ZGeek - Discussions

Logging In...?

Xythan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:26:34 GMT

Is it just me or does the login box seem to be getting further and further south? I'd like to see it moved up the page so I don't have to scroll half-way down the page before it reloads to the top after login...who agrees?

US pledge of allegiance, a conundrum

Marchpig — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:55:34 GMT

I found this today, a piece by John Brummett of the Arkansas News blog, and found it quite interesting-

Quote:

There�s a 10-year-old lad, a fifth-grader at West Fork Elementary, who decided he wasn�t going to say the Pledge of Allegiance at school anymore because there was no liberty or justice for all in America, as the pledge�s rote recitation asserts.
He�d concluded that gay people didn�t get equal justice or liberty in this country and that he was loath to mouth something suggesting they did.
That is to say the boy was thoughtful, sensitive, courageous and free.
So his class had a substitute teacher who bugged the boy for not standing. She told him he ought to get up and say the pledge.
The youngster didn�t care for being nagged, and he snapped. He told the substitute teacher to go jump off a bridge.
Then the substitute teacher sent him to the office where the principal did not coerce or punish him in regard to the pledge, but did assign him, on account of his sassing the teacher, to do a report on the history of the pledge and the symbolism of the flag.
Let me help the youngster.
The Pledge of Allegiance was cooked up by a Baptist fellow in 1892 and subsequently promoted in youth publications for recitation by school children. It is, of course, not anything our founders envisioned and is, in fact, kind of antithetical to our very principle of constitutionally guaranteed liberty.
You cannot force somebody to promise fealty in this gloriously free country.

Source

It led me to read further, and what I found was intriguing, this supposed bastion of freedom with a constitution guaranteeing these freedoms, have a law requiring that all it's citizens swear an oath to one god and one flag, not very freedom like if you ask me.

Quote:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Wiki

an interesting aside to this, is the guy who penned it also proposed a salute to accompany it, and it was used until World War 2 when it was dropped for obvious reasons.

Wiki

So what I'm asking is, does the US have the moral authority to enforce freedom and equality abroad, when it doesn't practice it internally?

Discuss.

Australia - where the hell are we going?

Spades — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:43:59 GMT

It seems to me that since Rudd got in we have lost any leadership, statesmenship or authority over where the hell Australia is going.

Under Howard and Keating we at least new what they stood for and how it would affect Aussies.

Rudd is so veneer that he can't even sort out the boat people stuck on an aussie ship. Howard would never have picked them up!!! Keating at least held views on issues - eg floating dolalr, assets sells off etc

Under Rudd

Environment - NFI
Technology - NFI
Economics - NFI
Government - NFI
Interest Rates - NFI
Immigration - NFI
Sport - NFI

etc

How the fuck did we end up in this situation???

It shits me to say it but you do get the government you deserve so we should just suck it up and wonder how Liberals have now gained 14% points on Labour.

Is it any wonder we have become bunnies for most other national sporting teams - just a sign of the times.

"The Quotes Thread."

Xythan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:03:42 GMT

This thread is dedicated to those quotes you come across during your life. Be it from a quirky old relative, a casual conversation with a random stranger, a favourite book or movie, a discussion online or any other form of communication. I think it is apt to post a quote referring to the idea I had behind posting up this thread, taken from The Sunscreen Song.

"Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth."

No matter if the quote is truly attributed to someone, they can still be of great interest and influence. Quotes can just be interesting in and of themselves, or sometimes they can be profound in affecting our lives. For me personally, many quotes have influenced the way I think and see the world and I have found them to be very useful in explaining an idea, thought or concept in a concise and elegant fashion. Either way, dispense the advice you've found with everyone...you just never know what someone once said can do for your day.

PS - Please attribute the original source, thanks. :D

jannon

Jimma — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:14:53 GMT

Jannon, I am curious - why do your posts make no sense? If I had to guess, I would put it down to a combination of the following factors:

English is not your first language; and
You do not read over what you have posted to check that it isn't completely insane; and
You hate me.

I find your posting to be an intricate science - carefully putting words of the English language next to each other while ensuring no meaning can be taken from your chosen vocabulary. I am not entirely convinced that your posts aren't the work of a special computer that calculates the least logical way possible to combine words and then inputs them directly to the zGeek database.

Being the discussion forum, this is a serious thread. Please give us some insight into your complete incomprehensibility.

TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Marchpig — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:55:50 GMT

So you reckon climate change is a crock?

http://www.ted.com/talks/james_balog..._ice_loss.html

HIV clinical trials - WTF?

Haggisboy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:47:33 GMT

Explain this. I've you've been following the news, Thai researchers have developed an HIV vaccine that through clinical trials has proven to be 31.2% effective at preventing folks from contracting HIV. They ran clinical trials on 16.402 Thai volunteers, with half receiving six doses of two different vaccines and the other half placebos. After three years during which they were regularly tested for three years, 74 of those who got the placebo became infected but only 51 of those who got the vaccine came down with HIV.

My question is, how reliable can these results be? I mean, even if you'd been given the shots, if you're sensible you're still going to take precautions to make sure you don't leave yourself open to getting HIV. It's not like innoculating someone against the flu and then exposing them to the virus. Even if the vaccine fails they'll most likely recover. But HIV?

Rodney Rude Vs Kevin Bloody Wilson

Marchpig — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:04:28 GMT

Recently DT posted this first clip in the random video thread, describing it as sophisticated humour.
I know he was taking the piss, no pun intended, but it got me thinking about what is GOOD Aussie humour.
I've never enjoyed Rodney Rude, crass bad language I can handle, but abuse is not comedy, personally I prefer Kevin Bloody Wilson. I know, just as foul, but at least there is some thought and creativity involved, not just screaming abuse at the punters.

Here's a couple of examples...of each...

Rodney Rude

Kevin Bloody Wilson

So my question is, are you a fan of brainless expletives used pretty much because it's easier than to be actually creative or do you prefer a singalong that is politically incorrect but infinitely funnier?

Marriage Equality in Australia

Elentari — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:22:13 GMT

Something that I thought would make for interesting discussion. - http://www.australianmarriageequalit...submission.htm

The Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, which proposes a change to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex partners to legally marry, has been put to an inquiry. In 2004 the senate held a similar enquiry, with 13,000 against same-sex marriage and 3,000 in favour. I find it a little saddening that so many people would deny others the same rights as they have. Even if this bill isn't passed, I hope that this time around these figures improve.

You can submit your message of support here (up until August 28th). They have a generic message you can use or you can write your own. My sister did up a very good letter, which she said people can feel free to use if they think the generic one is too short but can't be fucked writing one yourself.

Quote:

To the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee,

I strongly support the Marriage Equality Bill 2009, because the legal rights and protections that marriage affords are human rights, and should not exclusively be offered to heterosexual couples. I support the equality of marriage and applaud any movement towards ending discrimination against gay, lesbian and transsexual couples.

I believe that "equal but separate" policies, such as civil unions, ghettoise same sex marriage. Throughout history "equal but separate" governmental policies have chiefly served to promote discrimination.

I believe in the separation of church and state and do not believe that statutory law should be drafted in line with religious principles.

For these reasons, I strongly believe that the federal government must pass the Marriage Equality Bill, and end the statutory discrimination against same sex couples.

Yours sincerely,

The ban on same-sex marriage is just disgraceful, in my opinion. You see individuals on their fifth and sixth marriage, and yes they are entitled to this right, but it just goes to show how much that right for granted. There are couples our there who could make it work but are denied the opportunity to because they happen to be of the same sex.

Religious views and bigotry should not be the basis of our laws.

What do you think of Chinese medicine?

hymartin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:38:22 GMT

I've been meaning to start this post like half a year ago, but didn't know how to begin with.

I'm not gonna talk about the herbal stuffs here, I just wanna say something about the things you eat.

In Chinese medicine, all the things you eat can be divided into 5 kinds - "cold", "cool", "warm", "hot"(they call it quality or energy or whateva), and they are not the temperature of the food. Considering that I'm not herb doctor, to make it easy, I will just divide it into two kinds - "hot" and "cold". And also in general, there are two conditions of our body - "hot" and "cold.

My mum's diagnosed with lung cancer(not terminal, which somtimes makes me feel better that she wasn't hit by a big truck) last Oct and done the surgery and chemo finished at Jan 5 or so. And she's almost recovered from it, she didn't lose too much hair during it and they are all back now. We didn't know that food we eat can matter that much. Put it this way, if you are a relatively healthy person, and regardless of what your body condition is, you probably won't feel a thing whether eating "cold" or "hot" food, and even if certain symptons came out, you will probably just ignore. But to a patient, they can feel even the smallest discomfort.

I always encourage her to see a Chinese herb doctor and she did in May. She went to see one(an old specialist on Chinese med) at the same hospital where she received the chemo and the surgery in a provincial city. Her one ear can't hear anything, maybe because of the chemo, she was actually going for the ear. The herb doc says it might be temporary/permanent. She got herb medicines(with herbs for the ear together,) and pills for the cancer. She goes back to the herb doc every two weeks and the doc would add/remove some herbs from the prescription according to the symptoms/reactions after taking the medicine. And have to go back to the main doctor(the doc that did the surgery) every 3 months. They went to the hospital yesterday and I was just on the phone with parents and the blood test result(about cancer index) was normal which was a big relief again. Waiting for the result of ultrasonic test. Should be home by the evening.

Take my mum for example, her body condition is "hot", the body condition of people with lung cancer are all "hot"(as far as I heard), so you're not supposed to eat "hot" food or as few as possible. Food like chicken is serious nono for people with lung cancer. I can't list the foods I know that are "hot" or "cold" here right now(will probably do later!). Sometimes the ones said on the internet are not accurate, I tried that, the best way to get to know something's hot/cold is from a Chinese herb doc or a decent medical book. I read on the forums some stupid someone's saying chicken's "cold" and similar things. It's misleading.

So people with "hot" body condition are supposed to/should eat "cold" food to balance the body. If you keep eating "hot" food, certain symptoms will come out. It's especially important for patients, because their body is usually very sensitive. And for the relatively healthy people, I know it's hard to tell which food you should eat or which should not, and people'd probably thing you're weird if you are with someone at the restaurant and being picky(if you are healthy, personally I think you should eat a bit of everything, but it's rare that someone is healthy nowadays)

At the same time, nutrition is also important, you can't ignore it. But too much is never a good thing. My dad used to cook loach and catfish every two or three days, that's crazy, and mum got fatty liver on her first check up which was 20 days after the chemo's done. Then we expanded the interval. My stupid dad thinks as long as you eat, it's always good, no matter what, who cares about "hot" "cold". But he's realized that now. Durian is also very "hot", 1 durian = 3 chickens(exaggerated I guess), but it's very nutritious. I sometimes give mum a small piece, I think it should be fine.

Lemon water with honey("cool"), this is always good(and it's peel too) for you except that you have peptic ulcer and similar issues.

That's all for now.

NeoWater and other zionist controls

KrisEz — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:09:36 GMT

on second thoughts, lets do this in a few months when the dust has settled

persian rugs, occasional use shows good mental health

dozer — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:42:48 GMT

article is from the times

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/l...cle6726792.ece

Quote:

When you look at patterns of drug use and psychological health, you find that people who use drugs heavily often are more likely than most to be suffering from other psychological problems. That sounds like common sense, but what is less known is that the same is true of people who abstain from all drug use. Life satisfaction is associated with moderate, occasional drug use.

Question

KrisEz — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:15:51 GMT

Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

Surviving teh Englind.

carls — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:14:11 GMT

London's got me firmly by my apathetic bollocks, and turning me from a human dynamo into some sulky little pissfuck who spends too much time posting on forums and too little creating beautiful things. Any London survivors want to help me out? I'm strong as fuck, have all kinds of art I wish to pursue, am doing great in business, blah blah blah; but it's like this place was built on ley-lines of arse. It's making the fail possible. Advice!!!! Plz!!!!

New Study Shows a Correlation between Macs and Homosexuality

Phife — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:06:14 GMT

Do you still have a land line?

If so, why?

If not, why not?