Lateralus

You're assuming there is no god and therefore prayer has no use. Randomly wishing is different than praying in that you're not directing thoughts to a god. You obviously can't prove prayer works, but it's kind of insulting to compare it to random actions that aren't comparable at all to prayer to those that do pray. If it's insulting then so be it. There's no evidence to support the effectiveness of prayer, and the death of this poor girl seems like enough contrary evidence to me. If people feel the need to pray to suppliment helpful steps taken then that's alright, but it's no kind of substitute.

#-o First of all, she did not have cancer, she had an aneurysm and was paralyzed for 27 years. Secondly, almost every Tool album has "religious ties" or philosophical "religious" themes. 10,000 Days actually had fewer songs than most that would be considered religious. Thirdly, Keenan did not later release "Judith" with A perfect Circle. He released it EARLIER. 6 years earlier actually on Mer De Noms. And finally, Keenan has never once become a Christian in his life. That is just plain ridiculous. He released a joke to MTV News about how he was a Christian, but he was only messing with the media that ate it right up. Mer de Noms is an A Perfect Circle album.

A little paranoia is normal. If you can dismiss it as paranoia then you're not that crazy. Sometimes when I'm sitting close to someone and I think something disgusting I hope like hell that they can't hear what I'm thinking.

You should go to university - it's about learning and growing, not about preparing yourself for a job. I can't say what specific course you should do as I don't know anything about you. University is great anyway.

o_o You? Sexist? Wow. How? What? I don't know what to say. I just have old fashioned views on this subject I suppose. Oh. So you think women should be working in the kitchen and making you sammiches. No, I don't like being waited on either. I'm not really sure what I think. It's not that I want women to have less rights or opportunities than men, it's just that I don't like them as much. The result is that I only see them as good for a few things. There's the *ahem* obvious, and there's the intimacy that you only find in a relationship. I've encountered women who have been completely captivating of course, and there's nothing better in life, but they're few and far between. I'm also perfectly willing to believe that the problem is me and not women, but the end result is the same.

o_o You? Sexist? Wow. How? What? I don't know what to say. I just have old fashioned views on this subject I suppose.

Maybe you're gay? Wouldn't that be a relief. Being a bit sexist makes you gay now? I just don't like women very much - I find them boring. Don't get me wrong, most men are boring too, it's just not quite so bad.

I've been told I like 'pixie girls'. Big eyes and little noses. I don't get on particularly well with women in any case - I don't like them very much. I'm quite sexist in some ways so I like quiet and submissive girls, and they're a rarity. My last few relationships have ended due to a combination of my unhealthy attitude towards women and my need for huge amounts of time alone. If I'm reading, leave me alone. I want to read.

There's a thread for discussing the Warped Tour in the Movies, Music and Television subforum. Use this thread.

My Ian Curtis impression is coming along nicely. It's probably nowhere near as good as I think it is. I can't really do any impressions, but sometimes, when the moment calls for it, I can absolutely nail an impression and then never be able to do it again.

University is really much easier than most people imagine, at least in first year (years 1 and 2 for most people I've spoken to). There's plenty of time to party and all that. I used to stay up till about 4 or 5 every morning, wake up for 9am lectures and then go back to sleep when they were done. I think at my 'peak' I was drinking about 10 bottles of wine a week. It's a really fantastic atmosphere. Provided you buckle down when you're required to then you'll have no problems.

I wouldn't say that Angus Young isn't fit to even string Ritchie Blackmore's guitars.

The Sound - Night Versus Day Listening to the whole Jeopardy album. Excellent post-punk that I've neglected until now.

I really messed up my university choices (and high school grades) first time around, to the extent that I ended up doing almost two years in a course that wasn't right for me at a university that I didn't like. The result is that I need to go back and redo a bunch of high school level classes as well as some other mundane courses to get into Edinburgh University to study English Literature. There's a load of additional bureaucracy because I'm now considered a 'mature student' (21+). It's frustrating because I'm confident I'd absolutely destroy the course, as I've covered almost the entire reading list for the 4 years in my spare time, but I'm being beaten for places by 17 and 18 year olds wandering straight out of high school. It's my fault of course, but how are you supposed to decide how you're going to spend your life at 16 years old? C'est la vie.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - The Ballad of Jim Jones

Interesting that nobody is unique (poor word choice; 'Very slightly different' might have been better) in a bad way. Everyone is funny or tall or musical. Where are all the webbed toed albinos?

Xabi Alonso has handed in a transfer request. Absolutely gutted.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=762754 Use this thread for football discussion.

If this topic degrades any further then I'll lock it. While I agree that you should have waited your turn to post a list, you're not breaking any rules and so there's no problem. If the discussion stays on topic then the thread stays open - Otherwise I close it.

Conditioning is definitely possible to a certain extent, as even a glimpse of history will show. However, to attempt to mould someone to the extent that they have no internal conflict is to attempt to mould something other than a human, so I don't think that's possible (or even close to it).

I buy my Levi's from eBay. You can get 501's on there for about £15.

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Drop Dead/Celebration Hell yes.

I started watching The Last Mitterrand (Le promeneur du champ de Mars). It looks like a good film, but it was too political and I just wasn't in the mood for it. I will definitely finish it though. I ended up watching Coach Carter instead haha.

No more of that please.

If we were to say that our morals are more reasonable, then we'd inevitably be labeled as biased bigots, but truthfully I think our morals are a lot more reasonable (in this context at least). There are reasons behind morals, and I can't see any rational reason to blame someone for something they had no control over. There are lots of things I do disagree with though like not allowing gays to marry and not allowing abortions. It's a matter of thinking for yourself - I don't let those white 1990's values dictate what I believe in. In societies that don't really allow the freedom to think for yourself, it's no wonder people think it's okay to make human sacrifices and whatnot. I agree. The advantage we have in the West, and the reason why our morals are (mostly) more refined, is that we allow an open dialogue. With the world changing at the rate it does, what good is are moral guidelines that are set in stone? Question, conclude, amend. Religious values are all well and good, but should be done away with if they don't stand up to secular reasoning - at least on a legislative level.