell the police because that would be 'telling' and 'everyone breaks the law sometimes'. I?m sorry, but your attempt at making me feel guilty leaves a gaping hole for other excuses. Laws are there for a purpose; in the case of ULX he was treated a little more extreme than he probably should have been for someone just saying he smelt of spoke. But like I say again, the law is there for a purpose, I refuse to be pulled into a debate over it. You think this law is unjust, tell the government.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] I find it interesting how you determine what warrants 'going to the authorities' and what warrants overlooking. It appears that you find it your civic duty to tell an authority when you see someone smoking marijuana. You claim that because it is illegal, you have the right to tell it to a teacher. I don't dispute that - despite the stigma of being called a 'tattle-tale', what you are doing is actually politically correct - you ARE supposed to turn in your peers when they are breaking rules. Otherwise, they will continue breaking them. However, I find it amazing that you feel no compunction to turn in your peers who use cocaine or even smoke regular cigarettes. Cocaine is illegal no matter your age, and minors smoking cigarettes (because we are talking about high school, I am inferring that we are speaking of minors) is also illegal. Because you are upholding 'the law' in your second paragraph, but flagrantly pick and choose which laws you will support and which you overlook, I label you a hypocrite. Furthermore, your attempt to extract yourself from any 'debate' by claiming that your position is unassaultable simply leaves you in the sticky situation of being unable to respond without getting off your high-horse. [quote name='DarkOtakuBoy]Dont forget, theres a big difference between smoking pot every now and then at say... a house party, and being a raging Pothead. I mention this because I have been accused by parents and police in the past of being a stoner, when in reality I [spoiler]smoke weed no more than 3 times a year[/spoiler'], and thats not even an exaggeration. Its a stigma on society that just doesn't need to be there. Its the same difference between a raging alcoholic and being a social drinker. Also, medically speaking...being a raging alcoholic is actually worse than a raging stoner. (And I have a degree in Biology.) You know, its just....one is more socially acceptable than the other.[/quote] I am glad you have a degree in Biology, but your argument suggests you should have taken a course in Logic and in Law. Smoking marijuana is illegal. Drinking, even drinking until you fall unconscious, is not illegal. To claim that doing each in moderation is better than doing it excessively is true. [b]But[/b], no matter how much or how little marijuana you smoke, you are still breaking the law. Your logic breaks through when you try to make the two situations synonymous. There is no 'big difference' between doing it every now and then and doing it frequently. If you cheated on your significant other just [i]once[/i], it is still just as wrong as doing it a hundred times. I do agree that it is a social stigma, but I'm afraid that it [i]does[/i] have every right to be there.

[QUOTE=ukoku]Well, the exact same topic came up in another forum I go(no, not the girls and the cookies part, the justice part) I'm not from U.S., so I'll just recite what one of the people said because it bothers me so A man put a fire insurance on his cigarettes, but within a few weeks, before the insurance company had finished all the paperwork and stuff like that, that man had already used up those cigarettes. He sued the insurance company...and won[/QUOTE] I'm not trying to claim that insurance companies are smart (or that the justice system isn't screwed up... because it is), but I cannot believe that any sane insurance company would insure a pack of cigarettes. Furthermore, even if they did insure the cigarettes (which I found doubtful), I suspect that the man smoking them himself would cause the insurance company to not be liable to pay him reparations. Was he suing because they refused to pay? What lawyer would ever take that case? If you could supply more information about this case, that would be... nice.