vonSanta

A veteran is to me someone who has served during war. A battle hardened one is one who's sered at the frotn lines extensively. A hero is someone who has done something extraordinary, helping his mates and endangering his life while doing so. I.e taking extra risks to meet a set objective. If everyone who was in a war is by definition a war hero, the term would be a bit diluted. Of course I am speaking from a strictly semantic point of view and I have no military experience myself whatsoever. One could argue that whomever you think is a hero is jsut that, and I have no problems with that. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Is Aristide a very nice man? I bet Haiti will develop WMDs. They just need the oil to finance it Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

I found 'em to be rather normal and boring. And elitist. Wasn't too impressed. A 45 minute test is far from enough to evaluate a person's cognitive abilities, I think. YMMV Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

They're both not living in Denmark. Seriously, let's see. Bush is a Yeehaaw Cowboy American. They're sorta charming because they're so odd. Kerry is a war hero with enough sense to loathe war. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Around 95-110 is generally considered average. Beware of online IQ "tests" - theyy have a tendency to flatter the test-taker, so he/she will buy the "more extensive" evaluation. Santa, the 155+ d00d (or 149, or 133, or 145 depending on test, hah!). I don't fall for flattery. It says in the extensive evaluation that I have the brain power to see through such scams. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Graduated as a software developer in 2002 - absolutely no jobs to be had. For the first time In my life I had actually done something about my studies and my grades were great. Dinnae help - there were at least 70 applications for every job, and loads had been laid off, even though they had vast experience. Anyway, I get into a program for the unemployed. Internship/theory for 9 months (with only unemployment check as payment) and then if I've proven myself, I get a full time job. Lots of searching and interviews and elimination and I land a position at a great little 5 man internet company that does Content Management Systems. Highly professional dudes and contrary to some other internet companies, these guys have it together - the right technology, architecture, plans, customer base etc. The only drawback is the four hour commute every day. Two hours to get there, two hours to get home. The price for that alone eats about half of my unemployment benefits as it stands now. I'll get some back in taxes but that doesn't help me now. And moving isn't an option because I am forced to attend some "theory" classes through a company - that's part of the deal forced on me (and my employer) by the unemployment office. Right now I am unsure how much time I will have to spend here (taking classes rather than working) and before I know I cannot move. I know many Americans spend hours stuck in traffic and I distinctly recall thinking "poor suckers - 3 hours of just waiting with frustration without getting anything done". Now I'm in a similar situation and already after one day I am sick of it. Leaving my aparrtment 05:30am, on the bus 06:18, at job 08:00, on the way home (earliest) 4:30 pm, back in apartment around 6:30pm. Bringing a laptop won't help much since I need access to the company's servers, and they just bought a new stationary PC for me and really cannot afford a laptop/cellphone thingy. I'm a programmer so there's only so much I can do before I need to start coding (1st iteration analysis and design was done prior to me starting). All that wasted time is driving me crazy. Software development is the only profession I can imagine myself doing, I'm not bad at it and I want to show just that. But I am dead tired after getting up so early and spending 14 hours straight being away from home. I know you Yankees are more familiar with commuting, so any advice would be helpful. Should I borrow money from the bank and get that laptop/cell phone combo? Or lend even more money and get a small room in the other town? I'm really at a loss here. Employer is happy with me so far but if I could use the time better I'd be more sure of becoming one of the few newly hatched comp. sci. dudes who actually manage to get a job. Someone must have been in a similar situation (in whatever field). Any suggestions/help/advice will be greatly appreciated, as it may help me secure a job that's interesting with good future prospects and with great colleagues. Well. Am not gonna beg on my knees. Not yet, anyway Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Please. Too Easy. Everyone knows Denmark is the greatest country in the world. Lots of people are just in denial. I'll arrange furryner-trips to DK, so they can learn how awesome we are and how we're right all the time. Except when we're wrong, but if we are it's usually not about anything that matters. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Was this before or after we had your women and plundered your villages? Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Heh, we think the same of Americans. Our version of the USPA is for the skydivers first, dz's second. We got wingload restrictions in place and they're being enforced. To get certified, you need to have a minimum of 40 jumps, 20 pack jobs + 5 exam packs and have passed some exams (both skydive related and what is our equivalent of FAA rules). Then, you need to get cleared for relative work. You get your RW stamp through (usually) WARP (10 levels) or BBF (20 levels). Without this stamp, you're not allowed to jump with others, except instructors. And it goes on. And you tell me WE have a death wish? Perhaps next time you'd do a bit better if you did some research before blabbering on, making huge generalisations based on what takes place in one country alone. . Sorry Benny, but you're a Yankee. And we're enemies and all that, coz some Europeans dinnae support the Iraq wars. And us being enemies is also a generalisation, but it's good because it justifies me poking a stick at you Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Googling people's sig lines is kinda interesting - for example I googled Tonto's and found it to be part of the lyrics of the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Easily". Didn't bring me the story behind it though - and some sig lines even the Almightly Google cannot help me with. So, explain your sig lines and the story behind 'em. Mine is simple. It's just System Of A Down's "Aerials". And it's there because I like agressive music and I can, with just a little effort, apply it to skydiving Your turn. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Good list, and good advice. I gotta add that for a newbie (which I am), there's a pressure to get moving, coz it's costing the DZO money to have the plane running its engine. I still don my gear, alti and all, before I start running towards the plane. Usually such a rush is my own fault - either first jump after I arrive or because I've been slow packing and people are waiting (small DZ, sometimes we're just enough people to fill a Cessna). They know they can go without me and I'll still pay for my slot. Still, the urge to get on the plane is pretty strong and I am a bit nervous about say missing the chest strap on the ground, even though part of my pre-jump on plane routine is checking the chest strap routing. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

That's it, I'm now opposed to immigration! There are way too few eligible women here in the first place, I don't care about the jobs, you foreigners can have, but keep your paws off our women!! Doode, youu jiust khannot kompeet wiz our aaccentes! Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Alright. I connected that with: don't fall into the "working for a paycheck" mentality. Get your ass out there and find something you are interested in that you can turn into a profit making business. Then you will be the one calling the shots and making the decisions about what's best for your company. I.e "make big bucks and be a bigshot - the alternative is being unmotivated, sitting around on your arse waiting..." What I am saying is that the last part of your message had an obvious connection to the first part and I read an implicit association between success in business life with being a winner, and everything else being a loser. Any educated individual would see it as an overly simplistic, degrading and black and white way of looking at winners and losers, so I am glad you do not adhere to this kind of mentality and that it was me making too quick a judgement. Thanks for clarifying the matter for me. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

How do you define a loser? Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

So I don't exist, that what you're telling me? Bastard Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

I think what sets us apart is our level of freedom. We can worship how we wantSo can we., speak fairly freelyso can we, protest our own government so can we, act like a complete nincompoop if we want to so can we, vote so can we, enjoy the fruits of our labors so can we, things like that yah, same here. To truly know another culture, you must spend a couple of years and be fully intregrated into it. A quick stop and splash ain't enough. We'll favour what we know over what we only have a brief understanding of. Our criteria for selection will be different. But in, say, any northern European country, the basic freedoms Americans enjoy are present. There are minor differences, but by an large it's the same. There ain't "more" freedom in the US than in northern Europe if one sums up all the pluses and minuses. The original question is overly broad and impossible to quantify, I think. Your mileage may vary

Hahah, yeah man! Nudity is very bad, but violence is quite ok. It' something I haven't fully understood, but I gather the answer is in the settling of the US and the settlers themselves. The US is a study of extremes. On the surface, there is a strong puritan streak. Below it, Americans are just as kinky, if not more so, as your average northern European. Some Americans are prude, but the vast majority I've met haven't been. I wouldn't extrapolate the attempt at keeping TV and movies "clean" (as in no nudity, not as in no graphic violence) to the general attitude towards sex in the US. Heh, our biggest newspaper has titties on their front page now and then - sometimes it's even the big pic/story in there. No biggie. There are frequently "sexomentaries" on TV, showing weird kinks and fetishes. Boobs (and much more) are shown, but there's no huge outcry. More like a strange curiosity. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

The first one. Make it black (the big part) and yellow and you might be able to resell the canopy to me Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Some do. There are denominations where this isn't necessary and where God is an entity in which presence you want to be on your toes. I won't use the word cult since the definition of a cult is "any other religion/denomination than your own"

Aye. It's an often misused term "agnostic". Most use it as "I don't know whether there is a god/gods or not" and associate it with sorta being in between. It actually is an epistemological statement as well as a religious one. "I believe that the existence of god(s) cannot be proven. As such, one can be an agnostic theist or an agnostic atheist - it tells nothing about your personal beliefs or lack thereof, except that you do not believe that the existence of god cannot be proven. agnosticism: n 1: a religious orientation of doubt; a denial of ultimate knowledge of the existence of god; "agnosticism holds that you can neither prove nor disprove God's existence" 2: the disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge (syn: skepticism, scepticism) Would also like to comment that strong atheists only make up about 2% of the population (source: alt.atheism). The vast majority of atheists just lack a belief in say the Christian deity (or any other deity for that matter) - just like you probably lack a belief in Nirfur, God Of All Things Yellow And Furry. WrongWay, you'd be an agnostic theist, then. If you want to include your belief in a deity, you gotta add the "theist" bit . And I don't consider your beliefs odd - it's the most sensible approach IMHO, from which you get the benefits without a lot of disadvantages. Organised religion is too easy to turn into population control for my taste, but there are many who disagree and prefer set rules and a good life FAQ. The use of the term agnostic is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, so bear with me for seeming like a nitpicking tard. Normally I'm just the latter. Me, I'm gonna keep my beliefs (or possibly lack thereof) to myself

800k video Sorta scary . Ivan, apologies in advance if it's a repost. Meet ya on Tatooine - bring your light sabre This post courtesy of your friendly Sith Lord. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

I can't believe this is even an issue. Here, people would laugh a little about what was obviously a mistake, comment on Jackson's tits and that'd be the end of it. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Alright, will try. Just tried with my brother - I set up the program alright and got sound and microphone works, but when I called him I couldn't hear him and he couldn't hear me. The indicator showed that it was registering my voice. My number is 247002. Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Keep it as you have it. Stay away from men and women. Wait for me to arrive. Fall in love with me. I'll probably manage from there on. Seriously, I like the longer hair better - especially the jump hair. There's something inherently sexy in jump hair. Looks sorta like after-sex hair Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst

Heh, true. Sometimes I wonder what those Norwegians are up to when they select the nominees... Cannot remember why the Swedes let the Norwegians decide on the peace prize. Mebbe it's a form of "reparations" Santa Von GrossenArsch I only come in one flavour ohwaitthatcanbemisunderst