Moonlight_Graham

And so Moonlight came down from the heavens, cast its rays upon mysterious electronic advert boxes across the city, and the people plummeted into fire & chaos.

i'd personally leave the live stuff for last, you can get a lot of that stuff on youtube.com anyways. also, avoid the Bon Tempo stuff till last, its sucks. I'd download some of the really good demos. I recommend Black Helicopter, Can't Get Shot in the Back If You Don't Run, Annabelle, If I Was A Tidal Wave, Agoraphobe among others...

One of the biggest problems with the healthcare system in Canada is the lack of doctors. Because doctors are paid by the gov't & not set up to charge whatever they want, many doctors have fled to other countries such as the U.S. where they can simply make more money because they can charge basically whatever they want. The E.R. waiting room times are ridiculas in Canada. Much of the problem is that there are hardly any G.P.'s, since many have gone to the U.S. & also doctors generally specialize more these days. So these people without family doctors then head to the E.R. for treatment for a sore throat or ear-ache. And it still takes 8 hours to see a doctor because there are simply a lack of doctors. There are other issues too, like funding, since MRI machines etc. are expensive & we need to build more beds in hospitals. The U.S. adopting a univeral system would be great for Canada because it would lessen the amount of doctors who run to the U.S. for the bigger buck. The universal system can be done well, but there needs to be more restraints & checks. If it costs nothing for u to go to the doctor, then lots of people will go whenever they have a smallest little pain. The gov't should charge a small fee, like $2 for every visit (unless you are a child/mother, elderly, or have long-term chronic illness) to stop these people from abusing the system.

i'll make this more brief because we could literally go on forever debating this. Can u give me some examples, i'm just curious what these are? You (honestly) seem to know more about the bible than I can't think of any examples off hand. My personal belief is that the bible is a flawed book written by humans, not God. And if they are recording the word of God, i think they screwed up the translation in many parts. There are just too many parts in the bible, especially the Old Testament, where it just seems like someone regular person/people from that time wrote some rules & stuck it in the bible. The parts about rules on owning slaves etc. is pretty ridiculas. I'm suprised you are an atheist. I don't understand how you can have such a self-described adamant belief that any type of God doesn't exists, since there is no concrete evidence of that either. Scientifically, we really don't know what happens after we die. I would think the most rational, logical, scientific by-the-facts believe would be that there isn't enough evidence either way to prove god(s) does/doesn't exist or that there is a soul or not etc. so therefore the matter is inconclusive until further evidence is revealed. aka an agnostic point of view. I guess we'll only see who's right when we're both dead. Unless we both get reincarnated the moment after we die ;)

do u listen to the songs on last.fm, or do u get the songs yourself like from itunes or limewire etc.?

call me stupid but what is last.fm? i know its radio & i've gone to the site once to check it out. Can I listen to a whole much of songs free? like AOL radio etc.? do i have to sign-up to listen?

i love certain metal. Mostly old shit, stuff from the 70's & 80's like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Metallica, Iron Maiden etc. That kind of stuff. There are so many different genres of metal that i get confused, but i don't think i'm much into Death Metal.

Whomever made the decision (God? nature? evolution?) that at the age of 13 females were biologically ready to conceive a child, it must have been done for a good reason. In Mary's day it was considered normal for a 13 year old female to be married & bear children. I'm sure in many cultures today it is still considered normal. In Mary's day young people had more responsibities, they were pushed harder, they learned to be more independent at an earlier age than current North American kids. For whatever reason, society in Mary's time decided that at 13 years old females were ready to move away from the nest, get married, start a family etc. If Jesus came in 2007, my guess is God wouldn't pick a 13 y/o North American girl to carry Jesus. He'd probably pick a mature 19 y/o girl or something. My point is that just because our modern Western society has deemed sex with a 13 y/o girl is rape, that doesn't make it the universal definition of rape across all cultures & time points of human history. Yeah i guess i think the Bible isn't very logical. Angels, demons, supernatual occurances + (the condtradictions) aren't very logical. Not much tangible proof that a lot of this stuff ever happened, except for the written accounts described in the bible. Maybe i'm not a "true" Christian. I do believe that Jesus existed, but i often have doubts about some of the things in the New Testament. Do i concede that there's a chance Jesus wasn't the son God? Yes. Is there a chance there's no heaven or hell or a "soul"? Yes. These are questions i wrestle with myself all the time. But the big bang & evolution are also theories, and do i concede that there's chance they don't exist? Of course. But they are the best evidence we have right now, so we put some faith in them until proven otherwise. My "spiritual/religious" beliefs are quite inconsistent because they are constantly evolving. There's nothing wrong with that. I already mentioned i thought that "other religions across the globe work through this same God (or power), and in the end most of us believe in the same thing." Along with the "Golden Rule", another major thing that most religions have in common is that they believe in a power greater than themselves. In the end, we are all trying to confirm the same basic belief. I don't see how you say "you either believe in the bible, or you don't". The bible isn't crystal-clear, black&white as you make it out. There are so many factions of christianity because people disagree on how to interpret the bible. Does "40 days & 40 nights" literally mean that length of time, or does it just mean "a long time"? Who is more Christian or truest to the bible: Catholics, Baptists, or Methodists? What is wrong about cherry-picking from the Bible, or from other religions? The Golden Rule doesn't solve every problem. If it did the Bible would be 3 pages long, Jesus & Mohammed wouldn't have much to say, & ethics courses would take 30 minutes to complete. I take things from the Bible & other religions that work for me. Buddhism teaches to live in moment, & that meditation can help keep our mind at peace. Jesus teaches to free ourselves from material possessions. No. If my beliefs aren't cleary defined or fall under some sort of religious sect or anti-religious philosophy, then how can i label it? My beliefs are unique to myself. If you want to put a label on my beliefs, then call me a "moral mutt". Its not very nice to call someone's beliefs a "cop-out". In fact, you seem not to have much respect for anyone's religion. I may not like the Pope, but when i enter my friends' house & see picture of the Pope hanging on the wall i don't draw a moustache on it or throw it out the window. I could call being an agnostic a "cop-out". See, you don't have to commit to believing in any specific, so what is there to defend? You or an athiest can sit here all day & blast people for their beliefs, call them idiots, pussies, cop-outs, cherry-pickers, & not have to feel guilty about it because you are simply trying to free them from their obviously primitive & illogical thinking. But i don't really feel that. My dad's an athiest, i have friends who are agnostics. To each their own. Both religious moderates & fundamentalists can be dangerous, as can those who berate others who simply don't believe the same "truth" that they do.

war with Iran would be a nuclear bomb for the Republican party.

hey rabbit: i think it missed that part. Where can i find this? I'm actually very impressed with your arguments. very smart & put together. They are legit questions, & i can understand why you are an agnostic. However: Fundies are truer Christians than I? What makes someone a Christian? Someone who believes in Jesus Christ. At least thats my interpretation. The fact that i question what is in the bible lessens the validity of my faith? You don't even know what my faith is. The term "agnostic" is a very tricky term. It can have many slightly different definitions. But i'll go by the definition that an agnostic is someone who isn't convinced God exists (or not) because there isn't enough evidence either way. I believe that there is a higher power, a force much greater whan ourselves who works on a completely different level. I believe in the big-bang (so far), i believe in evolution, but i believe this higher power made all of this possible. I call this high power "God". Thats my faith. I also believe in Jesus. I also believe that other religions across the globe work through this same God (or power), and in the end most of us believe in the same thing. And rather than an athiest, who doesn't believe in a higher power, or an agnostic who isn't convinced, i am 100% convinced there is a God. I can see it every time i walk through a field on a sunny summer day, or look into a baby's eyes. The bible is just a book & people can argue about it or just believe it all blah blah argue all day. IMO there are positive things people can take from all religions. If it helps you in your life & doesn't harm other people, then thumbs up. I really don't care what label that makes me, i just don't want a label on my beliefs because they are unique & my own. And if you have more respect for a fundamentalist/extremist than a person of my beliefs then i don't really give a fuck.

i like it bro. much less "country kitchen" than the last design. ;)

Reaction!

thats neat. But the weird thing is that Gore has done as he said probably thousands of those powerpoint presentations & the message never really got across in a sweeping way. But then he released the movie, and its caused a massive growth of awareness for the dangers of global warming & the mainstream as well as politicians are now FINALLY getting into what Gore has been trying to preach for 35-40 years or whatever. Amazing the power of film. Its also funny that Gore made the documentary at just the perfect time, when people are finally starting to watch docs & they are becoming very profitable at the box-office etc. If Gore made this doc 20 years ago it would have likely fallen by the way-side into obscurity.

I just saw the movie a few nights ago on TMN or whatever. It was amazing. Very good acting, great scenery. Heith Ledger did an great job. sad story though, but felt very real. 9.5/10. a must-see.

You live in Calgary. Oil country. Conservative country. As another person said before, yeah i think The Man has gotten to you.

8.5/10 - South Park rules. making yourself look like Sotuh Park guy also is cool. but -1.5 cuz its not that original anymore.

quoting heyrabbit: Say wha? Didn't Jesus love everyone? Mary Magdalene, a prostitute supposedly, was sinner & a woman & one of Jesus' closest disciples. He loved those who didn't believed in him. He loved those who put him on the cross, & forgave them. fantastic question to which i have no answer. Parts of the bible are true, and some aren't. Some are true because it is also a book of human history. Many witnesses wrote to have seen Jesus Christ, so even if you don't believe he was the son of God, even history scholars would find it incredibly likely that a man named Jesus of Nazareth did exist. And some of the Bible can't be true because much of it contradicts itself. There is a line somewhere inside everyone who believes in the Bible that they draw to what & how much is real, and how much is false. In the end this and everything you are talking about comes down to faith and personal belief. Many believe that God does these sorts of confusing things to test your faith in him. That he shouldn't have to constantly prove that he exists. The only proof i guess is what happens to your life when you do put your faith in him & believe. Personally, there have been some little miracles in my prayers to God in the most desperate times in my life that have convinced me, after years of harsh skepticism, that God is real. Some would put these things off as mere coicidences, & that is a valid argument. But again, its a matter of faith. To the original topic of this thread. Are moderates more or less dangerous than fundies/extremists? They can both be dangerous. But IMO fundies are moreso, because they take God's word (or whomever they believe in) as harsh fact in the literal manner that they have interpreted these words. ie: 40 days & 40 nights REALLY DOES mean 40 days & 40 nights. Fundies have hard times decifering symbolism, context etc. Of course, many things in the bible are up for interpretation, but fundies have their mind set & won't consider other meanings or debate. At least moderates can keep an open mind. Its been my experience that people who are close-minded are much more dangerous than those who are open-minded. And in many ways, open-mindedness is one of the core messages all religions teach. Compassion, empathy, judge not...

cool i'm listening to Rush too! Rush - "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"

nooooo!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

9/10 - itz cool & hip yo. i like the stance.

Most likely to cry after selling off his huge comic collection to pay for his massive university debt - bishopx

i saw that book on amazon.ca, considered getting it for someone as an xmas gift. Looks very interesting. My sister has recently gotten big into Christianity again, and she has a recent copy of the Bible & apparently scriptures are constantly updated, re-translated, re-worded etc. Like a bible she had 10 years ago is much different in many little ways than a current Bible. Its also interesting the power these people have who translate these scriptures, and then of course the power of churches who decipher their meaning for all to live by. On another note, just thinking about the people who originally wrote pieces of the bible. I'm sure if they are quoting Moses or Jesus & describing what they did they will interepret these words/actions in a meaning that makes sense to them in the time/society that they lived. Not always the fault of the author, just how people can mis-interpret things.

Ahahahaaaaaa!! Yes, talk about complete hyprocisy in those 2 statements. If a man lies with another male they shall be put to death? Whatever happened to "Thou Shalt Not Kill"? Was this written b4 or after Moses & the Ten Commandments? Is gay sex so bad that it completely over-rules one of the 10 Commandments. I believe in God & in Jesus, but i'm always aware of who actually wrote the bible. GOD DID NOT WRITE THE BIBLE. Regular people did. And a lot of it we're not even sure who it got in there. Apprently the Church believes Moses wrote Genesis because "God told him these stories" or something to that effect. I personally don't believe in much of the Old Testament, especially Genesis. As far as i'm concerned Adam & Eve, and Noah's Ark etc. are just fables & fairy tales & that doesn't make me any less Christian it just means i'm using my noodle. P.S. To everyone: HAHA most of the people in here are now "Mooninites". wahahaha

i think you're either interested in politics or you're not. You can always raise awareness & try to get people more involved in it & remind people how these issues affect them, but at the end of the day you either give a crap or you don't. You can't get Sally who spends her whole day at the mall or watching "Friends" reruns to care about politics if she doesn't even know the name of the Prime Minister. And frankly i don't want those people voting. I think everything is fine as it is in Canada & the U.S. Back when i was 18 i was very interested in federal/global politics, but i didn't know squat about municpal politics so when the vote for mayor came up i didn't bother voting because i knew i wasn't informed enough on the candidates.

wicked...