Pain_Man

That's bizarre since cats are considered, in almost every jurisdiction, to be be wild animals. Therefore, unlike dogs, owners can't normally be held responsible for things their cats do.

Dude is worth 3.5 billion or 3500 Million dollars. I ain't gonna play sad harmonica for his ass. And he can cry all the way to the bank over piracy. But if his DVD's weren't stolen by he'd really make a lot of .

I've tried to educate the missus in our slang and it sounds so weird to hear an America pronounce words that we use on a daily basis. It sounds equally odd to hear American slang with a British accent. On the other hand why is that Brits (Aussies and New Zealanders) can so easily master American accents while most Americans, even actors, can't master British accents? Brad Pitt lost a role in a Guy Ritchie (Mr. Madonna) flick because he couldn't pull off the accent. I realize there are something like 50 different dialects or accents in England alone and that may have something to do with it. I once surprised the hell out of a British kid when I was about 13 by guessing that he was from the East End of London. I have an ear for accents, languages, etc. I can do a pretty passable generic Brit accent but I don't kid myself that I'd fool an actual Briton more than about ten seconds. I had have to live over there for a good six months or so before I could "pass". I know too little about your culture. And our cultures have diverged a great deal in the 400 years English people have been on this side of the Pond.

I wouldn't call it animus. After all, I wouldn't, say, call for the man's execution, or anything like that. My "problem" with him would be, I suppose, similar to my problem with many in his position: not the man, per se, but those who adulate him and put him up on a pedestal that is far, far too high. Thus, unnecessary. For instance, is it too much to ask for people to not be stupid enough to require a ball player to pop up on the screen and try to instill order amongst the populace? Again, the idea that it seems necessary to almost deify people in order to get others to just behave. This certain isn't animus. The previous post sounded like you didn't like him. Not that this is a big deal. He ain't my cousin. And there are plenty of celebrites I detest (George Clooney, Susan Saradon, Michael Moore, Barbara Streisand, to name a few...) I was just curious. Jordan certainly had a dramatic effect on shoe sales but I doubt anyone went, "Ball Park franks! Fuck! We have to have them NOW!!!!" Of course, I could be wrong. If you were to say this My "problem" with him would be, I suppose, similar to my problem with many in his position: not the man, per se, but those who adulate him and put him up on a pedestal that is far, far too high. about Elvis, then I'd agree. Elvis had been virtually deified. I don't get that shit at all. And I seriously doubt Elvis would either.

tried to mount a door knocker myself some years ago but she'd have none of it,some kind of religious pitch ,we were just NOT on the same wavelength Christ, pony, except when naked and horizontal are we ever on the same wave length?? Their brains are physically wired differently than ours. It's not just hormones. The hardware is fundamentally different.

Mrs Shamus now wants to re-do the kitchen. Dunno what the fcuk for. She never spends anytime it in. It's like having a surgeon attach a third testicle. You'd never use the bloody thing. What is with the women of our generation? My wife can't cook unless it involves the microwave, boiling water or ordering take out. Macaroni and Cheese is the height of her culinary skills. My first wife was no better. Couldn't have cooked with a gun to her head. She can bake a killer chocolate chip cookie but cook a steak? Some chops? Nope. I have to get off my lazy ass and do it. She did get me a $100 pan to make me feel better. I'm in southern Nevada, 20 miles SE of the Vegas strip. Where are you, Siberia? Mine was an oasis. Mrs Shamus now wants to re-do the kitchen. Dunno what the fcuk for. She never spends anytime it in. It's like having a surgeon attach a third testicle. You'd never use the bloody thing. <shakes head in a non-understanding women way> LOL!! It's one of them things that gotta be done. You'll be able to make it an experience. For example, you could sit your date on the seat and yell "By the power of Greyskull" and really live in the moment. Seems fine here. GMT -8 hours? You must be in the US or Canada. GMT +10 here.

Holy shit! Your avatar is actually spinning. I've never seen it do that, on laptop or desktop. Coolness.

Minter just told me that the original Star Wars triology, set to be released in the US late this year, will be the Laserdisc versions released more than 20 years ago. I found the following letter dated, I'm guessing, today or very recently: http://www.originaltrilogy.com/Lucasfilm_PR_response.cfm I wanted you to know how much we appreciate the passion and enthusiasm you have for Star Wars, and thank you for sharing your concerns about our upcoming DVD release. The DVDs being released in September will contain two versions of Star Wars: Episodes IV, V and VI ? the Special Editions (which represent George?s vision of the movies) and the first versions, which will be included as bonus material. We hoped that releasing those ?original? movies on a bonus disc would be a way to have some additional fun with the debut of the movies as individual DVDs. We certainly did not want it to become a source of concern or frustration for any of our fans. As you may know, an enormous amount of effort was put into digitally restoring the negatives for the Special Editions. In one scene alone, nearly 1 million pieces of dirt had to be removed, and the Special Editions were created through a frame-by-frame digital restoration. The negatives of the movies were permanently altered for the creation of the Special Editions, and existing prints of the first versions are in poor condition. So many fans have requested the original movies, we wanted to find a way to bring them to you. But since these movies do not represent George's artistic vision, we could not put the extraordinary time and resources into this project as we did with the Special Editions. The 1993 Laserdisc masters represented the best source for providing the original versions as DVD bonus material. Although these are non-anamorphic versions, they do preserve the original widescreen composition of the movies. We want you to be aware that we have no plans ? now or in the future ? to restore the earlier versions. We hope you will understand our decision and, again, want to let you know how much we appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. Sincerely, Lynne Hale publicity@lucasfilm.com Y'all know me, so I have to comment. I think this is bullshit. I think this is Lucas's way of saying "Fuck you" to we fans who want the original versions as well as his "final" versions. I don't believe for a second they had to "remove 1 million pieces of dirt" from the entire triology, let alone one small part. Like The Beatles master tapes, the Star Wars masters were undoubtedly treated like the fucking Mona Lisa and kept in a climate controlled vault. Why hell wouldn't they be? They are the MOST VALUABLE FILMS EVER MADE! Anyone REALLY believe that they'd just be thrown into a box in the back of George's closet with his old bong from college? For a long time I've detected, beneath Lucas' placid facade, a gigantic ego (not that I have anything against giant egos per se, having one myself). An ego that doesn't like to be crossed. An ego that's become vastl y over inflated. Got two words for ya Georgie: The Hindenburg! But Lucas is pissed that people actually want to see the movie's that made him a billionaire. HOW DARE US! So this is his way of saying: "Kiss my ass. You can the originals, but I'm going to piss in the punch bowl first." Not anamorphic isn't the point. Not every dvd uses anamorphic ratios. It's that the Laserdics HAD to be formatted for SD, 4:3 TVs--the only kind that existed when the laserdiscs were created! How much crap does George think we're going to swallow? In high school we jokingly referred to him as "God." He's turning out more like a cranky Leprechaun. It's his goddamn pot of gold and everyone: hands off!

vol--I'm afraid ya lost me. Brit suds are quite popular over here though we do like 'em colder than y'all. (I do know it's a myth that Brits like to drink their beer warm.) I used to love Guiness (sadly my medication severely limits my intake of Liffey water). As for lagers, imo, the world's best is a NZ beer, Steinlager. As for major American beers: fizzy water. :& in the American sense or the Brit Lager lout sense

Excepting my bad self, ain't nobody more not redneck than minty.

Amigo, I am half redneck myself. My mother's from Texas. My great-grandfather came to Texas from Mississippi in a covered wagon in 1880. I have relatives from all the Deep South states (except Louisiana, which really ain't the Deep South). And my great-great grandfather and six of his brothers fought for the South in the Civil War. (Another great-great uncle--from Georgia--fought for the Union.) I can also do a flawless Texas accent. My other Southern accents are pretty good as well. All I need to complete the picture is a lobotomy and a Confederate tatoo on my shoulder. Seriously, I really only have two problems with (some of) my redneck relatives: some of them are racists (they're genuinely unaware that African-Americans have any other appellation than one that starts with "n") and chewing tobacco. I have so many first, second and third cousins in Texas they can't be counted*. (I even tried to, how do my British cousins put it?, shag one of my third cousins 15 years ago; unfortunately her mother was too vigilant and, uniquely, managed to defeat me. In my defense, I didn't have enough time. If they'd been in town longer I'd have accomplished my goal. Ironically, the mother was just in town for my grandmother's--her aunt's--80th birthday. And the object of my then ulterior intentions has gained a hundred pounds ) *That also counts for Massachusettes where my Dad's from. He's got 54 first cousins.) She's just a plain good looking country gal who can out cuss, out chew, out shoot, out drink and out ride me, in fact you'd probably call here a redneck seeing as you are a confirmed West coaster......

DUDE! What's up with the animus toward MJ? Despite a gambling addiction, the man's managed to hang on to his vast fortune and his marriage. He also runs his own division at Nike. The Ball Park endoresement was going a little far, but he's lowered his profile significantly the last few years. By all accounts he's a genuinely nice guy. At one place my first wife worked, she talked to him several times. He was very polite and courteous everytime.

Well, not so much as the, ah, deposits-- Nah, can't finish it. Suffice it to say that this room is the only spot of testosterone in a house dominated by estrogen. Mine room is a veritable oasis of batchlerdom. I already downloaded the picture. I'm gonna find one of these somehow, or something close to it. Maybe give one to my old man too. My wife works for architects. Somebody's gotta know a woodcarver. A coat of lacquer and the Crapper has a killer Wrapper. What is with the site this morning (I realize it's what, 3PM in my Motherland? I'm 8 hours behind GMT so, yeah that makes it 3:10)? The last couple of hours it's taken me a dozen or more times to get posts up. Cross-Pond static? Or are the Cybernarcs after us again?

Oh yeah, and you were making US$290M a year. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2005/53/PNOV.html

I'm the Typo Kign anf noone id goon to taje thas awau frum mi!

Holy shit. Not only did the green dots appear, but the pink ones started flashing, then halo-ing the greenies, then both of them started rotating. And I'm (almost) completely, ah, unaltered. That's wild.

Now that's cool. My sanctum sanctorum is definitely in need of one of these. This is custom made I'll bet. Probably no chance of being to pick one up my Throne Room. One of my wife's uncles is a wood carver...hell he might just have the sense of humor to make me one of those. Mrs. Pain Man probably won't like it, but she steers cleer of the Sanctum's Throne Room anyway.

and the body was still warm?

One of my brothers-in-law (I have three) spends a lot of time in various correctional facilities. After being out of prison only 13 days he came here and got himself thrown into our County Jail for directing an undercover cop to a crack dealer. He just can't understand that this is illegal. Other than a couple of fights, his biggest problem is that his "cellie" is a child molester with flatulence. Not exactly the Tower of London in Henry VIII's day.

They don't send them prison. They send them to freakin' country clubs. The worst thing that happens to them is, egads, they have to scrub a crapper. ON MY GOD! The HORROR! We call these prisons for politicians and thieves in suits "Club Feds." Some of them have golf courses (!) It's a goddamn joke. If they started throwing them into Leavenworth or Terre Haute Federal Pens it might be a deterrent. But no. They let them keep most of the money they've stolen or taken as bribes. They send them to Club Fed for three or four years at most. Then they let them out to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. In Vegas (I don't actually live in Vegas, but in a town 20 miles SE of the Strip) one of the city councilwomen, I should say former city councilwomen, has admitted to taking more than $300,000 in bribes. She turned rat and she'll do at most about 44 months in prison. But that ain't the best part. She only has to give back $50,000 of the bribes she took! It makes me :&. That's why I tell my daughter if she wants to steal, she has to become a politician. Mmm volvo has been to that kind of prison before

Sorry, Ken, but you're an honorable man. We don't allow honest, honorable folks into Congress. Occasionally, one'll slip into the White House, but Congress? One of our most decorated Vietnam fighter pilots, Randy "Duke" Cunningham (and formerly my congressman and an acquaintance of my old man's) is going to prison for taking $2.4M in bribes from a developer. He's turned rat to shave time off his stay @Club Fed. If a man like "Duke" can fall from grace, then there ain't much hope for any of them. LBJ, the man who turned Vietnam from a fuck up to a national disaster, went to Washington as a Congressman in 1937 without a dollar in his pocket. When he left in 1970 he at $42M (probably $250M in today's money at least). I always thought my old man was bullshitting me. But when I was eloping with the first wife yrs back, I saw it. It's right on I-20 near Dallas. Oh, and he also has an Interstate offramp that goes to the front door of his house (where his widow still lives). When he was Majority Leader of the Senate (semi-equivalent to the Speaker of the House) in the 50s, if you had a bill you wanted passed, just to get it considered cost you $50,000. To get it passed? Start multiplying.

This one's so over the top even I can't think of anything say except shame for my country. Judge: Man Too Short For Prison SIDNEY, Neb. - A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead. ADVERTISEMENT His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be especially imperiled by prison dangers. "You are a sex offender, and you did it to a child," she said. But, she said, "That doesn't make you a hunter. You do not fit in that category." Thompson will be electronically monitored the first four months of his probation, and he was told to never be alone with someone under age 18 or date or live with a woman whose children were under 18. Cecava also ordered Thompson to get rid of his pornography. He faces 30 days of jail each year of his probation unless he follows its conditions closely. "I want control of you until I know you have integrated change into your life," the judge told Thompson. "I truly hope that my bet on you being OK out in society is not misplaced."

By "optimum" do mean fatest? Because I've noticed that errors increase the faster the read speed and decrease when set to slower. I think this is why DIP only scans at 8x. Of course, I could be wrong...

<Pain Man RANT ALERT! Pain Man RANT ALERT!> You're being far too polite. The music today not only can't hold a candle to the Beatles, Zep, Yes, Tull, Floyd, Rush, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, ELP, et al, IT COMPETELY SUCKS ASS. (Sorry Shamus, but I never did get the Kiss thing; much prefer Gene Simmons as an actor.) It's just absolutely terrible. It's assembly-line, rock-by-numbers garbage. There hasn't been a decent complete album since Rush's Presto in '89. The reason music sales have fallen 10 out of the last 12 years is because a.) there are only THREE record companies in the world (Sony BMG, Universal-Vivdendi & Time-Warner) and b.) the music COMPLETELY SUCKS ASS. I cringe when I hear the trash that's praised today and want to vomit when I hear these twerps called "artists." Even rap, by which I no means a big fan of, in the old days had NWA who actually had something to say and Dr. Dre's first album was absolutely hilarious (esp after a serious and sesh. God, this shit today almost makes me long for the likes of MC Hammer. At least he was straight up about what he was ripping off.

the odd thing is: Brit "hooligans" (we just call 'em assholes in the US) riot during matches/games. American fans riot after the games and usually after their team has won. (!) My aunt and grandfather went to Chicago for the NLCS and Detroit for the World Series when the Padres made their first trip to post-season play in '84. Both times they were heckled to the point of assault. In Detroit, after the Padres lost the WS, the Tigers' fans were so out of control, they tried to overturn the bus my aunt and grandfather were on. It took cops in riot gear to fight them off and get the San Diego fans safely back to their hotels. Unfortunately, it's only gotten worse. In college sports, and at some of the most prestigious universities in the country, post-game riots are becoming increasingly common. So some of these spoiled, rich little bastards are finding themselves being traded for cigarettes instead of heading to grad school.