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Today’s movie quote…in British accent…
“A pathetic effort to hog the brownie!”
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Notting Hill?
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in which Hugh Grant plays himself (again)
Finally having jacket weather in FL…
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Recently I wondered why people post at wmb as if they expect to convince people who differ from them when this evidently never (or almost never) occurs. I quoted Einstein on doing the same thing over and getting the same results as being a sign of insanity.
(I post because I amuse myself and I am too easily amused. Also, on rare occasions someone shows evidence of being amused; intermittent reinforcement is the most powerful type of operant conditioning.
Also, I will stop pretty soon, for at least six months, because it’s a bad habit I will work on.)
Several sensible people responded with sensible answers. While I appreciate those responses, I am interested in the other people, who did not respond.
I also post here because I am a pest. I will pester everyone who argues with me this week about why they post at wmb.
Thus you need to choose. You can ignore me, which is hard to do. You can answer me. Or you can admit I am right so you don’t have to answer.
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Isn’t the alternative posting as if you don’t intend to convince someone else? Flabby posting? or arrogant?
And now, for a bit of intermittent reinforcement…5 cents. You amuse me. That’s one reason I come back.
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I post here because I enjoy interacting with other Christians on the topic of the day.
And because I believe the Bible to be true, I enjoy seeing it withstand challenges. I love reading about Jesus answering with grace and wisdom those who attacked him. WMB is a great place to practice such things. As iron sharpens iron …
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“Or you can admit I am right so you don’t have to answer.”
So, what is it we are supoose to admit? That we are crazy?
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“Or you can admit I am right so you don’t have to answer.”
Arguing from silence…beautiful.
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It’s not bad enough that it is Monday morning, but now the great RN is making us think about why we post! Sheesh, I’m beginning to wonder.
Let’s see . . . there are two reasons. One is that I actually like to hear other people’s thoughts on things. Left to myself I’d be way too opinionated. I’d become a self-righteous boor like Ann Coulter.
The other is like these friends of my daughter’s. She works in a restaurant and has Monday regulars. They know my daughter is a Trojan/Charger fan. They are Michigan/Packers fans. So whatever happens on the weekend–triumph or tragedy–they take it out on her.
When agnostics/atheists say loony things I can’t go after all of them, but I can come on here and let Random Name have it. Oh how I’ll miss him:)
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Good Monday everyone!
Well, it was another exciting weekend of college football. Here is the winner of the College Football Saturday contest:
Graceland wins!
He correctly guess the winner of all 5 games. A lot of people guessed incorrectly on the Boston College vs Florida State game, but he got it right.
So, Graceland, here is your hot off the campfire *digital* S’more
Enjoy!
Look for the next College Football Saturday contest this Friday morning. All you have to do is guess the winners of 5 games (not the scores). It’s easy to play and you know you can’t resist a nice, warm, gooey S’more!
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Learner wins! Notting Hill is correct!
(and my husband and I thought that would be a hard one…)
I hereby present you with your very own Emoti-Puppy!…
/’.’\
,(_),
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Don’t nobody talk about football!
Yahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
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I’ve been wanting a puppy! Yay! No vet fees and no midnight yard runs…
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We just watching NH for about the 6th time recently, and that phrase rings through my mind occasionally…love that scene.
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arrgh…we WERE just watching, it should say above
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Re: College Picks — I went back earlier and saw that Graceland had picked all 5 games (and the tie-breaker, which wasn’t exactly difficult!) correctly. I’m eagerly awaiting this Friday’s picks. Question: Was the Georgia-Florida game a pick for last week? I don’t remember it being there. I’m hoping (hint hint) that Georgia v. Auburn will be a pick ‘em game!
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RE: Football.
Can you say “embarrassing?”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20071105-9999-1s5chargers.html
>:-P
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Don’t nobody talk about football!
Egad, Chas — if SC loses to Florida this weekend, won’t that be 4 loses in a row? Is Spurrier’s job in jeopardy?
Having said that, I will be rooting (sort of) for SC to beat Florida. Actually, I don’t know what I will do. It’s hard to root for a Spurrier team. OTOH, it’s always good to see Florida lose. So I’m torn.
I will root for SC against Clemson for sure, though.
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I have said before, as much as I dislike the current administration, I would rather have victory in Iraq with all the crowing and self-congratulation that would accompany it than a defeat, despite all the harm it would do to the religious right, which I consider fairly wrong.
I also do believe we have dangerous enemies. I also believe that a “war on terror” like a “war on drugs” or a “war on crime” reflects poor thinking and a lack of intelligent goal setting.
The supporters of the Iraq war have been posting their “light at the end of the tunnel” messages for quite a while now.
Of late, perhaps casualties have gone down.
I am wondering if the little commotions involving the Kurds and the Turks and Iraq reflect the brilliant geo-political thinking and planning of the Bush Administration, as do the recent political reforms in Pakistan.
Perhaps wonders will never cease.
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TJ,
The Georgia/Florida game was not picked. I try to spread the picks out nationally, by picking an east coast, west coast, mid western, and southern game. Also, I pick games out of the BCS Top Ten standings.
We’ll see about including the Georgia/Auburn game
*****
On another matter, I saw a few minutes of a talk show on Fox News last night, and it was awful. All 4 of the people were talking/yelling at the same time. You couldn’t understand a thing any of them were saying. I don’t know the name of the program because I don’t watch 24-hour news channels and I don’t even know the topic, other than I heard Isiah Thomas’ name come up several times. Rev. Sharpton was one of the people.
My point is, these people that get on these talk shows have lost all sense of decency and civility. Whether it’s “O’Reilly” the “McLaughlin Group” or “Hannity & Colmes” (Colmes is a wuss, by the way), they’re all ego driven. All I see is a bunch of guys (and increasingly, women) who let their personal pride and anger get in the way of calm, rational discussion of an issue. They get angry too easily and quickly, they’re uncivil to each other, and they use pejorative language constantly. A pox on all of them!
That’s why I stick to shows like “Tavis Smiley” and “Charlie Rose”.
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Anlir, are you sure you weren’t watching The View?
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By the way, surely we’re going to see a blog on here about the turn of events in Pakistan? The country is on the verge of exploding. Emergency Rule (Martial Law) has been declared. The Constitution has been suspended. The Supreme Court justices are under house arrest. All of the TV stations and radio stations have been shut down (except for the government run one).
The Bush administrations response: We aren’t going to really do anything about it because Pakistan is too important of an ally. We’re with Musharraf no matter how brutal of a dictator he is or becomes.
As usual, the United States is backing the wrong player. When the country explodes, Musharraf is deposed, and radical Muslims are in control, we will of course pay the price.
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“We’re with Musharraf no matter how brutal of a dictator he is or becomes.”
Actually we’ve been ‘reviewing’ their aid package, and telling him to hold the elections.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2205389,00.html
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Also, I pick games out of the BCS Top Ten standings.
Well, Anlir, if your only standard is such a dishonest “non-standard”, then I have no desire to participate in such contests…
Just kidding, of course. I did not realize that is what you were doing, and it is a fair way of picking the five games. Since neither school was in the BCS Top Ten at the time, that is understandable. Of course, now that UGA is the #10 team, they do merit your consideration…
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Adios – LOL
I watch The View only every now & then, & it bugs me when they all talk at once. Was it especially bad when Rosie was on, or is that just my imagination?
Random Name – I comment on this blog cuz I like to. Isn’t that a good enough reason?
Actually, I think it satisfies that part of me that wants to talk back to some of the writers in the Letters section of magazines.
And I like the little community we have here.
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Adios,
I am proud to say I have never seen “The View”. I usually avoid network TV and I avoid the 24-hour news channels. I think both represent a health hazard as dangerous as smoking
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Random Name: You actually don’t know why we (Christians) post?
We post simply in order to keep people like you occupied with responding to OUR posts. That way you are UTTERLY neutralized in the cultural battle, you see. So instead of being out in the real world doing usefully agnostic things, like digging up missing links in the fossil record or volunteering in People for the American Way bake sales or writing laborious and profound treatises on why things like truth and beauty and honor are essentially exhalations of swamp gas, you spend all your time on this blog agonizing over the improbability of someone actually believing in a Prime Mover (i.e. us) as opposed to the equally improbable (but currently more favored by all the smarmy set) belief (i.e. you) that Shakespeare and Homer came from primeval slime and Helen of Troy evolved from a sort of frog-thing which had become discontented with its lot sometime in the pre-Cambrian period and decided to do something about it and make something of itself, dang it.
In other words, we are a sort of fifth column in your life. And quite effective, too, I think. This is why we are really worried about this six month hiatus you are threatening us with.
This is also why we are trying to infiltrate your local feed and garden supply store with some deep undercover agents, including Ed, the big slow-moving tobacco-chewing guy who operates the forklift (notice how he is ALWAYS willing to chat, no matter HOW busy things are? Ever wonder about THAT?) Anyway, knowing you, we are pretty sure that we can distract you into some harmless and time-consuming conversations on the improbability factors associated with Creation and Existence issues. And keep you neutralized.
It is all part of the Plan, you see.
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TJ,
Spurrier could get an extension of his contract today if he wanted it.
You have to realize that Lou Holtz started moving SC to a new level. He even won some bowl games (against Ohio State, even). But Spurrier came in and changed the emphasis to the SEC. (In prior years, if SC beat Clemson, it was a good season. But Spurrier came in saying he would rather beat Georgia or Auburn than Clemson.) It’s a tough league.
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Who is this that’s talking about football?
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Well thanks a lot, drill. Now we’re exposed again . . .
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Anlir, you mean Pakistan, the democratic ally where our favorite new dictator, having read his Shakespeare is first killing all the lawyers and judges?
Next thing you know all our R buddies will be complaining about an “activist judiciary” over there.
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#28: Chas, it’s a VERY tough league. The emergence of UK and SC has very much helped improve the SEC East (even though it doesn’t look like that a team not name either Tennessee, Georgia, or Florida will win the division yet again this year), and even Vandy isn’t a pushover anymore (btw, has anybody noticed that Vandy’s mascot looks a LOT like Bobby Johnson, their head coach?). I mean, Vandy actually has a winning record and is only 1 win away from being “bowl eligible” (though I doubt they’ll win another game: they have to play UK, Tenn, and Wake Forest, but at least they have a shot). SC fans are pretty loyal (a lot more loyal than Clemson fans, for instance). I just didn’t know how a 5 or 6 loss season would sit with the Rooster Faithful.
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Best. Post. Ever.
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Testing. Can I post now?
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#33: ???
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I don’t think Spurrier will be staying at South Carolina much longer. I could be wrong, but I think the level he wants to play at is a few steps higher than South Carolina can offer long term. Don’t get me wrong – he’s had good success at SC, and he’s taken them to a level that Lou Holtz couldn’t. I just don’t know that SC will ever have the football resources or become a top echelon team in the SEC on a consistent basis.
But you know who has struggled? Arkansas. Ever since they joined the SEC they’ve had difficulties. I think they had a better football program when they belonged to the Southwest Conference. At least I think it was called the Southwest Conference.
In the Southeastern Conference, you’ve got kind of a “class” system:
A’s – that would be teams like Florida, Georgia, LSU that are the top tier teams year after year. They get the top recruits year in and year out.
B’s – that would be teams like Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn. They used to be in the “A” group, but have struggled in recent years. They still get some top recruits based on their history, but not the cream of the crop.
C’s – that would be teams like South Carolina and Arkansas. They can have a good year, but they haven’t been consistently good. They’ll get a few good recruits, mostly ones that didn’t make the cut in the top SEC schools.
D’s – that would be teams like Vandy, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. Every once in awhile they have a breakout season or game, but on the whole they bring up the rear of the league. Occasionally they’ll get a great recruit that the other SEC schools missed or passed on.
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I thought surely the quote was something PeterL said.
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Good one, Paula!
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Jacket weather in Florida, huh?
I can´t believe it, and me, camped out on the equator! I hope the cold is waiting for me when I get home!
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Paula #36- Actually, it would be something one of you false accusers would say about me.
Drill- I believe what you have done is a betrayal of WMB land. Our B.D. should reprimand you in some appropriate way for giving away “national” secrets.
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Drill: LOL!
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EYG,
Are you currently in Columbia? If I might ask, doing what?
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I guess I can sort of post comments today. It takes a very long time for them to appear.
I’m going to say, “Good one, Random!” in advance, so given the time warp involved here, maybe it will appear right after he makes a good pun.
Good one, Random!
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Random,
I don’t post so much to change people’s minds, but rather: I just like being right all the time.
…and as you say I amuse myself, and then there’s something about expressing one’s self, kind of like a journal, but with an audience… and having random conversations with invisible people… the reasons are many.
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should have put a smiley after my first sentence in the last post…
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Anlir,
She is stockpiling a freezer full of coffee.
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TJ [35]: My apologies, I was responding to Drill’s little explanation. Since I typically open all the stories I’m interested in at once and then go back and read through them, extra posts sometimes pop in between what I see and my response. I should have refreshed before posting.
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#27
Exchanges between drill and myself are sort of like a slow-motion kung fu movie. drill spins around and unleashes a powerful kick.
I pick myself up and respond:
In two months, I am out of here. You will be the designated jester, with the responsibility of keeping all the satire junkies in fixes.
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#47: Thanks, Stephen, for the clarification. I figured it was Drill, but just wanted to be sure.
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Since Worldmag has decided to ignore the biggest story in a long time (Pakistan), here is some more info:
Musharraf has ordered the plug pulled on all of the TV stations in Pakistan except the government run one (PTV). He’s ordered all of the satellite channels blocked, and he’s suspended the sale of satellite dishes. He’s also ordered the rounding up of journalists who’ve been critical of him.
Are we happy that billions of our tax dollars has gone to another dictator? Well, he’s our dictator – that’s what matters.
Meanwhile, the Bush administration wrings it’s hands and dithers about whether to tell Musharrif he’s being a “bad boy”.
Mark my words: the situation in Pakistan is not going to end well for the people of Pakistan or the United States government.
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Well, After the left claimed that the right had governed over a ‘do nothing congress’ and promising that if we Americans elected them, they would get something done – only to spend the first year in office doing even less than the Republicans and not being able to pass any appropriations bills. After the left lined up against the war in Iraq and promised that, if they were elected, they would pull out of that fight – they then passed two funding bills to continue the war when only they could stop it by pulling the plug in funding. The left also promised us that if we elected them, for every dollar in new spending they authorized, they would cut a dollar in old spending so that they wouldn’t add to the deficit – only to find out that for every old dollar cut in spending to date the left authorized $148 in new spending.
Now, sadly, I have more bad news.
In the current appropriations bills, not yet passed, there are over 1,200 earmarks in them for a total of $11 Billion in wasteful spending. In the defence spending bill alone there are 730 earmarks for $5 billion! Please remind me, wasn’t it the left again that said the Republican congress was corrupt and that if we elected them they would end this earmark practice and corrupt scandal? it gets worse.
Not only were we lied to again, again, again and again, 85% the earmarks were only inserted into these spending bills after the company, individual or organization that benefited from this spending gave money to the campaign fund of the elected official that inserted it into the bill. Talk about corruption.
I am trying to figure out what is worse and maybe you can help me. Is it worse for a political party to not do what they were supposed to, get the American people mad enough at them to vote them out of office and power or, is it worse for the other party to run on a platform, promising to fix each and every one of these problems on their watch – only to be lied to and have even worst governing going on?
I’m really sick of it and I am going to vote against every incumbent that is running and I really don’t care who wins. I do know only we can fix this vile and disposable practice and that it is the incumbents that we re-elect 95% of the time, that are the root cause of this evil. One party thinks we will remain ignorant and even when we prove them wrong an vote enough of them out so they lose power, the other party lies right to our faces, knowing that we have had enough, and perform even worse. It’s like they could care less about us one way or the other.
So it is time to toss each and every one of them out of office out once and for all. Maybe they will get it this time.
We only have ourselves to blame for voting these same crooks back into office time and time again.
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I can’t wait to watch Llama have a coronary when the Democrats increase their majorities in the House and Senate on 2008
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Random,
I post when I can (just finished a major proposal to the Feds to keep the wolf away from the door), but its usually to share pieces of information that might make a difference in a discussion. I also like the good-natured satire and repartee.
And (sinister chuckle), there might be one time when I post something that is read by someone the Holy Spirit has got by the scruff of the neck and whose state of rebellion is on the brink of collapse. Ohhh! The joy of that thought. To be in on the capture of a soul for Christ–not that my comment is causal, just that I was there to assist in winning one for the Kingdom.
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Lynn,
I think the emoti-puppy needs a trip to the doggy chiropractor
11. by Chas 11.05.07 at 10:49 am
Don’t nobody talk about football!
OK
I won’t…But 315 yards rushing, and a TD pas?..Wow!
D-Mac maybe be trying to nose his way back in to the Heisman race.
“But you know who has struggled? Arkansas. Ever since they joined the SEC they’ve had difficulties. I think they had a better football program when they belonged to the Southwest Conference. At least I think it was called the Southwest Conference.
In the Southeastern Conference, you’ve got kind of a “class” system”
Okay, you bring up a good point, but I can’t let it go at that.
SC and Arkansas have one thing in common. We bailed from different conferences, and joined the SEC the same year.
But what you have to understand about the Hogs is that we came from a conference with 8 Texas teams + Arkansas, to a conference where we were the far-west outsiders again. We have never felt like part of a conference family. In a way, I almost wish we would make a move to the big twelve, and start over, playing some of our former SWC rivals.
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Hi Anlir,
Yes. Yes, I am.
My husband and I are visiting my parents and making sure he gets some serious down time and rest.
We´re having a great time. Tomorrow we´re going to a volcano to swim in the hot mud bath for about half an hour, get scrubbed, dried and sent home.
We´re also watching the Miss Colombia competitions that are in town. The coronation is on Monday. Over here, it´s a big deal.
I ran out of the only coffee I´ll make at home, and so I came to stock up, and I´m having alterations done on a lot of clothes.
It´s great fun, and I can´t stray too far from this, one of my home towns (Cartagena).
Hubby is out on the balcony, overlooking the sea, loving life and having a cigar. Have friends holding down the fort for us at home.
Thanks for asking.
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Peter L.
You know we love you. Paula´s was just a funny reference for that quote.
Solamente un chiste. Yo se que eres honesto!
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¡Es fantastico usar un ´keyboard´que tenga los caracters Españoles!!
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Testing…
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Nope… you guys are lucky my comments still don’t appear in real time.
I emailed Lynn at several different addresses, but no reply. sigh.
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Mr. Meaner,
I’d love to have Arkansas in the Big 12. We’d gladly drop Baylor; a bad football program and an even worse science department (ID)!
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Random Name,
Even though I replied previously regarding my reasons for posting here, I’ll add to it.
In the thread about women in combat – where the discussion veered toward a general discussion of men’s and women’s abilities – some of my statements were questioned by other people. My statements were broad generalizations that I understood to be true, and had not really given a lot of thought to. Even if my statements are true (and there’s no simple way to find out if they are or not), it’s good for me to realize that they are not as obviously true as they appear to me, and to consider what is my basis for thinking they are true. And of course it’s possible that they are wrong, even as generalizations. Not to mention that I need to be careful about generalizations, which may not contribute usefully to a discussion.
So part of my reason for coming here is to learn from others.
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It now seems that I am two hours behind the WMB clock. Did the server stay on daylight time?
EYG- Yo sé que la nota de Paula fue un chiste. Mi respuesta fue un chiste también. Tengo un buen sentido de humor. Y si no me crees, ¡pregúntales a mis estudiantes!
En serio, ¿pudieras compartir tu café con nosotros? Me encanta el café colombiano casi tanto como el café puertorriqueño.
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if Peter L has a sense of humor it is probably because he took some extra from the plate even though his mom told him two was the maximum allowed. Even if he says it in Spanish..
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Peter L,
Haz me un favor…
Mandame un e-mail atravez de mi blog. Se puede hacer eso usando los commentos. Yo los modero, y puedo leerlos sin publicarlos.
En tu commento, mandame tu dirrecion de case, porque quiero mandarte un pocito de cafe, de verdad. Lo haria con mucho gusto.
En referencia de su sentido du humor: me parece excelente. Pero, siendo sesitiva como Dios me hizo, yo quieria esatr segura.
Hoy, en al nuevo Whirled Views compartare cafe virtual.
Buena idea.
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* dirrecion de casa. (no case)
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#53 Dr. Dave
Good answer. Thank you.
#59 Pauline
You certainly qualify as a “low agnostic.” Low agnosticism is not incompatible with Christianity, but does require common sense and paying attention to facts and logic and paying attention to what’s in front of us.
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