Skywarp!

So why is China about the 2nd most powerful nation on earth? Population, alone?

Bush.

Just to expand on what was said: The Movie was written during season 1, which is why you don't see many season 2 TFs in it. A lot of people hate season 3 as a major step down in writing, but the fans that defend it think that it is the darker, more psychological Transformers--the episodes just couldn't return to the happy-go-lucky days after the violent deaths witnessed in the movie, and the major struggles include Rodimus' feeling inadaquate with big shoes to fill and Galvatron's slow decent into insanity.

NEWS FLASH~!!! The Giants aren't sleeping, they just suck. Oh and Highly Overrated too. When they turn it on, they kick ass. They statistically dominated their last two opponents, but their problem is coughing up the ball. When they have a fire lit under their ass, they're great to watch. But for the past couple of weeks, it's been sad.

I wish someone would wake up the sleeping Giants...

On F-Zero GX I'm still stuck trying to beat the 3rd cup on Novice, and I'm stuck in the High Stakes in Mute City stage in the story mode. That game is tough.

True, I'm blowing this out of proportion for what it is...my anger towards the larger issue becomes unbottled from time to time.

That's not what I was saying. I am a Catholic. But the political, earthly face of the Catholic Church is an archaic institution; a dusty old animal who won't get with the 21st Century. When you look throughout history, people involved in the organization of the Church most likely have done more to set back the human race than any other group. I criticize because I'm trying to fight against the further and futher decay of my faith. I want the Church to embrace views and tolerance that can make me whole heartedly reaffirm my faith. But now all my praying is done outside of Church.

I hate the American media. They have the chance to use this story to expose just how bad the politiking of the Church has blinded/set back the world. And I haven't seen anything about it here.

The reason the wrong caliber bullet was written down on the examiner's sheet is that, obviously, the doctor who removed it is not a weapon's expert. This story boils my blood.

I'm interested in knowing how the Static-X and Sevendust albums are. Both of their last efforts were average enough that I'm not about to blindly fork money over this time around.

Love 'em or hate 'em, he's the topic of a lot of interesting threads. Here's the link to the 7 questions he poses to Bush in his new book... Dude, Where's My Country?

Tim Mahoney from 311 is an extremely talented soloist, although he takes most of his influence from Santana.

from allmusic.com... It took a long, long time for Limp Bizkit to get their follow-up to Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water into the stores. First, guitarist Wes Borland, generally regarded as the band's musical force, up and left the band, and it took a long, long time to find a replacement guitarist. After a national talent search performed at Guitar Center stores, where candidates had to sign contracts that gave up their rights to anything original they played at their audition, they settled on former Snot guitarist Mike Smith and recorded an album. Then scrapped it. Then they recorded another album. Then scrapped it. They were going through album titles, too — it was called Bipolar then, charmingly, Panty Sniffer. Finally, all the sessions and the turmoil was whittled down into one very long, very bad album called Results May Vary. Part of its weakness stems from two perennial Limp Bizkit problems: for a metal band they sound, well, limp, and in Fred Durst they have the worst frontman in the history of rock. These two things plagued even their hits, but Borland at least gave the band some ideas. Without him, the band is left to flounder, and Durst, who already dominated the band's personality, not only has to provide the bravado, but he has to give it direction — which is likely why it took so long for this mess to get released. Durst doesn't come up with any new musical ideas, apart from slight hints of Staind and emo on the ballads, but the album doesn't suffer from recycled musical ideas, since they were already doing that on Chocolate Starfish. No, it suffers from an utter lack of form and direction, from the riffs to the rhythms, and a surplus of stolen ideas. "The Only One" cops the opening of Steve Miller's "Take the Money and Run," "Gimme the Mic" plagiarizes the Beastie Boys' "Pass the Mic" down to rhyming "y'all" with "y'all" (but Durst adds a whole lotta "motherf*ckers"), while "Phenomenon" borrows from several rap songs, highlighted by Durst getting lyrics wrong. And this points out the biggest problem of Results May Vary — Durst is running amuck, flattening down the production into a grey sludge, then writing inane lyrics that are shocking in their banality. Since Durst has ingratiated himself with Hollywood, inexplicably getting Thora Birch to concede to being berated to in the video for "Eat You Alive" and French kissing Halle Berry in the video for "Behind Blue Eyes," maybe he's not such a bad guy in person, but on record he's a mean, vindictive, hateful idiot, spewing undirected bile at undeserving targets. Here, a prominent target seems to be Britney Spears, who unceremoniously dumped the dude after an affair that lasted less than a week, since she wasn't all that thrilled that he revealed her pubic hair grooming on the Howard Stern show (what a guy!). Now, he's hurt and ranting about how she broke his heart, unaware of his own culpability in the affair. But that's par for the course for Durst, who stumbles through life without realizing the consequences of his actions, then whines about how nobody understands him. Here, he complains about being picked on in high school, not realizing that his blustering aggression makes him a bully (and that's not even accounting for how he unwittingly incited violence and destruction at Woodstock '99). Then, he complains several times about radio and MTV playing the same old bands, willfully ignoring that he's whored himself out to MTV numerous times and that his band received their radio breakthrough by paying to get their songs played. He invokes icons callously — "ease your pain/like a melody from Kurt Cobain" — most notably on a boneheaded cover of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes," turning it into a Staind song with a Speak & Spell on the bridge ("B-I-Z-K-I-T. Say it") and adding insult to injury by misspelling Pete Townshend's name in the credits. And this isn't even counting the embarrassing Apple plug in the liner notes, or the Fight Club reference in the artwork, the obviousness of which suggests that Durst would be one of the brainwashed legions chanting "his name is Robert Paulson" instead of thinking for himself. Like before, some of this could have been palatable if the music had a fraction of his anger (no matter how misguided it is) or had some energy to it instead of just being murky emoting. But since the music has no melody, hooks, or energy, all attention is focused on the clown jumping up and down and screaming in front, and long before the record is over, you're left wondering, how the hell did he ever get to put this mess out? — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Operation: Sweep Right Fails.

The more I think about the fact that we put the Jews on a strip of land that used to belong to Palestine, the more I don't think it's right, and can understand why the Palestinians fight just to get back what they owned.

2003 Power Rankings: Week 5 Rank Team Rec. Comment 1 Chiefs 4-0-0 We're guessing the Broncos are going to try to keep the ball away from Dante Hall this weekend. 2 Colts 4-0-0 Wow. The Saints sure were bad, but Manning and the Colts looked pretty scary on offense. 3 Buccaneers 2-1-0 Monday night's game against Tony Dungy and the Colts should be fun to watch. 4 Broncos 4-0-0 Jake Plummer has been solid, but Clinton Portis clearly makes this team go on offense. 5 Vikings 4-0-0 Last week we said Gus Frerotte wouldn't get it done. Well, we're cleaning the egg off our faces right now. 6 Titans 3-1-0 They don't win pretty a lot of the time, but Jeff Fisher and the Titans seem to find a way to get it done. 7 Seahawks 3-0-0 It's just another game, but we're betting it would give Mike Holmgren a little extra pleasure to beat the Packers. 8 Panthers 3-0-0 Has there been any bigger offseason acquisition than Stephen Davis? 9 Dolphins 2-1-0 With a rested Ricky Williams it shouldn't be too hard to figure out Miami's game plan against the Giants this weekend. 10 Giants 2-1-0 Giants are giving up the most yards per game (404.7) of any team in the NFL -- that has to change. 11 Redskins 3-1-0 Patrick Ramsey is going to be a good NFL QB for a long time. 12 Steelers 2-2-0 Steelers need to find a way to get Plaxico Burress the ball in the red zone. 13 Rams 2-2-0 Apparently it takes Marshall Faulk getting hurt for the Rams to go to the running game. 14 Bills 2-2-0 Two weeks ago they looked like a Super Bowl team, now they just look average. 15 Patriots 2-2-0 Brady won't use his sore elbow as an excuse, but something is clearly not right. 16 Eagles 1-2-0 A win next week at home against the Redskins and things will be happy again in Philly. 17 Packers 2-2-0 Hard to tell how good the Packers are after beating a pretty bad Bears team. 18 Ravens 2-2-0 This team can't be a playoff contender with a QB that has a 46.8 passer rating. 19 Raiders 2-2-0 Offense finally showed up Sunday, but where was the defense? 20 Cowboys 2-1-0 Bill Parcells might get more wins at the Meadowlands this season than the Jets. 21 49ers 1-3-0 We love Terrell Owens' ability and his competitiveness, but he went a little too far the other day. 22 Texans 2-2-0 Gutsy call by Dom Capers. Shows his young team that he believes they can get it done. 23 Falcons 1-3-0 With their season slipping away, the Falcons need to resist the temptation to bring Mike Vick back before he's ready. 24 Bengals 1-3-0 People might not know him because he plays in Cincinnati, but Chad Johnson is one of the best WRs in the NFL. 25 Browns 1-3-0 Tim Couch was solid, but the only thing the fans care about is wins and losses. 26 Saints 1-3-0 It might be time to bring back the bags in New Orleans. 27 Lions 1-3-0 Wonder if Mariucci is glad he left Terrell Owens and the headaches behind in San Francisco? 28 Cardinals 1-3-0 We're guessing the Cowboys will be geared up to stop Emmitt Smith after some of the comments he made. 29 Chargers 0-4-0 Don't tell Marty Schottenheimer about moral victories -- those don't count in the standings. 30 Jaguars 0-4-0 The future is Leftwich, but Jack Del Rio would probably like to win a game one of these weeks, too. 31 Jets 0-4-0 Jets have given up 696 yards rushing and gained only 209 yards on the ground. That's just terrible 32 Bears 0-4-0 At least they can say they're the only team in the NFL that plays in a spaceship.

I'm glad my Giants are at number 10, higher than they probably should be (and a jump up from number 13 last week, even though they didn't play this week).

From BBC News: Father jailed for 'honour killing' A Kurdish Muslim who cut his daughter's throat after learning she was having a relationship with a Christian has been jailed for life. The Old Bailey heard Abdalla Yones, 48, murdered 16-year-old Heshu at their home, in Acton, west London, on 12 October 2002 because he feared she was becoming westernised. He pleaded for the court to pass the death sentence on him for his "appalling" crime after he tried to take his own life. Heshu, who was described as popular and fun-loving, planned to run away from home after starting a relationship with an 18-year-old Lebanese teacher. In a letter to her parents, apparently showing she planned to run away, Heshu wrote: "Bye Dad, sorry I was so much trouble. Violence in the name of culture will not be tolerated Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt Click to watch police news conference "Me and you will probably never understand each other, but I'm sorry I wasn't what you wanted, but there's some things you can't change. "Hey, for an older man you have a good strong punch and kick. "I hope you enjoyed testing your strength on me, it was fun being on the receiving end. Well done." Yones was a political refugee who fled Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq 10 years ago. The court heard that after repeatedly stabbing his daughter and slitting her throat, he cut his own throat and jumped from a third floor balcony. Scotland Yard described it as a "brutal honour killing" - a reference to the practice of women being killed by male relatives to redeem the family name. Detective Inspector Brent Hyatt said: "There was nothing, nothing at all 'honourable' about her murder. "After hacking his daughter to death, Mr Yones has attempted every defence, from psychiatric, and diminished responsibility to extreme provocation, in order to save his own skin." He added that Yones first claimed al-Qaeda members had broken into the flat, murdered Heshu and then attacked him. He only admitted murdering her last Monday. Yones's counsel, Icah Peart QC, said his client wanted to be sentenced to death. Judge Neil Denison said Yones had tried to commit suicide twice but told him he would pass the only sentence he could for murder - life imprisonment. This is, on any view, a tragic story arising out of irreconcilable cultural differences between traditional Kurdish values and the values of western society Judge Neil Denison He added: "This is, on any view, a tragic story arising out of irreconcilable cultural differences between traditional Kurdish values and the values of western society." But Scotland Yard warned the sentence should be a warning to those who condone or stay silent about the mistreatment of women in their communities. Commander Andy Baker added: "Violence in the name of culture will not be tolerated. Murder in the name of honour will be punished by the severest penalties available in law." Scotland Yard believe there were 12 'honour killings' in the UK last year and said they were not restricted to Muslims, but also occurred in Sikh and Christian families. A specialist police unit is researching the practice but police say only a handful of people believed 'honour killings' were an appropriate cultural response. Mr Baker said people who had tried to shield Abdalla Yones from police could now be investigated on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. "We are completely satisfied that some members of the community, or his friends, tried to assist him in that cover-up," he said. "It's not about one person committing the murder, it's about the few that acknowledge it and support it and are involved in it."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=...id=478569&rfi=8 Pupil's expulsion appeal denied Bob Bauder, Times Staff 09/03/2003 BEAVER - A Beaver County judge has dismissed an appeal filed by the mother of a 13-year-old South Side Area School District pupil who was expelled earlier this year after admitting to having oral sex with another pupil on a school bus. The mother appealed the June 12 expulsion to county court. She alleged the district violated her daughter's constitutional rights and was not clear in its written policies that oral sex on a bus was unacceptable behavior. Judge George E. James disagreed, ruling that the expulsion was legal and was supported by substantial evidence. James upheld the disciplinary action and denied the appeal. School administrators suspended the girl and a seventh-grade male classmate, also 13, for 10 days on May 19 after several other pupils reported that the pair had oral sex that day on a bus while returning from a field trip to Independence Marsh in Independence Township. The Times is not identifying the children or their parents because of the nature of the case. Both children admitted to middle school Principal Thomas Ralston that they had consensual oral sex on the bus in front of other pupils. During an expulsion hearing June 2 before the school board, the girl said her behavior was the result of peer pressure. According to a transcript of the proceedings, the girl said that before leaving the marsh, she and another girl had discussed performing oral sex on the boy, and the other girl said they should do it. "She said because she thought it would be cool and she thought all of her friends would look up to us," the girl told the board. On the bus, the second girl tried to get a second boy to let her fondle him, the expelled girl said. Meanwhile, the girl who was expelled was sitting next to the first boy. She said several other boys sitting around them began egging them on, one calling them chicken and other names, and another saying he wanted to see some action. "Then I looked at (the boy) and said, 'Well, what are we supposed to do?' and he said we were going to lose our friends if we didn't," the girl said. Neither the bus driver nor two chaperones noticed what was going on. Administrators learned of the incident after several pupils told a guidance counselor, who reported it to Ralston. When confronted by Ralston, the girl and boy were remorseful and ashamed about what happened. Prior to the incident, neither child had been disciplined at school. Both were expelled until Oct. 29. They were offered admission to the school district's alternative-education program and can be reinstated to mainstream classes as long as they comply with the conditions of their expulsion. They also have to be examined by the school's student assistance team to determine whether they should be referred to the county's mental health agency for counseling. If they are referred, they must complete the counseling. They also are banned from all school functions during the expulsion. Phone calls placed Tuesday from The Times to the parents of both children; Kurt Winter, the attorney for the girl's mother; and Diane Z. Buchanan, an attorney for the school board, were not returned.

I think Mayer writes the shit he writes just to get laid. It says a lot when all of your fans are girls.

I usually don't like Dave, but I find this album to be decent, from what I've heard.

Why is it that amusing? Because it had pictures, and I was imagining all of those people fiddling with black boxes, wires, and duct tape. Ooooooh, you're talking about the picture post above. I thought you were laughing at people's pro-theft arguments. I'm sorry.

Why is it that amusing? A lot of the same people use the same arguments in music and movie piracy, and those generally aren't scoffed at.

I have no sympathy for any corporation that's so powerful they have enormous regional monopolies. Steal away. It's not hurting a soul.