JAvatar80

Good morning, and good luck today.

I AM sorry about that for you. I really don't keep up on currency exchange, but I think England and the US are somewhat close, since adult min. wage for you is 7/hr, and for the US it's about 6.50/hr. I think that's completely jacked that they pay teenagers less for the same work.

The ONLY reason I can think of for that policy, is that as a teenager, you don't have to live off that. But it's still messed up, because circumstances are different for everyone.

Heh...who knows. Maybe you'll get things started to raise min wage for teenagers to the national average for adults.

No, she won't get a lawsuit, between the half-mile of cones and the guy in a orange vest and construction hat telling her to go around.

There are two kinds of people in the world. The people who see the way things are, and just go with them(commonly called sheople by myself). And then there are people like you, who see things the way they are, and want to change them. I doubt you'll ever get complacent unless someone simple emotionally and mentally beats you down into compliance. But, I don't think you'd let them.

There are some jobs out there that will eat your soul. Make you so worn out and tired that it's all you can do the next day to get dressed and keep working. If you avoid those...who knows what you'll do in 10-20 years. I might even watch the news and get to say "I know her!"

I think I know a major problem with it. Today's day and age leads to a life of complacency for most people. We suffer the perpetual "fat and lazy" state of a power that hasn't been threatened for too long.

I mean, our medical advances have stopped a lot of killer diseases in their tracks. We don't worry about the environment except for major disastors(hurricanes/earthquakes/tsunamis). Other than "3rd world" countries, we don't have random killings from animals. And wars really don't get fought like in the days of the Romans. So, without the need to keep your wits about you on a day-to-day basis, our common sense kinda dies off, especially the older people get. They get so set in one routine that they don't pay attention to anything anymore.

In fact, we just got a weekly safety brief. A woman was driving through a construction zone where workers just fixed a water main. They had finished, filled the pit with cement, and were ready to lay plates over it. She drove past the guy directing traffic, through the cones, and right into the cement. If they hadn't poured it, she would have driven right in to the pit.

Sad. And I saw the picture at the scene...she was pissed off at the construction workers. *facepalms and sighs*

Ah well. I plan on not getting like that. I've got the concussions to ensure my common sense and situational awareness will not die off. Long story there, but in a nutshell, I've been very lucky so far, and plan on not being in a situation where my luck doesn't hold.

Yeah, that woman won her claim. That's when McDonalds started having to put the warning that the coffee was hot on the cup and lid.

Of course, some other warnings on things just make me laugh.

For example, there is a Swedish chainsaw company that has to put this lable on their chainsaws: "Warning: Do not attempt to stop chain with hands, face, or genetalia."

..........now, my question is...who was stupid enough to make the company start putting THAT lable on their product? o.O

Now, you are right. If it was a "read at own risk" without moderation, we'd have a plethora of snuff, some truly disgusting "intimates", and other crud polluting the CEC. I will admit, that I normally put the kind of detail into every action that I did for his evil acts, and there are some kids(and I mean like 8-12 years old) on the forums. They don't need to see that stuff. But, on my end, it stems the creative flow if I have to stop typing, think "not appropriate", and make a work-around. Like the fade-to-black in the game.

I agree wholeheartedly! And the intro to the whole thread, I state completely that this is a story about a more, VERY much more, evil Revan than the game protrayed.

It's like these people here in America over the past few years.

A woman buys coffee from McDonalds in the drive-thru. She leaves the parking lot, and spills the coffee in her lap. She then SUED McDonalds because the coffee was hot and burnt her.

It's like....you KNOW it's hot...if you didn't want to spill it, don't buy it! *sighs* America really can be so bloody stupid, I want to rip my hair out. (and since I'm in the military, I don't have much hair)

Honestly, I'm not toooo sure about the "gorey" part.

I asked Jae to look over my story, and see if I "crossed" the line of good taste for the forums. I know Revan and Bastila's intimate moments are fine...but some people might take offense to the level of description of the sadism. If Jae ok's the story, then I know where the line is.

Thanks for the link, Burnseyy. :D:D:D:D:D I LOVE Darth Mad. She makes me wanna play a DS female exile game.

And thanks for the review. I'm working on an outline, and fleshing out the chapters before I start posting.

Hey HOP...I've been searching and can't find them. Where did you get those 2 comics you've got in your funny stuff album? I LOVE the ones you and Burnseyy have, and want more.

<.<

>.>

^.^ Hi there Robespierre! By they way, have you had a chance to look at/edit your Starport Visa Mod? I'm trying to learn how it all works, but my job wears me out. Editting is lower priority than playing after I get home.

w00t for the interview. Hope it goes well for you.

*grins mischieviously* read my story yet?

Hey Burnseyy. I just wanted to appologize if anything I said yesterday bothered/upset/made you mad.

How's college/job hunt?

Sounds good, and yes. I believe you. Sure, my junior year was.... *thinks...calculates.... sobs* 10 years ago...but I remember what it was like.

Gah I'm old. *sighs* Ah well. It just gives me experience..yeah! That's it! Experience for writing! among other things.

heyya HOP. My final chapter is up, in case you haven't read it yet.

Nothing was over the line, my friend.

I wouldn't worry about it. Like I said, I wasn't upset by it.

There is truth to what you say. That's why I said the same thing 12 years ago.

And, in a large way, I wish you were right. But, in the end, there are some people, that no matter how much you talk to them, how nice you ask...they will want to kill people that are different. And, with that, the only way to protect yourself, is to fight. Believe me, I wish we could just take Osama BinLaden to a conference room, say "you leave us alone, we'll leave you alone" and have him agree. But he will continue bombing embassies, taking and executing hostages, harassing and murdering people..all because they don't follow his belief on Islam.

Now, if I may suggest a change of subject? I don't want any of us getting really worked up or upset with each other over this.

I have looked, researched, and have more access than you do.

IF the evidence was fabricated, then the President is exempt from blame, because it would have been made and presented to him by the orginizations responsible for finding out.

Any reason for religious genocide is stupid. The Shiites and Suni have been at ends with each other since the inception of Islam.

I actually have alot of respect for the President. Not because he's my boss...but because he's not reckless. For example, when the Twin Towers fell in New York back in 2001, President Bush had one option.....glassing the desert. He could have ordered a retaliative nuclear strike. The simple fact that we aren't using nukes shows a great deal of restraint on his, and the generals', parts.

DY brought up the WMD mess from a few years ago.....another one of Bush's problems. The thing is, he was given evidence that they had WMD's. We started a search almost 2-3 weeks later after getting clearance. The file with the original evidence is so classified, it's not funny. Why? Is it because there is no evidence? If that was the case, the clearance to search would never have passed the UN. I do know that Palastine and Iran both had an increase in their arms stocks within that month. What, more likely than the President performing a horrid act like staging a war-worthy act on an innocent people(lead by a despot who developed and USED bio-chemical warfare on his own people, I might add), is they sold their WMD's. *shrugs*

I will admit, I have my own misgivings with our president, but him being reckless isn't one of them. My wife and I talk about this alot, especially since I'm planning on going carreer. She hates the war as much as both of you do. But even she says we should still be there, because of the problems that will happen if we pull out.

After all, Evil will always succeed when good men do nothing. I know, cliche, but it is true. Sudam needed to be stopped back in the 90's. If we had done that then, we most likely would not still be having issues there, nor would they have escalated to the problems they became. If the President said there were WMD's, it was because he was told that. Whether or not the intel was fabricated, who knows. Being there, talking to the people I talk to...I say they actually had the weapons.

I know, people will believe what they want. I don't hold it against them. I'm not upset at DY for thinking what he does, at all. Alot of people feel that way. But, in the end, because someone thinks that someone lied, doesn't mean that they did.

*nods* The three major hazards of the jet are noise, heat, and impact. The engine is 200-220 db, the exhaust when it thrusts up reaches around 1300 F, some of the metal probes have heaters to melt ice, and they can reach 900 F, and the control surfaces are hydraulically moved at 3000psi.

Of course, there's also the radiation(radar/radios), toxins(jet fuel, hydrazine), and dropping(a tank with 5000lbs of jet fuel being dropped by accident) hazards...but those are a little less likely to happen.

FUN job!

I do question, on occasion...but then I see the direct results of our actions.

At my last base, we were in the desert. This was over a year ago. If you don't know, there are three sects of Islam, the Suni, Sufi, and Shiite. The Shiites are the zealots with the suicide bombers, and are causing the problems for the new Iraqi government. The Suni are very much the opposite, and are very peaceful. While we were in the desert, we received intel that the Shiites were going to erradicate a Suni religious festival. Unarmed men, women, and children celebrating their religion and life, against geurilla tactic terroists. We scrambled, and over 3 days dropped 1000 bombs and over 500,000 rounds of ammunition against the Shiite group. If we hadn't, those people at the festival would have been wiped out.

Yes, a part of why we are there is to protect our way of life, to help protect one of our major oil importers. But that's not the only, or even the most major, reason. The Iraqi people suffered heavily before Desert Storm, and due to poor policies at the time, suffered even more when we didn't finish the job by taking out Hussian at the time. The real reason that we are still there, and have moved down to Afghanistan, is to not let the same mistake happen again.

This is not a popular war, I know. To many, it's just another Vietnam or Korea. But, if we had done nothing, or were to pull out completely....we would be to blame in a couple years when the Shiites put someone even worse than Hussian back into power.

Yes, I admit that there may be a great deal more than I know behind the scenes. But, I can't second guess the final authority on what I do, simply because of a "what if". The evidence that I, as a troop, see shows that we are actually doing something good, worthwhile, and needed, more than a selfish bid to make money. I know the media doesn't exactly show that....but the media is driven by ratings more than the pursuit of truth. The skirmish I talked about...had a small blurb in the on-base newspaper. I didn't see anything about it on CNN, MSNBC, or any other news broadcast. Mainly, because we did our job, blew up the bad guys, and that was it.

Oh no! I'm not saying anything is wrong with girls. Actually, I find it amusing that the man is supposed to be the "stronger" gender, but on the genetic level...they aren't. A girl, for example, is an X-X chromosone combination. A boy is an X-Y combo. But, when you look at the difference between the X and Y chromosones, the Y is a cut-down version of the X. It's not really different, just only part of the X, the most basic components required to finish the genetic chain. Hmmmm.......

And personally, I'd prefer a girl first, and if we have 2 kids, try for a boy. But 2 girls is just fine.

I know, from experience, that wars are far more complex than what you said. Political reasons, economic reasons, defending the weak...all are reasons that wars are started. For example, the last "war" in the desert, Desert Storm/Desert Eagle. That was started because Sadam Hussain invaided Kuwait, and it looked like he was going to go after Saudi Arabia next. He was a despot dictator with no concern for human life. Yet, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were some of our highest importers of oil. So, what was the real reason we went in? Depending on who you ask, it's one, the other, or a mix of both. All I know is, both of my mother's brothers served. The same deal is with the current war. It started because of the attack on the Twin Towers. We finally declared victory, and had a decromatic government installed in Iraq, but are still there because of the continued assault against the people and new government by the zealots and fundamentalists of the opposing Islamic sect. If we pulled out now, the current government would most likely fall within the next 2-3 years, if that long. I don't want to be there, but if we abandon them, they'll be killed off. But, if you talk to other people, the only reason America is still there is because of the oil.

Another issue is the Israel/Palastine conflict. Palastine is in the wrong for the continued attempt at religious genocide of Israel, and the Israelies are getting ready to fight back with the full force of their military. I feel, as a person, that they should have some backing, since they are simply defending themselves.

I agree with you, Burnseyy. I wish the world didn't need militaries, that we could get over ourselves and stop all these wars. But, unless something REALLY big happens, there will always be people with no morals, little care for human life, and a lust for power, and these people will continue causing problems for a long time, really big problems if they get into power. As long as there is a leader of a country out there, who thinks they have the right to eradicate one kind of people or another, I'm willing to serve my country, to put my life on the line to protect my people, and anyone else who asks for my help. *shrugs softly* And I'm not trying to say everyone needs to follow my mindset, either, or trying to push my views onto you. But, I do want you to understand where I come from, just a little.

not IB, Db. Decibal.

I just have an incredible metabolism. I broke my pinky bone inside the palm(between the wrist and knuckle). At first, I thought it was a sprain, but 3 days later I saw a doctor, and it was a break. And it had already knitted the bones back together, so the doctor had to check for internal bleeding, rebreak the bone, and set it. I was in a half-cast, where only my pinky and ring fingers were held in place, leaving my middle, index, and thumb free. Three weeks later, I went in, they peeled the cast, and it took me and the nurse almost 5 minutes to get my poor gimped out hand flat enough to X-ray. The doctor came in 10 minutes later, confused. "Jon...are you SURE it was your right had that was broken?"

hehe. That was funny.

As for the risk of the job, I'm like "meh." The BIGGEST risk I run, is when it's time for my wife and I to have kids, I'm most likely going to have nothing but girls. Radiation on the line isn't enough to sterlize me, but the "Y" chromosone swimmers are actually weaker and smaller than X's, and are the first to fry/die off. Statistically, about 90% of the male maintainers in my carreer field that are dads, have girls only.

I joined the military because I was going no where with my life, needed a kick in the pants, and I knew what the military would do to me, and for me. It wasn't an easy decision...I'm a pacifist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "oh, no one needs a military. Join the Peace Corps instead...you'll get the same travel opportunities and benefites!" idiot. I know the military is a needed orginization, I just couldn't bring myself to be part of it. However, I knew that I wanted to marry my at the time girlfriend, and be a good provider for her. So, I made the decision to adjust my morales, and enlisted. But, then, I was already 24, and would keep a job 6 months max, so I knew I needed to do something drastic. And it worked for me.

Oh, I agree. Hitler's entire rise to power was by being a charismatic man who said things that a beaten down, poor people wanted to hear.

Hmm...sounds like another villian I know.

If Germany had not been burdened with "paying" for WWI, had been allowed to continue to industrialize, and maintain a military, it's economic standing would not have gone completely down the drain, the people would have been a little happier, and a good number of followers would not have listened to Hitler.