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Electric Cigarettes, Cyrus, Homeless, Chinese...Something offensive for everyone!
I will try it--thanks vchris, for all of the good information! And again, if this does not work, I will be sure to go for the Vapure :)— May 8, 2009 6:24 p.m.
A Neighborhood Affair to Remember
Mindy wrote: "Btw, it was rude of her to say that the winning entries were clunkers, just because hers isn't one of them." Just caught your comment on the home page, Mindy. To clarify my position: I am a literary critic, with over 5 years in a doctoral program, and around 15 years of intensive study in the humanities, and reading good literature, as well as writing criticism. In my--yes, unabashedly educated opinion--there have been some mighty careless clunkers chosen in this contest. I did not pick on any piece in particular (including yours), and do not take great pains to apply the critic's pen. When I do, however, it means there is something worth picking apart. Lit crit is sometimes harsh, sometimes complimentary, but exists to further our knowledge of what language can do, as well as celebrate good writing. The fact remains that the criteria for this contest has been ambiguous at best, and I was trying to get a little more information from an inside perspective. Jealous? Far from it, doll. "It beats the hell out of writing crap that goes nowhere so I'm reduced to acting superior over those who win." Mindy, you are not a good actor, and it doesn't take a trained critic to see this. You lash out, and you use pseudonymous initials to backtrack, rather than owning your mistake. Frankly, I do not care what you consider to be writing that "goes nowhere," and I seriously doubt refried or any fine writer in this publication cares either. I do find your cynical and irreverent attitude about what "sells" to be shortsighted and sad. Watch out, or it will limit the scope and soul of your writing even further than it already has.— May 8, 2009 6:13 p.m.
This is an extremely "rare" photo of a tarantula that was carried across our porch by a poisonous bu
Amazing! What kind of poisonous bug is it, Bleep7? Is it a tarantula hawk? Nice handle, btw ;). Carlin, RIP.— May 8, 2009 5:55 p.m.
Electric Cigarettes, Cyrus, Homeless, Chinese...Something offensive for everyone!
vhchris, I have the two-piece type you speak of (from smokingeverywhere.com), with the lithium ion battery contained in the main unit of the device, which also plugs into a USB to recharge on the computer. The cartridges have a vaporizing chamber (atomizer) with water, and you screw off and on the cartridges. There were no instructions with it for care. In sum, it cost me $125 for the two piece unit, along with a gold-colored case and the USB charger. As I mentioned, I get one or two hits from it, then the "smoke" ceases. I have tried switching out cartridges and charging the device for long periods--no luck, still just get no more than three generous inhalations. Some nicotine water also leaked a bit, and burned my lip. It has a year guarantee, so I REALLY hope I can hold the company to it. I called the salesperson over at the Horton Plaza kiosk the day I got it, to order some flavored cartridges, but never heard back from him...— May 8, 2009 5:28 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
Amen!— May 8, 2009 4:39 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
I hope there is a lot of good butter and cream in there, refried, and perhaps some roasted garlic and parsley :)— May 8, 2009 4:23 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
refried, if you read my posts above, I push for those very things, as well as reason and understanding. No one is questioning the wisdom of your daughter, but words must be said. You had your say, and others are simply having theirs.— May 8, 2009 3:59 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
What if you are being distracted by issues of a woman’s right to choose safely, gay marriage and homosexuality, for example? The government you always fear to be so godless has managed to distract you, Spliff, the potential doer of rational good, from issues of real importance. But you still bravely thrash on, despite the glaucomic haze and crippling fevers of your godspells. Bravo, Spliff. Spliff wrote: “I'm sorry man and women are like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. Two man or women pieces you just trying to make it fit.” To explain why homosexuality is an abberation: An analogy to a child’s game, and the shape of the ‘peepee’ is pretty scary, Spliff. I bet you don’t like to see little people dating tall people; that would be a travesty too, eh? Jiggy pieces don’t fit just right? As an atheist, I have no problem with physical or romantic love in any form, as long as it happens between two consenting adults. Again, no moral outrage, just calm acceptance and appreciation of the human spirit and its desires. You should try that sometime, Spliff. Acceptance feels good, and leads to clearer, less alloyed understanding; it allows you to peer into yourself and your own shared humanity a little more deeply. Aren’t those some goals shared by certain oft-ignored portions of your doctrine? “Is not the world in black & white? Is not the world centered around good and evil? There is no grey or middle area. This is what's causing people confusion!! People want a middle area , so they can play both sides of the fence!!” Spliff, you go around building the fences, then peer through them to point fingers. That is sad. The concept of the ‘center’ is a big part of the problem here. To answer your question, no, the world is not centered around anything—a major activity of mythmaking is to go around pointing out “centers” of power and meaning. Religious groups froth at the mouth trying to demarcate various “centers” of privilege and zones of evil (are the Golan Heights really that special? Is any real estate worth dying for? Is the “center” really up there in the belly of the sky god, or is it really in your own gut and brain?) When you see those documentaries on the earth, and they show the blurring of boundaries from outer space, they are on to something. We are all just pissing to mark off our sad little “centered” corners. When you say there is no “middle area,” you are saying there is no center but your centers. My world is full of centers, corners, right angles, and the full spectrum of the rainbow—try it out. I’ll be on “reality” street if you want to speak on it, love :)— May 8, 2009 2:01 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
Let me offer you this. Marx, someone you oughta read, because you share many of his views, is oft-quoted as saying that “religion is the opiate of the masses.” In other words, religion dulls the mind and distracts you from all of your political suspicions, and deflects your attention to trifling matters, and invasions of your own people’s rights to life, privacy, and freedom of expression. Hmm, why is it that our politicians pay such lip service to the dominant strain of Christianity, but invariably seem not to be the believers some think they should be? What if your particular construct of Christianity is such an opiate, meant to distract you from the *real* goings-on of your government agencies? What if the tenets you’ve been taught are, to paraphrase some words in Billy Wilder’s excellent film “One Two Three,” a ‘red herring in the moonlight, shining, but stinking?’— May 8, 2009 2:01 p.m.
San Diego's Antiochian Orthodox church surprises.
Spliff wrote: “The people that go to church fill in their own spirit that the world ain't right and that man doesn't have the answers!! So why you scrubs hating on those who want to better their lives , while you sit back and bytch and complain about yours?!!” Sometimes I think you show a healthy sense of humor, Spliff, sometimes I think you provide a good earnest point or two for readers of this publication to ponder, and sometimes you are so full of rage and hate in all of those question marks and exclamations. Interestingly, when you get all religious on us, this is when you become the most careless, in more than one literal sense of the word. Let me first say that Spliff, the good feelings I have about you are not a result of Christian charity, and the negative are not a result of Christian ire—I am just a simple humanist, a lover of humanity. I do not think in strict opposites; I expect people to show all sides of themselves, and I most appreciate some dimension of character. I can be angry that a next door church is so loud that I have to move, without wanting to annihilate it. Sometimes a noise issue is just a noise issue. Spliff wrote: “But you believe in a man made government that has cheated and suck the life out of people!!!!! Real patriotic!!!!” I think you are arguing against multiple parties here. I think we have a flawed but workable system. There are many injustices to be righted, and your voice joins many in protest of what you see as governmental wrong. And do you really think we all just sit back and bitch? Many of us are out there fighting the kind of discrimination and censorship that you seem to applaud. Us atheists (and no, we are not a ‘religion’) are not for the most part filled with outrage and judgement, unless we are witnessing the the violent actions and results of an ongoing holy Christian crusade or a jihad, or the diminishment of others’ basic (you would call them god-given) rights. I can disagree with you without thinking you are “evil” or possessed by the devil (you are possessed by some form of Christianity, to be sure). Spliff wrote: “Yet in the bible humans walking with god has been going on since day one!!” Spliff, we apparently live with different concepts of time altogether, and I refer you to any basic textbook for your questions about primates, humans, and evolution (and just as with the bible, you can pick and choose from your authors, but in this case, all is carefully, logically documented, and neither names nor traceable proofs have been lost).— May 8, 2009 2 p.m.