roadtonowhere08

Har har!

Ah, when you get the time. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

Paging Dusty, paging Dusty: New Riverside is awesome! New(ish) Antimatter is also great! Still have not yet tried SW album...

Hard to argue with any of this advice... especially the boobies part!

Harking back to Dusty's talk of Antimatter, they released a new album this past November: Fear of a Unique Identity Checking it out ASAP!

Happy birthday

I'm on it...

Happy Birthday you two!

Happy Birthday! Your posts in the slower forum thread have provided countless laughs and . Thank you.

That is also true.

He was polite though; I'll give him that.

Feast your eyes on this: http://usa.hermes.com/ My wife brought this to my attention from one of her acquaintances. We had a good laugh. http://usa.hermes.com/house/baby-gifts/for-dining/configurable-product-102368m-34590.html?generic_color_1=LIGHTPINK <---- What in the holy FUCK?!

Happy birthday, guys!

Happy Belated Birthday!

I will always buy the standard Blu-Ray Steven Wilson albums for the hi-rez and look "elsewhere" for the extras (if not included in the Blu-Ray). I could never justify the extra money since I am not really into the exclusivity or the book or whatever - I just want the best sounding version of the album and be done with it. Having said that, buying a bunch of the deluxe issues is a sure fire way to make money after the fact. Holy crap!

Radio Edit single track off Riverside's new album: https://soundcloud.com/riversidepl/riverside-celebrity-touch Granted, it is a radio edit, but I have one word for it: BORING. I am sick of modern prog metal/rock bands trying to turn back the clock and go back to the 70's. If I want to hear that, I'll go listen to that. Shit Riverside, don't go Opeth on me! Very much looking forward to the SW album though. Should be killer.

Thanks for the well wishes. A good one was had

I would say that this issue is outside of the private insurance realm. To tackle this within their business model would surely either drive up premiums immensely or bankrupt them if constraints are placed on them by the Feds. No, I think this is something that the Feds need to do for it to work. This is more of a moral issue to me. I step back and think where I would like my tax money to go the most, and I value mental health and treatment as much as I do the military and its purpose, which is one of the Feds' core objectives. Others might have different priorities, so I doubt there will be consensus on my idea (or even a majority of people who agree with me). Hell, this conflicts with my overall stance on government roles, but I cannot think of a better way at this time. I have those same questions and concerns. It is a very difficult subject, because there is so much subjectivity throughout. I do not have a concrete answer or proposed solution that would work for all.

jvlgato: Yes, teachers definitely are. We are mandated reporters. To not do so is against the law and we'd get punished (and rightly so). The protect the children argument is very noble aim, but no matter how you slice it, short of turning schools into prisons with armed guards and full body checks, keeping them completely safe is not going to happen. Just look at the very layout of most campuses; any fool can pretty much walk into (or climb into) campus and go nuts. People are just going to have to understand that with freedom comes risk, and that anyone who wants to do harm WILL do harm. As far as legislation to minimize harm is concerned, all one can do is try to legislate in an evenhanded manner that will try to reduce the amount of damage one can do before: a) someone tackles the bastard while he reloads or b)he runs out of bullets. That's all that can really be done. And the only way to do that is to limit the magazine size and the speed that one can shoot (automatics). I am not up on my gun control legislation, and it varies by state, so I am not sure how far laws go to that extent. Personally, and I am a very big states rights advocate, I think the farthest the legislative branch can reasonably go is to have a federal ban on any gun that has a magazine size larger than say 10 rounds and everything has to be semi-automatic (I am not sure if any state allows fully automatics - I would hope not). That would limit the damage any one gun can do. In addition, nobody with a felony or history of a mental illness can be issued a gun of any type. Not sure if preventing any person whose sibling or child living in the house with mental illness can be legislated or not, but it would be nice as well. I think to go beyond that is too extreme. It isn't going to stop attacks, and it isn't going to keep children any safer than what I suggested. Furthermore, EdipisReks is completely correct, the media is fantastic at working the public into a tizzy and thinking that the next massacre is right around the corner. Scaring people is their business and it works well. Regardless of the crap they spew forth daily, the world is safer now than ever in the history of humanity for the average person on Earth. I hope I do not come off as a callous ass. My heart really does go out to the families. I cannot imagine the loss they are feeling, but the fact remains: events like this are statistically rare. Given the ease for them to happen, it's a miracle that they stay rare. That brings me to the root of the problem: identifying and treating or quarantining people with mental illness. The latter option would obviously be done for people who are en extreme risk to themselves or society. Done right, that would be infinitely more effective than any gun ban.

I enjoyed reading this thread, if for no other reason than to see intelligent people discuss a horrific even in a sensible and evenhanded way. That, and I cannot stand watching nonstop news of any kind cover this kind of story. These horrible events are like chum to the media sharks, and I do not want to have any part of it. It's disgusting really. And it's part of the reason why this country is so fractured and polarized. I heard about this on the way to work, and reports were only two fatalities. That was the last I heard about it until 6th period when I saw my TA with tears in her eyes staring at her phone. We were doing independent projects at the time, so I jumped on my computer and saw the latest reports. To say I was shocked was an understatement. After class, I picked up my kids from preschool as soon as I could and spent the night with them, thankful that I have them in my life. I cannot imagine what those families are feeling right now. I cannot come with an eloquent way of speaking about the loss and grief felt, but I hope one day the pain subsides. The path to get there will be painful and daunting, I'm sure. I happen to agree with swt61: there is no better time to speak of painful and controversial topics than when they have been seared into our memories, because they lead to actual change (for better or worse). That's just how the political system works at the moment. It takes pain and loss to get people to have meaningful talk. To that end, I have a few thoughts: 1. The day that each teacher is armed is the day that I quit teaching. Teachers are not and will never be trained like police officers, and the risk of a student getting their hands on a school issued gun is higher than some people think. That and some people think that teachers are immune to the darker side of humanity. Some real creeps get hired, and it would be a real travesty if they ever shot up a classroom because they flipped out or were a psychopath. The hiring process does not weed out some pedophiles, so why should guns be any different? 2. I am saying this as a blanket statement, because I cannot speak to the motives of the shooter, but the media is not exactly helping in situations like this. Our country has become a nation of voyeurs and attention seekers. By broadcasting the name of these killers into infamy, they are giving some of them what they want: notoriety. I can only speak for myself, but I don't give a shit about the name or the background of the person who did this - I only hope for the well-being of the victims. Perhaps if these animals never make a name for themselves all over the news, it might deter some of the more attention seeking people out there from this. Again, I could be totally off, but I thought I'd throw it out there. 3. I am not opposed to sane people owning guns for self protection for their homes. I have often thought of the idea myself, and so has my wife, but we don't have one (we'll see). I do not see how banning guns will make much of a difference in keeping people safer from armed intruders. Bad people will get guns, period. Having said this, I cannot for the life of me think of any reason why anyone would want anything other than a pistol, bolt action rifle, or shotgun. That has both hunting and home protection covered. Anything more heavy duty should only be used by military and cops. The only people trying to make a case for owning anything more than a pistol, rifle, or shotgun are just insane, and at that point they are just jerking off to the idea of owning the damn things. 4. As a few people have mentioned, our country does a piss poor job of keeping mentally handicapped people safe and productive. I really do not know much about this guy - some people are bat shit insane, but on a macro level, we could to a LOT better to identify people as dangerous and either a) treat them or b ) keep them away from the populace. Lots of people say that social policy is a large are for monetary waste, but I see expenditures in this areas as fiscally prudent. This is a case where prevention is cheaper than reaction. I am not saying it would have prevented this from happening, but I am sure you get what I am saying. I am still mystified why our country is in our position of having so many notable armed rampages. Sure it happens in other countries, but not to the extent here. What the fuck is wrong with our country?

Yeah, I will try my best to make a So. Cal date. Guaranteed to be awesome.

Alright Dusty, what do you think of this clip? I could go either way at this point, but it's not much to go off of. I was never a fan of the Hammond sound, but I will hold off on judgement until I have the thing in my hands.

Ah, this place was due for one of these threads. Good times...

I have had their discography for a few years now. I go back to them every now and then. You're not kidding about the atmosphere part. Duncan makes sure you are good and depressed when each album is done